"True Blood" Strange Love (2008)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Alan Ball

Writers:

Alan Ball (creator)
Alan Ball (written by)
(more)

TV Series:

"True Blood" (2007)

Original Air Date:

7 September 2008 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Plot:

In a society where humans and vampires co-exist, Sookie Stackhouse may have found a perfect boyfriend...

Plot Keywords:

Waitress | Transformation | Attraction | Louisiana | Vampire

Cast

Anna Paquin	...	Sookie Stackhouse
Stephen Moyer	...	Bill Compton
Sam Trammell	...	Sam Merlotte
Ryan Kwanten	...	Jason
Rutina Wesley	...	Tara Thornton
Chris Bauer	...	Andy Bellefleur
Nelsan Ellis	...	Lafayette Reynolds
Jim Parrack	...	Hoyt Fortenberry
Carrie Preston	...	Arlene Fowler
Michael Raymond-James	...	Rene Lenier
William Sanderson	...	Sheriff Bud Dearborne
Lynn Collins	...	Dawn Green
Lois Smith	...	Adele 'Gran' Stackhouse
Danielle Sapia	...	Maudette Pickens
Josh Kelly	...	Frat Boy
Graham Shiels	...	Tattooed Vampire
Bill Maher	...	Himself
P.J. O'Rourke	...	Himself
Lorin McCraley	...	Grabbit Quick Clerk
John Henry Canavan	...	Good Old Boy Vampire
David Lewis	...	Teenage Customer
Jennifer Hasty	...	Woman with Fries
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Amjarv	...	Bus Boy (uncredited)
Sommer Fehmel	...	High School Student (uncredited)
Rosemary Garris	...	(uncredited)
John F. Schaffer	...	Sav-A-Bunch Manager (uncredited)
Lorna Scott	...	Sav-A-Bunch Shopper (uncredited)
Tony Swift	...	Actor (uncredited)

Directed by
Alan Ball

Writing credits
Alan Ball		(creator)
Alan Ball		(written by)
Charlaine Harris		(novels)

Produced by
Alan Ball	....	executive producer
Brian Buckner	....	co-executive producer
Bruce Dunn	....	co-producer
Bill Johnson	....	co-producer
Christina Jokanovich	....	associate producer
Chris Offutt	....	executive story editor
Nancy Oliver	....	supervising producer
Carol Dunn Trussell	....	line producer
Carol Dunn Trussell	....	producer
Raelle Tucker	....	co-producer
Alexander Woo	....	producer

Original Music by
Nathan Barr

Cinematography by
Checco Varese

Film Editing by
Andy Keir

Casting by
Libby Goldstein

Production Design by
Suzuki Ingerslev

Art Direction by
Catherine Smith

Costume Design by
Danny Glicker

Makeup Department
Yvonne Depatis-Kupka	....	department head hair stylist
Marianna Elias	....	third makeup artist
Elisabeth Fry	....	makeup department head
Brad Scott	....	key hair stylist
Andrea Whitten	....	assistant makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Rachel Caproni	....	second second assistant director
Michael Helfand	....	second assistant director
Bradley Morris	....	second assistant director
Brendalyn Richard	....	second second assistant director
Bob Roe	....	first assistant director
Alexis Schmidtberger	....	dga trainee

Art Department
Paige Bossier	....	buyer
Bryan Duff	....	assistant property master
Joshua T. Duman	....	propmaker
Kurt Miller	....	carpenter
Portia Perry	....	stand-by painter
Charles Jason Randolph	....	set dresser
Phillip Thoman	....	on-set dresser
Macie Vener	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Jeremy Balko	....	adr mixer
John Benson	....	supervising sound editor
Lawrence L. Commans	....	boom operator
Joe Earle	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Fay	....	boom operator
Tim Song Jones	....	utility sound technician
Elmo Ponsdomenech	....	sound re-recording mixer
Laura Schmadel	....	sound recordist
Roger V. Stevenson	....	production sound mixer
Mark Weingarten	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Michael Gaspar	....	special effects supervisor
Dennis Yeager II	....	special effects foreman

