2012 (2009)

Written by Axemaster August 31 2011
Rating 7 out of 10

Director   -   Roland Emmerich

Cast
John Cusack    -    Jackson Curtis
Amanda Peet   -    Kate Curtis
Woody Harrelson  -  Charlie Frost
Danny Glover      -    President Thomas Wilson
Liam James        -     Noah Curtis
Morgan Lily      -     Lilly Curtis
Chiwetel Ejiofor  -  Adrian Helmsley




                           Hey there Fellow Fright Fans ! August of the Apocalypse has drawn to a close , and Axemaster's in the Dungeon with one last flick to see that you have a well laid out survival plan , should the world suddenly good for a Crap !! .................... 2012 !!!

"This is how Evil Knievel started !"

Its Campy ! Its Crazy !! Its full of Thrills !!! Here's the story line in a nut shell ......................

           The Flick opens with a scene of deepest space . We see the outer planets and Earth . We see the sun . From the sun , Giant Solar Flares are erupting ! (Its quite something for all you Star gazers !) . Cut to a scene in India , 2009 . We meet Dr Adrian Helmsley . He's a Geologist working on things for the government . Studying the earths crust and all that interesting stuff ! (Yawn !!) He's in India visiting his friend Dr. Satnam Tsurutani . He's an Astrophysicist , studying how the Earth is effected by the sun and its Solar Flares !!

"Great Balls Of Fire !"

  Dr. Tsurutani , tells Helmsley about the latest Solar flares recorded on the sun and says , they are the biggest in the history of our planet ! He takes Helmsley down into an old mine , where he studies the Earths core temperature . The Mine is eleven thousand feet deep !! Its quite hot down there , and Helmsley is shocked when Dr. Tsurutani shows him a water tank that goes another six thousand feet deeper ! The whole tank is boiling !! It seems that the sun puts out these particles called Neutrinos . Normally , they have no effect on good old Mother Earth . But now , the Neutrinos are mutating into a new kind of subatomic particle , and they're acting like Microwaves on the Earths core !! (Sheesh , the planet is one big Jiffy pop container !!)

"Stewardess !?? Any Peanuts left !!??"

     Thus the water in the mine shaft at seventeen thousand feet below
is ready to boil eggs !! Helmsley takes off with the news and crunches his own numbers! It seems that the Earths crust will Destabilize by , Yup , You Guessed It !!!! 2012 !!! He takes the info to the President of the United States and an international Top Secret Plan is put into play to save , well , anyone with a Billion Bucks to spare per Person !
( I'd have to break the old Piggy Bank open for that one folks !) There will be a lottery for the working class folks ( Got to have you servants in the new world ! Might not want to survive this one !!) for passage onto some giant Ships being built to save Humanity !! We see the beginning of construction on these ships in the mountains of Tibet , by the Chinese Army !

"Okay Yoda ! Show Me The Ways
Of The Force !!"

So much for buying North American made Eh !!? We see scenes of very rich people choking on the price of a ticket to safety ! We see Scenes of whistle blowers , who want to alert the planets population about the coming Apocalypse get whacked to keep them silent !!!
     Then , cut to the year , (Dun Da Da Dun !!) 2012 !!! We meet our Hero , Jackson Curtis ! He's a writer slash Limo driver , struggling with being a good Dad to his two kids ! They live with his ex wife Kate , who's shacked up with a plastic surgeon ! Jackson takes his kids Noah and Lilly on a camping trip to Yellow Stone Park . They want to visit a Lake that Jackson used to go to , but its fenced off by the military !! Hhhmmm  ?? Jackson hops the fence and takes a look any way ! ( Rebel ! A Man After My Own Heart !! )

" Legalize Pot Now Dam It
It's Almost Too Late !"

   They find the Lake ....... Dried up and steaming in the valley !! The army comes crashing in on Jackson and the Kids for being in a "Restricted Area" , and kick them out of the hot zone ! As they're hiking back to camp , they are stopped by an odd character , named Charlie ! Charlie asks them what the "Government" guys wanted , but Jackson doesn't want to talk to this strange hippy hiker and double times the kids away from him !  That night , back at the camp , Jackson puts the kids to bed , and notices that the neighbor in the Rv beside them is broadcasting a radio talk show , live from Yellow Stone !

