SHERDOG MOVIE CLUB: WEEK 115: Cockneys vs. Zombies

[europe1]

NOTE to NON-MEMBERS: Interested in joining the SHERDOG MOVIE CLUB? Shoot me a PM for more info.​

Here's a quick list of all movies watched by the SMC. Or if you prefer, here's a more detailed examination.

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Brits vs Ghouls, Londoners vs Brain Eaters, Englishmen vs the Living Dead.

Our Director

(this guy doesn't even have a Wikipedia or IMDB bio page)

Our Star

Rasmus Hardiker

(this is his IMDB profile, no seriously!)
​

Film Overview

Premise: A gang of bank robbers fight their way out of a zombie-infested London.

Budget: £2.25 million
Box Office: $109,518

Trivia
(courtesy of IMDB)
​

* The film makers appealed quite extensively via local newspapers in and around London for volunteers to play the parts of the zombies.

* The pension home was robbed a week before shooting began on the film.

* An extra scene with the vultures that are seen at the start was nixed because said vultures were so expensive to rent.

* Many of the people who appeared in this film have also been in Doctor Who. Michelle Ryan, Honor Blackman, Tony Selby, Georgina Hale, Richard Briers, Natalie Walter and Phil Cornwell.

* An earlier version of the film had a lot more instances of the f-word being said throughout. This was subsequently toned down in post-production.​

Members: @europe1 @MusterX @Scott Parker 27 @the muntjac @Cubo de Sangre @sickc0d3r @chickenluver @FrontNakedChoke @AndersonsFoot @Tufts @Coolthulu @Yotsuya @jei @Moretti @LHWBelt @PommyBen @Deus Ex Machina @ArtemV

 

[ArtemV]

Lol, this looks like a fun, stupid comedy. I like movies like this sometimes, I hope it is a fun movie!

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

This movie was entertaining enough. Kind of hampered by having already seen Shawn of the Dead. The best stuff was old Shamus getting chased in slow-mo, the soccer hooligan zombies fighting each other, and something I can't quite recall at the moment.

The gun-handling was scary bad, even for noobs. Shit, I was ready to start ducking as they waved 'em around. Instead of aiming for the noggins and conserving ammo these yahoos were spraying everywhere on full-auto. And they say Americans have Rambo fantasies. lol

 

[MusterX]

At the beginning of the movie when the construction workers dig up the tomb stone it says sealed by King Charles, 1666. That is when I realized there will be no subtleties in this film. I did look up and see Charles II reigned from 1660-1685 so at least the possibility of him sealing the tomb in 1666 was possible. Am I to believe that zombies are from the devil? Is that why there was a 666 in the date? At the same construction site just moments before there was two vultures sitting in the sign at the entrance to the site. The foreshadowing here is so in your face its like getting hit over the head with a rock.

Here is a pic of the muppet. Apparently these zombie infestations have been happening since the 1600's at least.

I appreciated that the first two victims of the film happened in the first 3 minutes and the death of the black construction worker was over the top gross reminding me of 80's level B-Movie deaths where the skin stretches out like a latex suit....because it is latex. I also loved the music selection in the opening credits, "What's that coming over the hill? Is it a monster? Is it a monster?" I also noticed very quickly that I was glad I had subtitles on because some of the things they were saying were unintelligible to my American self.

One of my favorites exchanges in the movie was when grandad Ray was saying, "When I was your age I signed up to fight the fucking Nazi's. What are you two fighting, traffic?" I also loved Mental Mickey screaming "Come on you fuckin sluts!" in slow motion to the cops after the bank robbery. Hamish racing the zombies on a walker at about 2mph was hilarious.

I guess in the end it was like watching a poor man's version of Shaun of the Dead. In fact the "shovel and gun" scene was almost like a nod to Shaun of the dead as Katy and Terry took turns hitting the zombie with a shovel and then shooting it with a gun. The nod being to the pool cue scene in Shaun of the Dead.

I enjoyed the comedy somewhat and I love zombie flicks but these types of efforts are not what got me to love zombie films to begin with. I do appreciate this little Blu-Ray flyer though.

 

[LHWBelt]

I think the comedy in this film would have landed better if i were British. I did like the 83 year old with a walker running away from the zombie and the grandpa in world war 2 charging nazis with like a musket if i remember right lol but overall most the comedy didn't land for me. Also the black guy is a twat. It was okay though and I'd probably rate it a 5/10. Seeing those old folks stock up gave me some silly ideas.

