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Zombacter: Center City Contagion (2020)
Decent for a low budget zombie flick
A fairly decent for a low budget zombie movie. Clearly a rather local production (as the inter textual reference to a book alludes to?). This offers enough for a zombie movie fan, but of course only for them.
Although believable characters - not too logical or coherent, a bit one-dimensional caricatures, but with clear inclinations - the script tends to be a bit hindered with a bit unclear jumpy timeline. Also some of the fight scenes are a bit unrealistic (how come people dont use the barricades for what they are for - narrowing the point of entry), but well.... Doesn't ruin it though, since the pacing is very good: the director kept things running all the time, with a sense of constant urgency, and to me it tells about good directing and/or editing.
Makeup and lights decent, although maybe some after work for the film general colour spectrum could have been done (i mean, maybe a bit softer tone - not sure if it would have effected the realism feel of it a bit). No interesting artsy camera tricks unfortunately, which might have brought extra points - camerawork basic.
The motive or "message", or point in script is not very well fleshed out, but once again the all-important pacing and speed makes up for it.
About the same level as World War Z (not logical but well paced etc.), but with way less expense. I myself hate the economic waste done with "blockbuster budgets". One does not need a big budget to make a good film, or even a decent entertainment film (this film in question definitely falling to the latter category). The difference is one of creativity - if one has low budget, one needs to have fun with the crew (it shows; and that is what makes it a collective form of art, which a movie is, just as a medieval cathedral) and/or get creative (the creativity doesn't show here, but i bet there was plenty of it in the production: surely they had to pull some strings with the local community and had to really figure how to get things done with such a low budget). This is clearly more of a "movie" than the antithesis of it - "a product".
After the Outbreak (2017)
Not a bad movie, just not a very good one
After the Outbreak offers an easy to watch movie experience. The film is slow paced. The script is very simple and realistic - people behave in a way that is within the limits of credibility, boredom brought by isolation plays a big part, also apathy brought by loss and lack of hope. (But why no barricades?) The characters are rather boring (adds a nice realism to it?), but acting is good basic acting.
I was boundlessly grateful they avoided all the stupidest cliches, like partying in a jolly manner and doing too much rambo stuff. I want to see more hiding and stupor brought by boredom in these zombie films. Action is ok, but it takes a tremendous amout of skill from editing, acting and directing: as these traits usually are not of abundance (and action looks unrealistic, boring or just incomprehensible), it is good that movie makers learn to make a virtue out of necessity.
I am not saying that the director for example would not be apt - many small tonal aspects and small details and flahes here and there show, that the director has a good eye (like the long haired guy turning towards the window..).
However, the director is to blame for one very major flaw - the movie lacks sence of space. This is usually a point of view in action films (since it is of utmost importance in making the action understandable), but ALSO in films that use isolation (and threat of siege) as a major plot device. Just a few establishing shots, please! For example the small budget film Thaw of the dead does this part better. Also camera angles could have brought more to portraying the feelings of the characters.
But, it was worth watching (albeit just for zombie fanatics). Rosen has enough talent to evolve.
The Dead Inside (2013)
A solid zombie film
This is not a masterpiece, but definately above the meridian. I was indeed positively surprised.
The script and directing work. For once, the heroes are no rambo's (i am so sick of heroes who can always perform and constantly rise to the challenge) - characters are rather realistic. Apathy, uncertainty and frustration are well depicted. Too many times they forget these.
Rather realistic action, good pacing, solid editing. Characters realistic, and the acting perfomances are ok. Acting perfomances are ok.
The movie promises little, but delivers all. Worth the watch, if u are a friend of zombie fiction.
Aylesbury Dead (2015)
Could have been better, a lot better...
Didn't expect much, but i have to say i expected a bit more. For example the flick with a similar budget profile, After the Outbreak, was a lot better.
The sound is bad at places (mumbled speech, wind hissing in the mike etc.) and the music choices are not my cup of tea. The script is unsurprising, and characters very shallow. There is very little drama - but at least there are no obnoxious characters to create unnecessary drama with erratic behaviour, like in so many zombie movies (this was a good call). But... The script has horrible very basic faux pas' - lights on durin the night in zombie apocalypse, not closing doors etc.. Personally i hate those mutation things in zombie movies (you'll know what i mean if u watch this).
The pacing works ok, but the tension is not there. The acting is certainly not good, but at least relaxed, concidering at least most of the actors are not professionals - the issue is more in the script and propably in directing the actors. Kudos for the burning building special effect.
