Niall's Ghoulish Viewing Log

niallon

Well, have one to kick start this now!

A Nightmare On Elm Street 2010

Not much needs to be said about this rehash that hasn't been said already. It was pointless to begin with and remains pointless still. Outside of the Halloween series, the NOES series is the only one I've seen all of the sequels/spin offs to and I've loved (nearly) every one of them. So to see them butcher the original here is just painful. I won't go into too much detail (it's take up about two pages!) so let me just point out my fundamental flaws with this film:

Kris' death was an embarrissingly bad throw back to the original, taking a scene so chilling and effective and turning it into one that the entire cinema, even myself, laughed our heads off at.

Same again goes for Freddie leering out from Nancy's wall, CGI does not equal greater effectiveness.

Freddie's make up may be more realistic but as a result, Jackie Earle Haley's performance is entirely lost under restrictive prosthetics. Too bad, he seemed on flying form.

Unnecessary plot changes and over complications. He's the bastard son of a thousand maniacs, he kills kids in their sleep. End of. Get rid of this pre-school bull****.

I would've loved for this to take the same route as Rob Zombie's Halloween, kick start the film with a Freddie prologue. Instead it just ****s all over the NOES name.

niallon

Freddy VS Jason
Many many years in developement hell, finally released to very low expectations and, though I'm sure it met many of the lower end, to me it was a perfectly thought out execution of a frankly ludicrous consept. As the AVP franchise has shown us, movie crossovers aren't the easy affairs comic book ones tend to be and Freddy VS Jason blends the perfect amount of self reference and tongu in cheek humour from Freddy's side with the cold blooded chills of the Friday series. Not perfect in the horror world by any stretch but still a tough standing entry into both franchises.

7/10

niallon

Rob Zombie's Halloween 2

God forgive me, I watched it. I have subsequently discovered that the version I watched was the Director's Cut and just like Zombie's first effort, I'm torn between two versions. He's done a great job continuing his vision IMO but there's some additions in his cut that are wholly unnecessarily. All in all I actually quite enjoyed this but felt that Zombie is still maturing and Devil's Rejects aside is yet to produce a theatrical product that really knows what it is doing, still a bit muddled.

7/10

niallon

The Crazies (Remake)

I'll begin by saying that which is most important, I am not a Romero fan. The first four Dead films sure but outside of that only Creepshow has held my interest, Romero's other output didn't do much for me. Therefore I watched the remake of The Crazies without any fondness for the original and I absolutely loved it. What really did it for me, and it is an element from the original too, is how you aren't dealing with a zombie film yet think you are. Thanks to the Dawn remake, 28 Days Later... and more, the crazies themselves move like zombies and provide all the jump scares that zombies do but then you find yourself remembering, no, this isn't a zombie movie. I liked how this made the film slide into it's own little sub genre. Performances wise you can't go wrong with Timothy Olyphant, I'd watch the guy, and indeed pretty much have, in anything.

In all I found this quite enjoyable compared to some other terrible remakes that have come about and it's quite a large step maturity wise above most of the mainstream horror output lately.

7/10

niallon

Rogue

Darko's review of this prompted me to rewatch it and whilst I still enjoy as a well made creature feature without the parody, I still have the same persistent problem with it, that the third act is nearly a fourth and entirely ruins the film for me as it already has a perfectly good third act

When Rahda Mitchell get's taken, ending the film on that shot of the blood stained water would have done it for me, a bit of filler earlier on would have been required for an adequate running time however

Apart from this issue though it's a solid piece and though I could've done without, the final act does contain some great moments of tension.

6/10

niallon

Triangle

Another Darko inspired viewing. I will say no more but agree, an extremely rewarding film which, for someone like me who is finding it hard to get time to watch anything these days, will leave you feeling extremely satisfied that you invested the time in it. What especially pleases me is that the convoluted and intriguing plot is not altogether and entirely original but is by far the best execution of it's style I have ever seen.

9/10

niallon

Frankenfish

Another film Darko's words directed me toward if I remember correctly, I'll try review an original choice next!

