Zombie Horror Movies

Ultimately, zombies are terrifying for a number of reasons. Unlike vampires, there is nothing romantic about them. Zombies are simply there to not only destroy humanity but to convert it. After all, the end result of a zombie apocalypse is that a population of people who were once alive are transformed into the bloodthirsty walking dead.

Zombies are apocalyptic, which also conjures up certain nightmares in our psyche. People are obsessed with the end of the world. Writers, religious scholars, scientists, etc., have all theorized since the early days of civilization about how the world will eventually end. Zombie horror movies represent one more theory that while obviously fictional still appeals to that certain yearning for apocalyptic fantasy that seems to exist in most people. While outlandish, the thought of a world in which the living return to consume the dead is both terrifying and wildly imaginative. And it really isn't any more fantastical than those believed by numerous societies and religious devotees.

As a fan of zombie movies, I particularly enjoy the claustrophobic feelings that a good zombie film can create. To watch as a group of survivors have to fend for themselves while fighting off hordes of the dead makes for excellent drama, which accounts for the success of the genre to begin with.

Of course, not all zombie films focus on the survival aspects of a potential epidemic. Some zombie movies are comedies. So what is the appeal there? Well, I think zombies are a way for us to shatter the taboo of death. After all, we're all going to die eventually. Those are the grim facts. By watching zombie movies, we can assuage our anxieties about the inevitable end. Perhaps some of use even wish to become zombies ourselves.

Fortunately, there is a wide range of zombie movies available for fans of the genre. First, there is the hardcore survivalist movies, followed by the action-comedy variety and then the offbeat comedy films. There is always something new on the horizon as well, since filmmakers are constantly trying to re-imagine the traditional zombie movie. Zombies have changed a lot since the release of Romero's 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead, and will probably continue to change well into the future. Our desire to see these lumbering, hungry dead folks on the big screen seems to have no end, as well. So we can all look forward to a brighter future with more undead entertainment coming our way.

Free Streaming Movies to Find Some of the Best Movies of the Past

For the younger generation, they are exposed to movies that are mostly computer animated. There are 3D movies that are more of a presentation than a journey into the story. Sometimes the stories do not even have to be meaningful to become a hit. This art that used to be the main reason for movies before is slowly disappearing. This is why the technological advancement of being able to watch free streaming movies has greatly helped the appreciation of past films.

As an example, Martin Scorsese is a film director, screenwriter and producer. He has made a lot of movies since he became active in 1963. His taste in movies has revolved more on action films and mafia films which has garnered many different accolades over the years. Some of his movies have been considered part of the list of the best movies in the world. These movies are a prime example of the difference between movies then and now. Something that people can enjoy with the technology they have.

One might ask: What are the best Martin Scorsese films? And though there are many opinions about the matter, below are four of the best works by Mr. Scorsese.

In 2006, Scorsese won an Oscar for his movie The Departed. Some people think that he should have won earlier but this movie is an example of how great he is. The story revolves around the simple premise of a good cop against a bad cop. The insights on the dirty trade take different twists and turns in a well constructed production. The actors that Scorsese got for the film are excellent as well; he got Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson. The star-studded cast alone is a sure hit for fans; but what they considered as the crowning jewel is how the story was played out.

Taxi Driver is probably one of the most famous movies of all time. It has produced the ultimate line that is associated with Scorsese: "You talkin' to me?" For this film, Scorsese gets Robert De Niro to play a psychotic cab driver who turns to violence when life doesn't give him fast balls. It has won awards in many different countries and continues to have a cult following.

The ultimate mafia film is one that Scorsese made. Goodfellas welcomed the 90s decade with a bang. It has everything that matters in a mob film: money, crimes, deaths, and bad men. They are perfectly depicted in this movie where Ray Liotta plays a mobster on the road to become the mob leader. This remains as one of the best films in recent history and is important for people who love action movies.

Top 10 Boxing Movies

Mark your calendars. Odd as it may seem, today may be the day that Marky Mark (sans the Funky Bunch) joins the company of such greats as Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Will Smith, Russell Crowe and so on. Today, The Fighter opens up in theaters across the country. With as much buzz and acclaim the movie has been receiving, this could very well end up going down as one of the best boxing movies of all-time.

In light of The Fighter's release, I thought now would be an appropriate time to make that list. My top boxing movies. The sport has been visited many a times throughout the history of cinema. Here, though, we narrow it down to the top 10. So without further ado, my Top 10 Boxing Movies.

10. Play It To the Bone
Play It To the Bone was written and directed by Ron Shelton. The movie stars Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson. Lolita Davidovich co-stars.

