Dawn of the Dead (1978)

After suffering through the complete garbage that Night of the Living Dead was, I had extremely low expectations for the sequel. Wow, was I ever wrong. It actually starts off fairly weak, but slowly completes a sea change into a great film.

Having already seen the remake, I had an idea of what to expect, but now I can see the remake was more of a retelling, as the original is still very original. The only real similarity between the two is that they end up in a shopping mall with zombies. Beyond that, they are two completely different films.

I have to admit, I thought the writing and plot twists in this film were much better than the remake. Much more goes into the underlying story. There's also great humor to be had, most of it dark. The acting is 100 times better than in Night of the Living Dead, although that's not saying much. A must see for any zombie fan.

Rating: B+

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Almost like an American remake of 28 Days Later, even if it's supposed to be a remake of the original DOTD. Dark humor is intertwined nicely into a sharp script. I watched the director's cut on DVD, so no idea how it compares to the theatrical release, although the Director's introduction said it contained more character development (which I like) and more gore (which was very noticeable). There are some pretty cool DVD extras I suggest checking out. A well done update.

Rating: B

Machete (2010)

I was excited about this picture ever since I heard they were making a feature length film based on the fake movie trailer that aired during Grindhouse. The posters alone will wet your appetite. Pretty great cast, including the beyond beautiful Jessica Alba. Michelle Rodriguez doesn't look too shabby either. It's nice seeing Danny Trejo snag a leading role for a change.

Plenty of gratuitous violence and mayhem. You just have to laugh when 3 heads hit the floor after a single machete swipe. I felt the film lost focus towards the end. Also, there were too many unnecessary bit players taking up screen time. Lindsey Lohan's character made little sense. I shouldn't be surprised that it didn't live up to my expectations.

Rating: C

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012)

I immediately got the sense that the author/screenwriter/director thinks his dialogue is much wittier than it actually is. I found the script and characters extremely clichéd. as if I was watching reenactments of scenes from far better films. The cast didn’t do anything for me either. Paul Rudd was wasted in his role. Great soundtrack though.

Ok, so it wasn’t all that bad, but it wasn’t good either.

Rating: C

Planet Terror (2007)

This is Rodriguez's contribution to Grindhouse, an unabashedly violent, trashy piece of cinema that young men crave. What separates it from all the other zombie pics, and especially from the early gore films it mimics, are the fantastic characters. Rodriguez and Tarantino can't help themselves. They create dynamic, entertaining characters without even trying to.

It's too bad this double feature wasn't a huge money maker, as I would have liked seeing the 2 for the price of 1 model really take off.

Rating: B-