Zombieland 2

matt

Zombieland was an enjoyable flick — a treat to zombie movie lovers everywhere. Two Academy Award-nominated actors, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg, had great chemistry in a movie that balanced humor and levity with horror and action. Bill Murray’s cameo was fantastic and really made the movie. Having Emma Stone to look at didn’t hurt, either.

So why not a sequel? This has the makings to be a fun franchise. It’s not like there hasn’t been zombie sequels before.

Eisenberg told MovieWeb.com that Zombieland 2 is being scripted and will likely be in 3D. I hate 3-D, but a zombie flick could be fun. Here what Eisenberg said: “I believe they are going to shoot it in 3D. If they do it. Which will be interesting for the glasses industry. They are just starting to write the script. Maybe they haven’t even started that yet. I don’t know where my character will go. The first movie was fun, though. I can’t imagine the second one won’t be good.”

However, co-star Harrelson told TotalFilm.com he’s not sure making a sequel is the “right thing to do.”

On the first movie, he said: “I didn’t even want to read the script… Then as it turns out, I read the script and I thought it was phenomenal, really funny…” he said. “Usually, if I theoretically reject it, I’m right, but this one I was dead wrong. And it might be the first movie I do a sequel to.”

When we asked if the follow-up is definitely happening, Harrelson said: “I’m sure it will happen if everyone does it, but I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do. … It’s one thing to do it when it came out real good and it made a lot of people laugh, but then to do a sequel… 99 out of 100 are worse by a lot. So I don’t know. … “I don’t feel like a sequels guy.”

Vic’s Classics: Night of the Living Dead

As dead bodies inexplicably return to life and feast on human flesh, young Barbara (Judith O’Dea) joins a group of survivors in a farmhouse hoping to protect themselves from the hordes of advancing zombies. But soon enough, only one person remains. Writer-director George A. Romero’s low-budget horror classic continues to inspire heebie-jeebies, in part because of the randomness of the zombies’ targets.

Victor
Rating: 9 out of 10

Much can be said about guerrilla film-making.  In 1968 Young movie director George Romero found it very empowering. Especially when he and his fellow crew members, John Russo and Russell Striener took on a script they wrote called “Monster Flick” and turned it into the iconic, schlock-shock classic “Night of the Living Dead.” This black-and-white film, shot in and around Evans City, Penn. just north of Pittsburgh, cost all of $115,000 to process, shoot and release. This low-budget, guerrilla film consisted of some really cool little known facts that Romero once told an audience at a Horror convention I attended many years ago. Some of them being that Bosco chocolate syrup was the blood and that the body parts were pieces of cooked and boiled ham from a butcher’s shop. Cool, Huh?

“Night” has everything that a a great little horror film should have: Influence, craftsmanship, subtext and a sense of dread and doom. The theme of the evil lurking out there trying to work it’s way in plays out in very tense fashion. Many films have emulated that feeling of intruding doom. John Carpenter’s “Assault on Precinct 13” and even “Halloween” are two that come to mind. Romero’s cinéma vérité is uncluttered, grotesque and has a smart, wily wit about it that lingers way after the credits roll. It takes great stabs at the military, local yokels, the slow-as-shit zombies and our protagonists are conflicted and naive. The only heroic character with any balls is Ben, played stoically (if not at times a bit dully) by Duane Jones. Judith O’ Dea, the then 23-year-old theater actress who plays Barbra, the character who loses her brother Johnny to a zombie early and helps Ben and the unfortunate others holed up at the house. They try their best to stave off the attacking zombie hoard not realizing the dangers lurking from within their own ranks. This tension and paranoia provides some good drama and, along with it, some campy dialog and occasional wooden performances from the cast.

There is gore, ever increasing tension, suspense and unsettling dark comedy in Romero’s zombie opus. I love how he brings the horror that is outside and keeps us in one remote place. The subtext, too, lurks just right outside the door and is waiting to be let in. This theme is repeated over and over in his later “Dead” films, such as “Dawn of the Dead.” It is one magnificent midnight film to enjoy and savor — pun intended.

Zombieland

The horror comedy Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus, Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland) is a big wuss — but when you’re afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee, played by Woody Harrelson (The People vs. Larry Flynt) is an AK-toting, zombie-slaying’ bad ass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita, Emma Stone (Superbad) and Little Rock, Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies.

Matt
Rating: 6 out of 10

This was a fun film, especially because I love watching zombies getting killed in interesting ways.

We’ve seen the bullet to the brain more often than not. But a banjo decapitating a zombie? That’s pure gold. Or how about snuffing out a zombie clown with a sledge hammer from a carnival game? Just makes me feel warm and tingly all over.

Mind you, I’m rating this as a zombie/comedy. It’s not for everyone, but horror and zombie movie fans will enjoy this. It’s a funny movie with just enough suspense to keep you interested and having fun. There’s also a great cameo by Bill Murray that makes the movie. Harrelson is fun as the bad-ass zombie killer who drives a giant SUV equipped with a zombie-smashing plow, driving the country, mowing down zombies and finding new and interesting ways to slaughter them. Eisenberg plays the eccentric, anal retentive kid who works nicely off of Harrelson’s cocky demeanor. If you enjoyed “Shaun of the Dead,” which I’d say is better than this film, then you’ll want to check this out.