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.

Catching up!

I know I have been neglecting this blog but no more! Here are some mini reviews to catch up on all the movies I've seen but didn't review. As of now, I will update regularly with reviews and more (think top ten lists, actor profiles, useless fun trivia, etc.). But first, mini reviews (from best to worst):

The Ghost Writer - First off, this film is completely and utterly predictable. I knew who the killer was almost instantly. Still, it's a well done, damn good thriller. Directed by the notorious Roman Polanski and starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnon and Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer is a political thriller with a whole lot of conspiracy theory thrown in. When the ghost writer of an ex-prime minister mysteriously ends up dead due to an "accident", McGregor reluctantly takes over his job and starts to unravel a whole lot of secrets. He also finds out that the death wasn't so much an accident as it was murder. The closer he gets to finding out the truth, the more someone wants to murder him as well. However predictable the story is, the acting and directing are so damn good that it hardly matters. Plus, that ending is perfect. (B)

Piranha 3D - Seriously, the most fun I have had at a movie theater in as long as I can remember!! Remember when 3D first came out and the previews for My Bloody Valentine 3D started showing and I thought to myself, "A 3D horror movie? That's the third greatest idea of all time (after the snuggie and the microwave, obviously)." Then I saw My Bloody Valentine 3D and it was a bloody awful mess. Well, Piranha 3D does every single thing right! It's so trashy and so over the top and so damn fun! Just try to not have a good time at this movie. I'm not even going to tell you plot. Okay, how about piranha's go crazy during Spring Break at an idyllic lake. That's all you need to know besides the fact that the cast is actually all kinds of impressive: Elisabeth Shue as chief of police, Ving Rhames as her badass deputy, Adam Scott as a scientist, Steven R. McQueen as Shue's impressionable son, Jerry O'Connell as a sleazy porn entrepeneur. Then there are the super fun cameos from Richard Dreyfuss and Christopher Lloyd. Plus, the movie was directed by Alexandre Aja who did High Tension and the super great remake of The Hills Have Eyes. I really want to give this a higher grade but I'm afraid all my credibility will be stripped away. (B)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - In a summer of typical, awful movies, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was a ray of sunshine, completely original and completely creative. From Shaun of the Dead / Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright, this adaptation of a highly revered comic book follows Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) and his quest to defeat the seven evil exes of his dream girl, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). The supporting cast is perfection: Allison Pill, Johnny Simmmons, Mark Webber, Anna Kendrick, Jason Schwartzman, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh. Kieran Culkin as Scott's sarcastic gay roommate Wallace steals every single solitary scene he is in. (Also, I'm a dork and I totally did pick out the Tennessee Thomas cameo!). It all becomes a bit plotting. The fight scenes are all well done and different but there are SIX of them! Then there's that comic book / video game feel the game has which is super original and creative but it does get a little overwhelming at times. I'm not sure I was in love with all aspects of the ending but overall, I would recommend this super fun, super well done movie to anyone. (B)

The Girl Who Played with Fire - The second installment of the Millenium trilogy, this Swedish film follows the best female character in recent history, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) as she is framed for the murder of two journalists. She and Mikael Blomquist, her ex-lover / journalist friend (Michael Nyqvist) become involved in a trafficking story that involves a lot of very high powered men. While not nearly as engaging as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the second installment is still a damn good movie. It does seem a little more rushed than the first, introducing characters on a whim and skipping past seemingly important story lines. Still, Noomi Rapace is a revelation. She is amazing as Lisbeth Salander, perfectly embodying the hacker punk heroine. Rooney Mara is going to have a hell of a lot to live up to. (B)

Winter's Bone - First off, Jennifer Lawrence is amaazing in the lead role. She is a real find. John Hawkes is also damn good in his supporting role as her uncle but then he has been a stellar supporting character actor for years now. The movie is basically about a 17 year old (Lawrence) whose dad has been in and out of jail. Her mom is mentally ill so she must raise her two younger siblings all by herself in some barren wasteland somewhere in the midewest. She finds out her dad has skipped bail and put their house up for collateral so she must find her dad within a week or the house will be taken from them. So, that's what she does. And it's all very plotting and boring. She just goes from one crazy relative to the next trying to find her dad. You're not sure if her relatives want to kill her or hug her and sometimes they do both in a matter of minutes. The performances are the only real saving factor here. (C+)

Machete - Look, I'm not going to tell you that Machete is some amazing, future Oscar winner or anything. It is very typically Robert Rodriguez. If you like his other films, then you will probably like this one. It is a lot of fun but there's nothing new here. He has a knack for writing interesting, far out characters (think Cherry in Planet Terror). Here we've got Machete (Danny Trejo), She (Michelle Rodriguez) and Lindsay Lohan who at one point wears a nun's habit while killing a bunch of bad guys. There's guns and fights and sex and blood. But it's a lot of fun. And, I mean, look, I was just there for Jeff Fahey. Also, dear Hollywood, next summer I would like a Machete vs. Piranha movie. You're welcome. (C)

Eat Pray Love - I have the same exact problem with the movie as I did with the book (although it didn't seem to annoy me quite as much with the book which I actually liked very much) - the main character, Elizabeth Gilbert, who also wrote the book, is a whiny little bitch! Watch as she whines about losing her husband while she's sleeping with a hotter version of him (Billy Crudup / James Franco, respectively). Watch as she whines about how lonely she is as she trapses around Italy, India and Bali. Watch as she talks about all the "poor little rich white girl" problems she has while she's interacting with people who have actual problems!! It seems like it's the Elizabeth Gilbert world with everything revolving around her. We just live in her world. It's all just a bit much. I didn't like Liz when I was reading the book although I did enjoy the travel aspect of the book. Julia Roberts, who has an immense likeability factor, can't even make me like this woman. Plus, this movie went on and on and on and on. It may have been two and a half hours long but it felt like five hours. (D)

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-

10 Best Rodriguez/Tarantino Movies

In anticipation of Friday's release of the Robert Rodriguez / Quentin Tarantino double feature Grindhouse, here is my personal list of the top 10 films by the directors. While Tarantino is infinitely more popular, keep in mind that I personally prefer Rodriguez in all of his infinite coolness.

