Search

Search only in certain items:

    W

    Withered

    Amy Miles

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    Book

    I always thought when the apocalypse finally began I would be swinging my baseball bat at the...

40x40

Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated The Cured (2017) in Movies

Jul 7, 2020 (Updated Oct 29, 2020)  
The Cured (2017)
The Cured (2017)
2017 | Horror
A Provocative And Fresh Concept; An Emotional Tale & Thrilling Social Commentary Drama
Contains spoilers, click to show
This movie was pretty great. Not to hype it up too much but this was exactly as advertised in being a "Fresh Take" on the zombie genre. The story is that 5 years after the zombie virus outbreak, there was a cure found that works on 75% of the population. Now that those who were once zombies are being released back into society there is a slew of problems brewing. I liked how this was a pretty smart and unique concept because it makes you think, what would happen in real life in this scenario. This is kind of a commentary on society as a whole and shows how we react to things. Some people are mad about these Cured because they are murderers who killed people while they were infected. Some people see the situation as they were sick and didn't have control of themselves. The military acts as there care-takers in a way sort of like a probation/parole thing where they are given jobs and have to check in. If they don't then they risk being incarcerated again. There start to be incident where Cured are attacked in public and discriminated against for having been infected. This leads to resentment for the rest of the public by the Cured and a sort of underground movement/terrorist group for the rights of the Cured. There really is a lot of thought put into this film and I think it warrants a second viewing to see how everything lines up but I thought it was really good. I give this movie a 8/10 and it gets my "Must See Seal of Approval."


  
40x40

Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Cooties (2015) in Movies

Jul 7, 2020 (Updated Oct 26, 2020)  
Cooties (2015)
Cooties (2015)
2015 | Comedy, Horror
An Irreverent Off Color Zombie-Comedy
Contains spoilers, click to show
I thought this movie was very underrated by the critic community. I really enjoyed it and felt it had exactly what I look for in a zombie movie. The premise fits well with it's genre because in real life this would be terrible and frightening. Kids being zombies, yikes. But since it's a comedy it was easy for them to set up some pretty funny scenes of them having to fight off kids that are trying to eat them. Critics saying it not being funny enough are hard for me to agree with because it had plenty of laughs for me, although some of them fell flat or were kind of lame. And that it was too ugly and violent for younger viewers, well hello, it's rated R. I do have to say that away from the premise the story or plot wasn't all too creative but it plays out well over the 94 minute film. Some critics also commented about "uninspired plot mechanics" which to me was more about some of it being predictable or cliché with zombie tropes common to the genre but I thought they fit into the plot in a good way that kept the direction of the movie going. One thing that I did agree with was that the ending was disappointing or unsatisfactory but I've learned that in zombie movies that's something you have to expect sometimes. There's not going to always be a happy ending or any kind of ending sometimes but there was a funny after credits scene where the janitor is shown for a couple of seconds. I give this movie a 7/10.


  
40x40

Sean Lennon recommended S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things in Music (curated)

 
S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things
S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things
1968 | Rock
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It's one of my favourite concept albums, one of my favourite psychedelic albums, one of my favourite albums from that period full stop. I don't really know what the story to it is, I've never really bothered to figure it out, I just think The Pretty Things are one of the coolest bands of all time. There's something so edgy about their take on British Brian Wilson-influenced music. I love Odessey and Oracle, and I love all the more famous concept albums, but there's something about S.F. Sorrow that feels so much more rock 'n' roll, there's something about the way that they play that feels like punk rock for its time. They just have a real cool edgy energy, but at the same time it's sophisticated and lush. Obviously there were a lot of different bands experimenting in England at that time, but this is special to me because it feels more glib and more flippant, and less precious. It's well thought through but it has a useful punk edge that puts them in another class. I think one of the first times I really got into this album and realised what a masterpiece it is was ten or eleven years ago when I first met my girlfriend Charlotte. We went up with a few friends to a farm in Pennsylvania. It was the first time Charlotte and I kissed, it was a very magical lost country weekend. I remember hearing this record a lot that weekend. I already knew about The Zombies' Odessey and Oracle and I was a huge Beach Boys fan, but I didn't realise that the Pretty Things had done something so complete. They were leading the way, they were ahead of their time and not just copying the others, they were setting the bar."

Source
  
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
2004 | Drama, Horror, Mystery
The 2004 remake of the hugely influential Dawn of the Dead retains some key elements from it 70s counterpart, but is essentially, its own separate thing (This doesn't really bother me, because truth be told, I'm not the biggest fan of the original...)
The iconic shopping mall setting remains, and like the OG film, it's the best character. The mall lends such a unique feel to a genre that is well trodden. The similarities essentially end there. This time around, the zombies themselves are fast, vicious, definitely a modern upgrade to Romero's classic slow moving bois. There are some decent action scenes throughout (the opening 10 minutes is genuinely fantastic) and doesn't skimp on the gory stuff. It's ticks all the right zombie boxes.
Unfortunately, this version is absolutely brimming with asshat characters that really drag the experience down. With the exception of Ving Rhames, the dude who owns the gun shop, and the dog (because dog), it's really difficult to give a flying shit about any of these walking horror clichés - I genuinely think this movie takes the gold for the characters-who-make-really-dumb-decisions-and-put-everyone-else-in-danger category.
What's worse is that just when you're about getting used to all of these douches, a whole bunch more are suddenly introduced at the half way point!

That being said, Dawn of the Dead is still a perfectly entertaining popcorn horror that will satiate zombie fans. It's unsurprisingly not-as-good as the original, but I fully respect that Snyder tried to do something different instead of going through the motions, even if that does mean it loses most of the subtext that runs beneath the original's surface. Worth it if anything, for the weird CGI zombie baby....