TADFF REVIEWS: WAR OF THE DEAD

WAR OF THE DEAD

Starring Andrew Tiernan, Samuel Vauramo and Mikko Leppilampi

Written by Barr B. Potter and Marko Markilaasko

Directed by Marko Markilaasko

Good things do not always come to those who wait. Finnish filmmaker Marko Markilaasko, for instance, filmed the WWII Nazi zombie movie War of the Dead back in 2007, but it only had its world premiere this past Saturday night at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Likewise, Toronto audience members who had been excitedly tracking the film since that time were greeted by a middling action movie with little horror content whose atrocious script left little meat for its cast to chew upon.

EXCLUSIVE! “THE THING” DIRECTOR SPEAKS ON CARPENTER, ARMY OF THE DEAD, AND FUTURE PROJECTS

Horror fans wait with bated breath for the release tomorrow of The Thing, the much-anticipated and already much-reviled prequel to John Carpenter’s much-lauded classic. The DLB spoke to director Mattjis van Heijningen, Jr., earlier today about the expectations of fans, combining practical effects with CGI, and his future plans, including the status of that much-talked-about zombie epic Army of the Dead.

MOVIE REVIEW: SUCKER PUNCH (2011)

SUCKER PUNCH

Starring Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish and Scott Glenn

Directed by Zack Snyder

Written by Zack Snyder and Steve Shibuya

Naming your film Sucker Punch is a dangerous move because it allows critics like me to write things like “Sucker Punch: emphasis on the ‘suck.’”

Now that’s a rather glib assessment of such a visually striking film, but it’s accurate. Sucker Punch looks fantastic, but unlike the quick, startling jab promised by the title, it’s more like a slap in the face to the ideas of character and plot.