Have You Been Watching...? Zombies Of Mass Destruction (2009)

 

Zombies of Mass Destruction (aka ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction and even "Zombieworld" in some territories), directed by Kevin Hamedani, is one of those movies that I’d never heard of until I was researching some new movies to watch during the Halloween month of October. I'd read a synopsis and it certainly sounded interesting and I’d watched the trailer, which again looked good. I could not, however, find it anywhere to stream so found a copy on DVD and purchased that. It wasn’t expensive, so I thought if it was terrible, it wouldn’t be such a great loss. It's a purchase I'm very glad I made!

Set in 2003, the movie stars Janette Armand as Frida Abbas, a Princeton University dropout who returns to the small island town of Port Gamble. At the same time, another ex-resident Tom Hunt (played by Doug Fahl) arrives with his boyfriend Lance (Cooper Hopkins) with a view to come out to his mother over dessert. These two storylines seem innocuous enough to the viewer, but there is a reason this movie is set in 2003. This is the era of post 9/11, the Iraq war, George W Bush is president and the fear of terrorism is at its peak. Heavy topics for a low budget zombie flick.

The people of Port Gamble are small minded and hold bigoted views. This plays significantly in the stories of Frida, Tom and Lance. The locals all seem to believe Frida and her father come from Iraq, despite her frequent reminders they are from Iran, a completely different country and that she herself is born and raised in America. Tom relates to Lance that a boy he had a crush on in school was outed and had a terrible experience, so he has been terrified of coming out since (the couple now reside in New York). As all this is happening, slowly, some of the residents are becoming zombified. It isn't made clear how this is happening, or the root cause (no chemical waste in this scenario) but you don't need to know how. 

The movie is a very low budget affair (the biggest name cast member appears to be Russell Hodgkinson, who played series regular “Doc” in Z Nation), but don't let that put you off.  This movie is great! There are some decent special effects and the script is hilarious. There are copious amounts of gore and humour throughout, although it takes a while to get going. Once it does, there’s no stopping it. I found myself laughing so much one minute and squirming at some of the gore and the situations our heroes find themselves in, the next.

Despite being a zombie horror movie on a low budget, there is something really sweet about it. The viewer finds itself rooting for Frida, Tom and Lance as their situations get worse by the minute. Yes, there are very uncomfortable moments when the trio face the prejudices against them, but they are without doubt the heroes of this adventure and the voices of reason in the face of small-mindedness. In the era of post 9/11 and the associated paranoia that came from that, the movie is a breathtaking reflection on that time told from the perspective of those being persecuted. Not all of the townspeople are so petty and there are clues that Tom’s homosexuality is not quite the secret he thought it was.

The cast are extremely competent in their roles and at less than 90 minutes long, it gets rolling quite quickly. It’s definitely worth investing in and you won’t be disappointed!

Year: 2009

Availability: in the UK, appears to be on DVD only

Rating 8/10  

 

Have You Been Watching...? Dead (2020)

 

Antipodean movies don’t tend to get much exposure over here in the UK, but sometimes one comes along that stands out from most. Films such as Australiens, Housebound and the Wyrmwood movies are all great genre movies with that wonderful bizarre humour that tends to only comes from Australia and New Zealand, mixed nicely with the drama and scares.

Dead was released in 2020 and stars comedian Thomas Sainsbury, whom you may know from the “What we do in the Shadows” spin-off “Wellington Paranormal” as hapless Constable Parker. I recently came across this on the usual streaming services and it was well worth the investment.

The movie tells the story of Marbles (Sainsbury), a stoner who can see and communicate with ghosts. Whether he likes it or not. One day, he comes across the ghost of Police Officer Jayson Tagg (Hayden Weal), recently killed in the line of duty and minus his pants (which means poor Weal spends the entire film in his undies). Together, they try to catch a serial killer who appears to be bumping off young gay men. While this sounds like it should be serious stuff, the movie doesn’t hold back from playing it for laughs.

As the buddy-cop friendship develops between Marbles and Tagg, the copper’s reasons for being so steadfast in his attempts to catch the killer are teased out bit by bit. Their investigations lead to them to an array of quirky oddball characters and bizarre plot twists which also involve zombies.

