Much of the information we need to survive a zombie attack is clearly laid out in the films of the genre. The list below are just the bare minimum of what I consider to be some of the “classics.”
The First Zombie Film
The first zombie film was 1932’s White Zombie with Bela Lugosi. The film featured voodoo and hordes of zombies, not trying to eat the living, but laboring for thier voodoo master. Known more for Lugosi’s performance and the great atmosphere conveyed in the film, it is now considered a classic. And, since the it is in the public domain, you can watch the entire film on YouTube. You can also download it (along with other goodies) at the Internet Archive.
You cannot underestimate the effect that this film had on the industry and popular culture. The debt the horror and slasher films genre owes George A. Romero is astounding, as even a brief Google search shows. Romero paved the way for a new generation of horror movies around the world. Italian filmmaker Lucio Fulci’s 1979 work, Zombie 2, was actually billed as a sequel to Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. Slasher flicks like the Friday the 13th and the Nightmare on Elm Street series probably would not even exist.
As far as the remakes go, people either love them or hate them. I am personally quite fond of Night of the Living Dead 1990. I love the portrayal of Barbara in the film and applaud her actions at the end. As far as the rest of them, I couldn’t stand them. Although the original Dawn of the Dead is hands-down my favorite Romero flick, I could barely sit through the remake.
A few caveats: Just because a movie had living dead or of the dead in the title did not mean that it had anything to do with any of the series. Movies such as Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane fall into this category. These films are not part of the canon! Understanding which movies belong in the established body of work keep you from being duped by fakes like this one:
The 28 Days Later Series:
The 28 Days series updates the zombie film genre. Outbreaks are spread by virus and it is murderous rage that consumes our zombies. They also move amazingly fast. It is fairly common anymore to see comparisons between slow, Romero-style zombies and those that move fast as in 28 Days Later.
The next film in the series, 28 Months Later will be out in 2011.
The Resident Evil Series:
Okay, I know that you have to take a movie franchise that is based on a video game with a grain of salt, but when I started watching Resident Evil series, I was surprised at how good the first movie was. They really are must see movies for the zombie purist.
A comedy zombie series makes the cut? Yes, indeed. And the reason? One word: Braaaaiiins! Chances are, if you are a zombie aficionado, you will find at least the first two of these movies delightful. (Three starts to get a little darker, and rumor has it that 4 and 5 are just bad!)
A note for horror buffs: 1985’s Return of the Living Dead feature actress Linnea Quigley, known as the Queen of the Screams. Her performance is a classic.
Another movie that is considered to be a comedy zombie classic is Shaun of the Dead (2004) I have to confess, I didn’t get this flick. Not until I saw the end. And not until seeing it a few times. But I do find the end of the film hysterically funny. I so totally recognize my son and his best friend since kindergarten in the ending sequence.
Some of you may notice that I left Zombielandoff the list. While many are considering this to be a modern classic, especially with sequels in the works, I was disappointed in the film. You can read my review here.
This list is just a beginning list of what I consider some of the classics. Different people have different fims that make their ”Top” lists. On the web, you can find lists of top 20 zombie films and even a Wiki list of over 300 zombie films. And there are films like The Evil dead that have reanimated dead that some people think should belong on the lists of zombie films (I personally don’t).
Tomorrow on this blog we are going to look in earnest at teaching aids for combating a zombie apocalypse. But in the meantime, I thought that some might benefit from additional information that gives perspective and background for what you will need to learn to survive.
If you are unfamiliar with zombies, you might think that the idea of a zombie outbreak is pretty far-fetched. Au contraire, mon ami, the basic course of an outbreak has actually been clearly laid out. To understand the generally expected scenario, read How Everything Goes to Hell in a Zombie Apocalypse. This graphic depiction shows the usual course of events in a zombie infestation. Remember, this is a typical outbreak; your area’s specific outbreak may vary considerably.
However, there is one important fact that holds true in all zombie infestations: If you are bitten, you will die and reanimate as a zombie! Your primary concern in a zombie apocalypse is to avoid being bitten!
