Review: "Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island" Started a Thing

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 61 of 2022 (No. 1873) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998) – Video
Running time:  77 minutes (1 hour, 17 minutes)
Rated TV-G
DIRECTOR:  Jim Stenstrum
WRITERS: Glenn Leopold; from a story by Glenn Leopold and David Doi (based on the Hanna-Barbera characters)
PRODUCER:  Cosmo Anzilotti
EDITOR:  Paul Douglas
COMPOSER:  Steven Bramson
ANIMATION STUDIO:  Mook Animation

ANIMATION/FANTASY/FAMILY and ACTION/COMEDY/MYSTERY

Starring:  (voices) Frank Welker, Scott Innes, Billy West, Mary Kay Bergman, B.J. Ward, Tara Strong, Cam Clarke, Jim Cummings, Mark Hamill, Jennifer Leigh Warren, and Ed Gilbert

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is a 1998 straight-to-video, animated, comic mystery film.  It was the first animated movie in what became the Scooby-Doo straight-to-video series from Warner Bros. Animation.  In Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, the Mystery Inc. Gang reunites and visits a remote island with a dark secret.

As Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island opens, the five members of Mystery, Inc.:  Fred Jones (Frank Welker); Daphne Blake (Mary Kay Bergman), Velma Dinkley (B.J. Ward); Shaggy Rogers (Billy West), and Scooby-Doo (Scott Innes) have gone their separate ways.  They apparently became bored of mystery solving because culprits were never real ghosts, aliens, and monsters, but were practically always people in costumes.

Daphne Blake now has her own television series, “Coast to Coast with Daphne Blake,” in which she investigates claims of supernatural occurrences.  Fred Jones is her cameraman and producer.  Shaggy and Scooby are security guards, and Velma owns a book shop, “Dinkley's Mystery Book Shoppe,” which is also known as “Mystery Inc. Books.”

Daphne decides that she wants to hunt down a real ghost rather than investigating ghosts that turn out to be fakes.  So Fred calls the gang back together, and the reunited Mystery Inc. embarks on a road trip scouting haunted locations across the United States for Daphne's TV show.

That is why they end up in New Orleans, Louisiana, where they meet a curious local, Lena Dupree (Tara Strong).  She tells them that they can find real ghosts at her place of employment, a mansion and hot pepper plantation on Moonscar Island.  Skeptical at first, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby follow Lena to the island hoping to find a real ghost instead of a villain in a costume.  What they find is more than they expected in a spooky place that might as well be called “Zombie Island.”

I remember that I first heard about Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island probably about a month or so before it was released in September 1998.  It was big news in the world of the American television animation industry and in home entertainment.  I bought a copy for the elementary school age son of a close friend of mine, who was a huge Scooby-Doo fan, then.  [He is now an adult in his late twenties (as of this writing), and I don't know if he still loves Scooby-Doo.]

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island was billed as the first time that a Scooby-Doo cartoon would find Scooby and Shaggy and company facing real supernatural entities.  The advertising for this straight-to-video (VHS) release declared, “This time, the monsters are real.”  However, as early as a 1980 episode of the “Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo” animated TV series, the stories featured real aliens and a real vampire.

That aside, it is nice to see Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island pit the characters against real ghosts, real zombies, and other real supernatural creatures.  My problem with Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is that the writers open the movie with some nice character development, but by the time the characters reach Moonscar Island, the story devolves into Scooby and Shaggy running around and screaming or we get tedious scenes of Scooby chasing one or more of the cats that belong to Moonscar mansion's owner, Simone Lenoir (Adrienne Barbeau).

That animation is average to above average, with the best sequences being those with the zombies.  The film's direction presents an inconsistent pace to go with the inconsistent story, so sometimes even a haunted mansion and a zombie island seem like boring places.  Still, I am glad that I finally watched Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island.  I've been putting it off for at least two decades.

I will say that it is an important film because it launched the Scooby-Doo straight-to-video series, of which I am a big fan.  So Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is a must see for fans of all things Scooby-Doo and Mystery Inc.

6 of 10
B
★★★ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, July 7, 2021


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Comics Review: "DIE!NAMITE Never Dies! Volume 3 #5" Ends with a Chess Match

DIE!NAMITE NEVER DIES! VOLUME 3 #5
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Fred Van Lente
ART: Vincenzo Carratù and Jordi Perez
COLORS: Kike J. Diaz
LETTERS: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Tony Fleecs
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Tony Fleecs; Lesley “Leirix” Li; Lucio Parrillo; Arthur Suydam; Gracie the Cosplay Lass and Jim Donnelly (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2022)

Rated Teen+

“Let's Play Zombie Chess on Mars!”

DIE!namite is a series of zombie apocalypse comics from Dynamite Entertainment that utilizes some of the publisher's most popular characters and licensed properties.  The latest is DIE!namite Never Dies!  It is written by Fred Van Lente; drawn by Vincenzo Carratu and Jordi Perez; colored by Kike J. Diaz; and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.  This time, Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) and Jane, his wife, join the cross-company zombie crossover.

DIE!namite Never Dies! Volume 3 #5 (“Let's Play Zombie Chess on Mars!”) opens on Barsoom.  Issus, the goddess of death of Barsoom, has engaged Evil (Red) Sonja in battle, but the battlefield is a chessboard.  Tarzan and Jane and Tarzan's White Apes.  Carthoris, Jedwar of Helium and the son of John Carter and Dejah Thoris.  Thuvia, Princess of Jasoom.  They are pawns in Sonja's game.  John Carter himself and Captain Future serve Issus.

But the main event pits allies Vampirella and Pantha.  Who will win?  How will the end … end?

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, the marketing department at Dynamite Entertainment has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is DIE!namite Never Dies! Volume 3 #5.  It is only the eighth DIE!namite comic book that I have read, although I've known of the series since it first began.

DIE!namite Never Dies! Volume 3 #5 is the final issues of the series.  Writer Fred Van Lente closes this miniseries out with a big fight, which letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou presents in all its big loudness.  The art team of artist Vincenzo Carratu and Jordi Perez and colorist Kike J. Diaz hold their end of the narrative bargain.  This final issue features some of the team's best art, storytelling, and colors.  It would be nice to see them again.

Still, I'm truly not satisfied.  I wish this series was going on longer; that seems the natural thing to do.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of DIE!namite will want DIE!namite Never Dies! Volume 3.

[This comic book includes “Dynamite Dispatch” July 2022, which features an interview with writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson about his upcoming James Bond comic book series.]

