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I'm in! I did my own challenge last year and got to 25 films. I was planning on trying to go for 25 again, but considering that there are three different pro-wrestling tournaments going on through October, I'll play it safe and shoot for 20 films.(though hopefully I can go over) I don't have a set list, so I'll just be winging it!
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Sep 25, 2020 21:40
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 1.) Night of the Living Dead George Romero | 1968 | Criterion Collection blu-ray Rewatch An absolute classic. I don’t know if I have anything to say that hasn’t been said before, especially the Vietnam War comparisons, but this movie’s fantastic. The zombies are nice and creepy and being filmed in black and white makes the film feel even creepier and nightmarish. The film is also incredibly brutal, especially the ending which proves that the most dangerous monster is the police. I also need to point out the excellent acting, specifically Duane Jones and Judith O’Dea as Ben and Barbra respectively. I know there’s some criticism of Barbra’s character but I think it works because the main characters are just regular people placed in an impossible situation. Also, the Criterion blu-ray looks amazing and is leaps and bounds above the Google Video version I watched years ago.  5/5 2.) Dawn of the Dead George Romero | 1978 | YouTube Rewatch I love, love, love this movie. It’s not just scary, but also funny and sad as well. The setting is interesting and allows the film to critique capitalism and consumerism. It’s funny how the shows how miserable they are living in the mall and how all of the fancy stuff they have is making them unhappy, but when they have to possibly let an army of bikers loot the mall as a way to avoid conflict it immediately goes to poo poo because one of the protagonists decides “Those fuckers! Our poo poo!” The acting here is also excellent, particularly Ken Foree as Peter. I also like how unlike Night of… the protagonists come together and form an almost family. There are also little touches that I enjoyed such as Francine helping a zombie nun get unstuck from a door, the cop asking the protagonists for cigarettes and getting turned down only for them to light up seconds later, and (I might be misreading here) the little nods to Night of… such as the hunting parties at the beginning (complete with volunteers offering coffee) and how the camera zooms in on the stuffed animal heads similarly to the ones in the farmhouse. Just an absolute masterpiece. 5/5 3.) Zombi 2/Zombie/Zombie Flesh Eaters Lucio Fulci | 1979 | Shudder My first new watch of the season. As a pseudo-sequel to Dawn of the Dead (whether intentional or not according to Wikipedia) I can’t help but compare this to Dawn which I prefer. However, this is still an entertaining as hell movie with zombies that are extremely gross and creepy. The soundtrack is killer and a lot of kills are extremely cool. And let’s not forget the zombie/shark fight! The only downside is that I found some of the dialogue, particularly the English dubbing, to be hard to make out and the Shudder version didn’t have subtitles. Still, a really fun movie and I recommend it to zombie fans. Sorry I don’t have much more to say, but it's great. 4.5/5 4.) Day of the Dead George Romero | 1985 | Kanopy Rewatch I love this movie and it’s tough to decide whether I like it more than Dawn. An excellent cast, particularly Lori Cardille, Joe Pilato, and Richard Liberty as Sarah, Rhodes, and Logan respectively. Sarah in particular is a well-fleshed character who is simultaneously strong, intelligent, and absolutely terrified. Logan is charming as hell even if he is a murderer and Rhodes is a perfect rear end in a top hat. And Bub! Who can forget Bub? I loved how Bub undoes his chain and you think he’s going to infect the base but instead he enthusiastically runs to Logan to get his reward and is distraught at finding his body. One other thing I found interesting (unless I missed something) is that nobody turns into a zombie in the film. Considering that the film shows the world completely overrun with zombies, it’s as if it’s saying “Why bother? They won and don’t need any other mouths to feed.” The ending serves as a perfect capstone to the Dead series, though others came after, which I’m looking forward to watching. 