Those unfamiliar with the magnitude of zombie lore that exists are usually surprised to see just how exactly how far science has come in studying this phenomenon. Advanced statistical studies have been done on survival rates, and scientists can even accurately calculate the length of time someone will survive after being bitten.
And a final warning: There is no such thing as a safe zombie, as the following video shows:
I received some very interested responses to the idea of an Australian Zombie Awareness Week from my last blog entry. However, much to my chagrin, in investigating further, I have discovered that this event is not exactly what I thought it was.
Rather than a week of furthering awareness of the living dead, the Australian Zombie Awareness Week was promoting awareness of malware and virus infected computers spewing forth not blood and pus, but spam. That’s right kids. Garden variety spam.
This is so disappointing!
I mean, imagine thinking you were getting scary rotting walking corpses and instead getting… spam. So utterly gross!
It is also disturbing.
“Zombie” was one of those words that was pretty clear cut: It is either a reanimated corpse or a human being controlled by a supernatural force. Unlike words like “input,” which semantically can have one meaning in economics and a different meaning in the tech field, when someone said zombie, everyone was on pretty much the same page. Okay, so you might question whether it was Romero style slow zombies or 28 Days Later fast ones. But you were still talking walking dead, right?
So now, you have to clarify that you are not talking about hijacked computers?
Sheesh. That’s enough to take all the fun out of being undead.
No, it is not marked on the calendar or anything (although there is a zombie awareness week in Australia). It is just that it has come to my attention that some of my readers are not as well versed as they should be concerning zombies.
Since this is a matter of public safety that concerns all of us, I have taken it upon myself to do a bit of educational zombie posting this week to try to get those at the bottom of the class up to speed. We are going to be looking at books, film, video, news and more to help round out your knowledge of the undead. Those of you who are familiar with zombies, their spread and the various methods of eradication may consider this a review.
Please pay attention and take notes: There WILL be a quiz at the end of the week!
I thought it best to begin with the bare minimum of information that each of us should be aware of. Of course, we need look no further than our own government for this basic information, offered in the form of a PSA (Public Service Announcement):
In case you missed the news, CBS and Criminal Minds’ producers have decided that A.J. Cook is indeed staying fired. She gets two episodes to tie up her storyline. Paget Brewster fared somewhat better; supposedly she is in 10 out of 13 episodes. Although it is a 22 episode season, so I don’t understand the math. Gee, too bad CBS also cancelled Numb3rs! I could have used the help in figuring it out. 1
Because I just really don’t get it. CBS and the producers seem totally determined to destroy a great show. Not sure where their minds are at.
And I can’t help but be angry at CBS. I still feel like they are sending a very bad message to their viewers, their female ones in particular. They cut three strong female characters from their fall line up (AJ off Criminal Minds, Liz Vassey from CSI, and Jennifer Love Hewitt’s show Ghost Whisperer got completely canceled), and reduced the role of another, then they decided to pay Charlie Sheen, who admittedly abused his wife, nearly 2 million dollars an episode for Two and a Half Men. They fire, reduce, and replace female presence on their network, then reward a man who abuses his wife? Not cool, CBS. Show women a little more respect, will you?
And Janeane Garofalo in talks for the spin off for Criminal Minds? Check the picture of Garofalo in the linked article. Can we say Garcia clone, boys and girls? So much for any real creativity.
What else do we have to look forward to? Maybe the new female character on Criminal Minds will be played by Executive Producer Bernero’s daughter. After all, nepotism has to be better than sexism, right?
So where do we go from here? One person suggested boycotting CBS but not Criminal Minds. However, it doesn’t seem fair to boycott shows like NCIS without boycotting the show that is actually the problem. Will CBS really get the point that it is their actions on Criminal Minds that we are upset about if we keep watching anyway? I don’t think so.
In fact, I think CBS is counting on the fact the most people will grumble and complain, but ultimately continue to watch anyway. CBS never even bothered to address the fans’ concerns; they are that sure that people will continue to tune in.
But I won’t be one of them. Personally, I have had enough. And I wrote them and told them so.
