Genre Mashing On The Cheap..."Daylight's End"

Daylight's End (2016)

Not Rated

Starring Johnny Strong, Lance Henriksen, Louis Mandylor, Chelsea Edmundson

Directed by William Kaufman

The Story:

A drifter (Strong) saves a cop (Edmundson) from an ambush that kills her partner. She takes him back to the police precinct promising him a car and all the gas/food he needs to be on his way. However, they are trying to escape to a sanctuary to get away from the bloodthirsty savages that lurk in the shadows.

File this one under wanting to make a budget horror end of the world film but they couldn't choose between zombies or vampires, so they kind of combined the two into one.

That way you can get the best of both worlds without working too hard.

Throw in a dash of Mad Max, Assault on Precinct 13, I Am Legend, videogames and just about whatever else you can think of, and this movie has got you covered.

Henriksen of course is the face and name you recognize.

Everyone else in the cast is competent, but no names or faces that I recognized.

It could have used a little more tweaking and originality and a bit less borrowing from everything else, but it was good enough to keep my interest.

Final Grade: C

Jane Austen Is Rolling Over In Her Grave...And Craving Brains! "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies"

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Lily James, Bella Heathcote, Matt Smith, Sam Riley, Jack Huston, Douglas Booth

Written and Directed by Burr Steers

The Story:

What's the best way to describe the story?  What if you took the writings of Jane Austen, and decided to frame them around a deadly zombie outbreak?

Why yes, that would probably do it.

So all of the players are on the board, they just have to survive the zombie hordes if they hope to make it to the altar alive.

Good, but not great.

That's about the easiest way for me to sum up my reaction to the film.

They made a beautiful period piece, and they intersperse the zombie apocalypse in there pretty well.

However, the film just sort of drags along with fits of brilliance interrupting periods of dullness.

So yes, a typical Jane Austen work.
:)

I don't know, perhaps they played it too straight, but there is no sense of fun or impending dread, two things that often set the best zombie movies apart from the lumbering pack.

Who knows, maybe I was just tired while I was watching, but I often found myself starting to drift when the cast wasn't in peril.

That said, Lily James certainly carries this film on her shoulders in a way she was unable to do with the extremely boring Cinderella remake.

Final Grade:  C+

A Boy And His Zombie... "Fido"

Fido (2006)

Rated R

Starring Kesun Loder, Billy Connolly, Dylan Baker, Carrie-Anne Moss, Henry Czerny

Directed by Andrew Currie
The Story:

During the 50s, a cloud of radiation has covered the earth and it turns the dead into zombies! Thankfully, Zomcom has developed a collar that will neutralize those zombies and make them productive members of society! Finally, the Robinson family has a zombie to call their own, and Timmy (Loder) decides to call him Fido (Connolly).

I think the best way I could describe this movie is...

Remember The Iron Giant?

Well, replace the robot with a zombie, and there you go.

But not quite. ;)

However, that's the essence, vibe and feel that the movie gives with the 50s setting and while the zombies are bad, they possibly can be harnessed for good.

It's a throwback feel that's a lot of fun and a great entry into the horror comedy genre.

A fun cast, with Connolly giving a great performance behind the zombie features that still imbues a lot of life into his character.

Which isn't easy to do when you're supposed to be a zombie.

A lot of fun and worth a look if you missed it the first time, like I did.

Better late than never! :)

Final Grade: B

So Much Horrific Goodness... "Freaks Of Nature"

Freaks of Nature (2015)

Rated R

Starring Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis, Josh Fadem, Denis Leary, Ed Westwick, Vanessa Hudgens, Keegan-Michael Key, Patton Oswalt, Bob Odenkirk, Joan Cusack, Ian Roberts, Rachel Harris, Mae Whitman, Chris Zylka

Directed by Robbie Pickering

The Story:

Welcome to Dillford, home of the riblet. Mmm, mmm, good! It also happens to be a town where humans, vampires and zombies all peacefully coexist, though there are bound to be some temperamental flare ups now and then. However an alien invasion has put its sights on Dillford (and the riblet!) and the uneasy peace is destroyed and now it's human vs. vampire vs. zombie, none of the groups aware of the existence of the alien menace. It's up to 3 teenagers to restore peace and save the world... or die trying!

I've been lucky so far this year with some great additions to the horror-comedy genre.

