Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Two out of three ain’t bad… and that’s just what I’m hoping for.
See, I didn’t care for Blade, but really, really liked Blade 2. Blade 3 aka Blade Trinity will be released later this year and I’m hoping that it will be as fun as Blade 2.
Wesley Snipes is back and that’s a plus. This time around they’ve added two new supporting character’s. Abigail and Hannibal King. Both of them look pretty interesting and I’m sure that the studio is thinking spin-off .
Tentatively titled 28 weeks later, it probably won’t be directed by Danny Boyle [who helmed the original] or written by Alex Garland [who wrote the original… although both may return as producers.
It’s probably second only to King‘s The Stand. Stephen King has written some of the scariest and without a doubt most popular horror fiction ever. The sad thing is, as good as his books have been, most of the movies made from them have been mediocre at best.
That’s why I was pretty excited when TNT announced that there would be a new Salem’s Lot mini-series. This would be the second time that Salem’s Lot would be turned into a tv production. The first time was in the late 70’s and starred David Soul and James Mason. And it was actually pretty good.
When the cast [Rob Lowe, Rutgar Hauer, Donald Sutherland and James Cromwell] for the re-make was announced things continues to look rosy. Then publicity stills began to be released and they looked pretty cool.
Things were all seeming to come together positively well… until I read Quint’s review today.
But you know me… I’ll still tune in and check it out for myself. Hopefully I’ll like it better than Quint, but if not I can still go back and re-read the novel.
I wasn’t on board with Alien vs Predator when I first heard about it.It sounded pretty lame to me. Sort of like two little kids arguing about who would win between Hulk and Superman… Rocky and Rambo… Jason and Freddy…
But I’ve got to admit, the more I see about Alien vs Predator, the cooler I think it might be. There’s a trailer on-line and it’s helping to make a believer out of me.
The production company didn’t care at all for the footage turned in by original director Paul Schrader who had created “a creepy psychological thriller sans the gore.” So Renny Harlin was brought in to reshoot the entire movie. Harlin recast roles and went to work. Harlin‘s version will hit big screens later this year.
The cool thing is that fans will get to see both versions once the dvd is released. And I’ll be willing to bet that a good portion of fans will prefer the version that was never released to theaters!
The first is called Shaun of the Dead [gotta love that title!] which is a comedy from the UK. It looks like a lot of fun!
The second is called Undead. Man, I’m still not sure what to make of this one. I watched the trailer… and I’m still not sure what to make of this one…
“Is it going to be as good?”
My current favorite regularly published comic is The Walking Dead. Writer, Robert Kirkman, and artist Tony Moore have created a great comic. Each issue has been more than worth the price of admission and the series continues to get better and better.
Sadly, Tony has decided to move on after issue six.
The good news is that Charlie Adlard [X-Files, White Death, Astronauts In Trouble] is taking over the art chores and looks to be an excellent choice.
Still, until we see the issue, one has to wonder…
My current favorite regularly published comic is The Walking Dead. Writer, Robert Kirkman, and artist Tony Moore have created a great comic. Each issue has been more than worth the price of admission and the series continues to get better and better.
Sadly, Tony has decided to move on after issue six.
The good news is that Charlie Adlard [X-Files, White Death, Astronauts In Trouble] is taking over the art chores and looks to be an excellent choice.
Still, until we see the issue, one has to wonder…
Alien vs Predator is one of those movies that sounds cool, but just as easily could turn out to be a dud.
Predator and Aliens are two of my all-time favorite sci-fi movies. I also really liked Alien, Alien Resurrection, and Predator 2, but couldn’t stand Alien 3.
I happy to say that the new stills posted over at Dark Horizons indicate that Alien vs Predator will at least look really cool… and that’s half the battle.
Dawn of the Dead has one of the best opening sequences that you could ask for. It stays true to the original, even giving a nod to one of it’s most talked about scenes, and yet clearly shows us, this ain’t your dad’s zombie movie.
Remaking Dawn of the Dead was a risk. Romero is considered the Zombie God for his trilogy and all three movies have a core following. When Night of the Living Dead was remade, it wasn’t greeted with open arms despite being a very good film. I’m happy to say that the remake is not only being critically praised [Entertainment Weekly‘s critic gave it an “A”], but kicking butt at the box office [coming in at #1]. And rightly so, since the new Dawn of the Dead is a very good film all the way around. Acting, screenplay and directing all hold up well.
Is it as good as the original Dawn of the Dead? Yeah. Maybe even better.
And make sure you sit through the credits…
Rating:
When I first heard about the remake of Dawn of the Dead and that George Romero was not directing it, I was very disappointed. The I heard about that Ving Rhames was heading up the cast and the fact that it wouldn’t be a scene for scene remake and my interest picked up.
Now that the official Dawn of the Dead website is up and running, I can’t wait to see it.
That’s the new Dawn of the Dead poster above and the original below.
I guess the new one is scarier but I still love the look of the old one.
The real question is will the new movie be as good as the original?
30 Days of Night was one of the best vampire stories in any medium in recent years. The fact that it was done in a comic made it all the more impressive. I mean, how many people pay attention to comic books? [Thankfully the number seems to be on the upswing.]
Steve Niles then followed up 30 Days of Night with the sequel Dark Days. Surprisingly [well, not so surprisingly if you follow Niles‘ writing], it didn’t seem like a forced sequel. And it was good, really good.
If you missed out on it, or if like me, you like a trade edition for the bookshelf, then click HERE.
Without a doubt one of the most enjoyable comics going today is Eric Powell‘s The Goon. Dark Horse says The Goon “is a hilarious blend of pulpy horror and slapstick comedy following the ongoing misadventures of the man they call the Goon and his spastic sidekick Franky as they battle the legions of the undead!” Yeah, that pretty much sums it up!
I’ve been buying and loving the Goon since it was a little self-published comic. Now that it’s one of the most popular comics going today, I’m still pumping it up. Although I’ve posted this link before, here it is again in case you missed it… read The Goon #1 for free by clicking HERE.
Then if you’re so inclined check out the first and second trade paperback and here’s a link for the third which is just now being pre-ordered. [That’s the cover for it to the left.]
The new Dawn of the Dead premieres on March 19th and he buzz just keeps getting better and better. JoBlo just posted several new pics from the movie and I’m more jazzed than ever for it.
Take a look at ’em at see what you think.
