TV REVIEW: The Walking Dead "Tell It To The Frogs"

     Opening this week's episode with Merle Dixon had me immediately worried. Not that I hated his character, I just didn't particular care for him. But Rooker played the scene well as a man who's clearly going a little crazy as he remains handcuffed to a roof waiting for death. He goes from a babbling madman, to a man asking for God's forgiveness and then eventually to a man damning God and he handles the transitions quite well.

     We then rejoin Rick, with fellow survivors who are still headed to the campsite. Back at the camp, Lori, Carl and Shane are talking about hunting and frog legs and the sort. The chemistry between the three of them, especially between Lori and Shane was undeniable. Shane is clearly a very charismatic man and the banter he shares with Lori was what I was looking for in episode two. As the survivors return led by Glenn (car alarm still blaring), we get a nice little reunion between Andrea and her little sister Amy. But the real meat of this scene is the reunion between Rick and his wife and son. The look Shane has when he sees Rick step out of the car is priceless. It's a extremely complex scene with many difficult things happening on an emotional level, but it's handled beautifully.

    Day turns into night and we find the group by the fireside as Rick tells the story of when he woke in the hospital. Shane sits quietly there the whole time, clearly unhappy with how things are. He had a perfect little world (except for the whole zombie thing) going on before Rick arrived and now that's over. After Rick tucks Carl into bed, Lori and him lie together and have a nice little scene. It's clear Lori feels guilty for what has happened since Rick's been gone and you can see that regret in her eyes. Rick comforts her (as he still doesn't know the truth) and they share a nice long scene where they eventually get it on. Just like the reunion scene from earlier, the moment was handled with a certain degree of grace that I appreciated.

     Morning comes and it's not long before we meet Daryl Dixon (Merle's younger brother) played by Norman Reedus of Boondock Saints' fame. Daryl is a more toned down version of Merle which was nice to see. The group eventually confronts Daryl about his brother. He doesn't respond well to Rick telling him he left his brother handcuffed to a department store roof. After a tussle between Shane and Daryl, the group eventually is able to calm Daryl down by letting him know that there's a possibility of Merle being alive. Rick's conscious is clearly bugging him about leaving Merle there and he knows that he's to blame for the whole situation. So, he agrees to accompany Daryl and he also convinces Glenn to join him. Glenn is reluctant about it but Rick is good at convincing him. T-Dog also agrees to go since he feels it's partially his fault. Rick convinces Lori that there's reason to go since he left all the weapons, that they need, back in the city. He also tells Lori that he left the walkie talkie there and wants to try and contact Morgan and his son (from the pilot episode). They are the reason why he's survived this long, after all.

     Once they leave, we find Shane and Carl back at the creek, and Shane is teaching Carl how to hunt frogs. It's clear Shane isn't quite ready to let his relationship with Carl go. Lori arrives and takes Carl from Shane and scolds Shane to leave his son alone. She's ready to move on and clearly wants her life to go back to the way it was, before their whole affair began. This tears Shane up and I can't say enough about Jon Bernthal's performance. Shane, from the comics, was presented as somewhat cold-hearted, but his character from the show is so much more developed. Bernthal's acting and the writers should be commended for that. Andrea, Amy, Carol and Jacqui are also at the creek, cleaning clothes and sharing some fun girl talk amongst themselves. Andrea and Carol joke about how they miss their vibrators. These are the character moments I wanted in the second episode and was happy to see that this episode featured those moments in abundance. Carol's abusive husband Ed eventually shows up inquiring about what's going on and things start to get out of hand. This allows Shane to get some of that aggression out as he defends Carol and eventually bashes Ed's face in.

     We return to Rick and company as they're making their way through the department store. When they arrive on the roof, Daryl immediately breaks down. As the camera pans back, we expect to see Merle's dead body. But all that lied there was a bloody sawed off hand and empty handcuffs. It was a great cliffhanger to end the episode on and it left me wanting much more.

     This third episode was the best of the three and it's what I knew The Walking Dead had the capacity to be. I was excited about getting to know these people and the third episode filled the void that the second episode left. Shane's deterioration and complexity was absolutely fascinating and just made a great episode that much better. The greatness that was expected, has arrived.

TV REVIEW: The Walking Dead "Guts"

    The premiere for "Walking Dead" was spot-on. The pacing of the episode was pitch perfect and I was totally ready for some more zombie action. The previous episode ended on a bit of a cliffhanger with our main character, Rick stuck in a tank surrounded by zombies. Prior to that we got the revelation showing other survivors including Rick's wife, Lori (who's messing around with Rick's former partner/friend Shane) and son, Carl. Seeing this bit made me terribly excited to meet the rest of the cast. So off I went, full steam ahead into episode two.

