REVIEW: Buddy Bebop vs. The Living Dead (2009)

I love the 50’s. I love the 50’s culture, the way people acted and the idea of teenage rebellion that’s considered nothing as opposed today. What I love even more is when a movie combines the 50’s culture with the zombie subgenre, which is probably why I love Fido so much. I saw a movie that’s sort of like Fido’s mentally unstable brother who was locked in the attic for the better half of his life, and that movie is called Buddy Bebop vs. The Living Dead. Set in 1958, the movie is about a small town that becomes overrun with zombies after a failed government experiment is unleashed… what’s new? Now it’s up to a Buddy Holly-esque musician, a greaser and his geeky friend to survive while making sure nothing harmful comes to them or their girlfriends. However, the geeky friend’s father is lone survivor of the scientists who first created the experiment and the Vice President has recruited somebody to stop the undead… somebody famous… somebody who’s known as The King.

The movie is nice to look mainly because it employs the same special effect technique we’ve seen in Sin City where most of the movie is black and white but certain objects are in color. Although, in this movie there is no real reason as to why certain things (and times everything except for the people) are in color. I thought it would be doing something similar to Pleasantville (another 50’s style gem) but I guess the director thought it looked cool, which it does at times. Considering this was a period piece of sorts, I have to commend the art direction for trying to make the movie as 50’s as possible. They use an old fashioned diner, the hairstyles, old cars and even a radio announcer that’s very reminiscent of Edward R. Murrow. Despite these efforts, I feel the movie has the same aesthetic problem that Dirty Dancing has. Because of the budget, there are several times where the movie doesn’t even seem like it takes place in the 50’s but rather the present day, which is a result of costuming. This doesn’t really break the movie; it’s something that noticed.

If there was anything that could break the movie it would be a few things, namely… there wasn’t enough Buddy Bebop. I like this character; he’s the spitting image of Buddy Holly and goes as far as to make puns with Holly’s songs. After the zombies invade the town, there seems to be a huge emphasis on the greaser and his friend and hardly any on Bebop. Part of me was hoping that the movie would be sort of like Dance of the Dead where Bebop must save everybody in the roller rink from the zombies outside. Also, there are some scenes and situations that have really no purpose at all. At times I felt like the only reason it was in there was to make the movie more perverted. I’m talking about the pervert who licks girl’s shoes and then forces himself on to a young man, and the fat roller rink owner who decides to have anal sex in the bathroom. None of it needs to be in there. It’s just unnecessary fluff that’s expendable.

There were two parts of the movie that I really enjoyed and one of them is when Buddy Bebop confronts The King (better known as Elvis, or an Elvis-esque character this world has to offer). See, a zombie has bitten Bebop and so has The King, but The King just handed the antibiotic serum to Bebop, now they must fight each other and the zombies around them to see who gets the serum. Not only is there cartoon music playing but also it’s such a great analogy for two kings of rock ‘n roll finally duking it out to see who’s the ultimate. Elvis is known as The King of Rock ‘n Roll but Buddy “Bebop” Holly was known as the forbearers of rock ‘n roll. It felt like a real life version of a Hannah Barbara cartoon and I enjoyed every minute of it. Also, I really liked Elvis’ horrible puns, puns that are a staple in this movie. Example: Shit is like snowflakes, baby, neither two are alike.

The movie is gory, showing broken legs, knocked out teeth, skin peeling and even a zombie eating a dead bloody baby. As for the zombies themselves, they sort of remind me of Romero zombies mixed with traditional Haitian zombies; white pale skin with dark eyes sockets covered in splattered blood with the occasional half-torn faces. It was nice. Aside from Elvis “The King” Presley, look for a particularly amusing cameo by Richard Nixon. Overall, it wasn’t a bad movie, it was quite enjoyable at times but I wish the movie took a different path and omitted some scenes. The aesthetics and the special effects are gorgeous but it doesn’t seem to help the plot.

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Available on Amazon

REVIEW: Shock Waves

Ah Shock Waves. No other type of zombie is more famous than the Nazi zombie and although modern zombie hounds might think that Dead Snow is the premier example of this, they are in fact wrong. One of the earliest forms (possibly the first form) of Nazi zombies stems from a 1977 film called Shock Waves. It has since become somewhat of a cult classic and I was somewhat fortunate to watch it. Essentially, it’s about a group of people who go out onto the ocean to enjoy a peaceful time of relaxation and I guess none of these people know each other because it’s sort of like a tour boat or something. Well, the boat runs aground and they end up being stranded on a deserted island with an old abandoned hotel. They soon discover that an exiled Nazi scientist who created a battalion of undead super soldiers that were buried beneath the ocean occupies the hotel. Terror ensues when the battalion rises from the murky depths to kill everybody on the island. Really, the only thing this film had going for it was the zombie Nazis and nothing else; everything else seemed pretty bland.