While some of the jokes do fall a little flat, there is plenty to enjoy in this light-hearted and very silly romp. However, it is a romp with a lot of heart and leads to a cheesy, yet very sweet ending.

There have been a lot of movies lately that built up a concept only to fall flat on it’s face, and I’ve written quite a few entries which haven’t been over complimentary where this occurs. “Dead” might not be the biggest, incredible movie of all time, but it is one of the few recent movies that has made me laugh out loud, smile at the right moments, and just make me feel warm and happy inside.

The movie is definitely Sainsbury’s vehicle, and he leads the it well portraying Marbles as someone with this incredible gift that doesn’t really want it but helps people anyway. Weal deserves kudos for portraying Tagg as this funny, affectionate and dedicated copper, with secrets of his own, and doing it ALL without trousers.

Written by its two stars and directed by Weal, they know exactly what to do in order to get the most from each and every shot. The love and care for the material shines through.

If you like Antipodean cinema and genre movies in general, you would do well in investing time with this one. It might not rock your world, but you won’t regret it.

Year: 2020

Availability: digitally to buy or rent

Rating: 7/10

Have You Been Watching...? Jury Duty (2023)

 

One of the “phenomena” that has taken off on the internet is that of the “social experiment”. This involves “influencers” setting up situations with the public and then posting the films online. Think a less-funny Beadle’s About (if you were watching me say this, I'd be doing little air quites for those terms...). Most of these simply serve to promote their content creators rather than be genuine social experiments. TV has had a go too, with programmes such as Big Brother looking at everyday folk under the microscope of TV cameras. None of these come anywhere close to Jury Duty.

When I first heard of Jury Duty, an Amazon Freevee Original first broadcast in early 2023, it was compared to The Office. With not being a fan of The Office, I gave it a miss as that type of Docu-comedy doesn’t appeal to me. What a mistake that was. The series came up on one of those recommended images that appear, and for some reason, I gave it a chance.

What I’m about to write now is NOT a spoiler. In fact, it appears right at the very beginning of the first episode. The series is about a documentary being made around the jury at a trial in an American court. Except it’s fake. All of it is. The trial, the officers and the jury are all actors. Except one: 29 year old Solar Panel contractor Ronald Gladden, and he has no idea. As a member of the public, Ronald answered an advert for potential jurors to take part in the programme all the while believing it to be real. The crew are being given “unprecedented” access behind the scenes of a trial in court, documenting everything from the selection of the jury through the trial itself, to the verdict. But it is all dramatized. The only thing that is not planned is Ronald and his reactions to the developing situations. This requires the production team to be 100% switched on to change things at a moment’s notice in case the game is given away. The team have no way of predicting how Ronald will react, and if he guesses, the entire scheme is over.

What follows is one of the most wholesome and joyful programmes that I have ever sat through. From the selection process, the jury is made up of a group of the most bizarre and yet still believable people and the viewer watches as Ronald tries to fathom how to work with these people and the workings of a genuine trial. The series also features Hollywood star James Marsden (Enchanted, X-Men, Hairspray and many more) as a truly exaggerated version of himself. Despite everything that’s thrown at him, Ronald remains the bastion of common sense and normality amongst all the chaos around him and he comes across as a likeable, and very genuine young man. I defy any of you to watch the final episode without a lump in your throat or tears in your eyes.

The series drifts from each bizarre situation to the next all built around the trial Yes, indeed, the cast and crew sat through hours of a fake trial every single day. Thankfully, the trial itself takes second place to the jury and the show doesn’t linger on the courtroom dramas too much beyond what you need to know to understand the dilemmas the jury finds itself in.

Each episode lasts approximately 25-30 minutes and there are 8 episodes in total (although on Freevee, there are way more than that listed as the last batch are behind the scenes episodes). This makes binge watching very easy but it’s much more fun to spread them out.

