Directed by Tommy Wirkola, it is based on the well known Grimm fairy-tale by the same name. With stars such as Jeremy Renner as Hansel and Gemma Arterton as Gretel, one would think that it is sure to be a hit.
This version of Hansel & Gretel follows the original story to a point, where Hansel & Gretel are taken by their father into the forest and left there to die. After a while they become hungry and start wondering, until they come upon a cottage deep in the woods made entirely of candy.
Their hunger overcomes them and they start eating the house until the door opens and a very mean looking witch hauls them inside. Gretel is put to work on the oven, fanning the flames to make them hotter, while Hansel is locked in a cage and being fed copious amounts of candy to fatten him up to be the main course. When its time for the witch's dinner, the kids fight back and push the witch into the oven until she is dead. This is as far as the similarities go.
At this point the story jumps until Hansel & Gretel are older and are well known witch hunters.
Here the story starts to get a little predictable. The good guys (Hansel & Gretel) are searching for the bad guys (evil witches). Blah, blah, blah....
Needless to say, Hansel falls in love with a good witch, who helps them defeat the bad witches. Following a major battle with the evil witches, the true story of why their father abandoned them in the forest comes to light. Sorry no spoiler!
While the story was predictable and at times unbelievable, especially the weapons portrayed throughout the movie. Not that I was around in the 15th century, but I found it hard to believe the advanced weaponry used to defeat the witches.
Nevertheless, the movie was enjoyable; however as I saw it in 3D it was very fast paced and somewhat hard to keep up with.
I would re-watch this movie in 2D but only to see if it was more palatable in this format.
The most surprising act was that of Famke Janssen as Muriel, the head of the evil witches. For those of you who don't know who she is, she is best known for her role as Jean Grey in the X-Men movies. I thought she played the role of the evil witch with great poise and believability.
Hopefully by now you've had a chance to see Season 3, because a massive big spoiler is coming up!
IF YOU HAVEN'T STOP READING NOW!!!!!
At the end of Season 3, Dean & Sam try to hunt down Lilith in order to clear Dean's crossroads demon deal. Reminder: Dean made the deal at the end of Season 2 to bring Sam back to life...
Unfortunately, Lilith tricks them and takes over Ruby's body and lets the hell hounds take Dean to hell, but is unable to kill Sam. So at the end of Season 3, Dean's dead and lands in hell.
Season 4 starts out with the episode called "Lazarus Rising" and **spoiler coming** it's because Dean comes back from Hell very dramatically by crawling out of his grave.
This season continues with the quest to find the 'thing' responsible for raising Dean from Hell. This season introduces my 2nd favourite character Castiel played by Misha Collins.
Early on the Winchester boys and Bobby find out that it was Castiel, with the aid of fellow angels, who are responsible for Dean's rescue from Hell. Another new character introduced into this season is Pamela, the psychic, who helps Dean in his quest for answers.
Unfortunately, Pamela loses her vision in her quest for answers, when she gazes upon Castiel's true form. Once the boys are introduced to the warriors of God, they have to come to terms with the reality of Angels.
Along the way, Dean finds out that Ruby is still around and is very angry to learn that while he was in Hell, Sam has been learning to master his powers.
It is very dramatic when Dean tries to help Sam by locking him into the secure room in Bobby's basement to help Sam "detox".
Eventually unbeknownst to Dean and Bobby, Castiel frees Sam, who immediately contacts Ruby. Dean finds Sam with Ruby and they argue about the way Sam's been going about getting Lilith back for sending Dean to Hell. The boys are also under the impression, which was provided to them by none other than Ruby herself, that Sam can avert the Apocalypse by murdering Lilith.
In this season, Dean & Sam discover that there is a series of books, written by Carver Edlund, which goes into great detail about their life. With Castiel's help the boys discover that Carver, which is only his pen-name, is actually a profit of the Lord, and is in fact writing the chronicles of the Winchester boys.
The boys also meet Anna, who doesn't know she is an Angel, until Pamela puts her under hypnosis, to find out why Anna can hear the Angels. Once Anna knows she is an Angel, both the Demons and the Angels are on the hunt to grab themselves a piece of 'Angel pie'.
Unfortunately, in the end Anna turns against the Winchester boys and dies in 1978 while trying to kill Dean & Sam's parents.