This is an odd one. I found myself enjoying this one quite a lot for the first hour and the best way I can describe it is Tremors on a river. It does a great job of being a creature feature with some fresh ideas and had me hooked (pun intended!) but in the final 20 minutes or so there's a turn involving the introduction of some new faces to our bunch of survivors which, thought not unexpected or set up earlier, rushed things toward an ending too much for me. I realise this is my second complaint about suspect final acts but belive me, I've enjoyed some but this one, once again, just slightly dogged my enjoyment of the film.

6/10

niallon

Dolan's Cadillac

Maybe not technically a horror but it is based on a Stephen King story and in essence, the plot is centered around a horrific premise really.

First of all, I loved Dolan's Cadillac when I read it. It was definitely one of the standouts of Nightmare's and Dreamscapes and the one I always thought could have made a cracking film. For those of you who enjoyed the story, I imagine the film will do nicely for you. Apart from the obligatory Hollywood tinkering to some of the visual aspects of the characters and film's lack of ability to convey unspoken character intentions, it is a fairly faithful adaptation.

However, after I watched it I revisited the story and found myself looking at this film as a bit of a waste of great source material. A huge problem is Wes Bentley who, IMO, cannot act to save his life. Even if the script had been written correctly to incorporate it, he is not an actor with the proper skills to convey the true madness and obsession of the protagonist. This coupled with a slightly rushed pace to the story progression will leave you feeling that with another half hour on the running time, and indeed a good half hour of filler removed, they could have achieved a film that followed the original story in a much more faithful and, in this instance, satisfying fashion.

I hate to take marks off an adaptation for not being faithful to the original work as I believe some deviation from the plot is necessary in most cases but on close inspection, the unfaithfulness of Dolan's Cadillac serves as its weak point and for that reason:

6/10

niallon

Laid To Rest

Not a Darko recommendation...a nedtheshed one! Ned described Laid To Rest as ideal for fans of old school slashers and that's exactly what it is. It's not a modern slasher that tries to recreate (badly) the classic seventies style of such flicks as Halloween. Instead it retains some of the key ingredients of character and story that made those classics so great and surrounds them in the tech and visuals on offer today. What this means is a film that can hold a candle to the classics whilst looking as shmexy as the glossy future flicks graccing our cinemas, especially on the FX front.

It loses marks for me however in the direction. For all it achieves, it does have pacing issues and at times it is clear some of the cast are not receiving the direction they should be. Upon discovering that Hall has a background in FX this all made sense to me. He knows how to put the goods up on screen and he knows basic film structure but still has a little learning in the neighbourhood of directing actors and pacing a production.

7/10

niallon

The Human Centipede (First Sequence)

Eughhh...cannot really think of many other words to describe my experience of viewing this film. Much has been made of Tom Six and his deplorable horror involving three unfortunates being sewn together end to end to make the afformentioned human centipede. Unfortunately however, as with most films of this nature, the hype has greatly exceeded the product. Six has an intriguingly sickening concept that is not explored at all apart from the procedure itself. He has a lead actor in Dieter Laser who after this film alone I would gladly put up with the nastiest of on-screen baddies yet underuses him horrifically. Then there is the plot...well really this is Snakes On A Plane by another name and only needed to provide it's centrepiece but really, a little point to the film would've been nice too.

5/10

niallon

Boobs 3D

Ok ok, it's actually Piranha 3D but I've taken to calling it Boobs 3D as I think it's a more suitable title! Basically, anyone going into this film with any real expectations took a wrong turn in the lobby. We all know what it is and that is pastiche shlock and roll á la Snakes On A Plane. Only thing is, like SOAP, I walked out afterwards thinking oppurtunities had been missed. If a film is supposed to be taking the piss from start to finish then why did I find so many semi serious moments in it? Why wasn't Christopher Lloyd muttering "Great Scott!" at the sight of the prehistoric predator in his fish tank? Why was Richard Dreyfuss

playing Matt Boyd, why not Matt Hooper or if copyright was an issue, Matt Quint, Matt Brody? Why didn't he at any stage say anything about a bigger boat? Yeah sure he was wearing Hooper's outfit, drinking his beer and singing "Show Me The Way To Go Home" but why not push it that extra mile?

My general problems with Piranha are just that, there was oppurtunities to really shove it in the face of the Hollywood machine but instead there are puns and piss takes akin to the Apatow stable and gore levels that, though the most elaborate I have ever seen, really can sit side by side with the Saws and Hostels.