I enjoyed the series immensely. The cast are fantastic and don’t let their guard down at all (how they do this is revealed in the behind the scenes and they all deserve awards for their commitment!). For a star like James Marsden to agree to send himself up in the way he does is also commendable and he is hilarious throughout. It’s also very easy to forget, as you’re watching, that this is meticulously planned so a huge credit to the crew for being able to commit to and produce such a feat of television. The writers, the camera crew, the production team and everyone has pulled together to create this masterpiece. It’s no surprise to find it nominated for 4 Emmy awards. As enjoyable as the programme is, the sad thing (while also being a good thing), is that this can be the only series. With the cat out of the bag, anything else can only ever be a retreat or inferior copy as any unsuspecting stooge will hope to promote themselves in the way that Ronald inadvertently did. I hope you do look in on this series as I believe you will enjoy it as much as I.

Year – 2023

Series count – 1

Episode count – 8

Availability – currently streaming on Amazon Freevee

Have You Been Watching...? Deadloch

 

Australian TV does put out some duffers, just like any other country, but it also produces some sparking diamonds. Deadloch is such a jewel. This is a limited comedy/drama series of just 8 episodes, released on Amazon Prime in mid 2023, tells the story of the investigation into a gruesome murder in the small, sleepy, coastal town of Deadloch.

It’s been a while since I was desperately awaiting the next instalment of any series, but Amazon Prime’s decision to release it weekly meant I had to. As least this way, there were no opportunities for spoilers to ruin the mystery.

Kate Box, who played the psychopathic killer Lou Kelly in Wentworth, plays police sergeant Dulcie Collins. She has relocated to Deadloch with her wife, local vet Cath, after the pressures of working in Sydney caused problems in their relationship. Deadloch has become very welcoming to the LGBT+ community (at least on the surface). When a body is discovered on the beach with its tongue removed, Dulcie’s position as the lead investigator is usurped by the arrival of Eddie Redcliffe, played by Madeleine Sami. Redcliffe is a foul-mouthed, rude, crude and very funny (but with secrets of her own) complete reversal to Dulcie’s straight down the middle Detective. The two clash from the outset and when it transpires that the duo are looking at a serial killer rather than a one off, their two styles cause mayhem in the ensuing investigation.

As the story progresses, we are introduced to the residents, and suspects, of Deadloch, and what a bunch of kooky, strange and interesting people they are. Dulcie’s colleagues are the nice-but-dim officer Sven Alderman (Tom Balland), who is very much Gen Z to a T, and the sweet but vastly underestimated Abby Matsuda (Nina Oyama). Residents include the hot-headed chef Skye O’Dwyer (Hollie Austin), Doctor/Mayor Aleyna Rahme (Susie Youssef), teenagers Tammy and Miranda (Leonie Whyman and Kartanya Maynard), Eddie’s “love interest” Ray Pies, aka Ray McLintock (Duncan Fellows) and local “stirrer” Phil McGangus (Shaun Martindale). Dulcie’s wife Cath is played by Alicia Gardiner, playing a very OTT lesbian vet, while Kate Box’s Wentworth co-stars Pamela Rabe and Kris McQuade play Margaret Carruthers and Victoria O’Dwyer respectively, both characters being heavyweights in the local community. Dulcie stands as the sole voice of reason aming this collection of strange people!

As the murders mount and the town prepares for its “Feastival”, community is examined under great detail, especially one as close-knit as Deadloch and as the investigations progress and secrets exhumed, the town will never be the same again.

It was Kate Box’s appearance that drew me to the series initially, but I’m surprised it’s not been more publicised and Deadloch is a sure fire winner. I was concerned the mystery could not be spun out over 8 hour long episodes, but it does. Everytime you think you have the plot sussed, something else comes along that tips it right over. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to work out what was going on, and pleasantly surprised I got it hopelessly wrong!

Overall, Deadloch is 8 hours of funny, crude dark jokes, feminism, LGBTQ+ and racism commentary, community observations and mysteries. Even when I thought it might be flagging, it turned it around and this is all down to the cracking script by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan. It’s very hard to write about it without spoilers, so I encourage you all to look in on this one. Who knows? If there’s interest, there could even be a sequel. I would just hope that it would keep up the same standard as the high bar set by Deadloch.

