Looking Forward To Attack The Block

May 5, 2011 in News

I am a huge fan of Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz and have been a little disappointed that Edgar Wright has moved away from these beloved movies to work on some true Hollywood fare. But then comes Joe Cornish, a bit player in Wright’s movies and a screenwriter who is not well known to the American moviegoer. But this will all change when Attack The Block hits theaters on May 11.

I haven’t had a chance to see this film but the trailers look like a damn riot and it captures that comedic/horror vibe that can be very difficult. While some feel this might be more a sci fi movie, just because you have E.T.s does not mean it can’t be scary (the first Alien).  Its catch line maybe simple as a gang of South London teenagers decide to defend their project block against an invasion of aliens. This film could have easily gone too far into camp but it looks like it embraces the material from a fan’s eye for balance between what should be funny and when it is time to scare the bejesus out of you.

The casting of pure unknowns with thick South London accents adds a sense of realism that conjures up Harry Brown while the creature design has the cheesy feel of a film straight out of the late eighties.  If you have seen Heartless, you can get a feel of the disaffected youth of London that is the heart of this film. The film starts with a look at the gang activity as these hoodlums hang around the block selling drugs and mugging people. After seeing an alien pod crash in their hood, the group ends up in a rite of passage battle against the arriving aliens.

Attack The Block has been described as one of those rare gems that comes along so rarely and blends dry English humor with a kinetic music score and fast action-filled pace. Of all the films that are coming out over the next few months, this is one that is on the top of my list. A review will follow.

Check out the trailer below.

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Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil Review

May 4, 2011 in Movies, Reviews

When it comes to movies, sometimes the ones you know that most about tend to be big disappointments and the ones that just fly right under the radar. That’s how I view Tucker And Dale Vs, Evil as one of those really great horror movies that has slipped under the radar. This movie was first introduced last year at the Sundance Festival and has grown a nice cult reputation across the internet.

First time director Eli Craig gives us a film that straddles that wonderful line between comedy and horror that very few films have managed to do successfully (Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead, respectfully). It is basically a take on Friday the 13th with a case of mistaken identity gone horribly wrong.  Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil gives us a story of two hillbillies who buy a cabin in the woods to take a nice vacation from the rest of the world. To run their plans, here come a group of college kids straight out of any slasher film and ripe to fit the role of any b-movie body count. While doing some night fishing, Tucker and Dale come across the hot bodies doing some skinny-dipping, where the hot blonde girl, Katrina Bowden, has an accident and the hillbillies save her.

Or have they?

This is where this movie goes off the rails in a funny and original spin on horror films. The teens, having been raised on a diet of slasher films their whole life, think their friend has been kidnapped.  They hatch a plan to go rescue her from these monsters and their assault against the kidnappers goes wrong as they are met with accidental gory death after death. Picture Final Destination, but running face first into Death rather than avoiding him.

Some might feel that Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil is not a standard horror movie as there are no real monsters, nor any sense of the sinister, but this movie succeeds in binding comedy and horror in a way that doesn’t feel hokey like the Scary Movie franchise.  There are a few problems that a good distributor can fix to audio and editing, but this is a great film to get your hands on while we wait for the rest of Hollywood to stop rehashing old horror films and bring us some fresh meat.

Check out the trailer:

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Very Few Horror Movies Coming This Summer

April 30, 2011 in News

Why is it when it comes to the genre of horror movies, Hollywood tends to stick these movies in the dog days of August?

It is as if they feel these types of movies are not part of the traditional summer fare and relegate them for some quick cash at the end of the summer. Sure, no horror movie can touch the box office appeal of Thor, Captain America, and The Harry Potter series, but that doesn’t mean that we should have to wait every year until all the studios have rolled out their AAA movies before we get a taste of the pie.

Horror movies might not always gross the megalopolis box office green like Avatar, but if you want to list the most profitable movies of all time (by cost to profit ratio), then nine out of ten of those movies are horror. In fact, Insidious, Blair Witch Project, and Paranormal Activity are the top three profitable movies of all time. So why is Hollywood so reluctant?

As in the past, this year is no different as the major horror movies have been pushed into August and even then, we have just a few meager offerings. It doesn’t look like there are any major new ideas coming out of mainstream Hollywood anymore and that is even true for horror movies. Of the three movies for August, not one is an original. The good news is that there are a few limited releases of independent films that might come through your hometown, but for this article I am only focusing on the major theatrical releases.

Here is our meager list for the summer:

Final Destination 5 – August

I don’t really understand how this series keeps going. The first couple were interesting, but after that, they just fizzled out. I guess it is the draw of 3-D that keeps people coming to see this series. Oh, and this time it is a suspension bridge that collapses and we watch as death comes a-knocking once more. Yawn.

