Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Falling Down


Falling Down:
The Danger That One Man Can Do

We talk alot in Grindhouse films about a genre called "bad ass films" this the subgenre, normally connected to revenge films, movies like Jaws and Orca and the like are placed, but bad ass films aren't always exactly about revenge, its also the subgenre were you find alot of movies by actors like Steve McQueen, Richard Roundtree, Charles Bronson, and even Chuck Norris to some extent, and though these films, normally about some one man army going to take revenge on a person or a group of people, who done them wrong in the past were a staple of the drive in movies and grindhouse theaters from the early days all the way to the end in the mid 1980s when most of the theaters and drive ins were crushed by the rise of the multiplex, the greatest example, and possible the greatest of the whole subgenre was made years later, filmed in 1992, ironically starting production only days before the LA Riots broke out, and being brought to theaters in 1993, came a film thats not often talked about these days, but to those who remember it, see it as a classic with no equal. I am talking ofcourse about what most see as the greatest role of Micheal Douglas' career, the film Falling Down.


Falling Down is a stand out film for many reasons, it is seen as a brilliant commentary on such things as social injustice, the state of police effectiveness, gangs, family, economic downturns and ofcourse, the mentally ill, though it is never actually outright stated that Micheal Douglas' character is mentally ill, it is strongly implied he is schizophrenic, though he has never acted out before the start of the film. The film also implies that the wife of the film's main "hero" a tired old cop on his last day before retirement's wife is mentally ill as well, given her frantic and manic behavior through out the whole film, until she is finally put her in her place. The film also has a distinction of angering almost every single possible group of people that a film can, the Korean government objected to the film's portrayal of a Korean store owner as racist, stereotypical and untrue to this very day the film is banned from being viewed in theaters, on television and in rental form in the country of Korea, social activism groups in Los Angeles claimed the movie's portrayal of gang members was grossly inaccurate and done for scare value, abused women's groups claimed that though she never admits it, and its never implied, that Micheal Douglas' character beat his exwife, even though she states in the film he never did, the Los Angeles Police, fresh off the horrorshow that was their handling of the riots in the wake of their beating of Rodney King, claimed the film's depiction of most of the cops in L.A to be disrespectful and untrue of how the police operate, most saw this as a scapegoat tactic and dismissed it, the film even garnered anger from a group of defense contract workers who were at the time in legal battle with the government over how they were downsized, stating Micheal Douglas' character does not represent all of their kind, and oddly enough, White Supremacy groups claiming they aren't as antagonistic as the neo-nazi pawn shop owner in the film. Its always been said, a good film is only as good as the buzz it gets around it and however many people it pisses off, and well, this film did that in spades. Now with the behind the scenes out of the way, lets get to the actual film shall we?


Falling Down is the story of two men, William Foster, billed in the credits as "D-fens" the licenses plate on his car to imply that really the main character could have been literally anyone. William is a recently divorced father and recently fired from his job as a missile and missile guiding system designer for a weapons manufacture company in the post cold war end economic downturn in defense contracting, despite the fact he's been let go from his job over a month prior to the film's start, William still gets up and goes about his day as if he's still got a job, he never tells anyone he lost it, and its never explained where he goes to spend his day, because we never actually see where he is going, do to the events of the film's opening scene. Falling Down is also the story of Sgt. Martin Prendergast , a robbery cop who's been sitting behind a desk for many years after being wounded in a shoot out, this is his last day before retirement, Prentergast is an old school cop who's been pushed to the background for younger brasher less skilled officers who see him as a sort of joke, or a relic of old times and old ways, they tease him relentlessly, which Prentergast hates but given his old world polite nature, he just laughs it off, he is the first person to notice a pattern in the seemingly random acts of violence that is the trail left by William. and is able to track him along the straight line that he walks through the course of the film. Prentergrast doesn't tell anyone but his former partner a young detective named Sandra Torres, that he is retiring to care for his mentally ill wife instead of for himself. And though he protests through the entire film there is a pattern to these random acts of violence everyone except for Torres, his captain included, mocks and makes fun of him claiming there is nothing to it and he's just an old cop trying to make a big deal out of nothing on his last day.