 

[MusterX]

Also the black guy is a twat.

Well, I mean, his name was Mental Mickey and he had a metal plate in his head.

 

[Deus Ex Machina]

So, cockney zombie film? Someone must have been trying to gain my favour lol

I love zombie films, simple as that, call me childish but as soon as you mention zombies you have my attention. I also love the cockney dialogue, it just works in cinema more than any other brittish accent, think snatch, lock stock etc.

I watched this film and thought it was mindlessly semi amusing at best, at worst it was just lazy cliched bullshit. I almost felt angry i wasted 2 hours on this garbage. The only thing saving this film were a few cliched lines from bricktop.


With that said my favourite zombie film is pride and prejudice and zombies so what would i know??


Side note: michelle ryan is fine!!

 

[Scott Parker 27]

Fuck it, I had fun watching it. The 2 hours flew by. It is not gone with the wind here folks we are talking about a zombie movie. It hit all the notes for me, ridiculous, funny and lots of people dying. 7/10.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

One of my favorites exchanges in the movie was when grandad Ray was saying, "When I was your age I signed up to fight the fucking Nazi's. What are you two fighting, traffic?"

Grandpa was the only good character in the film. That line was most excellent.

I almost felt angry i wasted 2 hours on this garbage.

The 2 hours flew by.

Are there different versions? What I watched clocked in at 1:27.

 

[MusterX]

Grandpa was the only good character in the film. That line was most excellent.

Alan Ford has the perfect "pissed off" face. He's always showing some teeth like an animal.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Alan Ford has the perfect "pissed off" face. He's always showing some teeth like an animal.

Kinda reminded me of John Voight in Ray Donovan.

 

[the muntjac]

So, this wasn't that good. And yes, I get that this was supposed to be a comedy and not take itself too seriously, but I think it got a little too comfortable with its laid back approach. Plus the jokes never really landed. The most amusing parts were probably the old man running away from the zombies, and when that guy punts the baby.

Although, I do think the idea of successfully robbing a bank for millions of dollars on the day that a zombie apocalypse breaks out, which renders the money to be useless, is funny. But the movie never really went anywhere interesting with the money. Yeah, there's that moment where the Granddad scolds, yet condones the two main guys for stealing it, but that was more hokey than anything profound. I was hoping for a moment where they have to use the money to distract a horde of zombies by dumping it off a tall structure and letting it all float through the sky as the zombies grab and fight over it. If George A. Romero has taught me anything, zombies will react or flock to something that triggers their cognitive memory, so zombies would recognize money and feel the desire to pursue it.

I thought it was neat that the one guy had a steel plate in his head, and when he became a zombie, shooting him in the head wasn't effective. I was thinking, "Whoa, this is cool and something I've never seen in a zombie movie. I wonder where they're going to go with this. Oh, wait...he's dead already. Nevermind." Right after they freak out about his steel plate, they put a grenade in his mouth, and he's dead. Not a very dreadful bad guy when he's that easy to defeat. In fact, I don't think he killed anybody in his zombie form. He was dead pretty much right after he turned. By giving the character a neat attribute such as a steel plate, I was hoping for something more out of this guy, not just be mere fodder in the zombie-geist.

That's basically what this movie was, missed opportunities. Instead, it's just another middling zombie movie in the over-saturated market of the living dead that's complete with uninspired characters and a story just going through the motions all so that we can see an old Pussy Galore kill ghouls with bad cgi blood effects.

By the way, this is how you do head-shot blood effects correctly.



And because I have no other way to end this, here's a zombie getting hit in the face with a pie.

 

[FrontNakedChoke]

I enjoyed this one.

I had a hard time understanding them at first, not gonna lie. Took me a few minutes to adjust to their dialect. Lots of cliches throughout the movie, but unique enough to keep my attention.

I liked Nazi killing grandpa taking control of the retirement home. I felt bad for the old folks, but it was funny how that one guy slept through the apocalypse, and then the walker chase scene that followed.

Nazi killing grandpa was a bad ass. At one point he knocked a zombie over with a push kick and then unLOADed on another zombie with dem black belt hands. Impressive performance.

My favorite zombie kill was the 360 head turn to manual decapitation by crazy black man. Not bad at all.

