Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Back in May, I shared the poster above for Alive, a Korean zombie movie that looked pretty good. Today we have another trailer and the news that Alive will premiere on Netflix on September 8, 2020. You know I’ll be watching!
This morning I saw the beautiful Frankenstein poster above created by Paul Mann. I then followed a link to Mann’s website and went down a rabbit-hole admiring the beautiful art in his portfolio. There are movie posters, book covers, original preliminary pieces for sale and more. If you love art then you owe it to yourself to check out Paul Mann’s portfolio.
Not everyone will “get” the ad below, but those that do (fans of What We Do in the Shadows) will love it!
I loved Train to Busan. The follow-up, set in the same world (and the same director) is called Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula. Although I’ve heard that Peninsula isn’t as good (TTB is a tough act to follow), I still look forward to seeing it.
Here’s a clip to hold us over.
Four years after South Korea’s total decimation in TRAIN TO BUSAN, the zombie thriller that captivated audiences worldwide, acclaimed director Yeon Sang-ho brings us PENINSULA, the next nail-biting chapter in his post-apocalyptic world. Jung-seok, a soldier who previously escaped the diseased wasteland, relives the horror when assigned to a covert operation with two simple objectives: retrieve and survive. When his team unexpectedly stumbles upon survivors, their lives will depend on whether the best—or worst—of human nature prevails in the direst of circumstances.
I wonder how many reading this can name all three of the gentlemen above? Probably just about everyone knows Charlie Chaplin (far right), but the other two? The man in the middle is Buster Keaton and the guy leading the pack is Lon Chaney. These men were the stars of their day, when movies had no sound.
My guess is we lost a few readers when they saw the title of this post and even more dropped off before getting this far. If you’re reading now you’re hopefully either a fan of silent movies or are open to checking some out. As for me, I’m a fan.
Most folks who like silent movies started with the comedies. There were so many made by greats such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel & Hardy and Fatty Arbuckle. The great thing about silent film comedy is that most of the gags are ageless. The first silent movies I remember seeing were comedies, but my enjoyment of silent film really took off with the discovery of silent horror movies.
Lon Chaney was the king of silent horror films starring in classics such as The Phantom of the Opera, The Unknown, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and so many others. Chaney was equally adept in crime films and dramas. Known as The Man of 1,000 Faces, Chaney created his own make-up for each role. If you lean more to horror, crime films and dramas, then Lon Chaney is the star to look for.
If comedy is more to your liking, then I’d suggest checking out Buster Keaton’s Steamboat Bill, Jr., The General or Sherlock, Jr. Perhaps you want to go to the best known silent film star, Charlie Chaplin. My suggestions for you would be The Kid, The Circus, Shoulder Arms or almost any of Chaplin’s work in silent films. Charlie Chaplin is one of the few silent film stars who transitioned to talkies and continued to be successful.
TCM is a great source for silent films. I recorded and have been making my way through many of Charlie Chaplin’s films that are new to me. TCM runs silent films each week late on Sunday night and at various times throughout each month. Check your listings and give some a go. You, of course can also find great silent movies on other channels, streaming and dvd.
If you’re a fan of silent films or check some out, let me know your thoughts and send some recommendations my way. Don’t be silent about your favorites. ; )
If there ever wondered what a classic drive-in movie looked like, then check out the poster and trailer for Attack of the Unknown. It has everything you’d expect, B-level stars, questionable effects and monsters. I just might like this one. You know I love me a good drive-in movie.
Synopsis: A SWAT team transporting a vicious crime syndicate boss find themselves trapped inside a county detention center as the world burns around them. They have no communication with the outside world and must band together to escape the bloodthirsty alien forces attacking them. Attack of the Unknown stars Richard Grieco (21 Jump Street, Night at the Roxbury, If looks could Kill) Tara Reid (American Pie) and Robert LaSardo (Nip/Tuck, General Hospital, CSI Miami, Gang Related, NYPD Blue).
Cast: Richard Grieco, Tara Reid, Robert LaSardo
Negan Lives! is a one-shot published by Image Comics.
*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***
Spurned by a slowly rebuilding society, Negan lives a life of desperate isolation… or does he? In the tradition of Here’s Negan, this all-new story in Negan Lives #1 gives readers a glimpse into what has happened to one The Walking Dead’s most popular characters in the time since his last appearance in The Walking Dead #174.
The Walking Dead is one of the few (and easily the longest-running) series that I bought from issue one and went on to buy every single issue published. I’m a big fan.
When Negan Lives! was announced, I initially thought it was a bad idea. The tale had been told. Time to move on. Then I read that Negan Lives! would be made available to comic shops for free to help store owners recover revenue lost during the Covid pandemic. My opinion changed: it was a cool idea for shops, but not so much for readers.
I was wrong.
Negan Lives! is a fun story that answers some questions from The Walking Dead and actually could pave the way for more Negan stories.
Kirkman creates a situation that is obvious to the reader but in most stories would be oblivious to the main character. Not so, here. Negan is right there with us wondering if he is being set up. I won’t give anything away. It’s a fun story.
I’ve always enjoyed the team of Adlard and Rathburn and Negan Lives! is a great example of their abilities. Man, this one-shot reminded me of how much I missed that monthly Kirkman/Adlard/Rathburn fix.
Negan Lives! and we’re better off for it.
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Dia de los Muertos is a paperback that collects the three issue mini-series published by Image Comics.