The film starts out on a highway underpass in southern Los Angeles, its morning gridlock traffic and William Foster's air conditioner has broken in the heatwave level early morning temperatures. Surrounded by cars and the relenting heat, William tries to roll down the window in his early 1980s sedan, much to his dismay the crank breaks, leaving him stuck in the heat with no fresh air or relief from the heat, a fly buzzes around his head, he swats it away, as the camera pans around the people locked in traffic with him, the fly returns and he swats it around the car, to no avail, He sits forward and tries to stay calm, finally when his eyes meet with the girl looking at him in the car infront of him, her dead looking eyes are the final straw, he opens the door and gets out of his car, he walks around for a second, then reaches in and takes his briefcase, the person behinds him leans out of his car and yells "hey, where are you going?" William says "I'm going home.." and walks through the traffic over a hill through bushes, and begins his walk that will take him the whole movie to make.


William walks down the hill and decides to make a phone call, today is his daughter's birthday, and you discover that William's decided to pay her a visit, as the film goes on, and he gets closer, you discover that he's no longer allowed to see his daughter, because a judge felt like making an example of him during custody hearings. his first call to his exwife William says nothing, he then hangs up the phone, and goes to call her right back, he discovers he doesn't have enough change, he walks into a local market owned by a Korean man and asks for change for his dollar bill. "No change, buy something.." the man says, William looks shocked and angered at this, he asks him to repeat himself and he again tells him to buy something or get out. William slams his briefcase down on the counter and walks over to the refrigerator cabinet and takes out a can of coca cola, he pauses for a moment and says "it sure is hot out today..", he takes the can to the counter and the clerk says "85 cents" William looks at him shocked, he says "that won't even give me enough for the phone call.." the man says again "85 cents!" William says "no, I give you 50 cents, and you give me back 50 cents so i can make my phone call.." this is the moment where William finally snaps, and begins his fall. In anger William says that the clerk needs to learn proper English because he speaks horribly, he then says some racist against Asian things, to which the clerk says he's Korean, William then looks at him and says "do you know how much money my country has given yours?" and he starts on an angry rant about the state of international affairs, the clerk asks him to leave, then pulls out a baseball bat, William grabs it from him and they fight, William then starts to bash and destroy the store explaining that they're rolling prices back to what they were in 1965, after which the frightened clerk sells him the soda for 50 cents, William pays for the soda and leaves, taking the baseball bat with him.


A Patrolmen drives up to William's car, and after talking to the man behind him in traffic, attempts to move it out of the way, Prentergast who is several cars behind at this point walks up and after flashing his badge to the rather rude patrolman helps move the car off the highway so cars can get by, he notices William's custom plates "D-Fens" and finds it odd, before going back to his car after helping move traffic through gridlock. William starts to walk toward his former home in Venice from this point, he walks through a highly dangerous gang area, and sits on an old cement sewer junction on a hill the city just left there, and is now covered in graffiti, he fixes a hole in his shoe with an old newspaper he's taken out of his briefcase and drinks his soda, as he does this, two gang members circle him, and after threatening him, he tries to talk his way out of an incident, instead of just letting him go, they demand he give them his briefcase, he tells them they really shouldn't push him, but one pulls a knife on him, and as he goes to get the briefcase, he instead gets his stolen baseball bat, and beats the hell out of the two of them. breaking one of them's arm as he runs off William yells "Im going the fuck home! clear a path!" as he throws the baseball bat at him, William then picks up the knife that was pulled on him and puts it in his pocket continuing his journey as if nothing had happened. William calls his exwife again, and this time speaks to her, as she explains he's not welcome there, he tries to explain to her that he's coming home, that he's coming home to see his daughter, his exwife again states he's not welcome there, but he doesn't listen, he tells her he's coming home.


At this point the gang members he bet up before are driving around looking for him, they spot him as he hangs up the phone, they attempt a drive by on him but miss him by about a foot though he doesn't seem effected by it, shooting up an entire city street shooting 6 people instead, and then crashing in a garish and deadly wreck. leaving all but one of them dead. As he is bleeding on the ground William walks up to him and says "I think you missed.." the then picks up an Uzi which is near by and shoots it, missing the kid, then shooting him in the leg. He then takes off with the machine gun and the large back of weapons that were in the gang members car. The crowd parts and allows him to walk off as he continues his walk toward his former home. At this point the store owner from earlier has gone to the police and reports what happened, explaining that he wasn't robbed, he was assaulted and his bat taken, after giving a description of the guy Sgt. Prentergast finds it odd, later when a teenage girl connected to the gang who William was almost killed by talks to the police, she mentions that he was a tall white man in a shirt and tie with a baseball bat, which Prentergast connects to the store, he then starts to notice a pattern, though not sure where its going yet, the other cops mock him and tell him its nothing, which pisses him off more, once he realizes that William has a gym bag full of guns with him.


