emptying my brain onto the internet since 1998…
From the people who brought you Dead Island, and more importantly the people who brought you the amazing trailer for Dead Island, I present to you, the trailer for Dead Island: Riptide.
I just want these people to make a CGI zombie movie or TV series. They could make a series of 5 to 10 minute vignettes and put them on YouTube and I would subscribe to their channel, and I would buy the DVD collection when it came out. In the words of Fry: Shut up and take my money.
Over two years ago I posted the trailer for a movie called The Dead.
Well, this month, us zombie movie fans in the United States will finally get a chance to see it. The slow roll out is here. Being in Atlanta, I’ll get to see it on the 28th, and see it on the 28th I will.
In my quest to fill time on the odd occasion the wife has to work on the weekend, I browse Netflix in search of movies that I know she has no interest in watching.  This past weekend I stumbled on Aaah! Zombies!!  Take a look…
As you can see in the trailer, the movie takes a unique approach to the genre. Â When the film is in color the main characters appear alive and everyone around them is infected by something that makes them act funny and move rapidly. Â When the film goes black & white we see things as they really are with the characters being zombies that are moving slowly while everyone else moves at a normal pace.
Overall the movie isn’t great, but it was good enough. Â I enjoyed the hour and a half I spent watching it. Â It’s available on Netflix Instant, so if you have the time and the inclination, check it out.
I first mentioned Dead Island back in October of 2007 because it was mentioned in Games For Windows magazine. Â GFW has been gone for some time, and many people though Dead Island was too. Â And then there came this…
While I’m pretty sure that the game play won’t be anything like that, the trailer is incredible. Â Amazing even. Â I eagerly await more news of this game. Â And I know I’m late to the party posting this about a week after it appeared, but my posting schedule demands that zombies are on Wednesdays.
If the version above is confusing for you, here is one that plays everything out in chronological order:
This week’s Movie Round-Up is all messed up. Â Two of these movies opened yesterday and one opens on Saturday, with nothing opening on Friday and me posting on Thursday… oh well… let’s get on with it…
Gulliver’s Travels: (official site)
I want to mock this film. Â I tend to dislike when Jack Black is all Jack-Black-ing out, making faces and saying silly nonsense. Â But I watch this trailer and am reminded that it’s by the same people who did Night at the Museum which was such a fun movie, and this movie looks fun too. Â It is highly unlikely that I’ll go see this in the theater for $10, let alone pay $13 to see it in 3D, but I can easily see myself watching this at home at some point and feeling good about it.
Little Fockers: (official site)
I tolerated Meet the Parents. Â I disliked Meet the Fockers. Â I’m now willing to openly hate Little Fockers.
True Grit: (official site)
Having completely come to terms with the fact that Hollywood is content with turning out remakes and sequel, I first saw this trailer with an open mind… and it was blown away. Â Early reviews of this film are heaping praises on the little girl and on the film overall, and it makes me very excited. Â I will, somehow, manage to see this movie. Â Soon. Â If for no other reason than because I can’t let Jonah Hex be the last western I’ve seen on the big screen. Â That must be rectified.
Also, Black Swan goes wider this week and might actually be playing in a theater near you…
Yogi Bear: (official site)
I suppose it was inevitable. Â Hollywood is either remaking, updating or finally bringing to the big screen every idea someone else already had. Â Watching the trailer for this movie does not make me want to see it at all. Â I suppose if I had kids my view might be different, but I don’t so it isn’t. Â If I ever see this movie it will be on accident or under heavy protest.
Tron: Legacy: (official site)
It’s about damn time. Â That’s right, after I rail against Hollywood not having any new ideas I’m going to applaud them for finally making a sequel to Tron. Â I don’t have rose colored glasses on. Â I know the original was silly, plagued with bad dialog and the special effects might have looked fantastic to an eight year old kid but were actually pretty awful, but the fact remains that it was deeply influential to me. Â I mean, I grew up to be a programmer. Â It was the shell of the idea of Tron that was so good, that something special was going on inside computers, and I’m excited that it is being revisited. Â I worry, however that it might be too late. Â No, we haven’t invented full-on virtual reality yet, but unless the movie is hiding some big surprises it doesn’t look to have advanced much further than the 1982 shell of the original: there is a world inside the machines where programs fight for survival. Â But ultimately it doesn’t matter. Â I’ve been itching for a sequel to Tron for so long that there is almost nothing that will stop me from seeing this film. Â Not rain, nor sleet, nor bad reviews. Â This weekend, Tron: Legacy will be seen.
How Do You Know: (official site)
Paul Rudd is one of those actors that I’ll see practically any movie he does. Â Reese Witherspoon too. Â The only thing this movie has against it is Owen Wilson. Â I just can’t stand him. Â Nonetheless, this movie looks pretty good. Â Since I’ll be seeing Tron, I doubt I’ll make it to see this movie this weekend, but I’ll gladly see it later on at some point. Â If you aren’t seeing Tron and you aren’t a kid, this would be a good movie to spend your $10 on.
Black Swan: (official site)
Someone I know, after seeing this movie, described it thusly: I love it when people get tricked into seeing a horror film. Â For people who don’t watch trailers to avoid spoilers, this description fits because on the surface the film is about a ballet dancer who is getting older (but by no means old) who is struggling with possibly losing her place in the company (and more) to a younger dancer. Â But if you’ve seen the trailer, then you know that isn’t the whole story. Â The thriller and horror elements are what draws me to Black Swan… well, that and I’ve been told there is a hot sex scene between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that. Â Since I’m unsure I could drag the wife to see it in the theater, I probably won’t, but I’ve already put this in my Netflix queue.