10. The Faculty (1998) - This film could easily have been a typical high school slasher flick. It could have been... except Robert Rodriguez is endlessly entertaining and consistently makes entertaining films. Instead of his ususal formula of large guns and spectacular stunt choreography, Rodriguez makes a classy ensemble picture with awesome special effects. Like all of his films, The Faculty never loses its sense of humor and pulls off its own absurdity with artful visualization and a tight, driving pace.

09. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) - One thing is for sure: Quentin Tarantino loves movies. This movie showcases his love for the 70s over-dramatized Kung-Fu movie era and the story of revenge with rich dialogue. Tarantino may be (very) extreme but in the loveliest way (and he isn't the one who wrote a character with a machine gun for Grindhouse). People expect Tarantino to present a mind-blowing, adrenaline-pumping film and that's what he always, always delivers.

08. Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) - Complex script? Sure. But who cares? There are action sequences in this film that will blow your mind. As the third part of Rodriguez' Mexico trilogy, it's not stale or tired in the list. Rodriguez has impeccable style. It's just not a Robert Rodriguez movie until someone jumps off a Church balcony shooting two guns! Plus, with the Johnny Depp character, you could see what was to come with the machine gun leg character. His character had no eyes for the last act, for god's sake. Brilliant!

07. Pulp Fiction (1994) - I won't argue that Pulp Fiction is brilliant and probably Tarantino's best project. Still, it's not my favorite and so don't argue with me about it's ranking seventh. I always got the feeling that Tarantino put into this film whatever struck his fancy at the time. It's not a totally cohesive film but it's still wonderfully textured enough that it doesn't really matter. This film is so intricately structured, with so many astonishing details. It really has all the characteristics we associate with great movies: fine writing, first rate acting, unforgettable characters, one of the most well-constructed narratives in years. Wonderful movie, for sure. Just not my favorite.

06. Desperado (1995) - The second part of Rodriguez' Mexico trilogy, it was the first with a budget to speak of and Rodriguez used it to build a wonderful roller coaster of a film. He takes all the best elements of El Mariachi and expands them to new levels. He is simply a genius behind the camera - giving the audience the right amount of action, drama, and comedy. He gives us a deeply rooted character hell bent on destroying a drug lord, but lets imagination run wild with cartoonish action sequences. The scenes of men flying through the air after being shot are somewhat comical, yet completely Rodriguez. Time and time and time again he successfully creates a world that is uniquely and entirely his own.

05. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) - It will probably always be a debate about which volume of Kill Bill is better. Let's end it right here: David Carradine doesn't even appear in Volume 1. This is a departure from Volume 1 based solely on tone and style. He pulls back and lets the plot breathe, rather than filling every second with a homage-cum-parody that maybe a dozen lucky fans will even get. Throughout Volume 2, the emphasis is on storytelling and Tarantino is one hell of a storyteller when he wants to be. Volume 1 is great for what it is but its flash and action are no match for the depth and nuance of Volume 2.

04. Sin City (2005) - Some people give Rodriguez a hard time for his taking such total control of his films. I heard someone reference his editing and cinematography of Once Upon a Time in Mexico to a hack job. Whatever, man. This movie has seamless editing, cinematography and directing from Rodriguez. This is what you associate with Rodriguez: smart, stylish, sexy and sick. It's violent and funny... sometimes at the same time. This is the kind of visually stunning storytelling that filmmakers will strive to duplicate for years to come.

03. El Mariachi (1992) - Robert Rodriguez made this movie, his debut, for $7,000. And it's one of the most enjoyable action movies of the last few decades. Time and time again, Rodriguez proves that creativity and imagination beat million dollar budgets every time. He takes every resource he can and rebuilds the classic concept of mistaken identity. With the fast-framed photography and interesting choice of camera angles, he takes a straightforward story and builds a legend.

02. Reservoir Dogs (1992) - I don't even know where to start. It's Tarantino's first and his best. Even in his first film, this is a stylish film full of cool dialogue, cinematography, editing and music. The whole story comes together perfectly. The plot is excellently written and told. I seriously couldn't think of better casting in a movie ever. (Mr. Blonde is the most believable total psycho in recent film). All of his visceral film-making ingredients are here - suit and tie baddies argue regulary in expletive-laden conversations with sudden outbursts of violence in between. Even in the resulting bloody mess of gunshot wounds and mutilation, they still have to keep talking. It's pretty much - talk, shoot, talk, kill, talk, shoot. This kind of existence becomes an art form in Tarantino's hands.

01. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) - Quentin Tarantino writes the script (and acts but we just won't talk about that) and Robert Rodriguez directs the movie... sounds pretty perfect to me! Foul-mouthed, hot tempered criminals and sexy strippers in a phenomenally seedy and sleazy bar (called The Titty Twister, of course) full of vampires. The excesses of this movie are probably too much for conservative folk, this is action-packed and spectacularly gory the way you would expect a Tarantino or Rodriguez movie to be. It's like being in an intense and gruesome haunted house ride. What sets Rodriguez apart from every other filmmaker (Tarantino included) is that his films always look like he's having a great time. His lack of pretensions and his dedication to film seems to transmit the fun he has making movies to the audience. The other thing about Rodriguez is that he is always just plain cool. Everything he does is cool. He even makes the undead look cool. From Dusk Till Dawn is one big bloody action extravaganza.