The movie is the story of two aging fighters, Cesar (Banderas) and Vincent (Harrelson), who are close friends. In the twilight of their careers, the two are given one last fight with a title shot up for grabs. The kicker: they'll be fighting each other. The two boxers and friends set out to Vegas for their undercard bout, accompanied by Grace (Davidovich); Cesar's girlfriend and Vincent's ex. Along the way, we get a look into their past careers and their competitive friendship. Come fight time, what should have been a typical bout that no one has interest in, soon becomes the fight of the night as the two beat the hell out of each other. Cesar and Vincent leave it all in the ring, with something to prove to themselves and each other, they "play it to the bone". A definite fight to remember.

Now, Play It To the Bone was pretty much critically-panned. Call it my like for Woody Harrelson, or my sappy underdog side, but I enjoyed it. There's plenty of humor, a fun road trip and one hell of a fight. Granted it's not the greatest of movies, but definitely one of my more favorite boxing movies.

9. Resurrecting The Champ
Resurrecting The Champ was written by Michael Bortman and Allison Burnett. It was directed by Rod Lurie and stars Samuel L Jackson and Josh Hartnett.

Hartnett plays a young sports writer who rescues a homeless man "Champ" (Jackson) only to find out that "Champ" is a boxing legend that was believed to be dead. The writer then sets out to resurrect Champ's story and elevate his own career. The movie is based on real events and an LA Times Magazine article by the same name.

Granted this movie isn't so much about boxing, rather that's the underlying theme of it as it's about a down-on-his-luck former boxer and the sports writer who seeks to restore the destitute man and resurrect his tale. What starts as a tale to resurrect a man who was once great, turns into an examination of life and family. Samuel L Jackson turns in a very good performance in this movie. Bringing such a level of humanity to the character, Jackson's performance stands out in the film above all and you can't help but feel for Champ the whole way through.

8. Ali
Written by Gregory Allen Howard and Stephen J. Rivele, Ali was directed by Michael Mann. Will Smith plays the title role of boxing icon and legend Muhammad Ali. Other roles include Jamie Foxx playing Ali's cornerman Drew Bundini Brown. Jon Voight also stars as the famed sports journalist Howard Cosell.

Ali is a biopic of the legendary boxer. It takes a look at his career from his title bout with Liston, to his conversion to Islam to the famous Rumble in the Jungle.

Will Smith turns in an excellent performance as the iconic boxer, even gaining significant weight to pull off the part. Voight also turns in a great performance as Foxx also does a fine job. On top of all that, the realism of the fights is like none other in any other movie, really. All fighters are played by professional boxers. They decided there would be no "illusion" to the fighting in this movie, but went for the real deal. Even the fights that involve Muhammad Ali are real. For instance, in Ali's bout with Foreman in the movie, Shufford (who played Foreman) was allowed to hit Will Smith as hard as he could to contribute to the realism. The only rule: don't really knock Smith out. With some great performances, some great fights and a look at the boxing icon, Ali is definitely a good one to watch.

7. The Hurricane
Based on books The 16th Round by Rubin Carter and Lazarus and the Hurricane by Sam Chaiton and Terry Swinton, The Hurricane is directed by Norman Jewison. Denzel Washington stars in the title role.

The Hurricane is the biopic of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. Carter was wrongly imprisoned for a triple homicide and spent 20 years in prison before being pardoned. While not so much a boxing movie, The Hurricane is more a tale of redemption. A tale about how love can overcome hate and injustice. Washington gives one of the finest performances of his career as Hurricane and his supporters seek to fight back against the racism and hate that imprisons him.

6. Requiem for a Heavyweight
Based on a teleplay written by Rod Serling, Requiem for a Heavyweight is directed by Ralph Nelson. The movie stars Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney.

Anthony Quinn plays Mountain Rivera, a boxer at the end of his career after taking a beating from Cassius Clay. Being a proud man, Mountain must put that pride aside in order to save a friend. Finding out that manager bet against him, Mountain can only save his manager's life by taking a dive....in a wrestling match.

Requiem for a Heavyweight provides a tight story and a memorable story (even heartbreaking). With strong characters, Quinn does a great job playing the burnt-out boxer. One of the more memorable scenes from the movie happens at the beginning. Doing a point-of-view sequence (from Quinn's point of view), the movie chronicles Mountain's bout with Cassius Clay as flurries of punches fly at the screen/camera as Clay pummels Mountain.

5. Diggstown
Written by Leonard Wise and Steven McKay. Directed by Michael Ritchie. Diggstown stars James Woods and Louis Gossett Jr. Oliver Platt and Bruce Dern also star in the film.

Diggstown is the story of a conman (Woods), fresh out of prison, who stumbles into a small boxing-obsessed town in order to run his latest scam. He bets with the local tycoon that he knows a man that could knockout 10 men in 24 hours. The business man (Dern) takes that bet. The conman's fighter: over-the-hill 48 year-old fighter Honey Roy Palmer (Gossett Jr).

Diggstown is a rather fun movie with a nice cast. You get a fun con/heist/caper type movie mixed in with an underdog style boxing movie, making for an enjoyable time.

