TV: The Strain SE1 EP1

The Strain
Drama, Horror, Sci Fi

I spoke a little about this in my mass post of upcoming new shows and it's finally here! A friend recommended me the book by director Guillermo del Toro who's dark, spooky style is well known from Pan's Labyrinth. I'm glad I read it before the show came out...at least I was semi prepared for the creepy factor.

It starts with something we've seen in these kind of shows before: a dead airplane. There is a mixture of traditional vampire mythology: the coffin of dirt, being transported over water, what I think is a Master, etc. But it's just a tad different. I might be giving some of it away here but I'm assuming most of you will figure all this out in the first couple of episodes. There are vampires... but they're not the sexy, fang sporting vampires we are used to. These vampires are infected with a parasite and they feed via these really ugly looking stingers. Very cool, very spooky.

I recognised Corey Stoll right away even though with the hair he looks a little different from his House of Cards role. Mia Maestro (Alias, Twilight: Breaking Dawn) was also hard to miss, she's showing up everywhere lately. They play the two leading CDC investigators who got more than they planned for with the dead airplane. David Bradley (Filch from Harry Potter) plays a kooky old dude who's apparently dealt with these monsters before.

The first episode has not disappointed so far: it's sufficiently spooky and mysterious. Even having read the book I'm still interested in watching the show, which is a good sign. It's set to get even creepier so give it a go and let me know what you think.

4 out of 5 parasites...

TV: New Shows Starting Up!

This will just be a quick one but I've seen some previews of new shows coming and I thought I'd share them with you...

First up is The Flash. We all know who The Flash is right? Well this is a spin-off from Arrow so there will be a few faces we already recognise in there, including the Star Labs team and maybe even an appearance from our favourite masked hero (Stephen Amell). I also recognised Tom Cavanagh from the show Ed. It's still a while away yet, the preview says Fall so I'm guessing another few months. But if I'm still watching Arrow then I guess I'll watch this one too... It's not my favourite of the new announcements but we'll get to that.

The next one is Constantine, which I have just discovered is actually a TV Movie! Damn. The preview looks really good and I would love it as a series rather than a movie... oh well. Check out the awesome preview starring Matt Ryan who has guest featured in quite a few popular shows but I've never actually seen him before... as well as Lucy Griffiths (Winter's Tale, True Blood) and Harold Perrineau (Romeo + Juliet, Sexy Evil Genius). The trailer looks so good, Constantine has that wicked dry humour that I just love. Add in the whole idea of who and what Constantine is and I am excited! If you haven't seen the movie starring Keanu Reeves (The Matrix, 47 Ronin) then you need to check that out first. Again, this premiers in Fall so a few months to wait still...

I read the first book of Guillermo del Toro's The Strain and now it's coming to TV! It's a vampire book/show... yes, I can hear your groans already... but think vampires in the style of Resident Evil. They aren't pretty and sparkly with fangs... they are humans infected with a virus that changes their genetic makeup. They eat through a giant barbarous tongue.. I was told to think of the vampires in Blade II (which was directed by del Toro). So it has potential to be something kinda cool. We shall see though... Starring David Bradley (Filch from Harry Potter), Sean Astin (Samwise from Lord Of The Rings), Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Lost) and Mia Maestro (Alias), The Strain premiers next month, July 13.

Crossbones actually just started the other day and from what I can see it is very much like Black Sails which is probably why I haven't watched it yet. I was almost convinced when I realised it stars John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich, Burn After Reading) as Blackbeard and features Richard Coyle who I loved in Coupling! The trailer looks cool too... ok, I've convinced myself to check it out, I'll get back to you on that one...

So yeah... new stuff, coming soon!