Hello, and welcome back to Weekly Cinemeh! This week we finished our month long monster movie marathon. We have done zombies, aliens, and werewolves so far, and this week we round out the horror theme with vampires! Vampire movies are some of my favorite movies because the enemy is almost always suave at the same time as being fucking terrifying. It's the best. To the list!
1: Horror of Dracula
This movie is a pretty decent version of the classic Dracula story. Dracula hires a librarian, who turns out to be the vampire hunter, Johnathan Harker. When Harker fails to kill his target, he is turned by the Count, who then goes to Harker's hometown to get revenge by turning his fiancee. Van Helsing kills his former partner and follows Dracula in an attempt to end his tyranny for ever. Christopher Lee plays the titular character, and does so with style. He's creepy and his very presence has weight, for the like 3 minutes he is in the movie. I can see why he became the go to Dracula for a while though. Peter Cushing plays the main hero, Doctor Van Helsing, and I have to say, I would never have pictured Grand Moff Tarkin as a practitioner of parkour but I will now. He does some pretty impressive running and jumping while fighting Dracula, its impressive. Its a good movie, watch it with some friends while eating too much Halloween candy.
Eshi: I have to admit, I was really hoping that Dracula would have that fucking awesome Christopher Lee voice, but after I got over that disappointment I had a good time. Hammer horror tends to have that old school propriety that serves to add to the apparent discomfort of the characters and the Horror of Dracula is a great demonstration. Peter Cushing is surprisingly compelling as a determined Vampire hunter, and he does indeed book it like a motherfucker when time comes to kick some undead ass. I do find myself wishing both that Sir Christopher was a bigger part of this film, and that he hadn't been guilted into so much work because of it. If you're feeling a good old-fashioned monster movie this is a solid top to that list.
2: From Dusk Till Dawn
This is a more pulpy version of vampires. This movie starts with a two brothers escaping to Mexico after a bit of a crime spree. Along the way they pick up some hostages (a super Christian family of three on a trip) and eventually get to a bar called Titty Twister to wait for a contact who will take them to a safe haven called El Rey. While watching Salma Hayek dance, she and all of the bar's employees turn into vampires and start killing people. Our unlikely group of people then have to survive until morning. I love this movie. It knows that its a little campy, and seeks to take that to the extreme. The cast is great, there are some very funny bits, and the effects are cheesy but not terrible. All in all it is a great movie, watch it with some buddies.
Eshi: From Dusk till Dawn is one of my favorite fun vampire movies. George Clooney is exactly as charming and Clooney-esque as he always fucking is, and Harvey Keitel shows the depth of his phenomenal talent by not making his ex-preacher character into a complete fucking choad. I feel like there where several scenes in this film that had to be done with stunt feet, because Quentin Tarantino reeeeaaaally gets his money's worth on that directorial authority in regards to his weird-ass foot thing. This movie has vampires, tits, violence and a guy named Sex Machine who has a dick gun. Why aren't you watching it right now?
3: John Carpenter's Vampires
This movie starts out with a bunch of vampire hunters killing a bunch of vampires who had made a nest in a Mexican farmhouse. They kill a lot of "goons", but the master vampire is nowhere to be found. Later that night the master interrupts a party the hunters are having by killing 90% of them and turning a hooker. The remaining hunters decide to use the master's telepathic link with his newly turned vampire against him by asking her what she sees when she receives visions from him. It turns out that the vampire they are hunting is the first vampire, and that he is trying to find an object with which he will be able to walk in the sun. I still don't know how to feel about this movie. I love John Carpenter's work, but I didn't enjoy this movie. Truth be told I spent the bulk of this movie making fun of Daniel Bladwin. I thought it was fun watching James Woods try to hard be cool while the vampire leader tried to channel The Crow, but that doesn't make a good movie. The weird "love story" between Dustin Baldwin and Sheryl Lee made no sense. Their entire interaction is him pushing her around, stripping her naked while she was passed out and tying her to a bed, and punching her in her face. This is not a romance as much an abduction but the movie plays it off as the former, and that was a little disconcerting. All in all I think this movie would have been improved with alcohol.
