Top 10 Zombie Flicks

In keeping with the Comicon theme, I decided to to my favorite Zombie films.  In just a few short days I will have the privilege of watching a private screening of the original Night of the Living Dead with the godfather of Zombie's himself, George A. Romero.  I can hardly wait, but until then, here's my top 10:

10. Zombie Strippers

In the not too distant future a secret government re-animation chemo-virus gets released into conservative Sartre, Nebraska and lands in an underground strip club. As the virus begins to spread, turning the strippers into "Super Zombie Strippers" the girls struggle with whether or not to conform to the new "fad" even if it means there's no turning back. - IMDB

I was pleasantly surprised by this film.  It was much better than I thought it was going to be and I quite enjoyed the story.  Plus how can you go wrong with crazy gore, chick fights and body parts falling off during a stripping routine.

9. Undead or Alive

Elmer Winslow is a soldier on the run from the Union Army, and Luke Budd is a cowboy with a broken heart. When the two misfits rob the corrupt sheriff of an old west town, they have no idea that a plague of zombies is sweeping the country, or that Geronimo's sexy niece may be their only hope of survival. - IMDB

Another surprise hit.  I bought this one in a discount bin for $2 so I wasn't expecting much, plus it was starring Chris Kattan.  To my surprise, I loved it!  Funny as hell and featuring a catchy theme song, I think this one is worth much more than the $2 I paid for it.

8. Diary of the Dead

A group of young film students run into real-life zombies while filming a horror movie of their own. - IMDB

Romero choose to go back to the beginning with this one.  Shot in the hand held camera style of Blair Witch (although much less shaky), it was an interesting take on the original outbreak.  I loved the cameo that turned into a feature role in Survival of the Dead.  Probably my favorite thing about this film is that you don't see the face of the main character until the very end.  I enjoyed watching the outbreak through his eyes - literally.

7. Land of the Dead

The living dead have taken over the world, and the last humans live in a walled city to protect themselves as they come to grips with the situation. - IMDB

What happens after the initial outbreak had really set in?  This movie explores that fully.  I know a lot of people didn't like seeing the Zombie's evolve and start using tools and problem solving, but I liked that.  It made them scarier.  It also made the idea of a Zombie Apocalypse more frightening.  What happens if you can't just sit back and wait it out?  Where do you go if your fortifications become irrelevant?  Plus John Leguizamo rocks!

6. Zombieland

A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, and a gun-toting tough guy trying to find the Last Twinkie and a pair of sisters trying to get to an amusement park join forces to travel across a zombie-filled America. - IMDB

This film is a laugh out loud riot!  Woody Harrelson is phenomenal and Bill Murray's cameo is one of the best in history.  It has also given us some of the best rules to live by in a Zombie Apocalypse, the need for cutting loose and having a little fun.  It also showed us the importance of that lovely little spongy delicacy - the twinkie.

5. Planet Terror

After an experimental bio-weapon is released, turning thousands into zombie-like creatures, it's up to a rag-tag group of survivors to stop the infected and those behind its release. - IMDB

This is such a great Grindhouse style film.  Great story, amazing gore and gratuitous violence makes this one a classic.  I love the missing reels leaving us wondering what the hell just happened.  A stripper with useless talents and a gun leg, corny one liners and questions with no answers abound making this one a can't miss.  The scene with Quentin Tarantino's dick falling off is pretty funny too.

4. Dawn of the Dead (Remake)

A nurse, a policeman, a young married couple, a salesman, and other survivors of a worldwide plague that is producing aggressive, flesh-eating zombies, take refuge in a mega Midwestern shopping mall. - IMDB

This has got to be one of the best re-makes ever.  While hard core Romero fans may hate it for he changes made (particularly the fast style zombie)  I think the updates worked well.  It was dark and frightening with just enough laughs in it to break up the tension.  Sarah Polly was awesome in this film showing a wide range of emotions instead of being the stereotypical warrior chick or helpless victim.  The idea of the mall still plays well in this film.  Plus it answers the age old question of what happens to a pregnant zombie.

