Zombie Apocalypse

Months after a plague has turned 90 percent of the world into flesh-eating zombies, a band of survivors tries to make it to the coast where they’ve been told a boat will take them to safety on a plague-free island. The details may be slightly different, but the plot will sound familiar to anyone who has seen a zombie movie in the past decade or so. What makes this a cut above the rest is the cast, lead by Ving Rhames, who all bring an infectious enthusiasm to the scenes: they look like they, too, think zombie movies are cool. The effects are pretty good, too, although some of the zombie makeup looks like it was purchased off the shelves of the local Spencer Gift Store. The big surprise the survivors find waiting for them at the dock at the end of their journey, is worth the wait.

Jersey Shore Season 4

First off, let’s be humble and say, Italy, we’re sorry. Sending these MTV reality stars from New Jersey to their ‘cultural homeland’ (again, sorry) seemed like a good idea. Ten minutes after the plane landed, it was clear how big a mistake it was, at least in terms of future Italian/American relationships. On the lighter side, though, you have to admit it made for great TV. Whether it was watching Ronnie stumble around in a drunken stupor or Snooki fighting off the amorous advances of a drunken Situation or Deena drunkenly throwing herself at Pauly D, it was hard not to watch. The unreality of their lives is just so compelling, especially when they get a chance to sit alone in front of the camera (more or less sober, for once) and explain what they were thinking when they did what they did. You may not care about them, but it’s impossible not to stay tuned to see what they will do next.

City Under Siege

Don’t let the title fool you into thinking this is some sort of epic war movie. The latest comedy/action flick from director Benny Chan (Shaolin) is the story of a pathetic circus clown named Sunny (Aaron Kwok) who dreams of one day wiping the grease paint off his face and doing a knife throwing act instead. His dreams are shattered when he follows the other performers on a midnight adventure searching for lost gold that instead uncovers a stash of super soldier nerve gas left over from World War II. Exposed to the toxic gas, the performers all become mutants who go on a violent crime spree. Except Sunny, who instead grows extremely fat, and then grows back to normal size except he now has super powers he can use to fight the mutant bad guys. It sounds a lot more complicate than it is, and the fact is that the story hardly matters once the mutants and Sunny start beating each other up.

Final Destination 5

When the creators of this slick horror franchise announced in 2009 that The Final Destination was going to be the final movie in the series the only people who believed them were people who knew nothing about the films, never saw any of them and probably never will. The fans, who have cheered the Rube Goldberg style of murder and mayhem they’ve been enjoying for the past decade, knew if The Final Destination made money, the series would continue. And so it did. This time, the story is a prequel of sorts to the original film, but the plot is basically the same: A group of pretty young people cheat death by not dying in a horrific accident, this time on a suspension bridge, and spend the rest of the movie being killed in increasingly insane ways until death’s balance sheet is filled in. While the death scenes in the movie are nuts – particularly Olivia’s (Jacqueline MacInnes Woods) death by laser eye surgery – the palpable tension that director Steve Quale brings to the scenes leading up to the big event is really what makes it work.

Heavens Lost Property Complete Series

To high school student Tomoki Sakurai, a perfect day is one where absolutely nothing happens. His attitude gets adjusted in a hurry one day when an angel literally drops from the sky and starts calling him master. The first half of this series focuses on Tomoki trying to learn how to live with a very buxom angel named Ikaros constantly at his side. It’s full of slightly naughty adventures – despite his inherent laziness Tomoki works very hard trying to see the girls in the show get naked, or at least steal their panties – that get increasingly raunchy, and increasingly hilarious. There’s more going on than just boob jokes, though, thanks to a subplot involving the race of superior beings that Ikaros escaped from in the first place. They want her back, and they need it to happen before Ikaros fully awakens and recovers the awesome power hidden beneath her skimpy maid costume. The switch from sex comedy to action film works pretty well, too.

Vietnam in HD

Visually, it’s stunning, and it’s certainly not easy to watch at times given the graphic nature of some of the scenes. What makes this show so fascinating, though, is the story being told and the unique way writer/director Sammy Jackson tells it. Instead of trying to give a comprehensive overview of the war, Jackson concentrates on telling the stories of a few men (told in their own words) who were there at some of the crucial battles and events of the Vietnam War. Although the use of actors to ‘play’ the part of the men when the scenes flashback to the war is a bit clunky at times, especially when the voices needlessly overlap, the essence of the stories is always powerful and provocative.

Archer Season 2

If you aren’t already familiar with this hilarious FX series, then stop reading this and go get a copy of Season 1 and 2. Your life will never be the same … and we mean that in a good way. As Season 2 opens, Isis (the international spy agency where the series is set) is on the brink of financial ruin thanks to some bad investments in a ponzi scheme by the head of the agency, Malory Archer (Jessica Walter). Cost cutting initiatives, like trying to make the spy agency go green, lead to some pretty funny moments. It’s the sudden appearance of a hooker and an infant she claims was fathered by super-spy Sterling Archer (H. John Benjamin) that sets the tone for the rest of the season. The voice acting, as always, is first rate in Season 2, and the dialogue is sharper than ever. This may be an animated series, but it’s also the most adult comedy on TV, which is great because it makes the creators absolutely fearless in going where few other shows – animated or not — would dare.