Description

Enter the dangerous and sexy world of the undead when vampires clash with mortals and each other in modern-day San Francisco.Five clans of vampires are known as the KINDRED, and in their terrifying embrace, one becomes forever young…forever beautiful...forever doomed. From the savagery in the premiere to the climactic finale, the KINDRED draws you into a mysterious realm of Mafia wars, forbidden liaisons and inhuman hunger in a spellbinding saga of erotic danger and unworldly suspense! ... Read more

Reviews (76)

"We're All Around You"
KINDRED-THE EMBRACED only lasted 6 weeks as a television series on FOX before it was cancelled. Its short life was a shame because it was a show with great promise, and given more time, it could have been more than just a show with a cult following. I have always been a follower of films and shows about vampires and their mythology, therefore, KINDRED piqued my curiousity from day one. Based on the book ,"Vampire-The Masquerade" by Mark Rein-Hagen, the show set out to be hybrid between gothic and nightime soap. Having "sudser guru" Aaron Spelling as Executive Producer, helped to perpetuate, that aspect over the the gothic end of it. You know what though, the hybrid works, in spades.

The story centers around 5 "clans" of vampires that are fighting to control modern day San Francisco. They live among humans and interact as though they were human. Cop Frank Kohanek (C. Thomas Howell) suspects the truth and swears to bring down Julian Luna (the late Mark Frankel), whom he thinks, is up to no good. Luna, known as "the Prince of the city" tries to keep the masquerade intact, and to fight off a bid for his position as a leader, by sworn enemy Eddie Fiori (Brian Thompson). As with any serialized program, there a number of subplots that go along with the main thrust of the series. The show is populated with good looking actors for sure, but because of the vampire spin here, it's not just a Melrose Place clone. The show works well and it is Frankel who makes the show as Julian. The chemistry between him, Kelly Rutherford (as reporter Caitlin Byrne), and Stacy Haiduk ( as lover Lillie Langtry) makes for an interesting triangle

The 2 disc DVD set includes all 8 episodes of the series. 2 episodes never ran on television. The producers did a pretty good job trying to wrap things up, given the limited number of episodes, they had to work with to tell their story. Some threads are left to dangle for viewers to ponder A few episodes feature some then unknown actors (at least to me) that have appeared on other shows since then. Good writing and solid direction also highlight Kindred...I liked the program...and I am glad its available on DVD at a lower price (finally) Recommended

Glad I now own it!
Wanting something new in the vampire genre, I went on a search for films and came across Kindred: The Embraced. It seemed vaguely familiar. After viewing it, I realized that I had seen the initial episode when it originally aired, but when I purchased it I did so thinking I was doing it sight unseen.

I've since watched all eight episodes and can say that I am not disappointed. The fact that this series was based on sets of role playing novels is a mark in its favor. I say this because the series is not about the blood aspect of vampires or, as they are here, the Kindred. There is indeed action, tame violence, but if you're looking for gore and aggression, if that's what you want out of your vampire film experience, Kindred: The Embraced is not the place you'll find it.

What this series focuses on is the community that the clans of the Kindred have made for themselves, the peace they have forged to live without fear amongst humans. They have a set of laws designed to guard the Masquerade, a grand scheme to hide their identity from the world, and they have a prince to enforce those laws. That prince is Julian Luna, played by Mark Frankel, and he is the ultimate strength of the series.

The character of Julian Luna is a complex one. His sense of humanity has the potential to clash dangerously with his responsibility towards the clans. He is aware of what he must do, but knows that it comes with a price, whether it be for his people or for himself specifically. And his struggle to tread that line is where the emotion lies for the viewer. Frankel was a wonderful choice for the role of Julian Luna. He is, in many respects, the quintessential vampire--beautiful, charismatic, elegant and lethal.

My favorite episode is the last, "Cabin in the Woods." Therein lies the potential of the show. Julian's character has started to peak, we begin to see what he is capable of, and it is bittersweet to know that nothing will follow. It would have been remarkable to see what direction this show would have taken.