The showdown comes in Ilchester, when Sam is all 'juiced up' on Demon blood and is strong enough to finally take Lilith down. Dean tries to intervene, but Ruby blocks his attempts.
Once Sam is finished with Lilith, Ruby finally confesses to tricking him into actually starting the Apocalypse. Sam is devastated and helps Dean kill Ruby, but they are too late and Lucifer is finally released from his cage.
This season starts with the Winchester brothers fighting the 7 deadly sins, while trying to find a way to break Dean's deal with the cross roads demon. The 7 deadly sins were released at the end of Season 2, when Jake opened the doorway to hell for the yellow-eyed demon.
Dean & Sam's quest takes them all over the continental US fighting evil where ever they go. Some of the evil encountered are Vampires, Ghouls, demons, spirits and the worst one of them all - a money hungry thief for hire, Bella.
I personally really don't like this character and I don't really understand the point of introducing her to the story as she really doesn't give any depth to it. The only point it re-enforces is the fact that the Winchester boys are very trusting, generous and kind-hearted, because she continually takes advantage them and tricks them.
What makes this character even worse is that later in Season 3 you find out that she already has a fortune at her disposal, yet she still lies and connives her way to make more money.
I admire Dean & Sam for their strong will and power to restrain themselves from killing her.
I still find it interesting that in Season 3, after all the deceit, lying and trouble these 2 boys have encountered they can still be so trusting and gullible.
My favourite episode in Season 3 is the one featuring the Ghostfacers.
The final episode is very tragic, but I'm not going to spoil it...please just watch the Season, if you haven't already.
Today I'm going to talk about Zombie movies and TV shows. To be honest I haven't seen a lot of these, so they're not in any particular order. The information is courtesy of Zombie Zone News, Boston.com and About.com.
The Walking Dead -In this uncertain world, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his band of survivors must not only fight the dead, but also face a whole new fear: the living.
Cemetery Man (1994) - Rupert Everett was playing a cemetery worker who just wants someone to love.
Plague of the Zombies (1966) - This horror gem of mid-'60s British cinema is set in the English countryside, where a mysterious ailment is killing off a small village's populace. It takes a while for the zombies to get their screen time. The movie progresses at first like a mystery as a newly arrived doctor tries to get a handle on the situation. Once they appear, the living dead here are indeed scary, and the film has once of the best rising-from-the-grave scenes of all time.
Dance of the Dead (2008) - A surprisingly entertaining movie in the vast wasteland of modern zombie comedies, this one keeps the mood light while maintaining some good zombie-killing action. Most enjoyable were the scenes involving a punk rock band holding the living dead at bay and two teenage zombies overcoming their inhibitions and making out in a school bathroom. Perfect for the disaffected, high school zombie-loving crowd.
Dead Snow (2009) - "Dead Snow" is a pretty straightforward modern zombie flick with equal parts gore and humor. It's like a twisted combination of the video games Resident Evil and Wolfenstein, with a dash of the movie "Evil Dead II" thrown in, and served over a bed of virgin Norwegian snow.
White Zombie (1932) - "White Zombie" is the grandfather of the American zombie film, Starring Bela Lugosi.
Land of the Dead (2005) - The living dead have taken over the world, and the last humans live in a walled city to protect themselves as they come to grips with the situation.
Versus (2000) - The only Asian zombie film on the list, "Versus" is worth watching for the fast-paced Samurai-style battles between the living and the dead. Martial arts mayhem, kooky characters and non-stop kinetic energy propel this oddball Japanese genre-bender. When a group of gangsters arranges a meeting in the woods where they've dumped the bodies of those they've "bumped off," they don't realize said woods have the power to resurrect the dead.
Cockneys vs Zombie (2012 IR) - Follows a group of plucky cousins as they try to rob a bank to save their grandparents care home from developers. Little do they know that while they're cleaning out the vault, zombies are cleaning up the East End and shuffling towards Bow Bells' care home with an appetite for OAPs.
Zombieland (2009 US) - Zombieland is one of the best Zombie movies I’ve seen. Chock full of fun, sadness, comedy, and good old fashioned Zombie gore, it is a well rounded movie that pits four survivors against themselves, each other, and, of course, the Zombie masses.
28 Days Later (2002 UK) - This movie deserves a spot on this list because of it's huge influence on the nature of zombie films that followed it. The movie not only popularized the fast-running zombie of many modern films, but was also a good post-apocalyptic survival story to boot.