I'd never heard of Freaks of Nature before, so I gave it a whirl.

I'm so glad I did!

First, the cast is phenomenal and they get some hilarious dialogue throughout the film. Usually I stop at the main cast, or sometimes add a bit player or two, but I decided to just rattle off the full cast today. Whether they were on screen for the entire movie or just a minute or two, they all add to the rich texture of the story and provide momentum for the story progression.

The three main members of the cast are Dag (Braun) a human, Petra (Davis) who becomes a vampire shortly after the movie begins, and Ned (Fadem) who winds up becoming a zombie. These three band together to figure out what is happening with their town, and as they are all new to being non-human (save Dag), they don't hold the longstanding grudges that their communities have towards one another.

Yes, in a way, there's a bit of social commentary that can be found in the middle of a horror comedy if  you're not looking, so be careful, you could laugh AND learn something.

It's a fun story, the special effects are top-notch, and it's just a lot of fun from start to finish.

So far, this has been my favorite horror film of the year. :)

Final Grade: B+ / A- range.

A Very Non-Zombie, Zombie Movie: "Maggie"

Maggie (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson

Directed by Henry Hobson

The Story:

Wade (Schwarzenegger) has spent the last several weeks trying desperately to find his daughter Maggie (Breslin) and bring her home safely. Maggie has been infected, and within 8 weeks she will turn into a zombie, and Wade wants to make sure that she is with her family, and not just another number in one of the quarantine zones.

How far will a father go to protect his daughter, knowing at any time she could turn on him?

That's the bottom line on this movie.

It's not Ah-nuhld vs. zombies, which is probably why the movie didn't do much at the box office.

However, Arnold read the script and if rumors are true, he starred in the film for free to keep the production costs low.

I won't say it's the "thinking mans zombie movie".

However, it's the most un-zombie-like zombie movie that I can recall.

This isn't a tale about surviving the zombie plague...but it is, somewhat.

This is a look at what a person loses as they slowly slip into becoming a zombie, and the effect is has on the family around them.

Very little action, very few zombies. Very well done.

Still manages to tug on the heartstrings a few times during the movie.

Currently streaming on Amazon for Prime members.

Final Grade: C+ / B- range is about right.

The One Time "Cooties" Isn't Too Bad

Cooties (2014)

Rated R

Starring Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Allison Pill, Jack McBrayer, Leigh Whannell, Jorge Garcia

Directed by Johnathan Millot and Cary Murnion

The Story:

Clint (Wood) has come back to his alma mater to teach after his writing career went nowhere. He sees Lucy (Pill) the girl he always had a crush on, but she's going out with Wade (Wilson) the gym teacher. Awkward love triangle on the first day, complicated by a sudden zombie outbreak among all the little children entrusted to their care. It's students vs. teachers in the ultimate battle for survival!

Okay, I'll admit it, this was a pretty fun movie.

I love a good horror comedy, and as zom-coms go, this was right up there.

An actual plausible reason why kids could get sick is introduced in the opening credits (and is rather disgusting to think about).

That it escalates so quickly is insanely glorious in the scariness of it all.

If the same concept were played straight and not for laughs, this could easily have been one of those blood curdling horror movies that is thinly disguising a social message.

:: whew ::

Thankfully, it's played for all the fun and gore that a name like Cooties implies.

Lots of humor, great job from the entire cast and a pretty fun script that takes itself seriously while never attempting to not have some fun at the same time.

As usual, Rainn Wilson does not disappoint in his role.

I know I'd watch this one again in the future, so that's always a plus.

Final Grade: - B

Always Be Prepared..."Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse"

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)

Rated R

Starring Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, Sarah Dumont, David Koechner, Halston Sage, Cloris Leachman

Directed by Christopher Landon

The Story:

Ben and Carter ( Sheridan & Miller) feel they are too old for the Scouts, but they agree to go on one last camping trip with their friend Augie (Morgan) and their Scout Leader (Koechner). However when they are invited to a party by Carter's sister (Sage) they decide they will sneak away to the party that night. Of course, this happens the same day as a massive zombie virus infects the town, and leaves pretty much the three kids, alone, against the marauding assault of the undead. Good thing they have their scout training to fall back on!

From the killer opening, this movie will have you waiting to see what happens next all the way through to the end.

