Zombie Films

[GNC]

Some of the scenes were filmed in Belfast, in the Crumlin Jail (according to IMDB) and it was a NI co-production with SI.

 

[ramonmercado]

Some of the scenes were filmed in Belfast, in the Crumlin Jail (according to IMDB) and it was a NI co-production with SI.

There is no mention of NI in the film. The director/writer doesn't mention that it was an allegory of the "Troubles". Freyne clearly states in the interview I cited that his influences were the Economic Crash and the rise of Populist Politicians in Europe. I suspect he might have a better idea of what the film is supposed to be about rather than either of us.

 

[GNC]

True enough, but I did read a review that stated The Troubles were where some of the imagery came from, Army on the streets attacking civilians, etc.

 

[Swifty]

This new kid's zombie TV show coming to CITV looks like fun, Drop Dead Weird ..

 

[sherbetbizarre]

CARGO with Martin Freeman hits Netflix on Friday...

 

[skinny]

^ Ha, was just about to throw that up after a moviebuffmate sent a link. Never heard of it until right now. Bloody excited to see it asap, as it's shot in my backyard - the spectacular Flinders Ranges. M Freeman is a bloody good performer, and anything with Gulpilil is worth checking out. I am seeing Breath next week, but might try to slot this one in beforehand. A must see.

 

[GNC]

I watched Cargo and to be honest, it was really boring. The frustrating thing was that they had a great, original idea right there and refused to use it: the zombie apocalypse from the Aborigine point of view. But nope, we had to have the dull white guy's perspective instead.

 

[skinny]

Aw crap. Will still give it a lash to see the scenery of my heartland.

^ The premise you suggested is one that has been on my mind since a dream many years ago where nukes were falling and all the Aborigines were filing into a hidden living space below Uluru. They survived while others perished.

 

[ramonmercado]

Aw crap. Will still give it a lash to see the scenery of my heartland.

^ The premise you suggested is one that has been on my mind since a dream many years ago where nukes were falling and all the Aborigines were filing into a hidden living space below Uluru. They survived while others perished.

Get writing the screenplay for that!

 

[skinny]

I am. It'll be a novella first and then Wenders will direct. A sort of Aussie Noah's ark.

 

[ramonmercado]

I'm still looking forward to Cargo though. I'll do a review here when I've seen it.

 

[ramonmercado]

I watched Cargo and to be honest, it was really boring. The frustrating thing was that they had a great, original idea right there and refused to use it: the zombie apocalypse from the Aborigine point of view. But nope, we had to have the dull white guy's perspective instead.

I didn't find it boring but I guess they could have done more with the Aboriginal view of the apocalypse, we did see that the Aborigine people were better prepared for the horrors. I think I would give it 7 or 8/10.

A review will follow.

Here is the short film it was based on:

 

[ramonmercado]

Cargo: Rolling down the river. Australia (and presumably the world) is stricken by a virus that turns people into zombies within 48 hours, Andy (Martin Freeman) and Kay (Susie Porter), and their baby daughter, Rosie, are travelling on a houseboat in rural Australia. Supplies are running short, Andy forages canned food from a derelict yacht but when Kay goes back for more she is bitten by a Zombie. They go ashore to seek help but Kay turns and bites Andy, he now has 48 hours to find someone to care for Rosie.

In a parallel narrative, Thoomi (Simone Landers), an Aboriginal girl, is drawing in a sketchbook and on stones. She leaves her shelter with a dead rabbit which she throws into a pit. Munching noises are heard and she covers her ears. We learn that she is feeding her father who is now a Zombie and she takes him out on a leash. She longs to give him a proper burial.

Andy rescues Vic (Anthony Hayes) whose leg is trapped under a gas cylinder and together they kill a Zombie pack. Vic promises Andy shelter but he has a dark side, fencing off wells and caging Aborigines who try to access them, using them as live bait to attract Zombies. Thoomi and Daku (David Gulpilil) an Aboriginal Shaman are imprisoned in this manner.

This film travels through a devastated Outback, where only the Aborigines are likely to thrive due to their lore and understanding of Nature. They use fire to cleanse the Earth of the Zombies and Hunting Parties efficiently despatch the Undead. Vic hopes to build up his holdings for a future after the Apocalypse has passed but is there a future for him?

This is a dark tale and at times there seems to be little room for redemption or hope, parts of it bring to mind The Mist (film) and On The Beach, in theme at least. It may be the end for one culture but the revival of another or it may be a synthesis of both.

Ably co-directed by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke with a spare but illuminating script by Ramke. A superior Zombie Film with an original slant. 8.5/10

 

[Dr_Baltar]

I didn't find it boring but I guess they could have done more with the Aboriginal view of the apocalypse, we did see that the Aborigine people were better prepared for the horrors. I think I would give it 7 or 8/10.

I concur.

 

[Naughty_Felid]

Hungerford - Yes I get it's low budget, yes I get it's the first film by a young filmmaker but by god it's unlikable and all over the place. Actually no director/actor Drew Carson is supremely unlikable and his smugness is off the charts.

Found footage stuff has been done to death, this film has no idea as to whether its a black comedy or a horror film. The plot holes are huge and there is no pacing. It's not clever and frankly it's a mess. The only thing good in it was the girl Phil. The scene where the cop demands the girl get out of the car was deeply unpleasant when you consider where it was made. I have no idea why some people think this was any good. It should have been called "Doesn't my hair look amazing?" because that's all the director was interested in.
2 out of 10.


Cargo - Boring, some nice ideas but as everyone says would have been so much more interesting if they'd just focused on the Aboriginal aspect of the film. Generic goody vs baddy against a zombie background thing really stopped the film exploring anything. White British male in a hostile environment and zombies might have made an interesting film.
5.5 out of 10.

