Old Dogs

I have never been a George Romero fan - never even watched "Night of the Living Dead" all the way through. I never saw "Halloween," "Nightmare on Elm Street," "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," or ANY of the standard genre classics. Just not a "zombie" kind of guy. At least not until now.

A month or so ago - based on some reviews I read - I recorded "Zombieland" on Tivo. To be sure, "Zombieland" is NOT really a scary film. It's a black comedy, dressed in gore, driven by actors like Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg (the star of "The Social Network"), and Abigail Breslin. I've always liked Harrelson, especially in "No Country for Old Men." Eisenberg, while accomplished, is pretty new to me. Emma Stone is also new to me, but pretty well-known to an earlier generation. I thought "Little Miss Sunshine" was fantastic, made complete by its star, Breslin.

Anyway, "Zombieland" was awesome; just the kind of humor I like. So, based on that, and because AMC has popped out some fantastic original series lately (including one of Linda and my favorites, "Mad Men," and "Rubicon" - not Linda's style but definitely mine), I recorded the first three episodes of "The Walking Dead."

The premise - the world ravaged by a zombie epidemic - is pretty stock, as is the survivalist storyline at its core; but it's fast paced, has so far developed some interesting characters, and of course, is visually stunning with special effects gore. This is definitely NOT Linda's cup of Sleepytime. I'll be watching it alone -during the day - after I wake up and while she's still at work.



So I'm a fan. Can an old dog really develop a new taste, or is the first sign of dementia a departure from old TV viewing habits? Please add your comments below!

One of "The Walking Dead"