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Thread: The Battery (film) - Indie zombie flick

  1. #1
    Walking Dead Legion2213's Avatar
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    The Battery (film) - Indie zombie flick

    Watched this film last night, one of best I've seen for ages. Pretty slowly paced and not a massive amount of action, but I really enjoyed it. It only cost £6000 to make but looks like a it cost a lot more. If you haven't seen it, please check it out, I really enjoyed this, a very "human element" to the whole thing, more drama and humour than action or gore, but well worth a watch!

    One of those rare finds in a vast ocean of crap IMO. Also has a great soundtrack!
    Oblivion gallops closer, favoring the spur, sparing the rein - I think we will be gone soon

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    Walking Dead Legion2213's Avatar
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    Shameless self promoting bump.

    Really, nobody seen this or felt the need to comment on it yet?

    I think It also goes by the name of "Ben & Mickey Vs The Dead"

    Honestly guys, if you've not seen it, you are missing out (IMO).
    Oblivion gallops closer, favoring the spur, sparing the rein - I think we will be gone soon

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    Chasing Prey MoonSylver's Avatar
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    I keep hearing great things, but the premise was so "WTF" I just haven't gotten around to it.

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    Walking Dead Legion2213's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MoonSylver View Post
    I keep hearing great things, but the premise was so "WTF" I just haven't gotten around to it.
    It's the best zombie movie you will watch this year! (unless you watch a better one)

    Honestly though, I felt this was really worth my while...so much so, that I have ordered the DVD and have the OST on my MP3 player and phone.
    Last edited by Legion2213; 03-Oct-2014 at 08:19 PM. Reason: .
    Oblivion gallops closer, favoring the spur, sparing the rein - I think we will be gone soon

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    I've seen it under the Ben and Gerrys title.

    It's decent enough, but the central characters are wankers, to say the least. Not that suvivors of a zombie apoc have to sound lads or anything. But, I think I'd end up walking away!

    There's some really decent low budget indie flicks being made in the last few years that have been worth seeking out (which BTW shows up the lie about illegal downloading killing the business) and I got a good old kick out of this one. In addition, for such a low budget, it really has put some other much higher budgeted films to shame. It used every single dollar perfectly IMHO.
    I'm runnin' this monkey farm now Frankenstein.....

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    Just Married AcesandEights's Avatar
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    I'll definitely have to give it a look, just not sure when I'll get the chance. I guess I'll have to see if I can get it on Netflix.

    "Men choose as their prophets those who tell them that their hopes are true." --Lord Dunsany

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    Had this a while now. Must give it a look
    The body is the instrument on which imagination plays.

    MY HOME CINEMA

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    Chasing Prey MoonSylver's Avatar
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    "The Battery" 9/10

    It has been said often enough to almost become cliche that the best zombie movies aren't about the zombies themselves, but the people. The reason it is so oft repeated is that, by & large, it is true. Dealing with the characters reactions to the zombpocalypse, how they deal with it, their struggles with each other. Their struggles with themselves.

    That is exactly the type of movie "The Battery" is. We are given the story of two minor league baseball players, a pitcher & a catcher or "a Battery" in baseball slang, & their travels & struggles across New England during the aforementioned zombpocalypse, & their struggles to survive this end of the world, each other, & themselves.

    From its opening credits, accompanied by a cover of the gospel standard "Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down", you know that you're in for something special.

    The move is very measured & methodical in its pacing. This is not an action or a gore film. It is, at its heart, & drama with horror elements. It starts off slowly enough, & seems that it's going to be little more than average at first, but slowly builds as it goes along. It's a movie that doesn't reveal its greatness up front. You have to go along on the ride with it & be patient before it carefully reveals its secrets to you.

    Ultimately, The movie succeeds or fails based on if your attention can be kept by the performance of the two leads & the narrative of their journey. Mine was, & it succeeded splendidly for me.

    It is very rare these days for me to see a movie that I think about beyond the viewing experience itself, or that makes me want to give more than a couple of sentence summary, or that actually makes me look forward to discussing the film with others. This one does all of that & more.

    Made for a reported budget of just $6000 is is a very small movie, & is the very definition of "indie", both in its look, feel, tone, & sensibilities, right down to its excellent, but off beat soundtrack.

    I had avoided this movie because of the disservice someone did of summing up the movie by a condensed summary of the 3rd act as the basis of the entire movie itself.
     
    "two guys trapped in a car surrounded by zombies"
    I regret now it took me so long to give "The Battery" a shot, as it delivered a solid home run.

    I don't think it would be too much hyperbole to call "The Battery" one of the better entries in to the genre in the last 5-10 years. I would certainly put it right up there with the Ford brothers "The Dead", but from a TOTALLY different end of the spectrum in terms of size & scope, but right there with it in terms of human drama & emotional journey, if not even more so.

    It is a relief to know that the zombie sub-genre still has life in it. It is a belief I've held over all these years, even with all the sub-par offerings that make it feel like there is nothing much left to be said or done. Then someone comes along with a new take, a new perspective, or just a new way of telling the same very basic stories about human beings that makes it feel fresh & alive again.