"I'm Getting Too Old For this Shit !"

  He heads on over and discovers that the Hippy Charlie , is actually , Charlie Frost ! Host of a Weird Whacky radio show , dealing with conspiracy theory !! ( Art Bell anyone ? ) Charlie and Jackson drink a bunch of beers . Charlie fills Jackson in on the coming Apocalypse and tells him the end will start very soon !! He even has a map to where the "Government Guys" are building "Space Ships" !!!
Jackson , thanks Charlie for the beers and heads back to the tent . The next day . Kate and the plastic surgeon are out shopping in Los Angeles , and the store is ripped in half by an Earth Quake !! Kate freaks out and calls Jackson and tells him to get the kids home , as stranger and Stranger events begin to unfold ! Jackson and the kids come home to what they think is Safety . But it's 2012 Baby !! Safety has just been Cancelled !!!!
    Like I said , 2012 is Campy and a bit over the top ! John Cusack is literally running , driving or flying one step ahead of the ground splitting open behind him all the way through the flick ! But it is entertaining !! Director Roland Emmerich , That lover of deconstructing the Earth , keeps the action fast and furious throughout !
     So fright Fans Check this one out ! You might like it . Hap and I thought that it would be a fitting flick to end our August Of The Apocalypse reviews with ! If we missed any of your favorite Doomsday flicks in this round , feel free to drop us a line , here at the Dungeon and let us know which ones you'd like to see us review , next August , when we do , August Of The Apocalypse II !!!!!


                                      However , 2012 is fast approaching , so .......


                                                Lets hope there IS a Next August !!!!!!


                                                      This is Axemaster signing off ....... And Remember ........


                                                             Stay Scared !! 

Tank Girl (1995)

Written by Happywax     Aug 2011

Rating 7.5 out of 10

Director - Rachel Talalay

Cast

Lori Petty - Tank Girl

Naomi Watts - Jet Girl

Ice-T - T-Saint

Malcolm McDowell - Keslee

James Hong - Che'Tsai

Hey all you wasteland warriors Happys got a movie I'm kicking myself in the butt for not seeing sooner. Tank Girl was a movie I had heard about for some years, but had never sought it out; not something I thought would make for quality viewing, some silly mid 90s comedy about some weird girl hero or something. Boy, was I wrong! This is a definition of guilty pleasure, or close to it for a mid 90s comic book movie, and it's one I would be more than happy to pop in on a sick day from work. It's a movie you have to smile at, feel like both the kid in you and the dirty bastard or girly girl loves to chomp on like some stupid comic book that has all the meat and gravy of a full-throttle action story mixed in with lots of irreverent humor. It pops and crackles like a comic book (hell, it even throws in animated segways, maybe as a way to save money, but it looks as cool as anything from the period), and it's got a weird ensemble ranging from Malcom McDowell to Iggy Pop and Ice-T... as a Kangaroo.

Lori Petty stars in what could be considered a real career high point. Before seeing her in this I only remembered her as Geena Davis's sister in A League of Her Own, and wondered if she could pull it off. At first her image is like a junkyard Gwen Stefani , but she's got the attitude of a real bad-ass, which is important as her role in this often pitts her into the likes of Snake Plissken and some other cowboy types, but always with the spunk of a punk rock chick with style and wit to spare.

 She's in a post apocalyptic world where water is a precious commodity (though, unlike Waterworld, it doesn't flaunt the irony of 'all this water and not a drop to drink', albeit there's a hot 'dust' shower scene). A mad commander of a corporation (McDowell, subtle ham-bone if there could be an oxymoron as such) who controls water and, thus, power. He captures her for hard slave labor, but she teams up with a young Naomi Watts and escapes to a renegade gang of kangaroos as they plot to destroy the evil corporation and................

