REVIEW: Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch
Director: Zack Snyder
Year 2011

Sucker Punch is a mind bending, anime infused, action super charged, mental drama filled, melting pot of all that goes on inside the sick and twisted mind of director Zack Snyder. Following the misadventures of the saddest girl in the world, Baby Doll, the film opens in melodramatic music video fashion presenting a series of unfortunate events that leave the main character's sister dead by cause of a stray bullet. Bearing the brunt of the blame, Baby Doll is then sent to an insane asylum by the request of her abusive stepfather. Now this is where it gets trippy.

Once inside the asylum, Baby Doll must transport herself into a fantasy world filled with dragons, zeppelins, samurais, zombie soldiers, futuristic robots, and everything in between, in order to free herself from the ever watchful and abusive guards of the facility. Sound pretty strange? Well you'd be right, but what Zack Snyder does here is mash up all of these random elements and surprisingly makes something coherent out of it. Even if it is a bit overkill in some parts and unexplainable.

Welcome to the wackiest ward in the world!

Baby Doll AKA Hannibal Lecter.

If you've seen Sucker Punch, then chances are your eyes are feeling a bit raped. The amount of visual flare that can be found up on the screen in one single second of this flick is astounding and in my opinion that's not a bad thing. Especially if your film is set in an insane asylum. The maddening effect of the special effects, feels perfectly at home among the psychotic minds that must inhabit this bat shit crazy institution. I found it an interesting metaphorical play, by bombarding the viewers with this alternative reality, that could only exist inside the head of a crazy person. Interestingly enough, the only way that this crazy person, said Baby Doll played by Emily Browning, can break free from this oppressive place is by dealing with her inner demons and taking her manifested guilt head on.

Now, am I giving Zack Snyder more credit then he deserves or is there really some substance underneath all this glitter and glam? I think there is. I think the film is just one big metaphorical cluster fuck, that in the end tells a simple story about one girl who regrets the actions that she made which caused the death of her little sister. You can see this reflected in the two characters, Sweet Pea and Rocket. A mirrored pair of sisters that resemble the kindred-ship that both Baby Doll and her sister had shared. These two characters, played by Abbie Cornish and Jena Malone, personified the protective nature that Baby Doll possessed for her sister and they even get a chance to reenact, so to speak, the horrible event that led to Baby Doll getting a one way ticket to the looney bin.

The saddest girl to ever wear a sailor suit.

I have no idea what's going on! I'm freaking out!

I can explain the metaphorical connections between the relationships that Baby Doll finds within the asylum, but for the life of me the only thing connecting these bat shit crazy moments and death defying missions that the girls undertake in the fantasy world, can only be described as coming from the mind of a nutjob. Like I said before, having the film set in an insane asylum validates this outlook that Baby Doll might not be alright in the head after what happened to her sister and having to deal with the terrible guilt that resulted from that horrible event. This justification could quite possibly be the only rational that Snyder could get away with by putting so much testosterone charged imagery into a film that is inhabited by so many female characters. I get the escapism of the fantasy world, I understand that she must go there to deal with the events going on around her in the institution, but I just can't understand why the fantasy world that she finds comfort in would be fueled by so much machismo and scantily clad male culture cues.

In actuality I'm not complaining, because I dig all of the elements that are splatter onto the screen, but I just don't see the genuine validity of having these girls project themselves through the eyes of an average teenage boy in order to find strength within themselves. It just seems so strange to have an empowered movie about strong female characters, only to be displayed as nothing more then eye candy for genre and cult nerds everywhere. It's a bold move and unorthodox to boot, yet I still can't seem to discredit the overall nature of Sucker Punch. The metaphors work for me, aside from the male induced fantasy world, and that's enough for me.

The girls take a break from war to walk in slow motion.

This fat slob likes what he sees.

