Review: Maggie

http://pubfilm.com/maggie-2015-full-hd-pubfilm-free.html

For Mother's Day, I got to pick our Saturday night viewing, so we shelled out a few bucks to watch the new indie zombie flick Maggie on OnDemand. Overall, the movie was strong. It was original and smart and it had a cohesive feel.

The first thing you notice when you're deciding to watch this movie is that it contains Arnold Schwarzenegger in an unexpected leading role. For a man who has spent his recent years picking up a pay check for somewhat blase action movies and, you know, governing one of the largest states in the country, doing a movie like Maggie seems like an odd choice. The movie has a limited theatrical release and feels like an indie movie at every turn. I was never a big Arnold fan, but I have to respect that he cares enough about the craft of acting to pick up a role like this that promises him nothing in the way of fame or fortune.

That said, I kind of wish he wasn't in it. It isn't that he doesn't do a good job acting--he does. Still, he's just so incredibly recognizable that he takes you out of it every once and a while because you're just like, "hey, that guy was the terminator...oh, right...pay attention to the zombie movie." Other than him, I was pretty impressed with the acting. Abigail Breslin was decent as his daughter who is slowly succumbing to a zombie virus with a 6-8 week incubation period. She looked and felt realistic in her processing of her depressing but inevitable fate. The best performance, however, was from Joely Richardson. I remember Richardson from The Patriot where her most notable achievements, let's be honest, were her wardrobe and her cleavage, but in this she really brings the story to life in a realistic way. Richardson plays Breslin's stepmother who sends her own children away to care for Breslin as the disease becomes more and more advanced. While you don't exactly "like" her character, you absolutely understand her choices. She seems realistic and complex in a very human and honest way.

http://bloody-disgusting.com/videos/3341777/look-zombie-eyes-maggie-clip/

Aside from the acting, one of the major strengths of this film is in the simplicity and tightness of the narrative. At first, some of the scenes seem unnecessary, but the filmmakers have weaved a simple and important story in which all the pieces of the puzzle are very important in the end. And in a genre that's so often about splashing zombie brains across the cement, we rarely get a story that's entirely focused on telling the other side of the story. This story reminds us that zombies are people, and that when they turn, they leave behind mothers and fathers and children who love them and often can't let them go. The movie is slow and is far more drama than anything else, but that's the beauty of it. It shows us 90 minutes of grieving. It takes us though the stages of grief through a few different character perspectives and makes the zombie genre feel real. It reminds us that, as much as we may think it from time to time, we really don't want the zombie apocalypse to be a real thing.

http://screenrant.com/schwarzenegger-maggie-movie-2015-release-date/

The apocalyptic landscape and art direction were spot on in this movie. Receiving marks for originality, this film depicts a world in which the disease affects not only humans but also possibly plant life, which presents additional apocalyptic problems. This aids the futile mood of the movie with shots of barren fields and burning crops. Overall, I just like the film's approach to the zombie infection. We've never seen a zombie virus with an incubation period like this. In some films, the turn is almost immediate, while in others it can take a few hours, but in this film the burn is slow but still inevitable. Bitten people last for 6-8 weeks which means that they are released back home for a sort of undead hospice care, and that's just eerie. Also, I like that, like in films like Contagion, this "apocalypse" is more realistic. The virus hasn't killed everyone. Society still exists, just not well. This is more honest to how devastating diseases like this have happened in human history.

https://mountainx.com/movies/reviews/maggie/

In the negative column, I had a little trouble believing that in a country that detained an Ebola nurse in a tent due to panicked fear of pandemic, the authorities would ever allow bitten people to return home to the care of their families until they were more advanced in the stages of the disease. The more the film went on, the more I bought into this piece of the storytelling, but it was definitely hard to swallow at first.

The writing was usually good, but it had the occasional trite line or conversation. Nothing major, but it could have been a little more original and authentic in some of the conversations. Still, the film thrives in its silences, just like The Dead, so a little bit of hackneyed dialogue or disorienting Arnold-ness does little to break the overall mood and meaning of the film.

Maggie is in theaters now and is also available on OnDemand. It's not really a "must see in theaters" film, not because it isn't really good, but more because it's not cinematically grandiose. It's a small, lovely little film about letting go and accepting the inevitable. It's a good allegory for terminal illness as well as the early days of AIDs, and it says a lot in ninety minutes that you don't typically get from the zombie genre. Find time for this movie.

Review: Dead Snow 2

www.dreadcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Dead-Snow-2-UK-DVD-Sleeve.jpg

So tonight I wanted to watch me some zombie flick, and after looking at what options I had, I decided it would either be Dead Snow 2 or The Dead 2. I was honestly more excited about The Dead 2, but since it wasn't on Netflix, Dead Snow 2 it was.

The flick was a lot like the first installment, filled with pretty big positives and a fair number of negatives, but overall a fun way to spend 90 minutes on a Saturday night. Just like the first film, it's zombie gore at its very best and bloodiest, and the film possesses a tone that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Of course, like most sequels, it's not quite as good as the original. I think the main difference is that it doesn't have the darkness to it that the first film had. The first film was solidly in the black comedy genre, with a number of moments that were truly terrifying or disturbing. The second film tries, but it's really just a straight up comedy, even as the film is killing off children, the elderly, priests, etc.