Next is the most remembered scene in this entire film, William walks into Whammy Burger, which is clearly ment to be McDonald's, and orders some breakfast, he's told they are no longer serving breakfast, they stopped at 11:30am, William looks at his watch, its 11:33am. He becomes angry, and after a talk with the manager who was rather rude and condescending, William reaches into his gym bag and pulls out a Tech 9 machine gun and starts to yell about how stupid of a rule that is and how all he wants is some breakfast, the packed restaurant screams in panic and the staff freeze in place, as he rants about how he hates that manor of business, he accidentally pulls the trigger on the gun, shooting several rounds into the ceiling, to which they all yell in terror, and he panics saying it was an accident. William then changes his mind and stays instead he'll have a burger, to which he opens it and discovers not a nice juicy looking patty thats on the picture over the counter, but a small flattened sloppily put together burger that looks kind of uneatable. He then yells "See, this is what I'm talking about" and contiues on with his ranting, walking around the eating area asking people how they like the food, one woman vomits and he jokes "I guess she didn't like the special sauce rick.." to the manager. He then pays for his food and leaves.


At this point Prentergast is completely sure there is a pattern to all this random violence, and he gets his former partner Torres to give him the details on the fast food incident, which she does, must to the disapproval of her new partner, who seems to do nothing but annoy her. He starts to map out the locations, and notices they're all kind of in a line can he can track the path. William again calls his exwife, this time to tell her again he's coming to see his daughter, she tells him the police are there, when he asks to speak to one, she hangs up the phone, telling him she's bluffing. As William walks out of the phone booth he's verbally assaulted by a man claiming he was taking to long and that others wanted to use the phone, calling him rude and many things, William takes out the tech 9 again and shoots the phone booth till its nothing but a pile of shattered glass and bullet filled metal, he then says to the man "I think its out of order". William then walks past a bank where a black man is outside protesting that they aren't giving him a loan even after 7 years of being a customer because he's not "economically viable", as this happens, William buys his daughter a snowglobe, he then watches the police take the protester away, as he drives by William he says "don't forget me." William nods his head as if to say he won't.


William then walks past a pawn shop, where he decides to get some hiking boots to replace his shoes with the hole in them. He walks in, there are two well built men looking through cloths, and a man behind the counter listening to a police scanner, the man behind the counter recognizes William by his description on the police scanner, and after the owner verbally assaults the two men in the store, calling them derogatory names because they're homosexual, after they leave he helps William find a pair of hiking boots, as William is putting them on, Torres comes in the store asking if anyone that looked like William had been in his store, the owner says no, and after being rather rude to Torres, she leaves, the store owner locks the door and then tells William he's his friend and wishes to help him. He takes him in the back and starts to show him his collection of neo-nazi propaganda, including of all things a nazi santa claus. He shows William afew things, and explains he wants to help him because he believes him to be a white power vigilante, claiming he believed William shot up the Whammy Burger because "it was full of fucking niggers", he then hands William a portable land to air anti-aircraft rocket launcher, saying he wants him to have it for his crusade, again claiming they are the same. William looks at him and states "We are nothing alike, I'm an american, and you're a sick asshole." he then goes to walk away, but the store owner pulls a gun on him, and tries to subdue him, looking through the gym bag of weapons, finding the snowglobe, calling it "faggot shit" he tosses it and it shatters. William finally snaps completely and stabs him with the knife he got from the gang members earlier, then takes his gun and kills the man. He then loads up on guns, changes his cloths, and calls his exwife, saying he's reached the point of no return, and that he has to see this through to the end. He then says again, he's coming home.


William then starts walking again, this time he cuts across a golf course, and after being verbally assaulted by some rich old man, who then hits him with a golf ball, William completely loses it, he pulls a shotgun out of the bag and the old man starts to panic, he then tells them they have no real right to fence in what should be a public park for such a stupid thing as a golf course, he then turns and shoots the golf cart, which rolls forward down the hill toward a pond, the old man has a heart attack, dropping to the ground, William verbally taunts him as he dies, asking if he feels his attempt on his life was worth it now that he's dying, "your pills are going to drown in your cart down there, and now you're going to die wearing that stupid little hat, how does that feel?" William asks him. William walks off as the man dies saying "this is my golf course..". William jumps a fence, cutting his hand on a razorwire fence, he then starts to tell at the people in the backyard for it, after they explain they are just the help, he then runs and hides as he hears the cops near by, as they all hide, he tells them of his life, and how once he goes home, everything will be alright. He then leaves with out causing them any harm.


