Director: John Frankenheimer
Writer: Richard Condon (novel) and George Axelrod (screenplay)
Genre: Drama/Mystery/Thriller
Story
Major Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra) and his army buddies are captured during the war and when they come home they all have the same story about what happened. They all say that they were not captured and that Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) was the hero who saved them in the battle. It starts to get a little odd when they are all actually saying the same exact words when asked to describe how they feel about Shaw or the events that took place. Maj. Marco and others are having strange nightmares about what actually happened while they were over there and they start to look into finding out the truth.
Everything Else
The directing of The Manchurian Candidate was stellar for the time. The scene where the communist forces were demonstrating the brainwashing of the soldiers was particularly good. Character interactions were also sound throughout the film. The story was told in a way that made it quite straight forward as compared with the remake and this actually added to how interesting it was. The backdrop of communism and cold war had an incredible impact on providing a solid basis for the film and character motivations.
The acting throughout proved to be somewhat unimpressive however. It was interesting to see Frank Sinatra in another 1960s film, but he did just as well as he did in Ocean’s 11; decent. Laurence Harvey made a good Raymond Shaw, but the blank stares did not always make the character interesting. The biggest surprise for me was the inclusion of Angela Lansbury as the obnoxious mother of Raymond. Lansbury made a character that was easy to hate and proved that she had talent.
The Real Deal
This is another original on the Remake Movie Month that has Frank Sinatra as the star (weird). This film only seemed to lack in the acting department. Some of the same people appeared in this one as did in Ocean’s 11 and they did just about as well. The weird facial expressions of older movies are still here, but it was not too much of a distraction. This movie was great in the plot and directing department and really only suffered from the acting. Also, the film is quite clean as compared to its recent remake so this one actually has the ability to appeal to a wider audience (although the B&W picture many counteract that). I liked this one a lot and even saw it after the remake.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 854,998
Sharon Movie? No
6/29/2008
Original: The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Remake: 3:10 To Yuma (2007)
Here is another one that I am revisiting in light of the Remake Movie Month. I really enjoyed this one the first time around, but I think I even liked it better after seeing the original; this month has been a real eye opener for remakes.
Director: James Mangold
Writer: Halsted Welles and Michael Brandt
Genre: Western/Action/Drama/Crime
Story
3:10 To Yuma is a remake of the 1957 film of the same name. The new movie has a higher rating on imdb.com and was rated by more people. I would like to do a comparison of older movies to their newer counterparts at some point, but I will save that for a later date (update: it would seem that this was that later date; I had actually forgotten all about this comment even). The basic storyline of the movie is that Dan Evans, an honest and poor man, is looking for the respect of his family and a way to get through hard times. Another man named Ben Wade is a gang leader who finally gets caught in the midst of Dan Evans and Dan Evans sees an opportunity to make some money by helping to transport Ben Wade to the 3:10 train to Yuma. All the while Ben Wade’s gang is trying to get him back and Dan Evans is trying to make sure that Wade is on that train so that he gets his payment.
Everything Else
Christian Bale is one of my favorites and does not disappoint in his portrayal of Dan Evans. Not only does Dan Evans look dirty and jaded, but also he has lost his leg and the respect of his family. Christian Bale didn’t lose 63lbs. for this film like he did for The Machinist, but he does look the look. The dialogue is delivered with confidence and the emotion is often felt from Bale’s character. Russell Crowe plays the part of Ben Wade. Russell Crowe does well in this film even though it seems like he is on cruise control. He doesn’t truly get into the part like he did for The Insider, Gladiator, or Romper Stomper. Maybe we should reflect a moment on how well Crowe actually has done in the past and forget some of his less poignant performances. I do like his acting in this film, but I could have asked for a more vivid performance or one with a more emotion or edge. It is hard to say exactly what is missing, but something is.
James Mangold has a great track record with such films as Girl, Interrupted, Walk The Line, Identity, and Kate & Leopold. I guess you could say he has a pretty well rounded repertoire. He does a great job here even if some of the scenes and situations seem a little cheesy or nonsensical. I felt entertained the whole time, and I believe this is what he was going for. You have to respect him for the great western feel. There was a lot of shooting, but the guns were fairly true to the times. They even had a hard time shooting from far distances. There were a few things like the quick draws and the occasional long range shot that seemed a little over the top, but it fit in with the semi-real feel of the whole movie. The movie is therefore very uniform which leads me to believe that he had intended for it to be the way it was.