The killing actually was my major complaint. Maybe I'm just getting old and boring, but I felt like the film was trying too hard to be "edgy" by killing off children in a sandbox, two people in wheelchairs, and two women with their infants in strollers. At first it was kind of funny that they were not holding anything back. A scene early on depicts a young boy being killed in a way that is legitimately both awful and completely hilarious, but from there some of the kills just seem like they're trying way too hard to be "shocking", and it distracts from the film.

http://fantasticfest-site.s3.amazonaws.com/films/40313/dead_snow_2__large.jpg

That said, the gore was visually very strong. For a movie that doesn't have an enormously large budget, they do a good job of being inventive with their gore and also making things look realistic. Like in the first film, most of the characters are bathed in a delightful coat of blood and dirt for the majority of the film which gives the film a strong aesthetic. You can't hate too much on a movie in which a Nazi zombie uses a dead man's intestines to siphon gas out of a tour bus and into a World War 2 era tank. I mean...that's just damn good cinema.

http://crypticrock.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/dead-snow-2-red-vs-dead01.jpg

The acting is probably a little better in this sequel than in the original, but it's hard to compare the two since the sequel is in English and the original has subtitles. I was worried about this decision, but it was fine. Much like the original film, however, the actors were all kind of strangely cast. I feel like many of the characters were too old for the characters they were portraying, and the two female American zombie nerds seemed extremely fake and were honestly pretty annoying. I love Star Wars as much as the next girl, but the one character's constant references to Star Wars seemed out of place, inauthentic, and distracted from the rest of the film. The local gay guy in the film was funny and endearing, but they made too big of a deal about him being gay. Maybe it's a bigger deal to be gay in Norway, but him trying to hide it seems a little silly and played for a film released in 2014.

Other than that though, the writing was probably one of the major strengths of the film. There are some witty moments, and the plot is interesting and original. Most of the characters have entertaining lines and deliver them well. The cinematography, like the original, is also pretty good and enhances the comedy of a lot of the scenes.

http://geekz.444.hu/assets/sites/24/2014/07/dead5.jpg

The ending of the film is a bit rushed, but the final battle is well executed and fulfilling. The very last moments of the film are kind of bizarre, but not horrible, especially considering how poorly most movies seem to end nowadays.

So, should you watch it? Totally. Don't expect to be laughing out loud, but it will give you some genuine chuckles and will keep you engaged for an hour and a half. Go in just expecting a fun little indie movie, and you'll be pleased. Just remember that, like the original, this is film is very loosely defined as a zombie flick. These zombies talk and use weapons. They're more like corporeal ghosts in a lot of ways except that their look is very "zombie", so if you are a zombie purist, I suggest that you stay away.

Speculation: Who are the "Wolves"?

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/03/

In the second half of The Walking Dead's fifth season, we've been seeing a number of ominous signs of a person or group that may be lurking behind the scenes. The main sign is the increasing prevalence of zombies with a "W" carved into their foreheads. Why would someone do this? Is it pure brutality or does it serve a purpose? Is this person/group a threat? From a narrative standpoint, this seems like a pretty obvious "duh". The increasing appearance of these "W" dead seems to be pretty clear foreshadowing of some sort of looming, imminent threat, but what is it? Many speculations have been circulating, so below are a summary of those thoughts and my opinions on them.

Possibility #1: The Wolves are the Whisperers
In the comic, there is a group of survivors who walk the world among the dead wearing the zombie skins as protection and blending in among the walkers. They could be the ones carving the "W" symbol into the dead and could be lurking around unseen, just waiting to make an appearance.

Why this idea makes sense:

http://i.imgur.com/tDP9igV.png

• Whatever the threat is, it seems to be pretty hidden and has gone unnoticed by both the Alexandria community and by the members of Shirewilt (before they were killed). The Whisperers would be easily overlooked since they blend in with the dead that no one thinks to examine any closer.
• Kirkman is notorious for screwing with the audience. No one would be expecting for him to shuffle the deck of upcoming "big bads", so to jump right to a plotline that is still unfolding in the comics would be a great way to keep comic readers on their toes.
• Enid fits this storyline perfectly. In the comics, Carl falls for a young member of the Whisperers who has seemingly defected. We don't know much about Enid's past, but what we do know makes perfect sense with the concept of her being a Whisperer. First, she didn't talk for a month when she first came to the society, a trait that matches up well with the entire philosophy of the Whisperers. Second, her romantic storyline with Carl seems to be following the same line. Furthermore, we have yet to see her kill a zombie, which might indicate that she doesn't view them in the same way that the other survivors do. This is further strengthened by her comment of "It's their world: we're just living in it", which is a very Whisperer-y thing to say. Also, Enid is very good at moving through the landscape undetected, which matches with someone who had lived among the dead for a prolonged period of time. Lastly, she seems pretty terse when mentioning her mother (or her entire back story, really). She doesn't say that her mom is dead, so could her mother be the mysterious Alpha of the Whisperers that made an appearance in the last issue of the comic?

  

  http://www.craveonline.com/tv/reviews/838201-the-walking-dead-5-15-try-recap

• The Whisperers have a legitimate reason to mark Walkers. Since they seem to move within them, marking them to keep their group together and tag the hoards they are moving within would at least make some logistical sense. It's probably the only explanation that matches with any real purpose other than intimidation and brutality. The same goes for collecting torsos. Since the Whisperers wear zombie skin, they would have a reason to collect flesh from the torso and face since it would be the most easily applied to their own flesh for the purposes of concealment.
• If they go the way of Enid being a Whisperer, they could easily replicate the "prisoner trade" that happens in the comics by capturing Daryl, Aaron, or even Morgan, who are all outside of the walls.



http://k32.kn3.net/taringa/C/4/3/D/B/D/terrynova/528.png

• The name "Wolves" makes sense with the Whisperers if you think about the phrase "A wolf in sheep's clothing".

