Spook Out! Day 31 ~ Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)

Amazon Says...

"Through comic mayhem from the White House to the heartland, four slayers face off against new kinds of evolved zombies and new human survivors."

I Say...
And how!!!!!

Horror Type...
Zombies, Horror Comedy, Post-Apocalyptic

Main Players...
Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee (Gnarly Elvis Lover)

Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus (Puppy Dog Rule-Maker)

Emma Stone as Wichita (Bad-Note-Leaver)

Abigail Breslin as Little Rock (Restless Teen)

I liked...

***SO FRIGGING MUCH***

• the shoot-em-up opening credits, that really set the tone for the rest of the movie
• the laughs, the gags, the bits, the throwaways, the visual jokes--man, this mfr was even funnier than the first Z-land flick, but also,
• the zombie scares, which are played straight and, in some scenes, legit scary
• the new zombie classifications
• how relationships, both romantic and familial, are explored and developed
• the doppelgängers! (so to speak)
• the specTACular zombie battle in the third act, DANG!

The Meh...
The only "meh" for me is that I don't know if we're getting another movie in this franchise. PLEASE OH PLEASE LET THERE BE ANOTHER ONE!!!!!

Would I recommend it...?

HECK to the YEAH! Lah-lah-lah-LOVE THIS MOOOVEEEEEEE! For me, it's the perfect combination of action, romance, comedy, and horror, with exactly the right amount of violence and gore to give it some Halloween bite (pun intended!). Not sure if sensitives will mind the aforementioned violence and gore--IMO, it's not gratuitous (for the kind of movie this is) and while it has scary moments, they're not terrifying, just...pleasantly chilling. (That's a thing, right? Pleasantly chilling?) (Well, it is for me...)

Miscellany...

• I've gotta shout out Zoey Deutch (Madison), Rosario Dawson (Nevada), and Luke Wilson (Albuquerque) for their work here--bravi, y'all!
• Watch the end credits all the way through. Trust me on this.

Ratings...

My Grade: A

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=68%, Audience Score=88%

Details, Schmeetails...

I Watched Zombieland: Double Tap on Amazon (the Rotten Tomatoes page linked above provides links to other streaming platforms)

Check it out on IMDb

Learn more about it on Wikipedia (Contains Spoilers)

This concludes Day 31

(and indeed, the blogfest!)

of

Thanks to all who joined me

on this year's journey,

and please do come back next year...

IF YOU DARE

Spook Out! Day 10 ~ Fido (2006)

Amazon Says...
"When Timmy's mom brings home a zombie servant, he discovers a new best friend and is determined to keep him, even if his zombie ate the next-door neighbor."

I Say...
I mean, stuff happens, amiright?

Horror Type...
Zombies, Horror Comedy, Alternative History

Main Players...
K'Sun Ray as Timmy Robinson (Bully Fodder)

Billy Connolly as Fido (Boy's Best Zombie-Friend)

Carrie-Anne Moss as Helen Robinson (Quintessential 50s Mom)

I liked...

• how wonderfully stylized this revisionist version of the '50s looks, from the gorgeous ladies' fashions, to the vividly technicolored decor of the main family's house. It puts me in mind of the carefully cultivated, suburban fantasyland Tim Burton created for Edward Scissorhands, only perhaps a little sharper. The artistic backdrop and framing of certain scenes, too, were reminiscent of older creature-features (for example, when someone "turns" in front of a huge moon--just gorgeous)
• Carrie-Anne Moss' portrayal of a perfectly coiffured, gracious homemaker who's also fully prepared to put down zombies when needed. Helen Robinson: have accelerant – will travel
• Sir Billy Connolly's masterful work as the titular zombie, Fido. It's a testament to his comedic genius how much he's able to convey with only looks and groans
• an idea they played with, of zombies' abilities to control their violently ravenous impulses after significant and prolonged positive interaction with the living (a theme Warm Bodies would expand upon a few years later)
• that the jokes and gags just spank along, one after another, throughout the movie. Some highlights include:
• "Outdoor Education," in which elementary school-aged kids enjoy rifle practice while chanting, "In the brain and not the chest, headshots are the very best."
• Helen to Fido--"...why aren't you eating me???"/Fido to Helen--::makes moon eyes::
• Timmy's Dad to Timmy--"I know you're not supposed to have a handgun (beat) till you're twelve..."

