The book starts with an introduction of some of the crafts inside along with some sewing, crocheting, and knitting basics that will be needed for some of the projects.  Most of these projects will require a trip to the craft store for some items, so be sure to look through the book and make a list of the things you will need.  Cost will vary on the project but a lot of supplies can be used for multiple projects.

There are wearable projects like headbands, jewelry, and clothing to edible projects and decorative projects.  This is a great book to use while crafting with friends with projects that can be used just for fun or for party decorating.  You can get creative and modify some of the crafts to make something unique for yourself or as a gift for a friend.

The back of the book features a small bio on each crafter along with a link to their website or shop.

DIY crafting is not only popular these days, but it is a lot of fun!

Enjoy Witch Crafting!

Quirk Books has delivered another zombie title, Night of the Living Trekkies, and it is the ultimate geek novel.  The book takes place during a sci-fi convention, more specifically a Star Trek con AND a zombie outbreak happens right in the middle of it.  It’s a nerd’s wet dream.

The main character is Jim Pike, a 23 year old soldier in the Army, who returned only weeks before from Afghanistan.  Jim now works at the Botany Bay Hotel in downtown Houston as the assistant manager – a hotel that is the home to 262 GulfCon guests.

The story starts out like most zombie outbreak stories with strange small incidents – biting children, missing hotel employees, and very little traffic despite the Star Trek con. The book plays out like a typical zombie film and is rescued by the sci fi humor thrown in.  Fans of Star Trek, Star Wars, and other zombie books and movies will really enjoy some of the banter and characters thrown into the mix.

I only had a few issues with the story which was that the main character was actually in tune with the idea of a zombie outbreak happening, despite the pure ridiculousness in the theory and yet, when faced with one of the zombies, he proceeds to shoot it everywhere but the head.  I suppose this behavior could be up for debate in many circles – head shots are hard to obtain, shooting people in the head would be disturbing, so-on.  I suppose I am tired of EVERY movie and book explaining the “shoot ‘em in the head to kill them” theory.  At the same time, I suppose that even as I am aware of zombies, I would still hesitate to shoot a fellow human in the head for no reason.  Of course, the moaning, the decomposing flesh, the stench, and the zombie’s desire to eat my brain would convince me otherwise.

The origin of the zombie’s does get explained and while I wasn’t the biggest fan of it, it tied in wonderfully with the idea of the outbreak happening during a sci fi convention.  To avoid any spoilers, that’s all I will say about it.

Night of the Living Trekkies is written by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stall and is worthy of being in any geek’s bookshelf.  From zombie lovers to Trekkies and Star Wars fans, this book is a must have.

Night of the Living Trekkies ia available now.

A review copy of the book was provided and did not affect the outcome of this review.

The first calendar is Zombies! We Want Your BRAIN! a 2011 wall calendar that showcases some wonderful zombie artwork by WIlliam Stout, who was a designer on more than thirty feature films including Return of the Living Dead.

The calendar features a different piece of artwork – suitable for framing later – as well as a monthly zombie tidbit.  Along with your standard holidays, the calendar also notes the original release dates of some of the most influential zombie flicks as well as birthdays of directors and actors who have been involved in zombie flicks as well as the birthrates of zombie historians.

The next calendar is The Zombie Survival Guide 2011 Calendar based on Max Brooks’Zombie Survival Guide – a must have for anyone who wishes to survive the impending zombie apocalypse.  Jam packed with 365 days of survival tactics and strategies, one will never be lacking in ideas for survival.  Included on the back of each page is a Zombie Outbreak Journal – which is basically a way for you to enter any details regarding an outbreak in your area.  Set this calendar on your desk at work or on the kitchen counter at home and rest assured that you will have a new piece of zombie fighting info at your fingertips at the beginning of everyday!