Why it makes no sense:

• This storyline isn't finished in the comics and jumping ahead of the comics could get very muddled and confusing for Kirkman.
• A prisoner swap between Morgan and Enid would not be as obvious a decision as it is in the comics because Enid has been in Alexandria for a longer period of time, and no one in Alexandria besides Michonne and Rick even know whom Morgan is.
• This storyline might be too time consuming. They may need something brief to kill time until they get to Negan, and the Whisperers aren't that. In order to do the Whisperer storyline justice, they would have to delay Negan's appearance for at least a season, and while they've made it clear that that's certainly a possibility, I doubt they will given that it's one of the most dynamic plots of the comic and people are already salivating awaiting it.
• It looked like the citizens of Shirewilt were attacked by humans. While the Whisperers are "technically" human, they don't necessarily fight or attack like them.
• This plot line doesn't do enough to give Rick a hero moment. Without that hero moment, Deanna has no reason to not boot him out on his ass.

Possbility #2: The DC Scavengers are the Wolves

http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/The_Scavengers

It's been awhile since I read this part of the comics, but before Negan arrives, a group of savage scavengers attack and almost destroy Alexandria, resulting in multiple deaths and the loss of Carl's right eye. Could they be the Wolves, out to destroy and overrun?

Why it makes sense... 

• The way in which Shirewilt was attacked seems very much like the way the Scavengers attack and destroy Alexandria in the comics, and clearly that attack was undertaken by these "wolves".
• Their timeline matches up with where we are in the comics. If Kirkman follows his original narrative, it's their time to appear in the small space before Negan's men start causing havoc. 
• Their brutality makes sense with some of the actions that we've seen, namely the tied up naked woman in the woods. They seem like the kind of guys who might hack up other survivors, overrun a town, tie up and abandon a woman. 
• Marking the walkers could be an intimidation tactic, and they're the kind of guys who would think of something like that. 
• Sasha being in the tower is a great setup for this since she's quickly becoming Andrea from the comic, and Andrea in the tower was a part of the Scavenger plot line. (If I'm remembering properly)
• Protecting Alexandria from the Scavengers would save Rick from the inevitable exile that awaits him after his little blood-splattered monologue this week.

 Why it makes no sense...

http://www.twdenthusiasts.com/2015/02/walking-dead-comic-spoilers-wolves/

• Why would they take the torsos and heads? It seems like a silly thing to be carrying around and to my recollection the Scavengers didn't have a very developed base camp. Furthermore, there's just no motivation to do it. Dismembering is congruent with simple brutality and a desire to intimidate those who might happen upon a scene afterwards, but if that's the goal, then what's the point in taking the torsos?
• This is what people are expecting, and Kirkman likes to keep people on their toes.
• They may be too similar to Gareth's group in the idea of them just being messed up, selfish, vengeful humans. The show's producers might want a little more variety.

Possibility #3: It isn't a "W"...it's an upside down "M".

http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Morgan_Jones_%28TV_Series%29

My least favorite theory and by far the most implausible, but worth a brief mention, is that the "W" is actually an "M" for Morgan. Is Morgan really as crazy as he seems at times, running around the woods and marking up walkers? He certainly seems to have a predilection for getting fixated on one phrase or symbol (aka: Clear), but is that really possible for one man to pull off?

Why it makes sense:

• We have ample evidence to support that Morgan is unwell, and a lot of the signs we have about this group seem to indicate that they're not exactly winning the mental health of the year award.
• What if he still has Duane? Okay, this is far fetched, but hear me out. In the comics, Morgan keeps Duane alive as a zombie and feeds him the remains of survivors that he captures and kills. What if Morgan is still dragging Duane along with him? That would support why the girl was tied up and devoured in the woods--food for his undead son. This would also be (sort of) a reason to dismember corpses so that their flesh is easier to feed to Duane and to carry along with Morgan for later feedings. Also, we have very few wide shots of Morgan, so Duane being on a rope behind him is not entirely impossible.

  

  http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Duane_Jones_%28Comic_Series%29

• It would honestly be easier to carve a letter upside down on a head if the body was on the ground, rather than having to lean over the torso and dangerous jaw of the ghoul to tattoo it with your symbol.
• Morgan has to make an appearance somehow.

Why it makes no sense:

• Unless Morgan found a last minute flight from Alexandria to Richmond, there's no way he could've beat the group across four states since they were driving and he was walking. They haven't been in Alexandria long enough for him to catch up, let alone catch up and already make his presence this known.
• He just has no reason to.
• The damage inflicted by the Wolves is too great for one man.
• We want to like Morgan...and we don't like these people.
• He may already be dead and a victim of the Wolves. Some have observed that the dismembered arms at the campsite that Daryl and Aaron found are wearing the same color shirt as Morgan, the hands belong to a black man, the wedding band is the same, and a pair of sunglasses are nearby. Personally, I think this is typical Kirkman misdirection, but hey...it's possible.

So...your thoughts? I guess we'll probably find out in five days, but until then...it's an excellent use of time to kick around some theories. 

