Tooth & Nail – 5

Director – Mark Young

Cast – Nicole DuPort, Rider Strong, Michael Kelly, Alexandra Barreto, Robert Carradine, Vinnie Jones, Emily Catherine Young, Kevin E. Scott, Zack Robidas, Michael Madsen, Beverly Hynds, Rachel Miner

Release Year – 2007

Reviewed by John of the Dead

Tooth and Nail has been on my queue for quite a while, and to satisfy my recent craving for some apocalyptic horror I decided to finally give this one a watch.  Debuting as part of Horrorfest 2007’s 8 Films To Die For, I expected a mediocre effort going into this film, and that is exactly what I was given.  The story and atmosphere are good and sure to provide enjoyment for fans of apocalyptic horror, but silly dialogue and lack of execution on key elements kept Tooth and Nail from achieving anything above a mediocre rating.

In a post-apocalyptic world, a group of survivors lead by Professor Darwin(Robert Carradine) have holed up inside an old hospital, sharing supplies and doing what they can to rebuild their lives.  When they witness a young woman in trouble they rescue her and accept her into their group, but their kind gesture soon becomes and ill-fated one.  Following the young girl was a hoard of ruthless cannibals, referred to as “Rovers”, and what was once a quiet and secure sanctuary is now a battleground for the survivors who must fight off an outnumbering, very powerful, and very hungry enemy.

I have always enjoyed post-apocalyptic horror films because they are easy for me to relate to in this day and age.  Every day we hear some sort of banter on the news or radio about how the world is going to end very soon either by or own hand or by God’s hand, so these films allow me to put myself in the situations the characters are in and see what I would do in their shoes.  In other words, the films envelops me, making for a fun experience in that sense.

Tooth and Nail’s apocalypse came not in the form of global warming or nuclear war, but something much simpler, and in my opinion…hard hitting.  So what caused the apocalypse in the film?  Simply put: we ran out of gas.  I have honestly never seen a film of this type which came with such a simple explanation for the apocalyptic events that took place, and the film backs this idea up with positive explanations as to how what seemed like a simple element(gasoline) turned the world upside down when we ran it till the last drop.  To make matters even better, the film never takes a strong political stance or exhibits stupid propaganda, and instead gives us what we came to see…horror.

Setting the film in an abandoned hospital was a genius idea because it allowed our characters numerous places to hide from their attackers, but it also allowed the attackers numerous ways to get into the hospital as well.  I fully enjoyed how the location was used, and basically the entire film’s runtime takes place in the abandoned hospital.  We are given a lot of characters to follow, which I did not mind one bit because none of them were useless and underused, plus it provided more deaths for us to marvel at as well.  Normally a film with such a location would qualify as a nowhere-to-run scenario, but that was not the case here because our protagonists had the opportunity to run, but instead chose to stay and hide due to how outnumbered they were, and idea that I enjoyed.  We get some positive character play between the numerous characters involved, although this occurred mainly in the realm of the protagonists.  While our antagonists, the “Rovers” were interesting and fun to watch, they really did not provide anything more than hack and slash killing and cheezy one-liners.

Writer/director Mark Young’s directing job was so-so in this film, with the majority of his positive elements coming in broad areas and his negatives coming in the form of the “little things” that matter.  I enjoyed his dark and gloomy atmosphere as well as his locations used for the hospital, and he managed to keep things interesting for a film that takes place pretty much in one location.  He threw in lots of positive live-action gore, and his execution during the kills scenes was top-notch as he did not shy away from showing the goods with the fullest intent of making the viewer flinch.  The acting performances were mostly mediocre at best, and even veterans Ryder Strong(Cabin Fever, Borderland, “Boy Meets World”, Vinnie Jones(The Midnight Meat Train, Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), and Michael Madsen(Reservoir Dogs) were unbelievable in their roles.  The latter two were “Rovers” and did not see very much screen time in comparison to Ryder Strong, and it honestly seemed like they were paid for a day’s work, produced their lines, and went off to film more serious efforts.  Thankfully, the film’s climax is a very enjoyable one that bleeds awesomeness and is executed to the best of Mark Young’s ability, and kept this mediocre film from sliding further into the negative direction it was headed.

