ACTORS: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Ridley, Adam Knox
DIRECTOR: George A. Romero
RATING: Unrated
PARENTAL NOTE:Not intended for children. Extreme violence. Zombie mayhem and gore.
INTENDED AUDIENCE:This movie is intended for fans of the genre, and may not be appreciated by others.
GENERAL PLOT: (No spoilers) A group of dissimilar people end up in a remote farmhouse fighting the zombie horde. Can they survive the zombie onslaught–and themselves?
REVIEW: Some people[1. Tom Truex] will tell you that Night of the Living Dead is the most important movie in the most impotant sub-genre (zombie) of the most important movie genre (horror). This film would be laughable if released today. But in 1968, it was completely groundbreaking. It has really defined the genre for the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of zombie movies which followed. This film defined the zombie as we know it–a slow, lumbering[2. Recent films, such as the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead show us fast moving zombies–an abomination to the “zombie purist.” Frankly, I welcome the fast moving zombie, which in my view is more lethal, and hence more scary] killing machine. Move too slow, get bit, and you too can join the zombie way of life (or death, or undead). Anyway, back to this movie: if you can get past it being in black and white, and the overacting, it remains a pretty scary movie. I’ve seen Night of the Living Dead so many times that I don’t jump any more. But for the first time viewer, the suspense, the horror, and the over the top gore are sure to thrill.
RECOMMENDATION:[2. If you wonder why zombie themes and horror films have space on a Christian website like K_Line Christian Online, please see my blog post on point]This is a zombie horror movie–though admittedly somewhat tame by comparison to current zombie movies. Many people will be highly offended by every movie in this genre because of the graphic violence, gore, language and other questionable elements. However, if you are a fan of this genre–you have to respect this groundbreaking work of art for the great movie that it is.
RATING (out of 5 stars):★★★★★★
MOVIE REVIEW: 2012 (2009)
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2012
GENRE: Action, Science Fiction Disaster
ACTORS: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson, Chin Han, Patrick Bauchau, Thomas McCarthy
RATING: PG-13
PARENTAL NOTE:I believe the movie makers think this movie is suitable for older children. I do not. Limited bad language. Extreme violence, though individuals are not shown being killed, except at a distance. Movie portrays mass killing.
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Intended for older teens and adults. Many people will be put off by depiction of mass killings.
GENERAL PLOT: (No spoilers) This film shows the full power of the Sun[1. More precisely, a rare alignment of the Sun and the rest of the solar system] unleashed against the planet Earth. Guess which one wins. Oh, and the human race is inconveniently caught in the middle of this cosmic battle of Biblical proportions. All of this was supposedly predicted a few centuries back in the Mayan calendar.
REVIEW: This movie depicts the annihilation of the better part of the human race. A typical horror movie kills off a few dozen to a few hundred people. OK, the zombie genre often implies mass zombification, but it’s usually left to the imagination, and who’s counting? 2012 manages to kill off billions–and seeks to show as many of the deaths as possible, either individually or en masse. The one redeeming point of this film is the spectacular special effects. Again, it gives a spectacular presentation of a disaster of Biblical proportions. The special effects bump up my rating by two stars, but there isn’t much else to recommend the film. The “science” part of the science fiction is pretty thin. The plot would be silly if not so tragic. The moral of the story is apparently, that there is nothing like the end of the world to kill off inconvenient third parties and re-unite a family.
RECOMMENDATION: Many people will be highly offended by extreme violence. In fact, it’s not really my cup of tea. Unless you are drawn by the special effects (which are, in fact breathtaking), save yourself the 2 hours and 38 minute viewing time.
RATING (out of 5 stars):★★★★★
Top grossing actor of all time: Still Samuel L. Jackson!
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Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp FictionApparently, there was some controversy surrounding my comments in the K_Line survey about your top ten films. I said that Samuel L. Jackson was the top grossing actor of all time, and I stand by that remark. And frankly, aside from the near constant stream of profanity in many of his movies, I have to agree he is a pretty talented actor.
The top ten grossing actors of all time are:
10. Robin Williams
9. Will Smith
8. Morgan Freeman
7. Eddie Murphy
6. Bruce Willis
5. Tom Cruise
4. Orlando Bloom
3. Harrison Ford
2. Tom Hanks
1. Samuel L Jackson[1. SOURCE: TopTenz, http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-most-successful-actors-at-the-box-office.php ]
Details on top 10 actors of all time
10. Robin Williams
U.S. Gross – $3,177,675,199
Worldwide Gross – $5,749,935,745
Most Successful Films:
1. Night at the Museum – $574,480,841
2. Aladdin – $504,050,219
3. Mrs. Doubtfire – $441,286,195
4. Happy Feet – $385,000,317
9. Will Smith
U.S. Gross – $2,542,908,988
Worldwide Gross – $5,771,022,176
Most Successful Films:
1. Independence Day – $817,400,878
2. Hancock – $624,346,274
3. Men in Black – $587,790,539
4. I Am Legend – $585,055,701
8. Morgan Freeman
U.S. Gross – $3,138,301,600
Worldwide Gross – $5,851,042,996
Most Successful Films:
1. The Dark Knight – $1,000,245,358
2. The War of the Worlds (Narrator) – $591,745,532
3. Bruce Almighty – $485,004,995
4. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – $390,500,000
7. Eddie Murphy
U.S. Gross – $3,470,799,901
Worldwide Gross – $6,211,397,821
Most Successful Films:
1. Shrek 2 – $919,838,758
2. Shrek the Third – $798,958,162
3. Beverly Hills Cop – $316,300,000
4. Coming to America – $288,800,000
6. Bruce Willis
U.S. Gross – $3,045,317,743
Worldwide Gross – $ 6,432,992,990
Most Successful Films:
1. The Sixth Sense – $672,806,292
2. Armageddon – $554,600,000
3. Live Free or Die Hard – $383,531,464
4. Over the Hedge- $336,002,981
5. Tom Cruise
U.S. Gross – $3,274,294,878
Worldwide Gross – $6,642,337,497
Most Successful Films:
1. The War of the Worlds – $591,745,532
2. Mission Impossible 2 – $546,209,889
3. The Last Samurai – $456,810,575
4. Rain Man – $412,800,000
1. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King – $1,133,027,325
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – $1,065,659,812
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – $926,284,377
4. Troy – $497,398,577
3. Harrison Ford
U.S. Gross – $3,630,449,689
Worldwide Gross – $6,657,454,464
Most Successful Films:
1. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope – $797,900,000
2. Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – $786,558,765
3. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back – $534,171,960
4. The Fugitive – $368,900,000
2. Tom Hanks
U.S. Gross – $3,985,186,565
World Gross – $8,007,367,700
Most Successful Films:
1. The Da Vinci Code – $757,236,138
2. Forrest Gump – $679,400,525
3. Saving Private Ryan – $481,635,085
4. Cast Away – $427,230,516
1. Samuel L Jackson
U.S. Gross – $4,458,983,764
Worldwide Gross – $8,640,150,950
Most Successful Films:
1. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace – $924,288,297
2. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – $848,998,877
3. The Incredibles – $635,564,642
4. Iron Man – $582,313,199