News & Review: iZombie going from Panel to Screen

http://enewsi.com/television/191-26026.html

God, I hate the CW. Obviously, I'm not their intended audience, and that's fine, but would they stop touching my things? Seriously? All my life, my nerd fascinations have somehow found their way to the popular culture. I was obsessed with the Titanic, so much so that I knew the type of wood in the 1st class dining room, and then BOOM! James Cameron makes the hideous piece of garbage called Titanic. I was in to pirates, so much so that I would read nonfiction pirate history books during Saturday detention and then BOOM! Pirates of the Caribbean. I was into vampires, so much so that I looked into how you'd get your teeth filed into fangs, and then BOOM! Twilight makes the genre into a freaking joke for girly girls. And then one of the great loves of my life, zombies. Sigh. Oh CW. Can't you just make another show about spoiled human girls in an upper middle class suburb who can't seem to stop sleeping with each other's boyfriends?

But I have jumped ahead. This isn't supposed to be a rant. It's supposed to be a review and news piece. Let me refocus.

http://www.biblecomix.com/?p=2253

So about four years ago, my friend was in town and wanted to give me a gift for hosting her. She got me the first trade paperback in the "iZombie" series. Good friends know you well. Anyway, I neglected it and let it sit on my shelf for nearly half a decade until today. Having just read it cover to cover, I can say that I really did enjoy it by the end. It was rough getting started because there are a fair number of characters and it's sometimes difficult to connect the thought and talking bubbles to the correct character. You definitely have to take it slowly and reread in places at first, but it does get easier. It's just that there are a lot of characters of various supernatural afflictions (zombies, ghosts, vampires, and even a "wereterrior"), and it takes you brain a minute to process and categorize all of that.

The story follows the life of a girl who has turned zombie. In order to keep herself from turning into a shambling, rotting mess, she has to eat a brain every month, but doing so floods her with the memories of that dead person. As a gravedigger, the people she eats often have unfinished business, namely their murders, which she is then compelled to solve because their voice is in her head. That's the basic premise, but there's a lot more going on here. We have the normal awkwardness of a bunch of people in the upper teens/young twenties, but we also have the battles between the evil forces of the supernatural, the good forces of the supernatural, and the monster hunters who often can't tell the difference. This story really finds its stride when it moves beyond the CSI plot of Gwen solving murders and attacks more important subject matter like the idea of a soul and the decisions to take a life.

http://io9.com/rob-thomas-explains-why-izombie-is-more-like-buffy-than-1614649263

And that's where I get concerned. iZombie is, ostensibly at least, the source material for CW's new show premiering in 2015 of the same name. CW's iZombie already shows a number of differences, however. First, they feel compelled to change of heroine's name for some reason, calling her Liv rather than Gwen. Next, she's a coroner rather than a gravedigger. I guess they thought that was sexier? I think it changes the tone of the plot though. It makes it more official. It also seems like she's helping the police, which is something that doesn't happen, at least not in the first trade of the four part iZombie series. The preview shows basically no sign of her other supernaturally inclined friends, and has instead replaced them with stock standard Law and Order types. While watching the preview, I just kept thinking of the spoof trailers in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Maybe it will be good, but I have many doubts. I'm not sure how they'll preserve the internal monologue of the protagonist, which is an important element of the comics. Honestly, I'm sure they won't. The preview already seems to suggest that they're honoring the source material in name only. It'll be closer than World War Z was, but not by much I'd guess. I'll read the other three trades first, and then maybe give the show one or two episodes. It's from the people who made Veronica Mars and nerdy people seemed to like that, so maybe there's hope. Read the comic though; it was a good time. And if you want to laugh at how silly the CW is, check out the preview for the iZombie TV show below. Let me know your thoughts!

News: Walking Dead Spinoff Coming into Focus

http://undeadwalking.com/2015/01/21/companion-show-called-fear-walking-dead/

So for a while we've known that Kirkman and crew were working on a spinoff series for The Walking Dead, working titled of "Cobalt", but only in the last few months have the details become clearer. First, the announcement came just before Christmas that the spinoff would be located in Los Angeles, rather than the Atlanta area setting of the original series. As a Chicagoan, I'm always disappointed when shows and movies take the typical route and chose NYC or LA as a setting, but I'll give it a shot. I'm glad that they're shaking it up though. As much as I love TWD, it would be pretty silly to just make a carbon copy of the same show simply to get more advertising revenue. Setting it in LA presents new challenges for the characters and a new range of opportunities for the writers.

But the setting is not the only shake up we'll see in the new spinoff series. According to some unverified reports in the past couple of days, the spinoff is supposedly going to start off at the beginning of the outbreak. This will enable Kirkman to show us the month that we missed while Rick was in his coma. This is bold, in my opinion. If you look at many zombie flicks and fiction, they often jump into the future to avoid having to deal with the logistics of how the infection began. It's difficult to show the full extent of the outbreak and fall of society in a way that comes across as believable. The best example I can think of was BBC's Survivors (which wasn't a zombie show, but involved a pandemic). They executed this very well, so hopefully the spinoff will follow their lead.