Over this last week, I have been practicing not watching CBS. No more NCIS, the CSI franchises, Medium, or even Entertainment Tonight. No more nightly news from the CBS affiliate. And yeah, I am taking it to extremes: No more Criminal Minds reruns on A & E or Ion. No more NCIS reruns on USA. No more CSI reruns on Spike.
Even the DVDs (and I own them all) are staying on the shelf, unwatched. And, I am looking into boycotting the CBS advertisers as well.
I urge everybody who cares about Criminal Minds (and getting quality programming in general) to boycott CBS as well.
And you know what? I am surviving just fine, with the aid of my Roku Player. And my Kindle. And my computer. And my netbook. And Hulu.
Are you getting the picture, CBS? It is a brave new world out there. I mean with that new-fangled Internet and all. People actually have choices about when and what they want to watch. And I have lots of toys to play with….
How about you? Are you a disgruntled Criminal Minds fan? Are you protesting the change? Or, have you ever had your favorite television show cancelled (or cannibalized)? How did you react?
More fuzzy CBS math: Season episodes reduced were to 16 so Miami Medical could air in its spot. Numb3rs was then cancelled. ↩
One of my favorite shows on television is CBS’ Criminal Minds. It is an outstanding drama with an outstanding cast that is going into its sixth year on the air.
This week, it was announced that Criminal Minds’ A.J. Cook was dropped from the show. The number of episodes that castmate Paget Brewster is scheduled to appear in have been severely reduced.
The initial press about this cited “financial reasons” for dropping Cook’s character of “JJ” from the poplar procedural drama. CBS has since since backpedaled and says that the changes were made for ”creative reasons.” On her Twitter account, Paget Brewster confirms the reasons are indeed financial, not creative.
And the fans, myself included, are livid.
Criminal Minds has an incredible ensemble cast. It is the chemistry of this group that really makes the show work. Having strong women showing that they can do a difficult and dangerous job not only offers great role models, but is more realistic in its portrayal of the “real” world.
Cutting the characters of “JJ” and Prentiss would leave Garcia (played by Kirsten Vangsness) as the lone female regular. And because Garcia’s character is technically a data analyst and not an active agent like JJ and Prentiss, it could be perceived that the remaining female character is in a more servile, less equal role compared to the men in the cast (none of whom are being cut).
So, for most fans, the network’s actions in cutting just the female cast members are being seen as pretty sexist. Especially as Entertainment President Nina Tassler has been quoted as saying about the renewal of Charlie Sheen’s lucrative contract, ”I think we value our stars and our actors.”
CBS has also announced plans for a spin off from Criminal Minds. The pilot, that aired as an episode of the show and included the regular cast, was viewed by many fans as lacking the chemistry of the original. Some fans are concerned that the costs saved by salaries for Cook and Brewster will go to the new, lesser quality spin off instead.
If finances are a problem, CBS could definitely earn additional income by making episodes of the show available for streaming, download and purchase. Fans of the show have long complained that, unlike many of CBS’ shows, Criminal Mindsepisodes could not be viewed on CBS.com or sites like Hulu (and thus earning advertising revenue). Nor were episodes available for purchase. They have only recently become available for iTunes and are still not available on Amazon’s Video On Demand service. (Amazon is my preferred provider because I can purchase and watch on my large screen HD TV via my Roku Player. Much better than the iPod screen, LOL!)
Just like the reaction when CBS cancelled the sci-fi drama Jericho, the fans have quickly gathered together to try to save these two beloved characters.
There is now a Save the CM Ladies blog at Tumblr. There is also a petition on the site that fans can sign. The site also has contact info for CBS so you can join the protest.
The fans’ reactions are making the news at sites like TV Guide. Check out the number of comments on some of these stories. Simply amazing!
Fans of the show who are on Twitter can follow @SavetheCMLadies and participate in “Tweetflashes,” where everyone tweets at the same time with the same hashtag (a keyword or phrase preceded by a # sign). The goal is to get #SavetheCMLadies hashtag to “trend” and become one of the top topics on Twitter.
There is even a plan to mimic the Save Jericho campaign of sending peanuts to CBS, this time by sending lipstick to CBS’ Nina Tassler.
There is a group page for the effort called Save the Girls, Save the Team, Save the Show – Criminal Minds Campaign at Facebook which plans to send decorated manila folders.
