The Two Mikes

The Two Mikes
Ever wanted to talk with someone about a book you just read? You could just join a book group and talk about it, drink a little, veer off on tangents, work back around to the book again, and finally wrap it up by picking the next book.

But what happens when the book you just read is about about hungry zombies or a haunted house, and your Eat, Pray, Love–reading friends aren’t really into reading it, much less discussing its finer points? That’s what we’re here for. We Two Mikes will be your virtual book group for discussing new and interesting and old and half-forgotten horror books.

If you want to follow along with us, look at the next forbidden book on the table and start reading.

Friday, March 9, 2007

Episode 1.25 Max Brooks's World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie Wars


Sunday, February 11, 2007

Our discussion of Brooks's book continues and then sort of peters out. We futz with audio problems and drink our cocktails. Total freakin' disaster.

Canadian Zombie - grrr- arrrr

2 cl Vodka
3 cl Dark Rum
3 cl White Rum
1 cl Grenadine
1 cl Green Curacao
Lemon Juice
Orange Juice

Mix-logistics
Fill collins glass halfway up with ice. Add white and dark rum. Fill up with half orange- half lemon juice. Pour grenadine and curacao along rim of glass. Top with 151 proof rum.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

During the filming of John Carpenter's dubious remake of Wolf Rilla's VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (itself a faithful adaptation of John Wyndham's novel THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS), Christopher Reeve purchased the horse that eventually refused him resulting in his paralysis; however, his last filmed performance before his accident was ABOVE SUSPICION in which, eerily, he was cast as a paralyzed police officer.*

The neologism proposed for a "sideways sequel" is sidequel; although more often the phrase "spiritual successor" is employed. But sequels, sidequels, and spiritual successors refer to works set within a previously established fictional -- or fictionalized -- universe. The relationship betwixt THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE and WORLD WAR Z would be more accurately described as a fictional guidebook and a novelistic companion piece extrapolated therefrom. Pedantic -- yes, but the Two Mikes encourage that.


_Personal Top Five Walking Dead Films_
DEAD & BURIED 1981 -- dir. by Gary Sherman
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 1990 -- dir. Tom Savini**
DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE 1994 -- dir. by Michele Soavi
28 WEEKS LATER 2007 -- dir. by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo***
[●REC] 2007 -- dir. by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza


_Traditional Don "The Beachcomber" Zombie_
½ cup water
2 tbs. grapefruit juice
1½ tbs. lime juice
1 tbs. sugar syrup
1 tbs. falernum syrup
2 tbs. dark rum
2 tbs. golden rum
2½ tbs. spiced golden rum
2 tbs. white rum
2 tbs. 151 proof rum
½ tsp. Pernod
¾ tsp Grenadine
1½ tbs. Cherry Heering
--shake and serve with crushed ice.


* It has been some time since I have seen the film, but his character was either feigning paralysis or had recovered without revealing that fact until the Hitcockian finale.

** Whilst I realize it is a seeming blasphemy to cite this and not any of the Romero originals (although it is debatable how original a derivative of Richard Matheson's novel I AM LEGEND is to begin with), this remake features stronger performances (Tony Todd is a standout), more effective effects and make-up, a stronger female lead (Patricia Tallman), and a greater sense of claustrophobia. True, it cannot be as influential as the original film, but it is unlikely that any viewer with discerning taste would prefer the original in an objective comparison of the two.

*** The makers of ALIEN³ were faced with the difficulty of furthering the threat and terror of the eponymous creatures. The original generated tension through suggestion and fleeting glimpses only to reveal a creature that exceeded the fears of most of the audience. The Cameron sequel added sheer numbers, the Alien Queen, and an intense sense of dread (the approaching dots on the motion sensors and their accompanying blips). So for the third film in the series, the aliens were made faster and more relentless (owing to incubating in the dog/ox). In addition to increasing numbers (of both size and quantity), speed and relentlessness are ready means of amplifying the fear quotient. This same approach was used in Danny Boyle's 2002 oblique zombie film 28 DAYS LATER.**** The zombies of that film, owing to said speed and relentlessness, were even more frightening than those of Romero. The film's other strengths were THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS-like
opening, the setting (few to no firearms in the United Kingdom), and the saviors -- the Military -- proving to be yet another monster. However, there were flaws as well: would military men become so barbaric and rape-mad in a month's time, et cetera. The sequel, 28 WEEKS LATER, remedies those flaws and furthers the intensity.

**** Whilst popularly credited for birthing the fast zombie, the first film to present the quick undead was Dan O'Bannon's 1985 film THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (which was originally scripted for Tobe Hooper). This film was also one of the first undead films to extensively feature humor. However, my list deliberately neglected the humorous thereby ignoring this film, the EVIL DEADs, the RE-ANIMATORs, DEAD ALIVE, CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS, SHAUN OF THE DEAD, et al.

Necronomipod@gmail.com said...

Dude thanks - I am wearing my ZOMBIE t-shirt and wondering what crypt you keep all this info in.

Emphyrio said...

Because of you, I gave this a look.

A young writer's book, a guy having fun without too much life experience to draw upon with which to give it emotional power or credibility.

Didn't believe the South African plot-pivotal characters for a minute.

Clever idea, though, doing a Studs Turkel treatment of a Zombie war.