Yeah, kangaroos, and that's not all- one of them is really half kangaroo and half dog! It's all very silly, but it revels in its silliness, and makes a note of every other second or so reminding you how buoyant it is with its reckless energy and humor and design. It's a lot like if a Sci-fi channel of the week movie actually worked well; the production design isn't too tacky and eye-catching on a fairly low budget, the actors are all having a ball playing odds and ends of good guys or kangaroos or villainous water mongers. And at the middle is Petty, who is sweet and charming and dangerous and puts on an outfit and hair style like a reject from the latest Hot Topic catalog (and damn proud of it).

You kind of have to dig what she's about in the part to dig a lot of the picture, but once plugged in- on top of stuff like McDowell's reconstruction surgery, Watts with black hair and glasses, and Ice-T and that guy from Buffy as kangaroo manimals- it's hard not to have a total gas with it. This movie is definatly BAD ASS and is a must see for all comic Buffs , I guarantee you wont be disapointed.

The Road (2009)

Written by Axemaster August 27 2011
Rating 8 out 10

Director   -   John Hillcoat

Cast  
Viggo Mortensen  -  Man
Kodi Smit McPhee - Boy
Robert Duvall        -  Old Man
Guy Pearce         -    Veteran
Charlize  Theron   -   Woman



                              All right Doomsday Dwellers ! Axemasters in the Dungeon tonight with a real Doomsday Day Doosey for you .........
The Road !
Heres the story line in a nut shell !

            The flick begins with a flash back to the Day of the End . Not very long or telling . Just fond memories in the dreams of Man . Horses at his home . His lovely wife . Life as it was , and is no more !

"What do they Mean No REFUNDS !!??"

Now Man and Boy walk . They walk The Road . As we get our first glimpse of them doing just that , Man narrates to fill us in on what's gone down , and what happened to the world .
This is what he says ..................

        "The clock stopped at 1:17 . There was a long shear light and a series of low concussions . I think its October , but I can't be sure . I haven't kept a for years . Each day is more grey than the one before . It is cold , and growing colder , as the world slowly dies . No animals have survived and all the crops are long gone . Soon all the trees in the world will fall ."

"Just passed the Emissions Test !"

  
       As you can tell , Man is a real cheery guy ! He is the father to Boy . Boy is what keeps Man's legs moving every day . They are headed south to the coast , in hopes of finding a warmer climate to winter in . As its getting colder , as Man said . Man and Boy sleep under bridges . In fields . Where every they find to be "Safe" . They find an old barn along the road and check it out for food . Always on the look out for food are Man and Boy !! (Burger Kings Closed these days folks !) . They don't find any food in the barn , but they do bump into the former inhabitants . Hanging from the roof beams !
Life has been hard for the past decade , and this unfortunate family took the only way out they thought was a good one ! Not Man though !! He keeps soldiering on .

" Chee Chee Chee
Ha Ha Ha "

  Flash back to Boys birth . Through the flash backs we meet Boys mother , Woman . We see that she was pregnant with boy on the day of the End . We see that she has lost her will to go on . As Man boils water and prepares to bring his son into the dying world , Woman says she doesn't want to bring the child into it .
   Man is haunted by memories of Woman . As the film unfolds , we see what became of her .
Meanwhile , life on The Road is very dangerous . There is the constant threat of , gangs and tribes . Small armies armed with what ever they can find . Man is most worried about him and Boy becoming someone's dinner !! (Yuck ! I can understand !! ) Cannibalism is wide spread , due to the shortage of anything else to eat . So , its eat or be eaten in this brave new world !! They run into one such gang after spending the night near the roadside .

"We missed a turn in Albacurky !" 

They leave their well supplied shopping cart (Well supplied for these guys ! No Dorritos or Marshmallows here !! ) on the road and hide a bit out of sight . The gang stop as they have trouble with their truck ! ( Dam Warranties run out !!) One of the gang heads into the brush where they're hiding to take a leak . He sees them , and it leads to a tense stand off . Man has a revolver you see , and this hapless Doomsday Drifting Hillbilly has brought a razor to a gun fight ! Man wins but the shot alerts the other scavengers and there is an all night chase set in motion ! We learn that The Revolver only had two shells left in it , and Man was sort of saving those for him and Boy , if things got too dreary to go on !! (Options ! Options !) Now , there is only one shell left ! And Believe You Me !! Thats not a good position to be in in the wasteland !!!

"Got A Heater In My Truck !!"

