Tagged: the walking dead
Dead Weight: A Zombie Apocalypse in America’s Dairyland!
I had the pleasure yesterday of watching ‘Dead Weight‘ a great little indie horror gem all the way from my home state of Wisconsin. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from this one and to be honest, I haven’t really seen too much in the way of cinema coming out of “America’s Dairyland”. I’d have to say that Dead Weight is much less of a horror movie than it is a drama set in an apocalyptic wasteland.
I could draw some comparisons obviously to The Walking Dead, as I’m fairly certain that writers and directors Adam Bartlett and John Pata are big fans (I’ve heard the DVD will feature artwork by original Walking Dead artist Tony Moore!) but this plays out as something much more than a mere carbon copy. Sure the story revolves around a small band of survivors of some sort of viral outbreak traveling a barren landscape and yeah they meet some ultra sketchy people along the way. What we are really witnessing is one man’s psychological breakdown as he desperately travels by foot to reunite with his lover in a small northern Wisconsin city.
The movie shows flashbacks of Charlie (Joe Belknap) and his girlfriend Samantha (Mary Lindberg) before tragedy struck while at the same time following him on his journey to reunite with her after these events. I really loved the contrast between the warm colorful flashbacks and the cold, grey, dismal look of Charlie’s journey in the aftermath. Who would’ve known that Wisconsin would make such a convincing setting for a zombie wasteland?
The film really looks great too, the locations chosen really give you a feeling of dread and isolation which makes it that much more tense when other survivors enter the equation. What also grabbed me was the tightly woven story, which I might add has it’s fair share of twists and turns, something I truly appreciate in my cinematic viewing when done effectively. The short explanation for what may have caused this tragedy was also an interesting addition to the plot as it unfolded.
Dead Weight is pretty light on the violence and we barely see a “zombie” in sight anywhere throughout the movie. To me that’s great, as I’m quite honestly pretty burnt out on the zombie genre at this point. It seems people are still cranking out zombie movies by the boatloads these days, jam packed with, shoddy gore, CG blood and weak ass plot lines. That’s exactly why Dead Weight succeeds, its unique character study plays out quite differently than most zombie flicks.
Without giving too much away, I’d say this is a pretty true to life tale of how people might actually act in this type of situation. Sometimes there are no real heroes and people act simply off of their own emotions and selfish motivations, making the idea of a situation like this much more hopeless and bleak. Something this movie did a great job of portraying. That’s not to say the movie was flawless, the flashbacks were well put together but I really wasn’t fully convinced of the love and emotion Charlie and Samantha had for each other. In fact the two of them together felt a bit off at points. It would have been nice to really feel exactly what made Charlie go against all odds to try and reunite with her.
Plain and simple Dead Weight is a great slice of cinema from Wisconsin! An intriguing story and solid acting by all involved. This was a true independent film and the first for Adam Bartlett and John Pata. I was truly impressed that they pulled off a horror drama, I consider it quite daring as most people on a small budget in this genre go for the tired “over the top” zombie comedy. So kudos for putting some real heart and emotion into a memorable zombie film. That alone is an incredibly tough thing to accomplish in the sea of undead movies flowing onto the shelves these days! I’m pumped to see what these guys do next, I’d say they’re going to be putting the cheese state on the map of movie making in a big way in the near future….
Dead Weight will be released nationally on DVD and VOD January 21st, 2014. Look for it here soon on Netflix too. Check out the trailer:
Awesome Hero Initiative / Walking Dead #100 Cover by Local Chris Herndon!
Had to take a second to give a shout out to Portland Oregon’s own Chris Herndon today as I just saw for the first time some artwork he did for The Hero Initiative 100 Project for The Walking Dead. The Hero Initiative is a charity dedicated to helping comic creators in medical and financial need, has drawn great acclaim for its “100 Projects” in recent years, in which 100 artists draw an original cover on a special anniversary issue. His artwork was for the shocking but otherwise rather dull milestone issue of The Walking Dead #100. Though I had my gripes about the issue itself it sure did generate some great zombie art!
