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Reviews
Awaken the Dead (2007)
A worthy effort.
Recognizing that any creative endeavor in today's society is easy fodder for the listless would be critics who hide behind the anonymity of the internet, I want to thank everyone who contributed to this movie. Within the limitations of time and budget, this film tries to break out of the muck of the indie horror world ruled by blood, tits and self adoration. I doesn't rely on gallons of blood, extended nudity or fall prey to the "I made this movie so I'm going to star in it" trap to get it's audience going. It makes a genuine effort to entertain and provide an interesting story in an interesting style.
So judge it on its own merits.
It was not developed for horror genre fans. It was not intended to complete with the polish of Hollywood production. It was intended to tell a story and be entertaining. It's not perfect. Few ultra-low budget films are.
So, if you genuinely enjoy movies of all types and wish to be entertained, watch it. If you only like big budget films or dedicated genre films, then pass on it. Every movie has hype. Take that into account. Every movie also has armchair critics who bash everything from AVATAR to BRUNO to CITIZEN KANE. Take that into account as well.
Ultimately, only you will know whether you will enjoy it but there's only one way to find out.
Last Rites of the Dead (2006)
Other options
Not bad. Like pizza, there's no such thing as a bad zombie movie. You might also want to check out the zombie action comedy AWAKEN THE DEAD among others. You watch EVIL DEAD for the humor. You watch FLASH GORDON for the humor and the action. But we watch zombie films to see an alternate world that has monsters walking around to feed on the general populace. It's fluff. It's fun. So grab a couple of beers, rent three or four indie zombie flicks and have some fun!
This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper.
T. S. Eliot doesn't get enough credit. Neither do these zombie filmmakers who put it out on a limb to entertain us.
Transformers (2007)
Worth the hype.
TRANSFORMERS was worth the hype. It is a Summer popcorn action movie. And, as such, it delivers exactly what you want to see. There is humor, wild action, special effects, a story, a compelling main character and a well driven pace. Plus, it was just cool. In that, it reminds me of another fun film I saw recently called AWAKEN THE DEAD. AWAKEN THE DEAD is a wildly independent lower budget horror film but, like TRANSFORMERS, it delivers within the parameters of expectations. Go watch them both. And, while you are at it, check of the Vengeance trilogy by Park Chan Wook (OLDBOY, SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE, and LADY VENGEANCE. Wook is a growing power in cinema. And, if you still need recommendations, check out LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. Again, just for fun.
Dead End (2003)
Why is everyone raving about this film?
If you are a horror fan, then maybe you have a predisposition to like this film merely because it is not garbage. Maybe you spend hours watching b-movie drivel and this was appealing because it had pseudo-competent actors and decent production value for what it attempted. But I was disappointed because of story. The end does not justify the means in this case. Yes, there was a twist, but a trick ending does not justify a lack of story logic to get there. This is a clear case of the script being written to the movie's end rather than building it on real human actions or the development of the characters. In order for the end to be believable, you have to get the viewer there first.
It was lost for me once they got lost and kept driving down this endless road. No one reacted realistically to any of the deaths. They keep driving down the same road despite it's 'horrors'. No one would do that. The mother would throw away the cell phone because she was scared. That was a 'contrivance'. A shotgun they bought as a present for an Uncle just happens to be in the back seat? Contrivance. They never once try to turn around and go back to the highway. Unrealistic. The characters were all clichés. There was enough substance and humor to keep me watching through the end but largely because Ray Wise gave life to an unrealistic character. No one loses a family member in a dark side road and then drives on hoping that something better will happen. I'm all for suspension of disbelief but...come on. Having said all of that, I respect what the directors tried to achieve. I just wish they had let another writer polish the script before they started. Story is everything. It goes beyond new twists in the genre or guessing the ending. Cinema is a journey not a destination. It takes you out of your everyday life by getting caught up in another reality for a couple of hours. That reality has to be REAL or it doesn't work.
It can forgive the lack of FX and the missed continuity or even the wilding beating pulse in the neck of the mother once she was 'dead'. That happens in even big budget films. That's expected in low budget. But the story has to be solid. You can't just buy it with a gimmick alone.