ZOMBIES, RUN!

There's a new and fun way to get healthy while being entertained out now - ZOMBIES, RUN!

https://www.zombiesrungame.com/ 


iTunes - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zombies-run!/id503519713?mt=8

I purchased the ZOMBIES, RUN! app a while ago, but a bad cold stopped me from trying it until recently. I have to say, it was $8 well spent. Yesterday I took the app for a spin on my first run in ages and it was a perfect way to get into running again.

THE GOOD
The app isn't just a scare app with zombie noises. It's a complex game system with a fun storyline. The basic idea is simple. There is a story that plays through your headphones as you run. It's not 100% interactive - it just plays through. However, it's a blast if you are able to "play along" in your head. You are Runner 5 - a person of action in the zombie apocalypse being talked to through your headset by people at a base close by.  The first MISSION sets the scene. You crash and are guided through the landscape - set off on a mission to stay safe, gather supplies and get to the base in one piece.

The production values are very good. Fans of radio dramas or audio books will be very familiar with the audio storyline format. As you run, bits of the story come to you as actors talk to you through your headphones. The story sets a fantastic zombie tone - creepy and urgent. There are times where the scene becomes very urgent. "They are right behind you! Run, Runner 5! RUN!" I wanted to stop for a breather, but the game really did make me keep going. I gave into the fun of it and went right into the story. The nature of the audio made it easy to do.

You pick up items along your run and they are called out with an electronic voice. "You've collected antibiotics"   I wasn't sure what the point of all this collecting was until I got home and played around with the app a bit. It all became clear and I was happy with what I found. The app has a SUPPLIES tab with icons of various supplies. When collected, a number shows up over the icon. You drag that icon to an area of your Base Map (antibiotics to the HOSPITAL on the map, for instance) and the level bar over that area of the map grows. When full, the level changes and the image of the item grows a la SIM CITY. (A small hospital tent grows to a larger, more robust hospital tent)  This added another level to the game play that I really enjoyed.

You're also able to play your iTunes playlists through the app if you want music as well as the story. The story comes up between tracks and the collection notes chime in over the tracks. I'm currently working on my ZOMBIES, RUN! playlist with a zombie horror movie soundtrack in mind!  :)

THE NOT SO GOOD, but forgivable.
Now, you can tell that this is the first rev of the app. Not by the game play itself - that worked really well. It was more along the back-end side of things. More nit picks than anything.
• I couldn't figure out a way to change from kilometers to miles.
• I don't see a list of runs like RunKeeper where I can chart distances I've run. RunKeeper was a great way to mark running progress. This is more game than run program.
• While there is a tweet function that tweets out your use of the game, there doesn't seem to be a function where you can connect and post to Facebook. Again, I used this feature in RunKeeper to keep myself motivated. If people know I'm running, they know when I'm NOT running and that kept me honest. Plus, why WOULDN'T you want a person tossing Facebook posts up about your product? I can only imagine that this feature is coming in Rev 2.0.
• And lastly, in a perfect world, the GPS would be weaved into the game so that little nuggets could be woven into the game play a bit more. "Pace yourself on this hill" or something to that effect. A programming nightmare, but it would add to the immersion for sure.


All in all, ZOMBIES, RUN! is a lot of fun so far and worth the small investment of cash. It's highly entertaining and adds another level to a run.

Tucker & Dale vs Evil

OH....MY....GAWD!



I have not laughed this hard in the theater....ever? Is that it? I think so! SO FUNNY.



This film was made for horror nuts. It takes all the horror classic “teens in the woods” scenarios and flips them around brilliantly. I was laughing out loud in the theater along with the rest of the audience and I didn't want the film to end. And the best part was that you could see that Eli Craig totally “get's it”. He knows how to make a film and knows what's funny.

The comic timing of Alan “Firefly” Tudyk and Tyler “Mad Love” Labine is perfection. I've never laughed so hard at splatter. It had me cringing and laughing so hard my eyes were watering.



A must see.



For added fun: Invite over every horror movie fan you know and get pizza and beer!

Women in Horror Month

Well, we suck. We admit it.

February was WOMEN IN HORROR MONTH. Not "hot chicks in bikinis and hot pants getting killed in films" month, but women directing and writing - steering the bus, not sitting in the back of it. (Not to take away from the skills involved in wearing a bikini and running away from a killer, but...)

So, since we dropped the ball in February, we're going to extend WOMEN IN HORROR MONTH into March! We have some great places for you to dig in and explore.

Now, it was pointed out in a FANTASTIC podcast interview with Heidi Honeycutt on the RUE MORGUE PODCAST that many people can't even name a female director in the horror genre. I know I can't, but I can name several male directors. Why is that? It was also pointed out that people still line up for old, Italian (Dario Argento) director's autographs (...even though his last films have been HORRID!), yet they may not line up for female directors who have made great films in the past year. Why is that?