        Okay ! Okay ! So I'm sure you're all getting the Idea of the bleakness of this flick ! The Road is one of the more Realistic Apocalypse film's out there . If you're looking for Dune Buggies and Wasteland car chases , head to Australia !! The film is based on Cormac McCarthy's book of the same name . I urge you to read it if you haven't already . Read it after you see the film , as the book is better . Don't get me wrong , the flick is great , but , books usually win , for all you non readers out there . There are moments in the film that aren't dreary . A scene where Man and Boy share a Coke and a smile comes to mind . However , McCarthy put together a very stark tale of what life would be like after the End . All those who have visions of hunting vermin and riding around in hot rods after Judgment Day , looking for water , Bullets and that last scrap of Eden , must watch this flick .
  
           But don't take my word for it Fright Fans ! Check it out for yourself !!
I am , as always , just a humble reviewer .

                     And Remember .......................................


                            After the Shear light and low Concussions .......................


                                  Keep away from the strangely chanting nomads on the hill tops ...........


                                        and if you can ............... Stay off The Road  !
    

Six String Samurai (1998)

Written by Happywax

Rating 7.5 out of 10

Director - Lance Mungia

Cast

Jeff Falion - Buddy

Justin McGuire - The Kid

Kim DeAngelo - Mother
Stephane Gauger - Death

Clifford Hugo - Psycho

Hey Guys Happys back with a KICK-ASS flick for our August of the apocalypes Month. A post-apocalyptic, spaghetti western, rock-n-roll Samurai film? Yep. That pretty much sums up SIX STRING SAMURAI. It's quirky. It's B-movie all the way. It's wonderful.

What we have here is a film shot on weekends on a minuscule budget in and around Death Valley, California. It also pays homage to many films; every Clint Eastwood spaghetti western ever made, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, Night of the Living Dead and, of course, The Wizard of Oz, just to name a few.

The movie was dubbed giving it a hokey spaghetti western feel that matched the production values perfectly (very low). "The Kid" in the film was a complete carbon-copy of the mangy little guy that follows Mel Gibson around in Beyond Thunderdome. There's a family of cannibals and "The Windmillers" who represent the slow brain functions from Night of the Living Dead. And then there are the multiple references to The Wizard of Oz ("Just follow the yellow brick road").

The story's focus is on Buddy (Jeffrey Falcon), a six string carrying, Samurai sword wielding bad ass who wants to be the new "King" of "Lost Vegas." But first he has to get there. Traveling across the desert wasteland of the post-apocalyptic world, Buddy (who looks remarkably like Buddy Holly) has to slash, punch, and scratch his way toward The Emerald City (another Wizard of Oz reference that we see, Lost Vegas looking very much like the gateway to Oz's hometown). Along the way Buddy picks up "The Kid", a young boy who's mother was killed by humans resembling troglodytes. The Kid doesn't speak (initially) and only screams/moans whenever he wants Buddy's attention. But The Kid is good with mechanical objects (cars, motorcycles, bicycles) and the two form a grudging relationship as they travel together. The only issue between them is Buddy's priceless guitar which he nurtures more than The Kid ...in the beginning. But Buddy can play his six string as potently as he can don his sword, giving him a good shot at becoming the King of Lost Vegas.

On Buddy and The Kids' tail, however, is Death (represented as the four horseman of the apocalypse ...but without their horses). Death wants to be/remain the King and kills anyone who gets in his way, leaving a lot of rock-n-roll wannabes as corpses. And in front of Buddy and The Kid is the Russian Army (Oh! Did I forget to mention that the USSR took over the U.S. after it nuked us in 1957?) After much bloodletting, Death and Buddy have their day on the sand. First comes a guitar duel (Death wields a wickedly good six string himself!), then the sword. But what will happen if Buddy wins? Can he be a true father-figure to The Kid? And what would happen to The Kid if Buddy died? Would Death take the little tike, too? There are A LOT of well choreographed fight sequences (you can never have to much Ass-Kickin). The camera work was done with an eye toward professionalism, never being herky-jerky. The acting was okay. And the story was so ridiculous that suspending disbelief was quite fun. The dialogue often set the tone for the entire production, giving us some great bits like...