The last calendar is the Fold Your Own Zombie! wall calendar which features all original artwork and designs as well as a foldable 3D zombies!  What’s great is that the foldable parts are separate from the calendar so you can keep the calendar artwork intact while making some really fun 3D zombies that coordinate with each month.  While relatively easy, the creation of your foldable zombies will task a small amount of skill.  The instructions are included but you will need to supply your own glue.  It does require a lot of folding but rest assured, it will be a lot of fun and at the end of the year (or sooner), you will have an army of 12 zombies!  I created the Sugar and Spice zombie because I can’t resist the evil zombie kid with evil zombie teddy bear in tow!  (I had to give her the proper lighting!)

Each calendar offers something for everyone so head on over to the Andrews McMeel website or your local calendar retailer and get yours today!

Review copies of each calendar were provided by the publishing company, Andrews McMeel, but did not affect the outcome of this review.

I have seen a lot of zombie films, some are good and most are pretty bad. A lot of zombie films just focus on the horror which is fine but sometimes it’s nice to have some kind of story to follow.

Attack of the Vegan Zombies is a decent effort from indie filmmaker, Jim Townsend, who wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the film. If you know anything about zombies, it’s that they crave human flesh or more specifically, the human brain. What we find in this film are plants that crave wine and if it’s got some human blood in it, then all the better.

In a mish mash of Night of the Living Dead meets Sideways meets Revenge of the Nerds, you find some horror, wine, and some nerdy comedy wrapped up in one.

I generally find B-Movies difficult to watch because the acting and the production values are too low for my taste. What is great about this film is that the acting is decent – no award winning performances – but it’s believable and most importantly, it’s watchable. This movie isn’t going appeal to most fans of the zombie genre, however, it’s film worth watching and offers a welcome twist to an overdone genre.

Don’t get me wrong, I can watch zombie flicks until the apocalypse comes but it seems movie companies are churning out so many zombie flicks that they ignore the fact that there can still be a great story amongst such horror. Attack of the Vegan Zombies is about a couple, Joe and Dionne Talbott (played by Jim Townsend and Christine Egan) who are facing another year of a bad crop of grapes and face losing their farm and their home. In a moment of desperation, Dionne seeks help from her mother, who happens to be a witch. Together, they cast a spell on the vineyard and one year later, they find themselves with an amazing harvest of grapes despite the surrounding farms with poor harvests. To add to the mix, four college students are interning on the farm – two “hot” lesbians (or at least curious) and two nerds – when things start to go wrong. The grape plants are hungry for blood and are getting very aggressive and that’s when people start disappearing.

At first, the danger seems to be more about carnivorous plants but as the body counts rises, so do the dead. Don’t let the Vegan part fool you, there is plenty of flesh consumption to go around – and that’s ignoring the short lesbian sex scene.

The “zombie” make up was a mix of green paint and fake plants and the film’s visual effects were handled with some heavy editing and a screeching soundtrack.

Overall, the film is a wonderful effort given the film’s low budget. The nerds were over-acted and annoying and the lesbians seemed more gratuitous than necessary but the cinematography, acting, and the story’s twist on the genre make it a worthwhile entry into the zombie genre.

From Dangermouse:

Attack of the Vegan Zombies is low budget, the makeup isn’t great, the camera begins shaking during some action scenes, and I don’t really consider it much of a zombie movie, but all that doesn’t make it horrible.

As far as the plot goes, I kind of liked the premise of this movie and it’s got that late night cheesy B-movie vibe, which I like. Of course, swigging a few glasses of wine before watching it might help a little as well. I share the above statement of Night of the Living Dead meets Sideways meets Revenge of the Nerds. However, I would throw in Swamp Thing and maybe Evil Dead (the tree scene) as well.

The nerd characters in the movie were way too overdone. Or maybe I’m just defensive because I’m a nerd too. The lesbian scene was not that big of a deal, but hey I’m not complaining. I think my biggest issue was that it took over an hour for the first “zombie” to show up on screen. Even then it wasn’t much of a zombie as instead of roaring “urrrggghhh” or “brains”, they moan “wine”. Attack of the Vegan Zombies does have a smorgasbord of things going on-witches, wine, killer vines, zombies, lesbians, nerds, and more.