3. 28 Days Later

Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary. - IMDB

The king of fast zombie flicks.  This one put the fear of the Zombie Apocalypse in me.  I love the idea of the main character missing the outbreak and being totally clueless as to what's going on and being forced to survive the horrors and find himself while doing so.  The idea of one drop of infected fluid being enough to turn you is pretty frightening as well.  It also raises some pretty interesting points on politics and what humans can become when left with no social boundaries to keep them in check.

2. Shaun of the Dead

A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living. - IMDB

This has got to be the funniest Zombie film ever.  I love the clueless characters.  The scene where Shaun is stumbling down the street doing his usual morning routine, completely oblivious to the horrors around him is priceless.  I also liked that it took a more serious turn near the end and didn't stay campy throughout.  Simon Pegg and Nick Frost knocked it out of the park with this one.

1. Night of the Living Dead

A group of people hide from bloodthirsty zombies in a farmhouse. - IMDB

For obvious reasons, this has got to be number one.  It's the film that really started it all.  Yes it's not the first zombie film out there, but it really did take things to the next level.  It spawned countless sequels and spin offs and it allowed Romero to rise to level he is at today.  It was scary.  It made statements about the human condition.  It was even a little political.  But mostly, it is just down right awesome!

Face Off

Anyone who knows me knows of my little obsession with costumes.  Halloween is my favorite time of year and I love doing crazy off the wall stuff and make up so when I heard about this show I was super excited.

A show strictly about special effects make up?  I love it.  The challenges where great and each of the participants had their own amazing styles.  From the very beginning I loved Tate and Connor.  Tate is imaginative and innovative and a little unorthodox.  Connor is a serious technition and has perfect form and style.  I was very happy to see them in the final and to see one of them win!  I have to say that probably one of my favorite things about this show was that the judges were not just "random famous types who have no business actually critiquing".  They are people who not only work in the business, they are great at what they do!  Ve Neill (Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, and the Pirates movies) Patrick Tatopolous (Independence Day, Godzilla and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans ) and Glenn Hetrick (Legion, The x-files and Buffy/Angel) are the judges.  I learned alot of new techniques watching these artists work and I can't wait to put some of them into practice in the future.

Here's a few of my favorite makeups from this season:

Anthony's creation in the body painting challenge.  I wish I could have found a full body shot so you could see the piece of bark being torn away from the torso to reveal the skin.  Brilliant work.

Connor and Jo's creation from the alien challenge.  I could see this on an episode of Star Trek for sure.

Connor's zombie.  I love the classic take and the leathery "I've been a rotting corpse for a while now" look.  I could see this one on the set of The Walking Dead.

Tate's zombie.  This really shows the difference between those two boys.  Connor's was excellent in it's execution while Tate's had vision and imagination.  I love how his makeup tells the story of this woman being grabbed from behind and torn open. (Note the fingernail tearing on the chest.)  The torn jaw and bloated tongue are disgusting and great touches.

Gage's creation for the finale.  He choose to do Industrial Hansel and Gretel.  It was his most brilliant work and very disturbing.  The shard of metal in the witches mouth and the child hands pushing out of the witches stomach were great.

Tate's post-apocalyptic Little Red Riding Hood.  Awesome concept!  I loved the idea of the group of strong female warriors banding together and hunting down the werewolves.  I am amazed that he made a werewolf this intricate in basically 3 days.  I also loved that is was white and had a tail.  I want to see this movie.

Connor's haunted Frog Prince.  Masterfully executed and interesting.  It was cool to see him do some major problem solving when his frog head piece collapsed after casting.  Here's a close up of the Frog's face during his moment of transformation

The best part was that he ran a small tube into the actors mouth that he blew into and it inflated the bladder under the chin just like a real frog.  This is why Connor won.  Amazing work.  I'm sure he will have a very successful career in Hollywood but I hope Tate gets a lot of work out of the show too.

Now that I'm feeling inspired, it's time to start working on costumes for ComiCon.