Brooke Adams plays our heroine who some people may recognize from Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Dead Zone but to be honest, she isn’t interesting in this film at all and it’s sort of funny. It seems like the main cast is completely overshadowed by the supporting cast, specifically two people, who don’t have nearly enough screen time. Veteran actors Peter Cushing and John Carradine lend themselves to make the movie interesting. Carradine’s over the top crotchy portrayal as the ship’s captain makes for a good laugh now and then, especially when he brings up the ghost ship. Peter Cushing is calm, reserved and charismatic as always and I think he has a great character. I could just see this man’s story: famed and decorated SS Commander/scientist who was once very prestigious and courteous, now washed up, dirty, old, forgotten and living in secluded exile. It’s tragic but deserving. The rest of the cast isn’t bad but I gather that this was an indie movie so the occasional bad acting is fine and even adds to that cheesy 70’s charm.

Personally, I think it’s the zombies that really add the flavor to this film mainly because their presence gives the scene an ominous, menacing mood that is otherwise not there at all. Unlike Dead Snow, these zombies aren’t fully decorated in SS uniforms nor do they have the appearance of a rotting corpse. Here, they are dressed in very casually while still maintaining that Nazi look but their faces are just pale and wrinkled. It may be cheap but it accomplishes so much. They walk slowly, they practically appear out of nowhere, they stare at you from afar, they grab you and kill you underneath the water and they don’t eat you. If you walked into this movie not knowing anything about it or an explanation from the film, you’d think that they are just an army of killers. They are so cold and emotionless that they are almost human in a sense and not an undead monster.

I think that Shock Waves trucks along at relatively slow pace and naturally I feel more happier when I get to see people stalked by Nazis and that doesn’t really happen until the last 20 minutes of the movie. Otherwise, I was somewhat bored by this film. I’m sure that if I saw this at a young age I would be creeped out by it but right now I think the mood is really bland unless you throw the Nazis into it. I’m find with questionable acting and very little action but there should be a tradeoff like a tense or menacing mood throughout the entire thing. It’s not bad, especially for an indie movie (or so I think) but it’s just boring at times. I’m sure they are bound to remake it but then it would nothing but blood, guts and nudity but since this movie should be heavily based on atmosphere, that’s the direction a remake should go in as well. I’m sure that I’ll come by this movie again and maybe then I’ll be more lenient on it.

Available on Amazon.

REVIEW: Pop Punk Zombies

What more can somebody want but to listen to rock and roll and watch a zombie movie, well in the film Pop Punk Zombies this is half true. The film is about a big shot music producer who raises the dead in hopes to start the first zombie rock band. However, this causes controversy and an anti-zombie work group decides to unchain the zombies and let them be free. Now, with the building closed off, a group of survivors must save themselves from certain death but these are not your typical survivors and they must learn to survive themselves. I liked this movie but at the same time I found it stripped of logic and I found the script very flawed.

Before I start, I welcome the idea of civilizing zombies and it can be done. Films like Fido and Day of the Dead did great jobs doing so and if you make a movie that has them playing electric guitars, more power to you. However, the one problem that I foresee is the transition from being a mindless zombie to a rock star. Before the show they are slouching over, growling and howling and then out of nowhere they straighten up and develop amazing singing voices. I really wish they made the transition a little more fluid and gradual.

The one biggest problem that I had with this film was the logic and the somewhat flawed script. We all know how zombies act when they are not controlled and when they are let free, so why does the anti-zombie work group think that by freeing them would benefit everybody? If they really wanted to stop the zombie takeover and if they really want to let the zombies free, wouldn’t they kill them? It’s something that really boggled my mind and me double think that logic. With that said, there are several flawed reasons behind why a zombie rock band would work and why a zombie rock band would open the door to a zombie work force. It doesn’t really make any sense.