Once the call comes in about the phone booth, Prentergast is completely sure there is a pattern and before Torres can tell him where the phone booth is, he guesses the general area, which is correct, he then tells Torres they're going to start at the first point and look for what could be happening. They drive to the market, Prentergast recognizes the billboard he saw on the highway that morning, he then remembers the car, and the plates, they look them up and get William's name and address, they go and talk to his mother, and then discover the bleak homelife that William has, and his mentally unstable mother is shocked when they call his employer and discover he'd been fired a month before hand. Back at the station Prentergast and Torres get the call about the shop owner, Torres says "I was just over there.. the owner is a real prick.." she's then told he's dead, realizing she might have been killed, then adding the golf course and the people nextdoor to the course, they discover where William's path is taking them, to his old home in Venice, right on the peer. As they're going to leave, Torres' new partner gets a party set up for Prentergast with a cake and stripper, after he says they need to go, Torres' partner makes a crack about Prentergast's wife, Prentergast punches him in the face knocking him cold, they then leave to head to Venice. As they do this, William crosses a construction area and after getting the foreman to admit there is nothing wrong with the street and its just to waist budget money, he blows up a water main with the rocket launcher he took from the pawn shop owner.


William calls his exwife one last time, telling her he is right around the corner, to which his wife grabs her daughter and runs out of the house, they run out the back door and out of the yard as William runs in the front door. William sits in the house for awhile, watching old videos of them, he notices his anger in some of them and realizes that he's caused al of this pain and destruction, and there is no coming back from this. He then realizes that his exwife and daughter are hiding on the peer, he rushes out to find them, and once he does, he pulls out a gun and everyone leaves. As William tries to pleed his case to his exwife, of how he just wanted to see his family, Prentergast shows up, and after a big monologue and stand off, Prentergast shots William dead when he reaches to pull out what turns out to be a watergun. "I woulda got you.." William says as his body falls into the sea.


From there the movie ends, and you're left to ponder just how out of the realm of possibility is this movie, which I find to be chilling really, the fact its possible gives it a kind of Last House On The Left kind of feel to it, where you know its possible that it could happen anywhere to anyone with a temper. Its blunt, its violent, and its completely insane and if you haven't seen Falling Down, you really need too. Its a true classic. Keep in mind also, there is a TON in this movie I didn't mention in my review, as to add to the surprise factor of it, its a truly deep film and you gotta look through it afew times before you truly get it all. Also, fun note, William Foster is the visual basis for both the character of Hank Hill on King Of The Hill, and Noah Bennet on Heroes, two things I always found kinda neat.

Sorry some of the images aren't working, you'd be amazed at for such a well spoke of movie around the internet, there is almost no pictures of it anywhere...


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BC

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

What I'm Currently Watching Pt. 2

So with the summer season fast coming up on us all, its time to once again go through the list of what television shows from around the world that I am watching, why? well because I was asked to do so, and because afew of the reviews I've been planning to write up just aren't exactly done yet, so to fill space, I figured what the the hell, lets go for it... ok, ready? set, lets go!!!

Current Programing:

Drama:

Bones (US)
Satisfaction (AU)
Gossip Girl (US)
Skins (UK)
Durham County (CA)
Secret Dairy Of A Call Girl (UK)
House (US)
In Plain Sight (US)
Raw (Ireland)
Justified (US)
Trauma (US)

Comedy:

The Simpsons (US)
Shameless (UK)
Outrageous Fortune (NZ)
Glee (US)
Being Erica (CA)
10 Things I Hate About You (US)
Family Guy (US)
Robot Chicken (US)
Venture Brothers (US)
The Boondocks (US)
The Cleveland Show [it totally won me over] (US)
Sons of Tuscan (US)

Sci Fi:

Doctor Who (UK)
Survivors (UK)
Being Human (UK)
Fringe (US)
V (US)
Day Of The Truffids (UK)
Strange (UK)
The Misfits (UK)

Reality: 

