Stuart Brennan's Gritty Scottish Zombie Flick, Plan Z Reviewed!

A refreshingly gritty, beautifully bleak look at Scotland after a zombie apocalypse.  

I have always been a fan of zombie films.  From everything from I Eat Your Skin to I Sell the Dead....with all your Raimi, Romero and Zombie Flesh Eaters in between.  They can be overly brutal and bloody to downright quirky fun and I truly believe that in spite of the blood and gore...they can be exceptional character pieces in their own right.  Hell, I think The Walking Dead alone has proved the latter point repeatedly!

(Stuart Brennan as Craig)

Plan Z is the latest effort from writer, director, actor and producer Stuart Brennan and his incredible frequent collaborators David Izatt, Mark Paul Wake and Eugene Horan.  The film follows photographer Craig and his friend Bill through their plan to survive the zombie apocalypse, leading them to leave their hometown of Dunfermline and head up to the remote, yet utterly stunning Isle of Skye on the west coast of Scotland.  (Right from the get go, I am onboard with this plan....Skye would totally be my number one choice to flee to as well.)  

(Mark Paul Wake as Bill)

With a small, yet exceptional cast (and lots of zombies), Plan Z feels a lot more personable than many other zombie films, something which I feel adds to its humanity and in that respect, the believability as well.  Coupled with Brennan's direction and Izatt's wonderful cinematography, the situation seems like it could actually happen!  It's a shite state of affairs to be in at the end of the day...as cool as we'd all like to think it would be, haha.    

What I love about this film, and what is incredibly refreshing to see in a zombie film, is that despite the fact we all love to think we'd totally be Daryl Dixon or Tom Savini...ya know...a total bad ass, just splitting heads, left, right and centre, it just doesn't happen that way!  The reality...especially in the early times...is that we are human.  This level of brutality doesn't come easy to most, and let's face it, survival of the fittest more often than not comes down to being smart in dangerous and volatile situations.  This makes the kills so much more believable and realistic, at the same time retaining our human connection with the characters.  

In so many ways, the film totally reminded me of recent personal favourites such as Stake Land and The Day in how utterly bleak and beautifully depressing it is.  I adore these kinds of films and it is always refreshing to find shit like this done so well. We totally need more films like this dammit!  

Also starring Victoria Morrison, Brooke Burfitt and Terry Deary, the whole cast are excellent and genuinely likeable as well.  David Izatt even sneaks in as a zombie!  Stuart Brennan took home the Best Actor award at the Horrorhound Film Festival for his portrayal of Craig and was also nominated for Best Director as well as the film being nominated for Best Film as well.  The film also picked up Best International Film at the Canada International Film Festival.  

You can check out the trailer HERE!

Random facts - 

*When the guys were filming, they freaked people out and the cops got called out....and they got THIS reaction from a Beagle....a photo that has always cracked me up, haha.  You know there was a big ARRROOOOO there!  Mwahahaha.  :)

*Stuart Brennan, also co-wrote, starred in and produced frequent Scorsese collaborator Martha Pinson’s new film Tomorrow, which was also produced by Scorsese.  Eugene Horan also starred in the film, Mark Paul Wake was an assistant editor and David Izatt the photographer on the film.  Pretty freakin' cool right!? :)

*Actor Eugene Horan won this year's  Budweiser Ireland's Dream Big competition for a chance to head to the States to pursue his acting dream! (Pictured below with Dream Big Ambassador Rosario Dawson) 

 *If we WERE actually in a zombie apocalypse, I would soooo want these guys on my side! They're not just actors....they can actually fight!  David and Mark are trained sword fighters as well!  Yup....trained by Seoras Wallace, the very man who trained Mel Gibson for Braveheart and Russell Crow for Gladiator.  He also trained that boy Craig McGinlay who I kinda like!  He's a'ight!  The three of them are SO good! :)

Check the film out for yourself when it comes out later this month, and to keep up with all the Plan Z goodness, be sure to LIKE the Official Facebook page.

My Friend Dahmer, Finally Getting the Film Treatment it Deserves from Director Marc Meyers, Starring Ross Lynch!

