This is the post i really want

Ah, ONE MORE WEEK!!! One more week until I am on that plane, so close, so close, so close....I can not wait.

:) times a million.

So, I know the posts have been lacking...

So, in an attempt to add more posts, and in light of viewing the latest Romero zombie flick, here are Barry's ultimately pointless ranking of the great zombie cinema of all time. Enjoy, cower in my geekiness, and so forth:

1. Dawn of the Dead (2004): I know, purists hate it because the zombies move lightning-quick, but damned if it isn't the scariest/funniest/thrilling(ist?) zombie movie ever made. The first 15 minutes, as Quentin Tarantino will tell you, are the most exciting opening scenes of any movie in a long, long time. And, extra bonus for finding a new niche for Sarah Polley, using one of the best Johnny Cash songs in the most inventive, and forboding, of ways, and creating an ostensible sequel in the closing credits.

2. Shaun of the Dead: Transposing one of the best-loved genres of geeks into one of the best-loved genres of Julia Roberts. Still, as funny and romantic as "Shaun" is, it still manages to frighten, gross-out, and thrill the audience. Plus, it employed actors from "The Office", so automatic bonus points as well. Essential scene: the "z-day aid" bit with Coldplay, the too-many references to other zombie films, and the "double" scene...if you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about. The ending, though, I still have a bit of trouble with.

3. Dawn of the Dead (original): Scary, dark, and with a whif of none-too-subtle satire, this is still Romero's greatest film. The acting ranges from decent (Ken Foree) to predictable (oh, Tom Savini), and the film is incredibly slow at some points. But, the opening scene in apocalyptic Pittsburgh is insane, and I enjoyed the TV debates about what these things actually are. Still, the ending was oddly dark, even though it was rather upbeat (in a sense)..though I would like to see that rumored alternate ending people keep on saying does or doesn't exist in a vault somewhere.

4. 28 Days Later: Okay, so, again, purists contend this isn't a zombie movie because they aren't actually dead, and are never referred to as zombies, and, well, move like hell's on fire. But, if you're looking for a movie that will literally leave you panting for breath in the movie theatre from fright (okay, i may have sorta literally gripped the seat too much when i saw it...), this is the one. Plus, impressive that it was filmed on such a small budget, and put Brendan Gleeson in an actually protagonistic role. It was mired, however, by the military-gone-crazy ending, and the overall upbeat nature of the finale. Plus, shot on digital video, it looked incomprehensible at times. Still, a very thrilling and shocking movie.

5. Land of the Dead: The best I can muster is a bemused "meh." This is what the fans have been waiting for for over 20 years? I dunno, it just doesn't deliver. From the sidekick to the disposable character actors, it just never gets off the ground, narratively-speaking. Simon Baker is definitely the most experienced thespian in the series, and it shows, but his character has no edge. Dennis Hopper does his usual chewing of the scenery, but by this point in his career, the man needs dentures to the do the job properly. Put Christopher Walken in the role, and it's hard to think of what the film may have become. The concept was neat, but never really explored as much as it could've been. Some very inventive zombie makeup and action scenes, but it somehow also felt derivative and redundant. This could've been the epic of zombie films, but it just seems like 45% of someone else's good movie.

6. Night of the Living Dead: Romero's original, and groundbreaking, in a sense, but, it doesn't hold up all that well. It was a radical thing at the time with what he did with the eventual protagonist, but the end of the movie is too awash in social commentary...plus, so, what, the zombies all perish? Boo-urns to that.

7. Day of the Dead: Dark, dark, and did I mention depressing? No? Well, it's dark, at least. And depressing. Caught too much in its own military-paranoia, this third film in Romero's trilogy (now quadrilogy) is just too much of the same, and just an ugly, dark film to watch. The ending is upbeat, again, but it's just too intense to get to. Though the whole Bub-learning is neat, and further explored, but again not enough, in Land of the Dead.

Only four short weeks...

Hey hey, all you cyber-spacers. Wow, this hasn't been updated in quite some time, I can practically feel the dust across the template. Well, I've been busy and such, it's true. And, this is going to be a real short one as well, but:

ENGLAND! in so-soon-i-can't-wait.

july 5, exactly one month from now, I shall be travelling across the Atlantic, "across the pond", as they say. "They" being people on television, so, you know, the most authoritative source. Did I spell that right? Meh, who cares...4 Weeks!! There is no emoticon to express how much I can not wait to get over there...