We also have some news on who our new characters are. We know they're a family, but a family with a few problems that predated the dead walking the earth. So what exactly does that mean? Some sources have reported that the mom is divorced and has two teenage kids, one of whom has a drug problem, and that those three teams up with her divorced male colleague.  I'm a little worried; I'll be honest, as all of that sound a little like the plot of a SyFy original movie. Also, The Walking Dead got very lucky with their younger actors--Chandler Riggs is a solid young actor--but let's face it: sometimes having a bunch of teenagers running around on a show makes it more suited for the WB than for AMC. Of course, I'm a total hypocrite because I write YA zombie fiction that I don't find to be cheesy. I guess my real concern is in them finding the right actors who can effectively pull this off. They have some very big, very talented shoes to fill.

http://www.purebreak.com/media/photo-the-walking-dead-cliff-curtis-sera-le-362564.html

One of the people they've casted is Alycia Debnam Carey. She was one of the better things about the disappointment that was Into the Storm, so maybe that's not such a bad sign. And Frank Dillane, who I'm assuming is playing her older brother, was Tom Riddle in Harry Potter, so that's not a bad sign either. The other announced cast thus far are Kim Dickens (Gone Girl, Treme) and Cliff Curtis (Training Day, Three Kings). Cliff Curtis's character also has a teenage son (I smell love connection with the teenage girl...), but he has yet to be announced in terms of casting.

Whether or not they are able to pull this off, you have to applaud these actors for getting a great gig, and you have to applaud AMC for giving it a shot. They should be in filming now or soon, with a 2015 air date for the pilot. My guess is that they'll want to run it over the summer to fill the empty space when TWD is gone, but that's purely my speculation. Fingers crossed, this will be quality stuff.

Review: Season 5 of Walking Dead...the first half

Oh, it's just so good. There's so much to say, and I really wish I'd had the time to address it episode by episode, but alas, here's my take on the first half of The Walking Dead's fifth season.

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=110429

First of all, all the stuff with the Termites was perfect. It was the perfect amount of creepy and they served their role as bad guys without overstaying their welcome. At the beginning of the season, I was a little concerned that the show was going to try to turn Gareth into the next governor and would have him hanging around for the entire season. I just didn't think that would age well, so I'm glad they didn't go that route. They were the right amount of faithful to the comics, and they really nailed one of my favorite comic book moments (aka: "Tainted MEAT!!!"). I was really pleased with Lawrence Gilliard Jr.'s performance in his final episodes. He made that excellent moment come alive in a believable and haunting way, and he died with a great deal of dignity.

http://galleryhip.com/walking-dead-abraham-death.html

As for Gareth's last stand, I was also pleased. In the comics, the cannibals are killed in an absolutely excellent bloodbath of vengeance carried out by Rick, Michonne, Abraham, and Andrea with Father Gabriel watching in horror. It's probably my single favorite panel in the comics because I think it says a lot about the theme of the narrative. I was worried that the show would screw this up by not doing it the same way. Even though they didn't do it the exact same way as the comic, the message was the same and I left satisfied. The brutality of their slaughter, justified as it was, was still very clear. It was an excellent moment of television and one of the real high points of the series.

http://www.threeifbyspace.net/2014/10/

Additionally, I'm really happy with Seth Gilliam's portrayal of Father Gabriel, who was introduced in the season five premiere. He is doing a good job of communicating Gabriel's crippling cowardice. It seems that some viewers find him to be a frustrating and useless character, but I would say that he's anything but that. We need to see people like Gabriel in this world because many of us would be very much like him. It's easy to think that you'd be Michonne, slashing down the dead and walking through hordes without blinking, but that's a romantic lie. No one would survive this long without being a little selfish and putting their needs above the needs of others. Another great example of this is Eugene, he's being brought to life in an entertaining and dynamic way by actor Josh McDermitt.

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2790564/

Of course, any review of the season would be remiss if it didn't mention the unifying of the group in the first episode. That was well executed from a writing and story perspective, and it was a great episode for one of my favorite characters, Carol. It was fitting that, after her excommunication, she would be the one to save Rick. It really taught him a lesson about right and wrong, one that he seems to be incorporating into his character. And if you didn't cry when Daryl hugged Carol, or when Rick hugged Judith, or when Sasha hugged Tyreese...well then you're just a monster.

One of my issues with these episodes was that after only a few episodes of the gang being back together again, they had to all fly to the corners of the earth again. I was glad to see them united in the midseason finale, and I hope that they stay that way for a while. While there are drawbacks to having episodes with every single character present, namely that you don't get enough time with any one character, having them split up all the time drags out the narrative in a way that can be a little annoying at times. It's not that I don't enjoy a good character building episode; I really enjoyed the episode on the road with Abraham and crew (aka: GREATM), but sometimes, such as in the episode with Beth in Atlanta, there's just not enough there to sustain a whole episode.

http://io9.com/the-walking-dead-just-turned-into-the-worlds-strangest-1654077087

I have to mention the Beth episode a little more. I hate to do it, because I don't like to speak ill of the dead and all, but that episode was the worst one of the entire show. It was boring, the acting was bad, and Beth is just not an interesting enough character to serve as the crux of the conflict. Generally, I felt that the episode was poorly directed. Dawn was a better character in the later episodes, but in her first appearance she felt unrealistic. A good villain should seem believable, have a purpose that the viewer can buy, even if they don't agree with it. The idea that she really still believed in salvation that long into the apocalypse was a tough pill for me to swallow as a viewer. Also, her management style seemed rife with flaws, so I had trouble believing that she'd held them all together that long when she seemed so weak and disorganized. And if she was supposed to be OCD and a control freak, I can't buy that she'd allow the amount of free movement from people like Beth and Noah that they clearly had within the hospital.

