Description

From Alan Ball, the Oscar(r) winning writer of "American Beauty", comes a series that digs where others fear to tread. When a bus kills Nathaniel Fisher, owner of the Fisher & Sons Funeral Home in Los Angeles, the tragedy casts a pall on the homecoming of his prodigal son Nate. Together with with mother Ruth, brother David and sister Claire, they must address the family business, and the many more personal matters that arise when your life is Six Feet Under. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Pretty Good as vampire movies go
Let's face it, if you're a fan of the genre, you know that most vampire movies suck (no pun intended). This one doesn't. It's actually pretty good, especially if you like a view that's sympathetic to the vampires. The vampires in this movie are a subspecies of humans, with their own society and laws. Sounds sort of like Kindred, The Embraced, doesn't it? It even has the stylish old-world vampires at odds with the younger, rebel vampires. It also has the beautiful blonde human reporter who's in love with one of the vampires. The movie has some good twists, attractive women, cool settings...and it's entertaining.

I Love This Movie!
This is one of the few vampire movies I could watch again and again. It's not very gory but it's very entertaining nonetheless. It stars Jason London, and he plays his role as that of vampire-who-doesn'-t know-he's-a-vampire very well. Blood Ties has its very funny moments as well (I'm not sure they were supposed to be that funny...). Get this movie today. Happy watching!

Views more like a murder drama than a vampire movie...
Frankly, I'm surprised it even got an R rating. The story isn't half bad, except they break the cardinal rule that vampires can't exist in the daylight. In most ways they don't even seem like vampires--just a strange branch of humanity who can feed on blood when riled enough. Anyway, don't expect any nudity. What scenes there are could probably be boadcast without censorship, in my opinion. The violence must be what makes it restricted, but again compared to most vampire movies of today, the violence is very tame.

If you're looking for a borderline R vampire flick to watch with teen members of the family, this is it. Enjoy the tale. But, hardcore horror fans will think this extremely disappointing....

"Only Revenge Is Sweeter Than Blood"
"Blood Ties" begins in Anchor, Texas, where three S.C.A.V. (Southern Coalition Against Vampirism) members murder a teen's parents and shoot the young man (Cody Puckett, played by Jason London) with a crossbow before setting the house on fire. Luckily he escapes--or rather, the Amish-looking trio allow him to get away so they can follow him to "the others".

Wounded, 17-year-old Cody seeks the rich, corrupted Uncle Eli Chelarin (Patrick Bauchau) in Long Beach, California. Here Cody meets a few other relatives: Butcherbird "Butch" Vlad (Salvator Xuereb), Eli's rebellious nephew and the apparent leader of the Shrikes (the young troublemakers of the family, which Cody becomes a part of); Harry Martin, aka Harlevon Martinesque (uncertain spelling; played by Harley Venton), another one of Eli's nephews, as well as a reporter for the 'Long Beach Post-Gazette' and Cody's "guardian"; and Celia (Michelle Johnson), Eli's younger halfsister and lover. She's also Harry's occasional lover, which, by the way, if you hadn't noticed, makes her his half-aunt. Grossed out? Then you may not want to watch this one, because there's more incest involving cousins. Nothing graphic though.

In the movie, Harry is one of the leading characters who is trying to track down these "vampire" hunters before they can hurt anyone else. His semi-assistant is D.A. Amy Lauren (Kim Johnston Ulrich), who had tried to put Butch in jail at the beginning of "Blood Ties", but failed because of Eli's monetary charm. Amy's more of a blond-haired-blue-eyed sexual distraction for Harry, though, than any real help.

Although "Blood Ties" is essentially a vampire/horror movie, it doesn't rely on fangs or other vampire myths at all. It's more of a tongue-in-cheek soap opera drama with a hint of vampirism that's more racially charged than scary. This is noticeable in how the word "vampire" is considered a derogatory term, even though that's what they are; "Carpathian" is the appropriate term. Another example of racial undertones in this movie is when the redheaded Western Regional S.C.A.V. member (Grace Zabriskie) spouts off how terrible it is to have to sit with "one of them" on the bus or be with one in the same room. She continues by saying the "vampires" sole purpose is to steal other people's spouses, jobs, parking spaces, etc. Concerning "vampires" it sounds absurd, I know, but realize there's more to this movie than just cursory blood and guts, although the violence is quite tame and nonexistent compared to today's standards. There is some bloodletting, but no graphic vein-ripping, limb-tearing scenes here.

Sure, it's pretty cheesy at times too, i.e., the choreographed dancing of the Shrikes, but "Blood Ties" wasn't meant to be a serious film. It had aired back in May of 1991 on Fox as a pilot, but apparently it didn't take as a series. I remember watching it back then and pretty much fell in love with it at first viewing since it combines my two favorite genres (horror and comedy) and spotlights "vampires" (my favorite type of monster). I simply can't wait for the DVD version to come out this June!

Another fresh twist on the vampire theme
Excuse me -- not "vampire"! That's an ugly word, a slur. These folks preferred to be called "Carpathian -Americans," thankyouverymuch.

And most of what you've heard about ... Carpathians ... is untrue. Wild, exaggerated, ugly tales. (Except the thing about liking the taste of blood. That's true. But that was long ago. They're civilized now. Didn't _your_ ethnic ancestors do some pretty gross things hundreds of years ago?)

"Blood Ties" looks at an extended clan of, uh, Carpathian-Americans as just another group of immigrants, living in Long Beach, CA. There's the first generation -- conservative, with strong ties to the old country and the old ways. The second generation -- assimilationist, more "American" in their thinking. And the young third generation -- rediscovering their heritage, militantly proud of it, and a little bit spoiled.

These immigrants, however, are also victims of prejudice and hate ... which turns deadly ... There are "vampire hunters" abroad, and they are the bad guys.

Suspenseful, sexy, sometimes humorous and maybe even thought-provoking. I don' t think this was exactly a big-budget movie, but it was very entertaining. I wish it could have become a TV series. And I loved the "Carpathian" music -- especially the tune that plays at the beginning and ending. I wish I could get a recording of it. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Overrated.
Parts of this series was interesting, but there were a lot of letdowns...Kevin has several rather sexist attitudes; Winnie really is rather insipid in that she whines too much and has only Kevin, Paul, and his guys friends as her only friends. The one year she's at a different school, she comes back to Kevin wailing that she "doesn't fit in" and how lonely she is instead of attempting to make some friends on her own (she does wind up hanging out with another group of all guys from that school). The only characters I really liked here and sometimes it was the reason I watched this series occasionally were Paul and Debbie Pfieffer. There were both so cute and funny! They were basically the only two intelligent, enjoyable characters there and I loved their dark hair, eyes, and thick glasses. I liked how gentle and loyal Paul was.

Toching funny and everything in between
I really love this video of the wonder years and i think that you and your family would treasure it so much after you bought it! I just started watching the Wonder Years and it is already my favorite show and when you watch the videos i know that you will fall in love with the series just as i did and it will become your favorite show to! This movie brings the Wonder Years to life! It is unlike amy other movie you will see!!!

A Great Little Set
The Wonder Years tells the story of a young boy (Kevin Arnold) growing up in the 60's and 70's in a small town. I am a huge fan of this show when you order you will get two tapes with great episodes on each of them. If you are a big fan you should check out the other videos that Amazon.com has to offer for this show like, The Best of the Wonder Years which has the last eposiode in its entirty and clips for the whole running of the sitcom. Also The Original Pilot & Swinger, My Fathers Office & Angel, and The Holiday Episodes which makes a great christmas gift. But this set today! ... Read more