If you ignore the fact that Snyder and this story seem a little misogynistic, then you'll be blown away by this magnificently diverse and spectacularly striking film. There is so much going on in Sucker Punch, that I find myself at a loss on where to start first. The fantasy world is charged with a kinetic atmosphere that pulsates with every passing moment. The instances when Baby Doll gets lost in her dancing, is both hypnotic and awe inspiring with each introduction to this wild world that can only be found within her mind and among friends. From the chilled snow scattered dojo, to the eroded battle torn trenches, to the orc infested castle battlements, to the sleek futuristic space train, this film is vivid in every sense of the word.

With each reentry to this parallel dimension of the mind, the stakes are raised providing some enthralling dramatic moments in both the opposition the girls are against and the outcome that results after reaching their goals. We come to find out in this film, that the world they inhabit outside of the fantasy realm and within the bordello replaced insane asylum, is brutal. Death can be delivered quickly and without warning. It's almost a shock to the viewer's system when we find this out, because we take for granted that this is all a world outside of the reality. We initially believe that whatever happens inside this fabricated realm doesn't effect the here and now of the asylum, but that belief system comes crashing down once we realize that when characters fall in the fantasy realm of both the mission based world and strip club, they meet their demise in the real world in a different fashion but with the same result. The technique has shades of the Matrix stored within its workings, yet it's all devised within the mind.

This movie is giving me heartburn.

Where in the flipping hell are we?

These aspects of the film that I've covered are flashy and eye catching, often overshadowing some of the more stable portions of the movie, but I must not forget the caliber of the main cast. Emily Browning's portrayal of the sedated Baby Doll is subdued and restrained, even when she is dealing out death in the fantasy world. It's not the most energetic of roles, but it gives off a dreamlike quality that fits in nicely with the lobotomized style finale that caps off the film.

Other notables are the already mentioned Abbie Cornish and Jena Malone, who play the two sisters Sweet Pea and Rocket. The two of them are amazing, putting so much heart and feeling into their roles that they definitely stand out as the best and most engaging of the bunch. Cornish's Sweet Pea was one of my favorite characters of the film and I found there to be so many parallels between herself and the real life character of Baby Doll, the one within the asylum. Her protective nature towards her sister and the respect that Baby Doll shows her during the final moments of the film, almost makes me think that all of the girls that she interacts with within the asylum were just various personalities of Baby Doll herself.

It came across to me that after the death of her sister, Baby Doll's mind was fractured into various pieces, all which encompass the group of girls that she comes to befriend in the asylum. The most strong willed and closely mirrored version of her true self was Cornish's character Sweet Pea, thus enabling her to survive the pit falls of the other characters. It's just a theory, but one that seems to make more sense then finding literal specific objects in a fantasy world that will help you escape a very real and physical problem of being trapped within an insane asylum.

Either way, I love the film for making me think and giving me a reason to invest the time in trying to figure things out. Sucker Punch is definitely a film that people need to give a second chance. Try not to take it at face value and you'd be surprised at what you find underneath.

What the hell did you just say about my mustache?!?

Your ass has just been lobotomized.

Sucker Punch is a kind of film that I doubt we will ever see again in the Hollywood scene. Its counter intuitive nature and immature approach might mask some of the rather deep aspects of the narrative from the majority of viewers, but that doesn't necessarily negate those extra ordinary elements that really make this film exciting and new. It's the combination of these components that make this film so special and extremely entertaining. Sadly, such a diverse concept might not grace the cinemas anytime soon seeing from the underwhelming response the film has had.

On that note, I feel that it's still a miracle that at least something of this unusual caliber was even made at all. With its ups and downs, Sucker Punch is a highly enthralling film that really needs a second glance. I highly recommend this film to anyone you enjoys unorthodox films that cater to an attention deficit filled crowd, yet offers a bit more breadth for the keen eyed observers. Give it a chance... you might actually get Sucker Punched.

4 out of 5 stars     Zack Snyder You Sneaky Son of a Bitch!

REVIEW: Suspiria

Suspiria
Director: Dario Argento
Year 1977

Suspiria is a masterwork of violence and color, brought to us by the legendary italian filmmaker Dario Argento. The film follows a young and beautiful ballet dancer named Suzy Bannion, who arrives at a surreal dance school that harbors something truly unspeakable within its hallowed walls. Will Suzy discover the secret that has been the source of so many girl's deaths, or will she be the next victim of this damned place. Get ready for a heavy helping of eye candy that will make your retinas explode with delight.