Death: "You have failed me for the last...hey, nice shoes." Then we watch Death kill the men wearing the shoes and walk away with new footwear.

The musical score is also pulled off well. The Red Elvises leant their music and themselves for the production (they are the ones with the nice shoes mentioned above). Their musical numbers reminded me very much of The Stray Cats.

If you don't mind low production standards but enjoy spoofs with a good, if somewhat ridiculous, script, then slip this little B-flick into your DVD player and bask in its foolishness. You won't be disappointed.

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Written by Axemaster August 23 2011
Rating 7.5 out of 10

Director   -   Roland Emmerich

Cast
Dennis Quaid   -   Jack Hall
Jake Gyllenhaal - Jack Hall
Emmy Rossum  -  Laura Chapman
Sela Ward         -  Dr. Lucy Hall
Ian Holm         -   Terry Rapson





                                 Hey There All you End Of Days Dwellers ! Axemaster is in the Dungeon with a little Flick of Mass Destruction for you !! ............... The Day After Tomorrow !!
Heres the story line in a nut shell .......................

             The flick opens with a scene that takes place in the Antarctic on the Larson Ice Shelf ! Dr. jack Hall is a Paleoclimatologist (Ffeew !! Good thing that one never came up at the spelling bee !! ) . He studies ancient weather patterns and cycles , and how they may relate to our current worlds constantly changing weather !  He and his two colleagues Frank (a seasoned veteran type !) and Jason (kind of wet behind the ears !) are out on the ice taking core samples for a climate change model that Jack has

"Okay , I think thats enough A.C. !"

been working on . He has a theory that desalination of the worlds oceans is what caused the last ice age . As they're working away , the core drill , drops down into the sample hole they've been busy drilling ! Suddenly a crack opens up in the ice shelf ! The whole shelf starts to rumble and they the crack opens into a huge fissure , as a huge chunk of ice , miles wide breaks off the shelf !! Lucky to survive , Jack and the boys get out of there with the ice core samples and head back to the world .
     Jack takes his findings to a conference in New Deli India . He tells the gathered dignitaries from countries all over the world about the importance of climate change and global warming ! These fat cat Politicians basically

"Godzilla !!"

look at Jack like he's another Granola Eating Hippie jumping on the Enviro Bandwagon and ignore him . There is someone in the audience that cares about what Jack has to say . Professor Terry Rapson has come all the way from Scotland to hear what Jack has to say about Desalination and his other theories . Rapson runs the Hedland Climate Research Centre and studies the water temperature of the worlds oceans and stuff ! (Wow These guys must be awesome to talk to at a party don't you think !!??) He has a system of measuring water temperature in the Atlantic . The temperature sensors are attached to buoys out in the ocean at certain points along the North Atlantic Current . The North Atlantic Current is what brings warm water up from the tropics and keeps our Northern climates nice and inhabitable ! If this current is interrupted

"How many more ways can Hollywood
Think of to take me down dam it !?"

then its time to break out the Hot Shots and Cocoa !! Instant Ice Age ! Rapson tells jack that he's noticed some drops in temperature  already . They chew the fat for a bit and promise to keep each other informed . Upon Arriving back in Scotland at the Hedland Centre , Rapson discovers that there are a couple of buoys showing extreme temperature drops out there in the Atlantic already ! He fears that what Jack has said will take hundreds of years , may be happening quicker ! ( Like Now !! Zoinks !!)
   Meanwhile , strange weather begins to plague the world ! There's a snow storm in New Deli . There's huge hail storms in Japan ! The city of Los Angeles gets hit with some killer tornados ! All this happening in the wake of the ice lose in Antarctica !! Hhhmm ! Should have listened to the Tree Huggers !!
    Mean Meanwhile !! There's a good subplot going on about how Jack

"Wait a minute !! This Isn't Kansas !"

isn't doing so well at being a Dad to his son Sam ! Seems that traipsing all over the planet for weeks on end isn't really a good way to be a parent ! Sam's gone off to New York for an academic competition ! ( Nerds !) He's joined the team to impress a girl . This surprises Jack as Sam is kind of a loner . Sam and Laura ( AKA The Girl Of His Dreams !) and their other pal Brian , get stuck in New York , as the Crazy weather keeps getting Crazier !! By this time , Jack and his team have been called for their expertise in the field of weather and climate change and stuff ! Jack and Professor Rapson fear that the world is on the verge of a Total Climate Shift !!! Dun Da Da DUUNNN !!!!
   The Day After Tomorrow is a pretty cool flick . Its a particularly good way to spend a Rainy or Snowy evening in front of the tube !! ( Precipitation helps with the Mood for the flick a bit ! )

"Dam Left My Rubbers at Home !"