Basically, I thought Piranha really could've been something great for what it was. Instead it was only good unfortunately.

7/10 (Would've been 6 only for the fact that it's still one of the best things I've seen in the cinema this lacklustre year)

niallon

The Last Exorcism

Em...did I miss something? "Scariest film of the year" I believe one of the blurbs read. Stan Helsing is scarier, on every level. The Last Exorcism is as Spooky points out, another(!) reality horror but I'll say I welcomed it here, I've seen enough exorcism films to want to see something different and I like the spin. But once the setup is complete, the film just dies. As it plods along at its slow down pace you are just waiting for the explosive pea soup finale and just as it is presented to us,

the cameraman does a runner!!!!!

Also, many over on IMDB are complaining about something that sounds silly

(The trailer and poster show Nell crawling along the walls but when you see the film you realise these shots have been flipped in the trailer}

. This might seem like a silly complaint but its a huge problem with the film, the advertising leads you to believe you are about to see a film about balls to the wall possession but instead you get The Exorcist crossed with Jeremy Kyle. Actually, that sounds terrifying!

4/10 (F**king generous!)

niallon

Devil

First off, Shymalan rightly causes anxiety in people. But this is not his film. Nor did it need any involvement from him. I can safely say that Shymalan is barely noticeable as a contributor to this. That outta the way, Devil is a really good spook story. There's a majorly straight forward feeling to the proceedings but that was really all I wanted. It is a superbly executed version of an extremely simple premise. One badly presented twist aside, it's well worth a watch.

7/10

niallon

Evil Dead 2

Just saw this in Screen tonight, reminded me of what a cracking series of films they are. ED 2 is the one I tend to watch start to finish the least (too many great 'skip to' moments) and it was great to be forced to watch it in full and realise the innovation and craft Raimi displayed in what is really one of the greatest films to come out of the eighties!

10/10

niallon

Halloween

Had the pleasure of seeing this one the big screen on Friday night as part of Screen Cinema's Monster Mash. Whilst I'm delighted to finally be able to tick this off the bucket list and the film is still incredible, I could not believe the reaction this got in the cinema.

Many of the audience laughed their way through some of the most chilling scenes in the film

(Michael sitting up behind Laurie, Michael appearing outside of windows etc.)

and it really showed how much the last 20 years of slashers not to mention the spoofs too have destroyed the effect of the masked killer.

Great night but very disheartening

10/10

niallon

The Walking Dead - E01 Days Gone By

Finally this series has landed. For those not familiar with Kirkman's graphci novel it is a continuing series following survivors of a zombie outbreak. What is most interesting is that the continuing series aspect allows for The Walking Dead to burn much slower than most zombie films. This is the same for the TV series.

Produced by Frank Darabont and Gale Ann Hurd this was always going to be epic and the pilot, directed by Darabont, is absolutely fantastic. I contemplated re-reading the series before watching this but I'm glad I didn't as Darabont has made some changes I may have been too defensive of otherwise. The changes I noticed are for the better (quite simply, as always what works in a comic doesn't on screen) but Darabont does retain the excrutiatingly slow progression of the comics and it works wonderfully! Can't wait for the next one!

10/10

niallon

Halloween 2 (1981)

Inevitable that I'd go through the series after last weeks screening! Halloween 2 for me is the quintessential example of "film that could have been". It really is a shame that John Carpenter wouldn't stay on in full capacity for the film as it really could have been one of the greatest double bill of horror movies ever. As it is unfortunately Rick Rosenthal made a half competent film (though he claims Carpenter's controlling behaviour caused this, explain Resurrection then Rick) and Carpenter then tried to polish a turd. As a result of Carpenter having some involvement it is saved from being the worst entry in the series but it still could've been so much more.

6/10

Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers

Yup, skipped the third, for obvious reasons! Halloween 4 is an interesting beast. In the general sense, it began the extremities that ruined the latter sequels (Michael's superpowers, Michael's completely OTT elaborate kills, worse and worse protaganists, Ms. Harris aside) but on the other hand it is the only one of the sequels to still hold on to at least a few of the core foundations. The soundtrack is still in its most effective original arrangement, the mask, albeit badly shaped, is still the ghostly white it should be and plot wise it is essentially the first film rehashed. In all it holds on the look and feel of the first two films quite well and with a bigger budget is effective enough to surpass the first sequel.