Fright Night – August

I was a big fan of the original back in the day and I can see this film being remade. It could get passed by, though, if it strays to far from the Twilight crowd and tries to be a great film. It seems the unwritten law is to dumb down the plot and gore and fill the screen with young virginess teens with vapid looks and great hair.

Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark – August

This movie is being advertised as Guillermo Del Toro presents and is a remake, yes another remake, of a 1973 telefilm. While it does star Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce, it looks like another haunted house movie about a haunted house/possession/demons that has been done to Hell and back over the last few years since the horror resurgence brought on by Japanese movie remakes like The Ring and The Grudge. Usually if a film has a decent cast, you can expect a mainstream (no gore) style bump fest.

I was really hoping for another Zombieland, but people in that film had to go and get all successful and win awards, so my hopes are crushed.

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Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Gets Its Roland

April 28, 2011 in News

For many years, fans of The Dark Tower series have wanted and feared a screen adaption of the beloved book series by Stephen King.  Wanted it because the material screams to be given screen time. Feared it because it is so easy to ruin this epic tale of the gunslinger Roland Deschain and his search for the dark tower. The main problem has been trying to figure out a way to stick to the source material while also making it accessible to those who know nothing of the book series.  Director Ron Howard feels he has a firm grasp on how to interpret the series by making it a trilogy with a television miniseries in between each film and this can now move forward thanks to the casting of Javier Bardem as Roland for both the movies and the miniseries.

While some might find this a strange and unusual mix, the fans of The Dark Tower now can breathe easy as they know the material now has a chance to be handle with the proper care and respect. Trying to successfully tell the tale of the gunslinger while at the same time not losing either the core audience or the casual moviegoer will not be easy, but I have some faith that Ron Howard will pull it off.

I remember reading the first book way back when it first came out on hardcover collector’s edition. I was instantly drawn into the story and loved the vision that Stephen King had created of the world that has gone by. Years later, when Drawing of The Three came out, I found myself having to reread the first book to get back on Roland’s path. Then came the Wasteland and another chance to read the first two books. By then, I was firmly a fan of The Dark Tower. I, too, have always wanted to see this series make it to screen, but also knew that the material was a complicated but wonderful mess that could easily get lost in translation.

I feel that if Ron Howard intends a trilogy and several miniseries, then he needs to develop each part of the series differently. The first book will be the easiest to bring to the screen, but The Drawing of The Three will only work as a miniseries. The Wasteland will work somewhat as a movie, but after that I am torn on how to interpret the material. I still think that The Dark Tower would work much better as a television series on a serious network like HBO or Showtime. Ron should look at the success of The Walking Dead and rethink his decision, but definitely stick to using Javier Bardem. I also vote for Topher Grace as Eddie and am not too sure about Susan.

Check out this clip from No Country For Old Men to get an idea on how Javier can pull this off.

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Looking Ahead To Red State

April 28, 2011 in Movies, News

While nobody is sure just when this new Kevin Smith film will be distributed (not even Kevin Smith is sure) early opinions of Red State have showed up on the internet already.  Having started a road tour in March, this borderland horror/ part social commentary is supposed to be released in October. Shown early at Sundance, this film has drawn the line among film fans as some have called it a waste of time and others, like Quentin Tarrantino, have completely fallen in love with Smith’s storytelling.

While I will include the teaser trailer below, it does not completely give you an idea of what lies inside this film. I must admit that I am a big-time Kevin Smith fan and will watch almost anything he directs (except Jersey Girl) and I am looking forward to this new direction to his filmmaking.  While some have compared the opening of Red State to Smith’s dialogue styling in the Clerk series and there is a religious overtone to this film, it is not Dogma. This film is a dark journey into the inner workings of fundamental religious groups and what secrets wait within these organizations.

If you plan on seeing Red State based off of Smith’s earlier films, you will be in for a shock. This film is not a comedy, but a force of intense violence and religious overtones as that drives at what is wrong with today’s religious right and the depths of what they will do to prove that their God is right. This film also makes stabs at the Westboro Baptist Church and their controversial leader, Fred Phelps. While long in points with Smith’s overuse of dialogue, especially in a twenty-minute preachfest early in the film, this film is still the best that Kevin Smith has ever directed and shows much maturity as a director.

While this film keeps growing in controversy and rumors, don’t let that stop you from seeing this film.