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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Review: "THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD" is Still Alive and Kicking

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 16 of 2022 (No. 1828) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Running time:  91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: Dan O'Bannon
WRITERS:  Dan O'Bannon; from a story by Rudy Ricci, John Russo, and Russell Streiner
PRODUCER:  Tom Fox
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jules Brenner (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Robert Gordon
COMPOSER:  Matt Clifford

HORROR/COMEDY

Starring:  Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, Miguel Nunez, John Philbin, Jewel Shepard, Brian Peck, Linnea Quigley, Mark Venturini, Jonathan Terry, Cathleen Cordell, and Allan Trautman

The Return of the Living Dead is a 1985 comedy horror film written and directed by Dan O'Bannon.  The film is indirectly related to the seminal 1968 zombie movie, Night of the Living Dead.  The Return of the Living Dead focuses on a small group of people trying to survive a riot of brain-hungry zombies that are raised from the dead by a strange poison gas.

The Return of the Living Dead opens early on the evening of July 3, 1984 in Louisville, Kentucky.  At the Uneeda Medical Supply warehouse, owner Burt Wilson (Clu Gulager) is leaving work for the Fourth of July holiday weekend, leaving his employee, Frank (James Karen), behind to close-up shop and to also train new employee, Freddy (Thom Mathews).  Frank tries to impress Freddy by showing him some old container drums that the U.S. military mistakenly shipped to Uneeda and are now stored in the warehouse basement.

What Frank does not know is that the drums also contain a toxic gas called “2-4-5 Trioxin.”  Frank accidentally unleashes the toxic gas from one of the tanks, which knocks him and Freddy unconscious.  When the two bumbling employees awaken, they discover that the gas has reanimated a medical cadaver stored in the warehouse's cold locker.  Frank and Freddy call Burt back to the warehouse, but everything they do to solve their “zombie” problem makes matters worse.  That includes asking Ernie Kaltenbrunner (Don Calfa), owner of Resurrection Funeral Home, for help.

Meanwhile, Freddy's girlfriend, Tina (Beverly Randolph), and his friends: Spider (Miguel A. Núñez Jr.), Trash (Linnea Quigley), Chuck (John Philbin), Casey (Jewel Shepard), Scuz (Brian Peck), and Suicide (Mark Benturini), arrive to meet Freddy at his job.  But they don't know what's about to happen at the Resurrection Cemetery, next door.

As long as I can remember, I have read print and online articles and commentary that refer to The Return of the Living Dead as a cult movie.  I never had much interest in watching it.  Over the past year, however, one of my cable movie channels started showing its sequel, Return of the Living Dead II (1988), which I have found to be mildly entertaining.  But that channel never shows The Return of the Living Dead, so after a long stint on the waiting list, I got it from DVD.com (a Netflix company).  Wow!  I wish I had watched it a long time ago.

The Return of the Living Dead is like no other zombie movie.  It is apparently the first to feature zombies that run and also talk.  Its zombies only want to eat the brains of living humans and not the rest of the body.  The Return of the Living Dead's mood and pace are accented by its musical score (by Matt Clifford) and by its soundtrack (which was also released as an album in 1985).  The Return of the Living Dead is a punk rock comedy and rock 'n' roll zombie movie driven by two punk rock sub-genres, “death rock” and “horror punk,” that emerged during the late 1970s and early 1980s.  The songs give the film a freewheeling spirit that carries it through any narrative bumps and inconsistencies.

The film owes much of his identity, spirit, and success to writer-director, the late Dan O'Bannon (1946-2009).  He was one of the most imaginative and genre-busting screenwriters in the history of American science fiction, fantasy, and horror films, writing for such films as Alien (1979) and Total Recall (1990).  O'Bannon produces a film that acts as if it owes nothing to the zombie fiction and horror storytelling that came before it, while gleefully cutting and pasting bits and pieces of American pop culture all over itself.

The casting of this film is an accidental work of brilliance.  All the actors are pitch perfect:  tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top, comically straight, and slyly satirical.  James Karen and Thom Mathews are perfect as Frank and Freddy, respectively, the bumbling employees that release the gas which turns the dead into zombies.  Actor Clu Gulager, who always played the “White Man” boss/leader type, plays Burt Wilson with a artfully satirical edge that is easy to miss.  Linnea Quigley personifies a kind of punk sex goddess and later a deadly sex creature.  As “Spider,” actor Miguel A. Núñez Jr. creates what is one of my favorite male African-American horror movie characters.

The Return of the Living Dead is now one of my favorite zombie films, and perhaps, it is a coincidence that one of my other favorites, George A. Romero's underrated post-apocalyptic jewel, Day of the Dead, was releases the same year, 1985.  [Or maybe something was trying to warn me about the future.]  I highly recommend The Return of the Living Dead (which is available in a “special edition” DVD) and its soundtrack.  This is the most fun I have ever had watching a zombie film … or zombie anything, for that matter.

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, March 23, 2022


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Comics Review: "ELVIRA: The Wrath of Con" is a Romp of Fun

ELVIRA: THE WRATH OF CON
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

[There is a new Elvira comic book, Death of Elvira, at Indiegogo.]

STORY: Elvira & David Avallone
SCRIPT: David Avallone
PENCILS: Dave Acosta
INKS: Dave Acosta and Jason Moore (pp. 12-40)
COLORS: Walter Pereyra
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt
COVER: Dave Acosta and Jason Moore with Ryan Lee
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Dave Acosta and Jason Moore; Dave Acosta and Jason Moore with Ryan Lee; Elvira photo cover
56pp., Color, (2021)

Rated Teen+

“The Wrath of Con”

In the early 1980s, actress and model Cassandra Peterson created the “horror hostess character,” known as “Elvira.”  Elvira gradually grew in popularity and eventually became a brand name.  As Elvira, Peterson endorsed many products and became a pitch-woman, appearing in numerous television commercials throughout the 1980s.

Elvira also appeared in comic books, beginning in 1986 with the short-lived series from DC Comics, Elvira's House of Mystery, which ran for eleven issues and one special issue (1987).  Eclipse Comics and Claypool Comics began the long-running Elvira: Mistress of the Dark from 1993 to 2007.  In 2018, Elvira returned to comic books via Dynamite Entertainment in the four-issue comic book miniseries, Elvira Mistress of the Dark, that actually ran for 12 issues.

Since 2021, Dynamite Entertainment has been running crowdfunding campaigns that go towards producing and publishing special issues of its Elvira comic book series.  Elvira: The Wrath of Con is the second crowdfunded Elvira comic book (after Elvira: The Omega Ma'am) and was successfully funded via a “Kickstarter” campaign.  It is written by Elvira (story) and David Avallone (story-script); drawn by Dave Acosta (pencil and inks) and Jason Moore (inks); colored by Walter Pereyra; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.  The Wrath of Con finds Elvira the honored guest at a major pop culture convention, but not everyone attending is happy to see her.

