Seth and Richie Gecko are on the run for the
Mexican border
after robbing thirty million dollars in bonds from a Texas bank. Richie
has visions of a beautiful woman who
wants him to set her free while a rogue Texas Ranger is on their trail.
Meanwhile Pastor Jacob Fuller (Robert Patrck) and his two kids are on a journey
of self discovery. Their paths will cross
with the Gecko brothers as they end up at a sinful Mexican bar called the Titty
Twister. None of them realize they are
going to be caught up in the deadly power struggle and affairs of the Nine
Lords of Night as Carlos (a drug dealer) seeks to rise in the ranks.
I do love FROM DUSK TILL DAWN as a movie, but
the TV series
is an interesting reimagining of the movie as it expands the mythology (like
making vampires related to snakes/ Mayan blood cults) and some of the
performances are better than some of the actors who played the same characters
in the movie. The actors who play the
Fuller family are better than their counterparts in the film where Robert
Patrick explores unrealized depths with Pastor Fuller while the actress playing
his daughter easily out acts Juliette Lewis (whose best performance was in
STRANGE DAYS). Eliza Gonzalez almost
overcomes the high standard set by Salma Hayek as Santianico Pandemonium, but
Salma’s small screen time still outshines the more in-depth exploration of the
character done in the first season of the TV show. The gecko brothers
are offered in a little
more nuanced take in the TV series compared to their black and white portrayals
by George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino.
Clooney was the straight man of honor while Tarantino was the jerk, but
the brothers are more interesting the film made them out to be. I say
FROM THE DUSK TILL DAWN manages to
make the same story even better and wash away the crappy direct-to-video sequel
and prequel to the movie. I can’t wait
to see where season 2 takes the story.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Audio commentaries-
PILOT with D.J. Cotrona (Seth Gecko), Brandon
Soo Hoo, Eliza
Gonzalez (Santianico Pandemonium), Jesse Garcia (Freedie Gonzalez), Zane Holtz
(Richie Gecko), Carlos Coto (Exec Producer and Writer), Robert Rodriguez (Executive
Producer and Director)
BLOOD RUNS THINK with writers Carlos Coto and
Diego
Gutierrez
PLACE OF DEAD ROADS with writer Alvarado Rodriguez,
writer
Carlos Coto, and Jesse Garcia, and director Dwight Little
PANDEMONIUM
with D.J.
Cotrona (Seth Gecko), Brandon Soo Hoo, Eliza Gonzalez (Santianico Pandemonium),
Jesse Garcia (Freedie Gonzalez), Zane Holtz (Richie Gecko), Wilmer Valderrama
(Carlos, Carlos Coto (Exec Producer and Writer), Robert Rodriguez (Executive
Producer and Director)
LA CONQUISTA with Carlos Coto, writer Marcel
Rodriguez, and
director Fede Alvarez
THE TAKE with writer Alvarado Rodriguez, Carlos
Coto, Jesse
Garcia, Zane Holtz, and Robert Patrick (Jacob Fuller)
DISC 3 has a variety of featurettes, character
commercials,
a full length two minute trailer for season one, a video of the best kills from
season one, General Motors commercial featuring Seth Gecko, a Dos Equis
commercial featuring Carlos Madrigal, a Big Kahuna commercial, and a What’s in
the Briefcase Spot
ON THE SET: THE MAKING OF DUSK TILL DAWN- 23
minute
promotional featurette that has interviews with cast and crew
DAY ONE
ON THE SET featurette
BEHIND THE SCENES “ON SET: BROUGHT TO YOU
BY GENERAL MOTORS”
BEHIND THE SCENES “ON SET: BROUGHT TO YOU
BY DOS EQUIS”
SXSW Featurette
Q&A from the premiere at Alma Drafthouse
with Robert
Rodriguez and some of the cast including Barndon Soo Hoo, Jess Garcia, and
Eliza Gonzalez
FINAL ANALYSIS:
Even
though the performances are sometimes better than their film counterparts, FROM
DUSK TILL DAWN manages to shine in this reinvention of the movie as a TV
show. I can’t wait for season 2.
This review is ©9-25-2014
David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. Send all comments
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