guerre-211-363269 Reviews

Exit Humanity (2011)

Civil War zombies? No wonder they've been forgotten

[3/10 · 12 November 2011]

What a dismal film. The Civil War setting promises something new in the zombie film genre, but the filmmakers blow it. What story there is takes an age to get going, the narration is ludicrously heavy-handed and trite - aiming for profundity and repeatedly missing - and the film far outstays its welcome. The actors do their best, and credit goes to actor Adam Seybold as Isaac for getting something decent out of a clunky screenplay that reduces the excellent Stephen McHattie to doing comedic drunken grunts. Crucially, the zombies are a bit rubbish, painted in grey stuff that washes off in any scenes that include water, and despatched with that disappointing post-production haze of digital blood. There's a good film in the idea of Civil War zombies somewhere, but this isn't it by a long stretch

Marianne (2011)

A slow-burning chiller

[8/10 · 12 November 2011]

Just caught this at the Leeds International Film Festival as part of their Day Of The Dead horror flick marathon. It's a slow-burning chiller about an errant father quite literally haunted by his past, but plays out as a closely observed family drama that flits through time unexpectedly, but never confusingly, to tell the whole story. It expertly balances the human drama with supernatural elements in a similar way to Let The Right One In, which lends a believability to the whole disturbing scenario. The performances are all spot on, especially Dylan M. Johannsson as the wide- eyed Stefan, and the cinematography is captivating.