*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***
Inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead, artist extraordinaire Riley Rossmo (Debris, Green Wake, Cowboy Ninja Viking) joins forces with nine different writers to tell tall tales from beyond the grave!
Riley Rossmo teams with 9 different writers to present 9 stories set against the backdrop of Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations. There is a supernatural undercurrent running through each tale.
It is interesting how Rossmo changes his art style to compliment each story being told. I enjoyed each of the tales, but I’d the standout for me was Mine by Joshua Williamson and Rossmo. It has a great set-up and leads the reader to a surprise ending. If you’re a fan of Rod Serling’s The Night Gallery, then you should like this collection.
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Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
Hardcover: 458 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
First sentence…
Benny Imura couldn’t hold a job, so he took to killing.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Rot & Ruin is the first in a five book series geared to teens and young adults. Set nearly a decade and a half after the zombie apocalypse, humanity is still struggling. Most of the surviving humans live in small fortified strongholds fenced away from the “rot and ruin” of the zombie wastelands.
Benny Imura was just 18 months old the night the zombies rose. Both of Benny’s parents were killed. Benny would have been as well if his teenage half-brother, Tom hadn’t saved him. For that Benny has never forgiven Tom. Benny believes Tom is a coward for running away and not trying to save his parents.
Benny spends his days talking with friends (especially Nix, a girl that has a crush on him) and dreaming about life beyond the fences that protect them. He looks up to the bounty hunters that venture into the rot and ruin to find food, supplies and lost souls. Benny thinks that maybe one day he’ll become a bounty hunter.
When it is discovered that a group of bounty hunters have killed two of the townspeople and kidnapped Nix, Tom and Benny head out into the rot and ruin hoping to save her.
Maberry scores again! I look forward to reading the other books in the series. (PS – If I was a younger reader I know I would have scored Rot & Ruin even higher.)
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The Prey – check out the poster and trailer. It definitely has a Most Dangerous Game feel (and one that has been copied many times) but when done right, these films are fun.
Undercover Chinese cop Xin (newcomer Gu Shangwei), is on a secret international mission when a surprise raid puts him in a remote Cambodian jungle prison that plays by its own rules.Ruthless warden (Vithaya Pansringarm) sells prisoners as human prey for rich hunters looking for thrills in the jungle.
After years of hunting down ruthless criminals, Xin suddenly finds himself running for his life. If Xin manages to survive this sadistic game, he’ll walk out of the jungle the same way he came in: as a free man. If Xin fails, he’s just another hunting trophy.
Sputnik looks like something that I’d love to see late night at a drive-in. Check out the poster and trailer!
Director: Egor Abramenko
Starring: Oksana Akinshina, Fedor Bondarchuk, Pyotr Fyodorov
Due to her controversial methods, young doctor Tatiana Yurievna (Oksana Akinshina) is on the precipice of losing her medical license. Her career may not be over, though. After she’s recruited by the military, Tatiana is brought to a secure science research facility to assess a very special case, that of Konstantin Sergeyevich (Pyotr Fyodorov), a cosmonaut who survived a mysterious space accident and has returned to Earth with a unique condition: there’s something living inside of him that only shows itself late at night. The military has nefarious plans for it. Tatiana wants to stop it from killing Konstantin. And the creature itself thrives on destruction.
Killadelphia Volume 1: Sins of the Father is a paperback that collects issues 1 – 6 of an on-going series published by Image Comics. .
*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***
Featuring the show-stopping talents of Spawn series artist JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER, and the writer behind such hit shows as Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Marvel’s Runaways, and Starz’s American Gods–RODNEY BARNES.
When a small town beat cop comes home to bury his murdered father-the revered Philadelphia detective James Sangster Sr.-he begins to unravel a mystery that leads him down a path of horrors and shakes his beliefs to their core.
The city that was once the symbol of liberty and freedom has fallen prey to corruption, poverty, unemployment, brutality…
…and vampires.But the mystery goes even further when Jimmy’s investigation leads him to uncover the source of the outbreak is long-thought dead President of the United States John Adams–a man secretly biding his time as he builds an undead army to start a new and bloodier American revolution.
There’s a reason they coin a phrase, “you can’t go home.” Welcome to Killadelphia.
Collects KILLADELPHIA #1-6
Killadelphia is a book you should be reading if you like intelligently written and beautifully drawn horror comics.
Rodney Barnes’ idea of a modern day vampire uprising in Philadelphia led by a centuries old founding father is so audacious that we’re lucky Barnes took his story past the idea stage. Killadelphia is a very cool, very creepy tale that paints a big picture universe introduced to us through believable characters who find themselves in an unbelievable situation.
Modern day vampires? Yeah, right. Read Killadelphia and you’re response will become: Modern day vampires? Yeah! Right!
Jason Shawn Alexander provides realistic art for Killadelphia which supports the story; you believe what you’re seeing. The characters look like real people (some of whom are vampires). Alexander has drawn scenes that will creep you out and perhaps inspire nightmares… which is exactly what great horror fiction should do. I hope that Barnes and Alexander stay together as long as Killadelphia tales are told.
Luis NCT’s colors provide nuance and emphasis that enhance each scene and his contribution to the success of Killadelphia shouldn’t be overlooked.
I thought that Killadelphia would be a good comic. I underestimated it. Killadelphia is an exceptional comic and one all horror fans should try.
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