The Real Deal
I paid $8.50 for the student ticket, and I would definitely do it again even though I am sure that the movie will be on DVD very soon. There is something about going to the movies that is a lot more fun than the screen at home. Now that I just got through watching this one again for Remake Movie Month, I can honestly say that this is a really good movie. I liked it even better the second time. Possibly it is the new found appreciation for what they were able to do with a remake, or maybe it is just that it was good; either way it was fun. It looked great on Blu-ray too.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 816,871
Sharon Movie? No
6/28/2008
Original: Ocean’s Eleven (1960)
Director: Lewis Milestone
Writer: George Clayton Johnson (story) and Jack Golden Russell (story)
Genre: Comedy/Crime
Story
A group of war veterans decide to get back together when it sounds like they could make a big score on a Vegas heist. The eleven led by Danny Ocean (Frank Sinatra) plan to heist five casinos at the same time. Now all they have to do is figure out how to get away with it.
Everything Else
The directing of this original is plain and somewhat uneventful, but it gets the job done. The conversation between characters works well and flows with the story, but there are some weird cheesy singing scenes involving Sammy Davis Jr. that were a bit distracting (I still have “E-O-ELEVEN” stuck in my head weeks after viewing). Of course we would not expect the brilliant camera work of today’s films, but the camera work was crisp and clean for its time.
The acting was mostly solid from the main characters. Frank Sinatra did well, but did not provide the flair of Clooney and Dean Martin as well as the others just didn’t seem to make the film more interesting. Sammy Davis Jr. as I mentioned earlier was actually annoying, but he didn’t have too much singing time. The singing just didn’t seem to fit into the rest of the movie and the comedy was not hard hitting enough to really get the viewer going.
As far as quality of everything though, it was solid on all accounts. It has just been done better (we will get to that later with the remake).
The Real Deal
I saw this original long after seeing the remake with George Clooney and the rest of the stellar cast. Maybe this is why I did not like it as well. I liked the new version a lot and it had more comedy, action, twists, and thrills. This version is certainly a good movie, but we will have to stack it up to the new one to really get a feel for this whole remake business.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 703,222
Sharon Movie? Yes
6/27/2008
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Writer: Kelly Masterson
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Story
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is a harsh look at two brothers and how they plan to get free from the life they know. Andrew ‘Andy’ Hanson (Philip Seymour Hoffman) comes up with a plan to rob his parents jewelry store make out with plenty of cash to start a new life. He has his brother Henry ‘Hank’ Hanson (Ethan Hawke) actually commit the crime so that he does not have to get his hands dirty. When the burglary goes awry and the family starts to fall apart, the father Charles Hanson (Albert Finney) has to seek vengeance on the perpetrator even if it turns out t be his own sons.
Everything Else
Before the Devil runs in a nonlinear format for at least the first half of the movie and then slowing settles into a linear story. This seems to be a very popular form for psychological thrillers after such movies as Memento, but it works well and provides enough excitement to get you interested from the start. The story pans out and flows well even though it seems a little confusing at times with all of the cutting back and forth. Character interactions felt great and added to the natural and eerie real feel of the film.
The acting on all parts was quite good. We have come to expect great performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman these days, but he certainly does not disappoint with this one. He yet again provides an incredible performance in a dark and troubled character. Ethan Hawke is more of an on again off again sort of actor; although he usually does a good job, he does not make the stand out performances like Hoffman. He did quite well in Before the Devil though. Albert Finney plays the father who is faced with a terrible realization and is forced to make some tough decisions because of his son’s actions. Finney is a strong supporting actor in this. Marisa Tomei (Andy’s wife Gina Hanson) is the only star actress that does not seem to add a whole lot to the film. Although the conflict between her, her husband Andy, and brother in-law Hank is essential to heightening the tension in the film, Tomei does not get the screen time or provide the performance to really produce anything remarkable.