5/55.) Return of the Living Dead Dan O’Bannon | 1985 | Digital rental Rewatch This has become my Halloween movie tradition as this is the third year in a row that I’ve watched this movie for October/Halloween. This film’s an absolute blast with a lot of great gore and humor. Much like how Night of the Living Dead rejected a lot of the previous rules about zombies, Return of… does the same with Romero’s oeuvre, leading to intelligent, indestructible zombies. There are plenty of little details I love like Freddy’s “gently caress You” letterman jacket, and the zombies are gross and creepy, specifically the “Tarman” whose design I love. Just an absolute blast and I look forward to rewatching it next year. 5/5Total: 5/20 New: 1 Rewatches: 4 My Letterboxd list (in progress) Greekonomics fucked around with this message at 23:08 on Oct 5, 2020 |
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Oct 5, 2020 22:27
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 6.) Return of the Living Dead Part II Ken Wiederhorn | 1988 | Digital rental Rewatch I’m not quite sure if this is supposed to be a sequel or an alternate retelling of the first movie. Four cast members from the first film return (James Karen, Thom Mathews, Jonathan Terry, and Allen Trautman), but only Terry and Trautman reprise their roles from the first film as Col. Glover and the Tarman respectively. Part II is a horror-comedy like the first, though with Part II the emphasis is on the comedy as the punk rock aesthetic and nudity are completely gone. Weirdly enough, and this is a dumb take so take it with a whole lot of salt, but this reminds me a lot of Monster Squad in that it’s like a kid’s movie that not all that appropriate for kids. There’s even some corny jokes thrown around “Let’s go get a bite to eat.” Overall, I did like the movie. The zombies looked cool, even though I miss the old Tarman design and I did laugh at some of the jokes “OK OK you win! No more brains…for now… I appreciated some of the cast returning, especially Karen and Mathews who play similar, yet different characters (though they’re still shitheads) but I do wish that they had gotten some sort of comeuppance considering all poo poo they do in both movies (Brenda got done dirty). I know that future entries in the series do away with the humor which is a shame because it’s what I love about this movie and its predecessor. 4/5 7.)Night of the Living Dead Tom Savini | 1990 | Showtime Anytime This is a very well-produced, well-acted movie that I honestly really didn’t enjoy that much. This is a remake that tries to be faithful to the original, but when both versions are compared, I find this version lacking. I can understand wanting to do right by Barbra, and I think Patricia Tallman does a terrific job, but comes at the expense of Ben. There are some changes that I liked (the fakeout at the cemetery) some that I thought were bad (Tom thinking it’s a good idea to shoot the gas pump) and some that pissed me off (I hate that Ben turns at the end.) Overall, it’s a movie that clearly had a lot of love and respect put into, and considering that Tom Savini directed it, is surprisingly restrained. I wouldn’t say it’s a bad movie, but it really didn’t do much for me. Maybe if I hadn’t seen it so close to the original I’d like it better. 3/5 8.) Return of the Living Dead 3 Brian Yuzna | 1993 | Prime Video So, this was a pleasant surprise. I still prefer the first two ROTLDs but I was expecting a lot worse. The film brings back the punk rock aesthetic from the first but replaces the comedy with a doomed romance. I know it’s probably been done before and since (probably better too) but I really liked the aspect of characters fighting to keep or regain their humanity. I also really liked the zombie designs and found them nice and creepy. I still like the first two better, because of the comedy, but this was pretty solid. 