Review & Event: Juan of the Dead at The Wilmette Theater

I know it's been two weeks, but I might as well get around to posting my final two reviews from Chicago Fear Fest. One of the primary reasons that I went to the festival was to see Alejandro Brugues' Juan of the Dead. This independent flick has been devouring awards like outstretched limbs at recent festivals, and I couldn't wait to see what all the hub bub was about.

The film centers around the plight of Juan (Alexis Diaz de Villegas) and his portly, degenerate friend, Lazaro (Jorge Molina). Usually heroes are likeable, white toothed super men. They get all the woman and are the envy of all the men...but not Juan and Lazaro. Their bumbling idiocy, their blatant selfishness, and their inability to employ provident thought to any situation, are all some of the main reasons that this film is both unique and enduring. These aren't unrealistic super people surviving the zombie apocalypse; these are kind of scummy, realistic people surviving the zombie apocalypse.

Juan and Lazaro are certainly the central figures of the flick, and their crude banter is one of the main reasons to watch, but the supporting cast is loveable, dynamic, and brings a lot to the table--both in terms of zombie killing and comedy. Juan's daughter, Camila (Andrea Duro), is realistic and pretty. She brings a little drama and heart to a film that is otherwise pretty saturated with dick jokes and crime. Lazaro's son, Vladi (Andros Perugorria), is the eye candy you're missing in Juan and Lazaro. Some of my favorite characters in the film, however, were La China (Jazz Villa) and El Primo (Eliecer Ramirez). This couple consists of a particularly sassy drag queen/car radio thief and her enormous blood-shy boyfriend. La China's banter with Juan and Lazaro definitely adds to the comedy here, as does El Primo's tendency to faint every time he sees blood--not a great deficiency to have during the zombie apocalypse.

My only complaint about the film at all would be that the translation seems a little off. At times it is clear that a native Spanish speaker with a better understanding of Cuban history than I possess (Merci for that, three years of high school French) would find some of the jokes funnier and clearer. Because we're not watching a story about Cuban upper crust citizens here, the jokes are very colloquial and clearly contain many idioms. Unfortunately, at times these do get, pardon the cliche, lost in translation. Other than that, I have no complaints, but the movie is quite vulgar, especially sexually, so those with a reduced tolerance for the dirty joke might want to stay away.

Overall, the film will have you laughing and it may even tug at the heartstrings for a moment or two. There are absolutely some strong zombie effects here, and the story moves at an engaging pace. In other words, there isn't a "good time" to go grab some more popcorn from the concession stand.

Wondering when you'll be able to catch this gem on the big screen again? How about NOW!? The good folks over at The Wilmette Theater, one of my past employment stomping grounds, will be showing Juan of the Dead in a one week run between April 27th and May 3rd. The theater manager is a huge horror geek, and he is really excited to be premiering the film in its first American theatrical release. For tickets, check out the website. Showtimes are listed on the left. And don't procrastinate! The film won't be there next weekend!

Events: C2E2 at McCormick Place

Okay...so after much stress and after a few new guest announcements...I guess I'm going to C2E2 as well this weekend. C2E2, the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, will be at McCormick place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this coming weekend. It will feature zombie-rific guests such as Steven Yeun and Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead), Chris Hardwick (Talking Dead), and Tony Moore (Walking Dead issues 1-6). Also, for those interested in running around and fighting zombies, Humans vs. Zombies will be hosting events throughout the weekend.

Check out the whole line up here, as there are many non-zombie related guests that will also likely grab your attention. The event is in the North Building at McCormick Place, and free shuttles are available from downtown to the convention center. It doesn't get much more convenient than that.

Event: Chicago Fear Fest LAST CALL

Time is running out to buy your tickets for Chicago's Fear Fest, an awesome horror film festival. I'm about to buy my tickets, and I just spent the last hour watching previews, planning my schedule and getting all around psyched! I'm even skipping C2E2 and Chris Hardwick, the zombie nerdist, to check out the flicks at Fear Fest. You should join me!

Buy your tickets here! Check out my (very overly organized) schedule below, and check out my reviews over the weekend!

News & Events: Chicago's Zombie Prom Announces 2012 Date

UPDATE! THE DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED!

I was wondering when we'd be seeing this event return in 2012, and here it is! Chicago's zombie prom, brought to you be Zombie Army Productions, will be having it's annual undead prom night on Friday, June 29th from 9pm until 4am. I was about to suggest that any party with an end time is not a party I want to attend, but at 28 years old, I'd say that 4am might as well be a question mark for me. lol.