Eshi: I can totally understand why Brian doesn't like this movie. However, between Devlin Baldwin's bipolar courting process and James Woods asking his church liaison if all this violence "gives him wood", I revel in the camp. The master vampire is every broody high schooler in every Hot Topic ever, and Gordo Baldwin's only real value to the plot is to domestic abuse the whole "vampire prostitute" problem until they don't have to bother with that bit of plot anymore. So, if you like campy vampire flicks, John Carpenter, and that one Baldwin brother, maybe work your way into a heady buzz and give this one a go.
Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts
Friday, October 30, 2015
Friday, October 23, 2015
Weekly Cinemeh
Hello, and welcome back to Weekly Cinemeh. This week we continue our month of horror with werewolf movies! Werewolf movies are a nifty combination of gore and musings on the nature of humanity. What fun: To the list!
1: An American Werewolf in London
This movie is a dark comedy that is an interesting take on the classic Wolfman tale (the movie makes a few references to the original). The movie starts with a couple of tourists exploring the north of England when they get attacked by a werewolf. One of the men dies and the other survives with a few wounds from the beast. While recovering David, the guy who survived, starts to see his dead friend, who warns him that he is a werewolf who will kill a lot of people. All of the werewolf's victims are stuck in limbo and haunt the werewolf, encouraging them to kill themselves. The haunting combined with the feeling of uncertainty that comes from bizarre situations creates a good tension for the main character and audience. The idea that the main character might just be crazy is something shared by the doctor and nurse looking after David as well as the audience. The practical effects are good and the acting is 70's good. This is definitely a watch. Also, the last act starts in a porno theater with one of the funniest fake pornos ever. I never thought I would use the phrase "avant garde" to describe a porn, but I have been proven wrong.
Eshi: An American Werewolf in London is the sort of movie that warrants a two drink minimum. Not that its bad, its not, its just the kind of flat, soft-focus cinematography that mustachioed 70's directors designed to highlight a mid-afternoon buzz. My favorite character in this entire film is the dead friend. He's the driving force behind a lot of the actual humor in the movie and I can't help but be delighted by his casual insistence that David just cash in and go home. The obligatory enigmatically unhelpful country folk are always fun, and their interaction with the snooty London doctor is grand. Not a bad film to justify a popcorn binge.
2: Late Phases
This movie is the story of an old man being forced to live in a retirement community by his son. During his first night in his new place his next door neighbor and his dog are killed by werewolf. He realizes immediately that it is not a crazed animal picking off old people, and spends the next 30 days brooding, preparing to kill a werewolf, and trying to figure out who the werewolf is. This movie is interesting, it focuses a lot on how old/disabled people are looked down upon, but also goes out of is way to make a bunch of characters unlikable so you don't feel bad when they die. I mentioned brooding earlier, and while I was joking I wasn't being disingenuous. A lot of this movie is spend with the main character being grumpy and giving people reasons to not trust or like him. He is the stereotypical angry old war vet, who refuses help and alienates everyone around them, including family. Part of the movie is spent on his redemption from that, but he is still kind of a dick. Its entertaining, but a far from perfect movie. The acting is passable, and while its the very definition of slow burn the payoff is fun and cathartic, though I think the ending is kind of mediocre.
Eshi: I don't have good feelings about old people in general. Its not a hard prejudice, I've just spent a fair amount of time dealing with old people and they tend to be unpleasant for reasons cultural, personal and biological. So watching a movie about the exact type of really old people I dislike getting werewolf-oriented comeuppance is every fantasy I ever had at a nursing home picnic. That said in the first 15 minutes they kill off one of two characters I actually like and a dog. We've discussed killing dogs on film. The other likable character is the preacher, which feels like a weird thing to say. All in all Late Phases is fun, watch it with your Gandpa.
3: Wolfcop
This movie was so much better in my head. I wanted the movie to be far more campy then it was. I feel bad that my expectations probably stained it for me. The movie is about an alcoholic cop who gets turned into a werewolf via a cult of changelings who will use his blood for a ritual to maintain their power. There are a few laughs and some excellent effects, specifically when a guy gets his face ripped off and runs around screaming. I get the feeling watching this movie that it takes itself too seriously, though that is mostly from the tone. I do like that the cop becomes a werewolf and digs it instead of treating it like a curse. Its an ok movie, but I get the feeling that booze would have made it better.