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/21234/20141201/

I do like Noah though, and I'm looking forward to where he'll go. This may be extremely callous to say, but I can't help but think that if we had to trade Beth for Noah, it's probably an upgrade as far as character. It's not that I won't miss Beth; I will, and her death was both brutal and extremely well executed from a narrative standpoint. I always appreciate when characters go quickly in films and television, not giving the opportunity for a farewell. It's brutal, but it's a brutality that is true to life and the effect it has upon those who survive is interesting plot (I'm looking at you, Alan Tudyk in Serenity). I just feel that maybe Beth's character arc had run its course, and the best thing her character had left to offer was to give Daryl another reason to be damaged and angry. She had a good run and she went out like a real beast. That scene at the end with Maggie seeing her was pretty brutal and sad. I won't lie though; there was a part of me that was like "Girl, didn't you just remember that you even had a sister like 45 minutes ago??".

http://www.enstarz.com/articles/48719/20141016/

I'm looking forward to season two and Washington DC, which is where I'm assuming they will be headed next. Great conflict awaits there, but I think it will take until season 6, maybe even the midseason finale of season 6, before we get to meet one of my personal favorite characters: Negan. I'm also really excited to see Morgan's return in the second half of the season. Even though he's only been in a few episodes, Lennie James has made that character so dynamic and engaging. It was the right choice to bring him back as they do in the comics, but I hope he gets to have more of an active role than comic book Morgan did.

So I guess it's a long wait until February, but I'm excited to see where this will go!

Review: Z-Nation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_Nation

Oh Sy-Fy...

I love syfy. I've religiously watched many of their show, those of quality (BSG) and those of major suckatitde (Opposite Worlds). So when I heard they were dipping their toes into the zombie genre, I had to watch...of course.

Now, I don't watch Town of the Living Dead. I can only sink so far; I have some dignity left, but I will openly admit that I've allowed myself to be bitten by Z-Nation.

The show has a slew of positives and negatives, and it both wins me over and loses me completely every single Friday, so I guess it's time to weigh in on a review.


The "good" of SyFy's Z-Nation:

• Good special fx: The zombies are well executed as are the kills. Unlike in Defiance, which I stupidly love, there aren't moments where bad special fx remove you from the storytelling. They've hired good makeup artists and it shows.
• Good art direction: Love the bleak, colorless world they've created. I also love that it's reminiscent of Zombieland in so far as it makes clear the emptiness and isolation of the Central United States in a very realistic manner. Everything looks real, abandoned, and disturbing. That's essential when entering this genre.
• Originality: They introduce a lot of new ideas that I've never seen in zombie flicks before which is admirable considering that they could probably just follow the status quo and still entertain the new zombie fans. Hiding in morgue freezer cells to evade zombies? I'd never thought of that. Very cool. Nuclear facilities melting down? Someone else watched Life After People, I guess. Thank you for finally incorporating that reality into zombie material.
• Not creating "supermen": Aside from Murphy, who has special immunities but still remains painfully human, these are just regular people fighting against the dead. We don't have Navy Seals here, which makes the protagonists more relatable.
• Not shrinking from death: They kill their main characters...all the time. I've seen people online complain about this, but I think it's great. In the z-pocalypse, people would die on a fairly regular basis. It's only fair that we feel that as an audience. One of my favorite things about SyFy is that because they're not responsible to a mainstream audience, they can more or less do what they want. This plays out well in Z-Nation because it allows you to feel the real, imminent danger that would exist in the zombie apocalypse.
• Select actor performances: They're not all students of Juliard: that's evident. but you can't downplay the solid performances that some of the actors give. Specifically, the characters of Murphy, Doc, and 10k are very engaging. Murphy is a really interesting character, and one of the main reasons to keep watching week after week. He's truly dynamic and a lot of that should be credited to the actor, Keith Allan, for building a character that seems genuine.
• Honoring those who came before: We have a number of nods to seriously geeky horror shiz here. My favorite? The morgue in episode 9 (by far the best episode) is named after one of my favorite Vincent Price films, The Abominable Doctor Phibes.

  

  Murphy from Z Nation (http://www.nerdophiles.com/2014/10/10/z-nation-home-sweet-home-aka-znado/)

  
  

The "bad"of Z-Nation:

• Infringements of realism: At least once every episode, I'm struck with a "wait...what?" moment. It's like they don't even try to explain away things from time to time. In one of the earlier episodes, they randomly have a brand-spanking-new iPad with convenient footage of exactly the thing that they need to see. I have yet to find a reasonable explanation for this. And that's just an example. There are a number of times when they just assume the viewer is an idiot and throw in completely implausible pieces for seemingly no reason except, perhaps, lazy writing.
• Bad acting: While characters like Murphy or even Citizen Z (DJ Qualls) keep me watching, the vast majority of the side characters in each episode are total garbage. As someone who attended theater school, I know that there's better out there. It's annoying to be subjected to poorly portrayed new characters week to week. Even some of the main characters are painfully paper-thin, such as Addy (Anastasia Baranova). The only consolation for that is that no one hangs around for very long on this show, so you don't have to endure bad acting for long...until it's replaced by more bad acting.
• Lack of theme: This story wavers...a lot. As an English teacher, I'm left wondering "What's the message here? What should we learn or know?". Good writers and creators have a purpose, a message, that they hope to communicate to their reader or viewer. For example, Kirkman clearly has a message of "What does it take to retain humanity". Romero seeks to show us our own zombie-esque mannerisms, and, through his four "of the dead films" teaches us that we are, in some ways, no better than the dead. What does Z-Nation want to say? I'm not sure yet. At times, it feels like it's about to say something, but then it stops itself. I hope it can find a deeper message, some authorial intent, or else it'll just continue to be my cheap zombie fix to get me through until Sunday night.