The Meh...

One of Timmy's neighbors, Mr. Theopolis, "owns" a female zombie who's totally not his girlfriend--except she kind of is, and though it's not a major plotline, it's still pretty squicky when Theopolis tells her to stop her habitual chomping by saying, "Not the teeth, Tammy." 🤢

Would I recommend it...?

One hundred percent! This well-paced laugh riot has earned a place on my top fave movies list. Folks wanting hardcore horror should look elsewhere, as there's a little zombie violence and a wee bit of gore but probably not enough to satisfy them.

Miscellany...

I've just realized this is the third zombie movie I've reviewed for this year's Spook Out! (and the second zom-com!). Not sure if there're any more--I try not to dig too deeply into the stuff I review before watching, so it's possible...

Ratings...

My Grade: A-

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=73%, Audience Score=72%

Details, Schmeetails...

I Watched Fido on Amazon (the Rotten Tomatoes page linked above provides links to other streaming platforms)

Check it out on IMDb

Learn more about it on Wikipedia (Contains Spoilers)

This concludes Day 10 of

Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow...

IF YOU DARE

Spook Out! Day 8 ~ The Dead Don't Die (2019)

IMDb Says...

"The peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead start rising from their graves."

I Say...
"Battling" may be too strong a word...

Horror Type...
Zombies, Zombie Apocalypse, Horror Comedy

Main Players...

Bill Murray as Chief Cliff Robertson (Way Past Retirement)

Adam Driver as Officer Ronnie Peterson (Stoic Copper)

Tom Waits as Hermit Bob (Finger-Licken Narrator)

I liked...

• the humor ~ this, my new deadpan delight! So dry, you need a saline drip and a gallon of water to genteely sip as you watch
• the matter-of-fact way folks accept this is a zombie outbreak--none of the pesky incomprehension or disbelief you encounter in so many other horror movies
• how the convention of horror-as-social commentary plays out here--with the cause of the outbreak being polar fracking
• all the weird little hints and details that presage disaster
• that the thing that motivates the movements of the first two revenants we see is coffee #relatable
• how something about the lighting, especially the outside night-time shots, coupled with the deliberate pacing creeps me out (add to these the oncoming shamblers and I'm really spooked!)
• the fabulous ensemble cast--so many great cameos!

The Meh...(thar be spoilers here, arr...)

• one of the best characters gets deus-ex-machina'd away as things are getting really bad
• whatever became of the kids from the facility??? (As a mom, "kids in peril" WIGS ME OUT and I can't stand not knowing whether they're OK.)
• was the only point of introducing the "infernal hipsters, with their irony" to set up that sublime quote???

Would I recommend it...?

If you've been following my blog, you'll know that horror comedies are my catnip, so heck yes I would! The stuff I list in The Meh frustrates me BUT I looooooove the humor, so freaking much, that I can't wait to watch it again. This is pleasurably scary, for me, though it'd probably not impress hardcore horror fans unless they also appreciate absurdist chuckles. I think the faint of heart could watch this comfortably--and it's worth it, for the lols.

Miscellany...

The Dead Don't Die invites controversy. This is director Jim Jarmusch's first zombie movie (and my first experience of his work), which apparently doesn't make a difference to him as to how he's going to tell a story--to paraphrase one podcaster, if it'd been made any other way, it wouldn't be a Jim Jarmusch movie (which, in part, seemed to echo my complaint about characters introduced for no apparent reason, or plotlines that don't go anywhere). One reviewer, who digs the flick, still referred to it as "a self-righteous allegory for climate change", though another benignly calls it "folksy and friendly entertainment, while yet another says this is just Jarmusch doodling half-heartedly. Some think he's satirizing satirical zombie movies bc he hates them. Well, he doesn't--though he does hate zombies. Whatever, man; he's just a guy having fun making a goofy zombie movie, while slipping in a warning about the planet's future, is that so wrong???

Ratings...

My Grade: B+

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=54%, Audience Score=38%

Details, Schmeetails...

I Watched The Dead Don't Die on Amazon (the Rotten Tomatoes page linked above provides links to other streaming platforms)

Check it out on IMDb

Learn more about it on Wikipedia (Contains Spoilers)

This concludes Day 8 of

Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow...

