October 2, 2006
ZOMBIE Film Review: City of Rott

Halloween is the time for ZOMBIE MOVIES, so today we’re taking a look at Frank Sudol’s City of Rott. I don’t really have a whole lot to add that isn’t in the review, but I was really disappointed with this one for all of the reasons mentioned therein. Utterly worthless movies like New York Minute and Flightplan may be infuriatingly painful to watch — especially when they come out of Hollywood — but bad, pointless films where talent was clearly involved add sadness and a longing for what might have been to the mix. Somehow that makes them a little easier to stomach, but they still suck. 🙁 Anyway, more Halloweenish Spectare reviews to come, along with more Foodstuffs pieces and (someday) the Baltimore Comicon review.

And yeah, we’d review a zombie movie in February because this is SCARY-CRAYON, but I figured I’d pretend to be festive and milk the Halloween connection. 😉

-posted by Wes | 3:38 pm | Comments (6)
6 Comments »
  • Such a waste.
    That’s what I always think about wasted potential stuff like this. Another good example of this is Waking Life, (also independant animation). It gets cool toward the end but it’s mostly just pretentious boring monolouges, one after another, about various philosophical subjects. It sounds much cooler than it is. It would have been much better had they remembered that they were making an animated film and not an audio book, and illustrated it’s philosophy visually instead of just having the characters chatter endlessly (not that I mind a reasonable amount of philosophical dialouge, I am a Mamoru Oshii fan after all).

    The concept is great (a guy wandering through his dream, wondering why he can’t wake up), but it only gets explored through the end. The rest of the movie is the people in his dream giving him long endless sermans about various subjects. The animation is great but, since it’s just people talking, they don’t do anything cool with it.

    If I want cartoons that explore dreams, Winsor McCay did it fantastically A HUNDRED YEARS AGO with his “Little Nemo” and “Dreams Of A Rarebit Fiend” comics and silent animated shorts. Little Nemo (which is amazing BTW) even being well remembered enough to spawn an anime film and video game in 1989.

    Sorry for the tangent about a different movie than the one reviewed. Anyway, I’m sad to hear this cool looking Zombie toon didn’t live up to it’s expectaions.

    BTW the baby carrots idea is great! I’ve even noticed alot of kids like them too.

  • agustinaldo says:

    [Shadow:]
    Boys and girls of every age
    Wouldn’t you like to see something strange?

    [Siamese Shadow:]
    Come with us and you will see
    This, our town of Halloween

    [Pumpkin Patch Chorus:]
    This is Halloween, this is Halloween
    Pumpkins scream in the dead of night

    [Ghosts:]
    This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
    Trick of treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright
    It’s our town, everybody scream
    In this town of Halloween

    [Creature Under Bed:]
    I am the one hiding under your bed
    Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red

    [Man Under the Stairs:]
    I am the one hiding under your stairs
    Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair

    [Corpse Chorus:]
    This is Halloween, this is Halloween

    [Vampires:]
    Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
    Everybody waiting for the next surprise

    [Mayor:]
    In this town, don’t we love it now?
    Everybody’s waiting for the next surprise

    [Corpse Chorus:]
    Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can
    Something’s waiting now to pounce, and how you’ll

    [Harlequin Demon, Werewolf, and Melting Man:]
    Scream! This is Halloween
    Red ‘n’ black, slimy green

    [Werewolf:]
    Aren’t you scared?

    [Witches:]
    Well, that’s just fine
    Say it once, say it twice
    Take the chance and roll the dice
    Ride with the moon in the dead of night

    [Hanging Tree:]
    Everybody scream, everybody scream

    [Hanged Men:]
    In our town of Halloween

    [Clown:]
    I am the clown with the tear-away face
    Here in a flash and gone without a trace

    [Second Ghoul:]
    I am the “who” when you call, “Who’s there?”
    I am the wind blowing through your hair

    [Oogie Boogie Shadow:]
    I am the shadow on the moon at night
    Filling your dreams to the brim with fright

    [Corpse Chorus:]
    This is Halloween, this is Halloween
    Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
    Halloween! Halloween!

    [Child Corpse Trio:]
    Tender lumpings everywhere
    Life’s no fun without a good scare

    [Parent Corpses:]
    That’s our job, but we’re not mean
    In our town of Halloween

    [Corpse Chorus:]
    In this town

    [Mayor:]
    Don’t we love it now?

    [Mayor with Corpse Chorus:]
    Everyone’s waiting for the next surprise

    [Corpse Chorus:]
    Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back
    And scream like a banshee
    Make you jump out of your skin
    This is Halloween, everyone scream
    Won’t ya please make way for a very special guy
    Our man Jack is king of the Pumpkin King now

    [Everyone:]
    This is Halloween, this is Halloween
    Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!

    [Child Corpse Trio:]
    In this town we call home
    Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

    [Everyone:]
    La la la la, Halloween! Halloween!

    Happy Halloween month!

  • Wes says:

    Tetsu: Funny that you mention Waking Life, which I’d rank among my top ten favorite films of all time — it’s actually one of three reasons that I’d have to call Richard Linklater my favorite director. I don’t think the point of the film was ultimately to explore dreams (despite the trippy motif, remember that the film is called Waking Life) or even to provide a conventionally entertaining animated film, but rather to provide a series of philosophical (and sometimes not-so philosophical) dialogues on various subjects in a complementary format (in that the various animation quirks sort of complemented the speakers’ views). I loved the film, and — at least for me — it gets more intriguing with every viewing. I think I watched it like three times within the first week after I bought it.

    But then, I majored in philosophy and attended tons of lectures and participated in a bunch of seminar sessions, so I’ve got no problem listening to folks rattle on (and on and on) about various philosophical topics. 🙂

    agustin: I very much like that movie too!

  • the Jax says:

    I think Waking Life should have been classed as a documentary or something, because it had almost no “story” like even the most offbeat, nonlinear films do. It’s just a different creation that does not function as a narrative. The “wiggly” animation really bothered my eyes, but I was excited to see Linklater’s characters from “Before Sunrise/Before Sunset” make a cameo.
    Halloween is my favorite holiday, too. Black clothes, a hat & a nose make an easy witch costume. Last year I gave out candy, cds & books, and this year it will be books & glowsticks. The first few kids were nonplussed, but most got very excited about free books! You enjoy candy for less than 10 seconds and it can stay on your hips forever. I’ve cut back on sweets so much, a whole candy bar will actually give me heartburn now. We REALLY don’t need all that leftover candy around here.

  • liz says:

    i thought u get 2 play these games u dumy dum dum dum r u a dum dum cuz i hate dum dums

  • liz says:

    these games is such a waste just like u u dumy dum dum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! also i send u zombies after u good luck well not from me hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe dumy dum dum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply to liz!

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