The Real Deal
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead ended up being better than I thought it was going to be and made notice the director (Sidney Lumet) a little more. In fact I was so impressed with the film that I decided almost immediately after looking up Sidney Lumet on imdb that it would be great to have a Sidney Lumet Movie Month. Before the Devil is not for everyone I am sure (especially with its rough around the edges style), but the talent of all of those involved made this one standout as a great film that has not gotten the attention it deserves. It seems this is how a lot of Sidney Lumet’s films are, but we will find out in July how good they really are.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 807,923
Sharon Movie? No
6/25/2008
Across The Universe (2007)
Across The Universe (2007)
Director: Julie Taymor
Writers: Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais
Genre: Drama/Musical/Romance
Story
There are a few stories being intermingled here, but the main one seems to be the love story between Lucy Carrigan (Evan Rachel Wood) and Jude (Jim Sturgess). Living in the time of the Vietnam War, the draft, and hippies completes this musical out as a strange love story with plenty of political views and upsets. Jude comes to America from Liverpool to find his father and ends up making some friends and meeting Lucy while he is there. They fall in love, but there is conflict and thy seemingly break up. The rest of the movie is the struggle they each have dealing without the strongest love they have ever know and both deciding they wanted to find each other again.
Everything Else
The directing of Across the Universe was fresh and compelling. Not your typical musical, although many of the musicals of the last couple decades have been going this sort of wild and bizarre route. The colors in the movie are tremendous and the camera flows from scene to scene with a very confident yet smooth transition. The movie reads like a string of music videos with the craziest scenes they could come up with.
The acting was superb with most of it being the singing, but the characters were also brought to life with the emotion of the dialogue not formed into a song. Evan Rachel Wood has been better, but carries her own and Jim Sturgess proves his talent in a lead role. The story felt original and kept my interest throughout the film by having many side stories going on at the same time. It almost seemed like there was too much going on, but the only story that really sucks you in is the love story between Jude and Lucy.
The songs were a perfect fit for the movie with all of the Beatles songs and psychedelic choreography. There was never a dull moment in Across the Universe and the scenery kept changing, making the film feel fresh throughout its entirety.
The Real Deal
I have lately been saying that I do not like musicals, but it seems the more and more I see the more I like them. I like the newer ones much better than the older ones because of the wild music video type style, but it is always interesting to see how the songs fit into or tell the story. Across the Universe told a coherent love story with almost nothing but music. I really enjoyed Across the Universe for its ability to make me forget about everything else going on in my life and just enjoy the show for a while. There wasn’t too much in the way of offensive material, but there were enough disturbing images to warrant the PG-13 rating. I would recommend this one even if you are not necessarily a fan of musicals.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 811,223
Sharon Movie? Yes
6/23/2008
Billy Jack (1971)
Billy Jack (1971)
Director: Tom Laughlin
Writer: Tom Laughlin and Delores Taylor
Genre: Action/Drama
Story
Billy Jack (Tom Laughlin) is an Indian (sort of) who lives on the Indian reserve and protects a special school for kids to learn differently than the normal public schools allow. Most of the kids going to the school are Indians and are not welcome in the town. When the daughter of the sheriff runs away to the peace-loving free spirited hippie school in the desert, the town begins the search for the girl. The tensions between the two groups rise and Billy Jack is right there in the middle of it.
Everything Else
The directing and acting of Billy Jack by Tom Laughlin was quite entertaining. For those that do not care for the goodbad movie, don’t bother with this one. Laughlin not only lacks the ability to provide a decent acting job in the lead role here, but the directing of everything was quite bad. Slow motion, cheesy dialogue, terrible music, and an absolutely odd lack of decent action sequences (for an action movie) make Billy Jack one of the funniest movies I have seen in a while.
Of course Billy Jack was not meant to be a comedy, but that is why it is a goodbad movie. There are some lines in the film that were meant to be serious, but when they were delivered I immediately busted out in laughter. The acting was horrendous not only on the part of leads Laughlin and Taylor (who are also the makers), but the children that go to the school and the Sheriff’s son. The Sheriff (Clark Howat) did a decent job, but since no one else did the movie had no chance even if the story had been good.
There is one scene in particular that stands out as a great example of how bad the acting and directing were in this film. The Sheriff’s son drives a girl out onto the reservation (this is the first aspect that makes no sense; why would he go somewhere he was more likely to get caught) and asks her to cooperate in helping him find the girl who has run away. When she does not cooperate, he decides to try and rape her, but thankfully Billy Jack and Jean Roberts show up before he can hurt the girl. The odd part here is how serious the situation is and yet as soon as Billy Jack and Jean arrive they smile and laugh as though the situation is funny. I admit, it was quite funny when they started laughing (so embarrassing though).