Certain aspects are not entirely realistic, such as the premise behind C. Thomas Howell's character, but it is easy to take that as a first season fault. And, really, it may also be because of the depth they were aiming for, which, if that is the case, is most forgivable.

The only thing that I did not appreciate was how the DVDs were put together. Credits run before and after every episode. Within each you get long pauses where commercials no doubt were and they are preceded with the name of the show against a black backdrop. I don't see the necessity of keeping the shows in the original format, but since I own no other TV series to DVD set perhaps this is not so specific to Kindred.

If you are thinking about buying Kindred: The Embraced without having seen it, with little knowledge of the background or the series in general, there is, in my opinion, scarce need for debating the matter. I bought it on impulse (a rarity, actually, for me) and it paid off. It's not all I've ever looked for in the vampire genre, but it fulfills some of my requirements and I not only enjoy it, but am most glad I now own it.

Vampire Drama
First of all, the series is loosely based on a series of books AND the rpg's that are so popular. (Yes, there were actually novels that didn't involve how to convert rpg characters)I say "loosely" because although the clan names and characters are similar, the tv series has it's differences. Those that enjoy watching Buffy will enjoy watching this mini-series. It's got some action, drama and romance all mixed together. It can be a bit gruesome at times, but it is tolerable. The cliffhanger at the end still bugs me, but in all honesty, it would have been hard to continue production without Mark Frankel(?) aka Julian Luna, the main character, who had died unexpectedly in a motorcycle crash. It's a shame really, because I believe this series could have really taken off with a little more work. Nonetheless, the story is good and is a beautiful tribute to his memory.

I is dumber for watching this.
After being a huge fan of the White Wolf genre, this was enough for me to quit just so White Wolf would not have the money to authorize anything like this ever again. If you want to bring a story as complex as the World of Darkness to life you do not hand it over to the idiot who made 90210.

Any White Wolf fan out there should cringe in horror that this was ever aired. DO NOT BUY IT, it is a waste of money. The Buffy series stayed closer to the Masqurade than this ever did.

I am serious, I had to drink heavily with other WW players just to make it through..........that way I could attribute the memories to druken hallucinations and a really bad hangover.

X-Files meets Melrose Place
What happens when you combine the X-Files and Melrose Place? And add in some of the Sopranos for good measure? You get this wonderful TV series, Kindred the Embraced.

I enjoyed this show very much when it aired on Fox in 1996. I had forgotten nearly all of the plots from the episodes, so watching it again DVD was almost like watching it for the first time. Well worth the money considering all eight episodes sell for the price that you'd usually pay for just one two hour movie.

I thought that the series was canceled because there was a vast conspiracy to remove from the airwaves only the shows that I liked. But it turns out the real reason is that an actor who played one of the main characters died.

I think some of the less than stellar reviews come from people who just don't appreciate all of the genres this series mixes together. I enjoyed watching Melrose Place, but I suspect that Melrose Place type shows aren't that interesting to a lot of the people who were into the book and the role playing game that this show was based on (I never even knew there was a role playing game until reading these reviews).

On the other hand, if you liked Melrose Place, but don't like seeing lot of corpses and other X-Files type stuff, you probably also won't enjoy this series very much.

The very beautiful Kelly Rutherford who is one of the main characters in this series (but who doesn't show up until the second episosde) appeared on Melrose Place the next season, as the hooker who then became Michael Mancini's wife who then became his divorced wife who looked down upon Michael because of his loose morals.

The only downside of this series is that it just leaves you hanging without any sort of resolution. As one would expect from a TV series that was suddenly canceled. Also, the penultimate episode, "Bad Moon Rising," was pretty weak in my opinion.

