James Harleman's Blog, page 14

OZ: Chasing Greatness at the Expense of Goodness

“Aren’t you the great man we’ve been waiting for?” There’s very little violence inThe Wizard of Oz. Colin Stokes pointed this out inan interesting Ted talk.Instead of the typical hero’s quest wherein a lone protagonist vanquishes all evil by himself (or with one sidekick) with violence and then gets a reward (and the girl),The Wizard [...]

Are you following THE FOLLOWING?

“My masterpiece will be finished soon. I can’t wait for you to read it.” - Joe Carroll Over 20 million people turned out to watch The Following, the gritty drama where we discover a serial killer has used his potent powers of persuasion to produce a pervasive cult-like group that is carrying out his grand [...]

ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH orbits familiar themes

"I'm the brains and you're the brawn." - Gary Supernova
Two alien brothers - one glory-seeking and fairly oblivious, feeding on the adulation of his fans, the other a behind-the-scenes guy and family man (who really provides the brains for their operations) find themselves on "The Dark Planet". It's the most dangerous place in the galaxy, from which space-travelers never return. The trailer (and the title) basically give away the humorous (sad?) reality that this planet is earth, and we see t...

Bringing THE WALKING DEAD to life

Live. Die. Keep going. Why?
I'm biased. I've been into The Walking Dead for over a decade, having picked up the first issue of the comic book in 2003 and following the travels of Rick Grimes, his family, and various survivors in a zombie apocalypse. The first issue came out roughly the same time as the pseudo-zombie hit 28 Days Later , and years later the third season premiere of The Walking Dead would become the most-watched basic cable drama telecast in history. The mid-season finale pulled i...

Dating the Dead pt. 4: LAND

by guest reviewer Diana Taibi

Continuing our look atRomero's genre-defining zombie films that began here, we find ourselves landing in the fourth installment...(review includes spoilers)
Land of the Dead
Society has reformed to resume a semblance of normal life despite the surrounding zombie threat. The wealthy live inside a safe haven called Fiddler’s Green with the amenities they were used to before the zombies. The disadvantaged live in a ghetto outside the city and make do the best they c...

Dating the Dead pt. 3: DAY

by guest reviewer Diana Taibi

Continuing our look at Romero's genre-defining zombie films, we find ourselves sunny side up in 1985... (review includes spoilers)
Day of the Dead
In Day of the Dead, the zombie plague has reached its peak. The cities are deserted and the zombies are withering because there are no people left to eat. The film follows a small group in an underground facility, where brutish military men keep a harsh order and a scientist, Dr. Logan, whom the soldiers call “Dr. Fran...

Dating the Dead pt. 2: DAWN

by guest reviewer Diana Taibi

Continuing our look at Romero's genre-defining zombie films, we find ourselves shambling into the light with his second entry in 1978... (review includes spoilers)
Dawn of the Dead
As Romero's sequelbegins, the zombie epidemic is at crisis levels, and cities are being overrun. A small group (a pilot, his reporter girlfriend, and two SWAT team members) escape to a shopping mall where they set up refuge. They avoid zombies to get basic supplies, but eventually risk...

Dating the Dead pt. 1: NIGHT

By guest reviewer Diana Taibi January is the new October: that season when you can’t get away from horror films. Over the past few years, zombies have become particularly in style, which has thrilled me. Well, in many cases it has, while in others it has been disappointing. Oddly, two of the greatest disappointments were [...]

WARM BODIES adds new life to undead

"I don't want to be this way. I am lonely, I am lost."- R
I hated Warm Bodies . Hated it with a passion.Then I actually read the book. This weekend I saw the film, and finally repented of my biased position.

See, for years I had an idea rattling around in the back of my head: wouldn't it be cool to write a zombie story where characters dead in their zombie trespasses could have their heart revived and be restored to new life?For my Christian upbringing, the parallels were obvious, and I scribb...

PRIDE & PREJUDICE transcends centuries

"I've been so blind..."
The final days of January marked 200 years since the publishing of Pride and Prejudice , by Jane Austen, in 1813. Lots of websites, magazines, and even CNN made note of the 200th birthday of this enduring story some would call the mother of all rom-coms. However, although the surface formula has been imitated repeatedly, I believe its longevity owes itself to so much more... even more than about the obvious relationship themes between men and women.
"It would be most in...