Herndon is a rad up and coming artist who had his work cut out for him on this piece as he was artist and co-creator on the indie series ‘Living With Zombies’. He currently works on Terra Tempo, a dinosaur themed graphic novel series, so his cover idea for Walking Dead #100 was a perfect blend of both his past & present comic book works. Check it below and like his Facebook page before this guy hits the big time!
Is “Revival” the Next Walking Dead?
I have been reading the new image series “Revival” the past few months and it’s quickly shaping up to be one of my favorite monthly titles. I am making bet that it becomes the next big hit for Image comics. I still am a big Walking Dead fanatic, though for me the story has gotten a little dull over the past year or so. Even with the “shocking” death of Glenn recently I think Kirkman needs to shift gears in the series and bring The Walking Dead story to some new fresh levels. The Walking Dead is feeling a little to “dead” lately, as I have said before “shocking” deaths don’t necessarily equal great story telling.
So I am pleased to report there’s a great new series that does deliver us some fresh new ideas on the “undead” a genre which to be quite honest is boring the shit out of me lately. New zombie movies? I don’t even care to see ’em anymore. I’m so burnt out on the zombie thing it makes me kinda sick to my stomach. However this ain’t the case with Revival. So far they’ve crafted an intriguing little story set in my home state of Wisconsin. Yeah there are undead, but not your typical, these people rose from the dead on day in this small contained area of the country. They aren’t mindless creatures, they return to their former daily lives. The only thing is these undead have quite a temper and on top of that you’ve an eerie thin white creature wandering through the forest and a bizarre religious “Limp Bizkit” listening exorcist taking care of possessed teenagers. Yeah it’s a fun one and it’s all in the hands of a small town detective named Dana. So if you’re looking for a cool, original and refreshing horror “farm noir” adventure then you need to grab Revival ASAP! I’s bound to be big.. Also for a great interview with the series creators Timm Seely & Mike Norton check Comicbookresources.com and get the full scoop!
The Walking Dead #100 Predictions!
Wow I can’t believe we’re almost one hundred issues into The Walking Dead! Still one of my most anticipated comic books every month. Kirkman never thought it would become the sensation it is today. So now obviously this has gotten us all wondering what the hell is going to go down in the big issue? What could possibly top some of the last surprises we’ve endured? Carl getting shot, Tyreses’ death, the Governor being “killed” by Michonne, Lori and the baby’s death and most recently Abraham’s death were hands down some of the most intense and emotional deaths in comic book history. But is issue #100 going to be purely witnessing, once again, deaths of our current roster of Rick’s minions? Only time will tell, however here are a couple things I think would be a big surprise for this milestone issue.
First let’s think about what Kirkman could possibly do to blow our minds. I have felt for quite sometime that perhaps Lori and / or their baby may not actually really be dead! My guess is that sometime soon, perhaps even in this next issue Lori could be revealed to still indeed be alive. We really only saw her get shot, it was never confirmed by anyone that she was truly dead. My guess is this would be a major move Kirkman has at the very least considered. Would this shock you?
Second would of course be the big one. Rick biting the dust! I am certain this won’t happen soon but I am certain it will happen and perhaps Carl will lead the team or grow into a leader. However imagine if Rick was bit and the disease took. This alone would pack a powerful punch, the issues that follow showing the remaining members of his group watching him slowly descend into becoming the walking dead. Imagine Carl and say Michonne heading out into the world on their own. This, when it happens is will be a powerful end or new beginning to the book.
I guess anything could really happen, however I highly doubt Michonne has anything to worry about as she just made her wildly popular tv appearance. Personally as much as I love the title I’d love to see it move into a different direction. I have been a little bored with this whole “setting up a community” thing for quite a while now. I would love to see them on the road again, it’s so much more exciting and I think more believable. I mean how many times are we going to see the gang meet up with psychotic people and get into an altercation? It’s all been good and fine up til now but i think we need to get a little more adventure back into the title.
