On Demantia
Eiza González takes up the bloody baton from Salma Hayek
Maybe my old provider just didn’t carry the option until recently. Saw zero publicity on this – the show or the network.
Last night, while “menu surfing” on my cable box in On Demand zones, I discovered (news to me!) that there’s not only an El Rey Network, but a From Dusk Til Dawn series with an already completed first season. The series retells and expands upon the 1996 movie, updating the setting to the present. Very time-passing and thoroughly what it is – watched four episodes last night.
El Rey Network: Motherf***ers
I have not seen the FDTD series, but El Rey is also the home of Lucha Underground, which is the most original wrestling show to come around in a while. They just wrapped up their first season, and I highly recommend it.Report
My memory of the movie was that the first part, where the robbers become murderers and then threaten the family in order to cross into Mexico, was edge-of-my-seat suspenseful.
Then the vampires showed up and the movie became a crapfest. I say this as someone not opposed to vampire movies.
So does the series sidestep this problem or was my response just idiosyncratic?Report
Without venturing into spoiler territory: One of the pleasures of the show is comparing it to the movie. There’s definitely a cheese factor in play, but I’m not sure that’s truly a demerit in context.
Highlight to reveal: It’s episode 4 and they still haven’t crossed the border. I’m really looking forward to see how they re-do the Events at the Titty Twister. To this point, the vampires’ back-story has been filled out – also, connectedly, what’s “really” going on with the crazy (Tarantino in the original) brother. One major character and several minor ones have been added without changing the plot (to this point). Season 2 apparently starts a brand new story. I have no idea whether it’s connected to the movie sequels – which were not, as far as I know, well-received, and which I’ve never seen.
In addition to comparing the story to the movie’s (which I haven’t and don’t expect to attempt in detail), part of the pleasure is comparing the TV’s show’s development to itself: It’s nicely chopped up temporally, with extended flashback stories, and the same events or scenes viewed second and third times from different perspectives. So it manages to be stylish and controlled, yet cheesy and goofy, at the same time – just what you’d expect from Rodriguez.Report
I agree with the two different tenors of the movie… once again, Tarantino is asking us questions about violence and entertainment and, once again, Rodriguez is asking us to get some popcorn.
Tarantino did a good job of putting the psychological horror in the first half of the movie and the rollicking good time in the second half, though.Report