Funny Zombies, and Bummer Zombies, Lifestyle and Poetry Blog

10 days ago (Edited)

Funny Zombies and Bummer Zombies

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The weather is getting colder and crisper, and the nights longer. Halloween less than ten days away. Time to get the daily walk in early, when what little bit of sunshine there is ... is at its highest in the winter sky; get my photos of nature not against a verdant green, but a sleepy white backdrop.

That said, I didn't go far for these photos. They were courtesy of the birch willow in my front yard and what is left of my three sisters garden from the summer, some worn cornstalks, all picked of their cobs and tassels, but still very Autumn atmospheric, with faded gold and lines and movement in the wind.

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The folks around here weren't that enthused with our first snowfall ... that stuck, but it is still a thrill for this former west coast girl. Snow days are rare in Vancouver and still a treat.

Minime and I did not let the freezing temperatures and wind chill hold us back. We got in our walk in just before sunset, and the temperature took an even deeper dive with the diminishing light. We returned home and had some dinner, and then Minime latered me for his new Hogwarts game. I found myself craving some couch time and looked for something seasonal to watch. Spooky, not festive. I am a zombiephile and noted that Netflix had a new unliving dead offering with the name Outside. The trailer looked decent. But don't they always.

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Outside is set in the Philippines, a bit of a vicarious escape from the cold for me. Aside from the terrifying zombie scenes, and domestic violence bits, you will have to read subtitles. Unless you are a philistine and elect for dubbing. Don't do that ... go with the OG.

Outside is very well acted. Leads Sid Lucero and Beauty Gonzalez are very compelling and relatable. They head a family of two boys fleeing the brain eating apocalypse. The plan is to take refuge in Francis', Lucero, idyllic sugar plantation childhood home. And compared to the rest of the world, it does offer a comparative safe harbour and lots of sweet treats.

Unfortunately, in addition to zombies, the family is haunted by the ghosts of Francis' traumatic childhood and the questionable paternity of their older son, Josh, played by Marco Masa. Tortured by memories of abuse at the hands of his father and the knowledge that his oldest son was sired by his brother, Francis slowly goes mad, a la Jack in the Shining, but with sweat and heat, instead of the ice and cold.

I wish I could say I like this movie. It was well written, acted and well shot, but I found the family drama over-powered the zombie aspect. Too tense but not in the usual dramatic way that being attacked by the cinematic dead gives you. Just a minor key, kind of thing.

It was hard to identify with either of the main characters, despite their strong performances. There were few likeable moments for them. There were for the sons, but the parents were permanently bummed out.

I think they would have done better to de-zombify the movie and focus on the family drama-thriller. Any ole apocalypse would have done. As it was, the zombie arch took away from time that could have been better used to develop the primary story arch and the characters. So, I would give it a skip, but maybe seek out other performance of its cast. Of course, with this talk of zombies, out featured poetry will also feature the virally, undead. Hope you enjoy,

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