I thought it was funny when the chubby guy asked out the blonde bank teller after kid napping her. Would have done the same. It was really cute when she was just shoving that zombie away with a shovel.

Also this guy reminded me of Finn Balor V

Overall fun to watch.

That is all.

 

[the muntjac]

I guess in the end it was like watching a poor man's version of Shaun of the Dead.

Very much so.

In fact the "shovel and gun" scene was almost like a nod to Shaun of the dead as Katy and Terry took turns hitting the zombie with a shovel and then shooting it with a gun. The nod being to the pool cue scene in Shaun of the Dead.

For me, this scene came to mind from Day of the Dead (1985). Timestamped, and then stop watching at 1:06:09.

The only thing saving this film were a few cliched lines from bricktop.

I love the movie Snatch. And yeah, Alan Ford was basically Brick Top in this.

Side note: michelle ryan is fine!!

Yeah, she was cute. I think Georgia King is too.

I recognized her from that HBO show Vice Principals, and I didn't know she was Scottish.

 

[MusterX]

Very much so.

For me, this scene came to mind from Day of the Dead (1985). Timestamped, and then stop watching at 1:06:09.

Yea good call, it had the shovel of Day of the Dead, but it had the rhythm of Shaun of the Dead with one shovel hit, one gun shot, one shovel hit, one gun shot. At different points in the film things happened that seemed more than just a coincidence. For example, when the zombies are coming after them in the beginning and they are going real slow, Terry is like, "That's it? That's as fast as they go?" then Katy says something sarcastically like, "Yea but they aren't going to run fast, they're dead." I felt like this was a reference to 28 Days/28 Weeks because the Zombies are hyper aggressive and run fast.

I also thought of Zombie Apocalypse with Ving Raims when they were trying to make it to a boat because in Zombie Apocalypse they are trying to make it to a boat. So there were these little subtle references in the movie and I'm not even sure I'm right about that, it just seemed that way several times.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

I also thought of Zombie Apocalypse with Ving Raims when they were trying to make it to a boat because in Zombie Apocalypse they are trying to make it to a boat.

 

[the muntjac]

Yea good call, it had the shovel of Day of the Dead, but it had the rhythm of Shaun of the Dead with one shovel hit, one gun shot, one shovel hit, one gun shot. At different points in the film things happened that seemed more than just a coincidence.

That's a great scene in Shaun of the Dead.

"Kill the Queen!"
"What?!"
"The jukebox!"

For example, when the zombies are coming after them in the beginning and they are going real slow, Terry is like, "That's it? That's as fast as they go?" then Katy says something sarcastically like, "Yea but they aren't going to run fast, they're dead." I felt like this was a reference to 28 Days/28 Weeks because the Zombies are hyper aggressive and run fast.

I remember hearing in an interview with Simon Pegg he referred to 28 Days Later as 28 Coffees Later.

I also thought of Zombie Apocalypse with Ving Raims when they were trying to make it to a boat because in Zombie Apocalypse they are trying to make it to a boat. So there were these little subtle references in the movie and I'm not even sure I'm right about that, it just seemed that way several times.

I've never seen that one, but he's also in the Dawn of the Dead remake, which also features the characters trying to make it to a boat. Weird.

 

[MusterX]

I remember hearing in an interview with Simon Pegg he referred to 28 Days Later as 28 Coffees Later.

I've never seen that one, but he's also in the Dawn of the Dead remake, which also features the characters trying to make it to a boat. Weird.

LMAO, that Billy gif from Predator makes your post hilarious.

Ving tests well in auditions for zombie movies. If you like zombie movies but you've seen them all then watch Zombie Apocalypse.

 

[Yotsuya]

Did not exceed expectations, but an ok movie non the less. In trailer I liked the zombies vs. the elderly stuff. That part delivered. Also I was curious about zombie hooligan showdown and invited an ex-hooligan friend of mine to watch the movie. That part was a bit brief, but my friend was pumped, so in that regard the movie delivered too. Opening scene was very good. Ex Lovejoy sidekick actor played a character called Eric, but it was the other sidekick, so that was weird.

 

[sickc0d3r]

I'm not a fan of zombie movies in general, and this one was no different. Fell pretty flat for me. Not entirely, since Bricktop is always good times. And punting the zombie baby was a neat addition. I think it had some moments. Overall, though, it wasn't very funny or scary, so what was it? Kind of boring I guess.

Also, The World's End > Shaun Of The Dead.