Come on in to the ballet school of DEATH.

Upside-down opera is the coolest!

When it comes to Italian horror, Argento is the name of the game. Having established a respectable reputation for himself with his four prior giallo films, The Bird With the Crystal Plumage, The Cat o' Nine Tales,  Four Flies on Grey Velvet, and Deep Red, Argento decided to delve a little further into the horror genre with his ballet school haunting. Suspiria marked his first departure from the gloved killers and razor blade maniacs of his horror origins to a more visually expressive entry that would soon become his most hailed film and acclaimed accomplishment of his legacy.

By infusing the haunting melodies of his frequent musical collaborators, Goblin, the expressive and surreal kaleidoscopic color palette of reds, greens, and blues, and the other worldly location of a troubled ballet school, Argento was able to make a film that transcends the genre, opening up a whole new world for creative minds to express their wildest and bloodiest dreams.

The violence that Dario had subjected his audience to in his earlier films, would be brought to a feverish pitch as the masses lay witness to barbed wire tearing flesh, a savage hanging, and a stained glass laceration covered in candy coated colors that could warp the mind. His visual potency was as venomous as his content and none showcased this fact as expertly as Suspiria.

Suzy finds out that it's the Season of the Witch.

Probably one of the most creepiest sleep-overs in history.

With all of these superb elements ripe for the picking from the demented Italian director's mind, he would need an equally capable actress to tie the whole concept together. Charged with terror and overwhelmed by a tale of innocence lost, the story of Suspiria needed an actress that could carry some heavy and wholesome undertones, but at the same time be able to press forward when danger reared its ugly head. Jessica Harper fit the bill completely, taking on the role of Suzy Bannion with that kind of reckless abandon not seen but in only the most dedicated of scream queens.

Her timid yet brave portrayal of Suzy Bannion is both endearing and inspirational, allowing us to come along with her on her journey to discover the mystery behind her fellow dance student's disappearances. She makes the role her own, blurring the line between reality and fiction, forcing us to believe that what she is going through on the screen is all but real, even if the fantastical elements of the film are so ingloriously depicted. It's the fact that the film is so fictitious, yet authentic, that makes it such an enjoyable ride and haunting experience.

You want me to pee in here?

Why so blue Suzy?

The location of the ballet school is also an added feature of the film that amps up the surreal. The architecture that's found throughout the location is just frankly beautiful and the cinematography by Luciano Tovoli is a sight for sore eyes. The mixture of colors and the relation to each spectrum of light that comes across the screen to its subject matter is amazing. There's a delicate symbolism to the choices of color, helping to convey an emotion or produce the desired atmosphere for a given scene. It's visually wonderful to behold as all the colors of the rainbow light up the dark, pressing us onward through this fairytale infused story.

It's a dark tale indeed, relishing in the shadows of the expansive mansion setting and thriving on the harsh color palette of the time period. Both day and night are filled with expressive colors, brought on by the exquisitely imagined look of the interior design of the school's many vibrant painted rooms with the abrasive lighting of the night time shots. It gets so overwhelming and lavish that you'd have sworn that the film was something out of a dream. A dream with nightmarish visions, consoled by heavenly hues. In my memory, I've never seen a more atmospheric film that goes for the jugular when it comes to reinventing the color scheme of a movie.

Can anyone tell me where the bathroom is?

Now that's one fancy peacock!

As a very nontraditional horror film, Suspiria goes above and beyond the normal thought process that a film of its kind would typically do. Like the over abundance of color and surrealistic elements I've already mentioned, the basic plot of the movie is something of a unique beast itself. In its most simplistic terms, Suspiria is a story about witches, but you'd be hard pressed to find the iconic imagery that comes to mind when you hear the word witch. There are no pointy hats, broom riding, black cauldrons, or stake burnings in this world, instead we're given a more modern take on the popular archetypes of one of Halloween's favorite characters.

