Saturday, December 03, 2005

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

LAND OF THE DEAD

It seems unfortunate today that nearly all horror films are either uninspired "cereberal" dreck like The Others and Signs, or shoddy, quick-buck remakes of better films. It seems only fitting that one the most legendary (not to mention most ripped-off) names in the history of the genre should be the one to deliver one of the best and most original horror movies in years. Land of the Dead is the forth film in George A. Romero's horror quadrilogy, a set of films connected only by their dealing with a plague of cannibalistic zombies which gets progressively worse with each film. This one takes place in a dystopian future America, now a barren no-man's-land inhabited by the living dead. There is one last human city, Fiddler's Green, a Metropolis-like place where the few fortunate wealthy live in luxorious skyscrapers while the poor fend for themselves in the streets. There are armed troops patrolling the border of the city, but on this particular day, there are two sizable problems - one of the army's tanks has been hijacked and held for ransom, and the zombies have started to evolve a wee bit, and actually band together to take the city by force!

Romero does here what he's always done better than abobody; seamlessly balancing social-political commentary with cranial explosions, torn-off limbs, disembowelments and animated corpses. There are the odd stabs at the Bush Administration, as well as some provocative looks at modern war and "Us & Them" situations, and there is enough bloodletting here to please gore-horror fans the world over. This is a Romero movie for the 2000's generation. It's faster-paced and better-acted by a few more familiar faces, while still staying true to his roots, both evolving his style and mythology. I've got to admit, that as much as I adore zombie movies, almost all of them, post-1968, have essentially followed the same story arc. There is an outbreak of a living dead plague, and it's either a small one in a farmhouse or a small town, or a big one in the city. What Romero has done here is actually think ahead - what would happen if this kind of thing kept up, given the nature of zombies, and even moreso, the nature of humans. There are fine performances all round, particularly from John Leguizamo and the uber-badass and uber-sexy Asia Argento. Dennis Hopper also has a fine turn as the "true evil" of the film, although Eugene Clark all but steals the show as Big Daddy, the leader of the zombie revolutionaries. There are a few in-jokes for horror fans, too - cameos from Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright of Shaun of the Dead fame, as well an homage to with the zombies coming up out of the water. It's a definite treat for longtime Romero fans. I'd like to say I hope it will raise the bar a bit for horror movies in the future, but with M. Night Shyamalan hard at work on an upcoming project, and remakes of The Omen, Suspiria, The Hills Have Eyes and Evil Dead coming down the pipe, I don't think it stands a chance in hell.


Image hosted by Photobucket.com

BEFORE SUNSET

Richard Linklater's sequel to his 1995 film Before Sunrise (one of the best romantic movies ever made, in my eyes) picks up nine years after the events of its predecessor, where Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) met on the train in to Vienna and spent an evening exploring the town, falling in love and finally making a pact to meet back with one another in six months. As we find out here, things didn't quite go according to the young lovers' plan - Jesse returned to Vienna but Celine had to be at her grandmother's funeral and missed their appointment. Nine years later, Jesse is a published author, in Paris on the last leg of his book tour, and he runs into Celine at the bookstore, and the two of them spend the remaining hour catching up, walking around Paris and discussing life, love, emotions and each other. Some may be skeptical about how well a real-time filmed conversation will be able to hold their attention, but director Richard Linklater and the cast pull it off perfectly, just as they did in the first film. Both movies are a perfect antidote for Hollywood Bullshit. With all the smaltz that is regularly churned out by movie studios, it's massively refreshing to slow down and spend some time with two wonderful characters who talk like real people. We enjoy their company just as much as they enjoy each other's.

I don't want to ruin any of the plot by revealing what the two talk about, because, well, I want you to see it. It's a marvelous and very special kind of sequel - while I wouldn't call it superior to the original, it is one of the rare follow-ups that re-examines and expands upon the characters and the events of the first film. Its tone is distinctively more downbeat than the first, and it's fitting, as the premise (not to mention the characters, after nine years) are a bit more grounded in gloomy reality than in the almost 'fairytale for adults'-like atmosphere of the original. The ending, like that of the first, is perfect in it's ambiguity

6 Comments:

Blogger oakleyses said...

prada outlet, christian louboutin uk, tory burch outlet, ugg boots, replica watches, michael kors outlet online, polo ralph lauren outlet online, longchamp outlet, replica watches, oakley sunglasses, uggs outlet, tiffany jewelry, oakley sunglasses wholesale, kate spade outlet, gucci handbags, longchamp outlet, louis vuitton, prada handbags, nike free, jordan shoes, ray ban sunglasses, louis vuitton outlet, louis vuitton outlet, nike air max, ray ban sunglasses, ray ban sunglasses, polo outlet, michael kors outlet, christian louboutin shoes, michael kors outlet online, christian louboutin outlet, nike air max, louis vuitton, burberry handbags, uggs on sale, nike outlet, chanel handbags, oakley sunglasses, cheap oakley sunglasses, uggs outlet, tiffany and co, burberry outlet, louis vuitton outlet, michael kors outlet online, ugg boots, longchamp outlet, michael kors outlet, michael kors outlet online