All in All , this is an entertaining film , and it does deal with an important topic for all of the world ! The theory of Desalination is real by the way ! So Tune in to see what will become of Jack and Sam ! Professor Rapson and the other Scots ! I think you'll like it !

              Until we meet again in the Darker colder places ...........


                     Stay warm !!!! 

Escape from New York (1981)

Written by Happywax      Aug 2011

Director - John Carpenter

Cast

Kurt Russell - Snake Plissken

Lee Van Cleef - Hawk

Ernest Borgnine - Cabbie

Donald Pleasence - President

Adrienne Barbeau - Maggie

Isaac Hayes- The Duke

Hey all you warriors of the waste land its AUGUST OF THE APOCALYPES BITCHES and  Happys got a great flick for you tonight, Escape From New York  is set in the near future (well... 1997 if you saw this in 1981), In a crime-ridden United States that has turned Manhattan Island in New York City into a Maximum Security Prison, Former Soldier and Legendary Fugitive 'Snake' Plissken (Kurt Russell) is given just 24 hours to find the President of the United States (Donald Pleasance)who has been captured by the inmates after 'Air Force One' crashes on the Island.

 Escape from NY is one of the best films of all time, which has been often imitated but never bettered or even equalled, The cast is top notch with stars such as Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Issac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton & Ernest Borgnine, and it is by far Russell's best film (I know Axe Master will argue that last comment, LOL) and he fits the role of 'Snake' with ease, a role he wasn't first or even second choice to play, The studio at the time preferred Charles Bronson or Tommy Lee Jones as at the time Russell was deemed too lightweight after numerous forgettable Disney Flicks, thankfully though Carpenter refused and Russell was cast.

'Escape' was a huge hit, it opened in 1981 to positive reviews and made $25.2M on it's original release and $50M Worldwide on a budget of only $6M.

This among various other modern classics such as 'Assault On Precinct 13 (1976), Halloween (1978), The Fog (1980) and The Thing (1982) solidified Carpenter's reputation as one of the best Filmmakers of all time, it's sad that in the years since he's become synonymous with trash, inferior sequels & remakes, including an unnecessary sequel to this 15 years later in 'Escape from L.A' (1996) because at the time Carpenter was having a tough time after numerous flops, and sadly, L.A. was no different, it was panned on it's original release for being inferior and it tanked taking only half it's budget.

I'm sad to report that a Remake of New York is on it's way in the foreseeable future, which was to star bland actor Gerard Butler before he dropped out, my advice...DON'T BOTHER, think of new ideas John - stop tarnishing your Originals with trashy PG-13 sequels!

DoomsDay (2008)

Written by Happywax   Aug  2011

Rating 7.5 out of 10

Director - Neil Marshall

Cast

Rhona Mitra - Eden Sinclair

Bob Hoskins - Bill Nelson

David  O'Hara - Michael Canaris

Craig Conway - Sol

Malcolm McDowell - Kane

Hey all you Post Apocalyptic Maniacs Happys on a role today, and i've got another Friggen Awsome movie for you all ,"Doomsday," the third feature from British "B"-movie tour de force writer-director Neil Marshall, is a rehash of several distant cult movies, including both of Marshall's previous films, which are also considered cult classics. Yet, that doesn't make "Doomsday" even remotely bad, but it does make it very interesting not just to follow the story along, but to also point out the many references to films past.

Even the most amateurish film buff could point out the assorted references to "28 Days/Weeks Later," "Escape from New York" (1981), "Aliens" (1986), and the "Max Mad" movies. It's all part of the fun, really, and you can't blame Marshall for making references to the movies he loves and have inspired him as a filmmaker. Even his first feature "Dog Soldiers" (2002) and his superior follow-up horror flick "The Descent" (2005) get some mention here.

