MZ's Movie Review Thread

[MinionZombie]

Alien Covenant: https://deadshed.blogspot.co.uk/2017...ck-review.html Mixed bag with some logic flaws that could have been so easily fixed...

[MinionZombie]

Zombie Lake (Jean Rollin, 1981) Review: https://deadshed.blogspot.co.uk/2017...81-review.html Zombified Nazis, bare boobs galore, and a complete disregard for the laws of continuity dominate this movie, which was destined to be a drinking game only for those with the hardiest of livers...

[shootemindehead]

I remember as a child seeing the video cover of this and thinking it must be one of the greatest horror films ever made. German soldiers? Zombie? Gore? What could possibly go wrong? When I saw it about 20 years later...well, you can guess the rest.

[MinionZombie]

I remember as a child seeing the video cover of this and thinking it must be one of the greatest horror films ever made. German soldiers? Zombie? Gore? What could possibly go wrong? When I saw it about 20 years later...well, you can guess the rest. Aye, it's an absolute shambles, isn't it? But in a good way. This is the second time I've seen the movie (first saw it about 13 years ago), and my first exposure to it was that 'basketball team' sequence which was part of "Zombiethon" way back in like 1999/2000.

[shootemindehead]

Shambles is putting it politely. One of the worst things I've ever seen, genius levels of ineptitude. But then, pretty much all of Rollin's stuff was bloody awful.

[JDP]

Shambles is putting it politely. One of the worst things I've ever seen, genius levels of ineptitude. But then, pretty much all of Rollin's stuff was bloody awful. There's different types of ineptitude when it comes to films. Some zombie movies are incredibly inept, like Mattei's or Bianchi's, but for a few reasons they still manage to be entertaining, like the over-the-top gore, or some of the hilariously silly lines of dialogue ("Mother this cloth, it smells of death!"), or the hilarious mismatching stock footage (elephants in New Guinea?!?), so I don't consider them a waste of time. But Zombie Lake was just ridiculously inept. I can't remember it having any redeeming qualities. A total waste of time.

[shootemindehead]

Oh Absolutely. Some of them were oddly watchable despite being rubbish, like 'Zombie Creeping Flesh' (or 'Hell of the Living Dead'). Some of them are just flat out WTF, like 'Burial Gound'. Most are just dumb though. The only films of that Italian Zombie/Cannibal cycle that really stand up today, for me, are 'Zombie Flesh Eaters' and 'Cannibal Holocaust'.

[EvilNed]

Zombie Lake is horrible. It's on Blu Ray. http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Zombie...Blu-ray/61391/

[MinionZombie]

It may be ineptly put together, but it is in that "so bad it's good" category. Films like Cannibal Holocaust or Zombi 2 are flat-out good movies, no questions asked. JDP - all the nudity is a redeeming quality. Interesting that you bring up Bianchi's "Burial Ground" - I just got that on Blu-Ray the other day and finally watched it. I had bought it on DVD in 2004, IIRC, but never got around to watching it. It was a Vipco release under the title "The Zombie Dead". Anyway, the 88 Films Blu-Ray is good, with a really lovely restoration (and an unrestored version of the 35mm print in HD as well). There's a good half hour interview with Mikel Koven on there, too, in which he examines several of Bianchi's films to build upon the theory of another critic that maybe Bianchi was trying to explore some things and say some things with his films (but was just not very talented as a filmmaker), as opposed to being not very talented and having nothing to say. Common themes brought up include the bourgeoise and, chief among them all, incest (Burial Ground and 1979's Malabimba - later remade in 1982 by Bianchi as Satan's Baby Doll - are both very outright on the topic). Some of the theory posited is that Bianchi's presenting a satire on popular film trends of the time, ladeling on the stuff that the viewer's want in a ludicrous fashion. I'd say that's probably going a bit far, and being too generous, but considering some of what Koven say, it's probably fair to say that Bianchi had things to say - but could never quite say them clearly enough through the medium of film (and certainly couldn't make a particularly "good" film in general). Anyway, I digress - and back to Zombie Lake - it's crap, but it's the good kind of crap (where, despite evident failings in budget and creative talent, they tried - at least somewhat - to make a good movie). It's also like one of those "bad movies" that you see as a spoof 'movie-within-a-movie' ... except that this is the real deal.