It also has some funny lines: “Vegan zombies crave red wine!” and “She was my best friend an hour ago. Now she’s a f**king green zombie!”

Check out the trailer:

Attack of the Vegan Zombies is available for purchase on the film’s official website:  www.attackoftheveganzombies.com as well as on Amazon.com.

A review copy was provided and did not affect the outcome of this review.

What do you get when you cross Jane Austen with Night of the Living Dead?  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith (and Jane Austen).  That was the mashup that Quirk books brought to us last year and this year, they are doing it again.  Were you ever curious how the Bennet sisters became such warriors and where they learned to fight the unmentionables?  On March 23rd, you can journey back to England in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls.  PPZ: DotD takes place four years prior to the events in PPZ.  The Bennet sisters are busy filling their days with reading, gardening, and daydreaming about their future husbands when a small outbreak tears their simple and proper lives apart.  Follow the sister’s on their journey through martial arts training in their father’s dojo with Master Hawksworth, their trainer in the deadly art of zombie slaying.

While PPZ was a mash up of the Jane Austen work Pride and Prejudice with added zombie goodness, PPZ: DotD is a novel based upon the mash up.  Written by author Steve Hockensmith, an award winning novelist and reporter, the story is not chained down by Jane Austen’s writing and he is free to traverse throughout the story as he sees fit.  He remains true, however, to the characters and the ideals of the time and the setting.  Readers will enjoy how each Bennet sister comes into her own emerging into the world not only as women but as warriors.  The story is reminiscent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and shares similarities to Luke Skywalker’s Jedi training with Yoda in Dagobah in Empire Strikes Back.

Zombie fans can rest assured that there is plenty of zombie slaying goodness throughout the book mixed in with all the comical and tender moments between the Bennet sisters.  They live in a world where traditionally the men go to battle and the women need not worry themselves over such matters.  It simply isn’t proper.  But these girls step up to the challenges ahead, battling not only the undead but also the living, judging society that they live in.

The story is a tad bit shorter than PPZ and is probably going to be a much easier read for some.  Overall, it’s a delightful read and while it may not appeal to everyone it’s definitely worth checking out.  Unlike PPZ‘s 85% Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith’s 15%, PPZ: DotD only takes the spirit of the Jane Austen novels and no where near as seriously.  If you were afraid to read PPZ because of too much Jane Austen, then PPZ: DotD will be a much more enjoyable read.  I think that fans of the first book will still like this one just as much, if not a bit more.

Do you want your very own copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls?
Then check out Quirk’s PPZ: DotD website to sign up for your chance to win on of 50 Quirk Classics Prize Packs!  Each pack includes:

• An Advance copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
• Audio Books of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
• A password redeemable online for sample audio chapters of Dawn of the Dreadfuls
• An awesome Dawn of the Dreadfuls poster
• A Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Journal
• A box set of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Postcards.

This awesome prize is worth more than $100 and all you have to do is head into the message boards and tell them where you read the review.  Tell them Zombie Watch Network sent you!  Good luck!

The episodes starts off as you are dropped off at the mansion with Jill picking the locks to get in.  It’s business as usual as you uncover several dead bodies and bloodstains in the foyer and stairs.  The first portion of the DLC is about finding a way deeper into the mansion.  You uncover several clues and passwords that will get you closer to your target.  Along the way, you will find some ammo and a few new weapons like the shotgun, magnum, machine gun, and rifle.  I’m not sure if the choices are random, but we played on Normal and got the shotgun and magnum.  When we played it again on Veteran, we got the machine gun, rifle, and the shotgun.  You will also find some grenades and flash bangs.  We found some proximity mines on Vet mode.  Again, not sure if these are random or if they are tied to the difficulty level.