As Elvira: The Wrath of Con opens, the busty title heroine is watching footage from her latest film, "Elvira: Mistress of the Dark: The Omega Ma'am."  Directed by Hanover Utz, the film is an exaggerated and inaccurate retelling of Elvira's struggle against a cult leader, Rick Circe, and his orange zombies (as seen in The Omega Ma'am).  Known as the “Sudsies,” these zombies were people transformed when they ingested the cleaning product, “Doctor Sudsy.”

Although Elvira and her script doctor, Eddie Mezzogiorno, object to Utz's cut of the film, the director is sticking to his vision.  In fact, he has produced a teaser trailer for the film, and he wants Elvira to screen the trailer at the “San Diego Pop Culturama.”  Elvira is the “Guest of Honor” at the convention, where she will be feted during the “Queen of the Cure” event, which will celebrate her curing the “Sudsies” zombie affliction.

Not everyone is in the celebratory mood, and despite foreshadowing and a warning in the form of an homage to the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956).  Will Elvira avoid doom, and will she find the super … hero (“The Soul Survivor”) that she needs?

THE LOWDOWN:  Writer David Avallone and artist Dave Acosta were the original creative dream team of Dynamite's Elvira comic book launch.  The crowdfunded Elvira comic books are a chance for readers to have them together again.

Honestly, Avallone's Elvira scripts would still be comedy gold no matter who drew them.  By “who,” I mean a professional comic book, comics, or graphic novel artist, of course.  The plots don't matter, although Avallone fashions intriguing plots.  These plots allow him to skewer American culture and pop culture.  He is one of the few modern comic book writers that would be worthy of finding a place on the original staff of EC Comics' Mad comic book.

Here, Avallone attacks anti-vaxx, anti-intellectual, Tea Party, conspiracy-obsessed reactionaries with the same razor-sharp humor and disdain Mel Brooks used on Hollywood Western films, corrupt politicians, and racists in his 1974 film, Blazing Saddles.  However, Avallone never forgets to deliver Elvira's trademark charming wit and delightfully droll humor in servings that are as bountiful as the Mistress of the Dark's breasts.

Dave Acosta is the kind of comic book artist who seems to get everything right.  He is a master at cartooning the human face in an impressive array of emotions and expressions.  The most amazing thing about Acosta's work on this series is that every single time he draws Elvira, both her charm and sexiness comes through.  Jokes about her cleavage aside, Acosta conveys Elvira physical attractiveness in her poses and in the way he … exposes her lovely legs when depicting that treasured split in her flowing black dress.

And, dear readers, in order to enjoy such a special, special edition of the Elvira comic book series, you have to support a crowdfunding campaign.  Only the good people who fund it get to enjoy the goodness that is Elvira: The Wrath of Con.  If you missed out, there is a new campaign.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Elvira and of David Avallone's Elvira comic books will want to read Elvira: The Wrath of Con.

[This comic book includes a seven-page “Thank You” section that thanks campaign contributors (of which I am one).]

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


There is a new crowdfunding campaign for a new Elvira comic book, Death of Elvira.  You can visit the campaign here or at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/death-of-elvira-comic-book-does-the-unthinkable#/.


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Comics Review: "DIE!NAMITE Volume 2 #5" Comes to a Fun Conclusion

DIE!NAMITE LIVES VOLUME 2 #5
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Fred Van Lente
ART: Vincenzo Carratù with Jordi Perez
COLORS: Kike J. Diaz
LETTERS: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Arthur Suydam; Joseph Michael Linsner; Dave Acosta; Lucio Parrillo; Angel Ray (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2021)

Rated Teen+

DIE!namite is a series of zombie apocalypse comics from Dynamite Entertainment that utilizes some of the publisher's most popular characters and licensed properties.  The latest is DIE!namite Lives!  It is written by Fred Van Lente; drawn by Vincenzo Carratu with Jordi Perez; colored by Kike J. Diaz; and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.  In the new series, Vampirella and the remainder of Project Superheroes look for a new savior, and that could be Ash Williams (the lead character of the 1992 film, Army of Darkness).

DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2 #5 opens at “Battle Base” in the Pacific Northwest.  Evil Sonja and Peter Cannon have made their final moves in Sonja's bid to end all life on Earth.  But has Cannon been wise in this choice he has made, and is he truly or fully Sonja's partner?

Meanwhile, back at a the local “S-Mart” warehouse, Patha, Vampirella, and Ash make a bid to retrieve the  “Necronomincon Ex Mortis” from Jennifer Blood.  Blood is holding the unholy book tight, encouraged by Smiley, who has offered her a deal to save her children.  But is this another partnership doomed by a misunderstanding of what the terms of the deal really are?  In this final showdown, one will die, or some will die, or all will die!

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2 #5, which is the third issue of this series that I have read.  In fact, this is only the third DIE!namite comic that I have read, although I've known of the series since it first began.

Under Lucio Parrillo's killer main cover for this fifth issue, writer Fred Van Lente wraps up DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2.  It's the best issue yet and the most fun to read because Van Lente spoofs all the characters' machinations and desires.

The art team of Vincenzo Carratu and Jordi Perez present quirky compositions that give this closing issue a wild and crazy vibe while giving the action an extra jolt of energy.  Kike J. Diaz colors are a sickly green haze that brings out the funk of forty thousand years.  Letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou makes this end holla for life.

DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2 #5 is the end, but a third volume is coming.  If this issue is any indication, the next one could be fun.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of DIE!namite will want DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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Comics Review: DIE!NAMITE Volume 2 #4

DIE!NAMITE LIVES VOLUME 2 #4
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Fred Van Lente
ART: Vincenzo Carratù
COLORS: Kike J. Diaz
LETTERS: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Arthur Suydam; Joseph Michael Linsner; Dave Acosta; Kendrick Kunkka Lim; Angel Ray (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (September 2021)

Rated Teen+

DIE!namite is a series of zombie apocalypse comics from Dynamite Entertainment that utilizes some of the publisher's most popular characters and licensed properties.  The latest is DIE!namite Lives!  It is written by Fred Van Lente; drawn by Vincenzo Carratu; colored by Kike J. Diaz; and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.  In the new series, Vampirella and the remainder of Project Superheroes look for a new savior, and that could be Ash Williams (star of the 1992 film, Army of Darkness).

DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2 #4 opens at “Battle Base” in the Pacific Northwest.  Brigadier General Garth “Battle” Fields has had his fill with Captain Future, who has practically taken over Field's base.  Future is obsessed with Evil Sonja.  If he can figure out how she controls the “Super-Zombies,” he believes that he can weaponize them towards his plans of global domination.  However, Sonja has her own plans for ending things.

Meanwhile, at a local “S-Mart” warehouse,  Ash fights off someone who really wants that copy of the  “Necronomincon Ex Mortis.”  But it was Pantha who bought it online.

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2 #4, which is the second issue of this series that I have read.  In fact, this is only the second DIE!namite comic that I have read, although I've known of the series since it first began.

What can I say?  DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2 #4 is fun, which is the same thing I said about the third issue.  However, it was easier for me to get into the story this time.  Fred Van Lente pours a whole lotta lighter fuel into the heat of the Captain Future-Evil Sonja-Gen. Fields dynamic.  That is the best part of the issue, and sets up what could be some crazy fun for the final issue.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of DIE!namite will want DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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Comics Review: DIE!NAMITE Volume 2 #3

DIE!NAMITE LIVES VOLUME 2 #3
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Fred Van Lente
ART: Vincenzo Carratù
COLORS: Kike J. Diaz
LETTERS: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Arthur Suydam; Joseph Michael Linsner; Dave Acosta; Kendrick Lim;
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2021)

Rated Teen+

DIE!namite is a series of zombie apocalypse comics from Dynamite Entertainment that utilizes some of the publisher's most popular characters and licensed properties.  The latest is DIE!namite Lives!  It is written by Fred Van Lente; drawn by Vincenzo Carratu; colored by Kike J. Diaz; and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.  In the new series, Vampirella and the remainder of Project Superheroes look for a new savior, and that could be Ash Williams (star of the 1992 film, Army of Darkness).

DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2 #3 opens in Hawaii where flesh-eating superheroes take on evil zombies.  Red Sonja, Peter Cannon, Black Terror, and Scarab battle a squad of Frankenstein lookalikes that Sonja should be able to control, except she can't.  Cannon reasons that they must be controlled from a satellite, but this deduction may be playing into Captain Future's hands.

Meanwhile, Vampirella, Pantha, Miss Fury, and Tabu have arrived at a local “S-Mart” warehouse.  Here, they hope to obtain that copy of Necronomincon Ex Mortis, the book that can stop this zombie plague, a book that Pantha bought online!  Standing in their way, however, is S-Mart's most famous employee, Ash Williams, and he is too loyal to allow looters inside!

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2 #3, which is the first issue of this series that I have read.  In fact, this is the first DIE!namite comic that I have read, although I've known of the series since it first began.

What can I say?  DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2 #3 is fun.  I didn't expect much from it, but I previously suspected that I could like a DIE!namite comic book because I enjoyed DC Comics DCeased #1 when I read it a few years ago.  DIE!namite seems similar to DCeased.  Here, writer Fred Van Lente offers a breezy read with just enough craziness to hold the reader's attention.  I bet this series will really read nicely as a trade paperback.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of DIE!namite will want DIE!namite Lives! Volume 2.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

Comics Review: CHAOS CAMPUS #33

CHAOS CAMPUS: SORORITY GIRLS VS ZOMBIES #33
APPROBATION COMICS

STORY: B. Alex Thompson – @ApproBAT
ART: Ricardo Mendez
COLORS: Alivon Ortiz
LETTERS: Krugos
POST-SCRIPTING/POLISH: John P. Ward
EDITORS: B. Alex Thompson and John P. Ward
MISC. ART: Ricardo Mendez with Alivon Ortiz
COVERS: Ricardo Mendez with Alivon Ortiz
24pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. print/$1.99 U.S. digital (2017; digital release date – December 20, 2017)

Rated: Teen 13+ / 15+ Only – comiXology rating

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies created by B. Alex Thompson

“Higher Learning, Part l of 4”

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies is the long-running zombie apocalypse comic book series from Approbation Comics.  Mixing in elements of comedy, horror, adventure, and magic, it is the creation of B. Alex Thompson.  The series is set during a zombie invasion and follows the adventures of three members of the sorority, Epsilon Alpha Zeta Upsilon (EAZY):  ass-kickin’ Jamie Lynn Schaeffer, brainy and magic-wielding Paige Helena Patton, and sexy goddess-type Brittany Ann Miller.

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies #33 opens in the aftermath of “Lineage” (from issue #32).  Paige is having bad dreams, and the uncertainty and the frustrations with the responsibilities and hopes placed on her begin to push her to a breaking point.  Her friends and her mother, Morgan, and brother, Tyler, try to comfort Paige.  Even Oliver offers help, but Paige is not sure about his motives.

However, the fam and the friends are not the only ones who have been noticing Paige's emotional and mentally vulnerable state.  Tech Locke, always one dream or portal away, makes his move in trying to recruit Paige to his side.   What could Tech possibly have that would make Paige turn her back on her family, friends, and mission?  It's a secret.

THE LOWDOWN:  After bringing “The Road to Salvation” story line to an end, writer B. Alex Thompson continued to bring levity to Chaos Campus via a series of standalone stories.  However, in the most recent standalone story, “Lineage,” writer B. Alex Thompson revealed that Brittany shares her body with an ancient Greek goddess known as “the Twelfth.”

Now, Thompson turns Chaos Campus' narrative eye to Paige Helena Patton with the beginning of a new story arc, “Higher Learning.”  At first Tech Locke, the mystery man who is obsessed with Paige, seems like nothing more than a pest.  Thompson throws in a twist when he uses not Locke's own secrets, but the secrets others keep as the hook to pull readers into this new arc.

As usual, Ricardo Mendez's art and graphical storytelling are strong, and in many ways, he has become the second signature “voice” of Chaos Campus.  This series' narrative engine runs smoothly under the guiding hands of Mendez's compositions.  It seems that, at least for now, no one can transform Thompson's Chaos Campus scripts into comic book art and storytelling better than Mendez.

Good coloring has blessed Chaos Campus, and the colors and dazzling color effects by Alivon Ortiz make even the quite pages in issue #33 pop. Letterer Krugos continues the steady beat of this series, and that beat may very well carry more of you, dear readers, to Chaos Campus #33.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of zombies and of horror-comedies will want to try Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


Buy Chaos Campus #33 at comiXology.

www.ApprobationComics.com
https://twitter.com/ApproBAT
www.AlexThompsonWriter.com


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

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Zombie Filmmaker, Mitch Cohen, Launches Kickstarter Campaign

Filmmaker, Mitch Cohen, Employs Kickstarter to Bring Unconventional Tale of the Undead to Life

Unlikely hero of unique zombie apocalypse film “Super Zero” finds 15-minutes of fame in end of days

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--If fervor and preparedness were enough to make a film in Hollywood, viewers in movie theaters across the country would already be enjoying Mitch Cohen’s original short film, “Super Zero.” However, since the one thing it does take to make a film is money, Cohen, a 36-year-old L.A.-based writer and director, recently launched a Kickstarter.com campaign – http://kck.st/15dN7BX – to make his vision for a new kind of zombie movie a reality.