And if there seems to be an impassioned rush to the Save the CM Ladies Campaign, it is with good reason. Filming on the show is scheduled to begin within the next two weeks. Fans are afraid that if the show resumes production without A.J. Cook and Paget Brewster, there will be no chance of saving the characters.
Any and all support is appreciated, but it needs to be done quickly. You can find more info at any of the sites listed above.
Caveman Cooking is one of my favorite cooking blogs. My friend Mark is not only a great cook, but his blog is a very entertaining read. I have been planning for a while to highlight one of his recipes, but couldn’t decide which one to feature – he has so many good ones! This recipe is actually from Mark’s wife, the Cavewoman. She is a fantastic baker and the recipe is quick, easy and utterly delicious!
And for the record, this is now officially our new favorite dessert! And it is vegetarian, too!
The recipe is also versatile. The first time I started to make this, I spotted a box of devil’s food cake mix while looking for the yellow cake. Thinking of the chocolate and the cherries, the first thing the went through my mind was Black Forest! The next time I made this, I did indeed use the devil’s food mix and the Black Forest Crumble Cake was delightful! Next time I am going to try using pumpkin cake mix with a can of apple pie filling and see if I like the results. Sounds like something that would be lovely for a fall day…. LOL, I have to start practicing now, right?
The winner of the I Won a Book and So Can you Contest is Dawn from Canada! Congratulations, Dawn! As soon as I get your address, your copy of Other People’s Rejection Letters will be on its way!
My thanks to all who participated in the contest. Special thanks to Crown Publishing for providing the copy of the book for the giveaway!
This has been fun and I think I will be having some more giveaways in the future!
If you happen to follow me on Twitter, you may remember a recent announcement that I was lucky enough to win a copy of Bill Shapiro’s Other People’s Rejection Letters. This is a hilarious collection of real rejection letters that range from the personal to the professional and everywhere in between. The book includes letters from Princeton, Playboy, The New York Times and more.
Well, the book just arrived and let me tell you, it is just beautiful!
People who know me are aware that, usually, I like to do most of my reading on my Kindle. This book, however, is absolutely exquisite and I am so glad I didn’t miss it in print. It is a beautiful hardcover with pages printed on lovely, thick stock. And the printing? Delightful! There are gorgeously reproduced letterheads and on some of the pages, the crease lines from where the letters were folded are even evident. And, not only does it look good, it’s funny, too!
Are you drooling yet?
How about if I told you that, thanks to the kind folks at Crown Publishing, I have a copy to give away to some lucky reader of this blog? And all you have to do to enter is leave me a comment telling me you want to enter the contest.
Here’s the rules:
Enter a comment letting me know you that want to enter between now and Midnight Pacific time on June 3rd, 2010.
Sorry, but you must be a resident of the United States or Canada in order to participate.
I will use a random number generator to choose the winner.
The decisions of the judge (Me!) is final.
I will announce the winner on the afternoon of Friday, June 4, 2010.
It’s as simple as that! And in the meantime? I’m gonna go read my new book!
I found this recipe in one of those public domain cookbooks you can find for the Kindle (Since I’ve forgotten, just don’t ask me which one, LOL!). It is easy to make in the crock pot and it tastes absolutely scrumptious! I freeze the leftovers for another meal.
Ingredients:
4-6 chicken breasts (pounded thin)
4-6 pieces of ham (Lean, thin ham slices work best.)
4-6 slices Swiss or mozzarella cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
¼ cup milk
Directions:
Place ham and cheese on chicken. Roll up and secure with toothpicks.
Place chicken in the crock pot so it looks like a triangle: /__\. Layer the rest on top.
Mix soup and milk. Pour over chicken.
Cook on low for approximately 4 hours. Serve over noodles or rice.
(1985)
and Return of the Living Dead 5: Rave to the Grave (2005)
fast ones. But you were still talking walking dead, right?
And my 
And my computer. And my netbook. And 
Much better than the iPod screen, LOL!)
Sounds like something that would be lovely for a fall day…. LOL, I have to start practicing now, right?