Year: 2023

Episode count: 8

Season count: 1

Availability: streaming on Amazon Prime

Have You Been Watching...? Gatlopp (2022)

 

Once upon a time, well 1995, a movie came out and immediately entered the public consciousness: Jumanji. The tale of a game that trapped its players and caused havoc. It was a huge big-budget spectacle that spawned spin-offs and sequels aplenty. That isn’t the tale of 2022’s “Gatlopp”, sometimes subtitled “Hell of a Game.”

Yes, it’s a film based on a game that traps its players and causes havoc, but that’s really where the similarities end. Gatlopp is not aimed at kids and has a much lower budget. But it’s FANTASTIC.

The film’s cold open and title sequence nicely set up what to expect. In our tale, four friends who have drifted apart, come together for an evening. One has come into possession of a “credenza” (or as I know them: a sideboard)and inside is a board game called, yes you guessed it, “Gatlopp”. The word turns out to be Swedish for “Gauntlet” or moreso “running the gauntlet” another clue as to what’s about to happen.

In the most movie way possible to make their actions believable, the friends do not read the instructions that come with the game (uh-oh) and as the strange events unfold, they realise they are indeed trapped and must finish the game or……they play it for all eternity.

There are some special effects in the movie, but the main difference is the game forces people to tell the truth, or there are consequences. As the game progresses, the friends lies and cover-ups are brought to the fore and their friendships are severely tested. If they fail, or don’t answer in time, they must suffer, one makes a brief visit to hell, while another finds themselves with an arrow embedded in their leg (yes, that might be a spoiler, but you really won’t see it coming).

For all of this happening and their ridiculous situations, the most important thing for me with this movie is: it’s hilarious. Our four main cast: Paul (played by Jim Mahoney who played bubbly headed “Brosk” in “The Orville”), Cliff (played by Jon Bass from genre comedies “She-Hulk” and “Miracle Workers”), Sam (played by Emmy Raver-Lampman whom fantasy fans may recognise from Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy”) and Troy (played by Sarunas J Jackson who has appeared in drama series “Good Trouble”) are totally believable in their roles and there is a genuine sense that these are real friends who have drifted apart but still care about each other (even one time lovers Sam and Troy). The script is witty and the dialogue does not come across as forced. They speak like real friends speak. Their reactions are believable, even THEY can’t believe the mess they are in. The film is directed by Alberto Belli, who does a sterling job with limited sets and small cast. The message or moral of the story is nothing shocking. One tries to justify the group by saying “We are good people”, only to be told they are not. They are just people. It’s true. They aren’t saints OR sinners. They are just everyday folk who sometimes make calamitous mistakes. This message sets up a very funny, if somewhat startling, final scene.

With a brisk running time of 80 minutes, it makes the most of the short run-time meaning it never feels padded or flags for any meaningful period of time. It’s quick, funny and immensely enjoyable. The effects are good (for what they are. Hell is represented by someone getting a very, very bad sun burn). I hope you do look in on this one.

Year: 2022

Availability: Streaming on Amazon Prime (for free at the time of writing)

Rating: 7/10

Have You Been Watching...? We Have A Ghost (2023)

 

I’d seen some of the pre-publicity for the Netflix original movie “We Have A Ghost” and it certainly contained enough to warrant inclusion on this blog. A family comedy about a ghost haunting a house? Absolutely! A cast full of cult TV & Movie stars? YES!  It stars genre icons David Harbour (Stranger Things, Black Widow, Hellboy), Tig Notaro (Star Trek: Discovery, Army of the Dead) and Anthony Mackie (Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Falcon). Is it the winner I think it should be? Read on…

Besides the big names, this comedy also stars Jahi Di’Allo Winston as the movies main character Kevin (also from the rather poor genre movie The Dead Don’t Die with Adam Driver and Bill Murray) and Erica Ash (Kendra from Scary Movie 5).

