Movie Review - Zombie Town (2007)

If you’re a true fan of horror, gore and zombies like me, than you can appreciate films which are not considered mainstream. I’m a big advocate for independent film makers and their efforts; it’s what keeps the genre alive. That said I would invite you all to watch "Zombie Town" (2007). I was really impressed with this one.

I would categorize this story as a horror survival, the premise seems to be very reminiscent of the movie "Night of the Creeps" (1986). Townspeople become infected and are filled with black slug parasites. This makes them zombies going around biting other innocent locals. Then, enter- a small group of 20 something’s banding together trying to solve the mystery, come up with a plan and execute the annihilation of their zombie infected town folk.

There was a bit of subtle humour that reminds me of "Zombie Land" (2009), but it's all about the delivery. The zombies running amok were a cross between that of "28 Days" and "Night of the Living Dead", -a good combination. The camera work was a bit shaky at times, overall not too too bad. The acting was poorly done though, everything from overacting to sounding too rehearsed. Aside from that, this movie didn't lack in the gore department. There was lots of blood and guts making it very graphic, so much so that Romeo himself would be proud.

So being what it was, I give this movie 7/10 and if anything you should watch for the gore and the primary influence from "Night of the Creeps". Who said that there is a whole lot of nothing going on in small towns?

Movie Review - Undead (2003)

In my humble opinion, British comedy is considered the apex. In all my TV/movie watching, I have formulated that the British do it better and with more style. Canada is one of the only countries that gets it and it's evident in their wholly produced productions. However, the United States perception of comedies lack the subtle humour and well written scripts that are played out in British productions. I think It's interesting to note that some well known sitcoms/series are carbon copies with established roots in Britain.

That said, I recently watched “Undead” (2003). This movie hails from down under but as far as I'm concerned Australia has ties with Britain and it shows. This movie was released here in North America as well but I had never heard of it. The title intrigued me. Could it be another zombie flick ?

Upon viewing, I soon discovered it was a zombie horror adventure comedy about surviving. Surprised and delighted, I was so impressed. I found the movie to be heavily influenced by the "Evil Dead" series and contained elements reminiscent of the "Night of the Living Dead" series. In fact, it may have been the inspiration for fight scenes and subtle humor to the hit zombie horror comedy “Shaun of the Dead”. (2004). In any case, this movie is chalk full of fun.

I won’t give away any of the story line on this one, you will have to watch it. I assure that you will be pleasantly surprised. The story line is a bit weak but is interesting enough to keep your attention. I will say this; this movie is filled with the usual cheese and even introduces alien intervention. I rate this movie 7.5/10. This movie is definitely worth watching if not to see the references of cult classics within.

Movie Review - Brain Dead / Dead Alive (1992)

I'm not sure I agree with the saying 'less is better', but when it comes to gore, the more gore -- the better. What I'm referring to is the flick "Braindead / Dead Alive" (1992). Now, I've been meaning to see this for a while and can't believe I hadn't. This movie is supposed to be a cult classic, I would like to think that most avid horror fans would have already seen it. So I won't go into any detail but it is definitely a celebration of carnage.

The gore is top notch. Wow ! This movie is funny as hell too. The comedy overwrites the fact that it's gore and so you can't help but laugh instead of puke. The scenes are very graphic. The story itself is not bad, but of course it had potential to be better but that would mean less gore and more talk. You will spend the last 40 minutes with your mouth open in amazement. In short, it's a piece of art.

I can't believe that this movie was directed by Peter Jackson. Who would have thought that just 10 years later he would be giving us the most amazing complex story ever imagined...with "Lord Of the Rings". I suppose everyone has their beginnings but how he was able to do it is a bit of a mystery.

Being that it is a cult favorite. I am not rating it. If you like gore, watch it. It's there. I liked it for what it was and happy I did. In any case, I highly recommend viewing this movie, not for the story but the sheer enjoyment of maximum visual stimulation.

Movie Review - The Mad (2007)

So I’m thinking I should cut down on eating red meat, it’s starting to worry me… or I could just stop watching movies that involve tainted meat and zombies. I am referring to the latest movie I watched: “The Mad” (2007). Yes, another movie about mad cow deceased zombies. I didn’t think that this theme would pop up again.

Ha, I sure can pick em'.

