Friday Top Five - Zombie Movies!

Last week, I counted down my Top Five Superhero Movies in honor of the very bland and disappointing (read: BAD) Man of Steel. This week, in honor of World War Z (which I'm super psyched about and hope it doesn't disappoint me), I'm counting down my Top Five Zombie Movies.

5. Planet Terror (2007, Robert Rodriguez)
Planet Terror was the first half of 2007's badass awesome Grindhouse (the second half was Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, also great, in a different way). Technically, it is a zombie movie but I forgive you for forgetting that. You may have been distracted by Marley Shelton's needle wheeling nurse. Or Freddie Rodriguez's bad ass, kick ass character. Or, more likely, Rose McGowan's stripper turned one legged victim turned hero with a machine gun leg. Planet Terror is over the top, for sure, but all Rodriguez movies are and that's what makes them so damn fun.

4. Dawn of the Dead (2004, Zack Snyder)
I'm no fan of Zack Snyder's. To me, he is too manic, too style over substance, too visual without regard for plot. His other movies (including Watchmen, 300, Sucker Punch and last week's hot mess Man of Steel) have all disappointed me or angered me in various ways. But his remake of Dawn of the Dead is the best thing he's ever done. He manages to capture the intensity of a zombie attack and still make us care about these character stuck inside a mall fighting for their lives. It's the first time his style worked perfectly with the movie he was trying to make and Dawn of the Dead manages to be even better than the original, which doesn't happen very often. Perhaps it's that whole sequence with the pregnant lady turned zombie giving birth to a zombie baby that has something to do with it.

3. Zombieland (2009, Ruben Fleischer)
Zombieland proved you can make a funny zombie movie successfully (although I hear Amazon's attempt at making a TV version of this movie failed miserably). Perhaps it was the absolute perfect cast: ultimate badass Woody Harrelson paired with two of the hottest up and comers at the time: Emma Stone and Jesse Eisenberg. Or maybe it was the pitch perfect script that managed to mix laughs and wit with seering action and great zombie kills. Or it also could have been that extended Bill Murray cameo which would probably top the list if I made a best cameo Top Five list.

2. 28 Days Later (2002, Danny Boyle)
The Walking Dead sort of ripped off the beginning of this film: Cillian Murphy's character awakes in a hospital, seemingly alone, unaware that the end of the world has taken place while he lay inside. It's a great premise and Boyle at his absolute finest nails the empathy and emptiness of this post-zombie attack scene. I haven't seen this movie in quite a few years and it's not as fresh in my memory as I would like, but just making this list makes me want to Netflix it and relive how I felt while watching it the first time- which was utterly devastated. Plus, you can't top that heartbreaking ending.

1. Night of the Living Dead (1968, George Romero)
You just can't top the classic. Without Romero's quintessential iconic zombie movie, we would never have had any of these other zombie movies. As far as movie making is concerned, Romero invented zombies. He certainly changed the landscapes of horror movies in particular, and movies in general, when he released his black and white opus, with (GASP!) a black man as THE hero! That, along with just about everything else Romero did in this film, was utterly unheard of in 1968. This man is an icon of horror film for a reason.

Bug and Bobby (DVD)

Bug - Bug is the kind of movie that you are either going to love or hate. Personally, I absolutely loved it. It's not exactly what I was expecting going into it but in many ways that made it better than I was hoping for. It's a slow-burning, calculating, deliberate movie that sets a steady pace and includes wonderful dialogue for the lead actors. The story follows Agnes (Ashley Judd), a divorcee with a drinking and drug problem who lives by herself in a dingy, deserted hotel and who moonlights as a waitress at a lesbian bar. One night, her friend/part-time lesbian lover introduces her to the quiet and mysterious Peter (Michael Shannon), an ex-Army soldier who may or may not be a paranoid delusional. They form an unlikey and reluctant relationship built around a friendship that forms quickly because they like to talk to each other. Then there is Agnes' ex-husband Jerry (Harry Connick Jr.) who is abusive and abrasive and who storms in and out of their lives over a few day period. At first, the story is very slow moving but you really learn about the characters which is so important for what's to come in the end. The final act is weird and creepy and really makes you think. I don't want to give anything away so go see it for yourself and then we can talk about what you made of the ending. Ashley Judd gives a fine performance but Michael Shannon is amazing. His performance is absolutely fearless. I don't know that Bug is exactly going to be the kind of movie that the Oscars will love but Shannon deserves an Oscar for his performance in this movie. No contest. He's absolutely amazing to watch. He's been so underused and underappreciated for many years and hopefully this movie will help him get some well-deserved recognition. Overall, if you are willing to give the weirdness of Bug a try, then it just may become your favorite movie of 2007 so far (because it's definitely mine).
Grade: A