7/10

Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers

Oh dear. After Halloween 4 seems to get things back on track, this one comes along to s**t all over it. Directed by French director Girard, he has certain ideas in mind with regard to style and flair that could not suit the Halloween series in a million years. the Myers house is now a gothic mansion that wouldn't be out of place in The Addams Family, the soundtrack is littered with ghastly "oohs and aahs" and don't get me started on the Laurel and Hardy cops.

Special mention goes out to Wendy Kaplan as Tina too. Thank you for providing us with by far the worst Scream Queen ever seen on film.

2/10 (the 2 because as bad as it is it's still Myers killing folk and therefore still entertaining!)

niallon

Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers

Yup, got as far as the sixth one! Being in posession of the Producer's Cut and that being the version I've watched so much, I decided to go with the Theatrical and regretted it. This is by no means the worst sequel (see above) but the comparison of what could have been up against what was is painful. As with Halloween 2 it is just disappointing that the film fails due to behind the scenes bull****. The script was there, the cast was (mostly) there. Even the mask was a bit badass again...but no, co-operation was non-existent.

5/10

niallon

Just realised I never finished reviewing the entire The Walking Dead series!

SPOILERS BELOW!!!

The Walking Dead S01E02 - Guts

Another solid entry in the series but chances of the new material added causing more harm than good become evident. Casting Michael Rooker was one of the most exciting moves made when this show was in production but to then find that his character is a redneck, racist hick (Really? Race is still important in the middle of a zombie holocaust?) is a little disappointing. The episode in general is quite good and the moments where it is adhering to the comic are spine tinglingly well recreated.

8/10

The Walking Dead S01E03 - Tell It To The Frogs

A far more all round solid entry to the series after a little uncertainty in "Guts", Tell It To The Frogs shows how superior Darabont is to the already bloody great Kirkman at showing fully how humans are the real problem in the zombie genre. The scene where Shane lets loose is incredibly powerful and brings a grim prophecy of the dark days awaiting the survivors

9/10

The Walking Dead S01E04 - Vatos

This episode presents the first overall departure from the source material by Darabont and company. Rick and some others venture back into Atlanta and run into some resistance which turns out to be more than just a hostile pocket of survivors. Back at the camp, a horde attacks before Rick and the rest return with firepower.

Firstly, the side story of the gang in Atlanta looking after the elderly seems to have drawn a lot of plaudits from critics who feel it is a great inclusion of a scenario that few writers would ever even think of including. I disagree slightly. Whilst I agree that not many could have conjured up this idea, I don't agree that it was a great one. The first season seems to be committed to smashing it in the viewer's face that the world really is as ****ed as can be. And this is great. But the comic managed to do it much more simply yet with the same impact. I dunno, maybe it's just me but I feel there was more could have been done in this territory to reach a satisfying and effective scenario without the "They abandoned the old ones!" bluntness.

As for the horde's attack, well it's been too long coming! Full on roamer feast! This was a great moment for the series, helping cement down just how much they intend to push the envelope.

6/10 (7 for the roamers!)

The Walking Dead S01E05 - Wildfire

With a bit more zombie action this would easily be one of my favourite episodes of the series. "Wildfire" is one of those episodes where nothing happens but on the same hand, everything happens. Jim is turning, Rick is assuming proper leadership, the camp is shaken by the horde the night before. Things are starting to get moving. But what, Rick is talking about a CDC centre? WTF?!?! Better listen carefully next week.

9/10

The Walking Dead S01E06 - TS-19

A near second place behind "Wildfire" for favourite episode except for one flaw: great episode, not so great finale. "TS-19" has our survivors reach a CDC base, yet another new concept seperate from the comics.

It's clear to see where Darabont was going with the introduction of the CDC, it helps speed along the narrative and get some questions answered. Also, Noah Emmerich! The man owns every scene he's in and if there's one other gripe to be had with this episode it's that this is his only one! Anyways, what makes this a bad finale is two fold. For fans of the original comic, we're left completely out of kilter. Whilst some may like the element of surprise, I don't. You see, I'm ok that Hershel's farm hasn't cropped up in Season 1. Or any other key moments from early in the comics. The reason I'm ok with it is that I can assume that they are on the way. But when the series ends on a non comic moment, everything goes out the window and that worries me.

