Reel Zombies (2008)
Studio: Last Call Productions, Primal Films
Distributed By: Synapse Films
Blu-ray Release: February 11, 2014
Director: Michael Masters, David J. Francis
Rating: Not Rated
Reviewed By James M. Dubs
I'll watch anything...including Reel Zombies.
Ever since George A. Romero, Godfather of the modern zombie film, introduced us to his "ghouls" in 1968's Night of the Living Dead, the undead have plagued our TVs, cinemas, and video shelves with countless versions of nearly identical stories. I can't tell you how many zombie movies come across my desk, but I can tell you they range from the amazing to the Gawd-awful!
Do I watch all of them? You're damn right I do! I love zombie movies! I love The Walking Dead (TV show, comics, and books)! Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978) remains one of my favorite movies of all time. But then there are the bastard children of the zombieverse, both big-budget and small, too numerous and shameful to list here.
So when Reel Zombies hit my desk my reactions were mixed. On one hand it has the distribution blessings of Synapse Films, the same company that gave blu-ray, VIP treatment to Roy Frumkes' Romero/Dawn chronicling documentary - Document of the Dead. On the other hand, Reel Zombies is yet another attempt at an already tired genre. Furthermore, this is not the first time filmmakers Michael Masters and David J. Francis have sipped from this well. Their previous film entries include Zombie Night (2003) and Awakening: Zombie Night II (2006), of which neither has earned beyond 3 stars out of a possible 10 on IMDB.com.
So things look grim. I do not tread lightly, but hope and pray that perhaps the third time might be the charm...
Film [Rating: 3.5]
The dead have risen from the grave and have taken over the world before independent filmmakers Masters and Francis (playing themselves) could complete their Zombie Night film trilogy. Not to be deterred, Masters and Francis assemble a crew and cast and plan to use the dire situation of the apocalypse to their advantage. Having actual zombies at their disposal does improve production value, but also comes with a whole host of new challenges and dangers, as the independent filmmakers soon discover. Will they succeed in completing their independent masterpiece, Zombie Night III? And if so, at what cost?
I have not had the pleasure (or displeasure) of screening either Zombie Night I or II but a brief web search reveals that a lot of people consider these two films to be perhaps the worst zombie films ever made. Before you question this assertion even the filmmakers openly admit in the included audio commentary that their previous zombie outings were practically non-watchable. So when conceiving a third zombie film, the team could have simply repeated the same unsuccessful process, but instead chose to make fun of themselves, embrace their failures, and trade unintentional laughs for intentional ones.
Unlike Zombie Night and Zombie Night II - this time with Reel Zombies, tongue is pressed so firmly against zombie cheek that it breaks through the rotten flesh and tumbles out onto the ground. The filmmakers are so fully aware that their first two films are...for lack of a better term (and pardon my language)...shitty, that they knew they had to change something to have any positive impact. Their ability to self-reflect, openness to self parody, and willingness to get punched in the groin at their own expense ultimately pays off. By transforming their actual failures into humor, Reel Zombies gets its teeth.
At it's core, Reel Zombies is still a shitty film disguised as a documentary about the production of a shitty sequel (Zombie Night III) from a line of equally shitty predecessors (Zombie Night, Awakening: Zombie Night II). Production values are still very low, budgets non-existent, acting sub-par, and the "real" zombie make-up effects leave much to be desired. Although one shouldn't throw stones considering my beloved Dawn of the Dead featured bluish-gray painted, shuffling extras that hardly pass today's high make-up standards.
Yes, Reel Zombies is a "mockumentary" and although the premise is slightly stupid and absurd (Who would shoot a movie during the apocalypse anyway?), I'm hard pressed to find a reason to dislike it. For one, the film will make you chuckle, especially if you are a lover of horror movies and independent cinema. Masters and Francis understand the typical conventions of a zombie apocalypse movie and hit the right beats with just enough nods to the genre to keep fans smiling. Second, I like these guys and gals. For the most part, everyone is playing themselves, or at least hyper versions of themselves and they have fun making fun of their own idiosyncrasies. Of course, all of the characters are comically dumber than their real life counterparts, but it's fun watching a zombie film where you get the distinct impression that humanity could potentially survive the zombie hordes if the cast of characters were not so inept.
Perhaps what makes the most difference is that Masters and Francis (the real ones, not the fictional) are willing to embrace their production shortcomings and leverage their flaws to benefit the humor, moving the production toward satire of not only themselves, but also independent cinema and the zombie genre by and large. It's the smartest move they have made in their zombie trilogy and I wouldn't be surprised if their mantra while shooting Reel Zombies was something like, "If your movie is going to be shitty, you may as well make it fun to watch!" Fortunately for all of humanity and the still-living, they succeeded.