IF YOU DARE

Spook Out! Day 4 ~ #Alive (in Korean w/English subtitles, 2020)

Netflix Says...
"As a grisly virus rampages a city, a lone man stays locked inside his apartment, digitally cut off from seeking help and desperate to find a way out."

I Say...
I got the sense he was more an older teenager than a grown man (he lived with his parents and sis and apologized to his probs-dead-dad for tapping into his liquor), and he didn't so much try to "find a way out" as he was just trying to survive till help arrived. Actually, none of the summaries I saw did a great job...

Horror Type...
Zombies, Siege-Movie

Main Players...

Yoo Ah-In as Oh Joon-woo (Gamer Boy)

Park Shin-Hye as Kim Yoo-bin (Girl with Gumption)

Lee Hyun-Wook as Sang-cheol (Nuanced Neighbor)

I liked...

• the creepy af zombies, from their Thriller-dance-like transformations, to their bleeding eyes, to their speed (they're runners, y'all), and ingenuity (they can open doors and freaking CLIMB STUFF!)
• Joon-woo's sweetness, from missing his fam, to his relief at discovering a living girl in his apartment complex, to how he managed to get some Nutella over to her--super adorbz kid who really wasn't ready to be a hero but became one anyway
• the moments of humor that lighten the tension (like, when there are still news broadcasts, Joon-woo's annoyance at the commercial breaks--for realz, kid, you'd think advertisers would chill during a zombie apocalypse)
• the synthy soundtrack, especially over the gorgeously terrifying opening credits
• that both kids kept it together enough to make use of all forms of tech available, from low (walkie talkies) to high (social media which, as it happens, proves not to be the villain, for once)

The Meh...
I feel like the theatrical poster gives the wrong impression. Like, you see that image of the guy and girl swarmed by zombies and you think it's going to be action-packed like the extraordinary Train to Busan, but it ain't. In fact, it drags in places and (I hate that I did it, but) I reached for my phone a few times while screening this. There's a better image on #Alive's Rotten Tomatoes page, showing Joon-woo taking risky action as he tries to get a cell-signal, that I think represents the film much better.

Would I recommend it...?

Sure! The tender-hearted may squirm at some of the zom-gore but the dramatic elements throughout are worth it.

Miscellany...

I actually expected social media to be more prevalent throughout the film, with #Alive cropping up among survivors regularly, however that wasn't the case (freaking cell-signals getting gobbled up within apartment complexes, dudes, I totes have felt that pain). Note to self: buy some walkie talkies, a crank-to-power radio, and a drone, just in case. (Hmmm...given the surreality of 2020 so far, I probably shouldn't joke about that, huh?)

Ratings...

My Grade: B+

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: Tomatometer=89%, Audience Score=60%

Details, Schmeetails...

Watch #Alive on Netflix

Check it out on IMDb

Learn more about it on Wikipedia (Contains Spoilers)

This concludes Day 4 of

Thanks for reading and come back tomorrow...

IF YOU DARE

Announcing the Zombie Apocalypse: Survival Kit & Crew Bloghop!

Bodacious babes Jackie (Bouquet of Books) and Dani (Entertaining Interests) kindly invited moi to co-host their upcoming Zombie Apocalypse: Survival Kit & Crew Bloghop and, being the hip GothMom(Lite) that I am, I graciously accepted the honor. (Modestly, too.)

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Dani and Jackie's excitement for The Walking Dead premiere on October 12 reanimated another blogfest idea for these groovy gals. I have to admit to being totally stoked myself (about the show and their invitation to co-host). (W00000T!) And I have a feeling, Dear Reader, that you may be stoked as well. Read on for deets...

Zombie Apocalypse: Survival Kit & Crew Bloghop

Post date: Friday, October 10, 2014 ('cause who wants to post on show day?) (Not I!)

Hosts: Jackie @Bouquet of Books, Dani @Entertaining Interests, and Mina @ Some Dark Romantic.

To help build your zombie apocalypse dream team and survival kit, you'll need to pick ONE person and/or ONE item for each of the topics listed in the below categories.

(Items you already have on your person: undergarments, shirt, bottoms, socks, tennis shoes & a backpack. If you want special shoes and/or boots, jackets, belt, etc., those are extra and will need to be listed for one of your items below.)

