Slimy Slug Zombies

There are almost as many ways to create zombies as there are types of zombies. In Romero's original Night of the Living Dead, radiation from a returning satellite is blamed. In Return of the Living Dead, it's a mysterious military chemical weapon. In Black Sheep, it's genetically modified sheep. And in Zombieland, it's a tainted gas-station hamburger. But in at least two movies, it's slugs from outer space, and that's what Uncle P is going to gross you out with tonight.

In writer/director Fred Dekker's 1986 Night of the Creeps, an alien experiment is accidentally jettisoned to Earth, where a college kid on a date finds it (after his girlfriend is murdered by an axe-wielding lunatic). In an effort to contain the threat, the kid's body is frozen and put in storage. Flash forward to 1986 when, as part of a college prank, the body is accidentally thawed and the slug-like parasite is released on campus. We soon learn that the 50's maniac was killed and buried where a sorority house now stands, and the House Mother is being menaced by the killer's reanimated corpse. When the zombie is shot in the head, a horde of alien slugs is released to wreak havoc on the night of the college's Formal.

Dekker loads his movie with tons of references to classic zombie movies and even goes so far as to name characters for well-known 80's horror directors. There's Chris Romero; Cynthia Cronenberg; James Carpenter Hooper; Ray Cameron; Detective Landis; Sergeant Raimi and Mr. Miner, all named after George Romero, David Cronenberg, John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, James Cameron, John Landis, Sam Raimi and Steve Miner, respectively.

80's horror staple Tom Atkins plays the cop who figures out what's going on and future special effects pioneers Robert Kurtzman and Greg "The Walking Dead" Nicotero make appearances in the ensemble. Even horror icon Dick Miller (The Little Shop of Horrors; Gremlins) shows up.

In the end, it's discovered that the only way to destroy the creeps is with fire, and the sorority house is burned down, saving the campus (and presumably the world) from the slimy creeps.

In 2006, Troma Studios alumnus James Gunn (Night of the Living Dead 2004), took the premise of slugs from space to a new level with his hilarious (and disgusting) film Slither. While fans of Night of the Creeps took to the Net in protest when the first trailers hit, they were soon assuaged when the movie was released to exceptionally positive reviews (85% on RottenTomatoes) and Gunn's original take on the trope.

Hottie Nathan Fillion (ABC's "Castle") stars as Bill Pardy, Sheriff of Woodsville, a town where nothing happens. Pardy's true love, Starla (Elizabeth Banks) has married the town's most successful businessman, Grant Grant (Michael Rooker), who is cheating on her with local tramp Brenda (Brenda James). While on his way home from a tryst with Brenda, Grant stumbles upon a meteor which contains a slug-like alien named "The Long One" and is immediately infected by the slug-like monster, which begins to transform him into a tentacled beast. Grant subsequently infects/impregnates Brenda ("Somethin's wrong with me!") with hundreds of similar slugs which soon take over the town, turning its residents into zombies obsessed with Starla. It turns out that all the zombies are connected as part of a hive mind to the Long One, which intends to take over the world, as it it has done on many other worlds before. 

Featuring Jenna Fischer, Gregg Henry, Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman and the voice of Rob Zombie, Slither makes references to the films of George Romero; David Cronenberg; Stuart Gordon and the aforementioned Fred Dekker (a veritable Circle of Undeath, as it were) and even features a clip from Troma's most (in)famous film, The Toxic Avenger. Yet another hilarious entry into the horror comedy sub-sub-genre of zombie movies, Slither is yet another of Uncle P's favorite zombie movies of the 21st Century.

If you've never seen this hilarious movie, I highly recommend it, especially if you (like Uncle P) are fan of Nathan ("Firefly") Fillion's.

More, anon.
Prospero

Somethin's Wrong With Me!

I was watching ABC's "Castle" tonight on my DVR and thinking about how Nathan Fillion should be a bigger star than he is. He's good-looking, built like a brick you-know-what and very, very funny. Sadly, he's been bounced around in so many TV shows, he's often hard to keep track of. He was in the terrible sitcom "Two Guys and a Girl" (which didn't hurt Ryan Reynolds' career); "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (a show I enjoyed when I saw it, but never got into); "Firefly" (a show I never got the chance to get into); the regrettable "Miss Match" (a show I never saw); "Drive" (a show that aired once) and "Desperate Housewives" (as a character with very little air-time). He's also the hero in Joss Whedon's amazing and hilarious web-series "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." But I think the first time I really noticed him was in the disgusting and hysterically funny Horror/Comedy, Slither.

Written and directed by James Gunn (Dawn of the Dead), Slither concerns a small town over-run by alien slugs who turn folks into zombies and the richest guy in town into a tentacled beastie intent on taking over the planet. Fillion is Sheriff Bill Pardy, still in love with his High School Sweetheart, Starla (Elizabeth Banks). Starla is married to Grant Grant (Michael Rooker), an obnoxious creep who stumbles upon a meteorite in the woods (never a good thing). The creature in the meteor attacks and invades Grant, transforming him into something other than human. Grant, of course, is cheating on Starla with the town pump, and soon after he's infected, he impregnates said slag with a million alien slugs. Hiding in a barn and eating live animals, the slut finally bursts open (in one of the movie's funniest and grossest scenes), setting her progeny loose on the town. It's up to Bill, Jack Mac Ready (character actor Gregg Henry) and young Margaret (Jennifer Copping) to save the town - and the world - from the invading monsters.

Eventually, they track Grant down to a field and confront him, only to have this happen:

Gooey; icky; creepy and a whole lotta fun, Slither is one of those movies best enjoyed with a whole group of friends who will scream and cringe and carry-on in the way that all good Horror movies can make a group of friends react. Add a cameo by "The Office" star Jenna Fischer as bubble-brained dispatcher and a voice-over by Rob Zombie, and you have 95 minutes of pure Horror movie fun. Note: If, like my dear friend K, you have an aversion to snails, slugs and other goopey creatures, you may want to avoid this one.

