The Walking Dead

While vampires might be the new zombies, the undead have an upper hand in this intensely plotted and well scripted series from creator Frank Darabont. The Walking Dead takes its history from a comic book of the same name based on a series of survivors who try to find unity in the wake of a zombie take over. While the show has been uneven in tone and direction with its six episode first season there are some extremely fine moments that bring this from mediocre gore fest to a higher art. I must say the pilot of the series is by far one of the most well written and taught scripts this side of Mad Men. Its incredibly well conceived bringing so much attention to detail and neurosis that it almost single handily brings up the zombie brand from straight to DVD fare to psychological thriller. Having almost movie like cinematography helps establish hauntingly realistic cinematic moments where the camera expands to show true horror in a way that most shows are no where close to replicating. The scene where police officer Rick rides into Atlanta on horseback with rifle in tow is both poetic and daunting. The transfer to HD is beautifully realized and shades of deep amber fill most scenes with low light giving a very natural feel. Though I feel that many characters are clumsily introduced the main story arch of Rick finding his wife and son is well written and thoroughly thought out. Andrew Lincoln brings a strong presence to the screen as Rick giving him an almost heroic glow every time hes on screen, making even the most trite scenes relate-able. Rick's friend Shane (Jon Bernthal) and wife Lori (Sarah Callies) help bring some nice dramatic overtones to their parts. While the zombies may not be terrifying they are nicely gory and perfectly haunting. Overall the FX are nicely not over powering and the sound mixing isn't grating while being extremely ambient. The main problem with the Walking Dead is its uneven tone through out episodes that go from gory zombie chases, to implausible broadly drawn characters, to deaths that don't render much feeling beyond the “Who were they?”. At this point none of the survival camp characters register much emotional depth even though they get well crafted back stories. The quality fell sharply after the pilot, but there have been nice moments that rise the series beyond monster bash TV. The season final was actually interesting though not doing much to move the series forward. In order for The Walking dead to reach a higher level of sustained greatness as a drama series it must round out extra characters, bring balance to the type of show it wants to be, and try to refocus the feeling of the series back to the pilot. It is still by far one of the better shows on TV and hopefully the 2^nd season will just expand on an already winning premise.

8 out of 10: Frank Darabont revives the dead

In the world of “The Road” the devastation left from a society that is long forgotten haunts every corner of this picture. John Hillcoat has built an arresting vision of a moral society turned upside down in what appears to have been some lost forlorn apocalyptic meltdown. In its own grotesque way it’s very beautiful as our world is rendered cold and dark in what appears to be ever falling ash. A man and his son must traverse at length a gauntlet of dismal human remains from invaded homes to dying woods. Trees topple to the ground in remarkable scenes of decay and surrender. It is the type of movie that shows how quick life could go from mundane over indulgence to animal baron landscapes. Viggo Mortensen plays the nameless father as a type of human symbol for both the world left behind and this new diminishing horror realm. It’s a beautifully underrated performance that shows depth and strength while not forgetting how horrors don’t always create melancholy. A few times the movie shows his smile as a sort of nod to our basic instincts to always try to find a future if at all possible. The movie is relentless in its brutality and realistically depicts how people can all of a sudden become mass cannibals when all options are gone. It is an intriguing concept though painfully subversive in its almost fetish like look at blood and all things death. Charlize Theron has a small, but memorable role as the mother. She exudes this very calm natural state of realization and that helps ground this script which at times can be incredibly demanding of a viewers attention. It asks the question of why survive when there is nothing to hope for. When the entire reason for living is no longer a contemplative philosophic self-realization you are left numb, but not dead. Wandering to find nothing feels realistically commonplace. When does it no longer matter? The agony of every character in the road masquerades as a sort of entertainment. It is unnerving how much comfort you will find in the isolation. Shot in dark grays and sullen tones of amber the movie has a lot of “look”, but at times falls a bit flat. The cinematography nicely balances out some natural light tones and the sequence of falling trees is as exciting as any large budget movie. The Road is not for everyone and at times it gets incredibly dismal, but for the hope of humanity as a whole it ends in a sort of, kind of light note.

7 out of 10: Desperately searching for something that isn’t there is as profound as it sounds.