Jeffrey Dahmer utterly fascinates me.  Always has done.  His story is so sad and tragic, so lost and desperate, and so completely horrific, that for 25 years I have been a wee bitty obsessed!  I have always  looked behind the face of the monster, and researched to death what could have made him turn out the way he did.

When David Jacobsen's Jeremy Renner starring Dahmer was released in 2002, I fell so much in love with it that even I realised how kinda nuts I was!  :)  What I loved so much about this film, and what made it all the more horrific, was that it DIDN'T focus on all of the gorier details of his story....quite the opposite.  It was just a really melancholic film....and worse...one I could totally relate to so much of.  I think that's why so many people hated it....it scared them because it showed him as a human being.  

 What infuriates me most about his story was the shocking lack of help he received throughout his life.  Dahmer is the ultimate story of an individual who constantly slipped through the cracks of society.  A man so riddled with loneliness and guilt at being different, he lost himself completely.  And this cost 17 young men their lives!

My Friend Dahmer was originally published in a shorter form in 2002.  2002 being a VERY good year to be a Dahmer fan FYI, haha.  Author/artist Derf Backderf wasn't happy with it though....knowing there was so much more to be told to this story.  So he literally went back to the drawing board and in 2012 he released his full graphic novel to a mass of critical acclaim.

Like David Jacobsen's Dahmer,  My Friend Dahmer is a coming of age tale...just one with a horrific outcome.  But one I think we can ALL relate to in some way....even if we don't like to admit to it!  

Playing Dahmer is 20 year old Ross Lynch.  I had never heard of this Disney star/musician before, but after checking him out, I can totally see him having the potential to play a really special part.     

Looking at the kind of films director Marc Meyers has previously made, I still need to check them out but he really seems to  have an incredible grasp on coming of age melancholy, which is EXACTLY what we need for this project.  

Checking his films out are one of my top priorities this week when I actually have a well deserved week off! :)   Needless to say....I am super psyched about this film! 

Past Dahmer blogs I have written - 

Interview with Christina Agamanolis of Siren Music Productions - Dahmer Score

20 Year Anniversary of Dahmer getting caught 

Tragic life of Tracy Edwards

Most beautiful film endings - Dahmer

Getting to Know Suicide Squad's Rick Flag...Everyone Needs Joel Kinnaman in their Life!

So with the final trailer for Suicide Squad having just dropped, and been fabulously Rick Flag heavy, I figured a wee Kinnaman geek fest was in order!  

 I have been a fan of this incredible Swedish actor ever since I first watched The Killing, one of my all time favourite shows.  Joel gave that show so much heart and to watch him progress into such an incredible actor, with so much range and depth....it's so fucking rad!  You can check out my Manflesh Monday's post on Joel that I wrote after saying goodbye to Stephen Holder for the final time....it pretty much sums up my love of him as both an actor and a character! 

With the long awaited Suicide Squad almost here, and with Joel having returned to Netflix in the latest season of House of Cards....add to that recent performances in films such as Run All Night, Child 44, Knight of Cups and Robocop to name a few...his star is most definitely on the rise...proving to be an incredible dramatic actor, action star and downright funny guy too!  What more could you want!? :)  His new film, Edge of Winter, with Spidey himself, Tom Holland, looks incredible as well, check out my recent blog for it HERE. 

Don't disobey me... #rickflag #suicidsquad @suicidesquadmovie

A video posted by Joel Kinnaman (@joelkinnaman) on Jul 15, 2016 at 6:54am PDT

Be sure to check out the article 12 Things You Need to Know About Rick Flag as well peeps! :)

Woo Hoo....Joel Kinnaman in Edge of Winter! Rick Flag Meets Spiderman!

So ever since The Killing started, I developed an insane looooooooooove for Joel Kinnaman!  He is such an absolutely incredible, and still shockingly underrated actor who deserves so much fucking love and adoration!  

With Suicide Squad almost here, it's shit hot to see my Kinnaman in indie thriller Edge of Winter, starring young wee Spidey, Tom Holland.  :)  Joel is also in the new season of House of Cards, which totally gives me an excuse to check it out now, haha.  

Check out the trailer, see what you think, and EVERYONE listen to me.....you NEED to start obsessing over this man if you haven't already!  Yups!  :)