Evil Dead II and Ninkasi Tricerihops DIPA

I'm finally ready to take the advice of a friend of mine and review movies as a set instead of all hodge-podge like.  I have mentioned my biker/zombie loving/punk rocker friend in past entries but I think it’s time I gave him a name.  No he’s not imaginary, he’s just stealthy and there is a “no name drop” clause.  I was going to call him Dr. Know after the guitarist for the Bad Brains but he decided a more fitting name would be John Doe (of X fame).  Mr. Doe and I spent many hours discussing the inns and outs of zombies.  Thank you John Doe for your continued support and insite….Evil Dead II here we go!

While roaming the beer isles in search of a budget friendly bomber of beer (a BUFBOB) I saw a beer that has been on my “yea I’ll get around to it” list for a while.  I put it on my list when Solarjinx mentioned he was drinking Total Dommination (another awesome beer I will be reviewing soon).  This was none other than Ninkasi Tricerihops DIPA.  In my dyslectic (and partially drunken) stupor I had wandered by this beer dozens of times.  I had always mistaken it for Nikiski.  They both start with N and end in I.  The rest I smudged together.  Five bucks….done!  Thanks Solarjinx!

The first time I watched this movie I was confused.  It seemed just like the first one?  Granted, it's not totally the same but it was close.  Instead of 5 people there is just the 2 but they go to the same cabin and find the tape recorder with the translation of the book of the dead on it.  I did some reading and found out that this was the movie that Sam Raimi wanted to make the first time but didn't have the budget to.  The camera work is of the same high quality and creative nature as the first but this time it's a little more fun.  It starts much faster than the original.  In fact it almost starts too fast.  Within 5 minutes the evil spirit has captured Linda's soul (his girlfriend).  Raimi doesn't waste a lot of time with the drive to the cabin, discovering the cabin, and Ash giving Linda the necklace.  It's just "wow what a nice cabin" then "oh shit evil spirit possessed talking zombie things!!!"  Just like that.  I mean....Ash hears glass breaking.....his girlfriend is gone.....then when he finds her outside with crazy white eyes he immediately chops her head off.  No questions, no hesitation, just WHAM!!!!  NO MORE HEAD.  If everyone had this sort of no-nonsense decision making skills I wouldn't worry so much about the zombie apocalypse.

I take every evaluation seriously.  I take all the proper steps and follow the procedures laid out by those before me……most of the time.  Tonight was not one of those nights.  I drank four or five Deschutes Inversion IPAs and hate a Chipotle burrito with extra hot sauce.  So what I’m saying is that my taste buds aren’t at their purest most sensitive state.  My taste buds are a Michael Spinks in the embarrassing 31 seconds of my heavyweight title fight.  But, somehow, bravely, I fight through.  I pop the cap and pour that lazy peach colored liquid into my narrow tulip glass and silently admire as the tiny bubbles form a dense bread like head.  I’m cowering in fear as the rush of grapefruit, salty pine, and orange smash explode in my nose like a face fuck of flavor.  Yea I said it.  Pineapple and honey overtake me as I slip further into the glass.  I sip…..masterful.  Even with my salsa stained tongue I can clearly taste the sweet bready malt, covered with honey, and dripping with hops.  It’s much more balanced than I expected and much less bitter than I hoped.  It was unexpectedly refreshing.  As an IIPA I think it was less bitter than the Inversions I drank earlier (but maybe that’s the beer talkin).  It finishes smooth and long but without that little bite on your tongue.  My fear has subsided (of the beer not the movie, the movie is still terrifying (sort of)).  I welcome everyone with an extra five spot to experience this beer as a nod to the art of beer making.  It’s crafty.  But as a masochist I am left missing the pain that a Double IPA should bring.  I mean where’s the abuse in that?

The special effects on this one are vastly superior to the first movie.  It’s as if Evil Dead got all stoked up on coke and speed and decided to rob banks naked.  That’s what this film is.  And who took the muzzle off Bruce Campbell.  That bit of restraint that he had in the first film is completely demolished.  I’d go as far to say it’s not even the same guy.  His expressions are as over the top as the special effects.  The second movie adds some twists like the bit with the chainsaw (threw me for a loop the first time), the cool mirror effect, and the whole cutting off his own hand thing was pretty nice.  Raimi took everything he did well and made it better.  If there was a pipe that splattered him with blood in the first one, now it sprayed with the power of a fire hose.

It's horror and comedy smashed together into one of the most enjoyable performances I’ve ever seen.  I clearly see why this one is a horror movie classic.  If you haven’t seen it you NEED to see it.  In fact you should probably buy it.  I look forward to reviewing the fun but gentler Army of Darkness next and look out in the next couple years for Evil Dead 4!  It's in the works.

The Beer:

Aroma – 8/12

Appearance – 3/3

Taste – 15/20

Palate – 4/5 

   Overall – 7/10

Total = 37/50

  

The Movie:

Production – 5/5

Plot – 5/5

Gore – 5/5

 Zombies – 2/5 (i'm sorry but they weren't really zombies)

  Overall – 4/5

Zombi 2 and Midnight Sun XXX

The are few zombie movies more recognizable than Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2.  It came out the year after Romero's Dawn of the Dead (titled Zombi in Italy) and like Dawn was criticized for being too bloody.  It has become a cult movie favorite and Fulci's greatest achievement.  This movie, for me, embodied Italian Horror.  It was grotesque and dark but at the same time adventurous and racy.  It was movie #2 in our zombie movie night.  I decided i would pair this extreme movie with an extreme beer Midnight Sun's XXX Black IIPA.  Both are dark, bitter, and for some, hard to handle.

