i dont know if zombies are a response to "americans fear of over whelming technology." thats a bit of a stretch. i think in these modern times the zombie is a face for the mindless anonymity that the internet gives to people. So there is a tech connection. Or the soulless that corporate culture is breeding in the states today.
Rubber Biscuit:So what's with all the unfunny troll headlines on FARK lately?
Never point out when a headline is an obvious troll. Especially never point out that trolling is specifically forbidden in the Farq. And never, ever ever suggest that perhaps Fark has forsaken its own etiquette in exchange for ad page views.
I'll take Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland over any of the Godzilla movies. Seriously, aren't they only popular in a "Rocky Horror" sense, just fun to watch and make fun of?
Zombies are simple. Zombies are both our fear of "the masses" (all those people who aren't us and are thus idiots who don't know anything) and our fear of disease. There will always be others and always be disease and they will never, ever stop. That's the psychological fear, IMO. The practical fear is that the zombies outnumber you and can outlast you. They will wear you down and kill you because they do not have to sleep or eat. No matter how many you kill there will always be more. Sure, the vampire may be super strong and super fast and super smart, but you kill it and you're done. Zombies are numberless, and every one of you that dies makes a new zombie.
Now, in zombie movies, at least good zombie movies, the zombies mean little. They are an environmental hazard, like a hurricane or a volcano. The zombies serve only as a stress to bring out the humanity of the characters. And to show humanity's essential flaws (in the classic Romero case), because when people die in good zombie movies it's very rarely because of direct action of the zombies. People die because someone farked up. Someone was too arrogant. Someone started fighting with another survivor over bullshiat. Zombies are merely there to provide the stress to lead to the farkup and the gory aftermath. The survivors are the real threat to each other, not the zombies.
/Zombieland kind of turns around the classic Romero point.
Well the original Godzilla movies had to be written well, to make up for the lack of special effects. Now-a-days we can simply CGI the hell out of everything and make it sweet (not the slot, but enough scenes to make it worth while)
For example, the movie Swordfish, only 2 good parts, the beginning where shiat gets blown up, and well, the boobies.
Toshiro Mifune's Letter Opener:Until zombies get their own crudely animated Saturday morning cartoon series a la The Godzilla Power Hour, I'm going to say no.
Critch:I'll take Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland over any of the Godzilla movies. Seriously, aren't they only popular in a "Rocky Horror" sense, just fun to watch and make fun of?
Eh, it depends. Most of the "Godzilla vs. *Blank*", yes. They are fun and bad. But the original Godzilla, through its crappy special effects, had a point. Although the "Nukes are bad" message may seem cliche today, you have to realize how much that meant to post war Japan. The bombing is an incredibly influential event, a HUGE amount of modern Japanese pop culture can be traced back to it. Monsters, super powers which threaten the world, human hubris leading to destruction, the post apocalyptic setting. . .
Godzilla is about how man causes it's own problems with horrific weapons then seeks to solve them with even more horrific weapons (the oxygen destroyer). Godzilla is nature's revenge for our hubris, and a metaphor for nuclear weapons, a beast of unimaginable power that cannot be put down once it has been awakened. Sure, it turns out they were kind of wrong (no one else has been nuked), but I imagine it was pretty goddamn powerful in Japan at the time it was released.
/History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of man. . . //Also inspired a badass song from Blue Oyster Cult.
Tourney3p0:Critch: Seriously, aren't they only popular in a "Rocky Horror" sense, just fun to watch and make fun of?
All the stuff being passed off as zombie movies for the last few years, sure. But in general, no.
Not that they're serious business, but they're not "Rocky Horror" type movies either.
Uh, Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead, and 28 Days are all pretty goddamn good. Dawn of the Dead remake wasn't bad. Are there any really good zombie movies between the original Dawn and "modern" zombie films?
Evil Dead is pretty good, but I'd not call the deadites zombies. They look like zombies but act totally different.
RemyDuron:Zombies are simple. Zombies are both our fear of "the masses" (all those people who aren't us and are thus idiots who don't know anything) and our fear of disease. There will always be others and always be disease and they will never, ever stop. That's the psychological fear, IMO. The practical fear is that the zombies outnumber you and can outlast you. They will wear you down and kill you because they do not have to sleep or eat. No matter how many you kill there will always be more. Sure, the vampire may be super strong and super fast and super smart, but you kill it and you're done. Zombies are numberless, and every one of you that dies makes a new zombie.
