Condemned isn't quite the movie that I was pitched. People trapped inside a condemned building with zombies seemed like a pretty generic idea for a zombie flick. But what the Condemned actually delivers is actually far greater, with significantly less zombie though in my opinion. The zombie genre is incredibly broad, and so I have a hard time to argue against these being zombies. But if I had to compare them to a zombie style thus far, I would compare them to the rage zombies from 28 weeks later. My personal view of zombies has always been tied more closely with Romero's work and the Return of the Living Dead franchise. But that's just me.
Condemned opens with rich girl Maya (Dylan Penn), hiding in her closet as her parents fight while on the phone with her boyfriend Dante (Ronen Rubinstein). Dante convinces Maya to run away to New York to live with him, which she does. After sneaking into a bar to watch his band play and meet some of his friends, Loki (Honor Titus) and Loki's girlfriend Alexa (Genevieve Hudson-Price). After which they return to their apartment, which is located in a condemned building as they state that living in the city is simply to expensive. When the enter the building they're greeted by Shynola (Anthony Chrisholm), along with some of the buildings other colorful occupants. Including but not limited to, a pair of junkies Tess (Lydia Hearst) and Vince (Jon Abrahams),
…show more content…
As here the inhabitants of condemned building retain both their personalities and intelligence. Mostly and rather than blows to the heads killing them, any way you would normally kill a person works just fine on them. Though they do seem a little more resilient to damage, but mostly due to being so crazy. As their fight or flight responses have ratchet up to extreme levels while being subject to server hallucinations to the point where they can not longer differentiate between what's real and what
White Zombie and “Dead Men Working in the Cane Fields” are both works that portray the zombie as a mindless creature, however they both have different reasons for the zombies being there. Both of these works contained social and political references to the time period that they were made in. Both works were meant to scare people, however they did it by playing on different fears.
In the article "Movies that Rose from the Grave" by Max Brooks, he delves deeper into the reasoning of where, why, and when zombie horror flicks
As said in the previous discussion regarding the second chapter of Better Off Dead: The Evolution of the Zombie as Post-Human, zombies and their culture are examined and broken down in order to understand their motives for the progression of zombies globally. Through different perspectives from individuals based around the world, the discussion of the zombie culture debates over the idea that zombies have not just evolved within the narratives that have brought them to life, but they have evolved in such a way that ultimately transforms the narrative itself. However, in this specific chapter, “They are not men.they are dead bodies!” : From Cannibal to Zombie and Back Again, Chera Kee breaks down the introduction of zombies into mainstream consciousness, and eventually cinema.
During George Romero’s interview with Steven Mackenzie, Romero was asked for his opinions on why zombies are trending (James, 2013). Romero’s opinions are “they are hot and they have become a huge business, economic engine” (James, 2013). Romero is acknowledged as the “father of zombies” ;therefore, Mackenzie asks his opinion on how he feels about his nickname. Romero answers this question by criticizing Brooks’s film stating, “The walking dead is just a soap opera with the occasional zombie and I did not want any part of it” (James, 2013). Romero states in his interview that in his films he has never called these undead creatures “zombies.” He simply calls zombies people rising from the dead (James, 2013). Romero does not believe zombies are able to run; he says the zombies in World War Z move like “army ants” (James, 2013). Romero’s best known movie, Night of the Living Dead, frustrated many people. Romero responded, “if no...
A zombie is a monster that has been a horror movie legacy for many years now. Zombie is defined as “a dead person who is able to move because of magic according to some religions and in stories, movies, etc.” Zombies haven’t always been the creature that we see today though. George A. Romero merged the old-forgotten zombie into the standardized version we see today. James Conroy writes, “With his 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, George Romero brought the concept of the slow-moving, flesh-eating zombie into mainstream American culture.” (1) Night of the Living Dead not only set an iconic image for zombies, but it also brought issues you would not normally see in a Zombie film, dealing with race and gender stereotypes.
Zombies have become very popular due to their depictions of being easy to kill and being communal. Zombie apocalypses are also very relatable due to the fact that they are set in lives similar to our society and seem easy to overcome. Zombies, themselves, can be identified with because we see ourselves when we look at a zombie. Zombies drudge on through the same task of finding human flesh to consume every day just like we drag ourselves to either class or our job in order to sit through another boring lecture or perform the same menial task every day. Just like the zombie, R, in the book, Warm Bodies, said, “I am Dead, but it’s not so bad. I’ve learned to live with it,” we have learned to succumb to our daily routines and just live with
The zombie race is very different. It doesn't not have many abilities and is not advanced like humans. Their behavior patterns are different. They cannot stand cold or winter weather. Their behavior is very different and difficult to calculate. They usually stand around lingering and waiting to attack when they hear something. They follow noises.Some abilities that they do have is that they have excellent hearing and can walk but aren't blind.The also can smell human blood. Zombies are generally weak but don’t underestimate what they can do to a human.