Our plot is that The Presley family, of whom Ash and Mackie portray the parents and Winston as their son (the other brother played by Niles Fitch whose credits include St Vincent – again with Bill Murray) who all move into what can only be described as a “fixer-upper” of a house. Kevin, a bit of a loner, finds a ghost in the attic. The ghost, portrayed by Harbour, can’t speak but his bowling shirt bears the name “Ernest” and despite trying to scare Kevin, the ghost and the boy become friends. Once Kevin’s brother and father find out about Ernest, they start posting videos online and the family, via Ernest, become internet sensations. This draws the attention of Dr Monroe, who once worked for a now-defunct government department researching ghosts. This further leads to more young teen movie escapades as Kevin and best friend Joy (Isabella Russo) try to explore Ernest’s history and resolve his issues so he can move on.

I will TRY not to spoil things here, but I’m putting a spoiler warning anyway as it’s going to be difficult in a movie like this.

Harbour is nothing short of brilliant in a role that brings him very close to Nicolas Cage in a certain category (you will understand this if you have ever seen Willy’s Wonderland* or see the very bottom of this review), how he manages to convey so much with so little really shows he is way more than just Sheriff Hopper. The always wonderful-to-watch Tig Notaro plays quite an important role in this movie, but once she fulfils her role’s purpose, it’s a shame she just disappears from the movie, after a rather startling change in character. Anthony Mackie, unfortunately, plays a generic dad character and doesn’t get much of a chance to shine. However, Winston is absolutely endearing, bringing a genuine vulnerability to Kevin. The always watchable Jennifer Coolidge makes a brief appearance as a medium and she steals all the scenes she appears in.

So, those are the plusses. As with a lot of Netflix movies recently, there are a bunch of negatives to go with the positives. In this case, the movie is far too long. Running at 127 minutes, there are huge chunks of this movie that can easily be excised (pun intended) and still tell a coherent story. Most obviously, to me, is the rather uncomfortable Motel scene, which bearing in mind we are watching children, is creepy and not in the spooky way. The whole Government Department material brings nothing to the story other than give our heroes something to do and what happens to Tig Notaro’s character is a total travesty. There is also one other scene involving out heroes in a car chase with the police that sits awkwardly too. The scene shows the clear death of one of the police, caused by our heroes, but then next scene shows the officer up and about. Maybe I’m nit-picking but there is no way that character walked away from that incident(or maybe they didn’t and that last shot of them is their ghost?). As a writer of a certain age, I found the Social Media section a bit boring and unrealistic. If there really was evidence of ghosts, I think it'd draw more attention that a few fans and a solo department from the government (although the "Jesus" moments ARE hilarious!)

Apparently, the film is based on a short story called “Ernest” by Geoff Manaugh. I haven’t read it so I have no idea what the movie does differently.

As it stands, the movie is “okay”, but if it had been tightened up, maybe by 30 minutes or so, it could have been great. It is frustrating that such an opportunity is wasted. You would not regret spending time in watching this movie, but you may feel that you could’ve done something more constructive in the time.

Year: 2023

Availability: currently streaming on Netflix (as of Feb 2023)

HYBW rating: 6/10               

 

*The Willy’s Wonderland reference: Both Nic Cage and David Harbour don’t speak in either movie. Although Harbour does make moaning noises in this one.

Have You Been Watching...? Mork & Mindy: Dr. Morkenstein (1979)

 

Mork and Mindy is one of a number of spin-offs from the hugely successful American situation comedy series “Happy Days”. The eponymous “Mork” appeared in a dream sequence in one of the former’s episodes and was such a hit, the dream sequence was ret-conned in the pilot episode, making Mork a 100% real character in the Happy Days Universe. I LOVED Mork and Mindy when I was little. It was silly, it was bright and colourful (not just Robin Williams' outfits) and it was a lovely programme to sit down and watch. Now that I’m older and more cynical, does it still hold that magic? A lot of it does, and it’s down to the performances of the two principal actors.

