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eelko74
Reviews
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Pushing the boundaries of Horror
Strange as it may sound, watching this movie on TV alone in the dark last night, it didn't scare the hell out of me as i thought it would. Sure there were some atrocious and explicit shots, but to me all these mindless, spastic dumb zombies are just silly. Still i wasn't disappointed. Even more so would Dawn... have turned out be a predictable splattermovie i probably would have changed the channel. It 's my theory that anybody can make scary shockers, but to make a film that touches the subconsciousness and that can also entertain that is a real achievement.
Someone before cleverly noticed the resemblance with the second part of the Alientrilogy and although there are some notable differences, Dawn... doesn't have a happy ending for instance and it also lacks the stylistic exuberance of a James Cameron, the resemblances are striking. In a nutshell both movies are about fallible people in a hostile environment and in very unusual circumstances. Suspense follows from the attempts of these people to overcome these problems against the odds in a confined space. The direction accordingly is very much to the point. In fact it is a terrific actionmovie with supernatural elements. The acting is adequate and there is enough pace to keep the action going.
I liked the scenes in the middlesection where the characters were more busy playing around in and around the mall. Although another kind of film it reminded me of Sonatine by Takeshi Kitano, where characters were also playing funny games in the face of death. Mad Max also came to my mind. Dawn of the dead is also very weird, in the positive meaning of the word. It has a distinct weird humorous feel. There is also a satirical undertone, although not dominant.
All in all i regard this film highly, also because it proves that interesting films don't have to depend on big budgets.
Last Embrace (1979)
Unsatisfying in the end
Some Hitchcockian thrillers are quite rightly considered to be `homages' to the master of suspense like DePalma's Sisters. Although The Last embrace is charming in paying tribute to one of the greatest directors so obviously, there is even a dramatic finale in a large crowded arena, it doesn't belong in that category. The beginning was promising though. I imagined it to go in all directions. Is Roy Scheider a nut, or is he really a possible victim of a mysterious organization, represented by a sinister Christopher Walken. Or perhaps both? Roy Scheider looked like exploding every second! It kept me guessing until the `girl' entered the play. From that moment on i got the feeling i have seen it all before, and better. Clearly she's the femme fatale who isn't the person she appears to be. Of course Roy, after a rough start, falls under her spells. A champion of paranoia at first and now a lovesick guy, blind for the danger that she is. I didn't buy it. And no 'suspension of disbelief' to save it. Because of the sometimes badly written dialogues between the main characters and an ultimately uninteresting B-movieplot, jammed with twists an turns never leading anywhere, underneath it all. The acting is o.k., but not outstanding. And that would have been necessary to make a mediocre script come alive.