Now, in zombie movies, at least good zombie movies, the zombies mean little. They are an environmental hazard, like a hurricane or a volcano. The zombies serve only as a stress to bring out the humanity of the characters. And to show humanity's essential flaws (in the classic Romero case), because when people die in good zombie movies it's very rarely because of direct action of the zombies. People die because someone farked up. Someone was too arrogant. Someone started fighting with another survivor over bullshiat. Zombies are merely there to provide the stress to lead to the farkup and the gory aftermath. The survivors are the real threat to each other, not the zombies.
/Zombieland kind of turns around the classic Romero point.
This is pretty much the definitive description of zombie movies, and yet another reason I have you on favorites.
I remember laughing so hard at that the first time I saw that.
CLASSIC MST3K episode, skits AND theater segments.
But we can't forget about MST3K's classic zombie entries: Zombie Nightmare (voodoo zombies rather than flesh-eating zombies, but still) and The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (who didn't really show up until the end, but with a title like that and the guy who was responsible for Eegah, I'm-a let that slide).
RemyDuron: Evil Dead is pretty good, but I'd not call the deadites zombies. They look like zombies but act totally different.
Never said they weren't.
No point in responding to the rest of your points, given that you started your post with "Uh.." like a retard, and counterpointed a point I didn't even hint at making.
No point in responding to the rest of your points, given that you started your post with "Uh.." like a retard, and counterpointed a point I didn't even hint at making.
. . .
Okay. It's called a "tangent." I was trying to think of good zombie movies between the original Dawn and the modern spate of zombie movies. I could not think of any.
Toshiro Mifune's Letter Opener:RemyDuron: Evil Dead is pretty good, but I'd not call the deadites zombies. They look like zombies but act totally different.
The Deadites fall into the realm of demonology/the-demonically-possessed.
Not zombies.
Well, demonic possession could be an explanation for zombies. But the deadites just don't act like them.
/I watched all three Evil Dead movies over the weekend, they are somewhat on my mind.
Toshiro Mifune's Letter Opener
2009-11-04 12:13:44 AM
Until zombies get their own crudely animated Saturday morning cartoon series a la The Godzilla Power Hour, I'm going to say no.
GoteamVenture
2009-11-04 12:30:20 AM
Rubber Biscuit
2009-11-04 12:31:04 AM
braedan
2009-11-04 12:31:16 AM
/Z-Power, Z-Power!
Tourney3p0
2009-11-04 12:35:55 AM
Never point out when a headline is an obvious troll. Especially never point out that trolling is specifically forbidden in the Farq. And never, ever ever suggest that perhaps Fark has forsaken its own etiquette in exchange for ad page views.
OnmyojiOmn
2009-11-04 12:36:57 AM
/Hot like Manuela Velasco weeping on the floor of a pitch-black room
Fano
2009-11-04 12:38:45 AM
Critch
2009-11-04 12:39:44 AM
RemyDuron
2009-11-04 12:42:52 AM
Now, in zombie movies, at least good zombie movies, the zombies mean little. They are an environmental hazard, like a hurricane or a volcano. The zombies serve only as a stress to bring out the humanity of the characters. And to show humanity's essential flaws (in the classic Romero case), because when people die in good zombie movies it's very rarely because of direct action of the zombies. People die because someone farked up. Someone was too arrogant. Someone started fighting with another survivor over bullshiat. Zombies are merely there to provide the stress to lead to the farkup and the gory aftermath. The survivors are the real threat to each other, not the zombies.
/Zombieland kind of turns around the classic Romero point.
sjsharkfan67
2009-11-04 12:43:07 AM
M0nkeyp0x
2009-11-04 12:43:37 AM
For example, the movie Swordfish, only 2 good parts, the beginning where shiat gets blown up, and well, the boobies.
The English Major
2009-11-04 12:45:03 AM
Godzooky versus Zombooky.
WWJJD? (What Would Jet Jaguar Do?)
/not subby
TheLopper
2009-11-04 12:45:24 AM
Tourney3p0
2009-11-04 12:45:27 AM
All the stuff being passed off as zombie movies for the last few years, sure. But in general, no.
Not that they're serious business, but they're not "Rocky Horror" type movies either.