You collect Score Stars, 18 of which are hidden throughout the level akin to the BSAA Medals.  Be sure to look everywhere because they are in all the places you least expect them and in a few places you expect them to be.

Keeping in RE5 fashion, the game requires that you work with your partner.  This is imperative in the harder modes.  Neither Norm nor I played the DLC alone (we’ve not even played RE5 alone), mostly since the game is really about working with your partner.  This is one of those games that is best enjoyed with a friend either locally or online.

The DLC will give you between 1.5 to 2 hours of gameplay, depending on how thorough you play through the game.  If you want to collect all the medals, the game will take you longer.  There’s a high replay value to the DLC, especially if you want the challenge of collecting all the medals as well as playing all of the difficulty levels.  There are 5 achievements for a total of 100 GS that all seem relatively easy to get but will require at least 2-3 playthroughs.

There isn’t anything new in the dlc except for some of Jill’s abilities.  She can pick locks and play the piano.  There’s a great part where Jill has to play Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata using quick time button events.  You can keep on playing until you mess up.  She doesn’t play the entire piece, but she gets through about a third of it before restarting.  I got through about 2.5 times before realizing that it wasn’t going to be an achievement or play through the entire piece.

The graphics are great as usual although there were a few parts that had a distracting filter over them that seemed to downgrade the graphics to a very grainy look and feel.  Not sure if that was intentional, but both Norm and I commented on it when we saw it.  The sound is great and really suck you into the dark atmosphere of the game.  We recently upgraded our sound system and with all the lights off and the sound up, it really gives you the creeps.

If you were a fan of RE5 and want a little more of the action, the DLC is a solid investment.  You will also get The Mercenaries Reunion, which is similar to The Mercenaries mode but features 8 playable characters including Excella Gionne and Barry Burton with this DLC.  You can download the Extra Figurines for free and view them in the Figurine Gallery.  There are some fancy new costumes for purchase as well.  If you haven’t played RE5 yet, you may want to wait for Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition, available March 9th, 2010 for $49.95, which includes the game plus all the DLC.

The DLC fills in some of the mystery leading up to Jill’s disappearance but not what happens to her in between that and when we meet her in RE5.  The only other question that is left unanswered is that Jill Valentine’s hair is brown in the DLC and when we see her in the actual RE5 game, she has blonde hair.  Makes you wonder if Wesker prefers blondes over brunettes.

Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares is available now on the XBL Marketplace for 400 MSP and the PSN Store for $4.99.  Costume Pack #1 is available for 160 MSP/$1.99.  Costume Pack #1 includes the Chris Redfield Warrior costume and the Fairy Tale costume for Sheva Alomar.

A review code was provided but did not affect the outcome of this review.

Since October of 2004, Gallery Nucleus is open 7 days a week and strives to be a welcoming gathering place for the art loving community by offering quality art, art-related goods, and rarities. Focusing primarily on gallery exhibits, they have also had benefit auctions, product signings, music events, and artist lectures. Having exhibited both local artists and artists from abroad, and catering to an international customer base, they offer an extensive collection of original contemporary, illustrated, graphic, commercial, and narrative art. (from http://www.gallerynucleus.com)

Discover the true meaning of undying love…

Gathering recognized names in the field of zombie culture and other zombie enthusiasts contributing paintings, sculptures, and live performance paying homage to the reanimated dead and true love that persists beyond the grave.

Featured artists include:

Amy Ortiz, Anna Chambers, Barth, Becky Cloonan, Ben Zhu, Brian Smith, Chito Arellano, Chris Lane, Damon Bard, D’Holbachie-Yoko, Graham Annable, Greg Nicotero (KNB efx group), Ippei Gyoubu, J. Shea, Jim McPherson, Jeremy Enecio, JJ Villard, John Pham, Jonathan Wayshak, Jordu Schell, JPG, Junko Mizuno, Martin Astles, Mindy Lee, Pendleton Ward, Robh Ruppel, Rodney Fuentebella, Scott C., Sebastien Mesnard, Tony Lombardo, William B. Hand, William Stout.

