Film Review: ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP (2019)

I must say that I wasn’t really a fan of the original film but I wanted to give the sequel a chance since I liked the concept of the overall film but didn’t care for the execution.  For me, Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) suffers from the same problems that the original film does so only fans of the original will find enjoyment in this film.  In the original film Zombieland (2009) director Ruben Fleischer crafts a funny and entertaining film with characters that do questionable things just because it’s funny and not because it makes any sense character wise or plot wise.  For the most part, audiences didn’t care that the plot of the film by the third act became more ludicrous and ridiculous to the point of absurdity as long as it was funny but it ended up destroying the strong female characters that needed to be saved by the dumber male characters whom throughout the entire film were being duped by the female characters.  This is a similar characteristic of the sequel as a genuinely good story is sidelined for the joke and the laughs.

In this film our survivors Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock (Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin, respectfully) have been living the good life in the White House.  The only problem is that Columbus wants to marry Wichita and Little Rock needs some personal space between her and Tallahassee, who acts like her father, so Wichita and Little Rock hit the road in the middle of the night to make their own path in the world.  Tallahasse and Columbus try to make a new life for themselves without the girls until Wichita returns claiming that Little Rock ditched her for a man Berkeley (Avan Jogia).  Now the gang gets together for another cross country trip in search of Little Rock to bring her back home.  On their way they come across new and powerful zombies as well as other new characters to pay out the run time of the film which is virtually the exact same thing that happened in the original film.

A cross country trip with zombie madness and huge action sequences will appease most fans of the franchise as it is obvious that Fleischer got a bigger budget for this film but by the time the characters reach the third act where they all come together again in a community of non-violence where all weapons are melted down and it’s a party all the time you wonder how anyone in this community ever survived the apocalypse due to their stupidity.  There is the now required ludicrous zombie onslaught that occurs forcing the characters to be clever and come up with a way to kill the zombies without weapons.

On the surface, the film is quite entertaining and sometimes even funny (especially the scene where Tallahassee and Columbus meet their doubles in Albuquerque and Flagstaff) but the overall film suffers from an overall stupidity of characters doing dumb things just for the sake of the joke.  The action sequences are infinity better than in the original film and the cast is exceptionally good with a scene stealing performance by Rosario Dawson in the third act.    You’ll never be bored watching this film but it won’t leave an impression and if you think a little about it, everything seems to fall apart like the corpse of a zombie.

Film Review: PAURA: LUCIO FULCI REMEMBERED VOLUME 1 (2008)

Directed by Mike Baronas Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered Volume 1 (2008) is an amazing collection of interviews from cast and crew that have worked with the director Lucio Fulci.  The interviews encompass a wide variety of people whom both had a great working relationship with the eccentric director as well as those who found it difficult.  If you’re a fan of Fulci’s films then you’ll learn a lot from watching this film.

For those of you not in the know, Fulci is one of the most influential Italian horror film directors in the same vein as Mario Bava, Dario Argento, Ruggero Deodato, Joe D’Amato, Jesus Franco, and Umberto Lenzi, to name but a few.  Horror fans will easily recognize some of Fulci’s most famous films like Zombie (1979), The Beyond (1981), House By the Cemetery (1981), City of the Living Dead (1980), and Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972), to name a few.  His films have helped redefine the zombie genre in the same way that George A. Romero’s films have.  His films may not be for everyone as they are sometimes had excessive gore and sometimes too cryptic but they were never boring and always entertaining.  He graced every genre from Edgar Allan Poe adaption The Black Cat (1981), the crime-action film Contraband (1980), literary classic - White Fang (1973), comedy – The Eroticist (1972), and western – The Four of the Apocalypse (1975), just to name a few. 

In this film, people from all these films and more are given the opportunity to express their thoughts about Fulci.  Fulci died in 1996 so this is a remarkable way in which people have been able to honor the late director and his legacy.  The film is not really designed to be enjoyed by the casual viewer or someone not associated with Fulci’s films; it will be better appreciated by fans of Fulci who have seen his films (or at least know of them).

Film Review: GALLOWWALKERS (2012)

GALLOWWALKERS (2012) is a horror-western populated with the usual gunslingers, whores, cops, and bandits except the bandits in this film don’t die but return after death as undead immortals that kill and feed off everything they encounter.  They are called Gallowwalkers and they are a close in relations to vampires except they can walk in the daylight and they have to replace their outer skin with fresh skin on a regular basis.  On the trail of a gang of Gallowwalkers is the outlaw Aman (Wesley Snipes) who will stop at nothing to kill all the Gallowwalkers that were responsible for the death of his loved one.

There is a lot of style to be had in this film in regard to the cinematography and the production design but the film itself is crippled by a sub-par screenplay and the acting which isn’t at top form.  The most odd and bonkers aspects of the film just come off as incredible uneven because of the direction which can’t bring all the elements together. 

Snipes seems to be phoning it in doing a less interesting “Blade” impression.  Although some of the action sequences are quite good, the editing ruins the pacing of some of them.  Some of the scenes would seem more authentic with more attention paid towards the editing and pacing but then there are some scenes that fall completely flat.

There are some interesting elements to the film, but the overall result has too many issues to recommend it an enjoyable film, but it was an interesting idea that was developed.

Film Review: ZOOMBIES (2015)

No one is ever going to mistake a film from The Asylum to be high art much less all that good, but they have a knack for crafting some ridiculously entertaining films sometimes of which ZOOMBIES (2016) almost hits all the right marks.

A strange monkey virus threatens to spread throughout a new safari park on the cusp of opening up to the public just when the new interns are getting assigned to their jobs.  Although there are no regular attendees yet, there are plenty of park workers that become cannon fodder for the savage zoo animals soon infected with a zombie-like virus.  It is up to the employees to stop the spread of the virus before it reaches the outside world and threatens all life on Earth.