28 Weeks Later (2007 UK) - Some sequels are better off skipped. I’m on the fence over 28 Weeks Later. It wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t as good as the original. There were several great fast Zombie scenes, and a great beginning sequence. The plot wasn’t bad, and definitely added to the original in a meaningful way, but most of the film was spent laying a slow foundation for the last 30 minutes of action.
Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1975) - A straight-up zombie film for the zombie film lover. "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie" has fantastic and realistic zombies of the "freshly dead" variety. It also features some graphic and long sequences of them chowing down on human flesh like they're at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Fido (2006) - If you've ever fantasized about having your own zombie pet, zombie bodyguard, or zombie housekeeper, then "Fido" is your kind of movie. It's been described as a cross between "Night of the Living Dead" and "Lassie," although it is clearly a comedy film. Fido is a house-broken zombie thanks to a collar that renders him harmless and obedient - most of the time. Billy Connelly plays the title character, and offers probably the best acting job done by anyone portraying the living dead.
Day of the Dead (1985 US) - Zombies rule the USA, except for a small group of scientists and military personnel who reside in an underground bunker in Florida. The scientists are using the undead in gruesome experiments; much to the chagrin of the military. Finally the military finds that their men have been used in the scientists’ experiments, and banish the scientists to the caves that house the Living Dead. Soon, Zombies do what Zombies do best.
Dawn of the Dead (2004 USA) - Ana, played by Sarah Polley, decides that her neighborhood is going downhill after her kid, and the rest of the neighborhood, turn into murderous Zombies. After meeting up with some other “survivors”, Ana eventually ends up at the local mall with a bunch of others. They spend the days generally safe, but slowly running out of time and resources. They hatch a plan, and make their attempt at survival.
Zombie (1979) - The best of the Italian zombie factory of the late '70s and '80s, director Lucio Fulci's film is probably best known for its underwater encounter between a zombie and a shark.
Deadgirl (2008) - The film delves into the deranged psyches of bored suburban teenage boys, and exposes the different levels of depraved morals among them.
Shaun of the Dead (2004) - The top modern zombie movie (post-2000), "Shaun of the Dead" incorporates the best of zombie comedy films - with realistic walking dead, ample gore, and fun use of everyday items to fight off zombies (like the famous record-throwing scene) - without getting too silly. Plus, the scene where the survivors "play dead" can serve as a educational film for zombie walk newbies everywhere.
The Return of the Living Dead (1985 US) - featured fast-moving zombies decades before they became mainstream in modern day zombie movies. Second, it introduced the zombie call-to-arms, "Braaaains!"
Night of the Living Dead (1968 US) - To say this movie is a classic is an understatement. Chaos descends upon the world, in George A. Romero’s pivotal first movie, as the brains of the recently deceased become reanimated, causing the dead to rise and feed on human flesh. Speculation rests on a radiation-covered NASA satellite returning from Venus, but it only remains a speculation. The only way to destroy the zombies is to destroy the brain.
Night of the Living Dead (1990 US) - “Night of the Living Dead” is the 1990 remake of George Romero’s 1968 classic of the same name. With more money and better technology, the film follows the same storyline as the original, with some minor changes, and this time starring Patricia Tallman as Barbara, and Tony Todd as the strong and heroic Ben.
Dawn of the Dead (1978 US) - The film's immediate focus is the action inside a suburban mall, where a band of survivors try to keep swarms of undead at bay. However, it's the setup to the zombie apocalypse at the beginning of the film - where the world tried to make sense of it all - that really makes it resonate. The world is forced to cope with the inevitability of a slow, plodding, violent end. And yet there is still hope. Kind of.
The Evil Dead (1981 US) - Five friends, including Ash, played of course by Bruce Campbell, go up to a cabin in the woods where they find unspeakable evil lurking in the forest. They find the Necronomicon, an evil tomb of demonic rites, and the taped translation of the text. Once the tape is played, the evil is released. One by one, the teens become deadly evil dead Zombies.
Evil Dead II (1987 US) - “I’ll swallow your soul! I’ll swallow your soul! I’ll swallow your soul!” “Swallow this!” say’s everybody’s favorite Zombie/demon killing comedian, Ash, as he aims his shotgun at Henrietta’s face. What a way to end a relationship. Bruce Campbell does it again in this sequel to Evil Dead. After the blood-bath of Evil Dead, Ash is still in the cabin when “help” arrives in the form of the professor’s daughter and a few other people. Soon the evil forces of the Necronomicon are at it again.