The series ran for 4 seasons from 1978-1981, and marked the debut of global mega-star-to-be Robin Williams as Mork, an alien from the planet Ork, sent to observe Mankind on Earth. While on Earth, he meets young, single gal-about-town Mindy McConnell, played by Pam Dawber. Mork then moves in with her and learns about humanity while developing a sweet romance with Mindy. While it’s another variation of the “fish out of water” set up, similar to ALF, Small Wonder and numerous others, the series was a huge hit with audiences but by the end of season 1, the studio made changes to the format. By the time "Dr Morkenstein" comes around, gone is the whimsical theme tune, replaced by a “with it” disco version, gone are Mindy’s dad and maternal Grandmother, replaced by young brother and sister duo Remo and Jeannie DaVinci, who run their new hangout: The New York Deli, replacing the old music shop from series 1.

The show “feels” different now, younger and sillier, but this episode (only the fifth in the second series) reminds us that it can still grab our heart-strings when needed. The episode has a lot for fans of cult TV and movies: Chuck the robot in the episode is Robbie The Robot from the Forbidden Planet movie and cameos in Gremlins etc. The voice of Chuck is that of Roddie McDowell, well known for the Planet of the Apes movies.

Mork gets himself a job in a science museum as a night watchman. Bored, he tinkers around with one of the exhibits, an old robot, and gives it a consciousness. Mork bonds with the robot, now called Chuck, as the robot wants to explore more of being human and what life is like. Liberating itself from the museum one Friday night, he turns up at Mork and Mindy’s apartment, much to Mindy’s horror. However, Mork pleads for the robot, who starts to display concerning traits, like forgetting what he was saying and getting facts wrong. The old robot confirms he is suffering from metal fatigue, and there’s nothing anyone can do.

Trying to give him more insight to people and the human experience, Mork takes Chuck to the deli, but the robot begins randomly insulting people, and getting sums wrong causing some unrest with the customers. Trying to usher him out, Mork pleads there’s nothing wrong with Chuck.

Mindy and Mork take Chuck back to the museum, but Mindy realises the old robot is wearing down. Mork is devastated and doesn’t want it to end this way for Chuck. He tries to set Chuck back to the way he was, but Chuck pleads with him to keep his as he is. He wants to be “human”, the end comes with the territory.  Chuck values his friendship with Mork and values that he gave him life. He wants to feel the end of it and appreciates the chance to die with dignity. Wanting to play one last game of “I-spy”, Chuck begins to die in Mork’s arms.

Mork’s pain is clear to see and he cries, his face scrunched up in agony. In the episode’s epilogue, Mork sends his usual mental update to his superior on Ork, a being called “Orson”. Referring to the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, Mork relates his friendship with Chuck to Orson. Orson asks if he can make another. Mork realises he can but hasn’t the heart for it. He breaks down as he relates the death to Orson and the importance of creating something and watching it grow and develop. He will always keep Chuck in his heart. Unusually for the show, Mork doesn’t bow with his farewell to Orson or end it with a quip at Orson’s expense, but it fades out with a tear streaming down his face. In fact the jump to the end credits with it’s jaunty disco theme sits very out of place.

While the episode is called Dr Morkenstein and it’s influence from the story of Frankenstein is battered into the viewer, it can also be seen as a reflection of a friendship between a young person and an older person as the older succumbs to age. Pam Dawber’s lovely Mindy takes more of a back seat in this episode, but her concern and love for Mork shows as she remains just out of his sight, as Chuck passes so she can be there with him in his distress. Remo and Jeanie barely feature, and other new series regulars Mr Bickley (played by Tom Poston) and Mindy’s cousin Nelson Flavour (played by Jim Staahl) don’t even appear in this one.

Mork is such a childlike being, who views our world with wonder and bewilderment, and never a thought to harm anyone. To see him in tears at the loss of his friend, however brief that friendship was, is utterly heart-breaking. While the “new” series is taking a while to get used to, this smaller, emotional episode brings us back to the more innocent days of series 1. Whatever your thoughts on the quality of episodes as the series makes its way through its four seasons and strange production decisions, this episode stands head and shoulders among the series’ greatest. It also stands as a reminder just how much the world misses Robin Williams.

Year – 1978

Series count – 4

Episode count – 91 (some double episodes as screened were later split into individual episodes)

Availability – DVD boxset of all 4 seasons (individual season are available in some areas)