It was a Zombie Jamboree. . .
Oct. 8th, 2007 11:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yendiSo, this weekend, I caught the Zombie Marathon at the Somerville Theatre. Six zombie movies, from 7PM until 7AM (6:40ish, actually). Followed by sleeping until 2:30 in the afternoon. In spite of the fact that I'd seen 2/3 of the movies before, and hated one of the new ones, it was still fun.
Interestingly (and in spite of the advertising), none of the movies featured zombies who ate brains. Actually, there aren't many movies in which they do -- it's a trait pretty much limited to the Return of the Living Dead series.
The films:
Shaun of the Dead (second viewing for me). I was not a huge fan of this movie the first time I saw it. The second viewing, however, made me fall in love with it. The attention to detail here is outstanding, and the story is surprisingly well-delivered. Other than the death of David (which is simply excessive and out of place in the context of the rest of the film, and even more so now that I've become a Black Books junkie since first seeing the film), few moments really seem out-of-place. Scenes like the one with Dianne giving zombie acting lessons only get better on the second viewing, and little details (like the body of the guy with the boots) pop out nicely. It's both a fine zombie movie (very much a commentary on zombie films in general, especially the Romero-style ones featuring slower zombies) and a cute romantic comedy.
Dead Alive (aka Brain Damage) (at least the fifteenth viewing for me). Before this movie,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
marmota and zlana mentioned that, at the Sci-Fi fest, they'd found Slither to be a little much in terms of gore. Heh. I warned them that Dead Alive would blow Slither out of the water. As most of you already know, this is one of my all-time favorite films. My full review is here. Also, it appears to only be $5.99 at Amazon right now, which means there's no excuse for not owning it.
28 Days Later (third viewing for me). Ignoring the fact that the enemies here aren't really zombies (they're alive, not undead, and can die of starvation, shots to the chest, etc), this is still a damned fine film, not least because it transcends its own gimmick. If it simply stalled while focusing on the confusion of Cillian Murphy (and his penis -- a goodly number of moviegoers, none of whom minded mountains of viscera, seemed utterly squicked at a few measly scenes of Scarecrow Cock), it would have been a one-note film. Instead, it takes a good, stark look at a city (and later a country) devastated by zombies, touching on political, social, and other issues quite nicely. A damned fine, if bleak, piece of moviemaking.
28 Weeks Later (first time viewing). Wow. What a god-awful piece of shit. This might be the worst zombie sequel ever made, and one of the worst films I've sat through in years. If it weren't for a kick-ass opening seven minutes, there wouldn't be a redeeming moment of screen time. Every single character in this movie (after the opening scene) is a complete and utter moron. No exceptions. Each person, given the opportunity to do something stupid, takes it. Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo couldn't film an action scene to save his life, and doesn't even try to give us interesting characters (since he's also co-screenwriter, he can't blame the script, either). Most of the canon from the first movie (like the nocturnal tendencies of the Infected) are ignored completely, as are many of the laws of physics. There are some talented actors here, but they're never actually asked to act. The only good that could ever come from this movie would be if you burnt every single print, releasing a toxic gas into the atmosphere that would mess with the space-time continuum enough to result in a world in which this movie was never made. That's a damned faint silver lining.
Zombie (aka Zombi 2) (sixth time viewing). Fulci's gore-fest is certainly cheesy, but it's a lot of fun. There's tons of MST3K-able stuff here (especially since we saw the dubbed print -- probably a mercy at 3AM), but there are some moments of true brilliance. "Zombie vs Shark" is still one of those unbelievably classic moments, and the splinter in eye of Olga Karlatos is still incredibly nasty (even if that entire scene feels like something that should have taken place in a slasher). The plot itself, of course, it basically silly, the characters are often morons who wait for zombies to bite them, and the cast (featuring Mia Farrow's sister as the "big name") is never going to win any awards, but there's a lot of classic stuff here, and it was the one true classic of the festival.