Cohen, a father to two-year-old twins, who has been responsible for some of the industry’s most recognizable video game campaigns, conceived the unconventional “geek culture” film years ago, but was forced to shelve his passion project with the arrival of his children. Now, with a little help from friends and strangers alike, Cohen and his team are hoping to raise $34,500 by July 31, 2013 to make it happen.

An original take on a popular genre, Super Zero is the story of a geeky, shy and terminally ill teen, who rises from utter insignificance to become a zombie assassin and mankind's last hope for survival. In traditional zombie films, by definition, the end of the world is the worst possible scenario for everyone. In Super Zero, the film’s protagonist finally finds purpose in his life while the rest of the world scrambles to save theirs.

“Super Zero is really an epic win for the average guy,” said Cohen of his film. “The movie celebrates the overlooked, the eccentric and the powerless, combining sci-fi/horror with comic book-inspired action, irreverent comedy and a totally relatable and ultimately awesome average guy lead character. Plus there are zombies…a ton of zombies!”

Cohen, a self-confessed lover of all things geek, further describes Super Zero as his personal love letter to the community. He is hopeful that all those out there that may resemble him, or perhaps more aptly may identify with Super Zero’s protagonist, who is the everyday gamer/comic book kid, will be inspired to get involved and support the project. Cohen also hopes he may strike a chord with other visionaries out there that understand the struggle to balance family and career.

“Kickstarter is an amazing tool for identifying and connecting with audiences that share your passion and vision, even before you’re able to bring it to the screen,” said Cohen. “And much like the story behind Super Zero, it allows average folks to be a part of something extraordinary.”

Interested contributors can select pledge categories from $1 to $10,000+ and receive rewards for joining the Super Zero production team, including signed scripts, cameos in the film, set visits and on-screen production credits.

Cohen, the film’s writer and director, is joined on Super Zero by Producer Shane Spiegel and Cinematographer Idan Menin. For more information on Super Zero, the filmmakers and the Kickstarter campaign, please visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/811236299/super-zero-0?ref=live.

ABOUT MITCH COHEN
Mitch Cohen, a Los Angeles-based writer and director, lives, works and breathes “Geek Culture.” From film to video games to comics, he's both a fan and a contributing artist to the community. However, growing tired of much of the rehashed, derivative fare that is continually pushed onto the culture, Cohen is turning to the community members themselves to help him bring to life Super Zero, a zombie film they can champion as novel, compelling and completely original. For more on Cohen and Super Zero, visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/811236299/super-zero-0?ref=live.

Review: Brad Pitt is the Man in "World War Z"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 46 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


World War Z (2013)
Running time: 116 minutes (1 hour, 56 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for language and some disturbing images
DIRECTOR: Marc Forster
WRITERS: Matthew Michael Carnahan and Drew Goddard & Damon Lindelof; from a screen story by Matthew Michael Carnahan and J. Michael Straczynski (based on the novel by Max Brooks)
PRODUCERS: Ian Bryce, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Brad Pitt
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ben Seresin
EDITORS: Matt Chesse and Roger Barton
COMPOSER: Marco Beltrami

HORROR/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, Fana Mokoena, James Badge Dale, Ludi Boeken, Matthew Fox, David Morse, Sterling Jerins, Abigail Hargrove, Fabrizio Zacharee Guido, Peter Capaldi, and Pierfrancesco Favino

Sometimes, I see movies that make me feel like a fanboy – so happy and satisfied to be entertained by my favorite movie stars and filmmakers. Recently, Brad Pitt’s new movie made me a Brad Pitt fanboy.

World War Z is a 2013 horror thriller and zombie movie from director Marc Forster. The film is based on the 2006 novel, World War Z, written by Max Brooks (the son of Mel Brooks). The film stars Brad Pitt as a United Nations employee who is trying to solve the mystery of a zombie pandemic that is threatening to destroy humanity.

World War Z opens in domestic harmony as former United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) prepares breakfast for his wife, Karin (Mireille Enos), and his daughters, Rachel (Abigail Hargrove) and Constance (Sterling Jerins). Later, the family is stuck in heavy traffic in Philadelphia that soon turns to mass bedlam. Crazed people are attacking and biting one another, and the ones who are bitten become like their attackers within ten seconds of being bitten.

Gerry and his family are rescued by a former UN colleague, Thierry Umutoni (Fana Mokoena), the UN Deputy Secretary-General. Gerry learns that a virus has turned into a worldwide outbreak that is turning people into ferocious, rabid zombies, and the ensuing chaos has toppled armies and governments. The outbreak is threatening to destroy humanity itself. Gerry is soon forced to travel the world in a race against time and hope to find a cure for this pandemic.

Plain and simple, World War Z is an action movie. Yes, it is an apocalyptic horror film, a horror thriller, a scary movie, and a zombie movie. However, it moves with the precision of a Jason Bourne movie and throws pitched-battles like a movie about military special operations (such as Tears of the Sun). It is fast-moving and jittery, even when Brad Pitt’s Gerry Lane is being thoughtful and observant. And it is the good movie kind of fast-moving and jittery.

Director Marc Forster orchestrates this Hollywood entertainment product so that it transforms mere spectacle into the spectacular. As far as I’m concerned, this is his most passionate and emotionally-charged film since 2001’s Monster’s Ball, for which Halle Berry won an Oscar.

World War Z is also a Brad Pitt movie, and because Brad is a true movie star and a truly fine actor, he carries the audience with his character Gerry Lane. He carries us on a pulse-pounding thrill ride that makes us (at least, some of us) forget some of the holes in the concept. Our cinematic faith in our movie stars is rewarded when they deliver the goods. In World War Z, Pitt delivers some kind of good.