And since this bloghop is all about having fun, if you have kiddos and/or pets, we can assume they are safely tucked away in a safe haven while we’re out in the world fighting off zombies, so do not worry.

With the characters below, please include the book, movie, & TV show they stem from.

The Walking Dead character (crew member #1) is the only one that needs to be from a zombie themed entertainment outlet, but please feel free to choose characters from your other favorite books/movies/tv. They may or may not be zombie related. It's all up to you. Just let your imagination flow!

Crew:

1. 1 The Walking Dead character
2. 1 book character
3. 1 movie character
4. 1 TV character (other than TWD)
5. 1 loved one
6. 1 friend
7. 1 freebie

Backpack:

1. 1 comfort item
2. 1 weapon
3. 1 luxury item
4. 1 food item
5. 1 medicine/first aid item
6. 1 hygiene item
7. 1 freebie

Background:

1. Outpost
2. Outbreak
3. Cause of it
4. Cure (if applicable)
5. 1 item you NEED to find
6. 1 item you WANT to find
7. Method of travel

• Please display the above badge on your blog.
• Join us on Friday, October 10, to build your zombie apocalypse dream team and survival kit.
• Spread the word via twitter, facebook, your blog, etc.
• Sign up in the linky, below, so that we can visit you and your crew on October 10.
• Most of all HAVE FUN and BE AS CREATIVE as you want!

My Top 3 Goofy Zombie Novels! (Precious Monsters' Zombie Blog Hop)

Welcome, y'all, to my entry for the Zombie Blog Hop, hosted by Jolie du Pre of Precious Monsters! Participants can blog about anything zombie-esque, so I chose to tell youse guys about three zombie novels which make me giggle like a giddy schoolboy*.

*I believe in equal giggling opportunities for both sexes.

Click here to buy it! (The book, not me, obviously).

'K, so: first up is Christopher Moore's The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror, Version 2.0 (with a groovy one-year-later epilogue which is not to be missed). In TSA, Moore revisits the fictional town of Pine Cove, CA, in which tourists flock to the fake-Tudor-Christmasy-cheer while a local kid witnesses the accidental killing of "Santa Claus" (an Evil Developer and all-round douchebag, who totally had it coming). The titular angel, Raziel, grants the boy's Christmas wish that Santa return from the dead, while the Sheriff quits pot so he can afford a special gift for his wife (a schizophrenic ex-scream queen, who's gone off her meds so she can afford to get him something special), all while she's planning the town's annual Lonesome Christmas party, which just happens to take place at the Santa Rosa Chapel, which just happens to be located right next to a cemetery. You can see where this is going, right? I break this bad-boy out every December for another read, 'cause, you know, 'tis the season, and whatnot.

Buy PP&Z here!

Next is the book which sparked a new(ish) genre, the literary mash-up: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. As I noted in my Amazon.com review for this book, what I adore about it is the juxtaposition of well-known and well-turned phrases against the ludicrous. And Dudes, it's HILARIOUSLY funny. READ IT, if for nothing else but the helpful Reader's Discussion Guide (Question #7: Does Mrs. Bennet have a single redeeming quality?). Or for the nifty illustrations sprinkled throughout (with captions such as "Elizabeth lifted her skirt, disregarding modesty, and delivered a swift kick to the creature's head.") OR for sentences like the one Catherine De Bourgh utters near the end of the book, "Well? Have you anything to say before I remit you to Satan?" Too, when zombies (here referred to as the "Unmentionables" or "The Zed Word") crash the ball at which Darcy first disses Lizzy, Mr. Bennet urges his daughters to take them out by forming the "Pentagram of Death." C'mon, like that's not hysterically funny. (It's bloody well funny-as-hell to me, at any rate, and that's all I actually care about anyways, so...)

Click here to buy a good time! (Uh...you know what I mean.)

Finally, we have The Zombies of Lake Woebegotten by Harrison Geillor. Now, I have to admit it's been quite some time since I first read this Prairie Home Companion parody, plus I've got Momnesia, so details are fuzzy for me. However, I do recall that it features a meteor which starts the whole mess, a murderess, dueling clergy, bachelor farmers, a serial killer, a dominatrix, and of course, the "zomboes," as one character calls them. Possibly the funniest thing about this book is how these stalwart Minnesotans manage to take the zombie apocalypse in stride and go about the business of living. *I* should be so hard-to-rattle!