In 2009 Midnight Sun set to work with a vision.  They wanted to brew something really special for the 30th anniversary of Specialty Imports.  They are one of the few breweries (maybe even the first?) to brew a black IIPA.  They use dehusked carafa to add a smooth rich dark maltiness to the beer without adding the bitterness or overly roasted flavor that some dark malts can impart.  But alas, I'm getting ahead of myself.  I was looking for the oak aged version but could only find the regular one.  The oak aged is MUCH MUCH better.  The longer aging smooths it out a bit more and the oak flavor is right on target adding even more complexity and smoothness.  That's a beer for another day.  I poured it into my snifter and at 8.5% it's got the viscosity of an even bigger beer.  It's really dark.  Sort of a black dark brown mix with a deep light walnut head with stays for a bit and leaves great lacing.  There is a big roasted aroma with oats, bread, and of course those big citrus american hops.

After a couple of longs sniffs i dive into this old friend.  It reminds me of Gonzo but not quite so thick.  Its got a lot of malt up front but not so much to confuse this beer with an export stout or a Baltic Porter.  No there's a lasting bitterness that while assertive, doesn't take over the beer the way it does in most IIPAs.  Instead the beer finds this perfect balance between luxurious roasted malts and citrus hoppy bitterness.  Midnight sun has found the perfect mix of chocolate and pine, espresso and grapefruit.  The finish is strong but not oppressive which allows you to plow throw a bomber without blinking.  This beer stands well on it's own as a warmer in long winter nights or would pair well with chili or chocolate.  The only reason this beer doesn't rate higher is because I've tried the oak aged version and therefore i know it can be even better. 

The movie starts out in New York harbor where a derelict vessel is found adrift.  When the harbor Patrol boards it they find no one is on board......except a zombie!!!  The boat belonged to a scientist who's daughter finds out he's missing and sets out to find him.  She takes this bad comb over reporter with her to a Caribbean island to investigate.  The only way to get to the island is by paying this American couple to take them.  We soon learn that Americans can't travel from one island to the next without some naked scuba diving.  It's one of the more unattractive activities you can do naked.  What does she encounter while down there but A SHARK....and a Zombie.  But that's not all.  They zombie fights the shark.  I think this song was the inspiration for the song Zombie vs Shark by Send More Paramedics.

They become stranded on this Island where Dr.Menard (our island quack) has been doing research into why the dead on the island have been rising.  (I can think of safer medical fields to participate in.)  There's not a lot of plot to tell.  The two four travelers try to fend off hordes of the risen dead.  It never really explains why the dead are rising other than some quick references to the possibility of voodoo.  It is on an island so who knows.

There are some great scenes in this movie.  Some of the most memorable scenes in any zombie movie i would argue.

The first of which being the zombie on the boat in the harbor.  He was big and nasty and took a nice chunk out of a cop.  It sets the pace for the rest of the movie.  Oh yea and why are all Italian zombies covered in mud?

The second was the famous Zombie vs Shark scene.  They even used green blood for the zombie which i thought was a nice touch.  This was very innovative and original.  If they were to redo this scene today they might try to use a shark that has teeth.  That would make it more believable.

Third was the eye gouging scene.  This was the first of it's kind.  Dr. Menard's wife gets her head yanked onto a broken board.  The splinters gouge into her eye in super slow motion.  It looks just real enough to be awesome.  Burial Ground did the same gag with broken glass.  It just feels cheap after seeing the original.

Forth was the resurrection of the famous "worm eyed" conquistador zombie.  Not only does he kill off the naked scuba girl but also has a little head explosion of his own.  Judging by how these zombies rose from the grave I'm going to assume that the 6ft rule had not yet been enacted.  These zombies were barley covered with leaves.

I know this is going to sound bad but even with all those great scenes i listed i still don't really like this movie.  I think it moved slowly, none of the characters were really likable, and the action scenes were boring.  I appreciate this movie for what it is and I'm proud to have it in my collection....but it's not the jewel some people make it out to be.  Sorry Italy.  Watching the special features only made me more angry.  The people that they interviewed tried to claim that this was a totally original idea and the movie was better than Romero's Dawn.  This movie doesn't hold a candle to Dawn of the Dead. Wiki says it's supposed to be a prequel.  The DVD says it's supposed to be its own movie.  I think it's hard to make a prequel to a movie that already had a prequel!!!  Night of the Living Dead!  If you didn't want your movie to get confused as a prequel maybe you should have named it something different.  Zombi 2 sounds like your basing it off of zombi.  Anyway that's a lot of rant.  This movie was ok.  The beer was amazing.  Rent the movie.  Buy the beer.

The Beer:

Aroma – 8/10

Appearance – 5/5

Taste – 8/10

Palate – 4/5 

   Overall – 18/20

Total = 43/50

The Movie:

Production – 4/5

Plot – 3/5

Gore – 4.5/5

Zombies – 3/5 

  Overall – 4/5