And just because I love Fillion, here's an hilarious little short film he did with Gunn not too long ago, PG Porn: Nailing Your Wife:

BTW, if you haven't seen "Castle," I highly recommend it. Fillion and Co-Star Stana Katic (The Quantum of Solace) have terrific on-screen chemistry and TV legend Susan Sullivan is a hoot as Castle's actress mom.

More terrors, anon.
Prospero

More Sci-Fi Silliness (or not)

I'm probably last to report that uber-hot Ryan Reynolds' amazing body has been cast as DC's newest Superhero, The Green Lantern. Personally, my choice has always been Nathan Fillion ("Firefly;" Slither; and "Castle"). But to be honest, I could easily spend two hours watching Ryan wear Spandex (honestly, who couldn't? - even str8 boys are like, "Damn! Ryan is hot!"). At least three of my friends (Nicole, Bruce and Laura) find him as hot as I do. Laura and I actually sat through the entire piece of crap that was The Amityville Horror remake, just to see how much time he would spend with his shirt off and his pants sagging. Of course, Laura and I find many of the same men attractive, tragically. I say 'tragically' because inevitably, the guy we both think is the cutest in a horror movie, is among the first (if not THE first) character killed (unless of course, he's the lead, which is rare).

Case in point - Tuc Watson in The Mummy. Tuc plays an American adventurer simply named "Mr. Burns," according to IMDb. Except he's the first to encounter the resurrected Imhotep and he pays for it by having his eyes and tongued ripped out his head! No fair! Delectable Brendan Frasier may well be the star, and yummy mummy Arnold Vosloo the hot villain, but Tuc was the boy I wanted to cuddle up to at the end of a long day...

Anyway, with Ryan as both an Marvel Villain and a DC Hero he'll be providing plenty of eye-candy for many years to come...

And just for giggles, here is something I may have posted before; a meticulously well-done fan-made trailer for the Nathan Fillion version of The Green Lantern:

And since ComicCon is so very close, I had to post some geeky movie thing or other. Well, here is an exclusive sneak-peek at Tron2:

Ha-ha! Fooled you! Though, probably not. I just thought it was pretty funny. The thing I most remember about the original Tron, was that it gave me a headache.

Oh, well. Onward with my celebrating. My birthday week kicked off with D and I making our appointment for our new ink August 1st! Very excited!

Tomorrow afternoon, I am off to a matinee of Moon, the acclaimed film from director Duncan Jones, starring Zaphod Beeblebrox himself, Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey's voice. I will be joined by Janet and Dale and possibly D. Here's the trailer for Moon:

My full review, anon.

Prospero

Delayed Review: "Castle"

I rarely watch Prime-Time TV in real-time. Instead, I DVR the shows I love and watch them later, zapping (as many of you do) through the commercials. And that is the reason for this review taking place well-after the first air-date of ABC's newest dramedy, "Castle."

I wanted to see it because I just adore it's star, Nathan Fillion. He's not only good-looking, but very talented. I first noticed him on the lamentable (and lamentably titled) ABC sitcom "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place." He then appeared in Joss Whedon's FOX series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly. In 2006, he starred as a small-town sheriff in James Gunn's hilarious sci-fi comedy Slither and then again in Serenity, the big-screen movie spun off from "Firefly." In 2007 he starred in FOX's quickly-cancelled "Drive." Next up, came a short stint as an OBGYN on "Desperate Housewives." The poor guy couldn't get a break. The studios obviously loved him, but couldn't find a suitable property for him. During last year's writer's strike, he appeared as the hero in Whedon's on-line musical hit, "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," where he proved he could actually sing, as well as act.

Here's the trailer for Slither (which also features Jenna Fischer, Pam from "The Office"):

Now, finally, it seems Fillion may have a hit on his hands. On "Castle" he stars as Richard "Rick" Castle, a mystery writer with a penchant for the macabre (think Stephen King meets James Patterson). When two real-life murders match murders detailed in his novels, Castle is pulled in to consult on the investigation. Lead Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic - Quantum of Solace; The Spirit) is a fan of Castle's, but finds his often childish ways irritating to no end. Castle lives with his daughter, Alexis (Molly C. Quinn) and his mother, Martha (the always delightful Susan Sullivan) a former actress endowed with "gray-dar" (which may well be my favorite new phrase). Castle has the NYC mayor on speed-dial, plays poker with any number or real-life mystery writers and takes endless pleasure in signing autographs on the chests of his female fans. He's also an analytical genius who can out-think even the smartest of NYPD detectives. By the end of the first episode, Castle has not only helped to solve the crime, but chosen Kate as the model for his newest recurring character, getting permission from said mayor to accompany her on cases in the name of "research."

The writing on "Castle" is sharp and funny and the chemistry between Fillion and Katic is undeniable. My mother (a bona-fide mystery fanatic) told me she just loves the show and I have to admit, it's one of the best mid-season replacements in several years. I hope "Castle" is a hit, not only because I love Fillion, but because it's such a departure from the procedural crime shows like "C.S.I." Plus, it harkens back to the glory days of David and Maddie on "Moonlighting," one of the best detective shows ever. Sexy, funny and exciting, "Castle" may well be my favorite new show (after "Fringe," of course).

For those of you completely unfamiliar with Mr. Fillion's works, I offer up this clip from James Gunn's PG PORN: "Nailing Your Wife." Just hilarious.

PG PORN: Nailing Your Wife Girls SPIKE.com

More, anon.

Prospero