Fido (first viewing for me). This was the reason I was really here. I love the concept of the movie, and the execution was better than I'd expected. In 1950's America, the Zombie Wars have been fought and won (even though all newly-dead folks continue to reanimate), and, thanks to some innovative technology, zombies are now used as domestic servants. We get classic '50s Leave it to Beaver imagery merged with Cold War paranoia into a biting satire on consumer culture and zombie films as a whole. There are a few moments of unevenness (including one scene in which theoretically heroic characters rather blatantly sacrifice innocents to create a distraction), but for the most part, the dark comedy elements work wonderfully. Carrie Ann Moss shows that she can actually act, something I've known for a while, but which the Wachowski brothers never seemed to figure out. Billy Connolly is probably under-used here (his titular role is all about facial expressions, so he doesn't exactly get to say much), but still fun, and the supporting cast (featuring Drive's Dylan Baker as yet another dad with emotional issues, Tim Blake Nelson as a man who loves zombies just a little too much, and Henry Czerny as the head honcho at the local Zombie company) do a fine job. Lots of fun, and definitely a zombie film to add to my collection.
Overall, definitely a worthwhile festival. I would have liked some pre-NOTLD zombie movies (White Zombie, for instance), and probably more indie underground stuff (Diary of the Dead and/or Flight of the Living Dead would have been nice), but given only twelve hours, there's a limit to what can be shown.
Interestingly (and in spite of the advertising), none of the movies featured zombies who ate brains. Actually, there aren't many movies in which they do -- it's a trait pretty much limited to the Return of the Living Dead series.
The films:
Shaun of the Dead (second viewing for me). I was not a huge fan of this movie the first time I saw it. The second viewing, however, made me fall in love with it. The attention to detail here is outstanding, and the story is surprisingly well-delivered. Other than the death of David (which is simply excessive and out of place in the context of the rest of the film, and even more so now that I've become a Black Books junkie since first seeing the film), few moments really seem out-of-place. Scenes like the one with Dianne giving zombie acting lessons only get better on the second viewing, and little details (like the body of the guy with the boots) pop out nicely. It's both a fine zombie movie (very much a commentary on zombie films in general, especially the Romero-style ones featuring slower zombies) and a cute romantic comedy.
Dead Alive (aka Brain Damage) (at least the fifteenth viewing for me). Before this movie,
marmota and zlana mentioned that, at the Sci-Fi fest, they'd found Slither to be a little much in terms of gore. Heh. I warned them that Dead Alive would blow Slither out of the water. As most of you already know, this is one of my all-time favorite films. My full review is here. Also, it appears to only be $5.99 at Amazon right now, which means there's no excuse for not owning it. 28 Days Later (third viewing for me). Ignoring the fact that the enemies here aren't really zombies (they're alive, not undead, and can die of starvation, shots to the chest, etc), this is still a damned fine film, not least because it transcends its own gimmick. If it simply stalled while focusing on the confusion of Cillian Murphy (and his penis -- a goodly number of moviegoers, none of whom minded mountains of viscera, seemed utterly squicked at a few measly scenes of Scarecrow Cock), it would have been a one-note film. Instead, it takes a good, stark look at a city (and later a country) devastated by zombies, touching on political, social, and other issues quite nicely. A damned fine, if bleak, piece of moviemaking.
28 Weeks Later (first time viewing). Wow. What a god-awful piece of shit. This might be the worst zombie sequel ever made, and one of the worst films I've sat through in years. If it weren't for a kick-ass opening seven minutes, there wouldn't be a redeeming moment of screen time. Every single character in this movie (after the opening scene) is a complete and utter moron. No exceptions. Each person, given the opportunity to do something stupid, takes it. Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo couldn't film an action scene to save his life, and doesn't even try to give us interesting characters (since he's also co-screenwriter, he can't blame the script, either). Most of the canon from the first movie (like the nocturnal tendencies of the Infected) are ignored completely, as are many of the laws of physics. There are some talented actors here, but they're never actually asked to act. The only good that could ever come from this movie would be if you burnt every single print, releasing a toxic gas into the atmosphere that would mess with the space-time continuum enough to result in a world in which this movie was never made. That's a damned faint silver lining.
Zombie (aka Zombi 2) (sixth time viewing). Fulci's gore-fest is certainly cheesy, but it's a lot of fun. There's tons of MST3K-able stuff here (especially since we saw the dubbed print -- probably a mercy at 3AM), but there are some moments of true brilliance. "Zombie vs Shark" is still one of those unbelievably classic moments, and the splinter in eye of Olga Karlatos is still incredibly nasty (even if that entire scene feels like something that should have taken place in a slasher). The plot itself, of course, it basically silly, the characters are often morons who wait for zombies to bite them, and the cast (featuring Mia Farrow's sister as the "big name") is never going to win any awards, but there's a lot of classic stuff here, and it was the one true classic of the festival.