The "prom" is really a dance party in which those zombie fans over the age of 21 dress up in zombie makeup and typical prom night clothing for a night of drinks and shambling/dancing around the dance floor. Bring your ravenous, rotting corpse of a date to Vision Nightclub on the 29th to celebrate your graduation...from the land of the living, but be careful your date doesn't try to take advantage of you afterwards. And by take advantage, I mean eat your brains.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. For more information, visit their facebook page. For some reason, their website wasn't working at the time of this posting.

Wanna check out the fun before you make your purchase? Check out this short video from last year's prom.

Event: Chicago's 5th Annual Zombie March Announced

We all knew it was going to happen, but now Chicago's 2012 zombie march has an official date. Mark your calendars; on June 16th, Chicago zombie fans will take to the streets in full flesh-eating regalia.

If you want to join, the plan is to meet at "The Bean" in Chicago's millennium park at 3pm. From there, the annual zombie march will begin, so come dressed and made up and ready to eat brains! Check out the zombie march Facebook group here or go directly to the event page here, and I will see you on the apocalyptic streets. Now off to think of a good costume idea...

Need inspiration? Not sure what you'd be getting in to? Just want to know why to avoid Grant Park on June 16th? lol. Check out this video of last year's event.

Events: Running Zombies Invade British Cities

I need to move to the UK. This week, the media has been buzzing about the zombie adventure event being held in a British mall, but here's another zombie gem from across the pond. Enter 2.8 Hours Later. What is this event? Think a little bit of Run for Your Lives, a little bit of Z-Day, and a little bit of HvZ...except that it's (seemingly) way more organized than the last two in that list. I've never played HvZ though; maybe it's way more organized than I've been led to believe. Still, it seems to be primarily played on college campuses, effectively keeping away any of us 28 year old children at heart.

Anyway...here's how the game is played. British game designers Slingshot invade a selected UK city and transform specific areas of the city into zombie infected living hells. You pay about 28 pounds (45 bucks), and in return you get to play the game throughout the nocturnal backdrop of the city for 2.8 hours. The goal of your seemingly endless running? To find the "last safe place in the city". In pursuit of that goal, you use your smart phone to navigate, and you also find and interpret clues. Of course, the primary goal is to not get your butt devoured by the living dead, but isn't that just a daily goal?

The only negative is that this isn't a "fighting" game. Unlike with HvZ, your not allowed to bring weapons (despite the picture above from their website). They specifically state that the goal is to outrun the zombies, not kill them. Obviously I understand why you can't have people beating each other out on the streets of an actual city, but it's still a little unfortunate.

I say we flood this site with requests to make the jump to an American market. Chicago 2013! Check out this video if you're wondering what this event might look like...

2.8 Hours Later from SlingShot on Vimeo.

Events: Video Games Come Alive in the UK

How many of you, while playing Left 4 Dead or watching Dawn of the Dead, have ever wanted to walk right into the television and join the fun just like in a bad 80s video? No one? Just me? Oh...well, than maybe this post is a little irrelevant. Carry on with your normal, social Friday night.

What? You're still reading. Well then maybe I'm not alone. If you're anything like me, you'll read this article and immediately start searching the price of plane tickets into Heathrow Airport. Why? Because the UK's Zed Events have introduced their third zombie-themed fantasy event...and it sounds ridiculously awesome.

Fork over $188 in American money, and you will be transported into a scenario the likes of Romero flicks and first person shooters. "The Mall" is the haunted house every adult horror fan has ever dreamed of. For the cost of admission, you and fifteen others are plopped down in an abandoned mall for four hours. You're given airsoft guns, encouraged to locate melee weapons (think the original Dead Rising), and then you are sent into the dark, zombie-filled depths of the abandoned shopping mall. For four hours, you and a very small group fight through missions and zombie gore unlike anything ever seen in real life. And yes, you can shoot, hit, push, etc the "zombies". The only restriction seems to be that they discourage you to take the trademark head shot.

Overall, this sounds so awesome. I think I've heard of Zed Events before (they do a few other Zombie-themed adventures similar to this one), but this one sounds like a "bloody" good time. I know...that was corny. Interested? Who isn't! Check it out here.

Review: The Walking Dead Season #2 Finale at Muvico

Photo property of TWD productions

There's nothing like watching something on the big screen, and this was absolutely a finale that deserved a cinema-style presentation. My husband and I headed to Muvico at 4:30pm this evening to watch the finale of The Walking Dead with 198 other crazy, zombified fans. The free event, hosted by Chicago Horror Society, Flashback Weekend, and Zombie Army, was really a hoot. By 5pm, Bogart's restaurant in the Rosemont Muvico was flooded with the undead. As we waited to be admitted to the theater, my husband and I played The Walking Dead board game in a booth over dinner.