Kitchen Nightmares (US)
Hell's Kitchen (US)
Ghost Hunters (US)
Ghost Hunters International (US)
American Idol (US)
Hotter Then My Daughter (Seriously its SO bad its hilarious) (UK)
Destination Truth (US)
Man Vs. Food (US)
The Delicious Ms. Dahl

Ended Programing I'm Rewatching:

Afterlife (UK)
Aliens In America (US)
Trailer Park Boys (CA)
Reaper (US)
Burying Brian (NZ)
Boys From The Black Stuff (UK)
The 4400 (US)
Demons (UK)
Swingtown (US)
The Muppet Show (US/UK)
The Witcher (Poland)
Honey West (US)
The Middleman (US)
Sinchroncity (UK)
Hex (UK)
Thunderbirds (UK)
Captain Scarlett And The Mysterons From Mars (UK)

ok yeah again, alot of older series to fill that gap of programing that is every summer... so there we have it... wee!


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BC

Friday, March 12, 2010

Television Things That Annoy Me

This one's been coming for along time now, and really anyone thats around me more then afew minutes at a time is aware i do this, so i figured I'd sit down, and take a break from my deciding what series or movie to write up next, and do something slightly comedic, because sometimes its good to be funny..

Anyway, what I decided to do is compile a list of sorts, or all the things in television past and present the annoy me, that annoy me enough to actually vocalize it to others, be it for actual annoyance or because its just hilarious at the time being. Anyway, lets get into my list and you'll see what I mean...

The Parents On Lassie Were Horrible People And Horrible Parents:
This has to be my most common complaint actually, because it doesn't just make you wonder why Timmy's parents felt the need to entrust the guardianship and care of their pre-tween (ugh) son in the paws of an aging sheep dog, but it starts to make you wonder about other shows too, like, where Dora The Explorer's parents are, or any other number of parental neglect in television, but none, none, are more obvious and glaring case of this trend as the parents on Lassie. Its clear these parents do not care for their child, first because he is raised by what appears to be a super intelligent collie, but they seem to be neglectful of the fact that they seem to have NEVER patched up the old mine opening, or covered up that old well's opening, regardless of the fact he's even gotten stuck in, or fallen into one of those two things EVERY WEEK FOR 6 SEASONS. Honestly, what in the bloody hell is the deal with this, it bugs me still to this very day, like to the point I just scream at the television about it.

The Professor On Gilligan's Island Was Completely Useless:
This one is probably the most commonly mentioned of all of these, because its the one most people think of right off the top of their heads. For those that don't remember, Gilligan's Island is the story of seven strangers stranded on an island in the middle of the south pacific ocean, an island that apparently no one has ever noticed was there, and that those who did happen across it, never mention is there, even though each visitor mentions they're famous for being missing. Now, logic on this aside, the most glaring issue I have with this show is, The Professor, he is supposed to be the brains of this outfit, and though I admit, making a power supply out of workout bikes made out of what i guess are Bamboo and reeds, is pure genius. I still have to wonder why he didn't simply patch the 3 foot hole in the boat's hull and be on their way. It annoys me. I often find myself thinking he just wanted to stay there on teh island where everyone was stupider then him, because lord knowns none of them could think "hey we made a table out of a tree, lets fix the fucking hole in the boat with this..." right? I find that as believable as the fact they're apparently off maps, but are close enough to Hawaii to pick up radio stations clear as can be. Honestly, i think The Professor just wanted to sit around for 30 years till the Harlem globetrotters showed up.... I mean I sure as hell would have... man the way Medowlark Lemon dunked on that robot... wooo!

The Interior Layout Of Houses Do NOT Match The Exterior:
This is one of my biggest issues I have. Now I understand that you need a visual and a set and stuff for the exterior of a home, after all some scenes do take place outside of the interior setting of a home, and for that, you need an image of what the outside of the home is. Now, thats well and good, but the problem with it is this, most of the time, the lay out of the indoor floor plan, could never match the exterior look. The biggest noted example of this is on the old Jefferson's television series, where its pretty obvious by the exterior of the building, that its impossible for the Jefferson's deluxe apartment in the sky-i-i-i, to exist in that building, in reality, there would be no balcony, and where the hallway to the bedrooms and stuff are, would be a wall. This one is the shining example of what i'm saying not only for that, but also, because its impossible for Mr. Bentley's apartment next door to be where it is, there are rooms down that hallway, all big ones from what we've seen in them, that would mean Mr. Bentley would beliving in a closet (haha) or that apartment wouldn't be there at all. Its super annoying. Another example is the Banks estate on The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, there is no possible way that in a manson that size, that kitchen and living room are that small, and right inside the front entrance to the home, like they state many times on the show it is. That would mean the house is really small with just a big impressive front, and very little else, kind of a reverse TARDIS effect, where its smaller on the inside then it is on the outside, plus the lay out of the second floor could not happen given the layout of the first.. Theer are countless other examples of this really, the house and yard in Roseanne, the house and yard on Family Matters, The house and yard on Full House that was clearly always a two floor home with an attic that magically becomes a full size third floor when they need it too, and the house and yard on The Brady Bunch, as well as countless others though off the top of my head those stick out the most. I should also note this is a strictly american issue, for other nations have realized the realism effect is important, and try to not go to far out from the outer home design.