Blending elements from some of his previous works, Argento brings a cold and chilling sense of qualities that mirror his giallo work. There are moments of sheer fright like when a hairy, disfigured, and clawed hand bursts through a woman's window to tear out her throat in the opening moments of the film or one of the most excruciating turn of events when a woman finds herself trapped in a barb wired filled room with no way to get out. These are both nontraditional moments for a film about witches, almost feeling more at home in a slasher type film or modern day torture porn flick, but this re-imagining of the genre, if you will, works.

The central element, in my opinion, that brings it all together though is the aforementioned music provided by the Italian rock band and frequent Argento collaborator, Goblin. It's probably the most haunting soundtrack that has ever come out of the horror scene, mixing whispering vocals with beautiful melodic piano tunes to create a soundscape that literally brings the imagery of witchcraft and witches to the forefront. Matching the surreal visuals sprung from Argento's mind, the music captures the perfect feel and tone of the piece, providing the linking elements from the old depictions of witchcraft to Argento's new and modern re-imagining. Suspiria really is a perfect storm of cinematic elements.

Oh it's you. What are you so happy about? I think you better drop it!

The one thing about going to ballet school I never could stomach...
All the damn witches.

Suspiria is one of the most beautifully realized horror films to ever come out of Italian cinema, let alone in the horror world as a whole. Proving that horror movies can not only stimulate a great abundance of fear in people, but also visually compel the viewer as well, Argento gave the genre a boost of credibility that fellow Italian filmmaker Mario Bava had previously done for horror. The nontraditional narrative of witchcraft within a ballet school and mixing that with a fairytale story of Alice in Wonderland proportions, have merged into a happy union of surrealistic cinematic qualities that still have the same potency today as they did during their initial release. The vibrant colors and Goblin's outstanding original soundtrack only helped to drive that notion home, that this is a film made to stand the test of time, engaging the viewer in an atmospheric world that feels wholly realized.

If you haven't seen this movie then you owe it to yourself to view it as soon as possible. It really has earned its iconic status and is every bit as enjoyable as it sounds. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys the surreal side of cinema, the one with a demented edge and a visually vibrant eye.

5 out of 5 stars     Dario Argento's Visually Violent Masterpiece!

REVIEW: The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau
Director: George Nolfi
Year 2011

The Adjustment Bureau is a surprisingly engaging romantic drama, which takes Philip K. Dick’s short story Adjustment Team and expands it into a full fledged film with fantastic results.

The film follows a politician by the name of David Norris, who recently crosses paths with an intriguing and spontaneous young lady named Elise Sellas. Striking a cord during their first meeting, Norris makes it his main focus in life to find this mysterious woman, but finds that there is a great deal of opposition that wishes the two stay apart. An all knowing and quite ethereal organization threatens Norris, forcing him to try to forget about Elise and move on with his life, or face the consequences. The supernatural tone of the film is immense, but what really makes The Adjustment Bureau stand out is the amazing performances by its central cast.

Man do I love this shoe!

Adjustment Bureau! Mount up!

Matt Damon plays the role of David Norris, and conveys him with all the conviction of a starved lover being ripped from the one he cares about most. His performance is honest and strewn with comedic touches, helping the film from delving too deeply into despair from such an oppressive concept of an all knowing and controlling organization such as The Adjustment Bureau. The lighter moments are a nice touch, also presenting the film with a lot of heart, provided from the amazing chemistry that both Damon and Elise’s character have between each other.

The character of Elise is played by Emily Blunt, and what a perfect balance of naivety and unbridled confidence she brings to her role. She brings an element of uncertainty for David Norris’ character, intriguing him to the point of obsession, though in the film’s case it is love in its purist form. Both Blunt and Damon play off each other extremely well, showcasing the perfect portrayal of the cinematic soul mate. Much of the film’s effectiveness can be credited to both of their superb performances as the couple that just wouldn’t stop fighting for each other even when up against the world.

Which one of us is in the wrong bathroom?

This city just looks depressing.