The film by Kiah and Tristan Roache-Turner titled “Wrymwood: Road of the Dead” is a low budget zombie genre horror movie that was filmed in Australia and was released in 2014. Wrymwood is an extension of the zombie genre that draws on typical zombie cannon while exploring concepts that are atypical of most modern zombie movies. The film expertly combines a post-apocalyptic zombie story with the ideas of another Australian classic in the “Mad Max” series (Dee, 2015). While the movie clearly does not possess the high budget effects of many of today’s zombie films, it is an entertaining escape from many of the formulaic films of today that draw from the well of Romero’s original work in “Night of the Living Dead”
John Marwood Cleese, an English actor, comedian, writer and film producer said, “If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas. And if I can persuade you to laugh at the particular point I make, by laughing at it you acknowledge its truth”. The point he brings up is the ideology of satire. Satire, by definition, is a technique utilized by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society. This can be done by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule ("Satire - Definition and Examples", para.1). Often times, the humor used opens the audiences’ minds to the underlying problem that the writer is trying to reveal. By examining the purpose and methods of satire, dissecting literary works, and displaying examples in the media, satire is shown to be a valuable tool.
Satire is the most powerful democratical weapon in the arsenal of modern media. Sophia McClennen, the author of America According to Colbert: Satire as Public Pedagogy, describes it as the modern form of public pedagogy, as it helps to educate the masses about current issues (73). In fact, ”a Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey in 2004 found that 61 percent of people under the age of thirty got some of their political 'news' from late-night comedy shows” (McClennen 73). This statistic shows how influential satirical shows such as The Colbert Report or South Park can be. Satire invites critical self introspection from us in a way that no other media can. It also acts as an unbiased mirror that reflects the mirror image of the flaws of our society. This beautiful process, when unhindered and uncensored, is the epitome of western freedom of speech, which is the single most significant right that deserves to be cherished and defended.
Pierre performs whiteness in several different ways. First thing that is noticeable is the way Pierre talks. He has this accent that he adapted to separate himself from other african americans. At one point in the movie his father even calls him out on his ridiculous accent and how he needs to stop. Another thing Pierre changed about himself was his name. Pierre Delacroix is the name he had it change to for sound like he has less of a “black” background. His original name, Perrless Dothan, did not fit the “white image” he was trying to pass off. Pierre also furthers his image of a white man by dressing and acting as if he his white. He tries his hardest to pretend like he has no “black” in him, at the beginning of the movie at least.
Mad Magazine, The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live. In our society, satire is among the most prevalent of comedic forms. This was not always true, for before the 18th century, satire was not a fully developed form. Satire, however, rose out of necessity; writers and artists needed a way to ambiguously criticize their governments, their churches, and their aristocrats. By the 18th century, satire was hugely popular. Satire as an art form has its roots in the classics, especially in the Roman Horace's Satires. Satire as it was originally proposed was a form of literature using sarcasm, irony, and wit, to bring about a change in society, but in the eighteenth century Voltaire, Jonathan Swift and William Hogarth expanded satire to include politics, as well as art. The political climate of the time was one of tension. Any criticism of government would bring harsh punishments, sometimes exile or death. In order to voice opinions without fear of punishment, malcontented writers turned to Satire. Voltaire's Candide and Swift's Modest Proposal are two examples of this new genre. By creating a fictional world modeled after the world he hated, Voltaire was able to attack scientists, and theologians with impunity. Jonathan Swift created many fictional worlds in his great work, Gulliver's Travels, where he constantly drew parallels to the English government.
Satire is defined as “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues” (Oxford). The best satirical writers can make the readers believe that an idea is “logical and practical.” This is seen in great abundance in Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World. Through his writing, Huxley uses satire to effectively point out the flaws of society at the time. Even though Brave New World was written in 1931, the satirical points Huxley makes are still relevant in today’s world.
George A. Romero, the director of Night of the Living Dead accidently created the zombie genre that we are familiar with today. Night of the Living Dead reshaped the entire genre with its bitter realism. Romero established verisimilitude unintentionally by focusing on how people react to crisis. The first zombie movies relied on semi-terrifying dress codes (of their time) and the conventional diegetic scream of a female. Whereas Romero’s film is an interpretation of humankind’s collapse. Romero drew inspiration from the infamous Vietnam War spiralling at the time and the American civil war. The verisimilitude lies within the human condition in dire times, like war. Therefore, in the Night of the Living Dead the zombie/ghoul stands as a symbol for the enemy contriving those dire times. This consequently makes the genre actually terrifying because representations have altered. Zombies are no longer an otherworldly or scientific monster e.g. White Zombie but a
Zombies are real, but not like those in stories on the big screen. Real zombies and vampires are regular people who suffer from a mental condition called, Cotard Syndrome. Cotard's syndrome, is a rare mental disorder, those with cotard syndrome have delusional belief that they are already dead. This syndrome is also known as the Walking Corpse Syndrome. These delusions can range from believing one is dead, are putrefying, do not exist, or have lost their blood and organs. This mental disorder was brought to the attention in the 1880‘s, by Jules Cotard, who described a delusion he called “delusion of negations”. Cotard Syndrome is mostly a certain type of depression.