Eshi: It probably doesn't say anything good about the genre how much its improved by intoxicants. Wolfcop is about lizard people ruling a redneck town through ritual sacrifice and a poorly crafted cocktail of guns, drugs and presumably fucking. The practical effects are pretty sold, including the werewolf transformation which is rare. I do feel obliged to inform you guys that there is like a 3 minute yiff scene that doesn't contribute to a great day. It has tits, gore and out-of-date cgi, what else could you want in a modern B movie.
1: An American Werewolf in London
This movie is a dark comedy that is an interesting take on the classic Wolfman tale (the movie makes a few references to the original). The movie starts with a couple of tourists exploring the north of England when they get attacked by a werewolf. One of the men dies and the other survives with a few wounds from the beast. While recovering David, the guy who survived, starts to see his dead friend, who warns him that he is a werewolf who will kill a lot of people. All of the werewolf's victims are stuck in limbo and haunt the werewolf, encouraging them to kill themselves. The haunting combined with the feeling of uncertainty that comes from bizarre situations creates a good tension for the main character and audience. The idea that the main character might just be crazy is something shared by the doctor and nurse looking after David as well as the audience. The practical effects are good and the acting is 70's good. This is definitely a watch. Also, the last act starts in a porno theater with one of the funniest fake pornos ever. I never thought I would use the phrase "avant garde" to describe a porn, but I have been proven wrong.
Eshi: An American Werewolf in London is the sort of movie that warrants a two drink minimum. Not that its bad, its not, its just the kind of flat, soft-focus cinematography that mustachioed 70's directors designed to highlight a mid-afternoon buzz. My favorite character in this entire film is the dead friend. He's the driving force behind a lot of the actual humor in the movie and I can't help but be delighted by his casual insistence that David just cash in and go home. The obligatory enigmatically unhelpful country folk are always fun, and their interaction with the snooty London doctor is grand. Not a bad film to justify a popcorn binge.
2: Late Phases
This movie is the story of an old man being forced to live in a retirement community by his son. During his first night in his new place his next door neighbor and his dog are killed by werewolf. He realizes immediately that it is not a crazed animal picking off old people, and spends the next 30 days brooding, preparing to kill a werewolf, and trying to figure out who the werewolf is. This movie is interesting, it focuses a lot on how old/disabled people are looked down upon, but also goes out of is way to make a bunch of characters unlikable so you don't feel bad when they die. I mentioned brooding earlier, and while I was joking I wasn't being disingenuous. A lot of this movie is spend with the main character being grumpy and giving people reasons to not trust or like him. He is the stereotypical angry old war vet, who refuses help and alienates everyone around them, including family. Part of the movie is spent on his redemption from that, but he is still kind of a dick. Its entertaining, but a far from perfect movie. The acting is passable, and while its the very definition of slow burn the payoff is fun and cathartic, though I think the ending is kind of mediocre.
Eshi: I don't have good feelings about old people in general. Its not a hard prejudice, I've just spent a fair amount of time dealing with old people and they tend to be unpleasant for reasons cultural, personal and biological. So watching a movie about the exact type of really old people I dislike getting werewolf-oriented comeuppance is every fantasy I ever had at a nursing home picnic. That said in the first 15 minutes they kill off one of two characters I actually like and a dog. We've discussed killing dogs on film. The other likable character is the preacher, which feels like a weird thing to say. All in all Late Phases is fun, watch it with your Gandpa.
3: Wolfcop
This movie was so much better in my head. I wanted the movie to be far more campy then it was. I feel bad that my expectations probably stained it for me. The movie is about an alcoholic cop who gets turned into a werewolf via a cult of changelings who will use his blood for a ritual to maintain their power. There are a few laughs and some excellent effects, specifically when a guy gets his face ripped off and runs around screaming. I get the feeling watching this movie that it takes itself too seriously, though that is mostly from the tone. I do like that the cop becomes a werewolf and digs it instead of treating it like a curse. Its an ok movie, but I get the feeling that booze would have made it better.
