Wet 'n' Wild Radio Podcast #4 (November 2009)...

You can find a link to the WNWR website under my "Make with the Clicky" links list on the right side of the blog, just scroll down a bit and you'll hit upon a list of links and in there you'll find it.

It's been a couple of months since the last WNWR Show, as talked about previously on the DeadShed blog here:

http://deadshed.blogspot.com/2009/08/wnwrcom-podcasts-2-3-in-review.html

So good news, there's a new episode of the podcast in town. It's another beastly entry at a sizeable, but never dull, two hours featuring Gary Ugarek - the writer/director (and about 103 other things) of the Deadlands movies - and Brian Wright, who has likewise been involved in the Deadlands movies in various capacities from producer to photographer to one of the key roles that is the music ... and indeed, he's the kind chap who has done a bunch of free music for me that I've used in various shorts I've put together (e.g. Skinner, which was talked about in WNWR#3, Signing Off, VHS-2 and so on - I've even used a couple of his tracks in the Gaia & Genesis DVD).

As before, these guys make for rambunctious listening, and Gary in particular is (as always) characteristically up-front telling it like it is. The guys wax lyrical, and honestly, about a variety of things this episode, including a whole bunch of background information on the trials and tribulations of getting Deadlands 2 out there on DVD (via Anthem Pictures, Amazon, and a bunch of other stockists - check out http://www.playingwithdeadthings.com/deadlands2-trapped-thedvd.html to find out more about the DVD and where to get your bloody paws on it.

It's also good to hear that Deadlands 2 on DVD is doing very well, and yes indeed there is a Deadlands 3 planned - matters relating to which we also get to hear about from Gary in his typically head-on style.

Another interesting topic of conversation revolves around Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead. Now in a previous episode Brian remarked that he wasn't too keen on the former from what he'd seen, but I'm pleased to hear he's definitely now a fan of it. Indeed, while Gary was much more open to the film from the off, his initial thoughts weren't stellar - however, having seen it more than half a dozen times already, he's now brazenly placed it in his Top Five ahead of Shaun of the Dead ... that's right, ahead of Shaun of the Dead.

Naturally (and quite sensibly in my view), Brian is perplexed by this and the duo get into an entertaining and perhaps even thoughtful (certainly in a genre fan way) about the two films.

I have to say that, personally, Shaun wins out over Zombieland. The latter may be really entertaining, but Shaun is simply the better film in all respects. It's got shamblers, not runners ... it's written by folk who are well versed in the zombie genre (unlike Zombieland, I was a bit bummed to hear) ... it's structurally a really good script ... it's got that British sensibility (American zombie films are, like Italian zed flicks, dime-a-dozen with a handful of outstanding entries) ... as Brian says it's from the trifecta that is Pegg/Wright/Frost ... it's seriously funny throughout, and yet painfully emotional in pitch perfect scenes like when Shaun has to deal with the immediate death of his mother ... it's got a well-honed style that flows throughout the movie effortlessly ... the zombies kick ass, the situation does become really quite horrifying at times, the editing is crisp, the performances are spot-on, and the theme of moving from your 20s to your 30s and what the consequences are, are perfectly distilled through the filter of a zombie apocalypse.

*gasps*

Plus, Shaun of the Dead doesn't put some really stupid character decisions into the script, unlike Zombieland which does have some really, unbelievably stupid moments.

That said, as you'll know from my musings on Zombieland, I still loved it - that movie survives its flaws and becomes a kick ass slab of fun, with genuine moments of real emotion, and also the ability to (more than once) wrong-foot the audience with some perfectly executed scenes (you'll know the ones I mean, and indeed one such scene is referenced by Brian during the debate).

However, whereas Zombieland is the delicious cheese burger that really hit your spot, Shaun is like a finely cooked roast dinner prepared by your own mother ... this analogy only works if your mother is a good cook, though, but you know what I mean.

There's no contest.

...

So yeah, another spiffing WNWR podcast, and I'm looking forward to the next episode!

Doghouse...

June's double-flick cine-trip's second movie kicked the ass of the last 'second in a day' movie we saw at the cinema (which was the utterly pish Observe & Report) - plus we'd had Pizza Hut between screenings, so my gut and blood sugar was thoroughly happy after an ice-cold Pepsi and a delicious individual-size (i.e. the literally perfect portion) Meat Feast pan-pizza ... it makes me want one right now just talking about, so I'd better shut up and start blog-juicing about Doghouse!

Was it ever going to be Shaun of the Dead? No it wasn't, and neither was Lesbian Vampire Killers, but that's not the point, and when you think about it for a moment, it's not even a fair target to aspire to. Shaun of the Dead was simply too good to be beaten.

Shaun of the Dead "ish" or "like" perhaps - as in, it's a "British horror comedy".

It'd be far more worthwhile to compare LVK and Doghouse - so which one wins out of the two (both released this year) - Doghouse wins. It's got a far more consistent style than LVK, it has more gore, it's funnier, and it's better constructed.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Lesbian Vampire Killers, but it generally felt a bit inconsistent and rushed, and then it all kind of fell apart towards the end. Doghouse on the other hand sticks to its guns, and provides the viewer with a greater sense of consistency from start to finish. You're not rushed into things - you get the required set-up time - but you're not left checking your watch either.

I rather enjoyed Jake West's previous flick Evil Aliens, so I'm really glad to see he's getting to play with a bigger budget and bigger names. Doghouse (adapted from a cult comic) is a horror film for horror fans, it's for the 'nerds' in the crowd, the sort of person who relishes in the gloopy gore of The Evil Dead ... primarily at least. It plays well to those not versed in the world of Sam Raimi before Spider-Man or the 1990s, or 'pre-Rings' Peter Jackson, but it certainly helps if you're a lover of Sam Raimi's madcap horror stylings.

Doghouse has a better-than-average bucket of gore to chuck around (although a few more stand-out gore-gags like in Evil Aliens would have been welcomed by the Evil Dead lovers in the audience), Danny Dyer's 'geezer schtick' doesn't wear thin, and the general feel of utter daftness was a real pleasure to watch.

It doesn't dawdle - which was ideal for a second-screening on a double-dip trip to the cinema like we were doing at the time - and, put simply, it's a good fun slab of Grindhouse-ish exploitation horror comedy. Buckets of fun - so here's hoping that it gets a spiffing treatment on DVD for the genre fans to lap up.

Black Sheep...

I'd been meaning to see this flick for a while, being that it's along the same vibe as Braindead (in style, as well as country of origin), and the F/X were done by Weta "Them Lot Who Done Lord Of The Rings" Workshop ... also, it's essentially a zombie movie but with sheep, set in New Zealand, the home of countless numbers of the woolly jumpers in-waiting.

I spied the DVD on the cheap and figured why not? Off the bat, it doesn't live up to the "if you liked Shaun of the Dead" tag, but then again basically all films that use that, never do. Mind you, Black Sheep is far from a write off, it's still quite entertaining, pulls out a few nifty gore gags, gets a few great character moments in here and there, and generally isn't disappointing.

Now - this use of Shaun of the Dead on the cover reminds me of Dead & Breakfast ... dear god was that a sack of shite and a half. Dead & Breakfast doesn't have the humour of Shaun, nor does it have the gore, the style, the intelligence, the comedic acting skill, the script or a whole host of other things.

So basically, Black Sheep is a good bit of modern B-movie fun ... and it's loads better than Dead & Breakfast, another movie which used the name of Shaun of the Dead to flog itself (yeah yeah, that was most likely entirely down to the advertisers, but still).

It'll be interesting to see what the writer/director comes up with next.