Film Review: The Dead Don’t Die

Jim Jarmusch’s zombie comedy The Dead Don’t Die is not quite as satisfying as the package suggests. Nevertheless, there is still plenty to enjoy. 

Cliff is police chief of the small town of Centerville. When strange occurrences take place, Cliff and his officers try to figure out how to protect the town and its residents…

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, The Dead Don’t Die is probably the most star-studded zombie film ever made. From the main roles to minor characters, the film is populated with well-known faces. On the surface, the offering is most enticing. A zombie film with a focus on comedy, combined with the filmmaker’s offbeat appeal. 

The narrative begins well. The film introduces main characters and supporting characters, as well as the locale, in an interesting fashion. The humour is pretty effective as the narrative unfolds. The camaraderie between Cliff and Ronnie in particular a joy to watch. There is some on the nose social commentary, yet this is not unexpected.

The narrative builds towards the inevitable. Yet it also offers potential heroes in the ramshackle group of individuals in the small town. The film actually is less interesting with the increase of undead presence, oddly enough for a zombie film. Jarmusch chooses not to follow an obvious route however. Instead, The Dead Don’t Die offers a few unexpected moments before reaching its conclusion. 

The only issue with The Dead Don’t Die is that the second half feels like it has run out of steam. The jokes do not land as well, with a second fourth wall-breaking joke feeling flat. Whilst more gore was definitely not a requirement, some of the characters are completely underused. 

Several previous Jarmusch collaborators appear. Adam Driver and Bill Murray are as good value as ever, work well with Chlöe Sevigny. Tilda Swinton is great, while Caleb Landry Jones, Danny Glover, and Steve Buscemi are on good form. Production values are good, particularly makeup. 

The Dead Don’t Die is only a little disappointing given how much promise the film had. The film is still an enjoyable watch. 

Previews: The Dead Don’t Die Trailer, MIDSommAR, More!

Plenty of hotly-anticipated movies in this week’s preview of coming attractions, including The Dead Don’t Die trailer, Midsommar, Rocketman, and more…

The Dead Don’t Die Trailer

Here is the new The Dead Don’t Die trailer. The film, written and directed by Jim Jarmusch (Only Lovers Left Alive), is about a small town that becomes overrun with zombies. The comedy horror stars Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny, Danny Glover, and Tilda Swinton. The Dead Don’t Die hits UK screens on 12th July 2019.

Rocketman Featurette

Here is a new featurette on the costumes for the upcoming Rocketman. The film, a biopic of the early career of Elton John, stars Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, and Jamie Bell. Directed by Dexter Fletcher, Rocketman is out in UK cinemas on 22nd May 2019.

Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer

Warning: this trailer contains spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. The sequel to 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home takes place after the events of Endgame. Tom Holland, Marisa Tomei, and Zendaya return, and they are joined by Jake Gyllenhaal and Samuel L. Jackson. Spider-Man: Far From Home is set for release on 2nd July 2019.

Midsommar Trailer

Filmmaker Ari Aster follows up last year’s critically acclaimed horror Hereditary with Midsommar. The film is about an American couple who join friends at a festival in a remote Swedish village. Midsommar stars Florence Pugh, Will Poulter, and Jack Reynor. The film will be released in UK cinemas on 5th July 2019.

Crawl Trailer

Above is the trailer for Crawl. The horror thriller is about a young woman who goes looking for her missing father during a massive hurricane. Those with a fear of alligators should look away now. Alexandre Aja directs the film, with Sam Raimi producing. Starring Kaya Scodelario, Crawl is set for release this summer.

Film Review: Golden Exits

Alex Ross Perry’s observational Golden Exits offers good performances and a meditative look at lives of young and middle-aged adults.

Naomi is a young intern who travels to New York to work temporarily with an archivist. Her arrival disrupts the lives of two families in Brooklyn…

Golden Exits revolves around the lives of a group of characters which are somewhat intertwined. The film focuses on Naomi as a catalytic force, making the main characters examine their relationship with their loved ones and themselves.

Writer-director Alex Ross Perry does not take the predictable route, and he should be applauded for this. Instead, the film concentrates on already fractious relationships. There is a certain amount of navel-gazing in the film. The protagonists are upper middle class, and imbue the trappings of this world. Some of the concerns are only applicable to those of such a class, but this is acknowledged.

The first half of Golden Exits is stronger than the second. There is an ambiguity over the direction the film will take, which holds the viewer’s attention. The second half lacks the vim of this as events unfold subtly. The relationship between the sets of sisters become more significance, as the single sisters take on more importance.

The film is about relationships, but also about being comfortable defying societal expectations. In this sense Naomi’s character extinguishes slightly. There is not much for her to do, leaving the emphasis on the two single sisters. The conversations later in the film point to an empowerment in independence, but a gnawing dissatisfaction. Save for a brief reference, it is refreshing to see adulthood being viewed without the framing reference of having children.

Emily Browning and Chloë Sevingny give decent performances. It is Mary-Louise Parker, Lily Rabe, and Jason Schwartzman who really stand out though. The score feels a little too present, whilst Brooklyn is romanticised, despite most of the action taking place in just a few locations.

Overall, it feels like Golden Exits stops just short of saying something truly meaningful.

Golden Exits is being screened at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2017.

Stuff To Look At

This week we have a clip from Pain & Gain, the Lovelace trailer, the Pacific Rim vault and the trailer for Filth…

Pain & Gain

I know American audiences saw the film a lifetime ago, but I am super excited to see Pain & Gain. Marky Mark, The Rock, the 90s setting! Above is a clip from the film. Pain & Gain hits UK screens on 30th August 2013.

Pacific Rim 

For the release of Pacific Rim on Friday, a vault of film-related treats has been compiled. The vault, which features clips, vlogs, and information on the various Jaegers, can be viewed here. I noticed there isn’t a robot shaped like a unicorn though. Something to think about, Guillermo del Toro.

Lovelace

Here is the first Lovelace trailer. The film stars Amanda Seyfried as infamous porn star Linda Lovelace. The trailer is a 1970s overload. Not least Chloë Sevigny’s hair. Given the setting and topic, Lovelace will face the inevitable comparisons to Boogie Nights. We’ll see how it does when the film is released on 23rd August 2013.

Filth

Filth is the new film based on Irvine Welsh’s novel. The film stars James McAvoy as a corrupt policeman who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Filth is released in Scottish cinemas on 27th September 2013, and in the rest of the UK on 4th October 2013.