    This week's episode pretty much cuts back and forth between the survivors stationed in a camp on the outskirts of the city and Rick. It's not long before Rick finds a way out of the tank thanks to the help of Glenn, a baseball cap wearing Asian whom fans of the comic will immediately recognize. We soon meet another bands of survivors (who are also part of the camp) who were lead into the city by Glenn to gather supplies. Among the survivors is Andrea, who has a sister back at the camp waiting for her and immediately blames Rick for the predicament they're in. We also meet one of the show's original characters, a racist, hate-filled redneck named Merle Dixon played by Michael Rooker. I thought I would find this character particularly grating after reading another writer's review on the episode but he was barely in the episode and definitely not enough to make me hate his very existence. But, at the same time, I could have done without his character addition. Rick has a nice little speech that he gives to Merle, to try reason with him but it's to little effect. So they lock Merle up on the roof and pretty much leave him there. Throughout the episode, a black guy named T-Dog battles with his conscious over whether or not he should free Dixon. I really liked the choices his character made regarding Dixon.

What's this guys problem?

     As we cut to the camp we don't get much in the way of content. We have a nice little scene between characters Shane and Rick's wife, Lori as they pretty much get it on in the woods. There's a sad moment where Lori takes off the necklace she's wearing since it reminds her of her husband. Outside of that, we meet Dale and Andrea's sister, Amy who is clearly anxious for her sister to come back. Back in the city, the other survivors are pretty much holed up in a department store surrounded by zombies who are desperately trying to get in. The group comes up with a plan to cover Rick and Glenn in zombie guts so that they can get past the zombies and come back for the rest of them. The scene where they hack up a zombie corpse is equals part disgusting and hilarious. Soon we find Glenn and Rick roaming the streets making their way through the zombie hordes. The scene is very reminiscent of "Shaun of the Dead" but for all intents and purposes, not nearly as comedic. They eventually find vehicles and are able to help the rest of the people escape the city.

Gore was still top-notch!

   Overall though there wasn't a lot going on in this episode. I actually found myself bored throughout most of its running time. There just wasn't enough solid character moments to keep things interesting. I didn't mind the detour in narrative from the comics, but a part of me wishes they stick a little more closely to it in the future. I was extremely excited about meeting the other characters but they just weren't presented in a compelling way. The show started off strong and for me, this episode was a few steps down. But hopes are still high. You can't win em' all.

     

Best of the Horrorfest!

      My fourth annual Horrorfest went about as well as I expected it to. Like previous years, I fell a little bit short of my goal. I didn't end up watching 31 movies for all 31 days of October but it still went well and here's why. Out of the 31 films I planned on seeing, 21 of them were brand new. And I watched all 21 of those films. It was memorable because of that fact, that I experienced so many movies for the first time. So without further ado, here's my favorites of the fest:

They Live

John Carpenter's social commentary during the Reagan era was a blast and I can understand why it has garnered cult classic status. It stars Roddy Piper (yes, the wrestler) as a hardworking, blue-collar American who comes upon a pair of glasses that allows him to uncover the fact that the world is being taken over by aliens. The film features great special effects work and a hilariously long fight between Piper and fellow actor Keith David. The only missteps are Carpenter's score which gets a bit repetitive and actress Meg Foster who just creeped me the hell out. 

Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's Ladder stars Tim Robbins as a Vietnam war veteran who returns home. The film plays like one long interconnected dream and features downright frightening imagery. The videogame franchise Silent Hill took a lot of its inspiration from Jacob's Ladder and you can immediately see that. It's terrifying, heady stuff and the film wraps up very nicely.

Trilogy of Terror

Trilogy the Terror is a made-for-tv movie that stars Karen Black in three different horror tales. The first tale is about a teacher and her student who becomes infatuated with her. The second story is essentially a tale of two sisters and the third is about a freaky African tribal doll. Each story is progressively better than the one that precedes it but all three are solid tales of horror. I really enjoyed this film, especially the character work from Karen Black.

Favorite of the Fest: House of the Devil

House of the Devil is director Ti West's throwback horror film celebrating 70's horror. The film is basically about a college student played by Jocalin Donahue who takes a babysitting job with a weird ass family. The film could have been gimmicky, in trying to emulate 70's horror but it wasn't. About 25 minutes into the film, there's a scene that shook the hell out of me and from that point on, I was hooked. Another reason for me loving this film so much is how well the suspense and mood is built up. You know some crazy shit is about to happen to this girl but all you can do is wait. The film also makes pizza look disgusting which is a feat in its own right. Favorite film of the fest, by far.