you know, i had a really big list, but for the life of me i can't find it, so i'm just gonna leave it with this for now...and go back later for more....


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BC

Monday, March 1, 2010

Being Human


Being Human:
The Anti-Twilight

Now, I will be the first to admit, on first look back in 2007 when I first saw the pilot for what would become "Being Human", I laughed at it, seriously the idea of a television show about a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost living together in a pink house in Bristol UK, dismissing it as a gothic version of the old priest minister and a rabbi joke, because well, lets face it, it sounds like one, but let me tell you, after seeing the pilot, and then reworked and recast pilot, and now, just about two complete series in, i must say, do not sleep on this, you will infact be sadly misguided in doing so. The show is probably one of the better I have seen recently in the genre of British sci fi in recent years, and really thats something when you look at its contemporaries. But don't be confused, though this show is high brow sci fi, its not droll or confusing to follow, its sarcastic and comedic nature really lighten the mood more often then the mood gets toned down. You find yourself relating to the cast, and in a sense questioning what it really means "to be human", and are they truly trying to achieve this goal, or have they become it, and the rest of us are playing catch up. Its a brilliant little romp through their world where monsters and things that go bump in the night are real, even if some of them just wish to live in a house together and not draw attention to themselves.


The show is brilliantly cast, each character is played by someone who, infact looks like they could be exactly what they are, the vampires are all believable in their roles and personalities, the werewolves really act like you'd expect a werewolf fitting into society would act, and the ghosts, really do look like photographs frozen in time, its all very sad and darkly beautiful and very funny all at the same time. But then it was created by one of the writers for Doctor Who, so one can assume just on the modern version of that show it'd be a brilliant mixture of high end sci fi, realism and comedy, lets have a look at the cast shall we?


Anna "Annie" Clare Sawyer: Annie is a ghost, but like most of the dead, she is very much alive, even if no one outside of the realm of paranormal creatures can on a regular basis. Annie's biggest thing is, she doesn't want to be dead, for most of the first series she doesn't even remember her death, saying she just feel awkwardly down the stairs, she remembers the night she died differently then when it really happened, and when confronted with the truth, that she was infact an abused woman who was murdered by her abusive boyfriend when he was beating her, she becomes very depressed, then very angry, and gains the powers of a poltergeist, powers that grow through out the series, she gains new skills, and in the end of series one, takes on an entire horde of vampires almost single handed. Annie also is unique in the fact she has turned down passage to the other side twice. She is in a sense the glue that holds everyone together. She, like all ghosts are frozen in what they were, and she helps many like her cross over to the other side. Annie also has the greatest line in the entire series to date, she says it to her exboyfriend who murdered her, revealing what they all are to him to scare him into confessing to her murder. "there is a question you haven't asked yourself yet, if i exist, what else does? You think you're the big bad wolf, you should see George on a full moon. You think you're a coldblooded murderer? Mitchell was killing 80 years before you were born. Don't you get it yet? I'm just the tip of the iceberg, I'm good cop, look at you with your grubby little murder, fact is when it comes to pure naked evil, you're an amateur. I want you to know, you've wandered off the path, this is where the wild things are, and we've got your scent now, and we can find you, at the ends of the earth, and create unimaginable tortures ... my advice to you, find a safe place with locks and guard dogs, and never, ever turn out the lights." she drives him insane with that line and telling him the secret only the dead know.. Brilliance, just brilliance.


