Forty Years of Flesh-Eating: The evolution of zombies in film

The slow, shuffling zombie is one of the most iconic images in horror cinema. First brought into prominence 40 years ago with George A. Romero’s classic Night of the Living Dead, the zombie has become one of the most well known and enduring of all the classic horror monsters. But the zombie as we know it today is quite different from that black-and-white shambling creature from Romero’s classic film. Join us as we take a look at the evolution of the undead ghouls over the last four decades.

Read the complete article at Cinema Spy.

Film Review: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

In 1997 ‘Final Fantasy VII’ set a new benchmark for videogames. It raised the bar with its cinematic presentation and epic story line, influencing the way games are now made today. Eight years later, developer Square Enix decided to create the sequel that fans were clamoring for, only instead of a game, it was a film.

Read the complete review at Cinema Spy.

Film Review: Appleseed Collector’s Edition

Shinji Aramaki’s adaptation of the 1985 manga Appleseed is an ambitious effort to say the least, but sadly the film appears to have taken on more then it can handle. Several important philosophical and ethical questions are posed in the film, yet none explored in much detail. Even the film’s distinct visual style — which can best be described as computer generated anime — is a conflicted and underdeveloped element, making Appleseed a film with a great deal of unfulfilled potential.

Read the complete review at Cinema Spy.

From Playing to Watching: The symbiotic relationship between film and videogames

Ever since the beginning of videogames, the medium has been intrinsically linked to film. From the days when they consisted of little more then a few pixels moving about on screen, to today, when multi-million dollar cinematic epics dominate the gaming landscape, videogames have tried hard to imitate their older sibling. And with the recent wave of games being adapted into movies, it looks as though the process has now come full circle.

Read the complete article at Cinema Spy.

Film Review: Wall-E

Pixar Animation Studios is well know for creating clever, interesting and humorous films that delight critics and film-goers everywhere. But what they aren’t known for is taking risks. But with their latest film, Wall-E, they have done just that, by mixing a simple love story with a scathing critique of western consumer culture.

Read the complete review at Cinema Spy.

Film Review: The Machine Girl

If the Tokyo Shock line-up of Japanese imports knows how to do one thing, it’s over the top, B-movie violence. And the latest of these films to make it to North American shores, The Machine Girl, is no different. Overflowing with absurd amounts of blood and ludicrous death sequences, this film is mindless fun. But at times, it strays from its B-movie heritage, and the action is forced to come to a grinding halt.

Read the complete review at Cinema Spy.

Making the ‘F Word’ Popular: The rise of epic fantasies in Hollywood

“Fantasy is an ‘F’ word that hopefully the five second delay won’t do anything with.” Those were the words uttered by legendary director Peter Jackson, soon after receiving the Best Picture Oscar for his 2003 epic, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Prior to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, fantasy films were largely shunned by Hollywood. But in the wake of its massive success — as well as the similar success of its contemporaries, like the ‘Harry Potter’ films, for example — the genre is now one of the most ubiquitous in all of filmdom.

Read the complete article at Cinema Spy.