What does one write about a zombie-flick? Are they all the same? Are they all generic (if you can say that about any movie about the living dead eating the flesh of the living alive)? Are they all retarded (which some, even some that I know, would say about any movie about the living dead eating the flesh of the living alive)? The answer, in this humble Re-Brewer's opinion, is NO.
Zombie movies kick ass man! In film history, there is only one zombie movie to date that I have seen that I didn't like, and that was the remake of Day of the Dead with Mena Suvariand Nick Cannon (that's right, Mr. Mariah Carey himself... they give him a spear). That movie didn't even take place in the day. But putting all the garbage aside, I love a good zombie flick. Beyond that, if you check out my top ten lists of 2009 and 2008 you'll notice that World War 2 flicks topped the chart both years. In 2008, Valkyrie took the cake, and in 2009, Tarantino rocked my world by introducing me to his Inglourious Basterds. So, you combine WWII with zombies and what do you get? Apparently, you get Dead Snow.
That being said, let's just get it out of the way that yes, Dead Snow is a cheesy, B-level zombie movie, and if any of you aren't into that, then don't see this. For me personally, horror/violence/zombies are done at their best when they're at their cheesy, B-level states.
I was disappointed by Dead Snow for these reasons:
- It didn't actually take place in World War 2, the zombies have just survived their curses from then til today.
- Really lame soundtrack, think Swedish Nickelback
- Like most modern zombie movies, they changed the zombie folklore
Now, the time frame situation doesn't bother me that much, but I still think it'd be pretty freakin' sweet to have a movie taking place during WWII! Imagine the chaos! Brain hungry creatures limping around the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day Invasion? Wow, that'd be a zombie movie. But alas, I must wait...
The soundtrack basically sounded like it was played by bands who were friends with the director, but hey, this movie was clearly not made for much money so what're ya gonna do? For me it didn't match, but it clearly works for someone. I know a number of Europeans and most of them seem to be into that kinda music, maybe that had something to do with it. Maybe not...
Here's the thing I really hated: zombie bites in Dead Snow don't turn people into zombies. Of all the things I've seen changed in a zombie movie (running zombies in 28 Days Later which actually is also in this, vegetarian zombies in Day of the Dead), this has been my least favorite. Having said that, they did manage to have a hilarious scene where a dude thinking he was going to turn into a zombie after being bitten cut off his own arm with a chainsaw, cleansed it by lighting a gasoline fire on a dead Nazi, only to have his dick bitten off immediately thereafter.
The B-movie effects were aplenty and I loved it. There's of course the one awesome guy that everybody looks up to who drives a snowmobile and prefers his solitude (he gets ripped into five pieces). There's the movie geek who quotes Temple of Doom and gets laid in a port-a-potty. One chick survives a fall of a few hundred feet and then gets swiped with an axe to the neck by her own boyfriend. All of it wonderful.
And let me just say this... A Zombie Movie that's not in English but rather a badass sounding language like Swedish... mint.
4.5/6 for me!
A Serious Man, the latest Coen Brothers experience, is a difficult movie to rebrew. I should probably just start off by saying that I think this is an incredible film. I absolutely loved every minute, from the driving bass line of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love" in the opening credits to the whirling special effects of a tornado at the end. It was great.
9. Crossing Over - 5.5/6
8. Star Trek - 5.5/6 
7. The Hurt Locker - 5.5/6
6. Fantastic Mr. Fox - 6/6 
5. Up - 6/6
4. A Serious Man - 6/6
3. Up In The Air - 6/6
2. Sherlock Holmes - 6/6