Eshi: It probably doesn't say anything good about the genre how much its improved by intoxicants. Wolfcop is about lizard people ruling a redneck town through ritual sacrifice and a poorly crafted cocktail of guns, drugs and presumably fucking. The practical effects are pretty sold, including the werewolf transformation which is rare. I do feel obliged to inform you guys that there is like a 3 minute yiff scene that doesn't contribute to a great day. It has tits, gore and out-of-date cgi, what else could you want in a modern B movie.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Weekly Cinemeh
Hello and welcome back to Weekly Cinemeh. This week we continue with our month long horror theme with another franchise: Alien. So, xenomorphs abound! The Alien franchise is well know for being great at monster based horror. It is also known for being hit and miss after the first couple movies. Anyways~ To the list!
1: Alien
This is my favorite of the franchise. Ridley Scott knows how to scare the shit out of people. This movie is tense and atmospheric and even if you know whats going to happen still makes you jump. This is a movie about a corporate spaceship being asked to investigate a strange beacon while on its way back to earth after a mission. While investigating a ship, which may be alien in nature, shit goes wrong when a creature latches onto a guy's face. This leads to a xenomorph trying to eat the crew, and the crew trying to kill it in order to get home safely. An interesting note about this movie: Ripley is only a girl because Ridley Scott thought that people would expect a male character to be the only survivor. So yes, the Talented Ms. Ripley kicks all the ass because people were probably going to be sexist about it. I think its a nice way to buck trends in horror movies, take what people expect and turn it around. I only wish you didn't have to have all of the stereotypes in the first place to make fucking with them so effective. Regardless, the effects are well done and the acting is good. Sigourney Weaver is great as a hero with a (mostly) cool head. This movie is definitely worth watching if you like tense horror that comes from an insurmountable enemy. That being said if you like less psychological horror and more pulpy, action-adventure horror then you should watch the sequel.
Eshi: Attentive readers may have noticed that we have a deep love of practical effects, Alien is why. This film is stunning, as one would expect from something designed by the sorely missed H.R. Giger. I mean sure, pretty much everything the camera sees in Alien is wet, slimy genitals, but they're really visually interesting genitals. The entire set design is subtly off-putting, even the bits that aren't giant industrial fuck-parts, and the characters are all just competent enough to seem like they have an idea of what they're doing, while just stupid enough to make their stupid horror movie decisions forgivable. There's a reason Alien is a classic, watch it.
2: Aliens
I like Aliens despite the fact that I hate James Cameron. I get that he has made lots of hits and all, but none of his movies are memorable for me. He shoots expensive movies with cutting edge technology, which is good for spectacle, but are mostly shallow and leave something to be desired. In the case of Aliens, the dialog is kinda shitty for the bulk of the movie. Every time the machismo driven marines talk I rooted for the alien to eviscerate them. This movie is a direct sequel to the first movie, where Ripley is found and asked about what happened to the Nostromo. Shit goes down when they find out that a colony on the planet where the aliens were first found goes dark and a group of marines needs to go and find out what happened. Sigourney Weaver is still good as Ripley, and I have to say, I love Bill Paxton's freak out moments because he is the only one that reacts in the way you should when terrors from beyond the stars decide to make you into a lunch/baby machine. Lance Henriksen as Bishop was a good choice I think. He is good at expressing emotion and charisma via voice while still keeping a straight face. The action is good looking which is something that James Cameron is good at, and he manages to keep up a good flow and good tension during these scenes as well. Its a good movie if you like a little horror in your action.
Eshi: It was brought up whilst watching this that Xenomorphs are like ninja, one at a time is a fucking terrifying, inexorable rape/murder machine, but a bunch coming at you at once is just a big, floor-melty inconvenience for the most part. Aliens is mostly that second bit, made more critical by good old-fashioned "man is the real monster" bullshit. I kinda hate Paul Reiser as a casting choice, he's got that kinda smug, shit-eating look that just screams GEOD (it occurs to me I don't think I've ever used that acronym on here, Go Evil Or Die.) Fuck yeah Lance Henriksen, he's got that slightly haggard look about him that counterpoints his gentleness and charisma in this role quite well. I too goddamn loathe James Cameron, but even a broken clock manages to look like it has a fucking clue twice a day.