 

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CW Continues To Top Its Lineup With Horror

April 28, 2011 in News

With Smallville coming to an end on the CW, the youth-focused network is setting its sights on renewing some old favorites and trying a couple of new series geared towards its already horror-heavy line up.  While some other shows on the CW are up and down in the ratings like Nikita, I don’t feel that the network will keep this show paired with its darling The Vampire Dairies. Also, with the passing of Smallville, Supernatural is now left out there alone, fighting for its life on Friday night.

So what will CW bring to its line up?

Nothing has been set in stone yet as the network has called for six new pilots for their fall lineup. While some seem to be standard fare like Danny Lowinski, about a law school grad working out of the mall, and Cooper and Stone, a chick-to-chick crime dram, my money is on two horror themed shows to join Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries.

The first one is called Secret Circle and is a complete clone of Vamp Diaries, only with witches. I do mean clone. Right down to the production Company, executives, and source material from same author. I don’t know why they just didn’t label this one a spin off and slap it right behind the Diaries. Of all the pilots, this one already seems a done deal.

Another pilot to look at is Awakenings. This one is about two sisters who come of age amongst a zombie apocalypse. From the press release, the sisters are supposed to be rivals and I wonder if this will be more like Pride, Gossip Girls, and Zombies. Still, unless the CW works on some sort of Smallville spinoff, or the rumored Raven series, it looks like Supernatural is gone be buddied up with this new show or really pushed into the depths of Friday’s hell by being married to Nikita.

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AMC Launches Bloody Disgusting Selects and Berlin Undead

April 28, 2011 in Reviews

Starting in May, AMC Theatres has teamed up with the Collective and Bloody Disgusting Selects to bring America various horror movies from around the world. Starting on May 4th, 2011, theatergoers will get a chance to see the limited release of Rammbock: Berlin Undead and every month thereafter, horror fans will be treated to a new film from the international horror community.

If you are a zombie fan, you will like Rammbock: Berlin Undead, but don’t expect this film to drift too far from the previous fare. This film is a combination of a tribute to George Romero’s Dead series and shows influences from Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later. While the zombies feel a lot like the Rage infected from 28 Days, this film doesn’t focus on the gore and violence of previous films but more on the human drama that unfolds in a world where survival is the most important human trait.

If you have seen Rec, a truly amazing Spanish zombie movie, then you have seen Berlin Undead. This movie focuses on the events inside an apartment complex as a heartbroken man, while seeking the lost affection of a girlfriend, stumbles into an apartment filled with foaming mouth workers. From there, the film follows most of the normal elements of a standard survival horror film while trying at least one new thing (in exactly how the infection can be spread), but never really launching itself outside the zone created by its predecessors. Clocking in at just over one hour, Berlin Undead never really develops characters you want to care for, nor does it bring any of the traditional gore that is the trademark of a zombie film.

For a low budget film, it has its moments and some great visual shots, but lack of a solid ending and no real horror elements to keep it together, I would suggest you wait to watch this on Netflix.

 

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Top Ten Zombie Films

February 11, 2010 in Top Ten Lists

Horror Villa’s 2010  Top Ten Lists

Every year, I will be putting up my Top Ten Lists for various horror topics and I would like as much feedback from fans as possible. Sometimes, I overlook a movie or two, or there might be a hidden gem out there I have not discovered or maybe a movie is put on my list prematurely and you have a valid reason it does not need to be there.

If you do have a reason one of these movies doesn’t belong, you must offer an alternative. No trolling the top ten list just to rant on about how much you hate such and such a movie. You can’t ask for one to be removed, and not offer an alternative.

I chose these ten because they offer a wide range of what zombie movies can be. A couple, like Dead Girl, Pontypool, and Zombieland are all recent movies and also offer a fresh look at a genre that has not had much originality since Romero’s classic Night of the Living Dead. The zombie movie has become a popular sub-genre of horror and it does encompass both traditional movies like The Living Dead films and the virus/survival types like 28 Days Later and the new remake of The Crazies.

2010′s Flesh for Flesh Top Ten Zombie Films

10. I Am Legend

Some label this film as a vampire movie, some a zombie film, but its influence on the zombie genre date back to the original story by a horror legend.

Based on the Richard Matheson’s 1954 Sci-fi/horror novel I Am Legend, this is the third movie made from the original story. While some take this story as a modern vampire tale, many feel that Matheson’s original story influenced the whole genre of zombie films and the concept of post-apocalyptic survival horror. Many like George Romero and Danny Boyle say they were influenced by the original novel.

The latest version stars Will Smith and a deserted Los Angeles. While not as great as Omega Man, it does hold true to Matheson’s original novel.