3.5/5 9.) Dawn of the Dead Zack Snyder | 2004 | Peacock Another pleasant surprise. I don’t feel like it can hold a candle to the original but I had fun watching it, maybe because it doesn’t try to closely follow the original in the same way NOTLD ’90 did. While it does have its flaws (the protagonists just kind of show up at the mall and there are more survivors than in the original so they don’t get as much development) I still had fun. The Ken/Andy relationship was kinda cute and I did like the evolution of CJ over the course of the film (I still can’t believe it’s the same actor as the guy from House of Cards!) 4/5 10.) Land of the Dead George Romero | 2005 | Starz I really liked this film. Romero uses the zombie apocalypse to not only comment on class conflict but also the War on Terror and the Iraq War. The film does a great of not only showing a dystopian city-state where the rich live in luxury and everyone else can go gently caress off ( Charlie, one of the protagonists who has an intellectual disability and has severe burns on his face, is constantly affirming how he is because of a throwaway line about how he was nearly put do death for his disability) but also of a zombie community who just wants to be left alone and yet has to deal with humans invading and terrorizing them. The film doesn’t quite hit the highs of Dawn/Day for me but it’s still an excellent film. 4.5/5Total: 10/20 New: 5 Rewatches: 5 My Letterboxd list (in progress)
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Oct 13, 2020 00:43
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 11.) Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis Ellory Elkayem | 2005 | Tubi I don’t know who said that the Return of the Living Dead series stops being a comedy after Part II, but whoever it was was dead wrong because both Necropolis and Rave to the Grave are both goofy as hell. They’re both bad but in an entertaining way. Weirdly enough, Necropolis calls back to the previous three movies in the series, such as with the original ( punk zombies and the return of the “Send more____” gag), Part II ( teen & child protagonists), and 3 (armored zombies intended to be used by the military). It’s a bad movie but entertainingly so. 2/5 (but like a good 2/5) 12.) Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave Ellory Elkayem | 2005 | Digital rental Even dumber than Necropolis, Rave to the Grave is the final film in the series and was filmed almost immediately after Necropolis. Much like with Part II, I’m not quite sure if this was intended to be a direct sequel or an alternate version to Necropolis. It’s also stupid fun, emphasis on stupid. I was glad to see the return of Allen Trautman as the Tarman. Overall, I really enjoyed watching the whole franchise and I’m thankful for the thread for giving me the motivation to do so. 1/5 (in a good way though) 13.) Westworld Michael Crichton | 1973 | Digital rental So this year (I think) my local movie theater decided to show classic westerns on the second Wednesday of the month. In keeping with that I decided to find a western(ish) film appropriate for the challenge. I really liked this movie, but I really wished it kind of dug a little deeper with its themes. Crichton has said that the theme for the film is corporate greed, but the film doesn’t really follow up on that. And it would’ve been interesting to explore the how and why of the “malfunctioning” of the robots, whose purpose consists of being constantly killed and/or hosed by rich rear end in a top hat guests who pay $1,000 a night ($5,862.16 today) for that privilege. (One sign of malfunctioning is when a medieval maiden robot rebukes the advances of a creepy, lecherous guest) That being said I really enjoyed the film. The setting is really cool, and Yul Brynner does a fantastic job playing off his classic role in The Magnificent Seven as the Gunslinger. (fun fact: Arnold Schwarzenegger took inspiration from Brynner for his portrayal of the T-800 in Terminator). 