The Real Deal
Billy Jack was the worst movie I had seen in a while; I absolutely loved it. I think I will have to rent the sequels some time, but I am worried that they will actually be a bit better since they had the opportunity to improve the quality after the first one. The real deal is that this movie was a lot of fun because it was so bad. I couldn’t stop laughing at it; truly not a good sign if you are the director of the film and intended for it to be a serious Action/Drama with a lot of your own propaganda you want to push on the American public. Maybe people thought it was good at the time though.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 361,837
Sharon Movie? No
6/17/2008
Review Blitz #8
This Review Blitz is unfortunately made up of a lot of movies that I truly wanted to do full reviews of (except P.S. I Love You and War), but feel like there is simply not the time for it right now; in fact I am not even going to edit this (it probably won’t be any different than my normal disjointed and odd writing). I hope to get back to them some day.
P.S. I Love You (2007)
P.S. I Love You was certainly a tearjerker. I liked parts of it, but make no mistake this is a movie for the chicks looking for a 2 hour sob fest. Even though it was not my typical genre of choice, I enjoyed it enough. There were a few character interactions which I will call questionable for lack of a better explanation (they were either unrealistic or just plain awkward). Also, I must note that a couple of the actors were terrible or maybe it was more the characters they were playing, but the main stars of the show were all good.
Pick this one up if you are looking for a chick flick that is sure to make you cry throughout (assuming you are the crying type which is often the audience for a chick flick like this one).
Raw Score: 701,342
Sharon Movie? No
War (2007)
This was entertaining for what it is. I would have liked to see a better ending, but I didn’t expect much of it and got about what I expected. Jason Statham has really not been making the high quality movies lately. Transporter 1 and 2 are decent, but I wouldn’t say Statham has actually made a great movie. Jet Li did well in this, but it really comes down to the ending which I felt ruined the movie.
Raw Score: 593,222
Sharon Movie? No
Semi-Pro (2008)
Semi-Pro when viewed with the correct audience can be a lot of fun. Because I saw this one with a group of guys that all wanted to see it, it was a lot better than it could have been. I still think Will Ferrell is quickly loosing what little humor he has left. This movie was funny, but he seems to get worse with every film. Can someone in Hollywood warn him before he ruins his career; or maybe he does not care.
Raw Score: 691,943
Sharon Movie? No
I’m Not There (2007)
Another Bob Dylan movie, but this time it was a lot more creative and interesting. I loved how they used all the different actors and actresses to be different (and yet the same) people while all really being Bob Dylan and different points in his life. If what I just said does not make sense to you then you need to see it. If you never cared for Bob Dylan, then maybe you should pass it up, but the film itself is certainly worth watching if you want to see something out of the norm. Cate Blanchett still stands out in my mind as doing an excellent job in this one; it is worth seeing for her performance alone.
Raw Score: 804,008
Sharon Movie? No
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
I loved Lars and the Real Girl, but it wasn’t perfect. There was a certain lack of excitement or conflict. The movie seemed almost too simple, but aside from that I have no complaints. There is good music, great acting, and a goofy indy/drama tone to the entire movie; what is not to like. It is true this will not be the film for everyone, but it is one I could certainly watch again.
I guess sometimes I have the least to say about the thing I liked the most.
Raw Score: 815,239
Sharon Movie? No
6/14/2008
Original: 3:10 to Yuma (1957)
3:10 to Yuma (1957)
Director: Delmer Daves
Writer: Elmore Leonard (story) and Halsted Welles (screenplay)
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Thriller/Western
Story
Dan Evans (Van Heflin) is a simple farmer trying to make a living in the dry desert, but he can’t seem to catch a break or afford enough water to get his cattle to really do well. Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) is the leader of a group of bandits that robs stagecoaches. When Ben Wade and his group rob a banker and his stagecoach near Dan Evans farm, Dan has to get involved. Ben Wade gets caught and they are going to take him to the 3:10 train to Yuma (hints the title) and no one wants to get involved because of the danger. Dan Evans volunteers in a desperate attempt to get enough money to save his farm. Now Evans has to get Wade safely to the train through all of the other bandits.
Everything Else
The directing of this original version of 3:10 to Yuma was very solid. There is little to complain about as far as the flow of the film and the character interactions. The acting was also top notch from Glenn Ford as Ben Wade and Van Heflin as Dan Evans.
The story, although very good, seemed a little less exciting after watching the remake. In this respect at least I found that 3:10 to Yuma (1957) was lacking. The story makes sense and everything plays out well, but there were not the twists or very many moments of tension, which the remake provided.