Best Christmas Instructional Video EVER

A friend of mine sent me this video and I just had to share so you can all be prepared to celebrate Christmas in the event of the upcoming Zombie Apocalypse.  Happy Headshots!!

The Walking Dead:Review

I've been waiting until the end of season one to officially review this show.  I am a big fan of the comic and have been reading it for a long time so when I found out they were making this, I was stoked!  And a little hesitant.  I was worried that they would ruin things by going too far off the rails.  I am glad to see that they didn't.  For anyone that has read the comic you know that there is alot of things that have happened in this season that didn't happen in the comic.  The CDC thing for one.  And Shane still being alive for another.  I have read and watched a few things on this show and understand the logic behind their decision to go away from the cannon.  They want to keep it fresh and new for people that have read it and I think they have done an excellent job of that.  I love the balance of the new elements with the major elements from the comic staying intact.  The characters are who they should be.  They have stayed very true to the ones in the book and had breathed life into the characters that I love...and love to hate.

Andrew Lincoln is fantastic as Rick Grimes.  He captures the angst and weight of the character who is trying to keep his family and a group of survivors together in a world gone mad.  I am glad I read the comic so I know where things are going and I can see how these actors are breathing life into the emotional journey their characters are on.  Jon Bernthal is fantastic as Shane and I can see why they decided to keep his character around.  While I find the entire cast excellent I have to say the stand out for me has to be Jeffrey DeMunn who is amazing as Dale.  He has made a character that didn't really resonate with me much before one of my favorites.  I love his quiet strength and vulnerability.

I can't wait until next season when they get to the farm, but more than that....the Jail.  The wait is killing me.  Come back soon Walkers.  I give this show a resounding 4.9 out of 5 head shots.

Geek overload!!!

I am so excited.  They have started announcing confirmed guests for the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo for 2011.  I was stoked when I heard William Shatner was coming...and Jonathan Frakes...and Mike Mignola....but I almost had a stroke when I saw that the god of all Zombie flicks is coming!

That's right!  George A. Romero is coming!!!  I am going to be on pins and needles until I get to this thing in June!!  SQUEEEEEEEE.  Ok must contain the geek.  Time to go to work.  Must resurrect the fashion.  But geek side is winning out by far!

Survival of the Dead : Review

Let me start by saying I am a HUGE zombie fan.  And I love Romero flicks.  However I have to say I was a little bit disappointed with this one.  It felt as though this lost a little of the "of the Dead" charm of the previous movies, but I did still find it enjoyable.  It still held alot of the fun and silly moment of previous films, but it seemed to be lacking some of the soul and social commentary.

"Survival" is the latest in the Romero "of the Dead" films in case you are living under a rock or are unaware of the impending Zombie Apocalypse.  It was preceded by such classics as "Night of the Living Dead", "Dawn of the Dead", "Day of the Dead", "Land of the Dead" and "Diary of the Dead".  Each of these movies have had their good points and bad points, but there has always been a tie that binds them.  The us vs.them factor. This movie has it's moments of that, but it's schlocky acting made it harder to swallow.  I loved that the main character was a bit part reprise from "Diary" and he was one of the better features of the movie, but the cheesy Hatfields Vs. McCoys type storyline that exists between the survivors of the island really took away from the point of the film.  I enjoyed the idea of someone teaching zombies to eat another food source and found that it was an idea that tied the journey in all of the films together.  I wish they would have spent more time exploring that.  There were alot of little things that did really bother me though.  There were a few moments where I felt that people got entirely to close to zombie without even the hint of getting attacked.  The fear factor was totally gone.  And don't even get me started on how wrong it is that there was a zombie riding a horse.  First off I don't believe for a second that a horse would let a zombie anywhere near it, let alone ride it.  Even if you make the argument that perhaps the character was on the horse when they turned, the fact that the zombies were continually doing what they used to do in life without stopping would mean that the horse was ridden to death about 4 weeks before the movie started.

With all of this being said, it was still an enjoyable film and worth watching if you are a zombie film fan.  I give it a 6/10 and would happily watch it again on a cold day when I am in need of a zombie marathon