Friday, July 23, 2010

Undead or Alive (2007)



Undead or Alive (2007) Dir. by Glasgow Phillips

Elmer Winslow is a soldier on the run from the Union Army, and Luke Budd is a cowboy with a broken heart. When the two misfits rob the corrupt sheriff of an old west town, they have no idea that a plague of zombies is sweeping the country, or that Geronimo's sexy niece may be their only hope of survival.



Glasgow Phillips, more commonly know for his work as a South Park writer, takes his first stab from the director's chair in this Zomedy. Chris Kattan (Santa's Slay, SNL), James Denton (Desperate Housewives), and Navi Rawat (Feast, Numb3rs) take the lead in this western style zombie film. I knew this movie was going to be goofy and cheesy right from the start, when the film opens with well known stand-up comedian Brian Posehn biting the head off of a chicken. I didn't go into this movie expecting the worlds greatest zombie film, but I was hoping for something a little more entertaining. The film's storyline is just so crazy off the wall, that it took away from the action of the film. Some of the characters were hard to believe they were who they were supposed to be. Chris Kattan takes a crack at a less feminine version of himself, but it doesn't go very well for him.



It wasn't horrible for Phillip's directorial debut, and I think he has plenty of potential to punch out some quality movies. Most of the acting was mediocre, although I was pleasantly surprised by Denton. Navi, most remembered by me as The Heroine in Feast, was pretty much just eye candy, not to mention slightly hard to believe she was the niece of Geronimo, as I don't think she has that much American Indian in her blood. That didn't bother me much though. At first, I was really turned away by the extremely cheesy effects, but they go slightly better as the film went on. I was happy to see good ol' buckets of fake blood and plenty of fake limbs in there. In a time where I am tired of seeing CG movies, this one won me over a bit. I was happy to see a zombie western film, as I have not seen too many of those yet. I recommend this film as at least a one time watch, but if you are a true Kattan fan, then you will like it alot.

Entertainment Value: 6/10 Tumbleweeds
Cinematic Value: 5/10 Tumbleweeds

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