4. Cinderella Man
Written by Cliff Hollingsworth and directed by Ron Howard. Starring Russell Crowe. Renee Zellweger and Paul Giamatti also star.

Cinderella Man is the story of heavyweight champion James Braddock. After breaking his hand, the boxer's career is seemingly ended. He becomes a down-and-out man just trying to scrape by to support his family. That is until the day his former manager gets him a bout to basically be a "punching bag" for the number two contender in the world. However, to everybody's surprise, Braddock scores a knockout against the contender. This adds a spark to his career as Braddock returns to the ring.

Cinderella Man is a great underdog tale that is an inspiring story. Though not initially doing well in theaters, the movie went on to be very much acclaimed by critics and audiences. It was nominated and awarded several awards. With the film itself, Crowe, Giamatti and Hollingsworth all receiving awards nods for their parts in this film, it's definitely up there as one of the better boxing films of all-time and truly an inspirational story.

3. The Harder They Fall
Written by Budd Schulberg and Philip Yordan. Directed by Mark Robson. The Harder They Fall stars Humphrey Bogart in his last role before his death in 1957.

The Harder They Fall is the story of a out of work sportswriter Eddie Willis (Bogart) who is hired by a crooked promoter to publicize his new boxer. The new fighter is a large and impressive Argentinian, but ultimately talentless boxer. The plan is for the crooked promoter to build up his fighter through staged fights, then bet against him in a title match. Eddie then is left in a conundrum after starting to like the giant boxer, and battles with himself about whether to tell the Argentinian or not that his fights were fixed.

Bogie delivers a solid performance in his last film (for which he was already sick). The movie is a gritty film for its time and stands as a very nice examination of the mob-like influence in boxing.

2. Rocky
Rocky is written by and stars Sylvester Stallone. While the first was directed by John G. Avildsen, the sequels were directed by Stallone himself.

For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to include all Rocky movies here together. While some may argue about which was their favorite, I still go with the first as being the best. Rocky is THE underdog story of all underdog stories. The original is the story of a small-time boxer who is given the chance to fight the champion and proves to the world what heart and talent he has.

Rocky is absolutely a classic. It is an inspiring and memorable movie. This movie is what put Stallone on the map. The movie received Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director, and a nomination for Best Actor. It is also listed in AFI's top 100 movies of all-time. Rocky is a definite must-see for any fans of the genre and arguably the best of its kind in the sports movie realm for many.

1. Raging Bull
Written by Jake LaMotta and Joseph Carter. Directed by Martin Scorsese. Starring Robert De Niro. Also stars Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci.

Raging Bull is the emotional journey of self-destructive boxer Jake LaMotta, as the violence and temper that leads to his success in the ring, contributes to the downfall of his life outside the ring.

Many would argue that Rocky gets the first place spot. However, while I love Rocky, Raging Bull is just the better movie. This is arguably Scorsese's and De Niro's finest work. A true classic. Raging Bull is a gritty take on the sport and masculinity as well as a look at personal demons. This is the movie that put Pesci on the map and led to the famous pairing of De Niro and Pesci. It is an absolute must-see movie and one of the greatest films of all-time.

Why People Love Science Fiction Movies

Science fiction movies are one of those genres that people just cannot get enough of. They appeal to the need that people have to believe that there is something else out there besides us. When people need something to believe in they either lean towards religion or science. Those that lean towards science love these types of films.

People also like to ask, "what if..." in different ways. Science fiction movies allow people to open up their imaginations to all sorts of possibilities. What if there is life on other planets? What if that life came here to Earth? What if that life form was bad? What if that life form was good? All of these questions are things we ask ourselves and these types of movies allow us to explore the possibilities.

Science fiction movies are often full of things that we like in movies. There is suspense and excitement. There are battle scenes and sometimes even romance. The storytelling is often of high quality and thought provoking questions are addressed. These films often address issues like ethics and philosophy and can make us think for days on end.

There are many great science fiction movies out there and they appeal to a wide audience. If you have never watched sci fi flicks before check out some of these classic movies:

· The Matrix Trilogy: This trilogy of science fiction movies follows Neo and his friends as it addresses the question, What if this life isn't real? What if we have another life and the life we think we are living is just a dream?
· The Star Wars Movies: This series of movies kept sci-fi fans on the edge of their seats for over a decade with movies that brought together love, ethics, power, the battle for right and wrong, and of course, exploration of the universe.
· The Star Trek Movies: Over the past several decades there have been many Star Trek movies made. The older movies are as fascinating as the new ones and the characters pull you in.
· Planet of the Apes: The first movie was made in 1968 made us think about what would have happened if we had not completely evolved. A remake of the original movie was made in 2001.
· E.T.: This is one of the first movies that made people think of aliens in a positive way. Children and adults alike fell in love with this sweet extra-terrestrial that just wanted to go home.