I found that this movie has some strikingly similar ideas and actions that mirror Day of the Dead. You can argue that the music producer is like an eviler version of Dr. Logan and that the zombie band is like Bub, only you don’t really feel sorry for them. The group is trapped in a building while zombies are let loose and they must try to find their way out but also, they must deal with one another since most of them have different moral values than the others. It’s just like Day of the Dead or Quarantine. I’m not saying they copied them, I think its more or less an inspiration.

You’re probably wondering if I actually liked this movie, and I have to say that I did. I enjoyed the idea behind a zombie rock band and think it’s a cool concept to play around with. I really enjoyed the gore since those were the best parts. The characters were somewhat lovable, although at times they seemed a bit stale. I really enjoyed the makeup, even though it’s not your typical zombie makeup it still worked. I do recommend this movie to zombie fans however, I think you should just go into thinking that it’s going to be a fun popcorn movies. Enjoy the action, and enjoy the gore but try not to pay attention to the logic. In the end, all the zombies wanted to do is rock all night and party every day.

REVIEW: In The Event of A Zombie Attack

In The Event Of A ZOMBIE ATTACK, will you be ready, or DEAD? Dr. Elizabeth Kerslake and Professor Merike Stone present twelve timely tips that are sure to entertain and educate. They will show you what makes a zombie, preparing for a zombie outbreak and surviving an undead siege.

This 16 minute short is a great addition to any zombie fanatic’s film library. Amazingly enough it was actually inspired by a zombie calendar full of 12 tips to survive the outbreak that the had put out. A calendar into a movie? Yes that’s how this one was based and with it being filmed as it was, you can easily see why! It was shot in the style of classic educational instructional videos that you could picture being shown in class to learn what to do or avoid in any scenario. To add into the ‘older‘ instructional feel they also add a bit of graininess to the film as well as interesting cuts between sections including a few commercials that fit the style and budget of the film that show it was sponsored by Ziggurat Chemical.

While there isn’t much on the gore scale this is of course an instructional video for the children. Proper education shouldn’t scar them for life but prepare them for what is to come. Obviously though it’s rare to have a zombie film without ANY killing and they need to reinforce the point that anyone can get infected. For those of you that have seen Fido it’s the best comparison that I can make – this feels like it could have been lifted directly from the movie. It’s easily something that could have been show in the children’s classes and fit well with the introduction to the film. Actually if I were into video editing I would try to splice this in just to see how it looked!

On the DVD itself there is a slew of extras but when you look at the overall package the true bonus is all of the extra material that you can find on the In The Event Of A Zombie Attack website which makes it feel complete. There are countless little bonus features spread across the website on the whole and I highly suggest spending some time while at work or class there just to get a feel for it.

Just looking for something fun or a short to stick in on a zombie film night between movies? This one is great and you can purchase it directly from 4D4 Films

Review: STREET OF THE DEAD

I had the pleasure in watching a short zombie film called Street of the Dead that was written, staring and directed by Joe Pontillo. The movie is about a stoner that dares one of his stoner friends to eat a moldy sandwich and the mold eventually turns him into a zombie and he attacks all the friends but one. Soon, they start attacking everybody else on the block and turning them into zombies… now it’s up to a stoner, a psychotic gun-toting neighbor and mysterious assassin to stop the zombie outbreak from spreading. This movie was all over the place and it’s sort of like a screwball comedy that has zombies. There were several problems with the movie, but those problems made the movie enjoyable.

Street of the Dead, for a micro-budge film, was well written and what I mean by that is the dialogue was great. It’s written as a stoner movie and it has some pretty sporadic witty dialogue for a zombie flick and it fits. Some of the random humor made me laugh and I really enjoyed the psychotic gun-obsessed neighbor because he had some of the best lines.

As for the production value, I was really impressed. They got a very diverse group of people and they had good amount of zombies in it and considering the budget, they made a house look like a decent Oval Office. The director really wanted to make a zombie stoner movie and I think that he succeeded to a point. The film seems so innocent because, like the movie Pathogen, the movie has a lot of heart and when you see one of the characters handle a brain, it’s obvious that it is toy but you disregard it because of the intentions.

The only real problem that I had with this movie, that took me out of it a couple of times was the acting. Now, I don’t expect that indie movie will have award winning acting and I honestly, questionable acting comes with indie movies. This movie was mixed and there were times when the characters would crack a smile when they get eaten, or when they act like they are getting attacked but completely fold and just say, “Whatever, eat me.” It’s the body language. I think that the director should have noticed it when they were filming and should have re-shot the scene. Other than that, there isn’t anything else to complain about.