The horror-comedy is fast becoming my favorite genre of film to watch, because when they are good, they are really quite special. Especially the zom-coms.

However, when they are bad, they can be atrocious.

Thankfully, Scouts Guide falls into the really good category. Great cast, clever dialogue and wonderful action sequences make it a humorous jump fest at every turn.

While Tye Sheridan is the star of the film, it's Logan Miller who steals pretty much the entire movie out from everyone.

David Koechner has a great turn as the Scout Master who is repeatedly defeated throughout the movie, but something about being a Scout just won't let him quit.

Then of course, if you ever wondered what Cloris Leachman as a zombie might be like, look no further.

I'll also add that humans are not the only beings that get zomibified in this movie.

:)

If you were on the fence about seeing this one, get off that fence and give it a spin. I think you'll be glad you did.

Final Grade: Solid B

Mandatory Government Vaccination Program Gone Horribly Wrong..."Dead Rising: Watchtower"

Dead Rising: Watchtower (2015)

Not Rated

Starring Jesse Metcalfe, Meghan Ory, Virginia Madsen, Keegan Connor Tracy, Dennis Haysbert, Carrie Genzel, Rob Riggle,

Directed by Zach Lipovsky

The Story:

Chase (Metcalfe), a reporter for Hit Point and his camerawoman Jordan (Tracy) are trying to find a story at a quarantined city in Oregon when they uncover the fact that the government vaccine, Zombrex, isn't working. Chase gets stuck in the city with Crystal (Ory), a woman who has the virus but also has her own supply of Zombrex, and Maggie (Madsen) who just lost her daughter. They have to find a way out of the city before it is blown to bits by the Army under General Lyons (Hasbert) direction.

Video game adaptations are often hit or miss.

Luckily, if you're trying to make a film about killing zombies, the audience will often be very forgiving.

Attach the Dead Rising name to it, and craft a few crazy zombie killing weapons, and you're halfway there.

Provide it a decent script, and you're almost golden.

Thankfully, they managed to do all of that in this film.

It keeps your attention throughout and unlike certain episodes of a certain zombie show, things actually happen. :)

Add to that the hilarious interplay between a reporter (Genzel) and previous survivor (Riggle) as the outbreak drama unfolds. If only the news were allowed to be like that in real life, it would make it worth watching.

I didn't catch it when it was streaming on Crackle.com, but did check out the DVD from Netflix a few months later.  Again, I'm all for any and all of these services offering up alternatives to big studio films.

The more movies, the merrier.

Anyway, if you like zombie movies, you'll probably enjoy this one too.

I did.

Final Grade: C+

IHeart "IZombie"

IZombie (2015)

TV-14

Starring Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kholi, Robert Buckley, David Anders

Created by Diane Ruggiero and Rob Thomas

The Story:

Dr. Olivia Moore (McIver) goes to a party at the insistence of her boyfriend, Major (Buckley) who wants her to have a good time. Bad idea, Major. The boat party turns into a massacre, and Liv is scratched by some crazy dude (Anders) and when she wakes up, she's craving brains!  That's right, Liv is now a zombie. She leaves her chosen profession behind and goes to work at the morgue working for Ravi (Kholi) and where she has ample supplies of fresh brains to work with. One apparent zombie side effect is that the brains give Liv bits and pieces of memories from the consumed. She uses this nifty trick to help Detective Babineaux (Goodwin) solve their murders.

The heir apparent to Psych, we have a "psychic" helping the police force solve murders with the help of a funny guy in the morgue. Sure, that's stretching both premises slightly to make my point, but I saw it, and therefore on some subliminal level, it must surely exist. :)

This entry on the CW is, surprise surprise, based on a comic book. Again, that's news to me since I've long ago left reading them on a regular basis.

That it's a good show that I really enjoyed, these thoughts come as no surprise to me as most comics have great stories, ideas and a solid premise behind them.

IZombie is no different, and I'll have to give a shout out to my oldest daughter who discovered this show and converted the whole family into fans.

A tremendously talented cast who can run the gamut of hilarious, terrified, forlorn and just about everything in between, with ease and grace.

Kudos to everyone involved, especially the creators for coming up with another creative take on the zombie mythos and giving us a new (and frankly, terrifying) way that zombies behave.

Frankly, I really enjoyed almost the entire first season.