8 of 10
A

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Muse to Perform at Global Premiere of "World War Z"

MUSE TO PERFORM LIVE ON SUNDAY, JUNE 2 AS PART OF THE MASSIVE GLOBAL PREMIERE OF “WORLD WAR Z” IN LONDON

Paramount Pictures has teamed up with Grammy Award-winning British band Muse to feature the band’s music in the new film “WORLD WAR Z.” The tracks are from Muse’s latest album The 2nd Law. Following the film’s world premiere in London’s Leicester Square on Sunday, June 2, Muse will perform live from Horse Guards Parade Ground, St. James’s Park. Tickets for the live performance will be available Tuesday, May 28 at 9:00 a.m. BST. For more information and for tickets, please visit http://www.worldwarz.co.uk/MUSE

“WORLD WAR Z” revolves around an ex-United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop a pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself. Starring Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos and James Badge Dale.

Since forming in 1994, Muse has released six studio albums selling upwards of 15 million albums worldwide. The band earned its highest-ever debut on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart when “The 2nd Law” bowed at No. 2 a week after its October 2 release. Madness, the first single from the album, was No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Chart for 19 weeks, breaking the previous record set in 2007. The “2nd Law” and “Madness” received two Grammy Nominations this year. The group’s last album, The Resistance, reached No. 1 in 19 countries around the world, and they have won numerous awards including a Best Rock Album Grammy Award and an American Music Award for The Resistance.

“WORLD WAR Z” is directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Drew Goddard & Damon Lindelof, and screen story by Matthew Michael Carnahan and J. Michael Straczynski. Based on the novel by Max Brooks. Produced by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Ian Bryce.

“WORLD WAR Z” is in theaters June 21, 2013.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

SEE THE ANNOUNCEMENT VIDEO HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GpxGm-fifiA

OFFICIAL SITE: WWW.WORLDWARZMOVIE.COM

New "World War Z" Poster - May 23, 2013

WORLD WAR Z

OFFICIAL SITE: WWW.WORLDWARZMOVIE.COM

The story revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop a pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself.

"High School of the Dead" Arrives on Neon Alley

VIZ MEDIA PARTNERS WITH SENTAI FILMWORKS TO PREMIERE HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD ON NEON ALLEY

This Friday, Hordes Of Flesh-Eating Zombies Descend Upon North America’s 24-Hour Console-Based Anime Channel For PS3 And Playstation® Network, And Xbox 360® And Xbox Live®

San Francisco, CA, April 18, 2013 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, partners with Sentai Filmworks to unleash a frightening new world of the living dead as it premieres the zombie action of HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD on Neon Alley this Friday, April 19th. Episode 1 (English dubbed) of the high-octane anime action series will debut in High Definition at 10PM EST / 7PM PST, replaying at 2AM EST / 11PM PST, and will air again throughout the week. New episodes will premiere every Friday. Check the Neon Alley program guide or NeonAlley.com for more information and additional airtimes.

Based on the ultra-violent manga (graphic novel) originally created by Daisuke Sato, directed by Tetsuro Araki (Death Note, Black Lagoon) and produced by the internationally famed studio MADHOUSE (Death Note, Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D-Bloodlust, Wicked City) HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD (rated TV-MA) is distributed in North America by Sentai Filmworks and combines hordes of flesh-eating zombies with state of the art animation to deliver one of the most action packed anime series ever!

A deadly new disease is ravaging the world, turning the populace into mindless zombies and the number of infected victims is skyrocketing by the second. As their fellow classmates and teachers succumb to the infection around them, a small group of students at Fujimi High School must fight for their lives after surviving the initial outbreak. It’s up to Takashi Komuro to unite the group of weary survivors and try to escape the horrors that surround them. In this new world of the living dead...will they escape?

“We’re thrilled to welcome Sentai Filmworks as a content partner for our innovative anime content delivery service, Neon Alley,” says Brian Ige, VIZ Media Vice President, Animation. “HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD is the newest anime series to join Neon Alley’s expansive schedule for Spring 2013, and fans won’t want to miss this action-packed tale of survival when it debuts Friday!”

“HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD is a riveting story that combines plenty of visceral action with compelling, multi-faceted characters and some sexy fan service,” says David Del Rio, VP of Licensing, Sentai Filmworks. “We look forward to the series finding a brand new audience of avid fans on Neon Alley and to viewers joining Takashi Komuro and his cohorts as they face a stark and dangerous world.”

Neon Alley is VIZ Media’s 24-hour, subscription-based anime channel available for the PS3 game console and Playstation® Network, and Xbox 360 and Xbox Live®. The platform features the world’s best titles (dubbed in English and uncut), presented in HD (when available), for a low monthly subscription rate of $6.99, and a limited time only, a one-week free trial is available to all fans that sign up at NeonAlley.com.

Neon Alley’s schedule includes a dynamic mix of action, adventure, sci-fi, supernatural, fantasy, and horror anime, including new debuts this season of weekly exclusive episodes of ACCEL WORLD, FATE/ZERO and ZETMAN. Fans also can catch other favorite blockbuster anime series from the beginning, including BLUE EXORCIST, DEATH NOTE, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, ONE PIECE, TIGER & BUNNY, VAMPIRE KNIGHT and more.

Neon Alley is specially designed to be studio agnostic, featuring titles from other anime producers and content distributors, including Aniplex, FUNimation, NTV, Taiseng, and Anime News Network. Members can also share real-time thoughts and status updates using social media technology from Tout (Tout.com), some of which will air on the network.

More information on Neon Alley is available at NeonAlley.com.

Additional information on Sentai Filmworks HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD is available at: http://www.sentai-filmworks.com.


About Sentai Filmworks
Sentai Filmworks celebrates its 5th Anniversary as one of the fastest-growing anime companies in North America, producing hit series like Persona 4, Girls und Panzer, Devil Survivor 2, Bodacious Space Pirates, Majestic Prince and High School of the Dead as well as high profile theatrical films such as Grave of the Fireflies, K-ON! and Appleseed. Sentai Filmworks’ programs are distributed through Ingram Entertainment, Diamond Comic Distributors, Section23Films and Waxworks through retailers Amazon, Best Buy, Fry’s, FYE, Hastings, Sam Goody, Suncoast, The Right Stuf, Wal-Mart and other good and fine stores.

Digital product offerings may be found at Amazon, Anime Network, Crunchyroll, Google Play, Hulu, iTunes, Netflix, PlayStation Network, Rovi, Vudu, XBOX Marketplace and YouTube.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

Bill Hinzman, First Zombie in "Night of the Living Dead," Dies at 76 (Bits and Bites Extra)

Bill Hizman essentially played "zombie alpha," the first zombie to appear in George A. Romero's classic film, Night of the Living Dead (as seen in the above still image from the film).

