Amazon:
2002’s popular video-game-derived hit Resident Evil didn’t inspire confidence in a sequel, but Resident Evil: Apocalypse defies odds and surpasses expectations. It’s a bigger, better, action-packed zombie thriller, and this time Milla Jovovich (as the first film’s no-nonsense heroine) is joined by more characters from the popular Capcom video games, including Jill Valentine (played by British hottie Sienna Guillory) and Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr, from 1999’s The Mummy). They’re armed and ready for a high-caliber encounter with devil dogs, mutant “Lickers,” lurching zombies, and the leather-clad monster known only as Nemesis, unleashed by the nefarious Umbrella Corporation responsible for creating the cannibalistic undead horde. Having gained valuable experience as a respected second-unit director on high-profile films like Gladiator and The Bourne Identity, director Alexander Witt elevates this junky material to the level of slick, schlocky entertainment. –Jeff Shannon

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Amazon.com
Marilyn Manson worked on the soundtrack, so it’s no surprise that Resident Evil is best enjoyed by headbangers, goth guys, and PlayStation junkies. Like the interactive game it’s based on, this horror hybrid pits a small band of SWAT-like commandos (including Milla Jovovich and Girlfight’s Michelle Rodriguez) against a ravenous hoard of zombies, resulting in a gorefest that only sociopaths could love. The tenacious heroes are trapped inside the Hive–an underground complex where an evil corporation conducts illegal research with a deadly virus–and the zombies (reanimated corpses of sacrificed employees) are fodder for endless rounds of gunfire. It’s utter nonsense (not unlike director Paul W.S. Anderson’s previous Event Horizon), so your best defense is to wallow in it or avoid this trash altogether. A few cool sequences are borrowed from better films (that slice-and-dice laser is cribbed from the 1998 Canadian shocker Cube), but if you’re in the mood for heavy-metal carnage, this movie’s for you. –Jeff Shannon
# Actors: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, James Purefoy, Martin Crewes

Directed by Ken Wiederhorn

watched April 29, 2009

Zombie Movie, directed by Andrea Bianchi

Sunday, April 26, 2009
This would have given me a minimum fortnight’s worth of nightmares if I had seen this as a kid. Night of the Living Dead is one thing; this is another. The rising dead in Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror look more like actual rotting corpses might look than any other zombie movie to date, that I can think of. These corpses come complete with maggots, and sure as hell look like they smell bad, too. They are slow and relatively weak as zombies go – especially when compared to newer sub-genre offerings, especially of the virus zombie type – again, more realistic I would have to say.

In general, Burial Ground zombies have at least part of their skulls showing, with varying amounts of flesh still hanging on. Some of them still have eyes – lifeless, dead eyes – and others only dark, empty sockets.

On the downside, there’s some weak acting; some folks often don’t seem nearly as frightened of the walking dead as they sure as hell should be, and a few of our victims do not seem to defend themselves very staunchly when the corpses finally reach striking distance.

The grotesque appearance of these corpses is what really sets this movie apart.

Oh, and you’ll just love Michael! OMG.

Basic Plot of Burial Ground – The Nights of Terror

A film of unspeakable explicit horrors, Burial Ground delves deep into the mysteries of bizarre scientific experimentation, creating a tale so gruesomely realistic you have to see it to believe it! What began as a carefree weekend at a stately Scottish mansion turns to a bone-chilling terror when the dead rise, in all their decaying glory, to greet the living. A young mother and her son are invited to spend a weekend on the country estate of a Scottish aristocrat. The house is also occupied by a strange guest, known only as the professor. No one pays much attention to him, but he is the key to the impending horrors. The attacks begin during the night – gruesome and unspeakable acts of terror committed by living corpses. It appears that nothing can stop this madness, as the dead take their place as rulers of the living.

Saturday, April 04, 2009

Wow, what a shocker! 2008’s Quarantine — respectful remake of Spanish horror movie Rec — is an unforgettable movie in my book, and I can hardly wait show it to some of my friends! Perhaps I will notice a few details I missed during the first viewing, seeing as how I was just a nervous wreck, a pretzel of a man, muscles taut as I sat on the couch throughout the last half of the film.

There are portions of two reviews quoted on the cover of Quarantine. On the front it reads, “Quite possibly the best horror film this year.” On the back it says, “. . .scary as hell.” I agree wholeheartedly with both.

Quarantine was gripping, terrifying, serving up large doses of scream-inducing, edge-of-your seat horror — and it should not be missed by any true horror fan. It’s not a slasher flick (thank goodness) and it is not a supernatural thriller (for which I’d partly wished). If I had to quickly select a sub-genre of horror in which to classify Quarantine, I might be forced to utter the word “zombie,” but that too is misleading and might cause some to pass on it, when in fact they shouldn’t miss it. Quarantine is not technically a zombie movie, but it’s easy to lump it into the zombie category or sub-genre of horror movies.

I’ll eventually post more of my thoughts on and information about Quarantine, but in spite of the rapid arrival of 2am as I write this, I wanted to go ahead and post something on this website without delay. Yeah — Quarantine was that good — definitely worth staying up for.

DVD Cover

When a news crew decides to trail a brave fire-fighting team, they never suspect that the first call for help they respond to that night may be their last. Now they’re trapped in an apartment complex sealed off by the government. With no way of escape, they find themselves surrounded by frightened residents who are infected with a deadly mutant virus. What happens next is only known because of the footage they left behind.

More Info

Quarantine was directed by John Erick Dowdle and written by Drew Dowdle and John Erick Dowdle. The film was executive produced by Glenn S. Gainor, Drew Dowdle, Julio Fernandez, and Carlos Fernandez; produced by Doug Davison, Roy Lee, and Sergio Aguero.

Special Features Include:
o Locked In: The Making-of Quarantine Featurette
o Anatomy of a Stunt Featurette
o Dressing the Infected: Make-Up Design Featurette
o Commentary with Writer/Director John Erick Dowdle and Writer/Producer Drew Dowdle

Partial Press Release

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (December 8, 2008) – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment unleashes the most terrifying film of the year when Quarantine hits Blu-ray™ High-Def, DVD and PSP™ February 17, 2009. This edge-of-your-seat horror film stars Jennifer Carpenter (TV’s “Dexter”, Exorcism of Emily Rose), Johnathon Schaech (Prom Night) and Jay Hernandez (Hostel). The bonus materials include three in-depth featurettes that take you behind-the-scenes, stunts and make-up. Running commentary is provided by Writer/Director John Erick Dowdle (The Poughkeepsie Tapes) and Writer/Producer Drew Dowdle (The Poughkeepsie Tapes).