However...

The Final Episode threw one too many "hey, wouldn't this be a great way to end the season and keep them looking forward to next year?" coincidences and cliffhangers at the audience.

After a season of slow building, the kitchen sink approach fell a little flat for me at the end.

But the 12 episodes in front of that were pretty tremendous.

 Final Grade: B+

Love Conquers All... "Life After Beth"

Life After Beth (2014)

Rated R

Starring Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Anna Kendrick, Paul Reiser

Written and Directed by Jeff Baena

The Story:

Beth Slocum (Plaza) is alone hiking in the woods. The next thing we see is a wake with her family (Reilly & Shannon) grieving alongside her boyfriend, Zach (DeHaan). However, a few days later, Beth returns and her parents are overjoyed at the miracle of her return. When Zach finds out, he thinks that telling Beth the truth is in her best interest, but her parents and Beth's erratic memory make that a less than viable solution.

Zach's got his work cut out for him if he wants to keep his relationship with Beth from dying... again!

However, wishing your girlfriend was not dead becomes problematic when she returns as a walking, talking... zombie.

If that wasn't problematic enough, she may not be the only one.

This one is a slow-starter, and continues a slow burn towards the conclusion.

Baena does offer an interesting twist to the zombie mythos in his presentation of the undead.

Not nearly as family-friendly as Warm Bodies, but it could have been, easily.

A few lines of dialogue and this could have been a fun-entry to watch annually this time of year.


Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Maybe in a few years I'll catch it on cable, but not quite good enough to add to the collection.

The Definitive..Ish...Zombiementary... "Doc Of The Dead"

Doc of the Dead (2014)

N/R

Starring George Romero, Robert Kirkman, Bruce Campbell,

Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe

The Story:

Zombies.

They're everywhere.  They've been in folklore and history since forever, but it was Dawn of the Dead that really brought them into mainstream pop culture.  This documentary looks at that pivotal moment in cinematic history, and what has happened since.

This documentary is very well done, but of course, even that has limitations.

Is it going to just cover the zombie in modern cinema, or is it going to cover the entire legend and history of zombies?

Well, the film starts one way, and then throws a bit of a swerve in the middle to add the historical.

Now, that would normally be fine in overall context, but it kind of lends a hiccup to the film that wasn't needed.

At under 90 minutes, there's a lot of zombie lore to go through when you're doing little snippet interviews with stars, writers, directors, etc. who have been in some of the zombie horror genre's best and most influential films.

Eventually, the emphasis begins to seem thin and scattered instead of just marching through Romero's catalog and winding up with the current sensation, The Walking Dead.

Still, a nice crash course for newbies to the genre, or those wanting/looking to reminisce or fill in some missing pieces that may have passed us by over the years.

Now streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Definitely worth a viewing, your replayability will vary greatly depending on your love for the genre.

Streaming TV Weekend: "The Walking Dead: Pilot Episode"

You don't look so good...

The Story:

Deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) is shot and falls into a coma while on duty.  When he awakes, it appears as if he is the last person alive on Earth.  He struggles to return home to find that there are zombies everywhere, and his wife and son are missing.  Assisted by other survivors, Rick arms up and heads to Atlanta to find his family.

Well, that was something.

:)

I have not read the comics, and until now, I had never seen the show.

I have watched the pilot episode only, and I have to say...

Not bad.

I've heard from many that the show gets better...  and that there's a lot of slow pacing to the show.

Well, I have to say I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Helmed by Frank Darabont, probably the finest unheralded director of any generation, the show plays like a good suspense movie.

While I won't be joining the rest of you on Sundays to catch new episodes, I will slowly catch up on Netflix.

Now available for streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Too soon to call, but I doubt I would need to buy this.

Twas the Weekend Before Halloween... "The Revenant"

There are apparently worse things than dying...

The Story:

Bart Gregory (David Anders) is a soldier in the military who gets killed.  However, he winds up coming back to life, and with the help of his best friend Joey (Chris Wylde), he decides that it wouldn't be so bad if he killed bad people and used their blood to keep him alive.  Theoretically, he's doing the rest of the world a service.

Ah, the best laid plans of the undead...

I'm torn.

I'd been on such a great streak with all of the Zom-Coms this year, this one seemed to be heading down similar territory.

