mazmik1212
Lifetime Total
1+
IMDb Member
17 years
Reviews
The Zombie Diaries (2006)
Not your average Zombie Movie - Indie film making at it's best.
This has got to be my Favorite Zombie movie.
This Story has all that you would expect from the best films in this genre but it also has reasons,motives,feelings and passions that have so far been missing from all the previous zombie films i've seen.
As it's title suggests, this film has a gritty journalistic video diary nature to it and as such most of the camera work is hand held throughout the movie, this adds masses to it's atmosphere and realism, the deserted street scenes are eerie and un-nerving and the soundtrack is simple and yet very effective which helps to build the suspense and tension.
The film has been directed in an unusual style as it seems that the cast were given a lot more freedom to ad lib than normal and the cast themselves did most of the camera work which allowed them a little more artistic licence, this works very well with this style of film and with the fact that the cast sometimes didn't know what was going to happen next, they gave some very realistic performances.
The sight of a well known actor within an indie film is not totally unheard of and i am sure most UK viewers of this film will recognise Leonard Fenton as Bill from his portrayal of Dr Legg in Eastenders.
The film has some great zombie makeup and gory stomach turning effects that are not to be missed and the DVD is capped off with extras like 'Until the light goes out'- The making of The Zombie Diaries, Deleted scenes, Trailer, and Director & Cast commentary's.
The whole cast worked really well together and gave sterling performances, but Sophia Ellis, Anna Blades, Alison Mollon and Craig Stovin deserve special recognition.
So finally ... If you are in the market for watching an outstanding Zombie movie with thought, intellect and masses of gore ... you will have to go a very long way to better 'The Zombie Diaries'.
This Story has all that you would expect from the best films in this genre but it also has reasons,motives,feelings and passions that have so far been missing from all the previous zombie films i've seen.
As it's title suggests, this film has a gritty journalistic video diary nature to it and as such most of the camera work is hand held throughout the movie, this adds masses to it's atmosphere and realism, the deserted street scenes are eerie and un-nerving and the soundtrack is simple and yet very effective which helps to build the suspense and tension.
The film has been directed in an unusual style as it seems that the cast were given a lot more freedom to ad lib than normal and the cast themselves did most of the camera work which allowed them a little more artistic licence, this works very well with this style of film and with the fact that the cast sometimes didn't know what was going to happen next, they gave some very realistic performances.
The sight of a well known actor within an indie film is not totally unheard of and i am sure most UK viewers of this film will recognise Leonard Fenton as Bill from his portrayal of Dr Legg in Eastenders.
The film has some great zombie makeup and gory stomach turning effects that are not to be missed and the DVD is capped off with extras like 'Until the light goes out'- The making of The Zombie Diaries, Deleted scenes, Trailer, and Director & Cast commentary's.
The whole cast worked really well together and gave sterling performances, but Sophia Ellis, Anna Blades, Alison Mollon and Craig Stovin deserve special recognition.
So finally ... If you are in the market for watching an outstanding Zombie movie with thought, intellect and masses of gore ... you will have to go a very long way to better 'The Zombie Diaries'.
Escape Into Night (1972)
The scariest 'kids' TV programme !
The somewhat fusty memories of this programme still gives me the jitters, it scared me silly, I had quite a vivid imagination as a child and everything was thrown into turmoil when i watched this chilling masterpiece, ( I didn't want to look out of my window at night), What scared me so much about Escape into night? ... THE STONES... they were seriously evil, and you can guess that many nightmares followed, A classic 'KIDS' TV programme from when they had to rely on the story and not the effects to keep the audience glued to the box. If you thought doctor who was scary, (and it was), this was 100% more creepy... having said that ... I wish it was on DVD so i could watch it again, I have recently purchased children of the stones on DVD and that was fairly creepy too. come on independent television, Cash in on an old favourite while you can. p.s. The ORIGINAL book is still available MARIANNE DREAMS by CATHERINE STORR, published by FABER & FABER, ISBN 978-0-571-20212-6
Sleep Always (2002)
A beautifully written drama / fantasy film following a man with a disturbing obsession.
SLEEP ALWAYS is the brain child of Canadian Writers / Directors Rick Palidwor and Mitch Perkins. This is a dark but visually stunning film with a mesmerising story which totally captivated me from the first violent and unstable frames to the last of the end credits, This is the thought provoking story of Frank, (Fred Spek) and his obsession with an enigmatic and beautiful young woman Nada, (Laurie Maher) and tells his story as he fantasises and dreams of her, then finally he gets his wish and meets up with her, but she is keeping one step ahead.
This film works on different levels, not least because of the dynamic storyline and use of fantastic atmospheric lighting, creative camera angles and thoughtful and sometimes haunting sound and music but also because of the knowledge that this masterpiece was shot on the same gauge of film as was used by tens of thousands of people across the world during the 1970's + 80's to film their own home movies of holidays, birthdays, and weddings etc,(Super 8mm).
From the outset you can see that this film has been made with a passion that is sadly lacking in much of the film making world today. I take my hat off to all who was involved in this project and hope this film attains the recognition it deserves. For more info or to obtain a copy of this film go to the friendly fire films website.
Frank - Fred Spek, Nada - Laurie Maher,(she was also a Foley artist and did a painting for the film set), Neighbour - Ed Fielding, This was Filmed, Edited, Written and Directed by Rick Palidwor and Mitch Perkins.
This film works on different levels, not least because of the dynamic storyline and use of fantastic atmospheric lighting, creative camera angles and thoughtful and sometimes haunting sound and music but also because of the knowledge that this masterpiece was shot on the same gauge of film as was used by tens of thousands of people across the world during the 1970's + 80's to film their own home movies of holidays, birthdays, and weddings etc,(Super 8mm).
From the outset you can see that this film has been made with a passion that is sadly lacking in much of the film making world today. I take my hat off to all who was involved in this project and hope this film attains the recognition it deserves. For more info or to obtain a copy of this film go to the friendly fire films website.
Frank - Fred Spek, Nada - Laurie Maher,(she was also a Foley artist and did a painting for the film set), Neighbour - Ed Fielding, This was Filmed, Edited, Written and Directed by Rick Palidwor and Mitch Perkins.