Bill Hinzman has died of cancer at age 76. He played the gaunt-faced, lumbering zombie that is sometimes referred to as the "Cemetery Zombie."  This is the zombie that brother and sister, Johnny and Barbra, see in the film's opening graveyard scene.  Hinzman's zombie attacks and kills Johnny after the young man taunts his (too easily) frightened sister with the warning, “They’re coming to get you, Barbra.”

Born S. William Hinzman in 1936, the actor also appeared in other Romero films and directed two movies of his own (FleshEaters and The Majorettes).

R.I.P. Mr. Hinzman.

Review: "Resident Evil" is a Top Notch Zombie Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 179 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Resident Evil (2002)
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong sci-fi/horror violence, language, and sexuality/nudity
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Paul W.S. Anderson
PRODUCERS: Jeremy Bolt, Bernd Eichinger, and Paul W.S. Anderson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: David Johnson
EDITOR: Alexander Berner

SCI-FI/HORROR/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, James Purefoy, Martin Crewes, Colin Salmon, and Jason Isaacs (uncredited)

The almighty Umbrella Corporation has a top-secret facility called the Hive where they conduct illegal viral and genetic experiments. A laboratory accident unleashes a terrible virus that transforms hundreds of resident scientists into ravenous zombies (hungry for flesh, of course) and the lab animals into mutated hounds from hell. A special military unit answers the Hive’s alarm summons; they are however not prepared to fight the flesh-eating creatures or the Hive’s diabolical and out-of-control super computer. When they disable the computer, they inadvertently release the zombies, allowing them to roam the entire complex, and all hell breaks loose. It’s up to Alice (Milla Jovovich), a Hive security officer who has suffered recent short term memory loss, and Rain (Michelle Rodriguez), a member of elite military task force to contain the outbreak, but they only have three hours to do so before the pathogen is released into the outside world.

Resident Evil is based upon videogame giant Capcom’s very popular video game of the same title. Although he isn’t a critical darling and many movie fans don’t like his work, director Paul W.S. Anderson has helmed some very entertaining sci-fi thrillers, and Resident Evil is another example of his skill at making excellent popcorn SF shockers. And Resident Evil is by no means a “good, dumb movie;” it is actually a very effective and amazingly well done (for a film adaptation of a video game) horror film. Night of the Living Dead creator George A. Romero was originally slated to direct this film, but left over creative differences. Anderson does the master proudly, as Resident Evil is a zombie movie that is just about as creepy and as scary as any other zombie picture.

The acting is mostly stiff, modern B-movie material, but the characters make excellent chess pieces in Anderson’s game plan. Fans of horror films, especially zombie films, will love this. The flesh-eating residents of the lab are some topnotch walking dead.

7 of 10
B+

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Not Enough of "the crazies" in "The Crazies"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 58 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Crazies (2010)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – R for bloody violence and language
DIRECTOR: Breck Eisner
WRITERS: Scott Kosar and Ray Wright (based upon the 1973 film by George A. Romero)
PRODUCERS: Michael Aguilar, Rob Cowan, and Dean Georgaris
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Maxime Alexandre (director of photography)
EDITOR: Billy Fox
COMPOSER: Mark Isham

ACTION/HORROR/THRILLER

Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, and Danielle Panabaker

Released this past February, The Crazies is a remake of a 1973 film by famed horror movie director, George A. Romero (Dawn of the Dead). Romero’s film was both a thriller and also a satire of military and governmental bureaucracies. The Crazies 2010 is a standard horror movie thriller with the proper horror movie mood. However, the film doesn’t focus on a single, solid adversary or villain, someone or something that would be a steady menacing presence against the heroes.

The story takes place in fictional Ogden Marsh, a picture-perfect, rural American, small town of happy, law-abiding citizens who are farmers and small business owners. Late one afternoon, Pierce County Sheriff David Dutten (Timothy Olyphant) and his deputy, Russell Clank (Joe Anderson), are enjoying a local high school baseball game when one of those happy citizens shows up on the baseball field with a loaded shotgun. David is forced to kill him. Not long afterwards, another man sets his house on fire, burning to death his wife and young son in the process.

David suspects that something is turning the citizens of Ogden Marsh into depraved, blood-thirsty killers who can and will use any instrument to brutally murder their neighbors. The nonsensical violence is escalating and Ogden Marsh is falling apart when a mysterious military force storms into town. As heavily armed soldiers wearing gas masks round up the people of Ogden Marsh, David and Russell gather David’s wife, Judy Dutten (Radha Mitchell), and a young woman named Becca Darling (Danielle Panabaker). The quartet is trying to escape certain death, either caused by the military or at the hands of “the crazies,” the people infected by the mysterious virus, “Trixie.”

The Crazies is a perfectly competent film, but it wants to be two films – a horror movie and an action thriller. The original movie was also like two films – a military drama and an escape movie. The Crazies 2010 is an escape movie focusing on Sheriff Dutton and his three companions as they try to avoid the military (primarily). It is also a kind of zombie movie (secondary) with the crazies as the zombie-like killers. The problem is that the film never gives us enough of either the military or the crazies, with the crazies being the better of the two.

There are some chilling moments involving the military (which is largely faceless), especially early on when the soldiers roundup the citizens. The truly frightening moments, however, are with the crazies, who are like the infected in 28 Days Later, except the crazies aren’t mindless. They’re homicidal and so damn scary, and when they show up, the film delivers some brilliant moments of screen horror. It is fine that this new film is faithful to the 1973 one, but this film does not do what the advertisements for it promised – give us a movie about a small band of survivors fighting to escape the crazies.

And the characters aren’t that interesting. They’re largely stock characters, and the script really doesn’t give any depth even to the ones with potential – David, Judy, Russell, and Becca. The Crazies has the right mood and scary sequences, but as a horror movie, it largely misses the potential of its best assets – the crazies.

5 of 10
C+

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

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Review: "Zombieland" is Like No Other

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 17 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

 

Zombieland (2009)

 

Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)

MPAA – R for horror violence/gore and language

DIRECTOR: Ruben Fleischer

WRITERS: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick

PRODUCER: Gavin Polone

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Michael Bonvillain (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Alan Baumgarten

 

HORROR/COMEDY

 

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Amber Heard, and Bill Murray

 

It is common wisdom that horror comedies do not do well at the box office, but last year’s late summer horror comedy, Zombieland, was a hit. Things seemed to come together for this peculiar zombie flick that mixes the zombie apocalypse genre both with gleeful destruction and with silver-tongued clowning.

 

The United States of America is no more. The world is no more. All there is left is Zombieland. Columbus (Jessie Eisenberg) is an easily spooked guy and, in general, a big wuss, but he has managed to stay alive using his book of rules. He joins forces with a wild man named Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a gun-toting, zombie-slaying badass whose primary goal is to find the last Twinkie on earth. Together, they fight for survival in a world virtually taken over by freakish zombies.