If you want a much better example of this sort of arthouse zombie film go and watch Lucy Walters superior performance in Here Alone by director Rod Blackhurst. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4814760/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_13

 

[ramonmercado]

Hungerford - Yes I get it's low budget, yes I get it's the first film by a young filmmaker but by god it's unlikable and all over the place. Actually no director/actor Drew Carson is supremely unlikable and his smugness is off the charts.

Found footage stuff has been done to death, this film has no idea as to whether its a black comedy or a horror film. The plot holes are huge and there is no pacing. It's not clever and frankly it's a mess. The only thing good in it was the girl Phil. The scene where the cop demands the girl get out of the car was deeply unpleasant when you consider where it was made. I have no idea why some people think this was any good. It should have been called "Doesn't my hair look amazing?" because that's all the director was interested in.
2 out of 10.

I thought better of it:

Hungerford: SciFi/Horror, alien lobsters/trilobites attach themselves to the backs of peoples necks and control them or failing that induce Zombiesque rage behavior. Rip off of The Puppetmasters. Again a found footage tale. No Oscars here but diverting. 6/10.

Cargo - Boring, some nice ideas but as everyone says would have been so much more interesting if they'd just focused on the Aboriginal aspect of the film. Generic goody vs baddy against a zombie background thing really stopped the film exploring anything. White British male in a hostile environment and zombies might have made an interesting film.

I think it was more than just a Brit male facing adversity. To me the most important parts were those that showed Aboriginal Culture and how that better equipped the native people to survive the apocalypse.

But it was a film of two contrasting narratives, Vic preferring to compete and exploit while the Aborigines chose cooperation. The scene of the Warrior hunting party in the smoke, spearing Zombies will haunt me for a long while to come. Andy had to rely on the Aborigine girl fo care for his baby. I was convinced by it, that's why I scored it 8.5/10.

I thought Here Alone was ok but not on a par with Cargo.

 

[Naughty_Felid]

I thought better of it:

Hungerford: SciFi/Horror, alien lobsters/trilobites attach themselves to the backs of peoples necks and control them or failing that induce Zombiesque rage behavior. Rip off of The Puppetmasters. Again a found footage tale. No Oscars here but diverting. 6/10.



I think it was more than just a Brit male facing adversity. To me the most important parts were those that showed Aboriginal Culture and how that better equipped the native people to survive the apocalypse.

But it was a film of two contrasting narratives, Vic preferring to compete and exploit while the Aborigines chose cooperation. The scene of the Warrior hunting party in the smoke, spearing Zombies will haunt me for a long while to come. Andy had to rely on the Aborigine girl fo care for his baby. I was convinced by it, that's why I scored it 8.5/10.

I thought Here Alone was ok but not on a par with Cargo.

Hungerford - "I'm so talented and gorgeous, oh and here's some zombies" - shockingly bad and a little nasty.

How you think Cargo is better than Here Alone I've no idea.

 

[ramonmercado]

Hungerford - "I'm so talented and gorgeous, oh and here's some zombies" - shockingly bad and a little nasty.

How you think Cargo is better than Here Alone I've no idea.

Well I've provided a detailed review of Cargo plus follow up comments, I think that should indicate why I found it appealing.

 

[Swifty]

I've got this somewhere on a DVD (the Land Of The Dead one I think), posting this for anyone who hasn't seen it ..

 

[Swifty]

Adam The Woo attends an after hours tour at Dawn Of The Dead's Monroeville Mall .. with a cameo by the actual work shed from Evil Dead 2 at 14:50

.. and how the work shed rescue news was broken to us over at Deadites ..

http://deadites.net/forums/threads/...-also-workshed-progress-pics.1390/#post-26563

 

[GNC]

Here's some potentially good news:
https://news.avclub.com/zombieland-2-is-officially-happening-complete-with-all-1827589444

Zombieland 2! The original wasn't much of a horror, true, but it was a pretty decent comedy. Pity they can't ask back the funniest element, but I'm sure they'll find a replacement.

 

[ramonmercado]

Seoul Station was pretty good, not as good as the film it's a prequel to, but bleakly entertaining. Don't read too much about it beforehand, there's a big twist I noticed at least one reviewer giving away.

I gave up on it after 20 minutes.

 

[GNC]

I gave up on it after 20 minutes.

Not an anime fan? I'm not either, I must admit, though I did persevere with Seoul Station and was rewarded.

 

[ramonmercado]

Not an anime fan? I'm not either, I must admit, though I did persevere with Seoul Station and was rewarded.

I might try it again. I prefer anime on the cinema screen. Just watching Yakuza Apocalypse, good fun, gets more bizarre as the film unfolds.

 

[Anonymous-50446]

It's probably heresy on this thread, but I don't 'get' Zombie movies. They do nothing for me at all.

 

[ramonmercado]

It's probably heresy on this thread, but I don't 'get' Zombie movies. They do nothing for me at all.

I'll eat you alive for saying that!

 

[GNC]

I might try it again. I prefer anime on the cinema screen. Just watching Yakuza Apocalypse, good fun, gets more bizarre as the film unfolds.

Can't beat a kung fu frog! But that's a vampire movie, not a zombie movie.

 

[ramonmercado]

Can't beat a kung fu frog! But that's a vampire movie, not a zombie movie.

Yeah, just mentioned it because I was watching it at the time. Still have about 30 minutes to watch.

 

[GNC]

Anyone seen The Night Eats the World? I Am Legend (the book), but set in Paris (though the dialogue is in English). One of the better zombies flicks I've seen recently, come on, it has Denis Lavant as a zombie! The lead guy's a bit of a plank, but he doesn't have much to say for most of it anyway. Give it a go.

 

[Xanatic*]

Tommorow I'll be playing a zombie for a movie. Along with 400 or so other people.