A masterpiece. Maybe one of the most original Italian horror movies ever made, and it don't even have gore! Amazing. Zeder is more of a conspiracy thriller, with a vague giallo-feeling and a few of the living dead showing up doing what they like to do, so if you expect something else you should go home to your mother and cry like a baby or something instead of reading this.Gabriele Lavia plays Stefano, a struggling writer who one days gets a second hand electrical typewriter from his girlfriend. After the ribbon almost breaks, he takes it out from the machine and by curiosity he starts reading what the person before him wrote. What he finds is two letters, one of them about something called K-zones, places where people somehow can obtain immortality. He traces the machine to a priest, but suddenly he finds himself deep into a conspiracy of people who want's to protect the secret of eternal life...
Zeder is all about mood. There's very little gore and special effects, but the story is so spellbinding and cool that it's hard to stop watching. Stefano (another one of Lavias excellent performances) might be clueless most of the time, but he's sucked into something so much bigger, so much more dangerous that he can't understand it. Everyone seem to be involved, or? A girl wants to give him information about what's behind it all, but gets brutally stabbed by someone before she can give him the info. The priest who the typewriter belonged to, dies one month before he finds him and left is his strange blind sister. Stories about nudists who buried their dog at a K-zone is told, and it echoes Pet Sematary quite a bit - but the story is still very different.
It's hard to explain Zeder with out telling a lot of important details and twists that you should experience yourself, and I don't want to spoil it for you. But I must say that this is one impressive movie, a thinking mans zombie-movie (which can be fun sometimes...). It would have been fun with gore and more, of course, but that's just not Avati's "thing". He want's to tell us everything, and as little as possible. A mystery movie with to many answers.
Zeder is out on Italian DVD from Fox, which is the best released. Sure, you can buy Image Entertainment's crap-release or some even crappier bootleg, but in that way you'll never experience Zeder the way it should be experienced. I hate bad quality (that's why I abandoned VHS so fast, which even with good quality tapes looks shit) and I'm not one of those who are into nostalgia that thinks that "b-movies" should be watched in shit-quality. No, every movie - good or bad - deserves to be seen in a shape as good as possible. So the only way you can see Zeder is by buying the Italian DVD.
15 comments:
Bravo, duder. Great review! Zeder has haunted me for years (ever since I saw it when I was a kid) and it still just kicks my ass from here to next week.
Awesome... for some reason I haven't ever seen Zeder... or at least don't recall seeing it. I most likely lost the will after Laughing Window's which I kinda find somewhat disappointing... So looks like I'm gonna have to pick me up some italian DVD's then if that's the only place it's available from now that your great piece woke my interest in Zeder...
J.
I've been meaning to see this for years, thanks for the reminder! Great review!
Really like Avati's stuff. Last one I saw was The Arcane Enchanter. Zeder really is beautifully paced and your review must be enticing for those yet to see the film. it reminded me how good it is.
The first time I saw ZEDER was actually in a theatre! I had stayed away from the film on VHS just because I heard it was boring and goreless, but then it popped up during an all-night 35mm zombie-fest that Exhumed Films was throwing. I had planned to sleep through it, but ended up getting *really* wrapped up in its plot and couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen! An excellent, excellent film, and I really love the score, too!
Fred, in your "Blueberries" post you mention being a clown. A bitter clown even.
Well, you can be what ever you like that's fine with me but sometimes lately your bitterness (or what ever you want to call it) shows in your writing.
I found it to be over the top to call Bryin Abraham (of the cool "A Wasted Life" blog) a "retard" simply because he didn't like a film you happen to like. He wrote an incisive and well written review. He didn't just dismiss the film as garbage. He argued his point. Not sharing your opinion doesn't make him a retard. And his blog is a cool blog.
But I'll agree with you on the reviewer from "Monster Hunter Movie Reviews": He is indeed a "cretin" for stating all Italian horror movies are bad. What a moron!
He wrote a fucking bad review, with very little quality. If you have a problem with me calling him a retard, sure. It's okey.
It's the last you'll see of me.
I just think it's a little extreme calling someone a "retard" simply because you didn't agree with their review.
Why the "it's the last you'll see of me"??
All I did was write a critical comment. That's who I am. A critical underground writer. If more people were critical (in a polite manner, of course) more blog stuff would be more interesting to read. Too much ass-kissing going around. How can you get annoyed over my critical (but otherwise nice and non-offensive) comment? I don't get it.
I'm not gonna fight with you Jack.
I think this guys review is worthy an idiot/retard/moron/whatever. That's my opinion. I'm not a "critical underground writer", I'm just a fucking nobody blogger writing (mostly) about movies I love. Nothing else. I'm not trying to change the world.
I'm not annoyed over your comment, you're probably correct in your opinion about me and my writing - but that dosen't change a thing.
I'm Fred, nothing more.
And it's the last you'll see of me. I won't write something that makes people irritated. It's not me, so that's why you'll not see me again.
Nothing more, just the same "nice" guy that I've been forced to be all my life.
It's gone Jack. Now everyone can sleep good again, except me.
Having different opinions isn't fighting, Fred.
If you can't sleep you might consider changing some things in order for you to sleep well again.
If you don't like the "nice" guy you've been forced into being then maybe it's time you changed it. Move to Malmø or Tronhjem and start all over. Enough said.
Oh my fucking god, Fred!!! Why are you getting lippy with Jack?? Don't you know he's way out of your league?? You'll never be on his level, you fat clown!! Never fucking ever!!! lol He's a REAL collector, and has mucho respect in the underground. You best believe people only come on here because he's here. You're just some douche bag who rambles on about bullshit, and you had no right to talk down to him. He was 100% correct, and you got all butt hurt for no reason!! You're every bit the scumbag everybody says you are. Fuck this blog. I hope you rot, you delusional cum gargling queerbait.
Anonymous, you really are a faceless fucking chicken aren't you.
Hiding behind your cowardice as you think that you are safe as long as you don't write your name... well, well, well...
at least Fred had the balls to have an opinion to his name, and even discuss his opinions with Jack. He didn't fling his shit from behind the bush like some scared monkey.
oh yeah and two can play your game...
Adam A, you're a useless fuckwad and nobody likes you. Shut the fuck up and go away. Are you sad that your Myspace went BOOM and that you were booted off of AVManiacs for being insane? Aww, poor baby! Take your gaybashing bullshit elsewhere, maybe to Phelps rally, where people will put up with it. Otherwise, just go suck a cock like you probably want to, despite yourself. There's nothing wrong with it and you'd probably feel better about yourself. I mean, why else would you be calling people queers left and right anyway if you didn't have those nagging, conflicting feelings deep inside? Methinks the dope doth protest too much.
To the owner of this blog: I apologize for my outburst but I've been lurking and seeing this moron abusing a few other people online and I just know he'll be back to read this so I thought I'd leave him a nice message. Keep on keepin' on, dude.
P.S. - Adam A, when you talk about people not being "REAL" collectors, you sound like a clueless douche. Nobody cares about your stupid collection and nobody cares about your standards for what's real and what isn't. You want to talk about Nerdville, to quote you? Do you realize what a nerdy fanboy you sound like, obsessing over who's a "real" collector/fan and who isn't? Do you actually think you're worthy of my respect because you wasted thousands of dollars on zines nobody wants to read, because you spent ridiculous money on awful quality bootlegs you could easily get from other free sources in this day and age? Sorry to burst your bubble but no, I just pity you and your waste of perfectly good money. As far as I'm concerned, you're a REAL headcase and need to be locked up for your own good. Get off the drugs, moron.
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