Listen up Kirkman, I think a logical choice of action would be perhaps them trying to get to an island somewhere and finding a boat? Get to some water. I know that’s been an idea in movies already but so was your whole opening to the story which was basically a blatant rip from 28 Days Later. Expanding on that concept would be very intriguing. I think searching for a small plane or meeting a pilot would be a great exciting new direction for the crew. It seems a little strange to me that the characters seem content with giving up and just accepting making a community somewhere. They need someone who’s looking for solutions and bigger answers to the problem other than Rick’s flawed one dimensional thinking about restarting civilization at some purely random location without knowing what the hell is really going on. Doesn’t anyone wonder what the big picture is?!
I also am NOT a fan of Kirkman stating there will never be explanation for the undead. I feel not exploring that idea is uninspired. What if there was a mutation? What if there was more than just zombies out there to fear? The book needs something new and exciting to happen in it or we’ll get the same scenarios happening over and over. Yeah we all get it, the living people are more scary than the zombies, how about letting that idea rest for a bit and get back into the monsters being more threatening? It’s time to introduce some new ideas into this book while still keeping with the tone so far. So I hope for something great to down in issue #100 and not just an issue where more supporting characters die off. What about you?
The Walking Dead Ebay Phenomena!
It seems everyone these days are going absolutely ape shit over The Walking Dead TV series! I personally have only seen the first season and the first two episodes of the second season. I have however been collecting the comic book from the start. Well I bought issue number one when it came out way back in 2003, but after reading it dismissed it as a flash in the pan, 28 days later wanna be series. I even sold the first issue a few months later for thirty bones on Ebay. I was a happy guy. Well about three months later I was at my local comic shop and saw they had The Walking Dead trade paperback there collecting issues 1-6. They made a promise saying that if you didn’t like it they’d return your money. So there I was reading TWD trade and LOVING it! I started collecting all the issues from #7 on and it became my favorite monthly comic.
About a week ago former Universal Dork blogger “The One From Beyond” sent me a text message saying I should consider selling the old back issues as they are causing quite a bit of controversy on Ebay. So checked it out and WOW….people if you own these back issues you may have a dilema on your hands…to sell or not to sell? I have seen issue number one go on ebay recently for over $7000.00. Which really makes me kick myself for selling it back in the day. Luckily I have my old issues 7-current. I recently listed all of my issues through number 38. Issue number 19 has gone recently on ebay for $1600.00 mine ends tomorrow and I can only dream of getting that much for it. There are also other key issues that are pretty sought after like the first appearance of The Governor and issue 61 with the CHEW preview.
So did I do the wrong thing? Are these issues going to go even higher as the show progresses? Or are they the comic book equivalent of a Beanie Baby or Cabbage Patch Kid? It’s a gamble. I however say I gotta get it while the getting is good. Like my last post stated I am a little tired of the zombie craze at this point. I do still like TWD every month but just not as much as I did four years ago. But a heads up to all my fellow Dorks out there your Walking Dead comics are gold, once again us nerds rule……
Oh by the way you should go bid on my Walking Dead #19 😉
Ok Please…Stop With the Zombie Comedies Already!
I just watched two upcoming “buzzing” zombie comedy movie trailers and I had to take just a moment of your time to say please stop!! Enough!! Please god…stop with the zombie comedies already!!! Better yet just stop with the whole zombie thing altogether! Ok you know we have all seen Evil Dead 2, Dead Alive, Return of the Living Dead, Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, American Zombie, Fido, Dance of the Dead, Zombies of Mass Destruction, Doghouse, Zombie Strippers, Zombie Honeymoon, Undead, Blah Blah Blah Blah….Jeez! I kinda just want this whole zombie craze to disappear.
