Zombie Nazis!

Ah, the zombie movie. Tried and true horror flick since the days of Bela Lugosi, though that is certainly not what most modern viewers associate the genre with. When you hear the words "zombie movie" you normally think of a few standard, almost stereotype, tropes. There will be walking dead (of various speeds) tons of gore, and really. . .not much else usually. This is why so many zombie movies get made. They're cheap. They're relatively easy to make, and easy to script, and all they require is some make-up, blood effects, and the ability of an actor to make unearthly noises and shamble around. Of course, these production positives are also the unfortunate tree that bears the fruit of what makes so many zombie so horrendous in in the first place. For every "Night of the Living Dead" there's a dozen low budget potboilers like "House of the Dead" or the modern remake of "Day of the Dead" or something like "Return of the Living Dead 5: Rave to the Grave" Really, the title of that last one says everything you need to know about the movie. Just terrible.

Beyond that, there are a few modern zombie films that manage to skirt this, either through innovations previously unseen in the genre such as the insanely funny "Shaun of the Dead" or by skirting the cheapie tag and turning out something solid with a healthy dose of modern technical wizardry, like in the modern remake of "Dawn of the Dead" This week's choice is a film that hearkens back to the good old days of over the top zombie splatter, mixed in with everyone's favorite cinematic villains.

Yes. That's right. Zombie Nazis. Just to make sure that you have absolutely no qualms about killing them. This Norwegian import, directed by Tommy Wirkola and starring an ensemble cast of Nordic people that no one will recognize, is certainly not the first film to feature WWII Style Undead, and it probably won't be the last.

The story is simple enough, though with a twist to the story that I think added a bit more sparkle to the proceedings, rather as a motive for the Living Dead, than simply having them killing at random. These are different Undead than you're used to. They're fast, organized, and capable of not only taking orders, but giving them as well, making for a more unique enemy than normal. Plus, as I said, they're simply not killing for killing sake, they're after something that they feel belongs to them, in this case a stash of pilfered gold. Unfortunately, that's about as much I can say for the plot itself, and that doubles for most of the characterizations as well. Flat. Typical. Nearly ever stereotypical character can be picked out, and every horror standard is trotted out. There's the fat obnoxious guy. There's the tough guy who stands up and fights. There's the horny couple. Standard Fare, and that's where it hurts the film, as there was so much more they could do with the characters and the dialogue along the lines of political or social commentary, but most of that is lost in favor of "Oh Shit. Zombie Nazis!" pablum. The actors themselves aren't much at fault, doing average to solid work with what's given them, and the quality of their acting isn't as cringe worthy as it certainly could have been, so I give them props on that front.

Aside from these negatives, which do keep the film from rising to heights that I was hoping it could, there are several positives. The special effects are top notch, and in this kind of film, they should be, when you factor in just how much blood splatters and spills throughout the film's brisk hour and a half running time. By the end of the film, everyone on the human side of the cast has been covered with a mask of blood, both their own and that of their relentless Nazi foes. The deaths on both sides are suitably graphic and gory, though not overdone, and not to the point where you're constantly grimacing and regretting what you're watching. The film's shining moment, the one sequence I would actually go back and watch again, comes towards the film's ending, as two of the survivors arm themselves and charge headlong into the thundering undead horde, hacking off limbs and decapitating as they go, while the most inappropriately funny plays on the soundtrack. It had me laughing out loud and almost cheering at the screen. Wirkola really shines during these scenes and I would be interested in taking a look at his future work, whether or not he continues in this genre.

In the end, I would say that the pulpy, bloody combination of humor and action present "Dead Snow" is good enough to interest fans of Horror fans in general, and certainly the interest of zombie film fanatics, but that it won't hold much interest for anyone outside of those circles. I would suggest a rental, and a viewing in a marathon of simliar fare, unless you're a completist, whereupon this would make a fine addition to your collection, though I don't see myself watching the film more than twice, if even that.

Final Review: 5/10: Solid albeit unspectacular zombie flick that rises above some of it's contemporaries, but falls short of being truly alive.

How does a vampire go for a drive in the daytime?

It seems that every year movies get worse and worse, stretching from the films that get nominated for Best Picture, the summer blockbusters, to the films you see that make you go "What the hell was that?" Granted, out of all the films that have ever been made, how many of them were good (or bad) enough to be remembered? The answer is...not many at all. A relatively small cross section ever make it out of the decade in which they were originally made. As time has passed by, in my opinion, filmmakers are stretching themselves for original ideas, or at the very least a fresh take on an old topic. More and more, these same film-makers are taking the cinematic version of the easy way out, churning out a slew of remakes, re-imaginings, and un-necessary sequels.