When asked “Why a zombies in love art exhibit?” Ben Zhu, Manager at Gallery Nucleus stated that he wanted to do a Valentines themed show but nothing really piqued his interest. He liked zombies and had been wanting to do a show on zombies for awhile. He feels that even though some people think zombies are relatively recent, that they’ve actually been around for a long time.

While anticipating this event I didn’t quite know what to expect to be honest.  I had seen the ad, known the concept and thought it would be kind of like the cover of “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” (i.e. a lot of famous art reworked with zombies).  As we found out, it was not, but that did not sway my opinion either.  Overall, I would say that the exhibit was less “zombies in love” and more “in love with zombies” as there were more pieces that did not seem to have “love” as a theme.  Still, all of the art was quite amazing.  Particularly grotesque, in a train wreck kind of way, were the 3D pieces that looked like real skin with eyes, teeth, and whatever he wanted to add.  I know that normally “train wreck” is usually used in a negative connotation, but these were so awesomely gruesome I had to turn away, then look back to see if I thought they were as realistic and disturbing as I had thought, and yup…they certainly were.  This process was repeated a good four or five times with each piece of his there.   My favorite piece, being the hopeless romantic I am, was probably the one of a male and female zombie out of the coffin, but still underground together.  It was more cartoony than realistic just so none of the readers think I am some sort of necrophile.  Lol  I would definitely recommend this exhibit to anyone who loves zombies.  -Michael Funk (from ZWN)

One would expect certain themes from a zombie art exhibit-brains, horror, decay, hunger, sadness…and well, more brains. I really wasn’t sure what to expect from an art exhibit called “zombies in love”, but honestly, I didn’t really care because I just wanted to see some zombies! I’d say probably less than half of the exhibit kept to the theme of “zombies in love”, but that’s fine with me. There was a good smorgasbord of zombie art; pictures, sculptures, paintings, busts, and even zombie plushes. Some were quite grotesque, but that’s to be expected from a zombie art exhibit, right? While some of the art I would graciously accept in my home, others I wouldn’t want in the same city.The “Zombie Fair” would make a great print to hang on a wall as a kind of “Where’s Waldo” of zombies while the most puzzling piece was a giant statue of an alien creature over 7 feet tall, which posed the question-Can aliens be zombies? My favorite pieces were probably the zombie plushes (Blue, Green, and Pink Zombie Babies), but I’m weird that way. I really enjoyed the exhibit and would highly recommend it to those of you weirdoes that love zombies as much as me. -Marcel “Dangermouse” Sarfati (from ZWN)

If you can’t make it to the gallery before the exhibit ends, you can view it on the Gallery Nucleus website.

Gallery Nucleus is located at:

210 East Main Street
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 458-7482

Mon-Thurs: 12pm-9pm, Fri-Sun: 11am-10pm

http://www.gallerynucleus.com

We at ZWN were given an advanced copy of the book to read and all we can say is, that’s one of the perks of running a zombie website. ‘Hungry For Your Love’ is the first zombie romance/erotica anthology ever and in it you’ll find some steamy and gory stuff; romance, kissing, sex, blood, guts, zombies, heavy petting, sex, brain smashing, brain eating, sex….and more sex.

The contributors include:

Jeremy Wagner
Francesca Lia Block (Author of Weetzie Bat, I Was A Teenage Faerie, The Rose And The Beast, Violet & Claire, Echo, etc.)
Jaime Saare (Author of A Kiss Before Dying, Soft As Moonlight, Moon Kissed, Lick Of Frost, Dead, Undead, Or Somewhere In Between, etc.)
Elizabeth Coldwell (Author of Hot Dads: The DILF Anthology, Calendar Girl, Playing The Field, Die Mannschaft)
S.M. Cross
Stacey Graham
Jan Kozlowski (Author of the short story Show Time in the Slip of the Lip anthology www.jankozlowski.com)
R.G. Hart (Author of Strange New Worlds Anthologies)
Regina Riley (Author of Epiphany)
Brian Keene (Author of The Rising, City Of The Dead, Dead Sea, The Conqueror Worms, Ghoul, Dark Hallow, etc.)
John Skipp (Author of The Light at the End, The Cleanup, The Scream, Dead Lines, The Bridge , Animals , The Emerald Burrito of Oz, Fright Night, Book Of The Dead, etc.) writing as Gina McQueen.
Lois Gresh (Author of Fear The Fever, Shakespearean Detectives)
Steven Saus
Isabel Roman (Author of The Dark Desires Of The Druids, Kiss Of Scandal, Wanton Woman, Love Birds)
Mercy Loomis (Author of Taste Test: Scared Stiff, Like A Thorn: BDSM Faerie Tales, Vamps: A Lesbian Anthology With Teeth, Bite Me, etc.)
Jeanine McAdam
Stacy Brown (Author of Michael Jackson the Man Behind the Mask: An Insider’s Story of the King of Pop, Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder’s Mother, Cupid Calling, Racing To Ruin, One Wilde Night, etc.)
Kilt Kilpatrick (Author of I Kissed a Girl: A Virgin Lesbian Anthology, Threesomes: An Erotic Anthology)
Vanessa Vaughn (Author of Like A Wisp of Steam: Steampunk Erotica, Power Plays: An Anthology)
Dana Fredsti (Author of Murder For Hire: The Peruvian Pigeon)
Michael Marshall Smith (Author of Straw Men, Only Forward, Spares, One Of Us, The Upright Man, The Intruders, Blood Of Angels, etc.)

It seems that readers of the Romance genre love to have fangs sunken into them by Vampire lovers, because well….Vampires are seductive. Vampires have been in Romance novels for years, but never zombies. Zombies and romance don’t seem to go together very well one would think. Hungry for Your Love, billed as the first ever zombie romance anthology, came out in late October as an e-book only available from Ravenous Romance.

‘In the pages of Hungry For Your Love, the very first zombie romance anthology ever, you’ll find romantic stories about loving a zombie, love stories between zombies and a tale of love and lust during the zombie Apocalypse.  There are funny zombie stories, a zombie story that will make you cry, and even a few that might make you blush.  We have zombie noir and zombie paranormal romance. You will be amazed at the scope of zombie lovin’.  There’s something for everyone in this star-studded collection, including stories by New York Times best-selling authors John Skipp (writing as Gina McQueen) and Brian Keene.’ (From the Ravenous Romance website)

Editor Lori Perkins came up with the idea at a conference in July, where “someone brought up the question of whether or not the zombie mythos could possibly have the staying power of the vampire appeal in American pop culture”. She said yes; the audience pointed out that “you can’t have zombie romance”, and the challenge was laid down.

“As soon as I got back to the Ravenous Romance office, I informed my colleagues that we would be doing a zombie romance anthology. They were emphatically skeptical. We posted the thesis on Facebook and hundreds of readers said they couldn’t imagine romance with rotting corpses. Oh, ye of little faith,” she writes in her introduction. “The zombie mythos is the perfect metaphor for the end of an era, for a society beset with change it doesn’t understand but knows is here. Vampires were the cultural embodiment of the end of the millennium: seductive immortals with (literally) cutthroat greed. Then came the recession and the end of the Bush boom, and with it came the realization that we were all worker drones paying off our bloated mortgages, bloodsucking corporations and even each other. We are the dead.”