The film also does a commendable job of building up the mystery of the story. The introductions to the agents of the Adjustment Bureau are vague at best, leaving us quite in the dark on their intentions. Even when they are describing themselves and what they do, they never give out a clear answer or reasoning on how they came to be. I really loved the approach of not letting the audience in on all the secrets and leaving it to the viewer’s mind to fill in the blanks, or possibly hypothesize where the group truly originates from.

What is most interesting about this angle of approach by the filmmakers is that it sets up a rather stark duality within the narrative. There’s a great science fiction element of the story that is juxtaposed against a plethora of religious overtones, making the viewer guess if the existence of the Adjustment Bureau and its employees are an extraterrestrial presence or if there is a more divine and angelic representation of the groups creation. It’s quite a large and expansive breadth of conceptual quandaries, but I believe that the film balanced the array of possibilities for the group’s existence perfectly.

They've found the cure for baldness!

The Adjustment Bureau doing some adjusting.

What’s great about the ambiguity of the bureau’s presence is the result of these two separate and wholly different outcomes. Are they aliens, are they angels, or are they something else entirely. No matter which way you lean on the angelic or extraterrestrial forefront, each side is as captivating as the other. To the filmmakers’ credit, they really don’t slant either way on the issue, giving representation to both sides of the coin while at the same time allowing for the audience to come up with their own opinions. It’s absolutely brilliant and pays off even more in multiple viewings.

Another great aspect that comes to light out of this is the historical significance that the Adjustment Bureau has had over the human civilization. In one lengthy and informative speech by agent Thompson, played by veteran actor Terence Stamp, we find out that the bureau has had there hand in a good majority of man’s pivotal advancements and utter failures. One of the greatest examples of this is the description of the Dark Ages, which was said to have resulted with the bureau giving back man its freedom of choice. We had squandered it and lived our lives foolishly resulting in a culture crash that sent the human race into chaos, which then affectively forced the bureau to take back our free will.

Thompson also mentions the last time the bureau gave us a freedom of choice, which avalanched into the Cuban Missile Crisis. From then on the bureau has been exclusively controlling the progress of the human race. It’s a morbid theory across all boards, but one that is so creative and genuinely mind boggling that you can’t help but place it as fact within this cinema world.

Couldn't we have taken a less shitty route?

I can see up your nose Matt Damon.

With the rich back story aside, the film moves at a brisk pace rushing from one scene to the next, often skipping over years as it tells its expansive story. Initially it’s jarring to realize that you’ve missed out on literally years of the main characters lives, but I think it stresses the fact that no matter how much time has passed, the Adjustment Bureau is an almost eternal thing, able to construct these plans for individuals over lifetimes. It’s humbling to think about in the context of the film world, but very effective in the long run.

Reflecting the fast paced movement of the years flying by, Damon’s character is often running at break neck speed, blasting into the next set piece. There’s a rather effective sequence of events that have the character of David Norris, evading a group of agents while undercover as one of them. Being able to travel through secret portals that lie hidden within our own doorways, Norris crisscrosses throughout Manhattan in order to reconnect with Elise and thwart the bureau’s ever watchful gaze on their star crossed romance.

The sequence is trippy, mimicking shades of Inception, by mixing reality with a false perspective that makes us question what is real and what is manipulated to serve the bureau. It’s expertly pulled off and makes for one hell of a high octane and tense filled final moment. 

You didn't blow it up! Ahhh! Damn you! God damn you all to hell!

Matt and Emily wonder what the hell is going on?

The Adjustment Bureau is a mind bending and cinematic altering smorgasbord of goodness, providing a stellar cast with an outstanding story of love, faith, and fate. The dueling elements of the Bureau’s origins adds a much needed spice to the proceedings and adds another layer to the film that greatly expands the breadth of the film’s history.

The direction moved at a brisk pace, never faltering or taking a false step, providing a film that really can sweep you away if you let it. If you’re looking for a science fiction film deals a heavy blow of romance and intrigue, then look no further. It’s been labeled a chick flick sci-fi film, but damned if it’s not the best chick flick sci-fi film out there. Adjust your preconceptions and check it out.

 5 out of 5 stars              Sci-Fi Romance At Its Finest!

Mario Bava Week!

