snipet Reviews

Khun krabii hiiroh (2004)

Good action, terrible comedy.

[5/10 · 24 September 2005]

A Zombie infection spreads due to a mutated version of Sars and a group of kidnappers, health agents and a sword wielding hero are trapped in a building by the government of Thailand to contain the infection.

Firstly the zombie action is generally pretty good and gory. The film moves pretty quickly to the point where guys with guns and zombies are having it out with each other. The budget must have been decent because there's no shortage of blood, body parts and exploding heads. There are a couple of zombie variations I wont spoil that are done in cgi though that let things down a bit as the cgi is pretty much on the same level as something you'd expect in Ali McBeal.

The major problem though with Sars Wars is the writing is bad. Really really bad. The comedy in Sars Wars is a horrible mishmash of parody, self mockery and 4th wall breaking. Also there isn't a single original element in this film. I mean every zombie movie rips off Dawn of the Dead but... Wild Zero? Anaconda?

Anyway If you are zombie movie fan the action is there and you'll have some fun in trying to spot every reference but you'll have a hard time overlooking the terrible humor.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

A new life for zombies?

[9/10 · 10 April 2004]

As a zombie fan I've to say I'm currently over the moon at the upsurge in zombie movies at the moment. From what I can gather I've Mr Danny Boyle and the great 28 Days Later to thank for that. It seems this has allowed films with the dreaded "Z" word to be bankrolled once again allowing for more undead shenanigans since the late 70s.

Even with all this in mind its amazing that a film like this was made. This is a romantic situation comedy where the situation is zombies attack!

I would have imagined that this would have been stamped too gory for fans of romantic comedy and too soppy for horror enthusiasts leaving it in limbo. However due to the success of "Spaced" this was thankfully given a green light and it works.. and its because of a great cast, script and execution.

Of special mention is The first 30 minutes of this film. Similar to the first few minutes of the latest Dawn of the Dead but vastly extended. We catch glimpses at every turn of the upcoming zombie menace as we follow Shaun through his day. Its funny in a nervous laughter way. One second we see army trucks that are being sent into contain a "problem in south east england" on the news only to see them pass by Shaun moments later. This may not sit well with more impatient audiences but it allows for some (shock!) character development and sets the scene wonderfully. The more attention paid the more you'll get out of it. A sequence when shaun flicks through tv stations and effectively misses all the news reports is worth the price of admission alone.

The real strength though comes from the fact that this is a refreshing change from the "survival horror computer gameesque" zombie films of late. It addresses how people would deal with zombies in a much more realistic way than the average zombie flick. Certainly from the perspective of a resident of a country which doesnt have a "right to bear arms" anyway! Even with access to guns the never ending ammo, perfect shot world often portrayed in American zombie films is unrealistic. This film has one gun and thats used atrociously / hilariously (eg. a one liner falling flat on its face because of not cocking a shotgun!).

Characters make do with what they have. They plan poorly and get themselves in bad situations for real reasons. Because they are stressed ...not because of an attachment to a pet. The only exception to this is where the comedy is allowed to overplay the reality of the situation. For example one scene has Shaun and his flatmate fight off the zombies with vinyl records. Its a bit detracting but also funny enough to justify its inclusion in the film.

Comedy elements extend to references to other genre films, especially romeros dead trilogy ("we're coming to get you Barbra!). These are probably included to keep the attention of the zombie nerds who may get bored when there hasn't been a decapitation in three minutes. However this approach is not perfect. There are times when theres probably too much zombies in a row then too much romantic comedy. So if you are there for one or the other you will think the film is dragging. Those who can appreciate both will be more than happy though and the moments when they intermingle perfectly are gold.

All in all if the current Zombie film craze wants to last any longer its going to need films like Shaun of the Dead to run with new and interesting ways of using what is in all fairness an already tired and well explored genre.

Mulva: Zombie Ass Kicker! (2000 Video)

It's it's... filmed with a camcorder!

[2/10 · 30 March 2004]

I'd read the reviews here and most of them do mention that this has low production values but saying this really doesn't capture the atrocity of Mulva.

This has obviously been filmed on video with some scenes even showing what looks like magnetic interference on the tape. The sound is mostly location recorded and is usually unintelligible... this isn't helped by the fact the main character speaks with a terrible lisp throughout. Everyone else shouts to try and be picked up by the camcorder mic and sound distorted. There is little to no lighting work and the camera appears to be hand held most of the time.

Now I realise this is low budget ($2000 I read somewhere) and the production company even call themselves low budget productions but as they are obviously aware that this looks like the cheapest trash ever I'd have hoped they'd try to use skill and talent to counter some of their limitations. Instead they frequently lampoon the state of their production values, lack of actor talent and ludicrous script. I'm sure the people making it thought this was hilarious and indeed this is exactly the sort of film Id make if I had a bunch of mates with loads of free time and a camcorder. However I'd never subject others to it, let alone distribute it on dvd.

I can only assume that the other reviewers here are connoisseurs of extremely low budget film and knew what to expect in terms of production values and took the film purely on content value. I'll admit I did find myself laughing at some of the genre humor but it mostly felt forced with purposely overlong dialogue("I'm going to go as Egon Spengler from the 1984 film ghost busters as portrayed brilliantly by actor and writer Harold Ramis"). If delivered faultlessly this could be funny but as it was next to unintelligible due to bad sound, a lisp and an actress tripping over her lines, I felt more like crying than laughing.

In the end I felt ultimately cheated and I think anyone who expects even the most basic elements of filmmaking skill will do to.

Tape (2001)

Revoltingly pretentious.

[22 December 2002]

The first sign that you are going to have to listen to a writers opinions on life is when a character has a similarly "creative" job. In this case one of the characters is a "film maker". His occupation should have been given as "person whose job it is to give the writers answers to the oh so thought provoking question the other aspects of the writers persona, in the form of the other characters, are asking." Though that may have been a little long winded.

While the film may be very close to what possibly could / would happen in this sort of situation a film should be entertaining not reflect life directly. In doing so this film is ultimately boring and any insights that the characters arrive at are so obviously those of the writer that its sickening.

A pretentious film which forces the watcher to sit and listen to a writer trying to be clever with his opinions on life for 90minutes thinly disguised as a piece of entertainment.

Avoid.

The Stupids (1996)

Hilarious if you are in the right mind set.

[6 April 2002]

This is a funny film. Unfortunately its not an intelligent film. And I believe thats why there is a huge amount of negative reviews here. Generally I would agree if a film is not intelligent it deserves to be slated and I will look at a film with a pretty critical eye but when I saw this I was quite inebriated. And in being so I believe I discovered the way to watch this film if you are an adult. Its a perfect party film for the twenty something after everyone has had a drink or 4. The ludicrous nature is forgivable in a non sober state and once inhibitions and the adult mind set is lost you start to realize its a hilarious film.

Of course this is a kids film and despite what you may read in popular media I gather not to many kids are off knocking back rum before watching films. However if you are a parent and willing to take the advice of a drunkard I believe that any young kid who hasnt contracted the cynicism of the teenage years should love this film. And if you are able to find their innocence infectious without the aid of alcohol (me and the IMDB im sure discourages the use of alcohol whilst watching family films with your family) you may even enjoy this one yourselves.