4/5 14.) Diary of the Dead George Romero | 2007 | Digital rental A reboot of Romero’s Dead series, Diary looks at the beginning of the zombie plague from the perspective of a group of film students and their adviser. I’m kind of a horror newcomer, so I haven’t seen similar films such as Blair Witch Project or [REC] so I don’t know how it stacks up but I really dug this film. I found it interesting that the film brings back the “the act of dying turns you into a zombie” rule from Night of the Living Dead that Dawn, Day, and Land of the Dead pretty much did away with. While the film does take shots at one of the protagonists for constantly filming everything, even at the worst possible moments, the film does portray the idea of “new media” positively and how it fits in with the idea of people needing to come together in the face of institutions failing and falling apart such as the group of African-American “looters” who take the students in, shelter them, and give them internet access and supplies vs. the National Guardsmen who ambush and rob them almost immediately afterwards. or how most of information comes from what other eyewitnesses are uploading to the internet. Overall, I enjoyed the film but not as much as Romero’s previous Dead films. 4/5 15.) Day of the Dead Steve Miner | 2008 | Tubi Night of the Living Dead (1990) didn’t really work for me because while it was faithful to the original, the changes it did make made the remake worse. Conversely, Dawn of the Dead (2004), I felt, was a stronger movie because other than the setting, the film didn’t try to too closely follow the original, giving it a little more freedom and making it a better film (though not as good as the original). Day of the Dead (2008) goes way to far in that regard because other than some character names and a subplot (Bu 1/5 (in a bad way) 16.) Survival of the Dead George Romero | 2009 | Tubi George Romero’s final film and unfortunately it’s kind of a week one. A direct sequel to Diary, the film follows the rear end in a top hat National Guardsmen who get drafted to help solve a feud between two Irish-American clans and reclaim an island in Delaware ala Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven/A Bug’s Life. The story’s kind of weak and is retreading old ground already covered (much better too) in the original Day of the Dead in that the point of contention between the two families is whether to kill zombies or rehabilitate them. However, the method of rehabilitation in Survival (getting zombies to eat things other than humans) feels like a worse idea than the one in Day considering now zombies have a taste for people AND animals. The film also tries to equivocate the two positions even though the audience is going to side with “kill the zombies”. Overall, I didn’t hate the film and I did enjoy the performances, specifically Kenneth Walsh (who you might remember as Windom Earle from Twin Peaks) as Patrick, the patriarch of the O’Flynn clan. 3/5Again, I’m really glad this thread gave me the opportunity to go through the Dead series. Survival is probably the weakest, but it’s tough to decide whether Dawn or Day is my favorite. (It’s kind of like Rubber Soul vs. Revolver is for Beatles fans).  17.) Day of the Dead: Bloodline Hèctor Hernández Vicens | 2018 | Netflix I hated this movie. I hated the characters and I hated the story. It’s technically more faithful to the original than Day of the Dead (2008) but some of the callbacks to the original are just bad, specifically how they make the Bub pastiche a rapist. In terms of positives, I thought the bunker setting looked cool, and I did like the positive ending (a possible throwback to the scrapped ending to the original Day of the Dead. Other than that I thought this movie was really bad. 1/5Total: 17/20 New: 12 Rewatches: 5 My Letterboxd list (in progress)
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Oct 21, 2020 01:12
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Debbie Does Dagon posted:It's nice to finally meet someone else who liked those movies, or at least doesn't mind them. I'll have to check out Return 4 and 5 and see if they're as fun as you say Thanks! Diary and Survival are, at the very least, interesting films and I kinda hope we see someone else continue that series. As for Return 4 & 5, take those reccs with a grain of salt because I went into them under the impression that the franchise had abandoned humor and I was pleasantly surprised that they hadn't.
