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Mike, Sulley and the gang return in Monsters University. Photo: Disney Pixar
Sulley, Mike Wazowski and the rest of the monsters return to cinemas in 2013 in Monsters University. Read more
Zombie films are growing in popularity, despite being a genre considered by many to be overdone. New takes on the subject are appearing, such as World War Z being the first zombie epic, and Warm Bodies centreing on a zombie who falls in love. Here is B.O.R.Es top ten favourite zombie films;
1. Dawn of the Dead (1978) The sequel to George A Romero’s zombie classic Night of the Living Dead.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpuNE1cX03c[/youtube]
2. 28 Days Later (2002) OK, so they’re not quite zombies, but the ‘ghouls’ in this film are still pretty scary.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eunaclr-WgU[/youtube]
3. Night of the Living Dead (1990) An atmospheric remake of the 1968 film saw better make up and effects.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0r7L8tS2L0[/youtube]
4. Shaun of the Dead (2004) Considered the first of it’s kind, the British made ‘RomComZom’ showed a zombie apocalypse from a more lighthearted angle.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GiOPqV8LGI[/youtube]
5. The Dead (2010) Set in war torn Africa, this film, with it’s cast of relatively unknown actors was fairly overlooked.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANpgVWVvpjs[/youtube]
6. Zombieland (2009) Another zombie comedy, our favourite feature of this film was the imaginative ways some of the living dead are dispatched.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=071KqJu7WVo[/youtube]
7. Planet Terror (2007) This hugely over-the-top zombie kill-fest from Robert Rodriguez is lots of fun to watch.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCFQtc6BzyM[/youtube]
8. Dawn of the Dead (2004) This remake of our number 1 film in the list is surprisingly good for modern takes on old classics.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZGLRIOQHOY[/youtube]
9. Brain Dead/Dead Alive (1992) Low budget, tongue-in-cheek zombie flick from Peter Jackson, way before he found Lord of the Rings fame.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbOmCUWm25w[/youtube]
10. Resident Evil (2002) It could be argued that this is more of an action move but it features zombies and that’s good enough for us.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4yqRGlgwkc[/youtube]
Zombie literature is becoming increasingly popular
Max Brooks is currently one of the most prolific Zombie writers.
He wrote such texts as The Zombie Survival Guide, published in 2003, which contained everything a post-zombie apocalypse survivor needs to know, from which shelter is most appropriate to the best way to take down a zombie. The tongue-in-cheek but highly serious book was hugely popular, and spurned Brooks to write a sequel in comic book form, entitled Recorded Attacks, which told of zombie encounters throughout history.
Most well known of Brooks’ work – thanks to a new film starring Brad Pitt – is World War Z, a fictional historical document detailing events following a world wide Zombie outbreak. Check out the official trailer here.
Charlie Higson, a British writer and actor probably most famous for his appearance in The Fast Show, has written his own Zombie series aimed at younger audiences, with a plot involving teenagers immune to an infection that has turned the adult population into walking corpses. Higson has written four of the planned seven novels which are as follows:
The Fallen is due to be released in 2013.
David Moody is another British writer who has produced a successful series of Zombie novels. Moody’s Autumn, comprising six books and aimed at adults generated a huge online following when the book could be downloaded for free. Unfortunately Moody’s publishing house Infected Books was shut down after the rights to Autumn were bought by Thomas Dunne Books, putting an end to the free downloads. A low-budget film based on the novel, also entitled Autumn was released in 2009 to mixed reviews. Here are the books from the Autumn series:
How would you fare if the dead began to rise up to attack and devour the living?
Would you break out the blunt objects and fight your way to a safe zone?
Or cower in a corner and wait for the cavalry?
Now more than ever, there are plenty of resources for you to learn how to cope with the stresses of a zombie apocalypse.
Zombies nowadays are big business. The undead have shuffled a long way since they first lurched onto cinema screens in 1932 in the first feature length flick White Zombie.
Over 80 years later, the living dead and the fear they conjure up for audiences has spread over all forms of entertainment; from literature to films, TV, games and even music (most notably, Michael Jackson’s Thriller).
Here is a list of essential reading and viewing that B.O.R.E recommends you familiarise yourself with, just in case you find yourself surrounded by reanimated corpses with empty stomachs…
Photo: Apaches Entertainment
On Boxing Day in 2004 one of the worst natural disasters of modern times struck the planet. Over a million people were killed in 15 countries around the world.
The Impossible tells the story of the Bennet family who are spending Christmas in a Thailand hotel.
Their world is unexpectedly turned upside down when a huge wave crashes through the resort, separating the family in a cacophony of thundering water.
What follows is the family’s struggle to beat the odds and be united however ‘impossible’ that may seem.
Unusually, the entirely Spanish produced film was shot in English, possibly to reach a wider audience…possibly to up their chances of being nominated for an Oscar, who knows.
Director Juan Antonio Bayona was keen to keep the CGI to a minimum, with much of the shooting taking place in a huge water tank that produced much of the ‘water surges’ during the initial Tsunami scenes.
Had the film been fictional, it probably would have failed to hold my attention. There were moments when it felt too much time had been dedicated to certain scenes. For example when Lucas (Tom Holland) is helping is injured mum Maria (Naomi Watts) to take refuge up a tree after the wave has struck.
But knowing it had really happened to real people kept the viewer inclined to see it through to the end.
The films strong point is most definitely its acting. There were some great tear-jerking performances from Ewan MacGregor and Naomi Watts, as well as the boys playing their sons; Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin and Oaklee Pendergast.
Overall it felt like The Impossible centred too much on the ‘feel-good’ story-line for a subject based on a huge natural disaster that destroyed millions of lives around the world. It seemed like it didn’t really have a strong enough message.
B.O.R.E rating: A tear-jerker that lacks substance.