Contributors include the New York Times bestselling authors John Skipp (writing as Gina McQueen) and Brian Keene, while Perkins promises that Dana Fredsti will tell of “just how hot and bothered you can get from zombie hunting in First Date”, and Kilt Kilpatrick will reveal “the unforgettable erotic zombie escapades of a high-school senior”. (From www.guardian.co.uk)

Of the twenty one Authors writing in this anthology, we at ZWN have had the pleasure of meeting three of them and we are happy to see their works represented together. Some fine accomplished Authors made the cut on this anthology. We suggest you give this book a chance, it’s alot of fun and the stories will make you blush, smile, become sad, disgusted, intrigued, and perhaps even become horny. As far as zombies and romance, well…it’s kind of like Marmite, you either love it or hate it.

ZWN would like to thank Author/Actress Dana Fredsti for ‘hooking us up’ and please check out what she’s up to at: http://www.danafredsti.com/

Ravenous Romance has sold print rights to St. Martin’s Press, which plans to publish the book in trade paperback next Halloween (2010).

Hungry For Your Love-An Anthology Of Zombie Romance
* ISBN:  9781607773085
http://www.ravenousromance.com/
“sensual love stories at sensational prices”

First off, as you know, there are really only a few great zombie films, a handful of good ones, and really a whole shit load of bad ones.  It is rare to stumble upon not only a good zombie movie but a great comedy as well.  The only other zombie comedy – or zomedy – is none other than the brilliant Shaun of the Dead.  I think that the real difference here is that Zombieland is a comedy through and through and Shaun of the Dead, while extremely funny, has some rather intense moments and the characters are faced with some daunting decisions.  Zombieland is actually rather free of that.  True, there are some scary moments (the girl sitting in front of me jumped about every 5 mins) but they were mostly brought on by musical spikes and camera tricks.  The focus was on Columbus’ rules and on the relationship that forms between the 4 survivors, while still having some great zombie moments.  The rules are spot on with most zombie survivalist’s rules.  It’s brutally honest – with cardio being one of the rules and that the “fatties” were the first to go. The movie deals with issues like being aware of bathrooms, checking the back seat of cars, and of course, the double tap – not worrying about wasting one bullet for the sake of making sure that the zombie is really dead.

What this movie lacked – in a very good way – was your typical “don’t go in there” scenarios…you know, the ones where you just sigh and realize that a character is about to get eaten.  On the flip side, when they do decide to do something that’s not very wise, they either have a really good reason for it or the threat is not quite what you think.

The actors delivered great performances all around.  Woody Harrellson is both lovable and quite a bad ass zombie killer.  There is also a wonderful cameo in the film that I will not reveal because it is simply awesome and is deserving of mystery.  Just know that you will not be disappointed.

I only have one complaint about this movie and it has to do with the zombies…I really didn’t like that they screamed.  They do, however, explain that the virus is a form of Mad Cow Disease so it is more like a rage-type virus than it is the dead rising.  Only that fact makes it ok…I’m still not thrilled with it but it does not, in any way, ruin the film for me.

This film is a MUST SEE by any fan of the zombie genre as well as those that enjoy comedies.  It is, however, not for the faint of heart as it is quite gory and does have a few scary moments.  You get it all  – comedy, drama, romance, and horror.

Here’s what some of the other members of ZWN had to say:

Michael: This movie was so good that I will try my best to avoid any spoilers.  First off, I am pretty sure I have never seen Jesse Eisenberg before but I think he was the right pick for this role.  For some reason, I can imagine the casting director trying to fit Michael Cera into this role for star power, but I don’t think he would have done it as well (and it would have been type-casting which I deplore immensely).  Woody Harrelson compliments the cautious Zombie survivor role of Eisenberg very well with his portrayal of the fearless red-necked Tallahassee.  Throw in the incredibly hot Emma Stone, young talent Abigail Breslin and you have an amazing cast.  Enough on the actors/actresses.  This film is not your average zombie film.  It’s funnier than Shaun of the Dead and considerably more believable.  As opposed to most zombie films in which the audience sits there and thinks, “That’s a mistake.  He’s sooooo dead” this film follows those rules that every zombie survivor knows of (i.e. out of shape people can’t outrun zombies, open doors with your shotgun in the lead, etc.).  It is, in my opinion, the most complete zombie movie to date and one that is not just made for zombie enthusiasts.