The shiny black and white picture in this film adds to it rather than taking away. The image quality is crisp and clean making it look very good throughout. The camera angles and direction only add to the film by giving some good clean shots. The only complaint is the odd scenes at the end when Evans is trying to get Wade to the train. The bandits seem to have clear and easy shots, but they are not really making much effort to get the job done. Possibly if this were shot differently it would have made more sense.
The Real Deal
I liked 3:10 to Yuma (1957), but after seeing the remake with its new twists and turns, the original seemed a little dry. One place the original excels at though is the soundtrack. I loved the opening music. This was actually one of the most exciting parts of the film for me. I would have liked for there to have been a little more action at the end and a few more twists possibly. It almost seemed too straight forward, but I guess that is how it used to be and it just doesn’t really fly anymore. If you are going to watch this one, make sure you watch it before the remake; I know I would have liked it better if I had. Nevertheless, it is a well-made movie that is worth the watch.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 745,923
Sharon Movie? No
6/13/2008
Remake/Sequel/Redo/?: The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Director: Louis Leterrier
Writer: Zak Penn and Edward Norton
Genre: Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
The Story
Ok, so this was not a remake of the Ang Lee film Hulk, but it certainly seemed like it was going to be from the previews. This film actually only touches on the discovery of the Hulk in the beginning to get the viewers caught up on the situation, but then quickly skips to a later time when Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is trying to discover a cure for his "illness." While he is trying to find a cure, General Thadeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross (William Hurt) is trying to find him to use his genes to make a superhuman army. Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) is the girl that is most important to Bruce, but unfortunately he has the Hulk and can't see her because it is too dangerous. Typical superhero/comic book drama/romance/action ensues.
Everything Else
I have to admit the CG Hulk looked a lot better in this one, but it still does not impress that much. The Hulk "coolness" is what really makes this movie do what it intended to do. The direction is actually quite sloppy at times and cries for help in a few scenes. It would seem that they took out too much of the movie that tied loose ends, and this truly hurt the final product. Although even with the extra minutes added back in, the editing room would not have made certain parts make much sense.
The acting was good throughout The Incredible Hulk, but Tim Roth finds himself in a seriously cliche role as the bad guy. Tim Roth does well, but the scripting makes his character overused and boring. Aside from that issue, the rest of the characters work well even with Betty Ross being the typical damsel in distress (you just need that I guess).
Louis Leterrier has not done anything overly unique here like Ang Lee had done for the first film. I would have liked to see a little more creativity involved rather than the Transformers or Iron Man (may I point out that Iron Man was better) style "just give me the action." Thought provoking is nice from time to time. The Incredible Hulk does deliver on the action though. The fight scenes are great and there are plenty of mangled cars and people being tossed like dolls. The real meat comes with the tie in to the other Marvel characters. Of course everyone knows Tony Stark makes an appearance in this movie, but this really is starting to add a lot of potential for all of the Marvel movies and the way they could tie them together.
The Real Deal
I liked The Incredible Hulk a lot, but it was a let down when I really thought about it. There are things that are better about this one than the Ang Lee version, but I liked the Ang Lee version and it had more creativity. The fight scenes are great here and the CG looks a lot better, but that is not enough to warrant the redo/remake/sequel (it was absolutely necessary though to make the connections with these other Marvel characters). If only they could have made it tie into the last one a bit better. This could have made the first one better while not making the film seem like it is trying to rewrite history. I will not forget Hulk (2003) so why try and make me forget it. This is certainly worth the watch even with all of my complaining. Rest assured this is the Hulk and it certainly will get you excited about it if you are a fan. I will be interested to see how this ties into the upcoming Marvel movies.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 736,192
Sharon Movie? No
6/12/2008
Original vs. Remake: Day of the Dead
There is really not a lot to say here, so I will make it brief.
The remake should not have happened. I would argue actually that it was not even a remake. Even though George A. Romero showed on the credits on imdb, he certainly did not have a hand in this one. I guess the remake stole just enough content from the original to actually call it a remake, but it might as well have been called something different and have no credit to George A. Romero (I am sure he would not have minded leaving his name off of this one). Really though, the fact that it was named Day of the Dead and had George A. Romero in the imdb credits are the only two reasons I picked this one up and included it in Remake Movie Month; I feel used and abused.