In the future, an out-of-control virus called the "Reaper virus" (the "28" movies) completely decimates Scotland, eventually leading to its being quarantined off with a 20-foot-tall, 12-inch-thick impenetrable wall ("Escape from New York") on all sides. The rest of the world goes on as if nothing happened, while millions are forced to fend for themselves in the virus-ravaged wasteland of former Scotland. In the the 30 years since the quarantine, law & order broke down and anarchy took over.

30 years later, the Reaper Virus makes a comeback, this time outside the quarantine zone. More news develops when spy satellites monitoring the former Scotland detect human survivors. Could there be uninfected people? Could there be a cure in there somewhere? Regardless, the government organizes a small task force to go inside and find answers. Nelson (Bob Hoskins), a government handler, is given the assignment of having his best operative Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra) go inside with a crack team of commandos and look for answers.

They have 48 hours.

Right away, "Doomsday" removes itself from other post-apocalyptic movies by not focusing on the catastrophe itself and instead just focuses on humanity's attempt to move forward. "Doomsday" is about anarchy, and the downfall of society: What happens when you just leave a country to wither and die in the face of disaster? On the inside, however, it's all about finding a cure or a vaccine and bringing it back to the rest of the world. When Sinclair and her team are on the inside, they're all on their own, but of course they are not alone. As it turns out, barbaric clans have been formed (the "Mad Max" movies), under the leadership of Sol (Marshall's favorite go-to guy and movie regular, Craig Conway), who seeks to lead his punk regalia-clad minions to the conquest of the free world outside the quarantine zone. It should be pointed out here that they're pretty much cannon fodder ("Aliens").

It's fair to chide "Doomsday" for some script deficiencies and overly-abundant throwback references to films past and an apparent lack of details regarding Scotland's decimation in the 30 years since the Reaper Virus's outbreak, and Sol's rise to power. But Marshall keeps "Doomsday" lean and focused. Once on the inside, it's anything goes, as Sinclair and her teammates are pretty much left to fend for themselves when Sol's men ambush them and force them to participate in increasingly sadistic games of violence for survival and for that, the blood and gore is sufficient (Marshall knows no boundaries in the area of special effects).

 

"Doomsday" is an accomplished third feature from a provocative filmmaker, Neil Marshall, and is one hell of a ride, I guarantee you`ll be on the edge of your seat the whole movie, and at the end you`ll be wanting more, lets keep our fingers crossed and hope theres a sequel in the near future, Cause I know I want more of this Awsomeness !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reign Of Fire (2002)

Written by Axemaster August 21 2011
Rating 8 out of 10

Director   -   Rob Bowman

Cast
Christian Bale  -  Quinn
Matthew McConughey  -  Van Zan
Gerard Butler   -   Creedy
Izabella Scorupco  -  Alex



                        Hey there all you Dragon Slayers !! August of the Apocalypse continues here at Doomgoryums ! Axemaster in the Dungeon tonight with a real Creature Feature , Apocalyptic crossover for you !
 Reign Of Fire !! This is a fresh take on the End Of Days flick ! I mean , Hey  ! Would you ever have thought that Dragons would play a role in ending the world !!?? Me Neither !
Here's the story line in a nut shell ..........................

       The film begins in present day London England . Little Quinn is visiting his Mom at work . She's an Engineer for the city and she's working on a new tunnel system for the subway . Quinn goes to the job site and rides down into the bowls of the city on the elevator . As he is visiting with Mom , the work crew that is drilling the new tunnels , break through into a void in the bed rock . This is not good as they
it will stop work for quite a while as they check this mystery cavern

"Hey ! Thats Not God Zilla !"