The theater was really comfortable and the sound and picture quality were well worth both the wait and the trip. I have a 60" TV, but it's rear projection and not HD. Even HD on a 60" LCD wouldn't have been anywhere close to this experience. With the surround sound you could hear the wheezing and oozing of a dying Dale's guts. That's right, we ended up watching not only the second to last and last episode, but even the one before that. Muvico was even nice enough to allow us to remain in the theater to watch Talking Dead. The event hosts suggested that they'll try to play the season three premiere at a similar event, and I highly suggest you go. It was a great way to enjoy a really great show, and the audience was enthusiastic without being poorly behaved.

Photo property of TWD productions

As far the episode, it was so awesome. I would have liked it no matter what, let's be honest, but they really delivered with a fast paced, no-nonsense piece of storytelling. From the jump, the story moves at a break-neck pace and people are killed off and abandoned left and right. I found the confusion and panic extremely realistic, especially when they drove off and left Andrea behind. That's exactly what would happen, and I appreciate this show's willingness to not tie everything up in an easy little bow.

Sorry to see Jimmy and Patricia go (I guess that means no prison rebellion? lol.), but they seemed like easy enough characters to kill off. To be honest, I'm glad that they didn't kill off any principal characters; after the last two episodes, they didn't need to. I found it a little convenient that everyone met up on the road, but maybe I missed them discussing that as a contingency plan earlier in the season? Did that happen or have they perfected some sort of group telepathy?

Photo property of TWD productions

My only other complaint would be that Rick went about explaining the whole Shane thing in a totally bass-ackwards way. The way he explained it, it sounded like he had a choice; he made himself sound like the bad guy. The reality was that Shane backed him into a corner and gave him no other choice, but the way he tells the story makes him sound like a tyrannical loose cannon. I have entertained the notion that maybe Rick has convinced himself that killing Shane was a choice and not a requirement because if it was a choice than Rick ultimately had control. It might be a more comfortable scenario for Rick to accept. Still, I think he could have phrased that whole story in a more diplomatic way.

But, let's talk about the most awesome parts of the episode--Michonne showing up and the appearance of the prison. Michonne's appearance was awesome, but to be fair I totally called that it would happen that way after the first or second commercial break. I don't care if it was predictable though; it was also freaking cool. I'm glad that they stuck with the iconic first image of her from the comics, and I'm just glad to see her around. She's such a valuable part of the narrative.

Photo property of TWD productions

And of course, seeing the prison was pretty cathartic for us comic fans. That's where some crazy business is going to go down. Its pan out appearance was very season three finale of Battlestar Galactica (anyone else remember? when it pans out and we see Earth?), and I remember loving that foreshadowing--a sign of things to come. There was also plenty of prison foreshadowing in Rick's speech about finding a place to "start making a life". In the comics, that place is the prison for sure. I loved the line of "we won't make that same mistake again" referring to getting a complacent sense of safety...of course, in the comic they do. Ahh, you guys.

Well, time to reenter my cryogenic freezing chamber until October. I guess I'll pop out to post reviews, events, and news...but other than that it's right back into my carbonite hibernation.

Events: Walking Dead Finale Party

I'll (hopefully) be attending the Chicago Horror Society theatrical screening of the finale at Muvico, but are you thinking of throwing your own party for the Walking Dead season 2 finale this Sunday? If so, the internet has some fun party ideas for you and your attendees.

My personal favorite comes to you from The Huffington Post. They've put together a rather entertaining Walking Dead drinking game. Even if you're not a drinker, the list of things for which "you should drink" is pretty entertaining. Check it out along with their own suggestions for a Walking Dead themed drink here.

Want the glass in the picture? It comes in a pack of four different styles and can be purchased here.

Event: Walking Dead Finale on the Big Screen

If you're over 21 and you live in the Chicagoland area, you may want to head over to the Rosemont Muvico this Sunday night. Why? Because they will be screening the season final of The Walking Dead on the big screen! And it gets better...it's FREE! As in zero dollars and zero cents!

The event is sponsored by Chicago Fear Fest, Flashback Weekend, Zombie Army Productions, Horror Society & Sinister Visions. Look to see plenty of zombie fanatics, zombie makeup, and zombie themed treats, drinks and prizes. It should be a fun and exciting crowd of fans!