Addy from Z Nation. I applaud them for making a normal-sized girl their "heart throb", but she's no emmy winner. (http://www.space.ca/)

So, what's the take away? I guess...watch it? It is rarely excellent (episode 9 being a true diamond in the rough), but every episode has something valuable and interesting. It's not a waste of time, but I'd be lying if I said it's great. It's not. But should you watch it? Yes. If only because I want to believe that it's going to be a little like Dollhouse, a show that started off rocky but found its stride in an amazing and intelligent way. Here's to being optimistic...and being a sucker for all things zombie.

Top 5: Reasons Why You Should Give Warm Bodies a Chance

I'm baaaaack...
So after becoming a mom in November 2012, I kind of fell off the internet zombie map, but I've still lived and breathed zombies ever since. Now I'm going to get back to putting my undead thoughts online.
I've had this post written ever since I saw Warm Bodies back when my sons were tiny newborns. We saw the flick at a "moms screening" in 2013, where you can let your newborn ball of poop and tears wail without fear of bothering other movie goers. I've watched the movie a few times since, and my opinions are only reinforced.

1. Teenagers being teenagers without being annoying

With the recent, seemingly endless, stream of teen paranormal romance, you're probably sick to death of self destructive "love", irresponsible romanticizing of careless sex, and watered-down horror. I sure am. But I will make the argument that Warm Bodies presents a realistic and refreshing view of teen love. First of all, there is virtually no sex. There's sexual attraction, sure, but given the complicating factors (ie: him being dead) and the danger of the world, there's no time to get down, and the writers honor that reality. Additionally, there is no blind following of sexual/romantic impulse. The characters are constantly self doubting, cautious, uncomfortable, and skeptical. In my experience working with teenagers, to me that's way closer to how teenagers should and do behave.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/film/reviews/article3681581.ece

2. It's witty

The writing is really one of the primary strengths of this movie. It's dry as a corpse at times, but in that is so much comedy. The internal monologue of the male protagonist is sharp and elicits many a chuckle.

http://memeguy.com/photos/images/after-watching-warm-bodies-and-wanting-to-hate-it-13147.jpg

3. The side characters

Much like in the obvious source material (ie: Romeo and Juliet), the side characters are really the reason to watch. Rob Corddry plays the lovable and funny best friend zombie and brings to it all of his usual wit and comic timing. Analeigh Tipton is his female, non-flesh eating counterpart. You may, if your lame like me, recognize that name from Top Model a few years back. Not only is she insanely pretty, she's also got some excellent comic timing and is really a master at communicating through her facial expressions.

http://sarahtherebel.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/warm_bodies_2_20130106_1807987830.jpg

4. Bringing something new to the genre

You're probably not super hot on the whole zombies becoming human again thing or the whole zombies talking thing. Neither am I. I will say that that aspect of the movie won me over more than I thought it would. But the coolest new thing you'll see here is something I thought was very interesting and original. When the zombies eat the brain, they're flooded with the memories of the person they're chowing down on. Kind of interesting.

http://i.perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/rob-corddry.gif

5. Creating Fear

Although this probably bills as a romantic comedy, there are some truly eerie and frightening moments throughout. The art direction absolutely helps with that--everything has that grim grayness you traditionally associate with the post-apocalyptic genre. And unlike other teen genre movies, the death is not skimped on. People die. Plenty of them.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWaoJLZZFvUca1bKH7H4B7w24wSrdfPOkTt47WGtYOhc5liDL0VFMlH9vtTKo8HKVz2EEAEfXZ72CQEucpIobMVb7pi_ktd1TUfk2nqSdnXIlLCN93GoZJ9P0JPUbdJp4GDRX2ThrGORu/s1600/bonie.png

News: Xbox Gets a Little Bloodier

Left 4 Dead 2 lovers who play the using the Xbox 360 platform have been left out in the cold a little bit when compared to their PC/Mac counterparts. In March of 2011, L4D2 released a new campaign but only on the PC/Mac versions as a beta test. Well, the time has (almost) come for us Xbox users to join in on the fun.

On July 24th, a mere three weeks away, Valve will release the "Cold Stream" campaign as downloadable content for the Xbox. I'll be honest, my L4D2 game has been gathering some dust on the shelf recently, but I guess it will be time to crack it back out. I need the "stream crosser" achievement asap!

Review: Z-Day iPhone App

This weekend, a friend alerted me to a new zombie app for the iPhone and iPad platform. The app, Z-Day, is a sort of digital "choose your own adventure" with realistic scenarios and choices.

The good? This app is logical and is clearly made by lovers of the apocalyptic genre. I didn't feel like choices had unrealistic or random consequences as some choose your own adventure stories do. When I died, I felt that I probably deserved it. You also get to make almost every choice which gives you an added commitment to the game. You don't feel like a spectator; you feel like you are truly at the helm of the storytelling. Additionally, the visuals for this game are well stylized. It has a very comic book noir vibe to it. The game also provides you with a variety of different side characters, inventory items, and interesting weapon choices.

The bad? Well, first of all it isn't free and I'm always skeptical of paid apps on the iPhone. This one is $1.99, which isn't bad, but it's also not a whole lot of game play for your dime. There is really only one main route for the storyline. Your decisions can either get you killed or take you on small detours, but for the most part this doesn't hold up to hours of replaying. I'd say this is an hour of entertainment at best. The story is also short, so you could probably play from beginning to a successful end in fifteen minutes. Also, and this is just the nerd in me, but they misspell "apocalypse" on the title screen. Uncool, guys.