Video & Audio [Rating: 3.5]
Don't expect Reel Zombies to win any awards for best cinematography. There's nothing here to make it feel exceptional compared to anything other than your typical low budget "found footage" fare - i.e. Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity. But then again, that's okay, because the whole premise of Reel Zombies is that we're watching the disintegration of an already horrible film production.
Shot from a high-definition master source, the film is replete with shaky-cam style footage inter-cut with interviews much in the same vain as a typical DVD electronic press kit or featurette. The audio is mixed down to a Dolby digital English 2.0 stereo track. Dialogue is very clear and intelligible especially considering that many of the shooting locals take place outside. Some punching or "head-crushing" sound effects are a little over-the-top but not so far removed from the absurdity of the narrative to distract the viewer.
As mentioned above, the film remains a little rough around the edges, but works well enough technically to propel this comedy to the next punch line.
Extras [Rating: 3.5]
The DVD boasts three special features:
Overall [Rating: 3.5]
When I was in film school I wanted to make movies that I would want to watch with my buddies. Reel Zombies feels very much like that, chock full of the things little boys like in their horror - zombies, explosions, naked women, profanity... Yes, in many ways, Reel Zombies is a 13-year-old boy's dream come true.
Simply put, for all of its flaws and low-budget value, Reel Zombies is funny. I caught myself laughing out loud a number of times and because these guys and gals have embraced the absurdity of their films, they have freed themselves from the burdens of their prior works, while simultaneously giving Zombie Night I & II new life. Considering that Zombie Night and Zombie Night II are actual productions, it brings a certain (albeit thin) legitimacy to the story. I'll admit that I'll probably end up checking out Zombie Night I & II because of Reel Zombies and I'm only mildly ashamed of that.
Distributed By: Synapse Films
Blu-ray Release: February 11, 2014
Director: Michael Masters, David J. Francis
Rating: Not Rated
Reviewed By James M. Dubs
I'll watch anything...including Reel Zombies.
Ever since George A. Romero, Godfather of the modern zombie film, introduced us to his "ghouls" in 1968's Night of the Living Dead, the undead have plagued our TVs, cinemas, and video shelves with countless versions of nearly identical stories. I can't tell you how many zombie movies come across my desk, but I can tell you they range from the amazing to the Gawd-awful!
Do I watch all of them? You're damn right I do! I love zombie movies! I love The Walking Dead (TV show, comics, and books)! Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978) remains one of my favorite movies of all time. But then there are the bastard children of the zombieverse, both big-budget and small, too numerous and shameful to list here.
So when Reel Zombies hit my desk my reactions were mixed. On one hand it has the distribution blessings of Synapse Films, the same company that gave blu-ray, VIP treatment to Roy Frumkes' Romero/Dawn chronicling documentary - Document of the Dead. On the other hand, Reel Zombies is yet another attempt at an already tired genre. Furthermore, this is not the first time filmmakers Michael Masters and David J. Francis have sipped from this well. Their previous film entries include Zombie Night (2003) and Awakening: Zombie Night II (2006), of which neither has earned beyond 3 stars out of a possible 10 on IMDB.com.
So things look grim. I do not tread lightly, but hope and pray that perhaps the third time might be the charm...
Film [Rating: 3.5]
The dead have risen from the grave and have taken over the world before independent filmmakers Masters and Francis (playing themselves) could complete their Zombie Night film trilogy. Not to be deterred, Masters and Francis assemble a crew and cast and plan to use the dire situation of the apocalypse to their advantage. Having actual zombies at their disposal does improve production value, but also comes with a whole host of new challenges and dangers, as the independent filmmakers soon discover. Will they succeed in completing their independent masterpiece, Zombie Night III? And if so, at what cost?
I have not had the pleasure (or displeasure) of screening either Zombie Night I or II but a brief web search reveals that a lot of people consider these two films to be perhaps the worst zombie films ever made. Before you question this assertion even the filmmakers openly admit in the included audio commentary that their previous zombie outings were practically non-watchable. So when conceiving a third zombie film, the team could have simply repeated the same unsuccessful process, but instead chose to make fun of themselves, embrace their failures, and trade unintentional laughs for intentional ones.