Now, don't get me wrong here...Hollywood has been taking advantage of the idea of making a sequel to a success film since the glory days of old King Kong, for which was produced a little little known sequel called "Son of Kong" which itself has been largely forgotten these days. There's also the little known fact that the version of "The Maltese Falcon" we're most familiar with today was actually the third talkie version created by Hollywood. As such, to see a movie these days that instills a sense of originality is no easy feat, not to say that its impossible by any rights. My review for this week comes from one of these recent films, a vampire actioner known as "DayBreakers"

Written and Directed by the Spierig brothers, and starring Ethan Hawke, Willem Defoe, and Sam Neill, it was released in early 2010, and recently was released on DVD. I wasn't going into viewing this film with much resembling high hopes, and suffice to say, I came out of it pleasantly surprised. Based in a "not too distant future" in which mankind has become afflicted by a disease which turns everyone into vampires, and in which human beings are, much like the Matrix, kept simply as food for the dominant species. The similarities to the Matrix don't end there, as the visual style of the film, a color pallet consisting mostly of metallic grays, blues and blacks is reminiscent of the now legendary Sci-Fi actioner. This style lends itself to the visceral splashes of red that frequently wash the scenery, making them stand out more than they would in more traditional colors. That is practically where the similarities end.

What really stood out to me about this film was the level of thought the creators must have put into imagining and designing a world in which the vast majority of its population are blood feeders who can't withstand extended bouts in the sunlight. To answer the question I posited at the beginning of the review: They get behind the wheel of a car and drive. Not just any car, mind you, one specially designed with UV blocking windshields and camera based viewing systems. This is also how the vampires see themselves, secondary images reflected from video cameras (since they can't see themselves in the mirror). This is just the beginning of how the film answers these questions, though I won't get into some of the others, although I can say I was personally impressed with some of the small details they thought of.

What about the actual action? There's quite a bit, and an equal amount of spilt blood. This is no Blade, however, in which vampires are dealt with hand to hand. The human Drac crackers all pack crossbows, while the Vampire Police mostly carry either tranquilizer guns or your run o the mill future machine guns. Nothing truly groundbreaking here, mostly shoot'em up sequences punctuated with the somewhat satisfying "pop" of an explosion whenever a vampire gets crossbowed. Don't see this film if you're expecting oodles of explosions although there are a few small ones to liven up the action.

Much like the action, the acting won't be winning any awards. Standard performances from all involved, though its hard to not enjoy most of what Willem Dafoe does, as he tries to make the best of sub-par to average writing, which was a definite low point for the movie. Corny lines, bad dialogue, out of left field explanations for why certain things happen or completely forgetting to explain why certain things happen. Not to spoil, but I was left scratching my head as to just...how...controlled exposure to sunlight served as a cure for vampirism. Does it "burn" away the disease that causes the vampirism? Same goes for what I consider the most obvious plot hole, the fact that the plot's driving problem is the dwindling food supplies for the world's vampire population. Why don't they just let the captured humans breed and multiply like the world dominating machines in the Matrix? Do they simply not have the technology or the control tactics necessary? Did they just not think about it? All questions left unanswered.

To close out my feelings on the movie, I would have to give it a recommendation to at least rent. Watch it once or twice to get the gist of what's going on, but try to shut your brain off for some of the plot points, and the gaps that occasionally grow between them. It reaches for a unique presence, and in some cases, it reaches those heights of originality, but in others, it suffers just like the world in the film itself, bled dry and lacking just a little something.



Final Review: 6/10 - Slightly above average sci-fi action film with some interesting ideas, but in the end, nothing you can truly sink your teeth into.

Good Morning Viet-Internet!

This a new avenue for me, but I figured it would be an interesting way to express myself and share my feelings on things that matter most to me in this big wide world that we live in....chiefly among those being my massive collection of DVDs. Now...just to illustrate what I mean by massive...my collection currently maxes out at about 2574 titles spread out amongst 3361 discs, thanks to the helpful calculators over at DVD Aficionado. Here's the link to my site there... http://starchaserva.dvdaf.com. Every week, I will log what I've watched,be they in-theater, new releases, or old favorites. Feel free to take a look at my DVDAF site to make any suggestions on what I should watch and review! Also, from time to time, I'll be talking about anything that catches my fancy, which may lead to a rant or two every now and again. So...to start off this week, I'll have my first reviewed film starting tomorrow, and now I'll fire the first shot by giving a list of MY top ten favorite movies.

1. Star Wars - Undeniably my favorite film ever. A timeless classic, and the film that first inspired me to become a creative writer.

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark - Everything that makes action films great, not to mention my favorite action sequence of all time That being where Indy single handedly lays waste to a Nazi Convoy. Dr Jones may very be my idol.

3. Jaws - This has scared and excited me since I was a young enough to even watch movies. Probably responsible for why I love sharks so much now as an adult.

4. King Kong - Pure Movie magic. One of my first cinematic memories was hearing about the Eigth Wonder of the World from my grandparents who had seen this in theaters. Wore out my VHS tape of a junky colorized version.

5. Casablanca - In my view, the most perfect american film ever created. You can't call yourself a film fan if you don't like this movie. Here's a hint...see this with your girl.

6. Alice in Wonderland - The Disney version. My favorite out of all the Disney films, animated or otherwise. Also happens to be my favorite book.

7. Yankee Doodle Dandy - Call me a flag waver, but I can't watch this classic musical without getting goosebumps at least once or twice.

8. Saving Private Ryan - As visceral and realistic a war film as you will ever see. I first watched this with my grandfather, who was there, and he attested to just how close Spielberg got to the actual event.

9. Godzilla: King of the Monsters - Started my twenty year love affair with the atomic ray firing, city stomping monster. Many an afternoon was spent cheering on a man in a rubber suit, beating on another man in a rubber suit.

10. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - High Fantasy at its action packed, legendary best.