3: Prometheus
This movie is very beautiful, though a lot of people had issues with it as a whole and I can kind of see why. I don't think this is a bad movie but there's a lot missing from it. A few lines here and there to give some explanation of what is going on in a couple of places would have been helpful. It'sis not incomprehensible or anything, but it would have benefited from some more exposition instead of just assuming we would know why a group of people would launch themselves into deep space for reasons unknown. Prometheus is a prequel to the movie Alien where a bunch of archaeologists find clues to an alien species that might have seeded earth with life and where they might be. A group of scientists go to investigate this map and investigate a possible alien spaceship with predictable results. Despite a lacking plot, there is some good stuff in this movie. Michael Fassbender as the android David is amazing. His portrayal is stoic but full of character (much like Henriksen from Aliens). Everything from his walk to his way of staring at people while talking to them lets you know that he is not human, even though he looks like one. The music in the movie is good as well, and fits with the general theme of exploration. The thing is, this movie lacks heart in a lot of ways and its script is a mess. The main characters are fucking stupid, and have no idea how to interact with a new environment despite having knowledge of what happens when two previously separated groups of people meet without any form of sterilization. Seriously, at one point a scientist takes off his helmet because he wants to breath in the air inside a space ship. Surely nothing bad can happen from that right? Apparently, a version of the script that was far more coherent exists, but got fucked up because they decided to bring in one of the writers behind Lost. Hopefully, the sequels will not get fucked up. I still have faith that the franchise can produce good space horror.
Eshi: If I have three wishes that I could only use in regard to Prometheus, My first wish would be that Damon Lindelof had been arrested for too much goat fucking about two weeks before whatever fucking genius gave him access to the script had done so. Second would be that they had gone with the original script, because even without Lindelof and his goatfuckery, they could have still done something stupid, like incorporating a giant spider or something. The last one would just be a high five from Michael Fassbender, because those are my only real complaints about the film and Michael Fassbender is pretty fucking bad ass and I'm always excited about a bad ass high five. The main character is kind of unlikable, so I have a hard time not enjoying how much she gets shit-kicked. It really isn't that bad, it just could have been so much better.
1: Alien
This is my favorite of the franchise. Ridley Scott knows how to scare the shit out of people. This movie is tense and atmospheric and even if you know whats going to happen still makes you jump. This is a movie about a corporate spaceship being asked to investigate a strange beacon while on its way back to earth after a mission. While investigating a ship, which may be alien in nature, shit goes wrong when a creature latches onto a guy's face. This leads to a xenomorph trying to eat the crew, and the crew trying to kill it in order to get home safely. An interesting note about this movie: Ripley is only a girl because Ridley Scott thought that people would expect a male character to be the only survivor. So yes, the Talented Ms. Ripley kicks all the ass because people were probably going to be sexist about it. I think its a nice way to buck trends in horror movies, take what people expect and turn it around. I only wish you didn't have to have all of the stereotypes in the first place to make fucking with them so effective. Regardless, the effects are well done and the acting is good. Sigourney Weaver is great as a hero with a (mostly) cool head. This movie is definitely worth watching if you like tense horror that comes from an insurmountable enemy. That being said if you like less psychological horror and more pulpy, action-adventure horror then you should watch the sequel.
Eshi: Attentive readers may have noticed that we have a deep love of practical effects, Alien is why. This film is stunning, as one would expect from something designed by the sorely missed H.R. Giger. I mean sure, pretty much everything the camera sees in Alien is wet, slimy genitals, but they're really visually interesting genitals. The entire set design is subtly off-putting, even the bits that aren't giant industrial fuck-parts, and the characters are all just competent enough to seem like they have an idea of what they're doing, while just stupid enough to make their stupid horror movie decisions forgivable. There's a reason Alien is a classic, watch it.