Otherwise, highly recommended for a very enjoyable six and a half hour viewing marathon. ... Read more

Description

Enter the mysterious realm of the "Kindred," where 5 clans of vampires clash with mortals and each other in modern-day San Francisco. Follow this spellbinding saga of erotic danger and unworldly suspense from beginning to end with this complete vampire collection. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sarah Jessica Parker and Harry Connick Jr. star in this oddly sunny attempt at black comedy. (And yes, it stoops to Dick jokes.) Parker plays Colleen, a good girl with a bad boyfriend named Dick. This problem is solved when she kills him within the film's first few moments. The rest of the movie is filled with wackiness, some of which hits and some of which misses. The plot isn't a bad one, with bits of information cleverly revealed through flashbacks and at least one pretty good twist, and the terrific (and sadly underused) Teri Garr appears in a cameo that she could do standing on her head. Life Without Dick is best suited for Harry Connick Jr. fans, as he spends most of the movie being affably handsome, and the other characters repeatedly beg him to sing. This earnest little comedy probably won't ever find mass appeal, but its weirdness will doubtless find it a cult following somewhere. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Talk about middle of the road...
This movie wasn't great...but it wasn't horrible either. The only reason I rented it was because I'm madly in love with Harry Connick Jr. To tell you the truth, he acted better in Hope Floats and Memphis Belle.

In this movie, he plays a hit man who, unfortunately, can't bring himself to kill anyone. The role didn't suit him at all. All he really did was stand around and look pretty...and sing. Sarah Jessica Parker plays his love interest, a nice girl who accidentally kills her loser boyfriend. She's a little off balance throughout the movie, though. Like she's been handed this role and she doesn't know what to do with it. And Johnny Knoxville...he was in the first half hour and that was it. Why in the world is his name on the cover along with Parker and Connick, Jr.? He's a minor character at best.

But still, the movie wasn't a total loss. There are some hilarious scenes that save the movie and make up for everything else. Rent it if you plan on wasting an afternoon.

Hilarious
Fantastic movie. Sarah Jessica Parker is hot and histerical and with the likes of our Jackass star and the cheesy Harry Connick Jr., you really can't go wrong for this fun, popcorn flick.

TERRIBLE MOVIE!
DON'T SEE THIS MOVIE! What a waste of a good Saturday. The only reason I saw it was because I am related to one of the actors with a minor role. The plot is horrible and the actors act about as much as a beetle. The only good thing about this movie is that it was in focus.

HORRIBLE
I laugh at almost anything. This movie was supposed to be a comedy? The characters were annoying and it seemed like a kindergartner wrote it. Simple. There was not much too it. Do not buy or rent this movie for that matter. I couldn't stand to finish the movie. I shut it off before it ended...It was a failed attempt at comedy.

If you like "Sex In The City", then you'll love this...
Ok, I admit it. I don't care much for "Sex In The City". Hey, I'm a guy, and it's not a guy show. But hey, if you're a fan of Sara Jessica Parker and her brand of humor, you will probably like "Life Without Dick".
Directed by Bix Skahill for Columbia Tristar pictures, this is a low-brow, romantic comedy starring Sara Jessica Parker and Harry Connick Jr. It runs aproximately 97 minutes on VHS.
The movie opens with Parker's character, Colleen, accidentally killing her boyfriend while attempting to scare him because she believed he was cheating on her. Unbeknownst to our heroine, her boyfriend was on a hit list of a local Irish Mafia kingpin, and the hitman is none other than Harry Connick Jr. Connick plays a would-be hitman who has a gift for singing and an inability to kill people. The plot then follows these two unlikely lovers as they find that Colleen actually is a better hitman than Connick.
Of course, in the end the bad guy gets caught, the odd couple really do fall in love, and life is grand.
Woven into all this unlikelyhood are ironic twists, dumb cops, and various parodies. Fairly typical for a movie of this type.
How would I rate this? I give it three stars, because you have to be a fan of the actors involved to even be interested in this movie. Not much intelligence is required to digest it, and it really is not that funny. It wanders, it meanders, it is hard to stay involved with, but then again, that's a Sara Jessica Parker trademark, isn't it? However, you gotta love Harry Connick Jr.'s voice.
My suggestion would be to rent a good Robin Williams movie instead. ... Read more