Overall, this is a decent film that delivers an interesting premise on its post-apocalyptic world, and delivers some good carnage as well.  Certain elements could have been better written and executed, such as the film’s crappy dialogue and poor acting performances, but awesome kill sequences aided by the film’s fantastic climax kept this film an OK watch in the end.

Rating: 5/10

Dawn of the Dead(2004) – 8

Director – Zack Snyder

Cast – Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Kevin Zegers, Michael Barry, Lindy Booth, Jayne Eastwood, Boyd Banks, Inna Korobkina

Release Year – 2004

Reviewed by John of the Dead

Before he brought us the blockbuster film 300 and the excellent superhero flick The Watchmen, director Zach Snyder brought us a modern day remake of the greatest zombie film of all time…George Romero’s 1978 epic, “Dawn of the Dead.

This remake follows most of the plot from the original with a few other elements added in. Our leads Ana(Sarah Polley), Kenneth(Ving Rhames), Michael(Jake Weber), Ander(Mekhi Phifer) and his pregnant wife Luda(Inna Korobkina) all escape zombie carnage one way or another and somehow meet up together at the local mall. They manage to enter the mall and although it provides a good amount of security and supplies, it is only a matter of time before more and more zombies arrive, forcing the crew to make a very desperate escape to find a safer place to reside.

First off, I remember scoffing at the idea that the greatest zombie film of all time, which is also one of the best horror films of all time, was going to be remade , and by a first time director with no feature film experience. After viewing some trailers for the film it seemed this remake was actually going to be quite good, and in all reality…it was! This film pales in comparison to the original film, and failed to provide the amazing social commentary and statements that George A. Romero’s version gave us, however this remake did get the job done for the most part, and gives us some of the best zombie carnage in recent history.

I really enjoyed the opening scene in the film and it really set the tone for the viewer to expect some serious apocalyptic zombie carnage, and yes…Zack Snyder delivered! He really excelled with the use of news broadcasts and news reports that provided that “hopeless” feeling that the original did so very well. I also really enjoyed how he gave cameos to Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, and Tom Savini; all whom were stars and prominent characters in the original film.

Now does this film follow the original? Yes…for the most part. This remake kept the use of the shopping mall being a haven to the survivors as they find some relief and supplies thanks to the mall. And of course we get to see them indulge a bit thanks to all of the goodies that the mall still had in stock. I also loved how Zack Snyder added his own touch to the film and adapted some of the main elements from the original to pan out a bit differently, yet effectively. This is crucial to a remake given that you really don’t want to see the same exact film all over again, because where is the fun in that?!? I don’t want to give out too many spoilers but Zach Snyder managed to successfully redo the use of the gun store in the film. The store isn’t located in the mall like it was in the original but is actually across the mall parking lot several hundred yards away with the gun store‘s owner (Andy) on the roof sniping zombies just for the fun of it. I liked that because the weapons were not easily accessible and the characters had to come up with a pretty intense plan to get to the gun store and stock up on the weapons Andy had available. Director Zach Snyder also added his own elements to the “zombie children “in the first film as well as some of the characters mimicking the characters in the original film(Ving Rhames’ character is very similar to Ken Foree’s original character).

So what in this film is changed from the original? Well…the biggest change compared to the original would have to be the ending. In the original our characters plan to leave the mall by means of a helicopter on the roof. In this remake, the characters plan to leave the US on one a yacht that belongs to one of the characters, however in order for them to get to the yacht they are going to have to modify a giant delivery truck to be defensible to the hoards of zombies they will have to battle through to get to the marina. Pretty sweet huh?!?

Overall, this is an excellent remake and an excellent zombie film in it’s own right. Highly recommended to zombie fans and of course to fans of the epic original, George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead.

Rating: 8/10

– I ranked this film #33 in my Top 50 Horror Movies of the Decade(31-40) post.