2: Aliens
I like Aliens despite the fact that I hate James Cameron. I get that he has made lots of hits and all, but none of his movies are memorable for me. He shoots expensive movies with cutting edge technology, which is good for spectacle, but are mostly shallow and leave something to be desired. In the case of Aliens, the dialog is kinda shitty for the bulk of the movie. Every time the machismo driven marines talk I rooted for the alien to eviscerate them. This movie is a direct sequel to the first movie, where Ripley is found and asked about what happened to the Nostromo. Shit goes down when they find out that a colony on the planet where the aliens were first found goes dark and a group of marines needs to go and find out what happened. Sigourney Weaver is still good as Ripley, and I have to say, I love Bill Paxton's freak out moments because he is the only one that reacts in the way you should when terrors from beyond the stars decide to make you into a lunch/baby machine. Lance Henriksen as Bishop was a good choice I think. He is good at expressing emotion and charisma via voice while still keeping a straight face. The action is good looking which is something that James Cameron is good at, and he manages to keep up a good flow and good tension during these scenes as well. Its a good movie if you like a little horror in your action.
Eshi: It was brought up whilst watching this that Xenomorphs are like ninja, one at a time is a fucking terrifying, inexorable rape/murder machine, but a bunch coming at you at once is just a big, floor-melty inconvenience for the most part. Aliens is mostly that second bit, made more critical by good old-fashioned "man is the real monster" bullshit. I kinda hate Paul Reiser as a casting choice, he's got that kinda smug, shit-eating look that just screams GEOD (it occurs to me I don't think I've ever used that acronym on here, Go Evil Or Die.) Fuck yeah Lance Henriksen, he's got that slightly haggard look about him that counterpoints his gentleness and charisma in this role quite well. I too goddamn loathe James Cameron, but even a broken clock manages to look like it has a fucking clue twice a day.
3: Prometheus
This movie is very beautiful, though a lot of people had issues with it as a whole and I can kind of see why. I don't think this is a bad movie but there's a lot missing from it. A few lines here and there to give some explanation of what is going on in a couple of places would have been helpful. It'sis not incomprehensible or anything, but it would have benefited from some more exposition instead of just assuming we would know why a group of people would launch themselves into deep space for reasons unknown. Prometheus is a prequel to the movie Alien where a bunch of archaeologists find clues to an alien species that might have seeded earth with life and where they might be. A group of scientists go to investigate this map and investigate a possible alien spaceship with predictable results. Despite a lacking plot, there is some good stuff in this movie. Michael Fassbender as the android David is amazing. His portrayal is stoic but full of character (much like Henriksen from Aliens). Everything from his walk to his way of staring at people while talking to them lets you know that he is not human, even though he looks like one. The music in the movie is good as well, and fits with the general theme of exploration. The thing is, this movie lacks heart in a lot of ways and its script is a mess. The main characters are fucking stupid, and have no idea how to interact with a new environment despite having knowledge of what happens when two previously separated groups of people meet without any form of sterilization. Seriously, at one point a scientist takes off his helmet because he wants to breath in the air inside a space ship. Surely nothing bad can happen from that right? Apparently, a version of the script that was far more coherent exists, but got fucked up because they decided to bring in one of the writers behind Lost. Hopefully, the sequels will not get fucked up. I still have faith that the franchise can produce good space horror.
Eshi: If I have three wishes that I could only use in regard to Prometheus, My first wish would be that Damon Lindelof had been arrested for too much goat fucking about two weeks before whatever fucking genius gave him access to the script had done so. Second would be that they had gone with the original script, because even without Lindelof and his goatfuckery, they could have still done something stupid, like incorporating a giant spider or something. The last one would just be a high five from Michael Fassbender, because those are my only real complaints about the film and Michael Fassbender is pretty fucking bad ass and I'm always excited about a bad ass high five. The main character is kind of unlikable, so I have a hard time not enjoying how much she gets shit-kicked. It really isn't that bad, it just could have been so much better.
Friday, October 9, 2015
Weekly Cinemeh
Hello, and welcome back to Weekly Cinemeh. Since its October we have decided to dedicate the month to horror movies. We start our month this week with Romero zombie movies. George A. Romero was the first person to put Zombies to film, and he is the best in my opinion. He is a champion of practical effects as well. All of the movies we watched had spectacular effects which makes it far more viscerally disturbing when a horde of zombies rip a dude apart while he yells "choke on it!" then when you can tell a guy is just CGI'd into a scene. Anyway, to the list!
