Winnie Jean Howard's Blog, page 22

TV Series Review: Fear the Walking Dead (Season 2)

I’m happy to say that Fear the Walking Dead has improved.

If you read my review of the first season, you know I thought it totally sucked, but I had high hopes that the show would improve, and it did. Once they got on the boat, they had a lot of time to think about their circumstances, and their reactions to their new world were much better portrayed in season 2, although it did take a long time for this to play out.

I liked that in a sense they were isolated yet looking out on what the world had become, and that one man, Strand, dictated their interactions with that world. The characters weren’t flat like they were in season 1. Madison’s strength, Nick’s connection with the zombies, and Chris’s dark decent stood out this season. I do have to say that I’m loving Strand more and more, but his character didn’t have a chance to really shine until the end of the season.

The show was beautifully filmed on the pacific coast as they made their way to Mexico. The mix of zombies and water was just plain COOL! I’m looking forward to more of this.

While this show still has A LOT of room to grow, I’m A LOT more interested in continuing on as a viewer.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 Bloody Brains

Please leave zombie movie suggestions in the comments.
I prefer movies rated below a 4 on IMDB.

Movie Review: Burying the Ex

This week’s movie is Burying the Ex. Here’s what it’s about:

“When Max (Yelchin) learns that his new live-in girlfriend, Evelyn (Greene) is controlling and manipulative, he is afraid to end the relationship. However, fate occurs and Evelyn is killed in a freak accident. A couple months have passed and Max meets his dream girl, Olivia (Daddario). The new romance gets tricky when Evelyn comes back from the grave and insists on continuing their once relationship by all means.”

I didn’t hate this movie, but I didn’t love it either. This is not a hardcore zombie flick, but a wanna be funny, love story, chick flick.

Until I sat down to write this review, I had no idea the director of this movie also directed Small Soldiers, Inner Space, and the Gremlins movies. This movie is nowhere near the caliber of those movies.

I think Burying the Ex has an audience, but don’t count myself a part of it. So I’m giving it a 3 to be kind. Don’t watch this if you’re looking for blood and gore. Watch it if you like cute zombie movies, which, in my opinion, goes against the natural laws of the zombie Universe. LOL!

My Rating: 3 out of 5 Bloody Brains

Please leave zombie movie suggestions in the comments.
I prefer movies rated below a 4 on IMDB.

Movie Review: He Never Died

This week’s movie is He Never Died, and I enjoyed this one. Here’s what it’s about:

“Jack’s in a rut. Depression and severe anti-social behavior has whittled down his existence to sleeping and watching television. Seeing the human race as little more than meat with a pulse, Jack has no interest to bond with anyone. There’s little purpose for him to make friends with someone he’d eventually eat or outlive by more than a millennia. The fuse is lit when Jack’s past comes back to rattle him. Jack must now walk a tight rope of sobriety and try to eat as few people as possible in this violent tale of personal responsibility.”

Henry Rollins stars in this movie and he’s awesome as the lead. He has this even keel attitude throughout, but it works well. Even when he’s eating people he’s calm and collected, making it a little funny. Jack’s character personifies how we all just want to live our life, but we’re always tempted or dragged into chaos. You know, that side in all of us that we can’t always fight and eventually gets us in trouble of some kind or another. Unfortunately for Jack, he’s unable to die and stuck in the human condition for an eternity.

I enjoyed this movie because you get blood and gore and philosophy all in one. I highly suggest watching He Never Died.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Bloody Brains

Please leave zombie movie suggestions in the comments.
I prefer movies rated below a 4 on IMDB.

Movie Review: Exists

Sorry for taking last week off. It was a crazy week.

This week’s movie is Exists, and I have mixed feelings about this one. Here’s what it’s about:

“For five friends, it was a chance for a summer getaway- a weekend of camping in the Texas Big Thicket. But visions of a carefree vacation are shattered with an accident on a dark and desolate country road. In the wake of the accident, a bloodcurdling force of nature is unleashed-something not exactly human, but not completely animal- an urban legend come to terrifying life…and seeking murderous revenge.”

First off, Exists had some of the most stupidest characters I’ve seen in a movie. I was screaming many four-letter words at the TV screen every few minutes. Very annoying! At least give us one character with half a brain. Still, there was something about their stupidity that kept me watching. I found myself interested to find out what dumb move they’d make next, and of course, they delivered every time.

I have to acknowledge that the acting wasn’t bad and the big foots were cool.

I detested the Blair Witch Project style of filming, and that the character with the camera always seemed to be filming despite the tortures big foots inflicted on him.

If you’re feeling adventurous, give this one a try. Otherwise, don’t bother.

My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Bloody Brains

Please leave zombie movie suggestions in the comments.
I prefer movies rated below a 4 on IMDB.

Sorry for taking last week off. It was a crazy week. Thi...

Sorry for taking last week off. It was a crazy week.

This week’s movie is Exists, and I have mixed feelings about this one. Here’s what it’s about:

“For five friends, it was a chance for a summer getaway- a weekend of camping in the Texas Big Thicket. But visions of a carefree vacation are shattered with an accident on a dark and desolate country road. In the wake of the accident, a bloodcurdling force of nature is unleashed-something not exactly human, but not completely animal- an urban legend come to terrifying life…and seeking murderous revenge.”