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Oct 21, 2020 20:22
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Franchescanado posted:Fran Challenge #1: Horror Noire  18.) Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror Xavier Burgin | 2019 | Shudder I thought that this was a really well-done and interesting documentary. If you’re already a horror expert this may not be that enlightening, but for me it was really fascinating, though I do wish they dug a little deeper (Tony Todd talks about the impact Ben from Night of the Living Dead had on him, but Todd doesn’t mention that he got to play Ben in 1990 remake) but that’s just me nitpicking. I can also understand the criticism that there was too much of a focus on Get Out, but the film serves the same role in the documentary that Nirvana’s Nevermind does in the book Our Band Could Be Your Life where its status as a “game changer” is used to show how we got to that point and who laid paved the road for that work to be made. The interviewees are fantastic as well, and it’s great to hear about the impact these roles, actors, and films had on them. Also, the next time I watch Return of the Living Dead, I’ll be sure to keep my eye on Miguel Núñez’s face during the graveyard dance scene. 5/5 19.) Come to Daddy Ant Timpson | 2019 | Prime Video This is definitely one of those films where the less you know going into it, the better. Elijah Wood’s performance is great as a cowardly little weirdo. My one pseudo-complaint is that the film takes a little while to get going, but when it does it really gets going. However, I’m not sure if the film would’ve been as good if it didn’t take that much time. Super fun and I highly recommend it. Also I learned who Michael Heseltine is, so that’s something! 4.5/5Franchescanado posted:Fran Challenge #7: Dearly Departed  20.)From Beyond Stuart Gordon | 1986 | Shudder RIP Stuart Gordon The original Re-Animator is one of my favorite movies because of the acting, humor, and atmosphere. I’ve always heard that From Beyond is like a sister film to Re-Animator and now that it’s on Shudder I finally got the opportunity, and boy does it deliver! From Beyond is an amazing film. It keeps some of the same actors from Re-Animator like Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton, though in different roles. It’s fun to see Combs play someone who isn’t a complete rear end in a top hat minus the whole “sucking people’s brains out through their eye socket” thing and Crampton shines as the protagonist though like Re-Animator she does felt up by a creepy old man-monster. Ken Foree is great as well, having to be essentially be the straight man, and Ted Sorel is great as the creepy, and gooey, villain Dr. Pretorius. I also like how the film has this weird pink glow throughout. Overall, this movie exceeded my expectations and makes we want to rewatch Re-Animator again. 5/5 21.) Scooby Doo on Zombie Island Jim Stenstrum | 1998 | Netflix Rewatch I’m rewatching this because it’s the What-A-Cartoon podcast’s movie of the month for October. This is the film that apparently revitalized the Scooby Doo franchise and marks the first time the monsters are real (even though it isn’t). It has some great animation and voicework but overall it’s kinda just ok. After the whole “zombies are real” novelty wears off, it really doesn’t do anything for me and while the whole plot twist is neat, aspects of it (cat people) come out of nowhere. It’s not a bad film, but it doesn’t do much for me, but I do appreciate the lovingly drawn food. 3/5 22.) Fright Night Tom Holland | 1985 | Prime Video Let me start off by pointing what pointing out what everyone has already said: the main character is a wiener. That being said, the supporting cast more than makes up for it, especially Roddy McDowell and Chris Sarandon. The film has a great premise and it’s a really fun and funny movie. The acting (yes, even the wiener) and special effects are fantastic. Just a lot of fun and I’m glad to finally see it. 4.5/5 23.) Fright Night Part 2 Tommy Lee Wallace | 1988 | YouTube Maybe it’s because I watched this immediately after the first movie, but this is a well-done sequel. Unfortunately, some of the great supporting cast from the first film are gone but the new antagonists make up for it, the special effects are still cool, and there are a bunch of funny moments. And let’s not forget McDowell who still rules. Overall, a fun and very worthy sequel. The main character’s still a wiener, but he’s got a rocking mullet this time! 4/5Total: 23/20  CHALLENGE COMPLETED (I’m probably going to watch a few more films)New: 17 Rewatches: 6 Fran Challenges: 1. Horror Noire (Horror Noire) 7. Dearly Departed (From Beyond) My Letterboxd list (in progress)
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Oct 27, 2020 01:01
