Movie Review - The Crazies (2010)

Alright kiddies, I have a good one for you... I just finished watching the remake of “The Crazies” (2010). This movie was decent and I was happy to view it. I’m afraid to say it was better than the original 1973 movie (sorry Mr. Romero). This movie was directed by Breck Eisner, unknown to me but the highlight was that the credits listed George A. Romero as Executive Producer. It’s clear he had some intervention in making this movie great. In my opinion, it may not have faired so well if he had no involvement.

The story line follows much the same premise as the original; loose biological weapon virus on a small town and the military try to contain it. There was little guess work watching the movie but it still held much suspense and surprise. I kept thinking, what angle is being used and what elements would be evident from the original. I can safely say that this remake used the original 1973 as inspiration and was not a direct copy.

There were aspects of the original which were missing from this remake; for example, in the original there was a scientist who was trying desperately to find a cure. This movie did not explore that. There seemed to be less of a spin with military control compared to the original version and the remake places more focus on surviving towns people. The main characters are the town sheriff and his pregnant wife who is a doctor while the original was a firefighter and his wife a nurse. So yes, while it sounds close to the original film, there were enough differences that made it fresh. Even the ending was a bit different.

The make up and the special effects were fantastic. The gore was good for what it was, not over the top but was adequate. This movie was fast paced and kept my attention the whole time; I only wished that there was more. The acting and characterization were above average and everyone pulled their weight.

This is a good solid flick that could hold it’s own, you would never know it was a remake. Fantastic job overall ! I rate this movie 10/10 but note that I couldn’t find anything really wrong with it. This movie worked well and it showed.

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 - 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 - 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 ???