TV REVIEW: The Walking Dead "Days Gone Bye"

       When I learned that Frank Darabont was involved with the tv adaptation of "The Walking Dead," I couldn't have been more excited. Darabont directed one of my favorite movies from a few years ago, in "The Mist" and he also directed Green Mile and what IMDb considers to be the greatest movie of all time, "The Shawshank Redemption." Couple his involvement with the fact that the show was going to be on AMC. Well that's just insane. AMC has shown a knack for quality television. They're 2 for 2 with "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad." So, this is clearly a good home for something like The Walking Dead. 

       The premiere episode introduces us to our main character played by Andrew Lincoln. His name is Rick Grimes and he's a deputy sheriff. After a brief opening scene involving a little girl turned zombie, we flashback to how it all began. We are quickly introduced to Rick's partner, Shane, played by Jon Bernanthal. The chemistry between these two was clearly evident. In such a short scene, we get to know who Shane is and we also get some insight into Rick's home life. After this, there's a altercation with some local townsfolk and Rick is shot. He wakes up in a hospital ala "28 Days Later" and the world has gone to shit. The hospital is in ruins and it isn't too long till Rick starts discovering bodies and zombies. I don't want to get into many details regarding the content of the episode (I'll do that a bit more in later reviews) but the storytelling here is phenomenal and the pilot episode sticks closely to its source material. Later in the episode, we meet Morgan (Lennie James) and his son who take Rick in and whom try to explain what's going on in this crazy world Rick woke to. What excited me most about this episode was how well the characters and story were fleshed out. With tv as a medium, you're allowed much more time to craft characters and tell a grand story and it suits Walking Dead perfectly. Also, with the show being on AMC it allows the creators to have no restrictions in regards to the content of the episodes and the graphic nature of the gore. KNB are the minds behind the special effects of the show and whoever knows KNB, knows they're gold. Their effects work captures the illustrations of the comic brilliantly.

        Walking Dead is based on a comic by Robert Kirkman and is something I adore. The most important thing to know when adapting something like The Walking Dead is to realize what makes the material great in the first place. The comic is all about the characters. It's about the people and who they are and the situations they find themselves in and how that makes them react and ultimately, how it shapes them. Darabont and co. clearly understand this. While watching the premiere, I was telling myself I can watch this shit for hours and hours. The first season is a mere, six episodes long and I can tell how agonizing it's going to be once the season is over. I really cannot wait for the second episode because I'm so excited to meet the rest of the cast. It's what I should be excited about. It's what The Walking Dead should be and is.

Walking Dead premieres on Halloween Day on AMC.

Extra Life: 24hr Videogame Marathon

I will be participating in a fundraiser tomorrow called Extra Life. It's a 24hr videogame marathon in which money was raised to benefit children in America. My particular charity is Children's Memorial Hospital. Below is the list of games of which I will play on this special day.

If you'd like to donate, there's still time. Please click "DONATE NOW" to help the children of Chicago:
DONATE NOW!

Game List:

Super Mario Bros. (NES)

Friday the 13th (NES)

Clock Tower (PSOne)

Silent Hill 2 (PS2)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3)

REVIEW: LET ME IN

      

       Matt Reeves latest film, Let Me In is a remake of the Swedish 2008 cult classic, Let the Right One In. Both are adaptations of the vampire fiction novel, of the same name, written by John Ajvide Lindqvist. The only reason the Reeves' iteration exists is because of the critical success of the original adaptation. Therefore, I refuse to discuss one with making mention of the other because so much of what the new film is, is indeed taken from the original. There will plenty of spoilers in the next few paragraphs, but if you've seen the original, there's nothing new here in terms of the spoilers I'm discussing.

        Let Me in is about a young boy named Owen played by newcomer Kodi Smith-McPhee. He's a loner who doesn't really have an adult figure in his life. His parents are separated and he lives with his Mother but she barely even speaks to him aside from when their at the dinner table. He also regularly gets bullied at school. This is where we find his character when a seemingly young girl named Abby comes into his life. Abby is a vampire, 12 years old "more or less." She also has a male companion who takes care of her. He goes out into the night and kills people for blood to bring home to Abby. So, the movie is essentially about their friendship and secondary to that is the story of the detective who is tracking the killings. The film paints a picture of the life of a vampire and how brutal, animalistic, exhausting and heartbreaking a life like that is. Aside from some visual flourishes in the beginning of the movie, it's pretty much a carbon copy of the original, in terms of cinematography.