Here are some quick picture comparisons for good measure:
Vs.
Original Wins!
Superbad (2007)
Superbad (2007)
Director: Greg Mottola
Writers: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Story
Superbad follows the lives of three immature students who are about to graduate high school. All Seth (Jonah Hill), Evan (Michael Cera), and Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) care about is alcohol and girls. Seth and Evan have a plan to get the girls by providing the alcohol for the party they are all going to. Now they just have to get the alcohol, but that is not very easy since they are only 18. Fogell has a fake ID and thinks he can get the alcohol, but when the cops show up things get out of hand. The rest of the film follows the three as they continue their journey to the party and try to keep from getting arrested while still getting the alcohol.
Everything Else
Greg Mottola does a typical dirty teenage movie directing job here. There is nothing more disappointing than a movie which has so much potential and yet falls flat on its face because of having obscene content which is completely unnecessary. There were plenty of parts of Superbad that were funny, but there were also so many scenes that were not funny and just downright offensive that the movie ends up being just ok. This is a shame considering how funny it could have been if they had only left out a few choice words and unnecessary parts.
The movie seems very realistic in some regards though. The teenagers act just like some teenagers did in high school. The only problem is that only about 5% of high schoolers act like that, but Superbad would have you believe that all high schoolers are like that. Aside from the obvious problems, the concept is overused in comedies today. Even if the gross humor and profanity are what seems to be popular today, I can’t help but think I have already seen this movie and it just looks ridiculous compared to more original comedies such as Juno.
The acting in Superbad was decent. The star here is really Michael Cera even though Jonah Hill has the more overbearing role. Hill doesn’t even come close to providing the humor which Cera is able to provide, but they would likely both be out of place if they had not been together. The two work well together with the opposing comedic styles.
The Real Deal
I would have liked to see a Superbad without all of the dirty jokes and foul language. It could have been as good as Juno possibly if they had added good dialog. This is the biggest problem when making a gross humor comedy these days. There is just no original dialog so the movie feels like dirty laundry from the start. This is exactly why I compared Superbad to Juno. Juno was just as popular, but actually created something unique at the same time. Sure Cera was almost the same character in both, but Juno can be liked by such a wider audience that the gross humor of Superbad can not be justified. I still found Superbad funny, but sadly because of its crudeness and unoriginality I can not recommend it to anyone.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 732,483
Sharon Movie? No
Remake: Day of the Dead (2008)
Day of the Dead (2008)
Director: Steve Miner
Writers: Jeffrey Reddick (screenplay) and George A. Romero (motion picture "Day of the Dead")
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Story
What story? I am not sure why they decided to try and work out getting the rights to the name since there is very little it has in common with the movie it is supposed to be a remake of. The film starts off without anyone really knowing about the zombies and takes place in a small town. The town is being quarantined, but it is unclear as to why it is quarantined or what made the military decide to do it since none of them know there is anything wrong. Sarah (Mena Suvari) is a soldier and also a resident of the town. She is trying to help with the quarantine when strange things start to happen with people in the town and her family. People start to turn into “zombies”? This Day of the Dead only came to video for good reason.
Everything Else
The acting was not half bad. Of course Ving Rhames does well after being in Dawn of the dead, but he does not play the same character since no one could because there is no continuation from the previous movie (this is the biggest problem with the remakes as a whole; they should have gone with the assumption in Dawn and Day that we already knew the zombies were around). The zombies are being discovered all over again and there is a new explanation as to why. The zombies also act differently and seem almost super human. They can now jump really high and far and climb buildings with ease. Mena Suvari does well in this film, but it seems like she has taken a step back from other roles to play this one. She had a lot going for her when she was in American Beauty. Maybe she needs a new agent.
Day of the Dead only copies a few things from the original: there are zombies, there are people trying to survive (military involved as well), and there is a zombie that remembers and acts sort of like the person he used to be. He turns into a zombie and then does not attack anyone (because he is a vegetarian….poor, oh so poor) seemed like a lame attempt at copying something that was great about the original. The zombies look much worse now than they did in the Dawn of the Dead remake, but this is because of the low budget. The directing is shaky and the acting is only decent, but it really comes down to the lack of decent zombie action. These things do not feel like zombies. I will give 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead (2004) the fast running zombies, but the ability to jump to extreme heights is just stupid. It took away from the whole movie.