First off, Exists had some of the most stupidest characters I’ve seen in a movie. I was screaming many four-letter words at the TV screen every few minutes. Very annoying! At least give us one character with half a brain. Still, there was something about their stupidity that kept me watching. I found myself interested to find out what dumb move they’d make next, and of course, they delivered every time.

I have to acknowledge that the acting wasn’t bad and the big foots were cool.

I detested the Blair Witch Project style of filming, and that the character with the camera always seemed to be filming despite the tortures big foots inflicted on him.

If you’re feeling adventurous, give this one a try. Otherwise, don’t bother.

My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Bloody Brains

Please leave zombie movie suggestions in the comments.
I prefer movies rated below a 4 on IMDB.

Warrant for Damnation Book Cover

Howdy All! I’m back early with my next update for The Courier series because I have the book cover to reveal for book #2, Warrant for Damnation. I’ll start releasing this book on March 25th on WattPatt. New parts will release every Friday. Wanna know what the book’s about? Page down below the cover for the blurb. If you still haven’t read book 1, Call for Obstruction, use the link below to get caught up. Again, I’ll keep this reveal short so you can sit back and enjoy the amazing cover art by RL Treadway of Artlink.

Read The Courier #1, Call for Obstruction on WattPad

Read The Courier #1, Call for Obstruction on WattPad

Movie Review: Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead

Another zombie movie this week. Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead has been sitting in my Netflix queue for nearly a year and I’m sorry I didn’t watch it sooner. Here’s what it’s about:

“Barry is a talented mechanic and family man whose life is torn apart on the eve of a zombie apocalypse. His sister, Brooke, is kidnapped by a sinister team of gas-mask wearing soldiers & experimented on by a psychotic doctor. While Brooke plans her escape Barry goes out on the road to find her & teams up with Benny, a fellow survivor – together they must arm themselves and prepare to battle their way through hordes of flesh-eating monsters in a harsh Australian bushland.”

I’d first like to say zombies + Australians = KICK ASS. Add in DO NOT MISS THIS MOVIE in all caps and I could leave it at that. But I enjoyed this movie so much that I have to tell you all the things I loved about it.

Freaky mad scientist who works while listening to KC and the Sunshine Band
Crazy macho outback zombie fighters dressed like The Preditor
Insanely dangerous zombies with flammable blood
Blood and gore and blood and gore and more blood and gore

Not since the Dead Snow movies have I enjoyed a zombie movie so much. This movie has everything and more. Great characters, decent acting, and best of all ingenuity. The independent movie industry is saturated with zombie movies, and this one stands out among them all. I’m even guessing the zombie lab will be duplicated in at least one Halloween house of horrors.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Bloody Brains

Please leave zombie movie suggestions in the comments.
I prefer movies rated below a 4 on IMDB.

New Book Cover for Call for Obstruction

Howdy All! I’m adding a blog post on the first Thursday of the monthly that’s about The Courier series. Today I’m revealing the new book cover for book 1, Call for Obstruction and here it is. I have nothing more to say because you should sit back and enjoy the amazing cover art by RL Treadway of Artlink.

Read Call for Obstruction on WattPad

Movie Review: Stalled

FINALLY, another zombie movie for my ‘best of’ list. Stalled was awesome! Here’s what it’s about:

“A janitor gets trapped in a women’s restroom and encounters an all-out attack by a horde of zombies.”

This movie is getting trashed by people for poor acting and cinematography, and all around bad taste. Plus it’s choppy in spots with no real explanation for why everyone turned into zombies. So why did I love it so much? Dan Palmer, both writer and lead, took a stab at originality and delivered both an interesting and funny storyline. I happen to think Dan Palmer was convincing in his role as the geeky, outcast janitor stuck in a bathroom stall during a zombie apocalypse. I found myself frequently laughing out loud, and there were even tender moments between the laughs. Good low-budget zombie action too.

Maybe I’m part of the immature few who never get tired of toilet humor. I do have Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead on my list of favorites. But anyway, I’ll be letting the world know that I give Stalled a big thumbs up! And if you don’t believe me that this movie is good, read British Zombie Film ‘Stalled’ Takes Zombie Films Out of the Toilet on Bloody Disgusting and you might change your mind.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Bloody Brains

Please leave zombie movie suggestions in the comments.
I prefer movies rated below a 4 on IMDB.

Movie Review: State of Emergency

I’m back on low-rated, zombie movies for a few weeks starting with State of Emergency. Here’s what it’s about:

“Chaos consumes a small town when a chemical facility explodes releasing a deadly toxin. Moments after the leak, the town’s residents show signs of mutation, causing the military to quarantine the area leaving any survivors helpless and trapped inside. The story follows Jim, a young man isolated within the red zone, as he eludes flesh eating zombies in an attempt to win back his freedom.”

This movie has pretty decent reviews for a low-budget zombie movie and an overall 5.3 rating on IMDB, but I don’t get it. There was nothing that stood out as different or interesting about this one. I can put up with a slow paced zombie movie if I like the character or care how the characters are developing. In this case, the characters bored me to death. When the characters are flat, the movie better have A LOT of bloody zombie actions, but in this movie the zombies seemed to be an after thought and were sadly missing in action.

This is one I found myself checking email 15 minutes in. If you read my reviews, you know what that means. I’m going to cut the review short on this one and recommend you skip a viewing of State of Emergency.

My Rating: 1.5 out of 5 Bloody Brains

Please leave zombie movie suggestions in the comments.
I prefer movies rated below a 4 on IMDB.