1: Night of the Living Dead
This is the first zombie movie ever made. Almost all of the zombie tropes you are used to seeing came from this movie. Romero's zombies aren't as brainless as one would see in a lot of other zombie movies. In all of the Romero directed movies his zombies use tools to try to get into tasty human hiding spots, which actually comes up in our last movie of this week. This movie focuses on a small group of survivors hiding in a farm house after a zombies begin to roam the land. The effects in this movie are pretty minimal, though well done. Bosco Chocolate syrup was used for the blood, and it works well. This is a low budget movie shot in black and white so ham being used for fake flesh and syrup being used for blood looks real enough to be disturbing. All of the characters are good, even the shitty people. They all represent how people would respond to this type of situation. Barbra has a complete breakdown after seeing her brother killed, Ben stays clam and tries to do what he can to stay alive. Mr. Cooper is an asshole who feels like he needs to be in control to remain safe, and assumes that all of the other characters are going to get him killed if they get a say. I love the camera work in this movie, shots are often done at strange angles to emphasize how fucked up a situation is (either because of zombie hordes or people acting selfishly) and it adds to the overall tension of the film. This movie is good, and should be watched by any fan of the zombie genre.
Eshi: Zombies are a weird thing for me. On one hand a well done zombie movie, like these ones, is a fucking joy. On the other hand we need to fucking stop it. Not everything needs to have zombies attached. That said, fuck yeah Night of the Living Dead. The birth pang of the Zombie Horror genre is the perfect mix of campy, disturbing and balls out. Its not the best movie, but it is one of the most complete descriptors of the genre.
2: Dawn of the Dead
I want to get this out of the way: the 1978 version of this movie (my favorite of all of Romero's films) was not available for us to watch so we watched the remake. That being said for a remake it does some good stuff. A much more action oriented film, its about a group of survivors holed up in a shopping mall. The actors are decent (Ving Rhames is the fucking man) and there are a couple surprisingly funny moments. The action is tense and well shot. DotD focuses less on the zombies and more on how people go about dealing with the end of the world in a stable-ish environment. All of the bad shit that happens stems from a breakdown in a system because of the character flaws of certain individuals. As with so many apocalypse stories cowardice and control issues are a bigger threat then shambling corpses. Shows like the Walking Dead try to focus on this stuff as well but because it is a series they need to stretch all of the drama out for entire seasons which just makes the show tiring. In this, all of the drama is solved relatively quickly (usually by bad-ass, zombie related deaths) and then people move on. Its a good movie, I still prefer the original but as I said, its my favorite.
Eshi: I think this is the best all-around movie this week. Good action, strong characters (if a little fucking cliche), and some really cathartic violence. Having heard Brian talk about it I'm kinda pissed that we couldn't find the '78 version. I mean, not much, this one was really good, but still. Andy kicks all the ass and Ving Rhames is, indeed, the fucking man. Watch this one and let us know if you find some where to watch the original.
3: Day of the Dead
I found out after watching this movie that there was also a remake of it, but I have not seen it. This is the 1985 version. This movie, like Dawn, deals with people dealing with the end of the world, but has a larger focus on examining the zombie itself. The group this time isn't a bunch of random people in a mall, but a bunch of scientists and military types in a bunker trying to find a cure. One scientist in particular is studying the behavior of the zombies, and through this finds out that they have some ability to remember things from life, especially narratively relevant things. The military personnel, angry with how slow progress is and how many lives the research has cost, decide to bully the civilians. Of course shit goes tits up when they start this, and then begins the breakdown of the system. All of these movies deal with this kind of entropic breakdown of systems. In this movie (and a lot of zombie movies in general) humans are fucked up because they make the choice to be evil, while zombies aren't really evil because they act on instinct (which is changeable with training). The acting was ok, overacting was a big problem, but this movie also represents some of the best practical special effects I have seen in a long time. Its a good movie, watch it.
Eshi: Oh my fucking god, practical effects in the 80's. Day of the Dead revels in all the horrible 80's movie tropes and does so spectacularly. Half the fucking cast is just straight up crazy, as is 80's thriller tradition, and the casual racism grants just the kind of highly nuanced social commentary you'd expect. And I'll just say again, fuck yeah practical effects in the 80's.