Instead of going for full-on vampire or zombie, they used the old myths of the Revenants, corpses that came back from the dead and needed to feast on blood to stay alive.

However, the movie then changes the tone by having the best friend get turned also.

Okay, now we have buddy revenants out for a good time...

But then they come back to the original love story from the beginning...

And the movie seems to lose direction...



Then boredom began to set in.

: /

And don't get me started on the meandering,  "totally lost their way" 3rd act.

It's like a movie that had no idea how it wanted to end, or find a way to execute it.

The final decisions aren't bad, and partly clever.  The beat-around-the-bush way of getting there though downgraded a movie that started off with a fairly strong premise.

Ah well.

Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Have to say no to both.

But tomorrow, the scary weekend is redeemed!

Blockbuster Weekend Continues: "World War Z"

Mother Nature's a Serial Killer!

The Story:

Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is a former United Nations...MacGyver... who has left the U.N. and is enjoying life with his wife and daughters.  Unfortunately, some virus is spreading around the world, and once infected, 12 seconds later, the infected have become a raging... zombie!  Gerry must attempt to save his family, and once he manages to pull that trick off, his next assignment:

Save the world!

If he doesn't, then he and his family will be kicked out of the safe haven.

So much for choices?!

Wow.  I was not expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did.

Perhaps I set the bar low going in, but I was impressed.

First, yes, the zombies are fast.  And I've gone on record as saying I hate, hate, hate, fast zombies. 

But for this film, it works.  In fact, it's the only way this film would work.  Slow and lumbering, the virus would never have spread.

Directed by Marc Forster, who helmed the "disappointing" Bond film Quantum of Solace and the highly underrated Stranger Than Fiction, he is very competent at what he does.  In fact, the gore is kept to a very minimum making World War Z one of those "family zombie flicks" that can be shared with the older kids... if they dare!  It's scary and suspenseful without worrying about the buckets of blood being tossed around the screen.

The movie made great use of the Navy for isolation from the plague.  That was very clever and well thought out.

Then of course, there's Brad Pitt.  One step below superhuman, but really, at the end of the day, this is a tale of a husband and father who will do anything to save his family.

That he's also going to attempt to save the world comes in a distant second.

I've seen and heard negative comments that this film had a lousy ending, but I'm not buying that for a second.  Something that spread globally as fast as the epidemic did cannot possibly be resolved by the end of the movie.

There's more work to be done, and that may mean sequels, with or without Pitt.

I'm fine with that.

Enjoyed the movie, and it's an action film that just happens to have zombies in it.  Worth a viewing!

Final Grade: B+/A- range

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I actually would not be opposed to watching it again, or owning it.

If You Only Watch One Zombie Love Story...Make Sure It's "Warm Bodies"!!

All you need is love.

The Story:

In America when a zombie outbreak has claimed most of humanity, a walled city of survivors led by Grigio (John Malkovich) try and survive by keeping out the undead, and making dangerous journeys outside of their walls to resupply their city.  His daughter, Julie (Teresa Palmer) goes on the latest foray, and their group is attacked by zombies, and nearly all of them killed.  However, one zombie, R (Nicholas Hoult) finds himself drawn to Julie...especially after consuming the brains of her boyfriend.  He saves her, and takes her back home with him.  As they bond, he keeps her safe from the other zombies, and then something mysterious and magical begins to happen.

Perhaps the most family-friendly zombie story you could ever want to watch.

But don't let that dissuade you, Warm Bodies is actually quite the charming movie with, all pun intended, a lot of heart.

It's simply not bathed in gore.  And that, in and of itself, is not necessarily a bad thing.

R narrates the movie, and it's a hoot to listen to a zombie's thoughts as he goes through his day.

The movie also wisely adds a second layer of zombies with the Bones, so that when the final act rolls, the conflicts and resolution all pay off correctly.

Chalk this one up as a win in the horror, comedy, romantic comedy, romantic zombie comedy, pretty much genre smashing entry into film lore.


All of the kids watched it and enjoyed it.  Even momma didn't run away from the film, though her interest level was probably lower than everyone else.  She's a trooper though and stayed till the end.

Then she mocked my choice of movies.  : )

This adds to the list of recent, fun horror movies like Detention, Cabin in the Woods and John Dies at the End.  It's a trend I hope continues!

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Yes to both!