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11.07.09 by Widge @ 6:48 am 
Written by: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick My Advice: Matinee So, you know, zombie apocalypse. Not just zombie apocalypse, though--fast zombie apocalypse. The world, as you might imagine, goes to hell in a handicart. Shuffling amongst the ashes is our protagonist, known only as "Columbus" (Eisenberg). At first glance, he seems like an unlikely survivor. Ken Foree's Peter or Tom Savini's Blades he's definitely not. But he does have a ever-growing series of rules (shades of Max Brooks) that he adheres to. Although sometimes he bends them, like when throws in with "Tallahassee" (Harrelson), a borderline sociopath with a temper and a serious world-shattering hankering for Twinkies. This is the story of how anybody manages to survive in what Columbus refers to as "Zombieland." In a world where Shaun of the Dead has already come and gone--or rather, come and lingered, since it's that damn good--at first glance, the idea of another zombie comedy might be greeted with apprehension. And well, this one was. But Shaun, the British entry into this small sub-sub-genre was a well-written blend of comedy and pathos that was also a love letter to George Romero, Zombieland is, in essence, Shaun's clumsy, goofy but fun-as-hell American cousin. Categorized as: Movies and Reviews
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11.05.09 by Widge @ 2:30 am  So is it just me, or does this look like the 'eyes' of the Martian war machines from George Pal's War of the Worlds? So this is interesting: the MPAA wants the FCC to sign off on tech that would let them give you first-run films direct to you in your homes. The tech the MPAA wants is anti-piracy stuff that will, like the FBI warning and the MPAA We Will Find You and Kill You and Your Pets If You Copy This opening on DVDs, annoy and waste the time of normal consumers while real pirates will crack the code and bypass it anyway. Anyway. I'm not concerned about the fist fight this sets up between the MPAA and your local cinema. Yes, your local cinema, which sees this as just another reason for you to Not Show Up on their doorstep to buy their overpriced popcorn. Here's what really blows my mind. MPAA chair-CEO Dan Glickman had this to say about the plight of your local cinema. Categorized as: Movies
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10.31.09 by Widge @ 7:00 pm  As our tradition here on the site, every Halloween night belongs to the George Romero film that launched a sub-genre and, with time, a crapload of careers. I regret the fact that I didn't get a chance to interview Romero after he cancelled at DragonCon, because I wanted to ask him what it was like to basically invent a sub-genre. Talking with Doc, we were able to come up with only a couple of other examples: Poe with the detective story and mayhap William Gibson with cyberpunk. So here we go. The one and the only, on the night that it owns. Hope you dig it. Categorized as: Movies
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10.30.09 by Widge @ 7:00 pm  So I think this is the first time we've ever had three different versions of the film on the site. We started back in 2007 with the Lon Chaney version from 1923. Then last year it was the 1939 version with Charles Laughton. Now we fast forward to 1956, for the first color film adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel, starring Anthony Quinn as Quasimodo. Categorized as: Movies
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10.30.09 by Widge @ 3:44 am  So last year we did a bit on sequels and ostensibly we had more sequels two years ago as well. And so that brings around to the topic of bad sequels. And in general, sometimes bad movies are good. Sometimes bad movies are atrocious. Sometimes bad movies make you feel like not only did you get robbed of the price of a ticket (or a rental, or a whatever), but your time was robbed from you and suddenly you're looking at ninety or so minutes of your life you can never get back. The tragedy of it all. As discussed on today's Weekend Justice (showing up shortly), it doesn't have to be this way. But so often...it is. Here's some time-honored bits of crap, in keeping with the season. No parade of bad sequels can be complete without Jaws: The Revenge, which is the birth of the "Michael Caine Excuse." When asked why he did the film, he responded simply, and with refreshing honesty, "I needed a house." I hope it was a fine house. Categorized as: Movies
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