Category: Zombies

How ‘Bout Some Free Cell?

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Remember last week when I was telling you about how cool Stephen King‘s new novel, Cell, sounded? [If not click you can click HERE.]

Anyway, if you think that Cell is something that you MAY like, then you might want to pick up the current issue of Entertainment Weekly [the 2006 Preview issue]. It features the first two chapters of Cell with some cool illustrations by Tomer Hanuka.

My guess is if you’re interested enough to read this far, you’re going to love the novel.

Stephen King and Zombies

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Civilization doesn’t end with a bang or a whimper. It ends with a call on your cell phone.

So begins the book description for Stephen King‘s latest novel, Cell, which will be released later this month.

I first talked up Cell last August. At that time I posted:

King describes Cell as “a violent piece of work, which comes complete with zombies set in motion by bad cell phone signals that destroy the human brain. Like cheap whiskey, it’s very nasty and extremely satisfying.” Stephen King and zombies! Count me in.

This is the first Stephen King book that I’ve been excited about in years. I can’t wait to read this bad boy.

Stephen King and zombies. Why that’s a combo right up there with M&Ms and peanuts.

The Sleaze-Filled Saga

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I like M&Ms. I like peanuts. I really like M&Ms with peanuts. I like peanut butter and I like chocolate… but I really like Reese’s Cups. See a pattern?

Ok… now try this…

I like Quentin Tarantino movies and I like Robert Rodriguez‘s movies… but I really loved From Dusk Til Dawn.

Here’s another…

I like movies and I like books about movies… so I really loved Rebel without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez.

So what does all this have to do with today’s post?

Well… Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are joining forces to create a movie called “Grind House.” The cool thing is that “Grind House” will actually be divided into two separate movies [like a double feature that you could have seen at the drive-in, back when they had drive-ins]. Tarantino’s will be called “Death Proof” and Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror.” They’re even going to make some fake coming attractions trailers for the complete “drive-in” experience.

So how could this get any better, you ask [and I’m glad that you did]. Tarantino and Rodriguez are going to team to create a 250 page hardcover titled GRIND HOUSE: THE SLEAZE-FILLED SAGA OF AN EXPLOITATION DOUBLE FEATURE that will be filled with cast and crew interviews, hundreds of full-color photographs, never-before-seen conceptual art and an in-depth history of the grindhouse genre by the directors themselves.

So we’ve got the movie and the book… now if someone will just remember the candy!

It’s Rated for Me, By George

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Next week marks the release of the latest [and possibly last] zombie film by George Romero.

Land of the Dead lived up to my expectations as a fun zombie movie and I look forward to adding it to my dvd collection.

But of course things are never simple.

You see, Land of the Dead is being released in two versions… rated and unrated.

I was leaning toward the rated version since it was the film that I saw at the theater. Still… the idea of more bang for the buck was appealing. Then I read THIS INTERVIEW with George Romero where he comments on the unrated version:

I think it’s only about five minutes longer. I don’t remember exactly. But half of that is made up by a scene that I didn’t think worked as well as it might have.

So my mind is now made up. It’s the rated version for me. Why go for a few minutes more gore and a scene that Romero cut because it didn’t work?

Welcome to the Party!

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Way back on November 16, 2003, I posted an item about the first issue of a comic that I’d read and fell in love with. That comic, The Walking Dead, was one of the freshest comics that I’d read in years. It instantly made my “pull list.”

A few days later, I posted that the first issue was quickly selling out along with a link to an interview with Robert Kirkman. In February of 2004, The Walking Dead was already my favorite monthly comic!

In April of 2004, I reported that Tony Moore, the regular artist on The Walking Dead had decided to leave and that Charlie Adlard would be taking over with issue 6. The quality of The Walking Dead didn’t miss a beat.

With the recent success of comic books turned into movies, Jeb Whitlock of JoBlo.com suggests that The Walking Dead get the chance.

All I can say is, “Welcome to the party, Jeb!”