 

Columbus and Tallahassee eventually meet two others survivors, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who have a unique way surviving the zombie mayhem. These young ladies are traveling west to a supposedly-safe, abandoned amusement park, Pacific Playland. As they join forces, these four people will have to determine which is worse: trusting each other or succumbing to the undead hordes.

 

Zombieland does work as a zombie movie simply because the zombies are convincingly dangerous and frightful. The film even has that air of doom, desperation, and forlorn resignation that permeates most zombie movies. Although it is clearly a descendant George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, while also borrowing the fast zombies from 28 Days Later, Zombieland is most closely aligned with the 2004 zombie horror comedy, Shaun of the Dead.

 

As a comedy, Zombieland is not particularly sarcastic, snarky, or even edgy. It is, however, witty and has a wry sense of humor. The film feels so strange because the humor is absolutely at odds with the terror of the zombie death lurking around every corner. The comedy seems most dry and droll when the cast is killing zombies, and there is nothing like deadpan humor in the face of bile- and blood-drooling monsters.

 

The performances are good, with Jesse Eisenberg pitch perfect as the hapless, virginal everyman, Columbus. Woody Harrelson is brilliant, and the proof of his exceptional talents is that he brings the same skill and dedication to this zombie movie that he does to his more serious (if you will) dramatic work. Director Ruben Fleischer, a veteran of late-night television and reality shows (Rob & Big, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”), creates the right tone for practically every scene, seeming to know when the movie should be comic, gross, scary, poignant, or just odd. Screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have created a concept, story, and characters that give the impression of being brand spanking new, while managing to make their influences practically not obvious.

 

Zombieland is a fine zombie movie. It is a distinctive horror comedy with inimitable style. I don’t know why it works, but I love this strange new film feast made from old genre ingredients.

 

7 of 10

A-

 

Saturday, March 27, 2010 

 

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Review: "Shaun of the Dead" is a Great Zombie Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 248 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux on Patreon

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK

Running time: 99 minutes (1 hour, 39 minutes)

MPAA – R for zombie violence/gore and language

DIRECTOR: Edgar Wright

WRITERS: Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright

PRODUCER: Nira Park

CINEMATOGRAPHER: David M. Dunlap

EDITOR: Chris Dickens

COMEDY/HORROR/THRILLER

Starring: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Nicola Cunningham, Penelope Wilton, Peter Serafinowicz, Jessica Stevenson, and Bill Nighy

Shaun’s (Simon Pegg) life is moribund, and he’d rather spend time with his best friend, Ed (Nick Frost), much to his girlfriend Liz’s (Kate Ashfield) chagrin. Tired of his lack of motivation and lameness in the romance department, Liz dumps Shaun. Shaun’s desperate to win back Liz and to reconcile his relationship with his mother Barbara (Penelope Wilton), so he’s initially ignorant of the fact that the recently dead have suddenly returned to life. However, when his community seems to fall apart, Shaun not only tries to win back his girlfriend, he also tries to save his pals from the dead who have come back to eat the living.

Shaun of the Dead is one of the best zombie movies I’ve ever seen, and it’s also a damn fine comedy. That might be difficult for some people to reconcile, but Shaun of the Dead is exceptionally hilarious, and it’s certainly a goose-flesh raising horror thriller. Anyone who likes zombie movies will surely like this, and it’s hard not to be stunned by how funny this movie is considering its subject matter. Imagine something akin to a Monty Python zombie movie.

Co-writer Edgar Wright’s directorial effort is a superb melding of dark comedy and convincing horror thrills, and his script, co-written by star Simon Pegg, breathlessly and shamelessly borrows from a host of genre films, mostly horror, in particular the gold standards of zombie films, Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dawn of the Dead (1978). The script and resultant film are brilliant renditions of those two horror classics, but with move overt comedy. Shaun of the Dead is film heaven for the smart horror movie fan.

9 of 10

A+

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The Flesh Eaters of Lucio Fulci's "Zombie" Still Scary

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 168 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux


Zombi 2 (1979)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Italy
Zombie (1980) – U.S. release
Running time: 91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)
MPAA – R for horror violence/gore and nudity
DIRECTOR: Lucio Fulci
WRITER: Elisa Briganti (Dardano Sacchetti, uncredited)
PRODUCERS: Fabrizio De Angelis and Ugo Tucci
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Sergio Salvati
EDITOR: Vincenzo Tomassi

HORROR

Starring: Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson, Al Cliver, Auretta Gay, Stefania D’Amario, Olga Karlatos, Ugo Bologna, and Dakkar

The Italian film, Zombi 2, was made to capitalize on George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978), which was titled Zombi for its Italian release. The filmmakers tried to make Zombi 2 kind of a sequel to Romero’s DOTD, which is apparently why Zombi 2’s opening and closing scenes are set in New York City.

A flesh hungry ghoul murders a New York harbor patrolman aboard an abandoned yacht. Anne (Tisa Farrow), the daughter of the yacht’s missing owner, teams up (reluctantly, at first) with newspaper reporter, Peter West (Ian McCulloch), for a private investigation into Anne’s father’s whereabouts. They eventually travel to a small Caribbean island where the dead apparently refuse to stay dead, and join up with a vacationing couple for the trip to the island.

Dr. David Menard (Richard Johnson), who runs an island hospital out of an abandoned church, is allegedly trying to find a scientific cause for why the dead walk. His wife believes Dr. Menard’s experiments are the cause for the walking dead. The natives (whom we never see) apparently believe that the zombies are the result of a voodoo curse wrought by an unseen voodoo priest somewhere in the island’s interior. Either way, Anne, Peter, and a couple who helps them get to the island must fight the ever-increasing number of blood thirsty zombies if they are to survive the zombies.

Zombie (its American release title) is a creepy and chilling (especially at the end) old-fashioned zombie movie that is as good as anything outside Romero’s original trilogy. It features some of the best zombie makeup I’ve ever seen, and these zombies, made up to look as if they were way into a state of decay, or probably the scariest looking zombies you’ll see on screen. The film’s problems, however, are major. The characters are ciphers; we don’t know much about them or get to know them, and it’s hard to sympathize with them beyond hoping that they don’t become zombie snacks. The plot is simple, but the script is a clumsy attempt to get from one scary scene to the next. Still, I recommend this to fans of zombie movies and horror films in general because the creature makeup and costumes make these zombies convincing ghouls and this film an effective fright flick.

5 of 10
B-