From the very beginning one can see there was great potential here. The show was based on a collection of books that appear to be quite popular. They're called The Outworld series, written by Canadian author Kelley Armstrong. The show avoided most of the standard clichés. No full moon reference at all here. The werewolves "change" at will or when emotionally charged (“you won't like me when I'm angry”). There are no silver bullets. These guys might be stronger and harder to kill than a human, but severe body trauma or blood loss kills them just like anyone else. No pentagrams or wolfbane to be found in the show. Such potential. After three years, the ride comes to an end with all of that potential unfulfilled. The werewolves might have been hard to kill. Alas, the show was not. 

Bitten told the story of Elena, played by Smallville's standout actress Laura Vandervoort. Elena is a werewolf. Any aspect of her normal life is long gone. The show long ago ceased in any attempts to have the character try to balance the two lives. The show was at its best when it told the story from the point of view of Elena. She's a unique character in this world. She's the only female werewolf known to ever exist. The idea is that women are not physically strong enough to survive the "change", and only boys carry the trait genetically. That puts Elena in a rather unique and clever place for both the show and werewolf mythology. Some might find it a bit sexist, but we won't go there.  Vandervoort is also a good enough actress to be interesting, and even at times compelling, in the role. There wasn't any help here from the writers, cast, or crew. The plot moved at an annoyingly slow pace, and after 10 episodes you look back and see just how little story was actually told. Now after three years the show ends, and I don't feel like the journey took me very far. Vandervoort is also getting frighteningly thin. Her face bones are protruding from her skin these days. She makes Calista Flockhart look like Orson Welles. I kept screaming at the screen, "Eat a burger, for crying out loud." Maybe it's just the Italian in me. 

I have just reviewed The Bible Stories: Jacob in which I may have left people hanging, because I teased the end of the story. Of course that only applies to people who have never read the Bible. The Bible Stories: Joseph will give you some of those answers if you never got to the Good Book. Jacob indeed survives and thrives, so God was good on his word. Jacob had many sons, but in this film he is older and played by Martin Landau, not Matthew Modine. Jacob had 12 sons with two wives and two handmaids who were all involved with the births. Jacob (also known as Israel) entered into a covenant with God to create a new nation of plenty and prosperity.

The Bible Stories: Joseph is the best of this series that I have reviewed. The story is very well told and extremely compelling, moving, and inspirational in real ways. The story starts in the middle by introducing Potiphar (Sir Ben Kingsley), the Pharaoh’s most trusted advisor, as he is looking over a potential new slave. The slave is Joseph (Paul Mercurio) who Potiphar buys in a fairly apathetic fashion, but this new slave becomes enormously profitable in short order. Everything that Joseph becomes involved with generates fantastic bounty and success. This is noticed first and foremost by Potiphar’s wife, Zuleika (Lesley Ann Warren) who gets Joseph more responsibilities, but what Zuleika really wants is more access to Joseph. When Joseph repeatedly refuses her advances, she accuses him of rape. By this time, Potiphar knows Joseph so well and values him so highly that he finds a way to avoid giving the death sentence that Zuleika demands. He sends Joseph to the prison, where his services become even more productive and beneficial. The story then weaves the earlier story of Joseph into the telling, the story of Joseph’s brother’s and their jealousy.

For years I've been hearing about how "hot" vampires were on television and in the movies. It all appeared to start with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it actually goes back a lot longer ago. Zombies, on the other hand, were the sole property of feature films, usually extreme low-budget affairs. AMC's The Walking Dead has changed all of that. Suddenly zombies are very hot and populating one of the highest rated shows on television. Add a spin-off, and the domination continues. It wasn't going to take long for someone else to join the field. Enter iZombie, and we're off and running.

iZombie isn't really anything like The Walking Dead. Yes, both are taken from comic book source material. But if you're looking for the gore-fest and dark drama found on AMC, you might be a little disappointed. If you're looking for a fresh approach to a rotting corpse, iZombie will provide that and some.

I have previously reviewed movies from the Bible Stories collection including Samson and Delilah and David. I also reviewed Abraham, which was one of the earliest stories in the Bible but not as early as Noah or, of course, Adam and Eve. The Bible Stories: Jacob (or The Bible Collection: Jacob) follows up on the story of Abraham, since Jacob is his grandson. I have also just watched The Bible Stories: Joseph which I will review later, but I mention it because Joseph is Jacob’s son.

Isaac (Joss Ackland) had two sons who were very different, Esau (Sean Bean) and Jacob (Matthew Modine). Esau is the first born and seems a natural leader. Esau is a great hunter and fighter who is pursued by many women in the area. Jacob is a shepherd who is gentle and somewhat unsure of things. Jacob is favored his mother, Rebekah (the famous Greek actress Irene Pappas, The Guns of Navarone, Zorba the Greek). Esau is the natural choice of his father, Isaac. Rebekah says that she had a vision when she was pregnant that the elder will serve the younger. Jacob is uncertain and hesitant about many things but at times seems to covet the role of heir. Esau makes a deal to give his inheritance away for porridge that Jacob is making. Time passes and Isaac grows old and blind, and it is time to pass on leadership of the tribe. He is to give his blessing to Esau. Rebekah conspires to deceive Issac and have him give the blessing to Jacob. Jacob reluctantly agrees. The plan succeeds but infuriates Esau who vows to kill Jacob when Isaac dies. Rebekah persuades Jacob to take provisions and a dowry for marriage to the land of her brother, Laban (Giancarlo Giannini, Casino Royale, Hannibal). During his journey, Jacob is robbed by one his brother’s warriors. Jacob arrives in Harran penniless. Before he arrives, though, he has a vision in which God speaks to him and tells Jacob that Jacob will always be safe and prosperous. Laban welcomes his nephew but is disappointed that he has arrived empty-handed. Jacob has already been smitten by the younger daughter of Laban, Rachel (Lara Flynn Boyle, Twin Peaks, Red Rock West, Men in Black II). Laban proposes that Jacob be an indentured servant for seven years to earn Rachel. Jacob agrees. After the seven years are over, Laban ingeniously deceives Jacob by secretly consummating a marriage in the dark to the older daughter, Leah. Jacob is furious. He has brought great prosperity to Laban’s house, and Laban proposes that Jacob can have both his daughters, but he must work another seven years to earn Rachel yet again.