Back from the Land of the Dead

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Sequels are rarely as good as the original. There are far more Jaws 2‘s than there are Godfather 2‘s. And the farther you go down the sequel path, the more likely you are to see a mess.

That’s why I’m happy to say that George A. Romero‘s Land of the Dead is a welcome addition to his zombie series.

My favorite is still “Night of the Living Dead.” I doubt that any zombie movie will ever top NOTLD, not only because everything came together on it [the low budget, shooting in black and white, a cast of unknowns, etc.], but also because it was the first zombie movie to really get to me. These weren’t island zombies or some mummy come back to life. These were our neighbors, our friends and even our family members who were crawling out of the grave to eat us!

Land of the Dead is my second favorite of Romero‘s quartet [followed by Dawn of the Dead and then Day of the Dead]. While I generally don’t like the idea of “smart” zombies, I was intrigued by the idea that these zombies were starting to learn. I thought all of of the actors were well cast. The use of fireworks as a plot device was a cool idea. Heck, I can even go with the idea that money still has value [although that plot element to me was the weakest].

Land of the Dead is supposed to be Romero’s final zombie movie, but I wouldn’t mind see him come back for another.

“Night of the Living Dead” rates an A+
“Dawn of the Dead” [original] rates a C+
“Dawn of the Dead” [remake] rates an A
“Day of the Dead” rates a C
“Land of the Dead” rates a B

Big Fan… But Don’t Like Most

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I’m a fan of zombie movies. The funny thing is, there are probably only three that I really like… and one of those isn’t really a zombie flick.

Ok, before we go further, and to put your mind at rest, they are
1] Night of the Living Dead
2] 28 days later and
3] Dawn of the Dead [the re-make].

Yeah, I know… 28 days isn’t truly a zombie movie.

Yes, I know… it’s blasphamy to leave out the original Dawn of the Dead.

And yeah, I have seen other zombie movies.

The problem with most of them is that they simply become gore fests. They don’t have interesting characters. They focus only on how gross it is that the dead are eating the living or how cool it is when a zombie gets shot in the head.

And while it’s true that many [if not most of the] people who dig zombie movies are there simply to see the zombies eat people and get blown away, that’s not what I like about the genre.

What appeals to me is the world out of control aspect. I like seeing how the survivors come together from different backgrounds and with different ideas on what should be done next if everyone is to survive.

I’m looking forward to Land of the Dead. I hope that it’ll be more like Night than Dawn or Day. You see, a little gore goes a long way in my book.

That’s probably why I don’t like most zombie movies, but love the genre.

Wachowski Brothers’ Next Project

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The Wachowski brothers, the guys who created The Matrix, are back and I’ll bet their next project will surprise you.

It’s a comic series called Doc Frankenstein [created by Geof Darrow and Steve Scroce]!

The Wachoski brothers will write and Steve Scroce will draw the bi-monthly series which begins in November from Burlyman Entertainment.

The tagline says: Resurrected from the dead! He is the MESSIAH OF SCIENCE who has returned to Save Our World from the MONSTERS currently running it!

I’m going to pre-order Doc Frankenstein through my local comic dealer and you should too if you want to be sure to get a copy.

Land of the Dead Dawns

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The cheers that you’ve been hearing may be from horror fans around the world.

It’s been announced that George Romero is finally going to get to see his fourth “Living Dead” movie make it to the big screen! Written and directed by George his-own-bad-self, it’ll be titled Land of the Dead. [Leaving behind the “time” theme of Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead.]

In this one, the zombies have overrun the world and the few people still alive are forced to live behind fortified skyscraper walls. Only now the slow-moving brainless zombies are starting to change…

The film is set to begin production in October.

Double the Zombie Pleasure…

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Two new zombie movies are starting to get some good buzz and may be worth a look.

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…

Moore Moves On, Adlard Moves In

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“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…

No Moore on Walking Dead

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“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…

New Dawn is a Winner

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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:

Bring on a New “Dawn of the Dead”

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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.