Overall, this is a micro-budget movie and it’s not bad. It’s certainly not the greatest zombie movie out there but for a movie that just wanted to be made… it’s good. If you are looking for anything more than just a made-for-the-hell-of-it movie, you’re not in luck. The makeup was okay, the production was great and I loved the dialogue but the acting spoiled a lot of it. Most of the gore was animated, which could look a little weird at times. If you are a die-hard zombie fan and love anything with zombies, give this a watch and if you like indie movies, try it out. The rest of you, I would avoid it cause it tends to get messy at times.  I think the director has a good sense of writing and I don’t think he should quit making films, he just needs to learn from some previous mistakes.

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REVIEW: Colin

Recently I was able to finally see Colin at Zombie Outbreak in Chicago. If you haven’t heard of Colin by now that would be quite surprising, the $70 budget that the movie had which took the Cannes Film Festival by storm has been getting a LOT of attention in both the horror and non-horror media world. Honestly, it’s surprising that it’s taken me THIS long to take it there just hasn’t been a screening in the area earlier (or a screener copy sitting in my mailbox for that matter.)

The premise is simple- we follow around Colin as he turns into a zombie and what he does as a zombie who doesn’t seem to fit into the world that he is now a part of. It gets interesting in a few areas the first of which that his own sister stumbles upon him and tried to rehabilitate him. She truly believes that he is just infected and can be ‘cured’ with enough time, patience, and love. The entire film shows his adapting process as well as a world torn asunder. The most impressive aspect of how this story is told was due to how little dialogue existed in the entirety of the film. Only in a small area at the introduction as well as the very end do we get to hear any conversation and everything else is completely visual and can be taken in a variety of ways. Honestly the concept of doing a film through the eyes of one of the undead is original, creative, and amazingly well done.

The $70 budget is clearly visible in many of the scenes of this film. From a shaky cam to limited special effects it shows through time and time again that Hollywood was not behind this production. On the flip side with the ability to show London so artfully devastated, some of the quality of the zombie attacks, and special effects on most of the wounds was stunning on such a budget. The fact that they were able to have so many areas of London just empty was either pulling in favors, in areas that were condemned, or really just lucking out on now having anyone else in the area. If they had a slightly larger budget I can’t even imagine how well this film would have done. On course if they didn’t have the $70 bragging rights it is also just as likely that this gem may have never received the recognition that it has.

The actual cause of his infection is not shown until the very end of the film. It is shown in a way that is almost painful to watch considering where he ends up, what he is doing, and the fact that he is supposed to be just a mindless flesh eating creature now. The director has clearly taken a cue from the most recent Romero works as well as a few other sources as of late that show the undead do not lose all of their previous life when they cross over into the new existence. It’s a bittersweet moment at the end where you can feel bad for Colin and not just what he has become.

If you are a zombie or independent horror fan you will absolutely love this unique take on the undead.

Available at Amazon

REVIEW: Fleshbeast

While at the Zombie Outbreak Film Festival I saw a short zombie movie entitled Flesthbeast. The setup is that the footage in the film was found after it had been missing since the 70’s and we are watching it. The story, from what I can understand, is about two scientists that don’t like each other and they are testing something out on a corpse that fell from a plane… and then the corpse rises up… the male scientist dies and female is happy but she realized that having two zombies in a lock down lab is not good. If, that’s what really is going on. I cannot even begin to explain what’s wrong with this movie.

One major problem that I had and that I noticed right off the bat… the awful voice dubbing!!! It was to loud and it didn’t seem natural and normally I can handle bad voice dubbing but it sounded more like a voice over than anything else. Other than that, the rest of the movie was just a scrambled mess of colors, effects and images. Honestly, I could not find a single plot in the movie and the plot that I thought of was what I could gather from the movie. There were a bunch of close-ups that didn’t need to happen, the images were too blurry and I could not understand what the action was.

What I did enjoy was the fact that it was a tribute to the 70’s style grindhouse movies and I could tell that Planet Terror heavily inspired it; it had the film grain, the film scratches and the over or under exposed shots… but it got annoying after a while. The one thing that I would change would be the zombie design, it was good makeup but the zombies looked like something straight out of C.H.U.D.

I think this movie is a good example o the term “good special effects don’t make a good movie.” There is a lot to improve on this movie and I honestly did not like it at all and I think that it there is a lot of room for improvement.