The Real Deal
This was a terrible movie. There were some entertaining scenes (like the one where Ving Rhames ate his own eyeball), but the plot and overall purpose of a zombie flick seems to have been lost in the mix. This movie could have been a whole lot better had it not tried to make the zombies “more exciting” and if the plot had made more sense. There is plenty of gore, but it had too much computer generated aspects to it and the makeup was simply not good enough. Skip this one even if you are a fan of stupid zombie flicks. It really made me want the slow and dumb zombies of the originals back.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 438,220
Sharon Movie? No
6/11/2008
Original: Day of the Dead (1985)
Day of the Dead (1985)
Director: George A. Romero
Writer: George A. Romero
Genre: Drama/Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Story
The third and final chapter to George A. Romero’s zombie trilogy takes a turn for the worse. The zombies have already taken over the world as far as the viewer is concerned and we find ourselves with a small group of scientists and military personnel trying to research the zombies and see if they can be “cured” or made human again. There is conflict between the soldiers and the scientists though as more and more of them are getting killed by the zombies and it seems that there is not going to be any cure found.
Everything Else
The directing of Day of the Dead follows suit with the last two films and again there was a long gap of time in between the last film and this one. None of the original characters appear in this one, but the time in which it takes place seems to be chronologically after Dawn of the Dead.
The biggest problem with Day of the Dead is probably the slow start and nonsensical flow of the film. It is unclear as to why these soldiers are here in the first place and who is actually giving them commands. Also, with the slow zombies and complete knowledge of how the zombies act it seems unlikely that as many people would get killed in this facility as do. They are simply careless and don’t take very many precautions. Then again, what would be the point if no one did get killed? It just doesn’t make any sense at this point and the last two at least had more of that going for them.
Thankfully, the killing is still there for the second half of the movie and once people start to die the killing gets more and more gory and horrific (thank you George A. Romero). The other addition to this film is the research that one of the crazy scientists is doing. He discovers that you can actually train the zombies and get them to remember a little bit about who they once were. This is the main element that adds to the series and without it, it does not seem like the movie would have had anywhere to go. The makeup for the zombies does not look much better than in Dawn of the Dead and the acting is still subpar. The goofy 80s music is quite entertaining though.
The Real Deal
I liked Night and Dawn a lot better, but Day actually had some interesting things in it to make it worth the watch. I would have liked for the film to start off with the killing a lot sooner on and the plot could have been a lot stronger. In the end I am left wanting more of Dawn of the Dead. It looks like George A. Romero was actually running out of ideas for the whole zombie thing at this point, but I believe he went on to make more zombie movies aside from this trilogy.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 691,323
Sharon Movie? No
Busy Times
I have been quite busy lately with all of the things going on around the house and my wife and I both being in the same wedding over the weekend, but I plan to get caught up soon. I have been watching the movies just as often if not more than usual so I have plenty of reviews to write and post. Some reviews to look forward to:
Day of the Dead original and remake (I know you are sick of the zombie movies, but this is the last one for a while)
Billy Jack
Before the Devil Knows Your Dead
Ocean's 11 original and remake
3:10 to Yuma original and remake
Lars and the Real Girl
Superbad
Semi-Pro
War
Across the Universe
As you can see I have watched a lot of movies that I have not reviewed or posted yet. I promise I will get caught up soon. There may have to be a blitz in there, but I like the full reviews better.
6/09/2008
Original vs. Remake: Dawn of the Dead
Dawn of the Dead (2004) is indeed a true remake of Dawn of the Dead made back in 1978. When comparing the two however, it seems they have very different things to offer. Nearly 30s of technology and improvements in the industry are sure to make the new version of the film look a whole lot better, but the original is still the one that thought of the story first. There are some ways in which the two can be directly compared though:
The story itself only differs slightly between the two. In the original, the group of people is already aware of the zombie threat before the movie starts (because it happened in Night of the Living Dead). The remake decided to take the route of the first in a series or a stand alone and recreate the discovery of the zombies. This still leads to the group deciding to hide out in a mall in both films. In the remake though, the zombies are actually more like people with rabies or something which causes them to act crazy and eat other people. This changes the dynamic completely because when the group is trying to get away from even one zombie it is dangerous where as with the true zombies of the original they were really only a threat if they took someone by surprise or if they were in large numbers together. The story was similar, with the groups seeking shelter and hoping for help to come, but inevitably having to run away again as it became apparent no help was coming.