Visual Effects by
Elizabeth Alvarez	....	visual effects coordinator
Lane Jolly	....	digital compositor
James Lima	....	visual effects supervisor
Eric McAvoy	....	digital compositor
R. Matt Smith	....	digital compositor
Tefft Smith	....	digital artist
Sean Tompkins	....	visual effects coordinator
Trista K. Wahl	....	visual effects producer

Stunts
Leigh Hennessy	....	stunt double
Kevin Reid	....	stunt double: Josh Kelly
Luci Romberg	....	stunt double (stunt double)

Camera and Electrical Department
Eduardo Barraza	....	grip
Miguel Benavides	....	key grip
Jonathon Bradley	....	chief lighting technician
Tony Bryan	....	gaffer
Jesse Crusing	....	electrician
Ronald K. De torres	....	lighting console programmer
Arien Hatch	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Jason Kilgore	....	rigging gaffer
Ignacio Musich	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Patrick B. O'Brien	....	camera operator
Bonnie Osborne	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Robert Owen	....	lighting technician
Nick Paige	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Chad Persons	....	Steadicam operator
Chris Salamone	....	grip
Forrest Sandefer	....	grip
David D. Scott	....	video engineer
Tim Soronen	....	best boy grip
Victoria Tidmarch	....	film loader

Casting Department
Nick Anderson	....	casting associate
Lisa S. Beasley	....	extras casting
Kristin Lekki	....	extras casting
Rose Wicksteed	....	casting assistant
Kate Warren	....	extras casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Audrey Fisher	....	assistant costume designer
J.R. Hawbaker	....	set costumer
Lorie Shew	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
Misako Shimizu	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Gary Calamar	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Richard Maginnis	....	driver
Lenny Scaletta	....	driver: cast
James Yeates	....	driver: honeywagon

Other crew
Alasdair Boyd	....	location manager
Khadija Brockington	....	assistant: producer
Debra Egelhoff	....	production coordinator
Federico Ferreri	....	key production assistant
Patricia A. Fullerton	....	script supervisor
Elizabeth Himelstein	....	on-set dialect coach
Richard Kroll	....	researcher: stock footage
Steve Martin	....	relief set medic
Crystal McAlerney	....	assistant production office coordinator
Angela McDowell	....	production assistant
Judy Race	....	production coordinator
Elizabeth Reis	....	production assistant
Megan Schmidt	....	set production assistant
Susan Slattery	....	production accountant
Kyle Sucher	....	assistant location manager
Rebecca Thornell	....	script clearance
Kelley Colello	....	publicist (uncredited)
Adam P. Kane	....	assistant accountant (uncredited)
Nicholas Rich	....	set medic (uncredited)

Brendan Patrick Connor	...	Man with Beer
Ken Kobus	...	Man at Bar
David Lewis	...	Teenage Boy
James Parks	...	Mack Rattray
Karina Logue	...	Denise Rattray
Jessica Stroup	...	Sorority Girl
Jessica Tuck	...	Nan Flanagan

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Alan Ball		creator

Produced by
Bill Johnson	....	co-producer (2007)

Production Management
Bill Johnson	....	production manager (2007)

Visual Effects by
Kristen Branan	....	head of production: Zoic Studios (2007)

Music Department
Alyson Vidoli	....	music coordinator (2007)

Transportation Department
Beverly Reeves	....	driver (2007) (uncredited)

Other Companies

• Tank One  underwater facilities

Trivia:

"True Blood" takes its name from the brand of synthetic blood that the Japanese have patented in Harris' novels. Vampires can actually drink it, thereby bypassing their need for human blood.

Quotes:

Bill Compton: What are you?
Sookie Stackhouse: I'm a waitress!

Soundtrack:

Lake Charles

Series starts off showing great promise

It is hard to judge an entire series by one episode, but there is strong hope for this series.

Oscar winner Anna Paquin (The Piano, X-Men, X2) as Sookie is excellent. She had powers that are not explained in the first show, but that is not what her special. She just has sweetness and honey dripping from her mouth and makes you want to immediately take her home to momma.

Brook Kerr ("Passions") really caught my eye. She is just so darn funny and really keeps things rocking.

Lois Smith (Five Easy Pieces) as Gran also seems to be a character that is going to make this show interesting.

There is a great mixture of humor, sex, and passion that should make for a great series.