Evil Dead: Army of Darkness (1992 US) - In this sequel to the Evil Dead films, a discount-store employee (“Name’s Ash. Housewares.”) is time-warped to a medieval castle beset by monstrous forces. Initially mistaken for an enemy, he is soon revealed as the prophecised savior who can quest for the Necronomicon, a book which can dispel the evil. Unfortunately, he screws up the magic words while collecting the tome, and releases an army of skeletons, led by his own Deadite counterpart.
Resident Evil (2002 US) - Something rotten is brewing beneath the industrial mecca known as Raccoon City. Unknown to its millions of residents, a huge underground bio-engineering facility known as The Hive has accidentally unleashed the deadly and mutating T-virus, killing all of its employees. To contain the leak, the governing supercomputer, Red Queen, has sealed all entrances and exits. Now a team of highly-trained super commandos including Rain, Alice and Matt must race to penetrate The Hive in order to isolate the T-virus before it overwhelms humanity.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004 US) - After waking up in a hospital a-la 28 Days Later, our hero Alice, played by Milla Jovovich, discovers the undead have overwhelmed Raccoon City, with only small pockets of uninfected still surviving, led by Jill Valentine, another femme fatal Zombie killer, played by Sienna Guillory. To make matters worse, they are all trapped, sealed off in the city by the Umbrella Corporation. Of course the Umbrella Corporation takes this as an opportunity to play with their new deadly experiment. Soon, time begins running out as the clock ticks down before the city is sanitized.
Resident Evil: Extinction (2007 FR) - It'll never be confused with high art, but the third entry in the Resident Evil franchise is miles ahead of the dreck that was Resident Evil: Apocalypse. It's amazing what a competent director (Russell Mulcahy of Highlander fame), a scenic desert setting and hot pants with leather stockings will do for you.
Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010 UK) - In a world ravaged by a virus infection, turning its victims into the Undead, Alice (Jovovich), continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead takes them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead – and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap.
Re-animator (1985 US) - Apparently cats do have more than one life. Re-Animator was a well done, funny, and often suspenseful Zombie movie. Herbert West, played by Jeffrey Combs, is kicked out of a Swiss university after his involvement in the death of his mentor. He continue his studies in the United States – but little do his acquaintances know that West has discovered a serum that brings the dead back to life… with terrible consequences… Dan Cain, a local medical student, lets West rent a room from him.
The Fog (1980 US) - A Northern California fishing town, built 100 years ago over an old leper colony, is the target for revenge by a killer fog containing zombie-like ghosts seeking revenge for their deaths.
I am Legend (2007 US) - I Am Legend is chock full of tips for survival in the event of the Inevitable Zombie Apocalypse. The creepy Zombie-vampire mesh was portrayed well. The story, or course, is based on the novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson.
The homework is to sit down and watch as many of these as you possibly can. I have seen some of these and I intend to go through and watch any that I have not seen before. I know I am Legend is not really a Zombie movie, but it does have mindless super fast beings in them which could be classed as a Zombie.
If there are any suggestions or recommendations for other Zombie movies to watch please let me know.
In the next installment of Zombie fortnight, I will be posting information about Zombie books. I have read a few of these which are awesome!
I saw something very disturbing last night on tv and it has been haunting me ever since. NCIS: New Yord had just finished and another program was starting which featured real life crimes. The name eludes me at the moment but the contents still haunting me.
The gist of the story was that this nerdy looking 13 year old boy had brutally and sadistically murdered a 4-year-old boy. I thought that was terrible until forensic evidence went into further detail about how this pubescent 13-year-old tortured the little boy by stabbing him with a sharp rock, then pouring the boy's drink into the wounds and then sodomising him with a short stick. :-(
At this point, I could watch it no more and actually turned the tv off, but the re-enactment images and voice-over are still with me. My disbelief is how could a 13-year-old boy be so disturbed as to carry out such acts of violence? I remember when I was 13, I was still playing with Barbie dolls and care bears, whereas these days it's all about popularity, fashion and how to be cool! But I digress, what made the whole story worse is that my little boy was turning 4 the next day.
When I am down and I hear atrocities such as this, I always put people I love into the picture - which of course makes things even more unbearable. Is it just me or does anyone else feel that the whole world is going down the toilet?
