The Walking Dead #53

Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you seriously jerking me around Kirkman? The final splash is all one big tease, right? It has to be. These three new characters would say anything to be let in to the farm and I believe it. This series was originally called “Night of the Living Dead” and we only had an inkling of what may have caused the dead uprising in that movie, and one possible explanation. There’s no way Kirkman would explain and hold our hands through why the dead suddenly started rising one day.

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Feast II: Sloppy Seconds (2008)

As a product coming out of the gates of the Weinstein throes where they took a painfully mediocre television series and turned it in to a form of producing an honest to goodness horror film, “Feast” kicked my ass from here to Thailand as a truly great horror comedy with some bone breaking action, creepy horror, and genuine comedy that induced laughter whenever it damn well pleased. “Feast II” takes the same turns as the original did but this time with Gulager able to take his own twist and storytelling abilities and include his own usual suspects i.e. his wife and father who prominently featured in the first half of the sequel known as “Sloppy Seconds.”

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Chainsaw Maid (2007)

chainsawmaidAround four months ago I deeply considered reviewing “Chainsaw Maid” for the site mainly because I thought it was so well made. These days I’m almost sorry that I opted out of reviewing “Chainsaw Maid” because it’s become somewhat of a cult hit. How did this happen? The animation is rigid. The claymation basic, and the story is so incredible one note, and yet when all is said and done I’d actually sit and watch a ninety minute live action version of “Chainsaw Maid.” What’s the big deal about this movie? Well, as a person who can’t speak Asian, the director, and writer are basically unknown to me, and there’s a strong character motivation in spite of the fact that there’s zero dialogue.

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Dead Fury (2008)

deadfur1bFrank Sudol’s “Dead Fury” is inspired by classics such as “John Carpenter’s The Thing,” “Evil Dead” and most likely “Night of the Living Dead” and as such is a clear homage that notifies the audience of its intentions before the credits even roll. I’m a fan of Sudol’s “City of Rott” even in spite of the general problems it had in the final act, and he follows it up with a surreal and unusually constructed monster in the house story about four friends out on a hunting trip who find… demons? I want to say Demons who act like Zombies. Either way, “Dead Fury” is a film that’s been met with a bit of scorn from critics, but I like it.

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LA Confidential (1998): 2-Disc Special Edition (DVD)

By my money, I consider James Ellroy’s “LA Confidential” to be one of the greatest crime dramas ever made. It’s an elaborate, morose, and brutally intelligent display of respective talents and truly keen storytelling that gets better with every single viewing. “LA Confidential” was not a real hit with me upon the first viewing; in fact I found it painfully mediocre once the credits began to roll. Suddenly, I found myself watching it repeatedly and soon discovered that it was a stellar piece of filmmaking that grew on me once I opened my mind a bit.

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Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) (DVD)

TCW-DVD-1discSo it came and went like a bolt of lightning in theaters and the intent for big screen wishes were to give folks a treat on the back story of new Jedi Ahsoka who is recruited and soon becomes a feisty second hand to Anakin during the massive Clone Wars and it’s not that bad a movie. You laugh but it’s true; “The Clone Wars” wasn’t really too bad of a film, we just grew up without the tales now catered to children. This isn’t the first time and sadly this isn’t the last time. The next person who tells me that Lucas raped their childhoods is going to get five fingers on the cheek and a kick in the ass. Because in spite of its inherent flaws and stunning departure from Lucas’s typical storytelling style, it wasn’t as bad as “Phantom Menace” and its television series is also one program you can’t put too much weight on because it carries the mantle well.

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The Rapture (2007)

raptureViewing the screener DVD for director Johnny K. Wu’s science fiction actioner, it’s pretty clear that the movie is a real work of love. Wu is all about action flicks and making the best out of very little. “The Rapture” is a movie that’s granted care and style from Wu who goes so far to include a “Silence” warning you find in theaters. “The Rapture” is no small accomplishment; it’s a sleek and really good take on a pretty old formula with some of the best special effects I’ve seen in an indie film. The man‘s work here can not be dismissed as he goes through painstaking work to feature some incredible aesthetics like wings, and force fields.

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