Also for non readers of the comic, this could actually seem like a very final conclusion. They tried CDC, CDC failed, on the road, this is our life now. Many of the comics ended like that but when you knew there was a guaranteed follow up it was fine. For a series that was about to go on a near one year break, I feel it was a bad ending.

7/10

In all, The Walking Dead is a series I would highly recommend to all horror fans but if it weren't for the second series having been confirmed I may have had different views.

niallon

Thought I'd give my feelings on The Walking Dead Season 2 now that it has finished, lots to vent both good and bad! SPOILERS GALORE!!!

The Walking Dead S02E01 - What Lies Ahead
The Walking Dead's first season was good, no doubt, but what exactly could be achieved in six episodes? There was much potential to move too slow or too fast, depending on how it was handled. In the end, thing were a little of both but maybe leaning more to the slow. Season 2 kick starts with an episode that looks to fix that (though we soon find out this isn't the case). What Lies Ahead starts with a nice monologue from Rick, sort of a previously on The Walking Dead bit, and then somewhat gets straight to it. The herd, fantastic! Sophia running away, annoying but lead to some cool moments from Rick. The church, very nice! And Andrea and Shane's plotting was a nice detour once again from the comics. Then the episode concluded with one of the comic's first WTF moments, Carl is shot by Otis. All in all, a great season opener in my opinion.

10/10

The Walking Dead S02E02 - Bloodletting
From one great episode to another solid. Bloodletting kept the impression up that this series would progress at a rate of knots. Rick is introduced to Hershel who gets to work on Carl. Meanwhile Shane and Otil get sent on suicide mission for medical supplies so as for us to get our walker fix. Also T-Dog says his last meaningful dialogue of the series as he foreshadows the splitting of the group with Dale. All in all a solid episode if not fantastic, but it kept the pace going, having our characters arrive and establish on the farm by episode 2.

7/10

The Walking Dead S02E03 - Save The Last One
Wow, there's the punch that the comics are so famous for. Episode 3 found the series really hit a good note, with the tension and drama over Carl continuing on the farm, Daryll getting the most fleshing out we had seen so far (and how cool and grim was the dude hanging in the forest? the more of these tidbits added that Kirkman didn't think of the better I say!) and then there was the massive WTF, Shane taking out Otis in order to return to the farm. The bookending of the episode with Shane shaving his head really was a simple but brilliant choice, giving a great sense of impending bad news, somehow! By far the series best episode at this point.

10/10

The Walking Dead S02E04 - Cherokee Rose
Well you can't have it all. Cherokee Rose marks the first of what I like to think of as the "Slump Trilogy" in season 2. From here we have three episodes where, well, nothing really happens and it has transpired since that these were the last episodes of Darabont's tenure and this was his desire. Sorry Frank, you're a God of film but clearly don't realise that slow burn only works so far on TV. Cherokee Rose covers Daryll more so than anybody and were it not for him being a primary focus it would have been one of the worst episodes of any series ever aired, full stop. And then there's the most gratuitous inclusion of a walker ever seen with the farce at the well. As usual the effects work was great and did a lot to help keep the situation afloat, but in general it was ridiculous. Maggie specifically says there is five wells, are the group THAT bored that they have to do this garbage? How about fortifying the perimeter more? You'll wish you had by the end of the season!

5/10

The Walking Dead S02E05 - Chupacabra
Were it not for the ending, this would be as bad an entry as Cherokee. Again in this episode, not a whole lot happens. Again, Daryll is the most intriguing watch and admittedly, Norman Reedus deserves full credit for mostly carrying this episode, if it had been completely focused on him it would only have been better. We do get a proper open confrontation between Shane and Rick in this episode which further down the line becomes more important so we can give Chupacabra credit for that I suppose. But the final reveal, even for those of us that knew it was coming from the comics, was beautifully done and seemed to promise more excitement to come. Well, we hoped.