[JDP]

It may be ineptly put together, but it is in that "so bad it's good" category. Films like Cannibal Holocaust or Zombi 2 are flat-out good movies, no questions asked. JDP - all the nudity is a redeeming quality. Interesting that you bring up Bianchi's "Burial Ground" - I just got that on Blu-Ray the other day and finally watched it. I had bought it on DVD in 2004, IIRC, but never got around to watching it. It was a Vipco release under the title "The Zombie Dead". Anyway, the 88 Films Blu-Ray is good, with a really lovely restoration (and an unrestored version of the 35mm print in HD as well). There's a good half hour interview with Mikel Koven on there, too, in which he examines several of Bianchi's films to build upon the theory of another critic that maybe Bianchi was trying to explore some things and say some things with his films (but was just not very talented as a filmmaker), as opposed to being not very talented and having nothing to say. Common themes brought up include the bourgeoise and, chief among them all, incest (Burial Ground and 1979's Malabimba - later remade in 1982 by Bianchi as Satan's Baby Doll - are both very outright on the topic). Some of the theory posited is that Bianchi's presenting a satire on popular film trends of the time, ladeling on the stuff that the viewer's want in a ludicrous fashion. I'd say that's probably going a bit far, and being too generous, but considering some of what Koven say, it's probably fair to say that Bianchi had things to say - but could never quite say them clearly enough through the medium of film (and certainly couldn't make a particularly "good" film in general). Anyway, I digress - and back to Zombie Lake - it's crap, but it's the good kind of crap (where, despite evident failings in budget and creative talent, they tried - at least somewhat - to make a good movie). It's also like one of those "bad movies" that you see as a spoof 'movie-within-a-movie' ... except that this is the real deal. I have to disagree on the topic of nudity. Sure, it is nice, always a "plus", but not enough to save a film. Zombie Lake is just too sloppy, dumb and lame. It's much weaker in all departments (including nudity) than the two other zombie films that were brought up as examples of inept efforts that, curiously, actually turned out to be very entertaining and thus redeemable. I can watch Mattei's and Bianchi's zombie movies and have a good time and not fall asleep. The combination of the weird editing, the soundtrack, the hilarious dialogue, the unbelievable stupidity of most of the human characters, the very explicit graphic gore, the strange mix of cool and crappy make-up, etc. insures a good time. But Zombie Lake is just plain lame, dumb and weak in most of those departments. When I first saw it I had to rewind it several times because I was falling asleep in several places. One of the worst zombie movies ever made, and not in the "good way" like Mattei's and Bianchi's. Regarding Bianchi's "themes": I think that most people never understood the incest sub-plot. It seems pointless, totally irrelevant to the movie, and only there for "YUCK!" value (it is the obvious setup for one of the movie's most remembered scenes: the nipple bite-off towards the end.) But it is indeed effective. Everyone who has seen that movie will NEVER forget the bizarre incestual affair between that midget-looking creep and his mom. Most people in fact find it way more disturbing than anything regarding the putrid Etruscan zombies and their insatiable hunger for human flesh, who are supposed to be the movie's main attraction. But I think that Bianchi and the scriptwriters should in fact have concentrated more in giving a bit more logic and explanations regarding some of the things going on in the story, like, for example, why didn't the humans just get into their cars and easily flee the cursed mansion when they had the chance (after the zombies break into the mansion and they fool them in that secret room at the stairs), or why did the monks at the monastery become zombies, or why did the lights in the mansion blow up, or why some of the Etruscan zombies look like they have been dead for a few weeks while others look like they have been rotting for years, or in fact how could the remains of ancient Etruscans not just be down to their bare bones in this day and age, etc. The movie is riddled with such plot-holes and faulty logic. But such sloppiness has become part of its "charm".

[EvilNed]

[MinionZombie]

Wonder Woman https://deadshed.blogspot.co.uk/2017...in-review.html

[shootemindehead]

Hmmmm...thought 'Wonder Woman' was pretty poor myself. Beyond the lead actress putting in a good shift, it had very little to offer. Completely undeserving of the ridiculous praise it received.

[MinionZombie]

Fast & Furious 8 https://deadshed.blogspot.co.uk/2017...ck-review.html

[Neil]

Wonder Woman https://deadshed.blogspot.co.uk/2017...in-review.html I thought it was "OK"... Just seems Marvel seem to have the format nailed at the moment all too often. Thor 3 has a very good Guardians Of The Galaxy vibe where, no matter how daft the plot, you just leave with a really feel good vibe good smile on your face... DC seem to be struggling...