Night of the Living Dead

Wanted: Undead or Alive

The first horror movie I ever saw was a 1968 film about corpses that came back to life. It was a life changing event for me. I was horrified and an anxious wreck, but I loved every minute of it. When I watched Night of the Living Dead that first time, my love affair with horror movies was born!

Every Halloween season, I break out the ol' Night of the Living Dead dvd. This nostalgic tradition almost always reflares my passion for horror. For over an hour I am an eleven year old kid again, horrified, as I watch ghouls eat bits and pieces of human flesh. Yum!

I could not recommend this movie to everyone. Not even all fans of horror would like this. Not even all fans of the zombie subgenre would like this. I've known many who find NOTLD to be dated and boring. But horror fans that have a particular taste for independent films or classic films should enjoy this. In fact, I'm sure that most horror fans have seen this already. If you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for, the dead to rise?

My Rating

ABOVE AVERAGE

The Day The Earth Stood Still

It's the end of the world as we know it

Movies with violent aliens are action movies. Movies with peaceful aliens are moral-driven social commentaries. The Day The Earth Stood Still has peaceful aliens.

Directed by Robert Wise, of West Side Story fame, The Day The Earth Stood Still was tense, clever, and constructed to always keep the viewer interested. It certainly deserves it's place in the sci-fi classics.

Klaatu, a peaceful humanoid alien, came to earth with his robot, Gort, bringing a message. He is immediately met with violence, and, after escaping from a hospital, must go into hiding. There is an obvious anti-violence and anti-nuclear message in this film. If this movie were made today, it would come off as heavy-handed.

As a matter of fact, this movie is being made today, in remake form. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if the remake shied away from the social messages and focused on the dazzling visual effects found in the story. Klaatu will be played by Keanu Reeves. I can't think of a better fit. Keanu's performances are always so wooden and unnatural, playing an alien who has no human emotions seems perfect.

--Above Average