5:19 PM  
Blogger oakleyses said...

sac hermes, polo ralph lauren, polo lacoste, kate spade, coach outlet store online, michael kors, nike tn, nike air max uk, sac longchamp pas cher, nike roshe run uk, air max, nike air max uk, hollister uk, michael kors, mulberry uk, nike blazer pas cher, ray ban pas cher, ralph lauren uk, north face, nike air force, new balance, hogan outlet, vans pas cher, michael kors pas cher, north face uk, replica handbags, ray ban uk, timberland pas cher, michael kors outlet, lululemon canada, longchamp pas cher, sac vanessa bruno, burberry pas cher, nike roshe, coach purses, true religion jeans, true religion outlet, louboutin pas cher, oakley pas cher, coach outlet, nike air max, guess pas cher, nike free uk, abercrombie and fitch uk, true religion outlet, hollister pas cher, true religion outlet, jordan pas cher, nike free run, converse pas cher

5:22 PM  
Blogger oakleyses said...

coach outlet, hollister, moncler, louis vuitton, thomas sabo, ugg pas cher, converse outlet, pandora jewelry, swarovski, canada goose outlet, hollister, moncler outlet, canada goose outlet, juicy couture outlet, juicy couture outlet, wedding dresses, barbour, ugg,uggs,uggs canada, pandora charms, vans, replica watches, pandora jewelry, marc jacobs, canada goose, canada goose outlet, montre pas cher, links of london, moncler, moncler uk, louis vuitton, louis vuitton, ugg,ugg australia,ugg italia, lancel, karen millen uk, moncler, toms shoes, ugg uk, moncler, gucci, doudoune moncler, converse, canada goose jackets, barbour uk, moncler outlet, pandora uk, supra shoes, ray ban, canada goose uk, canada goose, louis vuitton, louis vuitton, canada goose

5:27 PM  
Blogger oakleyses said...

ugg boots, longchamp outlet, louis vuitton, christian louboutin, louis vuitton outlet, ray ban sunglasses, louis vuitton outlet, uggs on sale, gucci handbags, christian louboutin uk, tiffany jewelry, chanel handbags, louboutin pas cher, air max, nike free run, prada handbags, louis vuitton outlet, jordan pas cher, louis vuitton, longchamp pas cher, oakley sunglasses, polo outlet, replica watches, nike free, nike roshe, kate spade outlet, nike outlet, tiffany and co, polo ralph lauren outlet online, ray ban sunglasses, nike air max, oakley sunglasses, jordan shoes, ugg boots, oakley sunglasses wholesale, prada outlet, nike air max, longchamp outlet, longchamp outlet, tory burch outlet, michael kors pas cher, sac longchamp pas cher, oakley sunglasses, ray ban sunglasses, replica watches, burberry pas cher, christian louboutin outlet, cheap oakley sunglasses, polo ralph lauren

8:32 PM  
Blogger oakleyses said...

insanity workout, hollister clothing, jimmy choo outlet, longchamp uk, soccer shoes, iphone 6s cases, ralph lauren, hermes belt, iphone 6 cases, abercrombie and fitch, mont blanc pens, timberland boots, s6 case, mcm handbags, chi flat iron, lululemon, mac cosmetics, giuseppe zanotti outlet, iphone 6s plus cases, ferragamo shoes, herve leger, iphone cases, celine handbags, north face outlet, nfl jerseys, valentino shoes, soccer jerseys, iphone 5s cases, wedding dresses, bottega veneta, nike huaraches, ghd hair, baseball bats, iphone 6 plus cases, north face outlet, p90x workout, instyler, vans outlet, new balance shoes, oakley, ipad cases, nike trainers uk, babyliss, louboutin, beats by dre, reebok outlet, nike roshe run, nike air max, hollister, asics running shoes

8:37 PM  
Blogger oakleyses said...

lancel, swarovski, hollister, swarovski crystal, moncler uk, juicy couture outlet, montre pas cher, doudoune moncler, links of london, ray ban, ugg uk, moncler, louis vuitton, moncler, hollister, moncler outlet, moncler, barbour uk, louis vuitton, replica watches, nike air max, louis vuitton, toms shoes, barbour, canada goose outlet, converse outlet, canada goose outlet, marc jacobs, louis vuitton, ugg, juicy couture outlet, pandora jewelry, wedding dresses, canada goose, louis vuitton, ugg,uggs,uggs canada, pandora charms, canada goose uk, pandora uk, pandora jewelry, moncler, canada goose outlet, gucci, moncler outlet, ugg pas cher, converse, thomas sabo, karen millen uk, ugg,ugg australia,ugg italia, canada goose, supra shoes, canada goose jackets, vans

8:40 PM  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home