John Mitchell: simply known as "Mitchell" by everyone around him, Mitchell is a vampire who is just about 100 years old, and has decided in recent years to turn his back on the ways of vampires, who are portrayed as cold and calculated bloodthirsty creatures who feed and turn others into their kind with out repercussions or thought. They are by far the largest in number of creatures in the series. Mitchell brings the group together, first saving George from a group of vampires who wished to beat and murder him simply because he's a werewolf, and they were drawn to the house where Annie lived, died, and haunts, the three of them together decided to make a go at life as normal people, or as normal one can get being what they all are. Mitchell however has shown that his resolve isn't as strong as he'd like you to believe it is, in the first episode he's shown accidentally "converting" Lauren, an exgirlfriend of George's during sex, he leaves her to turn on her own, out of fear and panic of what he'd done. Lauren appears heavily through the first series, at first taunting and teasing Mitchell, then eventually saving him before he is asked to kill her, which he does. Mitchell was "converted" as they call it, by Herrick, the first series main villain, who sees him as a sort of savior among vampires. Its strongly implied that Mitchell's idea of changing came from a human woman named Josie whom Mitchell spent much of the 1960s with, and happens across him in her last days before cancer kills her, Mitchell openly weeps when she dies, giving the last bit of herself, her blood, to save his life.


George Sands: George is a werewolf, who can transform at will, or by force once a month on a full moon, however having only been a werewolf for two years at the point of show's start, he's very uneasy and paranoid about how he's seen, he hadn't at that point learned to control or bring on his transformation and is very scared around other, he comes off like an nerd with social issues and is always stuttering and acting jumpy, he looks and acts alot like you would think a dog would in personality if able to pass as a human. George starts to gain confidence in himself and what he is as the first series progresses, first after meeting Tully a fellow werewolf, who teaches him how to be a werewolf, and how to control the transformation, the first time George willingly transforms is out of rage when he discovers that Tully was infact the werewolf who passed the curse on to him, claiming he seeked George out because he had nothing else, his wife and son were both dead and he had no family, claiming that he felt a kinship to George given their connection. George rejects him claiming what he'd done to him isn't a gift, its not a marvelous thing, its a curse and that it shouldn't ever be given to anyone, the two of them start to fight and George's transformation takes over, this is the first time he uses his wolf form in combat, the second is when he fights Herrick in the end of series one, this time showing complete control over his wolf form, claiming that the fact he has come to terms with it, and has learned to use it to protect his friends and loved ones shows why he has not lost his humanity, but infact has gained strength in it, and his faith in what he, Annie and Mitchell are doing. George also accidentally turns his girlfriend Nina into a werewolf by pushing her back to protect her before his fight with Herrick. Afterwards he no longer refers to his wolf form as a separate being, but as a part of himself, implying he has come to terms with what he is, an is willing to do whatever it takes to keep their little family together, just like Annie and Mitchell are.

This is for the rabid Mitchell and George Fangirls, oh yes, there many, its like twilight for people with taiste

Don't dismiss this as an action show though, it really isn't, its mostly the story of these three misfits that found each other, and how they are trying to accept their way into a world that doesn't know they're out there in the night. And them doing what they can to keep the fact they're out there a secret, but yet, they have to let people know in order to survive, like Mitchell revealing to a neighbor woman who thinks he molested her son that he is a vampire and giving her the option to let him save her son, whom Mitchell did grow very attached too because he saw alot of himself in the young boy, and infact Mitchell tried to save from a speeding car when a mob was ready to lynch him believing him a pedophile. Or how George unwillingly exposes himself and what he is to his girlfriend Nina. or when Annie tries to explain to Janey, the woman currently with her exboyfriend that he murdered her, and tried to warn her to leave him, a message which as far as we know, she didn't listen too. It seems the more they try to hide, the more they're brought out into the open by others, its kind of sad, but in a way is also very close to how human life is, no matter how hard you try to fit in and not get noticed, if you are extraordinary, you will get noticed, not by the masses, but by those small few who can infact see the difference in you and others. The series also goes into a great deal of depth on the matter of Death, with Annie and other ghosts they encounter or that Annie helps to the other side, its hard to go into depth on that with out heavy spoilering both the first and second series for you, so I won't, but I will say, its handled in a brilliant manor that you jut have to see to believe.

This is for the Annie Fanboys out there, because Casper's older sister is allowed to be hot..

So if you haven't yet, have a look at Being Human, atleast in its original form before the SyFy made version of it comes out this summer and ruins the whole feel of it. Believe me, you won't be sorry you've given it a look.

Oh and if you click the images afew of them are beautiful high rez wallpaper size.. so enjoy.


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BC