Dangermouse: I (Dangermouse) rank Zombieland somewhere in the middle between Night of the Living Dead and Shaun of the Dead. Its definitely an instant classic. I think this is Woody’s finest work, or at least his most comedic and the kid that played “Columbus” (Jesse Eisenberg) stole the movie with his dry humour and the chemistry and banter between both of them is great. I actually wrote all the rules down that are shown in the movie. Zombieland is bloody, gross, and absolutely hilarious. I wouldn’t recommend it for kids or as a date movie though. : )

Norm: If you like zombie movies or comedies, go see it now because you’ll love it.  If you are not too fond of either of these genres, avoid it like the plague.

Be sure to wait until the end of the credits for a little gem,  Zombieland is current the #1 movie in America and is playing everywhere.

To follow up the uber successful Wii on-rails shooter, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Capcom brings to us a brand new horror story, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles.  In RE: TDC, you can play as either Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield, the beloved duo from Resident Evil 2 as well as some surprise characters that have not yet been announced (although one of the screenshots does show Ada Wong…).  RE: TDC features a brand new storyline however, unlike the evil fought in the previous Resident Evil games, you will now fight your inner demons and now must deal with your fears as well as the undead.

This arcade style on-rails shooter has been upgraded significantly since its debut as The Umbrella Chronicles and features a sub-screen for weapon configuration – allowing for weapons to be upgraded and customized for each scenario – and the use of health recovery items.  In addition to the Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulty settings, the new system will modify the difficulty level according to the player’s skills making the game accessible to the casual and hardcore gamer.

Another feature is the enhanced two player co-op where both players will be able to follow their partners on the same screen and they have improved the conversations and interactions to further enhance the experience.  You will occasionally see the other player’s character on screen which involves you more into the story.

You will even be able to revisit some of the classic Resident Evil levels like Raccoon City from Resident Evil 2 and the hidden Umbrella lab from Resident Evil: Code Veronica.  But there will be plenty of new scenarios in The Darkside Chronicles.

And of course, there will be plenty of collectables in the game like archive items like characters, enemies, old documents, and movies that can all be found in the game!

I got a chance to play the full demo levels for the Darkside as well as a level from Code Veronica and the most noticeable thing was the camera style.  Obviously, an on-rails shooter is a fixed camera but what’s cool here is that it’s shaky and often rather chaotic.  It really adds to the fear and tension of the stressful environment that you find yourself in.  I think that some people will find the spazzed out camera annoying but will hopefully stick with it.  I think that fans of the Resident Evil series will enjoy the game as will fans of the zombie genre and the rail shooter genre.  I sure loved it…I stuck around the Capcom booth playing it for over an hour!

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is due for release this winter and will only be available for the Nintendo Wii for $49.99.

In addition to The Darkside Chronicles, the Capcom booth also had a playable demo of the upcoming game, Resident Evil Archives.  Archives is a port of the classic Resident Evil game that was released for the Game Cube in 2002, which was a remake of the classic PSOne game that featured new rooms, items, and creatures previously not released in the original version.  You will use the Wii remote and nunchuck in this game to take control of either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine to relive the horror that started the the survival-horror genre.

Included is a Survival of the Fittest Mode, where you can battle zombies, infected dogs, and the epic bosses.

I was really thrilled to hear that this was being released in the US as originally it was a Japanese only release.  The only thing that I really wished they had updated is the control scheme.  It follows the old forward is always UP and I was having a hell of a time with it.  In fact, I just kept moving around in circles!  No fault of the controller as I also downloaded Resident Evil: Director’s Cut on PSN and had the same issues there!  I’m sure there is a bit of nostalgia with the old Capcom controls and the Capcom camera angle, but if I had one wish, it would be configurable controls for this version.

You can pick up Resident Evil Archives on June 23 only on the Nintendo Wii for $29.99.