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 24.) The Frighteners Peter Jackson | 1996 | HBO Max I’ve been meaning to see this movie for a while because I’ve enjoyed Peter Jackson’s early work (I still need to watch Heavenly Creatures and the LOTR Trilogy at some point) and I thought The Frighteners was a fun little movie but it’s not as gross-out fun as Bad Taste or Braindead. The computer effects naturally haven’t aged the best, but I do really like the Looney Tunes-style slapstick of the ghosts and I do dig the Grim Reaper animation. The shot near the end of the portal to heaven morphing into the portal to hell which is then revealed to be the inside of a giant hellworm was also pretty cool. I really dug the performances too. Michael J. Fox and Trini Alavarado are great and, though their appearances are a little too brief, the ghostly sidekicks (Chi McBride, John Astin, and Jim Fyfe) are cool as well. And as always Jeffrey Combs (who I didn’t know was in the film and was a neat surprise) provides a great performance. I did see a review that mentioned that there really weren’t any rules pertaining to being a ghost, which I do agree with though it isn’t a dealbreaker. Overall, I still prefer Jackson’s previous horror comedies and Ghostbusters, but this was still a fun film. 4/5Total: 24/20 New: 18 Rewatches: 6 Fran Challenges: 1. Horror Noire (Horror Noire) 7. Dearly Departed (From Beyond) My Letterboxd list (in progress)
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Oct 27, 2020 23:19
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Franchescanado posted:If there is anyone else that hasn't seen the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre participating in this thread, please take the time to watch it. No one will mock you for having missed it, and it's basically The Essential Horror Film. Franchescanado posted:Fran Challenge #6: Tomb of the Blind Spots  25.) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Tobe Hooper | 1974 | Shudder Last night would have been the night when my local theater would have done their monthly classic movie night so what better opportunity to watch one of the many classic horror films that I haven’t seen yet? One thing off the bat that surprised me was, given its reputation, it’s not as bloody as I thought it would be. I’m not complaining though! This is a brilliant, chilling, and scary movie. It’s just super brutal almost from the word go, and it creates this terrifying and unnerving atmosphere. The performances are great too, Marilyn Burns is terrific and Gunner Hansen is amazing as Leatherface. Weirdly enough, I always used to associate chainsaws with Jason Voorhees though that’s probably because of parodies I watched as a kid. Overall a really amazing film that was probably the scariest movie I’ve seen this year. Dope as hell and I’m glad I finally got to see it. Thanks thread  5/5Total: 25/20 New: 19 Rewatches: 6 Fran Challenges (not in order): 1. Horror Noire (Horror Noire) 6. Tomb of the Blind Spots (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) 7. Dearly Departed (From Beyond) My Letterboxd list (in progress) Greekonomics fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Oct 29, 2020 |
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Oct 29, 2020 00:00
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Basebf555 posted:Splatterhouse was a popular video game at the time that combined the hockey mask and the chainsaw, so I assume that's why a lot of people grew up with that association. Also, just speaking for myself, my family used to go on these Halloween hay rides where guys would dress up and jump out at you to scare you and there was always a guy there wearing a hockey mask and carrying a chainsaw. Yeah, Splatterhouse was definitely one example. There's also the "Cape Feare" episode of Simpsons and that Tiny Toons summer vacation special that had the creepy hitchhiker. I guess a Jason/Leatherface combo works better as a shorthand for "slasher villain" than a combo of either with Freddy Krueger.
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Oct 29, 2020 00:29
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Franchescanado posted:Fran Challenge #11: Öskur heyrðust um allan heim  26.) Evil (Το Κακό) Yorgos Noussias | 2005 | Digital copy (Greek with English subtitles) (Despite my username, I can’t read or speak Greek other than a handful of words or phrases) In Athens, a group of construction workers climb into a mysterious cave and are attacked by an unseen force. They are returned outside with no memory of the attack or how they got out. Those workers then turn into mindless flesh-eating zombie-like creatures who proceed to attack and infect everyone, turning almost everyone in Athens, possibly the rest of Greece, into monsters as well. The film follows a ragtag group of survivors trying to survive. I put this on last night in honor of Oxi Day, just because it’s known as “Greece’s first zombie film” (I can’t confirm or deny) The novelty alone was enough to get me to watch, but I was pleasantly surprised. There really isn’t much of a story, the “unseen force” I mentioned above is never addressed (that’s what the sequel is for I guess) and