Bobby - While I quite like the ever popular movie trend of intertwining stories of strangers whose lives cross at critical moments, there is a major problem with it. If it's not done perfectly, it can seem messy. That's the problem with Bobby. There is way too much going on in this story and it's not done perfectly. It's one huge mess. There are way too many characters whose lives all intersect at Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel on the night presidential hopeful Bobby Kennedy was shot. There is an adulterous manager played by William H. Macy, his hair stylist wife played by Sharon Stone and his switchboard operator girlfriend played by Heather Graham. There's an alcoholic lounge singer played by Demi Moore and her silently suffering manager husband played by Emilio Estevez (who also wrote and directed). There's the head of the kitchen played by Christian Slater who oversees workers played by Freddy Rodriguez and Laurence Fishburn. Lindsey Lohan plays a girl trying to save a former classmate (Elijah Wood) from going to Vietnam by marrying him. There are various workers and supporters of Bobby's compaign (Shia LaBeouf, Joshua Jackson, Nick Cannon - who is a terrible actor). Anthony Hopkins is the former doorman at the hotel. Ashton Kutcher turns up as a drug dealer and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who I adore) is in a few scenes as a waitress/struggling actress. Martin Sheen and Helen Hunt are... some people who are there? I'm sure I've missed half the cast but that's just my point - way, way too much going on here. The script is not strong enough and it just becomes a huge mess of a movie. I'll admit that the last fifteen minutes or so are very well done and emotional but that doesn't make up for the rest of the movie. Sharon Stone, Demi Moore and Freddy Rodriguez do their best to save the fumbling mess and Shia LaBeouf in all of his bare assed, LSD tripping glory is easily the best thing about the movie. I was so looking forward to seeing this movie and it was such a huge disappointment.

Grade: D+

Harsh Times and Candy (DVD)

Harsh Times - The concept of Harsh Times sounds brilliant. Iraq vet Jim Davis returns home with post tramautic stress disorder, applies to the LAPD and in the meantime, gets caught up with local gang life. Davis has no problem sinking into an unsavory lifestyle because, let's face it, he's done worse. As an added bonus, the filmmakers hire two of the best working actors for the leads: Christian Bale and Freddy Rodriguez. Instead, Harsh Times mostly falls flat, despite solid performances by Bale and Rodriguez. Taxi Driver this film is not. Bale's Davis falls dangerously close to stereotype while Eva Longoria offers little more than eye candy. The really sad part is that writer/director David Ayer has traversed this territory before and with much better results (Training Day). Harsh Times is so good in spots and then... it just goes so wrong. It does suffer from worrisome editing and pacing at times. Had the film been whittled down to 90 minutes, it might have fit the "intense" bill that Ayer was aiming for. The dialogue is laughable at best. Someone even utters the words "hella cool" at one point. Now that I'm done complaining, allow me to praise one of my new favorite actors: Freddy Rodriguez who shined with his dark and realistic role. He definitely tried his hardest to keep the plot and climax from falling, managing to do so at times. Creating one of the only truly touching moments in the film, he tried his best to communicate with Bale on the theme of brotherhood and deception. Loved Rodriguez, and loved specific parts of the movie very much. It's just a shame that they couldn't carry the same intensity throughout the whole film.

Grade: C-

Candy - Granted, the drug genre is a bit tired. If I see another painful withdrawal scene, I think I'll scream or something. Still, within this tired genre, a true gem squeaks through every now and again. Candy is a good movie that could have been great but at least gives us a few incredible performances from Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish. Ledger stars as Dan, a troubled yet likeable juvenile-come-poet who is in love with Cornish's Candy, a part time artist who falls head over heels in love with Dan... and heroin. Ledger's understated performance gives Dan a boyish vulnerability that would otherwise leave him less sympathetic. He has a great ability to use his eyes to communicate his emotions (which was probably what got him an Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain). Cornish, too, is brilliant as the often abrasive troubled artist. She's at times an innocent and beautiful angel and other times a wasted bitch. Geoffery Rush is superb as well in a supporting role. What sets it apart from other druggie movies is the love between Dan and Candy. Call it Trainspotting meets Romeo & Juliet. Maybe that will help you get through some of the grittier and depressing scenes. Their story is affectionate, painful, hopeful and hopeless. It's an intense and unpleasant film but it's still very watchable and well done. It's harsh but beautiful. It's not a perfect movie (it drags a bit now and then) but it's still worth watching (as is the career of Abbie Cornish).