REVIEW: Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island

So this time around I decided to go back to a movie that I remember watching a long time ago when I was a kid. That movie is Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island and it was one of the best horror cartoons that I had seen. I don’t know if this is the first direct-to-DVD movie they made for Scooby-Doo but if it was, it’s probably one of the darkest, funniest old school cartoon horror movies out there. The movie is, basically, about the gang splitting up and then reunited to go ghost hunting for real. They come across a haunted mansion in a Louisiana bayou; little do they know, the mansion is really haunted by ghosts and zombies. It’s a fantastic plot for a cartoon. There are two things that I really enjoyed about this movie and its something that I will always remember about this movie.

The animation in this film is very crisp and since it was released in 1998, it was all hand drawn. The background portraits of Louisiana as well as the mansion felt so real and the artwork was so detailed I felt like I was actually there. That was one thing that I always tried to mock on paper… I wanted to draw like the artists that made the movie because it was so real looking. The setting of the bayou was so beautifully drawn and very picturesque.  It looked nice and comfy during the day, but when night rolled around the trees was dark and hanging, the moon was huge, yellow and filled with potholes and the swamp was so foggy and atmospheric. This was a strongpoint of the movie and really set up the tone of it.

Something that I really enjoyed was the storyline. Your typical mystery is about a guy in a mask, and throughout the beginning of the movie that’s what it is so when they arrive on the island… and the zombies begin to attack, you’ll think it’s all a trick and you begin to be skeptic. BUT NO!! It’s all real! Then, even closer to the end, you are smacked upside the head with two whammy’s. The people you think are good are bad, the zombies turn out to be good guys and one of the nicest characters in the whole movie is a double agent… this movie kicks your balls and spits on your face!

Now lets get down to the zombies; what do all zombie have in common… or should I say, what don’t they have in common? In all the Romero movies and in all the zombie flicks, every zombie is diverse in some way and this is especially seen in Dawn of the Dead and in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island all the zombies range from Civil War vets, to pirates, to tourists, to mobsters to kids! They are all different and that’s what I like to see. The zombies are wonderfully drawn and they walk and moan like real zombies. They don’t bite; they don’t jump or run… these are like old school zombies.

Overall, this was a great movie. It had some dark humor but it also retained that cartoon style of comedy that I loved so much about the Scooby-Doo cartoons. It had a great cast of voices and the animation was very rich. It wasn’t that scary, but for kids it can get a little creepy and the movie had a great storyline to it. It made you feel for the characters and it made you empathize with them too! I think this is one of the best zombie cartoons out there and probably the best Scooby-Doo cartoon movie there is.

Available at Amazon.

REVIEW: Chemical 12-D

So I was recently turned onto this little short by my friend BJ-C of Day of the Woman who insisted that I had to get a review up for it. While not wanting to disappoint her I can be extremely jaded towards short films so when the director contacted me with information to watch it online I was a bit leery but decided to give it a shot anyway. BJ-C has yet to disagree with me on any major horror films so how could I argue? At the last second though I held off since I realized I would be watching it on the big screen at Zombie Outbreak and just waited for that day.

I shouldn’t have because she was right. What Water Cooler Productions has done with this 7 minute short film is create something that is truly a work of art and I highly wish that they had the funds and time to make a full length horror film. Specifically a zombie film. Even more specifically a full feature based on this short.

Being as it is only 7 minutes long I can’t give you all of the details on it. I really want to but gushing about it will only take away from the amazing ending and I hope all of my fellow lovers of the undead have a chance to see this film. Chemical 12-D is the brain child of Mac Eldridge, David Wagenaar, Rob Davis, and Matt Nikkila. The entire film shows exactly how a short film should be made on a low budget and also showcases a few names that we will hopefully be able to see behind larger projects in the near future.

The outbreak has occurred and zombies roam the streets. One scientist believes he’s reaching a discovery that will cure this plague once and for all. However his test subjects have to be very specific and barely past being a child for the first viable treatments- and that is where things go wrong.

Visually the shots are amazing and the job that was done on the zombies are top notch. The zombie child showcased through most of it stands out as one of the better zombies I have ever seen on film! I was honestly blown away at how well the makeup was done and all of the undead looked.

While there aren’t copies for sale of Chemical 12-D online quite yet- they will be soon and we’ll be sure to keep you updated. Also if you want more then this review – watch the trailer! (Seriously watch it. Now.)