Check out the Heidi Honeycutt interview - it's grand and very informative.
http://rue-morgue.com/2012/02/rue-morgue-podcast-heidi-honeycutt/


Her main site is awesome, too: http://www.planetfury.com/


She's putting on the VISCERA FILM FESTIVAL again this year. PACKED with awesome showings from some great directors...who happen to be female.

VISCERA FILM FESTIVAL
http://www.viscerafilmfestival.com/














And lastly (for now) here is a great starter list for you to check out some of the coolness coming from female directors right now. Check it!

HORROR SHOW: Women Horror Directors to Watch
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/horror-show-women-horror-directors-to-watch

Well, that's a great start. Now, I feel like it's a great thing to have a Women in Horror Month, but it would be even BETTER if it were just the norm to celebrate any director - male of female - all year round. Until we get to that point, let's all make sure that there is no glass ceiling for women -  directing  horror or whatever they are doing for a living. Period.

The Dead

If you're anything like me, you're kinda done with zombies.

I was a HUGE zombie fan, too. The greats like the "Living Dead" biggies (Night, Dawn and Day), the Italian splatter of ZOMBI ("We are going to eat you!") and the goodness of the RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD were firmly locked as faves. But the recent waves of zombie hordes have muddied the waters greatly. The likes of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, ZOMBIELAND and THE HORDE are getting lost in the much and mire of complete crap like the DAY OF THE DEAD remake - resplendent in it's under-scripting and over-bullshite 3D and leaping dead.

Well, THE DEAD (2010) marks the return to old zombie form and was WELL worth a viewing! And...there's no mention of zombies in the title. Thank you for that.

We have a classic set up here, but with a small twist that takes us in new and interesting directions. Zombies. They're here. We're trying to get away. But, we're in Africa complete with wide expanses of nothing for miles and miles. Our two heroes are both trying to get somewhere - one to a U.S. military base so he can get home and another to an African base so he can find his son. The pairing is fantastic and very "old school". Differences are set aside to reach a new set of very important goals.

The zombies themselves were a throw back to the 1979 Lucio Fulci style of ZOMBI zombies. Extremely slow moving and driven. They shuffle along at an extremely slow pace. This makes things a bit easier, but also is a perfect device for ramping up tension. There are scenes where we see several zombies off in the distance while someone is trying to complete a task. They shuffle closer...and closer...and closer and, while the danger isn't immediate, it creates a lovely sense of urgency. I found myself stomping my feet at times wishing the heroes would hurry up and get the HELL out. And, if a zombie mob does happen to slip up to you, classic zombie mob rules apply. They are slow, but a group up close and personal is deadly.

Dread and doom, heat and time and personal drive are played out really well.  The characters of Lt. Brian Murphy and Sgt. Daniel Dembele are well rounded and believable. I'd even say that non-horror lovers (that can take some scares and gore) would enjoy this film. It has a strong story and a lot of well rounded character development.

Check it!

The Bird With the Crystal Plumage

 Looking for a good little murder mystery from the 70s? Dig Italian "giallo" films? Well THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE is something you should check out.

DARIO ARGENTO (back when he was awesome) crafted this little tale of murder and mystery and it manages to hold attention while leading you around pathways and MacGuffins  until your head starts to spin.

The version I saw was a HORRID dub, unfortunately, but it did add to the insane charms this film manages to have.

Sadly, as with most Argento films, the violence against women ratio is off the chart and some of the scenes are a little hard to watch. The film does manage to have a solid base of story, so it's not just mindless violence for violence sake. (SEE: SAW and it's ilk)  :) I was invested in the story and really trying to work out the "who done it" aspect.

Stylistic and strange, BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE is one to add to the list.

Die Antwoord

"DIE ANTWOORD are a futuristic rap-rave crew from South Africa who represent a fresh new style called ZEF."

Click the image to visit their site

Whew...ok.  :)

DIE ANTWOORD (Afrikaans for THE ANSWER) is one of the most fun and freaky bands I've seen. I guess I'd toss them into the same realm as MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT (back when they were more evil and slick) and GWAR just due to the performance style they have. Wild, insane outfits, shocking visuals and a hyper-kinetic pace make these guys a fun and freaky addition to your collection.

 

 Their whole...thing...reminds me of the TANK GIRL (Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin). 

They have that same, messy chic thing going on. 

I hesitate to do TOO much digging when looking for information on Die Antwoord. I guess I just don't want to find out something that will make it impossible to listen to them anymore. Like, "They just love baby bacon," or something like that. So...I'll listen to them for small periods of time and enjoy the madness. 

Their videos....you have to see their videos.

Creepy Doll

"Creepy Doll" by Jonathan Coulton

A fantastic find by our man in the field, Drake GJ!