Hey everyone. Andrea Perez, over at Awesome Network, was nice enough to let me know about a neat little event that they have going on.

It's Mario Bava week all this week, featuring some of his greatest work like Danger: Diabolik!, Kill, Baby Kill, The Whip and the Body, Hercules in the Haunted World, and Planet Vampires.

They're also showing some other interesting stuff like a documentary on The Swinging Lust World of John Philip Law, The Many Faces of Christopher Lee, and Mario Bava, Master of the Macabre... and tons more.

Here's the full schedule:

Monday: Danger: Diabolik!, Doc - The Swinging Lust World of John Philip Law, Diabolik cartoon

Tuesday: Hercules in the Haunted World, Doc - The many Faces of Christopher Lee,

Wednesday: Kill, Baby Kill (1966), Doc - Mario Bava, Master of The Macabre,

Thursday: Movie - The Whip and the Body (1963), DOC - Eurotica: Italian Horror, Collection - Car Chases from 70s italian cinema

Friday: Rabid Dogs(1974), Planet of The Vampires (1964), Trailer Trash - The Films of Mario Bava, DOC - Death Walks at Midnight and the Giallo Genre, Doc - Ennio Morricone: La Musica Parla (The Music Talks)


Looks like a Bava-riffic week, so head on over to Network Awesome for the awesome goods.

Network Awesome

REVIEW: Highschool of the Dead

Highschool of the Dead
Director: Tetsuro Araki
Year 2011

Highschool of the Dead is a wild and sometimes inappropriate ride through the bloody mayhem that is the zombie apocalypse. This beautiful and violent anime follows a small group of high school students as they attempt to survive the ravenous onslaught of the flesh-eating undead, while at the same time struggling through their teenage angst that often serves to be the real threat at hand. Having wished for years for a zombie anime to come into existence, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the wait was more then worth it. Let's dive into this insane bloodbath of a series.

Cheer up Takashi. At least you're surrounded by hot and frequently naked chicks.

Lying down on the job? Get up you lazy ass zombie!

To say that this anime series has a multiple personality disorder would be a tremendous understatement. The tempo, nature, and mindset of Highschool of the Dead is schizophrenic at best, changing from foreboding doom filled moments to playful sex comedy romps in mere split seconds. It's a challenge to keep up with the ever changing pace and seizure inducing imagery, but miraculously the director is able to contain the madness of it all and make something completely coherent and simplistically natural out of it.

Tetsuro Araki depicts a world where its inhabitants are stuck in fast forward and able to change moods in an instant. It's frightening the amount of mood swings that can happen to a single character in a matter of seconds, but extremely entertaining to see that it comes off as a routine act in this animated world. I love the energy that this charged approach creates and it comes at you in waves, relenting not on the melodramatic moments, but mimicking what a crazy person might feel when on PCP and horned up.

The technique is a force to be reckoned with and of course it's no stranger to the anime world. In most aspects it's a patented trademark of the genre, but with Highschool of the Dead it feels more dynamic and unpredictable because of the morbid inclusion of the zombie army. In a nut shell, it's like watching George A. Romero's dead series on speed with teenagers thrown into the mix. It's bat shit crazy.

How the hell did you not get any blood on you?!?!

School's out FOR......EVER!

George Romero would be proud too, because these zombies are the good old fashion slow moving brutes that they should be. They're decomposing masses of flesh with one mind set, to devour the living. This is frighteningly realized throughout the series, as we are witness to some very graphic maulings and an overabundance of lacerated flesh being torn from the living, courtesy of the walking dead. It appears that the creators of the Manga, that this series was based off of, had a great deal of love in their hearts for Romero's point of view on the zombie apocalypse.

They even carried over most of the rules that he set in stone when creating the original Night of the Living Dead. If nothing else, Highschool of the Dead could be considered a love letter to Romero and all that he has given to the genre. Like the Japanese video game Biohazard, retitled Resident Evil in the United States, both seem to have an affectionate respect and passion for Romero's work in the horror world and I for one share that same passion and applaud them for it.

The gang prepares to kick some zombie ass.

