Directed by Danny Boyle. Written by Alex Garland. Starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Christopher Eccleston.
Plot: “rage infected people” (basically zombies) kill without mercy and a group of 4 fight to survive
So, our own rage is what does us in? That’s poetic in a not-so-subtle way. The monkey watches us hurt/kill people, then he hurts/kills people and than those people hurt/kill people. You could philosophize about this movie for hours, I swear, but I won’t. I’ll just say that it’s one of the most perfect Halloween-time movies in the world.
As soon as Jim meets Selena, and later Frank and Hannah, you want the four of them to survive. You like them. Sure, Selena is a bit of a bitch in the beginning, but I understand that she is living in a hellish situation and has turned hard to cope. But she calms when she gets around the others. And the intricacies of their relationships are amazingly written and directed and make every hurt/kill more powerful. We absolutely love when Jim calls Frank “Dad” and Frank smiles. It was an accident of course, a Freudian slip, but it meant everything in that moment. It’s so realistic.
It’s also an original take on zombies, the music is genius, rules were followed and it has the best special effects. The innovation is just so cool (ie. landmines, thumbs thru eyes, and of course Hannah feeding someone to the zombies). There’s a first-class cast and great jump scares cause let’s face it, I can fall asleep to A LOT of horror movies, but not this one. Never this one. Too scary.
Warnings: don’t go to church after the apocalypse. Don’t piss Jim off, you wouldn’t like him when he’s angry. #HulkOut As a matter of fact, don’t piss Selena or Hannah off either. It won’t end well for you. And the movie has full frontal nudity, so if easily offended stay away.
We both love this movie so much. DJ gave it an 81/100. But I considerit Horror Movie Gold and give it a 98/100. It’s just that damn good.
Side note: To the writer and director, thanks for not showing some explicit rape scene like every other movie does. West is creepy enough just explaining how one should become rapey after the apocalypse when they supposedly weren’t at all rapey before the apocalypse. Thanks for deleting the dead dog scene. That is also a horror cliche I am tired of. And thanks for going with the ending you did. The other one depresses us to no end and we pretend it doesn’t exist at all.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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