True Blood Vs. Twilight

It took a little while (damn Netflix queue!) but I was finally able to see the first two episodes of True Blood. Lina has been telling me about this ever since I was "hooked" on the Twilight series (yes, you saw my posts...you know!) but seeing as we've let go of HBO for a while now, I had to wait for the DVDs to come out before I can even watch. I had faith that I was going to like it because 1: My friends said so and 2: It was on HBO - at least I know the quality must be there.

I tried to stay away from news, spoilers and such and even now, just having the first disc...I don't know what's going to happen. I just know I'm tempted to go out to Best Buy tomorrow and get the whole series....

I loved it. Alan Ball is brilliant. I mean, Six Feet Under was total genius already and this is also a brilliant piece of art. What do I love about it? Everything! From the casting, to the opening credits, to the lighting, it was creepy, scary, fun...but because I loved it so much, I can't help but compare the two. So, here goes:

Hot Ass Vampire: Edward Vs. Stephen
This is the draw to the whole thing, right? You gotta have one fuckin' hot vampire or else the whole franchise is dead (hah! pun!). Both Rob Patterson and Stephen Moyer fit the bill perfectly. Both are supposed to have a "timed" quality being they're hundreds of years old, but whereas this just made Edward into a prude, I found Bill to be so sexy. The scene where he couldn't enter Sookie's house because she didn't "invite" him in was hot ("hot" said in a singsong voice). The edge is definitely on Bill's side since 1: I don't feel like a pervert since he's not in high school!! (I know Rob is not, but you know...) 2: He doesn't have a blu-ish tint and powder on his face and 3: He "glamours" at me and I wanna take off my clothes (Haha...)

I partly think that Rob is a big draw to the Twilight crowd whereas Stephen feels like just a part of what makes True Blood great. Let's see what happens when New Moon hits the theaters...

The Herione: Bella Vs. Sookie
So let's talk about the actual hero of both shows: the mortal woman (in love with a vampire). To me, Sookie wins this hands down - for now. I do reserve the right to get irritated with her later on. As I remember it, I did love Bella in the beginning but man, she grated on my nerves especially in the end, especially in the movie. Kristen was an overacting Bella while I thought that Anna Paquin is doing an awesome heroine - one who is not weak, one who doesn't seem to be interested in being a vampire, one who can hold her own against Bill, and one who makes being a virgin actually sexy and sweet, one with an actual story.

It is funny that both Twilight / Sookie books have characters who can read minds and that they're attracted to the one person who can't. Hmmm.

Adaptation: Big Screen Vs. HBO
It is amazing to me that the quality of shows HBO spits out can easily take the Big Screen. I don't know if I should be crediting the directors here, but True Blood the production is so above and beyond the Twilight movie. I am hoping that with a new director, we can get a better movie in New Moon since although it is geared towards pre-teens, it doesn't mean the movie quality should suck (see Harry Potter for an example). As Alan Ball says in his commentary, why do vampires like contact lenses? Why are they always in a shade of blue? Stop dipping them in a vat of donut powder and you'll be in better shape. Stop overacting.

The One That Loves You: Jacob Vs. Sam
I know there are Team Jacobs out there (My sister is one!) but I always though it was a very uneven playing field. While they portrayed Jacob to be so fucking irritating, they made Edward such an Angel (which really sucks) in comparison that there was no way Bella was going to pick Jacob. Sam - who reminds me of a cuter Colin Farrell - may also be a lost cause. I don't know, I've really only seen him in a few lines, but I do feel for him. I was even rooting for him at first (until I realized how sexy Bill was) but I think that's already a good sign. Let's see where this goes...

The Audience
I remember complaining to Lina about Twilight and how it's missing this, and that, and how it's not giving me what I want and she basically said we were twenty years to old for this shit (not an exact Lina quote - ok?). It was really geared towards the pre-teen and it had to be dummied down for this reason. She told me to watch True Blood - and here I am...a year later it seemd. I feel True Blood is the Vampire show for my generation. There's sex. There's violence. There's gritty-ness. There's chemistry. There's depth of character. There's mystery.

Watch it.