Aside from The Walking Dead Comic and TV series (which I am finally getting slightly tired of) this craze needs to die and stay dead at least for ten years or so. People you’re not going to make a better zombie comedy than Shaun of the Dead so please stop trying! Make some other comedy please, I know how much you liked Dead Alive but you know what? The world doesn’t need another one of your goofy unlikely fanboy hero nerd starring zombie comedies-the market is full, overflowing and more dead than punk rock. I wonder am I the only one? Because even the zombie comedies that look kinda good I just don’t care to sit through anymore!
This one here “Juan of the Dead” which is opening at a theater down the street from me just don’t excite me! Really now “Juan of the Dead”? Uggh….
Yeah it doesn’t really look too bad huh? Too bad I was interested in seeing this movie six years ago!!!
Oh and I was on Ain’t It Cool and they had this one written up called “A Little Bit Zombie” a quirky offbeat zombie comedy with the same stupid characters that you saw eight years ago back when these characters were kinda funny actually…Ok so I will admit the poster is pretty cool, but really folks do we really need to waste more time sitting through more shit like this?
Maybe I am crazy but I don’t care how RAD your zombie comedy is I have seen fifty others that were done in the past five years that are better and then before that fifty more back in the 1980’s! Give it a rest!! 😉
New Walking Dead Tv Spot!
AMC has just released a brand new Tv spot for the new Walking Dead series coming this Halloween today!! Yeah I have hyped the shit out of it here so I’ll just shut up and post it! If you haven’t heard about this show or comic book you must be living in a cave. This makes me even more excited for this show than I was before…
George Romero Blows & So Does Peter Vincent!!
Ok here’s the deal. Last night I finally decided to give George Romero’s “Survival Of The Dead” a chance as it was just released on dvd. You hear that? I finally decided to give the NEW Romero Zombie flick a chance! Ten years ago saying that would have meant I was completely crazy as imagining a new zombie movie from him back then being released would have been a gift from god. I was less than impressed with his last two movie quite honestly and this one seals the deal for me for good. I just don’t give a shit about new Romero movies. I actually got more enjoyment from the latest Direct to dvd Kevin Costner horror movie!
I can tell you honestly I didn’t even finish the movie. I am putting my foot down and refusing to watch anymore zombie movies with shitty cg bood and gore. Especially one made by George. Believe me this one’s got cg gore galore-it’s effects look like they came straight out of the first Resident Evil game! Continue reading
The Walking Dead Trailer Arrives!!
Ok so here’s the moment I have been waiting for quite some time to finally see some of the upcoming scenes from The Walking Dead television series debuting this coming October!
The comic series continues to be the best monthly title out there-with enough suspense, gore and drama to give you a coronary!! The trailer looks fantastic so far-however I am extremely surprised that they kept the 28 Days Later style beginning as that is the only thing that ever really bothered me about the comic. So enough of my preachy blabblin’ to the choir! Let’s finally take a first look at this hopefully wonderful series that is destined to be a classic!!
The Walking Dead:Beautiful Zombies!
Ok all of my doubts are officially gone about the upcoming television adaptation of The Walking Dead. I just recently saw some of the stills taken for this epic series and it literally blew my mind!! I checked them out at Bloody Disgusting and thought I really needed to put a few of them up here in case anyone had any doubts on just how cool this show is shaping up to be. First off the this image here of Rick Grimes walking on the highway practically gave me the chills upon first sight. Andrew Lincoln who’s playing Rick looks fantastic-don’t you think??
This makes me kinda wonder exactly how this tv series is going to start off. Will they choose to use the 28 Days Later Beginning?? I am crossing my fingers that the answer is no. I think that opening could turn alot of people off from the tv show-to be honest the first time I read the Walking Dead, at least issue one, I simply passed it off as some cheap Image rip-off comic that was cranked out to jump on the zombie bandwagon. Well shortly thereafter I was encouraged to read the whole first trade while at the comic shop. The clerk even promised me that if I gave it another shot and still didn’t like it I could bring the trade back for a full refund. I read the first six isssues and was hooked ever since.
Anyway there are some amazing pictures here as well they posted of the the actual zombies appearing on the show Continue reading
Universal Dork 