Overall, I think this is a good buy if you're having a particularly boring lunch break, train ride, or blind date. It'll keep you pretty darned engaged even if that only lasts for a limited amount of time. However, if you are looking for a more fulfilling choose your own experience, pay the extra dozen bucks for Max Brailler's Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? ($13.98 on amazon.com). Check out the review for that novel here.

Review: Episode 2 of Telltale's Walking Dead

Well, it's better than going out to the movies and it's half as expensive. That's right. I spent my Wednesday evening like any self-respecting geek should: sitting on my couch and taking in Episode 2 of Telltale's Walking Dead game. Almost a month late from its anticipated monthly release, this game was certainly a tease...but now that I've bedded the beast, I must say that it was worth the wait.

You can check out my review of Episode 1 right here, and I wouldn't proceed any further on this review if you haven't played the first episode yet. This episode was so packed with suspense that it will be difficult to review without giving away too much of the good stuff as it is.

Episode 2 jumps Lee, Clementine, and the group forward about three months. They're still in the motel, but they're starving and even more at each other's throats than usual. After making the difficult decision of whom to feed and whom to leave hungry, you embark on the main narrative of the episode which is sure to have you paying attention to every detail.

My favorite thing about this episode was that it built consistent and realistic tension in a variety of ways. You didn't have moments where you could let down your guard, sigh, or grab a quick trip to the bathroom. Instead, I was planted to my sofa for the two hour duration of the game play. I was fully engaged in the decision making, and I found myself really stressing the decisions--even the seemingly minor ones. Even more so than in Episode 1, Episode 2 feels like a fairly realistic scenario. Often it's difficult to know what the "right" choice is, and there often isn't a way to please everyone or look like the plucky hero. This makes the game satisfying in its honesty and commitment to truthful storytelling.

My only major complaint would be that during a couple of sequences, I felt smarter than the game was allowing me to be. I saw a few things before they came, which helped add to the suspense, but it also made me frustrated that I couldn't say or do the appropriate thing to act on my suspicions as I would have in real life. Still, it obviously only made me want to play that much more. I would also say that the character of Larry made me want to hurl my controller on more than one occasion, but a strong emotional response is the sign of a captivating game. Lastly in the "negative" department, this episode was a little light on the zombie combat, but if you've read any of my posts, you'll know that that isn't the main thing that makes zombie drama compelling to me anyway. Despite the absence of zombies, there's no shortage of life or death situations. In fact, I think I died almost twice as many times in episode 2 as I did during my first crack at episode 1.

I hope it doesn't take them two more months to come out with Episode 3. It's going to be a long summer if I can't swing some punches with my man Lee Everett until the end of August. For now, start playing Episode 2! Xbox users can download the episode starting today for 400 points ($5), but PS3 and PC/Mac users will have to wait until Friday. Or, you could just buy an Xbox like us cool kids.

News: Is Pitt's World War Z Project Decomposing?

Pitt on set...looking skeptical himself?

A few months ago I reported that the Brad Pitt-produced film version of Max Brook's awesome novel had its release date pushed back about six months to the summer of 2013. But news out this week suggests that the project has been infected with a variety of production problems. These problems include reported directorial impotence, excessive spending, re-shoots, rewrites, and production goof-ups.

Obviously the biggest problems are those that affect the final product, such as the reported rewrite and re-shoot of the film's ending, which doesn't fill me with confidence about the rest of the storyline. Apparently, the ending was rewritten to seem more feasible. Now, to be fair, most movies now days could use a little rewriting, so at least Pitt's crew is making an attempt to right wrongs. But again, this does not make me a confident movie-goer.

I was, however, skeptical from the start. Brooks's novel is genius, but it would really work best as a television show, with each person's interview lasting for a single episode. From what I've been able to piece together about the film version, it seems to be a lot like Dawn of the Dead (2004). It's borrowing the name of something well-liked and powerful in order to gain interest, but it otherwise very different from its "original". Still, just like the newest Dawn of the Dead, that's no reason this movie can't be good in its own right, but color me cautious until opening night.

Review: Tellltale's The Walking Dead

Telltale games released the first episode of The Walking Dead game to PC/Mac, Xbox, and PS3 this week. This afternoon, after 2.5 hours of supremely focused game play, I immediately headed to their website to see when I'd be able to continue to play with the next episode...only to find out they're only releasing one a month! AHHH! Patience FAIL!

So, needless to say, I enjoyed the game. The gaming style was really the kind of game play I can get into; it was primarily based on character interactions and decision making. There was some zombie killing action, but really not very much. This isn't the next Left 4 Dead, but I think it's something just as special and engaging.

The game follows the story of Lee Everett, a man on his way to prison for murder when the zombie apocalypse hits. After his cop car crashes, Lee finds a young girl, Clementine, and the two team up to face a bleak and dangerous world. From there on? I can't really tell you what happens because that will be determined by the decisions that YOU make. And, unlike in some games, the decisions are reasonable and your response choices are realistic. I didn't feel like I was forced to say anything in the game that I really wouldn't have said in real life.

In episode one, Walking Dead fans will enjoy seeing Herschel and Glenn as well as the Greene farm. The world seems to be a comic-television show hybrid. For example, Herschel only has two kids (like in the show), but his farm looks a lot like the comics. In fact, the animation was very reminiscent of Adlard's work which gave it a familiar feel.

Overall, I really enjoyed playing and I can't wait until next month! Download the game on Telltale's website or on your Xbox/PS3. I opted for the XBox version and was happy with the choice.

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!