Movie Review: Survival of the Dead news

Movie Review: Survival of the Dead (2009)

MPAA Rating: R

Starring: Oshri Cohen, Itay Tiran, Michael Moshonov, Yoav Donat

IMDB Link: Lebanon

Movie Trailer: Trailer

George A. Romero not only created the modern zombie horror genre, but he is still considered by many as the master of genre — even with mostly unsuccessful films like Land of the Dead and Diary of the Dead. Personally, I can’t call myself a huge Romero fan, but I am a horror film connoisseur and consider Dawn of the Dead one of my favorite horror films of all time. Still, even though I had very little expectation for Survival of the Dead, I came out completely unsatisfied.

The major problems I have with the film are the zombies and their lack of any horror. Although I wouldn’t call any of Romero’s zombie films “scary” he completely pin-pointed what makes zombies frightening: There are millions of them and they will never stop until they eat you. Sure, they might move slowly and are (for the most part) incredibly stupid; there is still nowhere you can run. I understand Romero’s damnation of the new-age running zombie, but without showing us more than ten zombies in a single shot and basing your film on the premise of having your characters going to an island with a small zombie population, there isn’t much left in the area of thrills. To sum this argument up, one of the lead characters literally rolls his eyes as a zombie stumbles toward him, as if to say “these zombies are more annoying than life-threatening.” When your characters are doing this, the audience will inevitably feel the same way.

What some of Romero’s previous films lack in overall horror, they are almost always saved by really sharp satire, whether racism, consumerism or a reliance on technology. The social commentary of Survival of the Dead is so slim, it doesn’t have enough relevance to save the film. The film focuses on two warring (and strangely Irish) families who live on an island off the coast of Delaware. The hatred of the patriarchs of these families boils down to one common disagreement: Whether or not we should kill the zombies, even if they are the ones that we love. This could be an interesting question with good arguments being made on both sides, but it was never clear outside of the obvious “zombies eat people” vs. “but I love my daughter, I don’t want to kill her” paradigms. And, this argument doesn’t have any of the bite or pure humor that can be found in any of the previous films.

One slightly redeeming quality of the film is the step forward in Romero’s zombie mythology that comes toward the end. I won’t spoil anything with specifics, but it mirrors Romero’s previous progression of zombies becoming more organized and smarter. What zombies are able to learn potentially provides a cap on the complete Romero zombie story, but probably not without at least another film. It’s exciting that we can see a complete progression in these films, but I don’t know if I would care to sit through another film without knowing it is the final chapter.

Survival of the Dead is a film that I think anyone can stay away from. The die-hard fans are going to be unsatisfied by the lack of horror and commentary. New horror fans stumbling on to this film are going to be even more unsatisfied by the deplorable CGI effects. I can’t call Survival of the Dead exactly painful to watch (Romero is, after all, a competent filmmaker), but there is really nothing to latch onto to call this a positive or worthwhile entry in the Romero canon.

Movie Review:-American

Movie Review: The American (2010)

MPAA Rating: R

Starring: George Clooney, Violante Placido, Paolo Bonacelli, Irina Björklund

IMDB Link: The American

Movie Trailer: Trailer

George Clooney is maybe the most interesting movie star working today. Unlike many of the top-Hollywood talent, Clooney has a complete hand in all of his projects and seems to stay away from the obvious A-list blockbusters. His newest film, The American (directed by Control filmmaker Anton Corbijn) has certainly been marketed as a ‘George Clooney’ film — the trailer doesn’t give much indication of what the movie is about except that Clooney is an American in Europe and he can do pull-ups really well. Honestly, I didn’t see much in the trailer that compelled me to see this movie, but as a Clooney fan, I decided to go to the cinema anyway.

Actually, the film involves Clooney as Jack, a lonely hit-man looking for one last job, but unlike the normal hit-man-last-job re-treads, Clooney doesn’t even need to pull the trigger. Instead, he is hired to build a gun to certain specifications and deliver it to another hit-man (or, hit-woman, I should say) to be used on an unknown target. Personally, I have always enjoyed George Clooney and trust him when he is in a film. His character is actually quite similar to the established roles Clooney has played in recent years — he is a loner who is very good at what he does, but desperately needs a break from his routine. My favorite lead performance of 2009 (from Up in the Air) is nearly replicated here in an entirely different environment. Like in that movie, Clooney doesn’t do anything spectacular to really grab an audience, but he feels so effortlessly comfortable in his character’s skin that I can’t help but respect it.

Truthfully, there isn’t too much to say about this movie — like the trailer, the film doesn’t have a lot going on in terms of action or plot. It is, though, a very good story film — we spend a lot of solid quiet moments with Clooney, and while he doesn’t say much, we learn a lot about his character through his actions and untold desires. I doubt anyone would see the trailer and expect a lot of action, but if one does, they will probably be disappointed. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the film is boring, but it is quiet and still, with many scenes that don’t do anything to push the straight-line plot forward. This does help the few action set pieces stand out, even though nothing spectacular happens in this department. The climax of the film does deliver some nice suspense, answering questions to the mysterious plot points established throughout the film. For those who enjoy beautiful cinematography, however, you will leave impressed. Corbijn’s camera uses the beautiful Italian country-side to compliment the film’s beautiful stars.

In all, The American is a film that I fear most cinema-goers will probably not like after viewing, but I think it is worthy of a chance, especially for those who enjoy small suspense films and, in particular, George Clooney. Although it doesn’t do anything that a normal hit-man-last-job movie does to bowl over its audience and it doesn’t offer up too much in terms of a complicated plot or a lot to think about, The American works for me. It’s a hard film to overtly recommend, but if you don’t expect too much out of it, you’ll find something to enjoy.

suicide' blast at hotel in Copenhagen news

Man held after 'suicide' blast at hotel in Copenhagen

A man could be seen lying on the ground in the park in handcuffs

Danish police have detained a man injured by a small blast at a Copenhagen hotel amid media reports he was a would-be suicide bomber.

He suffered slight injuries on his face and arms and was arrested in a park where he is believed to have fled after the blast at the Jorgensens Hotel.

Police told the Associated Press news agency the blast had occurred in a toilet of the hotel.

The hotel is located about 90m (90 yds) from a busy railway station.

Police with sniffer dogs searched the park, Orstedsparken, and hotel, which was evacuated immediately after the explosion, Denmark's Politiken newspaper said on its website.

"We hope and believe that the person is the one who ran away from the hotel," police spokesman Moeller Jacobsen told AP.

He would not confirm several media reports, which suggested that the arrested man had tried to blow himself up, nor would he give details of the suspect's nationality.

The Jorgensens, described as a low-cost hotel, is located on Israel's Square, in the centre of the Danish capital. It is a short distance from Norreport Station.