Enzo’s Monday Motion #153: TV Titles
Not that we ever cut down on our Netflix-addiction, but these dark days scream for even more tv-time. This edition is dedicated to the part that Netflix loves to skip for us: the TV Title sequence. Six creepy shows to add to your bucket list.
Sons of Anarchy Spin-Off
If you live in the States, the offer widely transcends Netflix, such as Hulu, Amazon, and FX. The latter has its share of quality shows, like ‘Sons of Anarchy’ spin off ‘Mayans M.C.’. The title sequence promises a highly interesting story…
As if the Terminator and Sons of Anarchy had a Mexican love child. The graphics are raw but at the same time super slick and overwhelming. Props for director Steve Viola and the FX design team how the embedded the cultural tones. The first two seasons are available on FX.
Apocalypse Time
We continue with a show from FX. If you like dark horror shows, stop searching. ‘American Horror Story’ has eight seasons of pure bloody suspension. Here’s the teaser for their last season.
The quality is dripping from every single frame. Not unexpected if you look at the crew of FX Design (starring FX leads of Tendril, Trizz, Korb, and Method Studios). Even though it resembles the already six-year-old title sequence of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo it does have a ‘refreshing’ approach. Directed by Steve Viola and Michael Parks. The show is now available on FX.
The Alienist
New shows love to steal a thing or two of existing quality shows. The Alienist feels like a mash-up between ‘The Knick’ and ‘True Detective’. A criminal psychologist (a.k.a. alienist) Dr. Laszlo Kreizler investigates with newspaper illustrator John Moore a New York serial killer during the late 19th century.
The decomposing city resembles the approach of the investigators, pealing layer by layer of evidence to catch the bad guy. Nice work by design studio Elastic, directed by Lisa Bolan. Enjoy season one now on Netflix.
Counterpart
Any self-respecting actor has his own tv show, and J.K. Simmons is starring in Counterpart where he discovers the existence of a parallel world where his other self is a top spy.
Instead of going straight to a split screen edit, director Karin Fong chose for a more artistic approach. Some of the shots are very pretty, but the overall pace is too slow. She also didn’t quite nail the excitement of the show, which is another flaw. Combine this with a duration exceeding a minute, and you’re sure this one will be easily skipped.
The Terror
Horrific stories are even more captivating when they are based on real events. A well-spotted story is the tragic event of British naval expedition of the warships HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, where they faced starvation, mutiny, cannibalism, and a demonic polar bear.
This sequence excels exactly where the previous one fails: capturing the core of the story and setting the proper vibe within thirty seconds. Designed by studio Elastic under the direction of Patrick Clair and Raoul Marks. The show might be hard to watch, but the background info and podcast a freely accessible.
BBC Time
Even though Agatha Christie has passed away over forty years, her work never seems to feel outdated. BBC translated the 1936 novel “The ABC Murders” into a high-end short series.
The title sequence doesn’t play around with the plausible feature of the show: the alliterating victims and ditto locations (Alice Ascher was killed in her tobacco shop in Andover). Instead, it’s based on the consistent type of evidence, an ABC railway guide beside the victim’s body. The glowing iron adds literary tension to the build up. It’s a pity they end composition gets lost due to the title overlay. It’s very hard to see that the mayhem of rail tracks form the victim. Designed and produced by Huge Designs.
With a VPN workaround, you should be able to enjoy this gem starring John Malkovich.