6/10

The Walking Dead S02E06 - Secrets
This may not have been so bad an episode were it not for the two that preceeded it truth be told. Again, there's mostly talking to be found here, save for a great scene with Andrea and Shane taking on a bunch of walkers. The rest of this episodes achievements are minimal. Hershel reveals his reasons for hoarding the walkers. Lori confesses her affair to Rick. And the writers continue to frustrate with ridiculous character choices. Having Andrea hook up with the "bad guy" is stupid given the arc that lies ahead for her, and why the hell is Maggie being written so uptight? In the comics she is a bit hard to manage but it is because she knows the world is fcuked and is just breezing through till the end, she isn't whiny and irrational. Not a terrible episode by any stretch, but probably one that showcases some of the weaknesses that have penetrated the series best and it fails for that reason.

6/10

The Walking Dead S02E07 - Pretty Much Dead Already
Well it had to pick up eventually, and the mid season finale was the perfect way to do so. Finally, seven episodes in, the annoying Sophia arc is concluded, in fantastic and tragic style as she emerges from Hershel's barn as a walker. Brilliant, a great spin, and another stamp that the show does not follow the comics to the wire. The confrontation between Dale and Shane too serves to set the Team Shane VS Team Rick ball rolling. And we got to see Hershel's walker wrangling in action. A bad ass episode and the perfect way to leave audiences positively itching for the season to recommence.

8/10

niallon

The Walking Dead S02E08 - Nebraska
There was a risk that the series could fall back into the slump it found before the break but thankfully that wasn't the case. As noted before, it seems Darabont was the one slowing down the pace and the second half was done without him. This is pretty obvious given how much everything ticks along quickly from here one. Hershel wants to boot the group off the farm then finds himself back off the wagon and ridiculing himself for his belief about the walkers being sick. Everything just moves on and on. Then we finally see Rick turn into some form of a badass when he takes out the two stragglers trying to get in on the farm. Quickdraw, yeeeeoww! The incident with Lori however, really the obligatory dumb moment of the episode. Ridiculous really.

8/10

The Walking Dead S02E09 - Triggerfinger
Well, Lori the previous week might have been ridiculous but it did lead to a cool walker scene and I guess that forgives it somewhat. Then there's the gunfight at the OK corrall that Glenn, Hershel and Rick find themselves in. The shooter that gets taken out by Hershel and then subsequently screwed over by walkers, brilliant. Randall impaling himself and the clinical nature in which Rick got him out of his jam, awesome! This episode kick starts the directions characters are about to head and suddenly its all looking very exciting. Shane is getting slightly annoying at this stage though.

8/10

The Walking Dead S02E10 - 18 Miles Out
Until episode 12, the best of the second half by far. 18 Miles Out finds Rick and Shane bringing Daryll the stated distance from the farm to let him go to fend for himself. It has everything. For once, the dialogue and confrontation between Rick and Shane is solid and well written, not childish. The visuals of Shane watching the walker in the field, fantastic and foreboding. The walkers attack itself, brilliant and the reveal that Randall knows the farm was shot terrifically. Back on the farm, things are still a little flat and the dumb moment accolade once again goes to Lori hassling Andrea to do the washing up.....eh, what? But still there's at least something happening on the farm, with the Beth situation at least threatening something. A great episode.

9/10

The Walking Dead S02E11 - Judge, Jury, Executioner
Again, the best episode so far is getting followed by one of the series weaker ones. J,J,E is not the worst by any stretch but for me, it was a waste of a character death given how Dale went in the series. And it was so dragged out as an episode that it was hard to be anything but relieved that Dale was gotten rid of. By the end of the episode, his pontificating was getting to be like nails on a blackboard. It probably would not have been a bad idea to kill him halfway through TBH. There is suspicion that Dale went due to Jeffrey De Munn being a good friend of Darabont's and it does add up. If that is the reason it is a horrific pity because as annoying as Dale was, The Walking Dead lost one of its best actors in this episode. One good thing about his death is the fact that it looked like it was going to be a run of the mill "hold off the corpse until someone kills it for me" until BOOM, stomach ripped apart! It was wholly unexpected but fits into zombie lore nicely as traditionally zombies seem to be a case of slow but strong and though it takes them a while, once they catch you, you're fcuked! But it is telling that one of the main highlights of this episode is a physical and FX based one. Greg Nicitero has dabbled in direction plenty in the last few years and I can safely say that I have never been impressed with his work. He is one of the finest make up artists in the world, but this does not mean he can direct and this episode is further proof. I hope beyond hope he is not given an episode next season.