The event is first-come, first-serve however, so you'll want to show up as soon as possible. Only 200 seats are available. They will begin distributing wristbands to the first 200 people at 6pm in Bogart's restaurant on the first floor, and prize giveaways and food/drinks will be available between 6pm and 8pm.

Personally, I haven't decided whether I'll be going or not. There's something pretty nice about watching it at home and on DVR. I like the silence of my living room and the ability to pause and rewind, but then again I could always rewatch it later. Seeing it on the big screen with a bunch of fellow fans sounds like an awesome way to spend a Sunday night.

Check out the Facebook invite here.

News: Juan of the Dead hits the Windy City

Chicago's Fear Fest finally has my attention. I'd been flirting with the idea of attending the annual horror film festival in Chicago this year, but now I'll definitely be in attendance. Yesterday the fest announced a very important addition to its lineup...Juan of the Dead. I've been looking forward to this flick for months and months, and it's finally going to be in Chicago! Check out the announcement here.

Chicago's Fear Fest will also be showing a variety of other horror flicks including A Cadaver Christmas which looks like a semi-palatable holiday zomcom. They haven't announced when they'll be screening Juan of the Dead specifically, but the festival runs at Muvico in Rosemont, IL on April 13th and 14th, so it will be one of those nights at least. Check out more information here.

For those who want to see the film in a more chilled out setting, I've just received insider information that Wilmette Theater on the north shore will be taking the lead on the film's Chicago theatrical release. They will be premiering the flick on April 27th, and as a former employee of said establishment, I know that the manager is a huge, geeky horror fan and will certainly dream up something inventive for the premiere. Or at least he will now, since he reads this blog. I'll keep you posted on details.

Don't know about Juan of the Dead? Check out my original post on it here and watch a preview.

News: Guest Announcements for Flashback Weekend

For Chicago horror lovers, Flashback Weekend is often a summer must. This convention has been around for a decade, and it delights in bringing some big names in horror to the Chicagoland area. This year's highlights for zombie lovers will be Ken Foree of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. He also made a brief appearance in the 2004 version (you can check out my post on that here). I've met Mr. Foree during past conventions and can attest that he's a very chill dude. Additionally, and this is their headliner, the great John Carpenter will be present and signing autographs. If I have to list some of his movies for you, you're likely on the wrong blog, but my personal favorite (and I know it's not his best...but still) is Ghosts of Mars. I guess you could sort of say that's an "infected" movie.

There are plenty of other horror and zombie themed guest making an appearance at Flashback this year, so check out the convention's webpage here. Hopefully I'll see you there this summer! The convention will be held at the Crown Plaza in Rosemont on August 10th-12th. I'll post more information as it comes through.

News: Chicago Zombie Pub Crawl Registration is Now Open!

The Chicago Zombie Pub Crawl hits the streets of the windy city on April 28th, 2012. This is the fifth anniversary of the annual event, and with the rise in "zombie awareness" recently, it's likely to be even more jam packed than usual. The crawl will be from 2pm-8pm on that Saturday, and the idea is that you come in your finest zombie attire for a few drinks and a few bites. Andersonville is the place, and the poor, unsuspecting lesbians and hipsters will never know what hit them. So bring your ID and a thirst for the blood of the living!

If you register before March 15th, you will get to take advantage of a better price and some better offers. Before the fifteenth, tickets to the crawl are $20 and include a t-shirt, a glass, access to drink specials, and a few extra surprises! This rate will go up to $25 after March 15th, so get on it. Wondering where the money goes? Aside from the obvious operating fees of the event, The Chicago Zombie Pub Crawl is actually a fundraiser for a local theater company, so if you are a fan of eating the flesh of the living and encouraging the enrichment of arts and culture...come on out!

Click here for more information and to register!

Check out this video on last year's event if you're wondering what it's all about!

News: Mexico Teeming with the Undead

This weekend, Mexico City became the newest record holder of a very auspicious title--World's biggest zombie walk. For those of you who don't know, zombie walks have become fairly common in major cities recently. Basically, they're like a very monotonous and brain-hungry parade in which hundreds or even thousands of people take to the streets in zombie garb. Parade participants present their best shambling and groaning as they confuse, scare and entertain the everyday city-folk.

Mexico City's record breaking walk this weekend boasted a shocking 10,000 participants! So for now, here's to you, Mexico City! 10,000 zombies is a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure, and it'll be interesting to see who rises to meet your impressive new record.

Watch the video below for a real taste of awesomeness. The final shot is pretty hilarious, as I've always imagined that's just what Starbucks looks like on your average Monday morning.