    Anyone who doubts this, or is looking for that infusion of freshness, or is a fan of some of the core elements that make the zombie sub-genre what it is, or even that just loves a good indie dramatic story told simply, owes it to themselves to see this film.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by shootemindehead View Post
    I've seen it under the Ben and Gerrys title.

    It's decent enough, but the central characters are wankers, to say the least. Not that suvivors of a zombie apoc have to sound lads or anything. But, I think I'd end up walking away!

    There's some really decent low budget indie flicks being made in the last few years that have been worth seeking out (which BTW shows up the lie about illegal downloading killing the business) and I got a good old kick out of this one. In addition, for such a low budget, it really has put some other much higher budgeted films to shame. It used every single dollar perfectly IMHO.
    Mmm. Maybe. I started off that way, but as the movie progressed I liked them both, though they were both obviously "sub par" characters. That was what made them so great IMO is that they were both so flawed & "less than ideal" characters, which was refreshing.

    I think a telling comment was made by the writer/director/star ("Ben") of the pic in the making of: when asked which character he was most like he said BOTH of them, that each were aspects of his personality that he found it interesting to explore as two separate characters.

    So really, you could really kind of view these guys as each being an incomplete person(ality) who complement, & in some ways, need each other.
    Last edited by MoonSylver; 23-Oct-2014 at 05:11 AM. Reason: Wouldn't you like to know? Turn this fecking shite off already

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    Team Rick MinionZombie's Avatar
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    I'll stick this on the to-do list, Moon. Sounds like it'd be up my street.

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    Chasing Prey MoonSylver's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MinionZombie View Post
    I'll stick this on the to-do list, Moon. Sounds like it'd be up my street.
    I think so. Hope you dig it as much as I do. It's a a small, simple film, simply told. But there is an emotional & dramatic complexity to it, & just the characters, story, & the way it's told are original enough to be worthy of praise.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MoonSylver View Post
    Mmm. Maybe. I started off that way, but as the movie progressed I liked them both, though they were both obviously "sub par" characters. That was what made them so great IMO is that they were both so flawed & "less than ideal" characters, which was refreshing.

    I think a telling comment was made by the writer/director/star ("Ben") of the pic in the making of: when asked which character he was most like he said BOTH of them, that each were aspects of his personality that he found it interesting to explore as two separate characters.

    So really, you could really kind of view these guys as each being an incomplete person(ality) who complement, & in some ways, need each other.
    Combined into one super wanker!!!

    Haha.

    Seriously though, even though I disliked the characters, I certainly applaude their existence, don't get me wrong. Far too many films have unrealistic "kewl" guys as their protagonists. I completely agree that they were refreshing.
    I'm runnin' this monkey farm now Frankenstein.....

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    Chasing Prey MoonSylver's Avatar
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    It's funny, I started off liking Mickey & disliking Ben, then that switched mid-movie, before coming to like them both by the end.

     
    In a way there was a George & Lenny "Of Mice & Men" vibe to their personalities. One was was sweet natured & gentle & one was a harsh realist. And just like in Steinbeck's novel, the one that had no place in this world had to go, right down to the ending. Both of them killed over a girl too. In a way, "The Battery" reminded me of that novel.

  13. #13
    Webmaster Neil's Avatar
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    OK! Loved this flick!

    Thought the last 10-20 mins tailed off a little, but considering the budged it's an astounding effort!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6_MaIyPQQ4
    Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. [click for more]
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    Chasing Prey MoonSylver's Avatar
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    ^^^ One of my favorite scenes in the movie. No joke. Don't know why, it just cracks me up.
     
    especially with Ben & Mickey's history with the headphones, & Ben's comment "What?! You don't think I like music? I fuckin' LOVE music!"


    Glad to hear you liked it!

    Re: the last 10 -20: I would have thought that would/should have been dull. I was strangely captivated.
     
    Even with little to no dialog, just seeing them passing time, trying to hang in there, with the incessant pounding & noise, was chilling to me.

    I found that aspect of these dead unnerving. When they covered the windows if they were quiet, the dead of some Z movies would have just wandered away when they "forgot" they were there. But (in this one) as Ben said "They don't go away. They never go away."

    Their whole last night was great too. A last hurrah of two guys likely to die. Then the waiting while Mickey was gone had me on the edge of my seat.

    Then Ben's last lines: "If it doesn't work, I'm gonna put a bullet in my head. But if it DOES, then I'm commin' for ya, & I'm gonna put a bullet in YOUR head! I'll be seein' ya real soon." FANTASTIC!

    So, yeah, I even dug the ending.
    Last edited by MoonSylver; 31-Oct-2014 at 09:19 PM. Reason: .

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    Walking Dead Legion2213's Avatar
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    Good to see the love here! Glad I am not alone in really rating this movie (and it's soundtrack)!
    Oblivion gallops closer, favoring the spur, sparing the rein - I think we will be gone soon

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