1: Night of the Living Dead
This is the first zombie movie ever made. Almost all of the zombie tropes you are used to seeing came from this movie. Romero's zombies aren't as brainless as one would see in a lot of other zombie movies. In all of the Romero directed movies his zombies use tools to try to get into tasty human hiding spots, which actually comes up in our last movie of this week. This movie focuses on a small group of survivors hiding in a farm house after a zombies begin to roam the land. The effects in this movie are pretty minimal, though well done. Bosco Chocolate syrup was used for the blood, and it works well. This is a low budget movie shot in black and white so ham being used for fake flesh and syrup being used for blood looks real enough to be disturbing. All of the characters are good, even the shitty people. They all represent how people would respond to this type of situation. Barbra has a complete breakdown after seeing her brother killed, Ben stays clam and tries to do what he can to stay alive. Mr. Cooper is an asshole who feels like he needs to be in control to remain safe, and assumes that all of the other characters are going to get him killed if they get a say. I love the camera work in this movie, shots are often done at strange angles to emphasize how fucked up a situation is (either because of zombie hordes or people acting selfishly) and it adds to the overall tension of the film. This movie is good, and should be watched by any fan of the zombie genre.
Eshi: Zombies are a weird thing for me. On one hand a well done zombie movie, like these ones, is a fucking joy. On the other hand we need to fucking stop it. Not everything needs to have zombies attached. That said, fuck yeah Night of the Living Dead. The birth pang of the Zombie Horror genre is the perfect mix of campy, disturbing and balls out. Its not the best movie, but it is one of the most complete descriptors of the genre.
2: Dawn of the Dead
I want to get this out of the way: the 1978 version of this movie (my favorite of all of Romero's films) was not available for us to watch so we watched the remake. That being said for a remake it does some good stuff. A much more action oriented film, its about a group of survivors holed up in a shopping mall. The actors are decent (Ving Rhames is the fucking man) and there are a couple surprisingly funny moments. The action is tense and well shot. DotD focuses less on the zombies and more on how people go about dealing with the end of the world in a stable-ish environment. All of the bad shit that happens stems from a breakdown in a system because of the character flaws of certain individuals. As with so many apocalypse stories cowardice and control issues are a bigger threat then shambling corpses. Shows like the Walking Dead try to focus on this stuff as well but because it is a series they need to stretch all of the drama out for entire seasons which just makes the show tiring. In this, all of the drama is solved relatively quickly (usually by bad-ass, zombie related deaths) and then people move on. Its a good movie, I still prefer the original but as I said, its my favorite.
Eshi: I think this is the best all-around movie this week. Good action, strong characters (if a little fucking cliche), and some really cathartic violence. Having heard Brian talk about it I'm kinda pissed that we couldn't find the '78 version. I mean, not much, this one was really good, but still. Andy kicks all the ass and Ving Rhames is, indeed, the fucking man. Watch this one and let us know if you find some where to watch the original.
3: Day of the Dead
I found out after watching this movie that there was also a remake of it, but I have not seen it. This is the 1985 version. This movie, like Dawn, deals with people dealing with the end of the world, but has a larger focus on examining the zombie itself. The group this time isn't a bunch of random people in a mall, but a bunch of scientists and military types in a bunker trying to find a cure. One scientist in particular is studying the behavior of the zombies, and through this finds out that they have some ability to remember things from life, especially narratively relevant things. The military personnel, angry with how slow progress is and how many lives the research has cost, decide to bully the civilians. Of course shit goes tits up when they start this, and then begins the breakdown of the system. All of these movies deal with this kind of entropic breakdown of systems. In this movie (and a lot of zombie movies in general) humans are fucked up because they make the choice to be evil, while zombies aren't really evil because they act on instinct (which is changeable with training). The acting was ok, overacting was a big problem, but this movie also represents some of the best practical special effects I have seen in a long time. Its a good movie, watch it.
Eshi: Oh my fucking god, practical effects in the 80's. Day of the Dead revels in all the horrible 80's movie tropes and does so spectacularly. Half the fucking cast is just straight up crazy, as is 80's thriller tradition, and the casual racism grants just the kind of highly nuanced social commentary you'd expect. And I'll just say again, fuck yeah practical effects in the 80's.
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