9. Diary of the Dead

No Top ten Zombie list would be complete without having at least one Greorge Romero film and this list has three.

Diary of the Dead is 2007 film by George Romero that is not part of his Dead series but more of a modern spin on the original 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead. In Diary, film students make a documentary of the zombie threat as the media and government try to cover up the disaster.

Romero’s film is not a retelling of his Night of the Living Dead but more of companion piece that offers a modern feel with social commentary relating to our overuse of social media and the current state of being desensitized to violence in the media. While some consider this the worst of his films, others like the new spin from the master of the genre.

I like the fresh telling of his earlier work and it was a great way to bring the classic zombie film into our age of social networking lifestyles.

8. Dead Alive

Originally released in New Zealand as Braindead, Dead Alive is a 1992 zombie splatter comedy by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson. Dead Alive offers a unique take on the zombie genre as a veterinarian tries to keep his infected zombie mother hidden from those around him and when that doesn’t work he then tries to hide the ever building line of infected people in his basement.

While the beginning of this movie might seem normal, the second half is a pure brain splatter zombie fest.

7.Dead Girl

Independent films have always been a place where new ideas can find life in old formulas and Dead Girl is one of these films that push the boundaries of the zombie genre. While not a traditional end of the world flesh eating saga, Deadgirl is more of an intimate look at the detachment of male teens and the objectification of the female body. More akin to River’s Edge than Night of the Living Dead, Deadgirl is a creepy look into the human psyche and it is a very complling movie on many levels.

6. Zombieland

2009 brought us this charming hilarious zombie movie that plays more like Superbad then a horror film. It is a gorefest, but never has the fatalistic feel of most zombie films, but is more of an action/comedy falling into the zombie genre. But don’t get me wrong, this movie is frigging funny and I love Woody Harrelson.

Plus, the scene with Bill Murray stoned acting out Ghostbusters is pure comic genius.

5.  Pontypool

Pontypool is another independent horror film that pushes just what can be a zombie film in a new direction. Like Deadgirl, Pontypool takes the already trampled zombie genre and puts a new spin on it, but unlike Deadgirl, this film falls closer to Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Pontypool was originally a novel and a radio play and this movie feels like a radio play as much of the film is played out in a radio station in a church’s basement. it is here that we found out strange things are happening to mankind just outside the church’s doors. Pontypool follows that virus spreading formula of other zombie films with a strange twist. The virus is spread through the human language and gets stuck in certain words causing the infection as the body fights off the infected syllables.

Yes, it sounds really cheesy but they pull it off really well.

4.  28 Days Later

While not a fundamental zombie film in the way of George Romero’s Dead series, 28 Days Later follows another popular route of survivor horror films as they are victims of a virus that makes them want to eat the flesh of others. 28 Days Later was a critical success and is one of the best films that follows this other sub-genre of zombie films.

Taken place 28 days after the initial outbreak of Rage, the movie is set in an abandoned London and is a mix of Romero’s Dead and Richard Matheson’s I am Legend as a few survivors struggle in a world filled with mindless, blood thirsty creatures.

3.  Dawn of the Dead (1978)

The original 1978 George Romero film was consider to be a social commentary on the state of consumerism in America. Dawn of the Dead continued the vision of the first film, but used all new characters who are held up in a mall as zombies now have control of most of the world.

The 2004 remake directed by Zack Snyder offered a reimagined film where the zombies are faster and more aggressive as people are stranded in a mall trying to survive.

While the second film had a higher budget, it misses on the social commentary that is key to Romero’s films.

2. Shaun of the Dead

A classic from the very first minute of film, Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 horror comedy from director Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg as Shaun, an underachiever who decides to do something with his life just as the world plunges in disorder from zombies. This slacker meets the end of the world has just the right blend of humor and gore that never gets too far away from the fact that it is a horror movie. Plus, Wright’s film has so many little gems and easter eggs that ths film can be watched over and over again just to catch them and their relation to his other film Hot Fuzz.

This film is a cult classic and a critical success as it is both a parody and homage to the Dead films created by George Romero.

1. Night of the Living Dead (1968)


Whether you love or hate this film, there is no mistaking Night of the Living Dead as the movie that defined the zombie genre in the realm of horror.

Romero’s classic has been deemed by the Library of Congress placed as a film that is “historically, culturally or aesthetically important” and then placed it on the National Film Registry, the 1968 version of Night of the Living Dead,was one of the first zombie horror films that followed the plot line of a post apocalyptic America ravaged by the dead come back to the living.

There have been many sequels, remakes, remakes of sequels, but it is that low budget black and white classic that is the forefather of all those shambling undead brain eaters to come.

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