So the zombie apocalypse came and went and guess what? We lost. Miserably. After the world has been consumed by the cannibalistic walking dead by the hordes, there are really only a few dozen living humans on the planet. And they’re struggling to maintain the lingering shreds of sanity they still possess. Once upon a time, a long time ago, “Day of the Dead” was considered the lesser of the Dead trilogy from director George A. Romero, and it’s quite shocking considering “Day of the Dead” is a masterpiece. In fact it’s every bit as good as its predecessors “Night” and “Dawn” with just as much thought provoking material as the former titles.
Tag Archives: Drama
Prometheus (2012)
Basically what’s hypothesized in “Prometheus” is what if the thing that created us sought out the answers to what created it? And what if in the process of figuring out its own creation, it managed to accidentally create us? And what would happen if the thing that created us in a mission to figure out what created it, actually really wasn’t a God, and pretty much hates out guts for being accidental spawns of its experimentation? It’s a dichotomy and a contradiction that’s worth exploring, because it’s a startling and absolutely crushing notion to comprehend, but not with “Prometheus.”
Our Top Ten Disney Channel Original Movies Of All Time
If you’re a child of the nineties, the odds are you had cable television. Before the Miley Cyrus’ and Raven Symone’s the Disney Channel made a habit of airing some of their own original movies that many kids grew up with. Some of them were clunky, some absolutely forgettable, and many of them are still remembered by nostalgia buffs to this day. Even before Disney figured out how to market their stars, Disney Channel original movies were filled with potential young movie stars who’d go on to make at least two or three movies of the same title like “Zenon” or “Cheetah Girls.”
The Disney Channel original movies gained their momentum in the early to mid nineties displaying some real family classics and as nostalgia goons we’re unabashedly listing our top ten Disney Channel movies of all time. What can we say? We have a soft spot for Disney.
Defending "The Happening"
Out of the my top ten of 2008, without a doubt one of my favorites of that year was M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Happening.” Why? Well, it’s been a point of contention for quite some time now that’s granted me unabashed scrutiny and question toward the state of sanity, but as I sit here thinking it over, “The Happening” is one of my favorite Shyamalan films. More so than “The Village,” even. Because unlike other people, I’m still firm in my belief that “The Happening” is one of the most underrated and misunderstood films of the past decade.
Archetype (2012)
These days in an effort to get movies off the ground, indie filmmakers are prone to creating short films that exposit the concept of their feature film for the audience allowing them a chance to expand upon it should they be offered a chance by studios. That’s the basic reasoning for “Archetype.” Made for a little money, “Archetype” is actually quite excellent for such a short film that works as a prologue for the premise of Aaron Sims’ film. What happens when artificial intelligence becomes so intelligent it’s convinced it led a past life? And what happens when the corporation that created the AI finds little ability to convince them otherwise?
Ghoul (2012)
I think at the end of the day the reason people will dislike “Ghoul” are for the reasons I really liked it. “Ghoul” isn’t so much a horror movie about an actual ghoul, but about the horrors of growing up in and around dysfunction. For many this film will be especially off putting since the whole notion of an actual ghoul is put in to the basic back burner in exchange for character focus and exposition galore. I for one am a sucker for coming of age tales, and “Ghoul” is an especially powerful one that focuses on three young boys in the middle of the eighties and their attempts to uncover a horrific secret their local forest is hiding.
21 Jump Street: The Complete Series, Seasons 1-5 (DVD)
Before Hollywood came along and turned it in to a buddy comedy, “21 Jump Street” was actually once an edgy crime drama. For its time and the decade, “21 Jump Street” was a controversial series that tackled many issues plaguing the headlines including murder, the drug epidemic, abortion, illegal immigration and the like. Even almost two decades after its end, “21 Jump Street” is still a high octane and truly engrossing crime series that is admittedly a bit hokey, but still manages to soak in the audience with its sharp performances and engrossing plot lines.
“21 Jump Street” is most famous of course for being the launch pad for star Johnny Depp, who transformed from obscure actor, to teen heartthrob overnight and managed to be one of the few successful eighties icons who transformed from teen heartthrob to acting legend and superstar in a matter of years. But “21 Jump Street” has a lot more going for it than Depp. Even if the show’s best years involve Depp. Let’s face it, Depp is basically the lifeline for the series for a majority of the show as his character is one of the best ever written on the series, while he manages to possess an incredible rapport and chemistry with star David DeLuise.
For a good part of the early seasons, the best episodes involve interplay between the two actors, who approach every case with wisecracks and bad assery that is hard to topple once Depp leaves the show for greener pastures. Everything about “21 Jump Street” is still fresh from the get go, from the great theme song to its cases that involve issues like pre-teen alcohol abuse and students bringing guns to school, all of which are still prevalent in our society and still very relevant social issues. The premise of the show is very much in the vein of “The Mod Squad” in which young looking police officers masquerade as teachers and students in local schools allowing them to infiltrate gangs and social groups leaving them to solve certain crime and cases that the local authorities can’t. The cast is made up of diverse and very entertaining actors, all of whom are given their own episodes and chances to shine and will allow audiences to root for them. Holly Robinson is still very attractive and bold as Judy Hoffs, while Dustin Nguyen is a stand out as officer Harry Ioki.
“21 Jump Street” is a healthy mixture of procedural crime drama with some teenage angst that delves not only in to the cases but the personal lives of the individual officers all of whom manage to leave their assignments affected and traumatized in one way or another. Further in to the show, the casting of Richard Grieco in place of Johnny Depp is not much of a departure as he fulfills the bad boy role quite well offering a smoldering performance as Officer Dennis Booker. Overall, like most shows of this ilk, it dives in to the deep end and jumps the shark by season four, but it’s still a very entertaining and action packed crime drama with stylish ensemble performances, and some truly action packed moments for fans of cop shows. Hardcore fans of Johnny Depp need apply if they’re interested in seeing how he went from Tiger Beat to Oscar Fodder.