it’s basically an excuse for more opportunities for kills. The film kind of feels like the filmmakers wanted to throw in whatever they thought would be cool, as if they were never going to get the chance to make another one, which is not a complaint. There’s a lot of cool gore and kills, and there’s an extended section at a restaurant which is just one long fight scene with one of the protgonists showing off her (oddly slow) kung-fu skills. The film also has some interesting editing decisions such as split screen and some weird, almost heartbeat-like flashes of zombies interspersed into scenes. (I’ve never seen it so I can’t confirm, but some reviews I’ve read compare it to Run Lola Run) Sometimes these work, sometimes they don’t. It’s not quite a horror-comedy but there’s plenty of darkly funny jokes. For example, Argyris (a lecherous cab driver who serves as the movie’s comic relief) upon hearing a radio broadcast announcing martial law jokes, “Like in ’67! Finally some order!” One thing that’s kind of bugs me about Evil is that it can’t quite decide if the infected are actual zombies or infected humans. Sometimes they’re super strong, other times they’re fragile enough that a person could punch right through their chests. Additionally, for those who’ve seen the final two Return of the Living Dead movies, the infected in Evil also don’t require headshots and can be shot wherever and it will still kill them. Overall, I knew practically nothing about the movie going in and I enjoyed it. There’s not much to it but it’s a fun flick. Like I mentioned above, there’s also a sequel and I tried to watch it after, but my internet died on me a third of the way through.  3.5/5Total: 26/20 New: 20 Rewatches: 6 Fran Challenges (not in order): 1. Horror Noire (Horror Noire) 6. Tomb of the Blind Spots (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) 7. Dearly Departed (From Beyond) 11. Öskur heyrðust um allan heim (Evil) My Letterboxd list (in progress) Greekonomics fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Oct 29, 2020 |
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Oct 29, 2020 22:41
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 27.) Evil: In the Time of Heroes Yorgos Noussias | 2009 | Kanopy The sequel to Evil (2005). It picks up immediately after the first one left off, and it somewhat follows the plot of the first film: a malevolent force turns people in Greece into zombie-like creatures and a group of uninfected have to fight their way through Athens to survive. However, we also get flashbacks to Ancient Athens, when the evil force first began turning people into zombies and the Ancient Greeks who had to fight them off. I said in my writeup for Evil that it felt like the filmmakers wanted to put everything into it, in case they never made another film. The same is true for this one as well, because on top of a regular zombie film, there’s also Ancient Greek warriors and a storyline involving a prophesied hero returning. In the first film, the mysterious force only served as a way to get the zombie apocalypse started. Here, it is finally addressed, albeit vaguely. This film overall has more polish than its predecessor, with computer effects and a big American movie star (Billy Zane!) but honestly I found it to be much weaker. The Run Lola Run-inspired techniques from the first film are unfortunately gone. the computer effects look awful, but there are some cool practical effects. The film also tries to juggle the dual storylines but does a poor job of it. I can’t hate on it too much. The premise is interesting and there are some funny moments. Also, it was really interesting to see (though I’m sure other zombie films have done it before or since) the infected get cured and become human again. Overall, I respect the ambition more than the end result. 3/5Total: 27/20 New: 21 Rewatches: 6 Fran Challenges (not in order): 1. Horror Noire (Horror Noire) 6. Tomb of the Blind Spots (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) 7. Dearly Departed (From Beyond) 11. Öskur heyrðust um allan heim (Evil) My Letterboxd list (in progress)
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Oct 31, 2020 00:52
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I think I’m going to tap out now. I’ve met (and exceeded) my goal and I got to take part in a few Fran Challenges. I just want to thank everyone in the thread for giving me the opportunity to explore a genre I don’t normally watch that much. I had a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed reading all your write ups. I look forward to next years challenge! Final Total: 27/20 New: 21 Rewatches: 6 Fran Challenges (not in order): 1. Horror Noire (Horror Noire) 6. Tomb of the Blind Spots (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) 7. Dearly Departed (From Beyond) 11. Öskur heyrðust um allan heim (Evil) My Letterboxd list (complete)
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Oct 31, 2020 22:39
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