Grade: B+

Grindhouse

Grindhouse is a throw back to seventies exploitation films with a back to back premise and as much violence and gore as you can stomach. These two films, Robert Rodriguez' Planet Terror and Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, together give you 3 hours of action packed fun. The two directors have updated the sleazy grindhouse movie experience and bring it to a new generation. Rodriguez and Tarantino are easily the two hardest working and most innovative directors in Hollywood. They compliment each other well and you can tell they are having the time of their lives making these films (which shines through in most films they make).

First we are presented with a mock trailer for a movie called Machete which stars Danny Trejo. This was supposed to be one of the four fake trailers but rumor has it they are actually making it into a movie. Maybe they'll do the same with Thanksgiving. Planet Terror opens with Rose McGowan doing a sexy dance set to the wonderful theme music written by Rodriguez. Planet Terror is a gross out zombie flick that has appropriate amounts of gore and guts. If you like Rodriguez, then you'll love this movie. It's typical Rodriguez: explosions and sex, tons of humor and men (and women) jumping over things while shooting two guns at bad guys. This movie is pure fun, fun, fun. No one does action quite like Rodriguez. Much ado has been made about Rose McGowan's go-go dancer character and her machine gun leg. My one tiny little problem with the movie is that what you see in the previews of the machine gun is pretty much all there is of the machine gun leg. But that doesn't even matter because she's not the coolest character in the movie. That prize goes to Freddy Rodriguez and his wonderful El Wray, a guy who never misses with a gun and who kills people with ease and style. Marley Shelton also adds to the fun as a slightly crazy and kooky doctor who is terrified of her doctor husband (Josh Brolin) and for good reason. Oh! And don't miss Robert Rodriguez' son who has a small part and ends up getting his head blown off. Best. Dad. Ever.

Planet Terror is typical Rodriguez and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. The thing Grindhouse proved to me (and I have been debating this with myself for months) is that Rodriguez is the better director in this match up. Planet Terror is endlessly entertaining. You'll spend the hour and a half running time laughing hysterically, being grossed out and engrossed in the constant action and hijinx. While Planet Terror is typical Rodriguez, Death Proof is typical Tarantino. And again, there's nothing wrong with that... except for the fact that it follows Planet Terror. After you've sat through all the fun and action of Planet Terror (and three more faux trailers including one for Thanksgiving which would be the coolest movie ever if Eli Roth actually made it), you go into Death Proof which is typical Tarantino: lots of talking followed by some action, followed by more talking, followed by the coolest car chase scene ever. There's nothing wrong with the fact that it's a typical talky Tarantino flick except that it all seems sort of dull after Planet Terror. Still, the dialogue is rich and wonderful (as you would expect from Tarantino) and most of the girls he employs kick ass (Vanessa Ferlito, Rose McGowan again, Rosario Dawson, Zoe Bell and Tracie Thoms are stand outs). Of course there's Kurt Russell as the crazy Stuntman Mike. He's wonderful and easily the best part about the film (although Freddy Rodriguez' character in Planet Terror is still cooler). Death Proof is a little on the dull side... until the last 20 minutes or so. The finale brings it all home. I don't want to spoil anything but it involves Zoe Bell (who did Uma Thurman's stunt work in the Kill Bill movies) being crazy awesome and a huge elaborate car chase scene that is unlike anything you've seen in recent movie history. It even trumps some of the greatest car chases in movie history (and, being that I go to the movies with my Dad a lot and I grew up liking boy movies, I've seen my fair share of car chases).

Both movies are well executed, well scored, well written and well delivered. The extra fake trailers add to the ambience and the wonderful camoes are icing on the cake. Grindhouse is surely the most fun experience you'll have at the movies all year long.

Planet Terror - A
Death Proof - B
Grindhouse - A-