Fido (first viewing for me). This was the reason I was really here. I love the concept of the movie, and the execution was better than I'd expected. In 1950's America, the Zombie Wars have been fought and won (even though all newly-dead folks continue to reanimate), and, thanks to some innovative technology, zombies are now used as domestic servants. We get classic '50s Leave it to Beaver imagery merged with Cold War paranoia into a biting satire on consumer culture and zombie films as a whole. There are a few moments of unevenness (including one scene in which theoretically heroic characters rather blatantly sacrifice innocents to create a distraction), but for the most part, the dark comedy elements work wonderfully. Carrie Ann Moss shows that she can actually act, something I've known for a while, but which the Wachowski brothers never seemed to figure out. Billy Connolly is probably under-used here (his titular role is all about facial expressions, so he doesn't exactly get to say much), but still fun, and the supporting cast (featuring Drive's Dylan Baker as yet another dad with emotional issues, Tim Blake Nelson as a man who loves zombies just a little too much, and Henry Czerny as the head honcho at the local Zombie company) do a fine job. Lots of fun, and definitely a zombie film to add to my collection.
Overall, definitely a worthwhile festival. I would have liked some pre-NOTLD zombie movies (White Zombie, for instance), and probably more indie underground stuff (Diary of the Dead and/or Flight of the Living Dead would have been nice), but given only twelve hours, there's a limit to what can be shown.
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 03:16 pm (UTC)Can't wait to get a copy when it comes out on dvd at teh end of the month.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 10:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 04:03 pm (UTC)I still think it one of the best zombie movies I've seen and a great comedy.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 10:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 04:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 10:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 04:37 pm (UTC)If I remember correctly, from the time they move the civilians back into the city to the time when zombies are killing everyone, about a day and a half passes.
Way to go, humanity. You kept zombies from eating you for nearly two whole days!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 10:53 pm (UTC)If I remember correctly, from the time they move the civilians back into the city to the time when zombies are killing everyone, about a day and a half passes.
Way to go, humanity. You kept zombies from eating you for nearly two whole days!
In fairness, some of the people had been living in London for months. But the set-up of the massacre - featuring the worst-planned military operation in history -- was unbelievably awful.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 05:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 10:54 pm (UTC)Not that I don't already own that on DVD.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 12:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 08:33 pm (UTC)That little bit where Shaun slips coming out of the convenience store. Utter brilliance.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 10:54 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 09:28 pm (UTC)It sounds like a great time. Of the movies on this list that I've seen:
Shaun of the Dead. This is definitely a film that rewards multiple viewings. I've seen it probably a dozen times now (I frequently pop it in when I'm working), and each time I catch some new joke or some new pun or some new reference that I hadn't caught before. The last time I saw it, a couple of weeks ago, was the first time I caught relevance of Nick Frost's line, "We're coming to get you, Barbara!" It's all brilliant.
28 Days Later was a great film, and not just because Christopher Eccelston makes a rewardingly evil bad guy. I appreciated every element that you mentioned, but I also loved the commentary, the noting that even nice people can go so over the top in their own outrage that a normal person can become indistinguishable from a person infected with the Rage virus.
I wasn't as disappointed with 28 Weeks Later as you were. I grant that it wasn't as good as the first film, of course (I cite the Law of Diminishing Quality for Higher Numbered Sequels), and I think it relied too heavily on some of the conventions of the genre, rather than breaking any new ground. Plus, the fact that it broke the rules that had been established in the first film with regards to the infected...
Well, okay, there wasn't much to like in that film. Maybe I was just happy with the gore. ;-)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 10:52 pm (UTC)As far as 28WL, don't forget the most poorly-planned military operation ever ("Let's put everyone in a crowded, unguarded room, lock the doors, and hope that the infected don't make it there, but if they do, we'll have our six snipers take care of everything.").
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 10:56 pm (UTC)Well, okay, so now I'm wondering what it was about that film that I liked at all.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 11:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 09:30 pm (UTC)unrealted: do we still get to call them the wachowski brothers, or what now?
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 10:40 pm (UTC)As for the Wachowskis, I figure that using the plural name is the way to go in the present tense.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 03:11 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 10:20 pm (UTC)to do other things, so only saw the intro at the bar up to
the shuffling crowd exterior shot.
Wanted to know if it was worth renting or buying.
One version's link buffers really fast, will watch it later tonight maybe.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 10:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-08 10:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-11 10:46 pm (UTC)