The film opens with a father, daughter and their significant others on a weekend trip. They end up stopping in small town for the night on the way to the cottage. Wouldn’t you know- all hell breaks loose after locals ate hamburgers at a restaurant and run amok in a rabid frenzy leaving the father-daughter team to save the day.

Well, now that we've established the premise, I should mention that the film is categorized as a comedy. Sure it was a good mix of laughs and gore but it was mostly cheap thrills with obvious prompted ques. I found myself shaking my head most of the time. In short, they were trying too hard. Something should be said about horror “zombie” comedies, if not done correctly it can bomb. This is a prime example but perhaps the intention was to create a ‘B’ rated movie.

I wasn’t too impressed with the editing and cut scenes. The characters were decent and the acting was well done. I do like that calm cool Billy Zane character. It definitely could have been better. I rate this flick 5/10 but an “A” for effort.

Movie Review - Rise of the Dead (2007)

Yet another review. You know the phrase 'never judge a book by it's cover', yeah,... well I think I forgot that when I went to watch "Rise of the Dead" (2007). This movie has very little with the rising of the dead. In fact, this movie was confused or perhaps it was me.

It couldn't decide if it was a supernatural thriller horror or a zombie flick. The acting is sub standard, the story is a little awkward and pieced together. Almost as though there was no script present. This movie lacks direction. Somehow it reminds me of a daytime soap. In all fairness this is not a mainstream production but rather an independent film.

The basic premise of the movie surrounds a teenage girl -- she had a baby a year or so ago and gave it away for adoption. The baby dies and it's spirit-ghost comes back and takes control of different people. In an effort to see it's mother it leaves a trail of victims behind. You really don't know what is going on until close to the end and then it's tied up very quickly which leaves the viewer feeling emptier than before.

I will say this though, the end left me thinking that there should be a sequel. NO ! PLEASE NO !
It's unique for what it is - I'll give it that. The scenes where the spirit takes over the bodies reminded me of how Agent Smith from The Matrix movies does this.

In the end, I would not recommend seeing this and in fact wished I didn't waste the 78 minutes or the downloading time which I won't get back. I had very little enjoyment except for some gratuitous nudity with a shower scene. I give this film 3/10 but note that it had potential to be better.

Movie Review - Dead Meat (2004)

What a busy weekend, just finished the film “Dead Meat” (2004). I did like this movie. The title suggests gore to me and in fact made my friends and family cringe when I told them that I was watching it. It was what I expected it to be, a gore fest.

The story unfolds in the Irish countryside where mad cow disease makes its way to humans and re animates them as flesh eating zombies. Although the idea of mad cow flesh eating zombies is unique, it does stay true to form of what you would expect from a zombie survival adventure… perhaps a bit of a cliché. Nonetheless, bloody fun.

The zombies depicted are very typical. The gore was pretty good and the acting was alright (it’s always better with an Irish accent though or with any accent for that matter). The dialogue and characters provided a bit of comic relief that helped keep the movie from being not too serious. The camera work was just amazing; pans, pull outs, close-ups all helped solidify the mood of the scenes. I can’t say I was gasping, but the movie kept my attention.

I would definitely recommend watching this. This is a decent zombie flick being worthy to show up in my collection. I give it 8/10. Decent. Definetly something that should be watched. Anyone seen this ?

Movie Review - Severed (2005)

I just finished watching "Severed" (2005) last night. Not bad, not bad. The actual title is listed as "Severed: Forest of the Dead". This would imply to me that it might include ghosts but I knew this was a zombie flick. It’s best to free your mind of any ideas about what it might be about. This is why I refrain from looking them up on IMDB (internet movie database) first.

The story line is simple and borderline cliché -while still being original. Premise is; scientists pump trees full of chemicals to increase production for clear cutting but the sap oozing and creates reanimation with dead lumberjacks.

The gore was excellent, good scenes, good ambiance and good times. The zombies were in their true form (NOTLD style) and the characters were a-l-r-i-g-h-t. I think they could have done a little more with the story line as it had potential. I wonder if there is a sequel around ?

The movie seems to have influences from the Dawn of the Dead series, and maybe a twinge of 28 days later. I don’t know? I could be wrong. I can't really say that the movie was a comment on society with respect to the forestry industry but there were some obvious overtones.

I think in the end I would recommend seeing this movie if anything for the gore. Well done.
I give it 7/10. Any one seen this little gem ???