You seem to have sprung a leak young lady.

Now Highschool of the Dead isn't a carbon copy of Romero's work, far from it. What they've generated here is something of a special blend that on paper would seem pretty damn ridiculous. Hell it's pretty ridiculous in motion too. The filmmakers combined the blood soaking action of a zombie film, with the inherently guilty pleasure aspect of a teen comedy, but with the most scantily clad and busty women the world has ever seen.

Many people claim that the fan service, or the catering to the naked anime fan fanatics, is what kills the series as a whole, but I would have to disagree with those folks. Of course it is unneeded and I would have loved to see a strictly serious approach to the material, but I think that it actually adds a bit of fun into the mix that makes the series unique and memorable. Who cares that women are all ridiculously over endowed and that they jiggle like a bowl of Jello that has been shaken like a toddler by an enraged british nanny. It's ridiculous and the filmmakers know it, but it also reflects the hyper realistic nature of the anime.

We have to remember that the main focus of this series is seen through the eyes of the young high school students as they deal with the zombie outbreak and their social relations with each other. These are over dramatic, overly stimulated, and sex crazed kids. The ADD spastic nature of the series is reflected and jacked up to outrageous levels because of this, but for me it works. It adds a charm that's as contagious as a zombie bite and I really couldn't imagine the show without it. The mixture of comedy and horror is brilliant, making for a unique genre bender that splits your sides and spills your stomach.

Takashi says BRING IT ON!

You wouldn't know it from this picture, but there's one hell of a naked party going on in there.

With all of the controversy and disagreement over whether the series is brilliant or trash, both sides have to agree that this is one beautiful looking creation. A lot of detail and care was put into this production and it shows. The scenery shots of a dilapidated and dying cityscapes, scorched with the blood of its citizens and smoked out by the fires that consume it, is just breathtakingly depicted. The mood and atmosphere of this series is just top notch, bringing on some heavy weight to the overall look of the animated world and reflecting that dire framework that is so essential to recreating a zombie apocalypse.

The mixture of beauty with the ugly characteristics of death is almost poetic in its presentation, while the more fanciful and playful segments are streamed with a bubblegum tint that wholly contrasts the previous mentioned content. The balance is night and day, but astonishingly it never jarred me into thinking I was watching two separate stories, one light hearted and one dark and demented. The combination, just like all of the elements of this series, is kinetic and brutal, masking the stark differences in tone and relying on its hyper nature to bridge the two in this stylized world of high emotions and bat shit crazy moments.

Whodini was right. The freaks do come out at night.

What beautiful and bloody adventures will they have next?

Highschool of the Dead is an amazingly super charged experience that cranks up the volume on the zombie apocalypse scene. The imagery is sleek and savage, never letting up from its relentless barrage of visual delights. The fan service might be a tad bit over the top and abundant, but I think the sleaziness actually adds to the appeal of the show and mimics the energy of the entire production. I love the fact that they've turned the clock back, so to speak, on the zombie lore, aiming for a more Romero-esque approach to the zombies. I also loved the amount of gore and blood that was splattered across the screen.

I really couldn't recommend this series enough to anyone who loves the zombie genre as much as I do. There's enough respect for the inspirational source material of zombie flicks from years past and enough added flavor to cover the screen in crimson goodness, that Highschool of the Dead sits high on my list of zombie creations that really peak my interests and entertain the hell out of me. Check it out for the amazing zombie moments alone.

5 out of 5 stars     The Perverted Zombie Apocalypse on Speed!

MY FILM: Among the Fallen Showing

Hey everyone. I just received some great news that my film will be playing at the Cinema Wasteland Show this October. This will be the film's first introduction to the public, so I'm pretty excited and kind of nervous seeing that it's just a little over a month away.

Among the Fallen is scheduled to run Saturday October 1st at 2:00 pm., so if you're in the Cleveland area or feel like making the trek to one hell of a Horror-Fest, then mark your calendars. There's tons of stuff to do and other great films to check out, so stop on by. Hopefully, I'll see some of you there and get a chance to hear your reactions on the film. Can't wait!

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