Dr. Ellen Rogers (Kim Nielson) must find a way to navigate her employees to safety in the park while zombie gorillas, giraffes, lions, and all other manner of critters make food of everyone they come into contact with.

The film is filled with colorful characters and enough gore to satisfy even the most diehard horror fan and even though it lacks the polish of a Hollywood studio film (the CGI is pretty bad) there is plenty of entertainment and zombie carnage to keep you occupied from beginning to end (especially if you like these types of films).  Fans of The Asylum films know what to expect and the film delivers in spades.  If you’re not fans of The Asylum or don’t have an open mind then this film is definitely not for you as you need to be “in” on the joke in order to enjoy these types of films.

Film Review: DAY OF THE DEAD: BLOODLINE (2017)

There is no sequel/reboot/remake more unwanted or unneeded than yet another version of director George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead (1985) but director Hector Hernandez Vicens has done just that with Day of the Dead: Bloodline (2017).  Zoe Parker (Sophie Skelton) is a doctor whose obsessive patient Max (Johnathon Schaech) tries to rape her just as the dead begin to rise.  She happens to escape but not before seeing Max killed.

Jump a little into the future and Zoe is now one of a small group of survivors holed up on a military compound where she’s trying to find a cure for the deadly zombie virus.   When one of the children at the complex gets deathly ill and it threatens the rest of the camp Zoe and a bunch of the soldiers venture into the ruins of the city for medicine.  Zoe and the soldiers get a big surprise when she discovers that Max is still alive…in a way.  Max is part human and part zombie and he may hold the key to the cure to the zombie virus if she and the soldiers can stay alive long enough as a vengeful Max will do whatever he can to possess Zoe even if it means turning all the survivors at the camp into his undead army.

The film pays homage to the Romero classic in terms of specific plot points but with the larger cast most of them become nothing more than cannon fodder in a film that’s filled with bad acting and an even worse script that is predictable with every zombie film way.  The film’s only saving grace is the better than expected production values as the film looks good and the make up effects are top notch.  There is no denying that Vicens set out to craft a good-looking film.

Schaech is in fine form as seems to be having a lot of fun as this film’s version of the “Bub” character from the original, only more sexually active.  The action sequences are also very well done but because the film relies on characters always making the dub decisions all the built up good will is gone to waste as I’m sure you’ll feel once you watch it.

Film Review: HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD (aka NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIES) (1980)

An accident at a chemical plant unleashes a horrific virus turning everyone into zombies in director Bruno Maittei’s Hell of the Living Dead (1980).  An elite SWAT team is sent into New Guinea to investigate the accident but what they find is an endless supply of zombies and a reporter and her team caught in the middle of it all.  Time is running out for the SWAT team who even with their massive fire power keep coming against bigger hordes of the undead. 

Hell of the Living Dead is not one of Maittei’s best films (nor is it one of his worst) and its charms will be lost on modern day audiences as it relies on excessive gore and outrageous humor as most Italian films from the ‘80s but for those interested in an outrageous zombie film before they got all serious in the modern age then this film is a brain-dead entertaining joy ride as only Maittei can unleash.

Not a film for the casual viewer but for horror fans who know what they are getting into before they watch the film.

Film Review: CATACOMBS (1988)

The Beast of the Apocalypse has been buried for over 400 years beneath a monastery where the secret has been kept until a female school teacher and an American priest uncover the truth in the film Catacombs (aka The Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice) (1988).  Laura Schaefer is the school teacher Elizabeth Magrino who has been invited to the monastery to photograph everything.  Her arrival coincides with the release of the Beast who has influence over everyone that comes near him which he uses to kill and/or possess people into furthering his escape from his prison.  Elizabeth must overcome not only the slow possession of the Beast but the open sexism placed upon her as the first woman to ever be allowed access to the monastery. 

Time is running out as the more people the Beast kills the stronger he becomes until he is able to release himself from captivity.

Written by David Schmoeller and R. Barker Price and directed by Schmoeller (who also directed Netherworld, Puppetmaster, Crawlspace, and Tourist Trap) the film is well made but is not one of his better films.  This being said it is entertaining in a ‘80s horror film kind of way and will appeal to those who love the films of Full Moon Entertainment.

Film Review: THE LAUGHING DEAD (1989)

A priest who has lost his faith is at the heart of the possession horror film The Laughing Dead (1989).  Catholic priest Father O’Sullivan (Tim Sullivan) is escorting a group of tourists into Mexico to visit the Aztec ruins.  He’s having a crisis of faith stemming from the fact that he had an affair with Tessie (Wendy Webb) which yielded a son Ivan (Patrick Roskowick) and they both just so happen to be a part of his tour.  It also happens to be the Day of the Dead festival and the evil Dr. Um-tzec  (Somtow Sucharitkul) plans to resurrect the Death God.  Dr. Um-tzec uses O’Sullivan as a vessel for the Death God but also needs hearts of children to sacrifice of which Ivan is a prime candidate.  Now O’Sullivan must fight his possession of the Death God before he kills Tessie and his son or any more innocents that get in his way. 

Not a particularly interesting film.

Written & directed by Sucharitkul the film is dull and at times rather boring and uninteresting due to the script and the lazy handling of the material by the cast who all pretty much seem bored in the film.  There are a few moments that perk up but these are few and far in between creating a film that is a slosh to get through.  Make-up FX are pretty standard low budget (or no budget) ‘80s and there is nothing in the film that will have you calling it a cult classic of any kind.  Just another highly forgettable ‘80s film.