A bad movie, but have seen worse (like the American one with Shatner in the cell in the beginning, can't remember the name). A very weak three, but easy to watch.
Black Summer (2019)
Fast paced zombie action with realistic ineptitude
I was indeed lucky i didn't notice, that this series was a spin-off of ZNation (since i am not a fan of that particular series) - had i known this, i might have passed this one. It has nothing to do with ZNation, in tone or pace - and it has none of that needless humour.
This series has no complex story arc, and they could have added to the horror with better editing and lighting (still a big plus that there were no sequences with too little lighting) at times , but all and all the general tone and pace of the series overcomes these shortcomings. The camera work is fine, and it keeps the action very understandable (the complaints about using the shaky cam too much or wrong are rather baseless in this case).
The speed of the story and continuous movement and stress without the moments of lull is a good solution. Nice pace gives not too much time to dwell on the light storyline. It is indeed an action series, without too much action (but when there is action, it is well directed), and the action being realistic (that is, failing in it's nature).
Then more about the tone. The relative realism of the series was refreshing. We rarely see the concequences of reckless driving, the dulling of the brain under stress, the collateral damage when using a firearm and in general not hitting the target under stress, the clumsiness of physical action under duress.. But this series has plenty of these. Most people somewhat fail in most things in life, hence the zombie apocalypse should be no exception. We have seen too much of the fantasy of getting by or even thriving in a zombie apocalypse. I am sure this is not just my cultural backround speaking (for the Finnish failure is somewhat appealing and yummy) when i say this exceptional "tone of realistical failing" will propably be an enjoyable experience for many. The series has almost a Nordic (or British, they also know how to appreciate failure) sense to it due to this (not in the aesthetics, though...).
In accordance with the tone, the characters are portrayed rather realistically: inadequate humans, more lacking in goodness than exceeding in evil. The characters don't dwell unrealistically on losses. A few sniffs, and bewilderment + stupor. Very nice. (The only emotion lacking to match the realistic emotional chart was self-pity.) Their actions were believeably lacking too much logic - sometimes loosing morality under panic, sometimes trying to do the right thing. What a lovable realism - usually (unlike in this series) we are presented with logical characters with clear character arcs and consistent modes of action; and people are just not like that in real world.
The dialogue is very basic, but lacks the all too typical overtly emotional excesses. It gives barely enough meat around the characters - but the characters are depicted more through subtle acting and tonal hints than the normal easiest way, dialogue. In any case, the characters are no too important in this series - it is more of depiction of humans in general than the individuals (and eventually, individuals are not that interesting in life - only human in general is intresting). The directors keep the actors (all of whom do a decent job; for once we see this kind of normal lackluster behaviour instead of the normal unnecessary drama with overreacting - nice minimalism; acting is not just about showing emotions, but also about not showing them!) in leash, and there is not too much blubbering or other kind of unrealistic acting.
This series brings to mind "28 days/weeks later" movies and the movies "What we become" and "The Night Eats the World" (doesnt live up to these masterpieces, of course, but still...), and "Dead Weight", "Plan Z", "The Dead Outside" and "The Dead Inside".
Must say, i cannot really understand the flak this series has been getting. Propably a machinated attack by the normal tender skinned haters (the content of some of the reviews hints at this). Maybe it can also be a cultural thing, that Americans want to see the protagonists succeed and be apt (especially in the gun department...), and they also want to focus on individuals instead of humans in general, and it is because of these characterstics that the reviews have been negative? After all, this is not very American series in it's tone or underlying worldview.
We need to see more of this kind of "pessimism without nihilism". I recommend this series.
Hilander-TV (2010)
Do.. not... watch..
A crime against humanity. Makes one feel extremely awkward. Bad imitations and even worse jokes. The approximately 25 minutes felt like 12 hours, or more. I hope none of the people involved (apart from Lonka and Kouki, whose performances were not included in the episodes i saw, and who are decent actors)will ever get ANY kind of work. They deserve banishment from TV-industry! Hilander himself was previously known for his quite adequate performance imitating the former Finnish prime minister Paavo Lipponen in "Itsevaltiaat", which was a political satire cartoon series of highly varying quality. However, this proves that he is a one hit wonder when it comes to imitations, and a zero hit wonder when it comes to acting etc.. One can not understand what has gone through the minds of people in television channel TV2 who showed this nauseating experience the green light. In short: avoid at all cost!