CD Giveaway - 33Miles, "One Life"
Ends Aug 4, 2010
The country-pop sound established in their eponymous debut is a mainstay for this album as well, and even adds a little more southern flavor.
CD Giveaway - Phil Wickham, "Cannons"
Ends Aug 3, 2010
With an opening shot that hits the sonic pinnacle, this collection of spiritual Brit pop/rock is heavily influenced by Keane, Travis, Coldplay, and U2.
Rating: Country: Canada Release Date: October 3, 2006 Distributor: Sony Pictures Cast: · Geraint Wyn Davies · Catherine Disher · Lisa Ryder · Nigel Bennett · Blue Mankuma · Ben Bass Related Sites: ·IMDb: Forever Knight
Grade: C+
"He was brought across in 1228. Preyed on humans for their blood. Now he wants to be mortal again. To repay society for his sins. To emerge from his world of darkness. From his endless, forever night."
These were the opening words, opined by Andromeda's Nigel Bennett, to describe the character of Nick Knight. Nick (Geraint Wyn Davies, 24) is a vampire, working as a police detective on the night shift. To everyone who knows him, he's phototropic -- allergic to sunlight.
Well... not everyone. Apparently there are a good number of vampires in the city, his old friend Lacroix (Bennett) being foremost among them. And there's the Toronto Medical Examiner, Natalie Lambert (played by Catherine Disher who has provided the voice of Jean Grey in X-Men videogames like "Mutant Academy"). Natalie is Nick's anchor every time he thinks of pulling up stakes (no pun intended) and giving in to his vampiric urges. They have an extremely understated relationship -- we know they love each other, but never really see it -- as Natalie tries to help Nick become human again.
Detective Nick Knight and Medical Examiner
Natalie Lambert examine a new case.
L-R: Geraint Wyn Davies, Catherine Disher
Unfortunately for the series, this third season jumps the shark in the first episode, and then rides it bareback around the Atlantic at top speed. Andromeda alum Lisa Ryder joins the cast as Nick's new partner, Tracy Vetter -- daughter of Police Commissioner Vetter. She's eager to prove herself as a capable cop, which gets her into more Lois Lane-like situations than are watchable. Her arrival in the series is timely, too, as Nick's former partner, the grossly lovable Don Schanke (John Kapelos) is killed off off-screen in a plane explosion. This puts Nick on yet another "It's time for me to go" bender, since he blames himself for Schanke's death. The plane crash also introduces a new police captain, Joe Reese (Blue Mankuma, "Like Mike 2: Streetball", and a new vampire to our motley assembly, Vachon. Vachon (Ben Bass) is actually the best character of the season, being both charismatic and approachable. He forms a relationship with Detective Vetter. She knows that he is a vampire, but she doesn't know that Nick is also one. This had the potential for some interesting exploration, which only barely gets touched upon in the episode "My Boyfriend is a Vampire", which finds Natalie on the verge of breaking up with Nick and receiving advice from Tracy based on her experiences with Vachon. The episode -- revolving around a Jerry Springer Show clone called The Jerry Show -- also reveals the datedness of the series, as they make direct reference to the Jenny Jones Show tragedy as guests begin to pile up in the morgue.
For those who haven't watched the series through to the bitter end, this next bit will contain more spoilers than usual. In the series closer, "Last Knight", a close associate of Nick and Natalie commits suicide. She was a psychiatrist who bore the burdens of all her patients but couldn't find anyone to unburden herself to. She addresses her suicide note to Natalie, which gets the M.E. thinking about her own life, which she wants with Nick. This gives her two options: either get Nick converted to human, or become a vampire herself. And the only way a vampire has successfully achieved immortality has been to make love to a human, repeatedly, while taking only a little bit of a bite each time. Nick initially refuses, but when Tracy is shot in an unrelated incident, she discovers Nick's own vampiric nature. Nick is about to save her by bringing her over, when Natalie catches him. Upset that Nick finds it so hard to bring her across and so easy to bring Tracy rattles her, and stops him. Tracy then dies. Nick relents to try with Natalie, but he takes too much and kills her. This is too much anguish for Nick, and he begs death from Lacroix, who obliges. This was the episode where the creators basically said, "No more seasons, no possible spinoffs, we're done."
Vachon, Lacroix, and Nick: three single vampires
who share their misery at a vampire nightclub,
The Raven.
L-R: Ben Bass, Nigel Bennett, Geraint Wyn Davies
I've always had something of a soft spot for stories that involve vampires working the side of good. The Monster Squad, Drac Pack... and I was with Forever Knight ever since it first premiered as a two-hour pilot, "Nick Knight" with Rick Springfield playing the lead. I had, however, somehow missed the third season of the series until viewing it here. And while much of the formula was still the same -- Lacroix's late night radio talk show segments taunting Nick, the Highlander-esque flashbacks to moments in history that Nick lived through -- too much of the magic seemed to have faded, too much of the edge blunted. Lacroix's broadcasts become too Byronic, too melodramatic and pithy, to the point where you wish he'd just shut up and take a more active role rather than continue to spout his "Chicken Soup for the Vampire Soul" tidbits.
The only bonus features on this boxed set are the three music videos -- "Black Rose", "The Hunter", and "Touch the Night" -- all set to clips from the series. There are no commentaries, and no making-of third season featurettes.
Which is a shame really, because given the shape of the rest of the content, this is a boxed set that really could have used more bite.
Previews on this set include "Underworld: Evolution", "Ultraviolet", "Hellboy", "The Grudge", and Stephen King Presents Kingdom Hospital.
Forever Knight The Trilogy: Part Three
Disc 1
Disc 2
01. Black Buddha (Part 1)
02. Black Buddha (Part 2)
03. Outside the Lines
04. Blackwing
05. Blind Faith
06. My Boyfriend is a Vampire
07. Hearts of Darkness
08. Trophy Girl
09. Let No Man Tear Asunder
10. Night in Question
Disc 3
Disc 4
11. Sons of Belial
12. Strings
13. Fever
14. Dead of Night
15. The Games Vampires Play
16. The Human Factor
17. Avenging Angel
18. Fallen Idol
19. Jane Doe
Disc 5
20. Francesca
21. Ashes to Ashes
22. Last Knight Bonus Videos
"Black Rose" (3:42)
"The Hunter" (3:03)
"Touch the Night" (4:11)