Unlike Zombie Night and Zombie Night II - this time with Reel Zombies, tongue is pressed so firmly against zombie cheek that it breaks through the rotten flesh and tumbles out onto the ground. The filmmakers are so fully aware that their first two films are...for lack of a better term (and pardon my language)...shitty, that they knew they had to change something to have any positive impact. Their ability to self-reflect, openness to self parody, and willingness to get punched in the groin at their own expense ultimately pays off. By transforming their actual failures into humor, Reel Zombies gets its teeth.
At it's core, Reel Zombies is still a shitty film disguised as a documentary about the production of a shitty sequel (Zombie Night III) from a line of equally shitty predecessors (Zombie Night, Awakening: Zombie Night II). Production values are still very low, budgets non-existent, acting sub-par, and the "real" zombie make-up effects leave much to be desired. Although one shouldn't throw stones considering my beloved Dawn of the Dead featured bluish-gray painted, shuffling extras that hardly pass today's high make-up standards.
Yes, Reel Zombies is a "mockumentary" and although the premise is slightly stupid and absurd (Who would shoot a movie during the apocalypse anyway?), I'm hard pressed to find a reason to dislike it. For one, the film will make you chuckle, especially if you are a lover of horror movies and independent cinema. Masters and Francis understand the typical conventions of a zombie apocalypse movie and hit the right beats with just enough nods to the genre to keep fans smiling. Second, I like these guys and gals. For the most part, everyone is playing themselves, or at least hyper versions of themselves and they have fun making fun of their own idiosyncrasies. Of course, all of the characters are comically dumber than their real life counterparts, but it's fun watching a zombie film where you get the distinct impression that humanity could potentially survive the zombie hordes if the cast of characters were not so inept.
Perhaps what makes the most difference is that Masters and Francis (the real ones, not the fictional) are willing to embrace their production shortcomings and leverage their flaws to benefit the humor, moving the production toward satire of not only themselves, but also independent cinema and the zombie genre by and large. It's the smartest move they have made in their zombie trilogy and I wouldn't be surprised if their mantra while shooting Reel Zombies was something like, "If your movie is going to be shitty, you may as well make it fun to watch!" Fortunately for all of humanity and the still-living, they succeeded.
Video & Audio [Rating: 3.5]
Don't expect Reel Zombies to win any awards for best cinematography. There's nothing here to make it feel exceptional compared to anything other than your typical low budget "found footage" fare - i.e. Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity. But then again, that's okay, because the whole premise of Reel Zombies is that we're watching the disintegration of an already horrible film production.
Shot from a high-definition master source, the film is replete with shaky-cam style footage inter-cut with interviews much in the same vain as a typical DVD electronic press kit or featurette. The audio is mixed down to a Dolby digital English 2.0 stereo track. Dialogue is very clear and intelligible especially considering that many of the shooting locals take place outside. Some punching or "head-crushing" sound effects are a little over-the-top but not so far removed from the absurdity of the narrative to distract the viewer.
As mentioned above, the film remains a little rough around the edges, but works well enough technically to propel this comedy to the next punch line.
Extras [Rating: 3.5]
The DVD boasts three special features:
- Audio Commentary with Directors Mike Masters and David J. Francis and Producer Stephen Papadimitriou: This is a light, but fun, open, and an honest dialogue that covers a wide range of topics including their failures with the first two Zombie Night films, inspirations for making Reel Zombies, anecdotes about friends and cast mates, and a host of other topics. The guys are disarming, very personable and listening to the trio gives you the sense that they are down-to-Earth dudes that would easily chat with you over some beers.
- Over 40 minutes of deleted scenes and outtakes: A lot of additional funny tidbits and extended scenes that do not propel the movie any further but are fun to take in as an after thought. Plus there's more nudity.
- Original Trailer
Overall [Rating: 3.5]
When I was in film school I wanted to make movies that I would want to watch with my buddies. Reel Zombies feels very much like that, chock full of the things little boys like in their horror - zombies, explosions, naked women, profanity... Yes, in many ways, Reel Zombies is a 13-year-old boy's dream come true.
Simply put, for all of its flaws and low-budget value, Reel Zombies is funny. I caught myself laughing out loud a number of times and because these guys and gals have embraced the absurdity of their films, they have freed themselves from the burdens of their prior works, while simultaneously giving Zombie Night I & II new life. Considering that Zombie Night and Zombie Night II are actual productions, it brings a certain (albeit thin) legitimacy to the story. I'll admit that I'll probably end up checking out Zombie Night I & II because of Reel Zombies and I'm only mildly ashamed of that.
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