for safety ! (Boy do they have a surprise coming !) Little Quinn ends up going over to the drilling machine for a look into the void . He takes a flashlight and crawls in !(Safety first my ass !) Inside , things look quite gothic , with arches and weird rock formations . you almost get the impression that Satan himself might pop up in here and make Quinn a deal he can't refuse !! Instead , Quinn hears breathing . As he's looking around for the source , a gout of flame falls to the floor of the cavern behind him !! He looks up and the Roof of the cavern begins to move !  Low and Behold , he finds himself staring into the eyes of a creature , right out of fairy tales and Tolkien's The Hobbit ! The Dragon  seems a bit groggy and goes to spit flames at Quinn , but what comes out is its "Lighter Fluid" ! This misfire splashes all over Quinn , and gets into his eyes ! He runs for the exit from this cavern of creep shows and finds his Mom on the other side ! She sees his eyes have

" I Say Old Boy ... The Mosquitoes
Are Dreadful this time of Year !"

turned red , and takes him to the elevator and they start to head up , Quinn all the while babbling about "Something" being in the cavern that shouldn't be in the cavern ! Then , as they are heading up , the tunnel erupts into blazing fire , as the Dragon belches out fire for the first time after a long nap ! As they ride toward safety , Quinn and his Mom hear they unearthly sounds of some "Something" making its way up and out of the tunnels below . Quinns Mom shields him
with her body as a huge beast emerges from the cauldron of flames below and crawls over the steel cage of the elevator !! This beast crawls up and over them and takes to the skies over a stunned London ! When Quinn tries to rouse his Mom , he finds that she's been killed as the Dragon crushed the elevator cage !
       Fast forward twenty years ! Little Quinn is now Big Quinn !

"Dragons make me Jumpy !!"

He's living in a medieval castle in North England ! (Wow ! Its like he's a Rock Star or something !!) He's the man in charge of a group of survivors , who have come to live in this timeless strong hold . There is something cool about this setting and it makes for a great desolate atmosphere for the flick . The Dragons have multiplied incredibly rapidly , to the point that they quickly overtook the armed forces of the world and laid waste to the planet in a sea of flames ! It seems that they feed on Ash . So they need to burn the surface of the Planet to survive ! In fact , Quinn and his band of survivors believe that the Dragons have burnt just about everything they can , and are now starving to death ! Quinn hopes to out last them as they die off , but life is hard and everyone must keep a wary eye on the sky at all times ! The castle dwellers have worked hard to grow a crop of vegetables under camo netting and they hope to harvest it soon ! However , a few disgruntled castle dwellers led by a shlub named Eddy , want to pick the crop early and head off somewhere else . This Boob nabs the keys to a truck , takes his kids and a couple of pals and

"Ooo ! Dragon Breath ! Yuck !"

sneaks off to the fields and starts to loot the crop ! The activity attracts a dragon , and All hell breaks lose as the beast sets the fields ablaze and kills a couple of Eddy's kids and pals ! (Idiot !)
 Quinn of course is furious about the set back and the group must now determine how they will last the winter with no crop to keep them !
  As if all this weren't enough , the sentries pick up voices on the radio ! There hasn't been any communication with any other survivors in years , so this can't be good ! Off in the distance , we see a group of armored cars and tanks approaching ! Quinn and his group believe that this is a band of marauders and get ready to defend the castle keep! However , as the tank draws near and rumbles to a stop in front of the gates , they are surprised as an American solder (rather deranged looking !) jumps out ! He tells Quinn and the castle folk , that his name
is Van Zan and that he's a Dragon Slayer ! They've come across the Atlantic to end the Dragon menace and save Humanity !

"Pull !"

Quinn scoffs at this saying that nothing has flown in the skies but Dragons for twenty years  ! Then , making him eat his words , a chopper flies over head ! This brings new hope to the castle dwellers and they let the Americans in and shelter them as they rest up for their mission ! Van Zan has a plan ! Quinn thinks it will only stir up a Dragons nest !
  Will Quinn and the Castle Crew survive the Dragons onslaught !!?
Will Van Zan , muscle his way into the history books !??
Will there be a new crop and a new tomorrow for the burnt out planet !!????
 I'll Never Tell ! You'll have to watch this one to find out for yourselves Fright Fans !! I think you'll enjoy this flick as much as I did . But don't take my word for it ! Decide for yourselves ! Grab some popcorn and soda , and curl up for a while .

                           Until we meet again in the darker places ................


                                        Stay Scared !!!