The Fighter: (official site)
I’m a sucker for underdog sports films, and this one looks to be real good. Â With so much else fighting for my box office dollar, I doubt this will be something I see in the theater, but I’ll happily see it later on, and I’m sure that I’ll wish I’d seen it sooner.
The Tourist: (official site)
It might be just me, but I’ve been kinda over Angelina Jolie for quite some time. Â I have seen movies of hers that I enjoy and even that I find her work perfectly fine, but she just isn’t a draw. Â I won’t go see a movie just because she’s in it. Â Johnny Depp, on the other hand, I’ll watch in just about anything. Â Even so, something about this movie isn’t pulling me in. Â The trailer just doesn’t excite me and make me want to go spend $10 to see it. Â As such, I’ll probably wait for Netflix.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: (official site)
Like many people, the Narnia stories were part of my growing up. Â Not a huge part, mind you, because I only started reading the books a few times and never finished, but I do distinctly remember seeing some version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on TV, either broadcast, HBO or VHS. Â I digress… the point is, I was very excited to see the first film, and I loved it. Â The second film, however, was lackluster at best. Â It was… boring. Â The trailer for this third installment looks a bit more exciting, but we’ll have to see if they have managed to avoid the pitfalls of the last film. Â Then again, this book is more popular than the last, so there are probably more people wanting to see it. Â If I do go to the theater, I’ll likely pass on seeing it in 3D. Â To date, none of the films where the 3D is done in post production have impressed me. Â The ones filmed with 3D cameras have been quite good, and of course animated films that are rendered in 3D work also. Â However, post production 3D just looks like a cleaner version of the old 3D, where depth doesn’t feel like true depth, but instead like there are different layers of flatness, as if everything is moving cardboard cutouts positioned differing distances from the camera. Â It ends up feeling like a gimmick rather than that the filmmakers felt that 3D was the best way to tell the story. Â It distracts from the film instead of adding to it. Â So, yeah… probably worth going to see, but in 2D to save the extra $3.
Hereafter: (official site)
For about the last decade, Clint Eastwood has been knocking them out of the park as a director. Â Sure, he has some great films from before that too, but the last ten years have just been great. Â Matt Damon’s decade hasn’t been too shabby either. Â Those two elements had me interested in the film… then I watched the trailer. Â A reluctant psychic, a woman with a near death experience and a boy who lost his twin brother. Â I’m very interested in how their stories intertwine, what the lynch pin is going to be. Â This is a must see film for me.
Paranormal Activity 2: (official site)
I saw the original with absolutely no knowledge of the film going in, and that was probably the best way to see it. Â If you know too much about it, most of the film is ruined. Â It is a slow burning build up with a few tense or eerie moments building to a chaotic and partly ambiguous end. Â You have to be willing to get swept into the story. Â So with that experience in mind, I had avoided all mention of this film. Â I wanted to see it with no expectations. Â And I did… and it was good. Â Once again, if you are interested in this movie, don’t watch the trailer, don’t read any reviews that actually talk about the film, just go see it. Â See it and just let go, relax and watch the movie unfold. Â Had I not seen it for free, and having enjoyed the first one so much, I’d easily have paid full price for this. Â And I might, since the wife was sick and couldn’t go to the screening.
Alpha and Omega:
It’s a movie about a couple of lost wolves trying to get back to their families. Â It’s a kid’s movie. Â The trailer makes it look… typical. Â I’m sure kids will enjoy it.
Devil:
To understand where M. Night’s career might be headed, go here and watch the video. Â He’s on a downward trend. Â But I like monster movies. Â So from the trailer we see people trapped in an elevator and some sort of thing is stalking them, which sounds really ridiculous when I say it. Â Stalked? Â In an elevator? Â Then again, maybe this will work, maybe it will be good. Â I think I’m going to wait for Netflix unless it gets some seriously awesome reviews.
Easy A:
This movie looks to be hilarious and possibly still have a heart as well. Â The story is about a girl who helps out her gay friend by pretending they have sex so that other guys at school will stop picking on him. Â This turns into her helping a number of other outcast guys with similar problems, earning her a reputation as a slut even though she’s not actually having sex with anyone. Â I’m sure it will all turn out okay, but it’s the ride (pardon the pun) that will make this worth watching. Â If I can find time and a few extra dollars, I’ll be off to see this at the theater.
The Town:
The only movie opening this week that I’ve already seen, The Town is the latest effort from Ben Affleck. Â I’ve always thought he was a decent actor (especially when given good material), and as director of Gone Baby Gone he did admirably. Â So I was pretty excited to see The Town, and it didn’t disappoint. Â It was well directed, well acted, and well written. Â The heist scenes were exciting, and the whole thing worked. Â The only drawback to the film at all is the similarity it holds to the 1995 movie Heat. Â But it has been 15 years since the release of Heat, so I don’t mind so much that The Town plays out almost like a remake. Â Anyway, this movie is totally worth seeing. Â Your $10 won’t be wasted here.
Apologies if you saw this earlier, Dragon*Con got in the way and I didn’t finish it…
The American:
I have no idea what this movie is about. Â I haven’t even seen a trailer for it. Â It just isn’t on my radar. Â But Clooney is pretty much always good, so… I’ll see it at some point.
Going the Distance:
Saw a screening of this last week, and before going in I didn’t pay any attention to the rating of the film. Â So, I entered expecting a typical PG-13 romantic comedy that the wife would love and that I would tolerate. Â What I got was an R rated hilarious masterpiece on the frustrations of long distance relationships. Â There was just so much funny and good about this film that I don’t know where to begin. Â Totally worth paying to see, in my opinion.
Machete:
Just two nights ago I went to the Fete Machete down at the Plaza Theater. Â It was awesome. Â If you liked the Grindhouse double feature from a few years back, you’ll love this.