          The original is loved by many, excluding me. And pretty much all the problems I had with the original eventually show up in this remake. At the beginning of the movie, it's evident that through visuals they're trying to express the fact that Owen's Mother isn't there for him. We never see her face. It's either out of focus or her back is turned while she's arguing on the phone with her (ex)husband. This was a nice idea but was done in a very noticeable way that just wasn't effective. Richard Jenkins plays Abby's guardian. He's a great actor but I felt like an lesser known actor should have been cast in the role because he just stood out to me. Also, throughout the movie they hint at the relationship between Abby and Jenkin's character and how it isn't what it seems. You assume it's her father but they allude that there may be something more to it. They do this in a very subtle way but then, late in the film, they pretty much completely spell it out for you ruining all the subtlety that was built upon prior to that. Back to Owen's character, he gets bullied by kids at school and he goes to Abby for help. She tells him to fight back which he does one day, to violent results. After the incident they give you reasoning for the bully's actions. He gets picked on by his older brother and so, in turn picks on others at school. This gives Owen pleasure but the scene also allows us to have some sympathy for the bully because we understand his actions. So, when they gratuitously murder the bully and his friends at the end of the movie, it makes me question the point of the earlier scene I just mentioned. I have no problem with them killing kids but the way the film seems to revel in the slaughter of them really rubbed me the wrong way. It's something that bugged me a lot in the original, as well. Also, the use of CGI whenever Abby fed, was extremely awkward looking and unnecessary.

       I know it sounds like I'm trying to pick on the film for the smallest of reasons but it all comes down to this. From a narrative standpoint, I just don't find the film all that compelling. Chloe Moretz and especially, Kodi Smith-McPhee turned in great performances but I just wasn't invested or all that interested in the plight of their characters. What I like about the film, is that it retained the "Indie" sensibilities that the original possessed. It's a slow and quiet film and I like that they didn't make it overblown which is what a remakes usually entails. Because of how slow it is, I don't think it's going to do well financially (plenty of people walked out of the screening I attended). Tonally, I like it more than its original counterpart because the original had one or two comedic aspects that felt out of place in a film as serious as Let The Right One In. But if you liked the original, I don't see how you wouldn't like this. It sticks to what made the original good and it adds enough to the formula to keep it from being your typical retread. It's just a film that, for many reasons, didn't work for me. But I'll be in the minority there, just like I was with the original.

      

REVIEW: CATFISH

       Catfish debuted at Sundance 2010 and immediately after that the buzz began. After having seen the trailer months ago, I was easily hooked and the film quickly became my most anticipated film of the year. There was such an intrigue displayed in the trailer that few trailers have matched. But let me get this out of the way right off the bat, the trailer is misleading. But fortunately, that's a very good thing.

       Catfish is an intriguing story about a man named Nev Schulman. His older brother, Ariel and friend Henry see an interesting story unfolding and decide to document his journey. He befriends a little girl named Abby who's from Michigan. One day she sends him a painting of a picture he had took and that kick starts the film. That leads into Nev developing an online relationship with Abby and her various family members including her Mom, her brother and her beautiful older sister, Megan. He starts to talk to over the phone to Megan and clearly begins to fall in love with the girl he met on Facebook. Thirty minutes into the film, Nev and his friends start putting stuff together and begin to get the sense that everything isn't what it seems to be and that's what drives the rest of the film.

Nev is one hairy, hairy man.

         That brings them to go to Michigan for a surprise visit to see what the truth really is. The way the film builds the mystery and suspense during all this is pretty remarkable. When they arrive to Michigan they get validation for what they expected and I'll keep the reveal at that, because the truth is a big part of the intrigue of Catfish. The film could be typical at this point and just had dived into a horror aspect which was expected but instead they take a departure from that. Nev is the main character and his nature is what controls the movie. He's a very easygoing guy who just goes with the flow and the way he comes at the situation is with bravery and curiousness. He just wants to understand what's going on and he doesn't bring any hostility with him. He's honestly interested since he's invested in these people's lives and just wants to comprehend why and how something like this could happen.

       I find it really difficult to describe this film without getting into any kind of specifics which I refuse to do. The film is about the Internet, essentially and what dangers it has brought us. It's a social commentary about sites like Facebook and Myspace and how you never really know who you're talking to, unless you actually meet that person in the flesh. My girlfriend told me something the other day that I felt had relevance to this film. She said to me, "Imagine how different a person you would be without the Internet." I would be different, very different and sad to say but truthfully told, I would probably be better without it. Not to say the Internet is all bad, it just has brought so many aspects to life that were unneeded and if someone can't discipline themselves to control the power they have at their fingertips, then the world could be a much more dangerous place because of that. Catfish takes some bold choices in covering this subject matter. Those choices could have been typical but they weren't and that yielded powerful, emotional results. See Catfish, take it for what it is and for what's it trying to tell you.