Toshiro Mifune's Letter Opener
2009-11-04 12:47:13 AM
I remember falling asleep after renting one of the new movies where he fights Mechagodzilla.
Seriously.
It was so frogdamn boring that it conked me right the hell out.
Never had that problem with a zombie movie.
M0nkeyp0x
2009-11-04 12:47:41 AM
amen Brother.
28 days later, is like my favorite nightmare.
RemyDuron
2009-11-04 12:48:10 AM
Eh, it depends. Most of the "Godzilla vs. *Blank*", yes. They are fun and bad. But the original Godzilla, through its crappy special effects, had a point. Although the "Nukes are bad" message may seem cliche today, you have to realize how much that meant to post war Japan. The bombing is an incredibly influential event, a HUGE amount of modern Japanese pop culture can be traced back to it. Monsters, super powers which threaten the world, human hubris leading to destruction, the post apocalyptic setting. . .
Godzilla is about how man causes it's own problems with horrific weapons then seeks to solve them with even more horrific weapons (the oxygen destroyer). Godzilla is nature's revenge for our hubris, and a metaphor for nuclear weapons, a beast of unimaginable power that cannot be put down once it has been awakened. Sure, it turns out they were kind of wrong (no one else has been nuked), but I imagine it was pretty goddamn powerful in Japan at the time it was released.
/History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of man. . .
//Also inspired a badass song from Blue Oyster Cult.
RemyDuron
2009-11-04 12:50:25 AM
All the stuff being passed off as zombie movies for the last few years, sure. But in general, no.
Not that they're serious business, but they're not "Rocky Horror" type movies either.
Uh, Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead, and 28 Days are all pretty goddamn good. Dawn of the Dead remake wasn't bad. Are there any really good zombie movies between the original Dawn and "modern" zombie films?
Evil Dead is pretty good, but I'd not call the deadites zombies. They look like zombies but act totally different.
Fano
2009-11-04 12:51:43 AM
Now, in zombie movies, at least good zombie movies, the zombies mean little. They are an environmental hazard, like a hurricane or a volcano. The zombies serve only as a stress to bring out the humanity of the characters. And to show humanity's essential flaws (in the classic Romero case), because when people die in good zombie movies it's very rarely because of direct action of the zombies. People die because someone farked up. Someone was too arrogant. Someone started fighting with another survivor over bullshiat. Zombies are merely there to provide the stress to lead to the farkup and the gory aftermath. The survivors are the real threat to each other, not the zombies.
/Zombieland kind of turns around the classic Romero point.
This is pretty much the definitive description of zombie movies, and yet another reason I have you on favorites.
Toshiro Mifune's Letter Opener
2009-11-04 12:51:44 AM
Hah!
WWJJD? (What Would Jet Jaguar Do?)
I remember laughing so hard at that the first time I saw that.
CLASSIC MST3K episode, skits AND theater segments.
But we can't forget about MST3K's classic zombie entries: Zombie Nightmare (voodoo zombies rather than flesh-eating zombies, but still) and The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (who didn't really show up until the end, but with a title like that and the guy who was responsible for Eegah, I'm-a let that slide).
Tourney3p0
2009-11-04 12:55:38 AM
Evil Dead is pretty good, but I'd not call the deadites zombies. They look like zombies but act totally different.
Never said they weren't.
No point in responding to the rest of your points, given that you started your post with "Uh.." like a retard, and counterpointed a point I didn't even hint at making.
Toshiro Mifune's Letter Opener
2009-11-04 12:58:09 AM
The Deadites fall into the realm of demonology/the-demonically-possessed.
Not zombies.
Brodan
2009-11-04 12:58:15 AM
RemyDuron
2009-11-04 01:00:28 AM
No point in responding to the rest of your points, given that you started your post with "Uh.." like a retard, and counterpointed a point I didn't even hint at making.
. . .
Okay. It's called a "tangent." I was trying to think of good zombie movies between the original Dawn and the modern spate of zombie movies. I could not think of any.
/fark you too.
RemyDuron
2009-11-04 01:03:03 AM
The Deadites fall into the realm of demonology/the-demonically-possessed.
Not zombies.
Well, demonic possession could be an explanation for zombies. But the deadites just don't act like them.
/I watched all three Evil Dead movies over the weekend, they are somewhat on my mind.