One of the most frequent questions I am always asked being the host of the greatest movie podcast ever (opinions may vary) is “What’s your favorite movie?” That answer has been the same since I was 11 years old. But it also isn’t as easy to explain why I love some movies more than others.
As an art form, movies are by their nature interpretative. Some people will point to a film’s box office total as a barometer for a film’s quality, this might not be true again because although it might be popular to the masses it might not appeal to you. I am looking at you Avatar, which is not one of my favorite films, not by a longshot.
Also, if the film wins an Academy Award for Best Picture, that hardly means it’s one of my favorite films, looking at you The English Patient, in fact I hardly agree with the Academy. Having said that, I am sure that some people love Avatar and The English Patient. And that’s what makes movies so great.
I, also am not a professional critic. I love film. I try and find merit in all film. As a host of a podcast that attempts to give every movie a chance, I believe that is the best way to approach movies, let the lights go out and try and enjoy yourself. You might find a “diamond in the rough.”
When thinking of my favorite movies to share with you, my loyal listeners, I thought 100 wasn’t going to be enough. So, I am proud to present my 150 Favorite Films, right now. These will change, I know they will.
See you at the movies!
***Spoilers Ahead!***
143. Day of the Dead (1985) (Directed by George A. Romero)
The Movie: The Dead Walk! So cries the headline on a newspaper as it blows down an empty Florida street. The zombie apocalypse has taken over the world. A handful of survivors live in an underground bunker. The scientists who are doing experiments on the dead that are captured in the bunker and the soldiers who risk their lives capturing the dead and protecting the scientists.
The people living there are at constant odds with one another. You have the scientists, lead by Dr. Logan (Richard Liberty) who the soldiers call, “Dr. Frankenstein” due to his unusual experiments. His team is comprised of Dr. Sarah Bowman (Lori Cardille) and Dr. Ted Fisher (John Amplas).
This doesn’t sit well with the remaining men in the bunker. Namely, Captain Rhodes (Joseph Pilato) who thinks trying to do experiments on the dead is a waste of time and his men’s lives, as evidenced that he is now in charge after the death of Major Cooper.
But that’s not all, Dr. Bowman and Dr. Logan also disagree. Logan believes he can condition the dead to live in peace with the living. Sarah believes that the only way forward is a cure.
Also in the bunker are two pilots who do not get mixed up in any of the politics. John (Terry Alexander) and McDermott (Jarlath Conroy). They know that even though Rhodes and the other soldiers are unhinged, they are safe because they are the only ones that know how to operate the helicopter. John warns Sarah not to push Rhodes too hard, it may end up in her death.
Sarah is also seeing Miguel (Anthony Dileo Jr.) who is burnt out and on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Miguel is conflicted as he hates going to the surface to find survivors and does not sleep at night creating a dangerous situation for the team. Sarah tranquilizes Miguel without his consent, which leads to Miguel’s growing resentment and bitterness.
After Miguel falls asleep, Sarah visits Logan in his lab. She is horrified to learn that Logan has dug up Major Cooper and is experimenting on his living corpse. Logan is undeterred and introduces Sarah to a zombie he calls “Bub” (Sherman Howard).
Bub responds to Logan and does not attack him. Logan shows Sarah and Fisher that Bub is not dangerous, and Sarah and Fisher cannot believe that Logan appears correct as Bub remembers things from his past life and allows Logan to take headphones of of his head without even attempting to bite him.
In an effort to get more dead for experiments, the soldiers and Sarah go to the mines where they keep the dead. Sarah pleads with them not to use Miguel as he is too weak, Miguel balks at this and tells them he is fine. Miguel loses control of one of the dead and it kills two soldiers and bites Miguel on the arm.
Miguel has his arm amputated to stop the infection, which Sarah believes she has done. Rhodes tells everyone that the experiments will stop, and orders all of the dead killed.
Sarah and Fisher head to Logan’s lab to get medicine for Miguel. There they find that Bub is docile because Logan is feeding him human body parts, which are of the two men just killed by the other zombie. Rhodes discovers this and kills Logan. He demands that John fly him out of the bunker. When John refuses, he kills Fisher and throws Sarah and McDermott into the zombie corral.
Private Steel (Gary Howard Klar) attempts to beat John so badly that he will comply.
Bub’s chains become loose and he leaves his lab, on his way out he sees that Logan is dead. Bub becomes angry and sets out to find Rhodes. Unbeknownst to everyone, Miguel has escaped to the top, unlocked the perimeter fence, and has a horde of zombies follow him to the elevator lift. Miguel lies down on the lift, pushes the button to lower it and is eaten by the zombies.
The dead have no entered the bunker and start feasting on the soldiers down there. Bub assists in killing Rhodes and John, Sarah and McDermott escape to a secluded island to live out the rest of their lives.
Why I Love Day of the Dead (1985): This is by far the bleakest film that George Romero has ever made. None of the characters are particularly redeeming, with all of them having baggage.
It is understandable however as the dead have completely overtaken the world and people are forced to live each other underground with no end in sight to their nightmare.
The trajectory of the “Dead” films have lead to this. The initial horror of “Night of the Living Dead” and the wink to consumerism in “Dawn of the Dead” has paved way for a way to live with the dead. The zombies have slowly gotten smarter in the Romero films. In “Night” they were pretty mindless, except for eating the living. In “Dawn”, the zombies would assemble in places they knew, like a mall. In “Day” it explores this further as Bub is able to communicate and be controlled, albeit with human flesh.
Romero gets the best out of the actors and this is no easy film to be a part of. Emotionally it is always bubbling on the surface, of anger, confusion and fear. Making the zombie Bub the most sympathetic character is a risk, one that Romero pulls of beautifully.
The makeup effects are gruesome and not for the weak stomached. Right away the zombies in the beginning of the film signal their evolution. In “Dawn” they were slightly cartoony, here they look like real rotting corpses, some complete without a lower jaw and a wiggling tongue.
Although, “Day of the Dead” isn’t as fondly remembered as Romero’s earlier work, it deserves a spot on the greatest horror films ever, because sometimes the scariest things in the world are not the monsters but the people that live in it.