6/10

The Walking Dead S02E12 - Better Angels
Eh, wow. Fearing another "Trilogy" I was pleased to see the series pick itself back up again with Better Angels. the opening of Dale's funeral interspersed with the aggressive vengance taken out on the walkers was great and helped add more tragedy to Dale's death after the last episode had all but removed it. Then there is the meat of the episode, the hunt for Randall who, unbeknownst to Daryll, Glenn and Rick looking for him, has had his neck snapped by Shane. But, somehow, he's a walker! Yup, that reveal comes along finally, that its death, and not walkers, that makes more walkers! The episode concludes with one of the finest shot scenes of both seasons, that of Rick and Shane's showdown in the field. It is shot, written and acted to absolute perfection. Jon Bernthal really needs the majority of credit, he conveys Shane's madness and rage like an absolute pro. Then there's the somehow still tragic moment where Rick finally does what is necessary and kills Shane. The accolade shifts then, Lincoln putting up the serious acting chops here. Both actors in a perfect world would sweep every TV award going based on this scene alone. Then we get the nod back to Shane's original death in the comic with Carl shooting the undead Shane. Its a great moment, but followed by a greater one. The sight of all those walkers inching towards Rick and Carl genuinely had me sitting up to my TV saying Holy S**t!

10/10

The Walking Dead S02E13 - Beside The Dying Fire
Finally we get off the fcuking farm! This is one hell of a finale, one which all others should be judged by. First of all, the fall of the farm is used as an oppurtunity to remove Patricia and Jimmy, thankfully as they were going nowhere. Obviously T-Dog has plans because he would have been the obvious loss were that not the case. And how badass was Hershel standing there and not accepting the loss of the farm? I was sure he was going to be attacked it was that much of a last stand type of moment. Alas he escapes with Rick. It was really cool to have everyone regroup at the meeting point for Sophia too, really cool. Then came the episodes conclusion. Michonne!!!!!! Prison!!!!! Rick is pissed! It all just came together brilliantly and please God let this be the fashion in which season 3 carries on! Rick reveled Shane's fate and that Jenner had whispered the information about the survivors already being infected. The group starts to doubt his leadership. And he does what he should've done to begin with, tells them to clear off if they don't like it, simple as. This is exactly where the series needs to be leading into this October. Bring it on!

10/10

niallon

Wow.... Just wow.

Completely holds its own and yet has enough fan service to please. I went to see it with my cousin who is as obsessed with the original as me, and three others who didn't know it from Adam, we all enjoyed it immensely for different reasons.

What they've done more than anything is made the same "event" as the first movie but for the 21st century. The original has moments of intentional humour yes but it also has moments that were meant to be scares in 81 but are job unintentionally hilarious. This remake has modernised enough to make those moments scary again and the original moments of the film are absolutely terrifying. I believe Alvarez described this movie as "something the audience feels they shouldn't be watching" and kudos sir you have succeeded, I walked out of the cinema nearly feeling as though I had watched a snuff film.

One gripe or two.... Firstly the new look of the Deadites is a little too close to Linda Blair in the exorcist for my liking, something more close to the white eyes of the original would be better for me. Also there's far more effort made to give some plot/explanation to events in this yet there's still some extremely illogical or outlandish moments and the two don't sit well together. Some character actions seem ludicrous as they occur as fan service but as a result contradict this new "smarter" Evil Dead

Very small gripes though, by the finale of this movie I defy you to lot have your jaw Slam the floor, I thought it was so God damn well put together, especially as:
(spoiler) the whole movie had us believe David was the new Ash, same outfit and all and even though I had already read that the lead would be a female, Mia had left my mind completely. When she lost her hand I nearly did a jig!

Also the lack of substance to Emily was priceless, wasn't sure whether it was intentional at first or not but once she got to her "he's losing too much blood" line it was clear her sole purpose was the same as Ash's missus I'm the originals, to get killed simple as