Apocalypse Pandemic Movie List

been watching end of the world movies since the pandemic started around pi day. below is a list of a few that I have watched, and others that were recommended to me.

List below is sorted by (1) Contagion Flix (2) Apocalypse/End of the World (3) Contagion Vampires (4) Zombies 

There is everything on the list from bmovie scifi, to high brow art films with subtitles, action movies with motorcycle henchmen with flamethrowers. zombies. contagion vampires. last day on earth. impending apocalypses. new, old, color, b/w, even a few silents (cause silent movies were made not long after the 1918 flu pandemic). My recommendations below are often American but also from countries around the world. I am especially fond of the late 70s-early 80s Italian and Australian Ozploitation movies that focused on apocalypse themes too.



For some reason a lot of the Italian ones from that period have fantastic leather jumpsuits and boots, not to mention mutant muscle cars souped up and arted out to survive the crisis and be ready to make a sequel lol. special mention goes out to ex-NFL player Fred Williamson who in the 70s made tons of these kind of movies. I hope the studios let him keep all those awesome leather jumpsuits.



David Carradine also made a few notable ones as well like Deathrace 2000 (the original with the mutant vehicles) and Deathsport (a woo filled running man type thing with lots of motorcycle stunts)

(1) contagions. 
"The Last Man on Earth" (1964). "The Omega Man" (1971)." I Am Legend (2007)", "The Andromeda Strain" (1971), Outbreak (95), 12 monkeys (95),  cabin fever (2002), cabin fever: patient zero (2014 prime), blindness (2008), carriers (09, amazon prime), black death (2010), rise of the planet of the apes (2011), warriors of the lost world (1983 ITL). cherry 2000 (1987) + cyborg2 (1993 angelina jolie bmovie sexbot), gattaca, love in the age of cholera, the thing (1982),  cyborg (1989 van damme), shivers (1975). rabid (1977) prime or hoopla, the stand (1994 miniseries), seventh seal (1957), the crazies (1973/2010) prime, Turbo Kid, quarantine l.a. (amazon prime), Mayhem (shudder), The Cassandra Crossing (Prime). The Final Programme directed by Robert Fuest, the sick house. Masque of the Red Death (1925, 1964 vincent price, 1989), quarantine 2008, Survivors (2008 bbc) series, Train to Busan (2016 korean extremely hardcore zombies), rec, the fifth wave.  Day of Resurrection (1980 JP,US), the killer that stalked new york (1950 youtube), parts per billion (2014), maze runner series, the hamburg syndrome (1979), 93 days (2016), ebola syndrome (96). L: Change the World 2008, Antisocial 2013, infected (2013). Contracted, Hardware, Night of the Comet 1984), The Mist, The Road, Exterminators of the Year 3000 (ITL 1983), Six String Samurai, Hell Comes to Frogtown, The Bay (2009 HBO), invasion of the body snatchers (1956/78), day of the triffids (1962), the blob (1958/1988), color out of space (2019 hardcore lovecraft), “THE SATAN BUG” (1965), warning sign (1985), flu (2013), REC (2007), the damned (1963), Right At Your Door (tubi), Pulse (Tubi), High-Rise (Hulu, Hoops, and Tubi), A Breath Away (Hulu and Hoopla), The Quiet Earth (Shudder, Kanopy, and Tubi), Radioactive Dreams (1985 musical).in the mouth of madness. Beyond the time barrier (1960 prime). Panic in the Streets (1950 prime). Bird box (2018 sarah bullock netflix). Lang's Destiny/Der Mude Tod (1921). the navigator: a medieval odyssey (1988 tubi). alien (1979), City of Fear (1959)

(2) apocalypses. dystopian futures.
district b13 (2007 parkour), warriors of the wasteland (1983 ITL). mad max, a boy & his dog, barbarella, blade runner, the time machine (1960). 1990 bronx warriors (1982 ITL). escape from the bronx. 2019 after the fall of new york (1983 ITL). the bad batch (2017). dr. strangelove. miracle mile (1988),  threads (nuclear war), war of the worlds. mars attacks. the hundred, cell (2016), jericho (2006), soylent green, the hunger games, under the dome, logan's run (1976),  Mad Max (AU), Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Mad Max 3 Beyond Thunderdome,Mad Max 4 Fury Road. "The World, the Flesh, and the Devil" (1959 Harry Belafonte). Escape from New York (1981 Kurt Russell). Snowpiercer (2013). Slipstream. Five (1951), brazil (1985), children of men (2006),  Ender's Game (1985/2013), the running man (1987), deathrace 2000 (1975), rollerball (1975), outland (1981 sean connery), on the beach (1959) the blood of heroes (1990). Wheels of fire (1985). Warriors of the Year 2072 (1982 ITL), Battletruck: Warlords of the 21st century (84) , godzilla. panic in year zero! (1962). the ultimate warrior (1975). one night stand (AU 1984). Warrior of the Lost World (1983 ITL). When Worlds Collide (1951). time of the wolf (2004 French). The Day the Earth Caught Fire (ENG 1962). 4:44 - LAST DAY ON EARTH (2011), doomsday (2008), the world's end (2013 comedy), The End of August at the Hotel Ozone (1967 CZ on youtube with subtitles), When The Wind Blows (UK), Take Shelter (2011), last night (1998 youtube comedy). These Final Hours (2013 youtube), end of the line (2007 canadian). Knowing (2007 nic cage). the time travelers (1964 prime). Stalker (1979 criterion, youtube prime). Spacehunter (1983 space opera molly ringwald, archive.org) . dragon head (2003 JP). The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921). tank girl (1995 prime, vudu), the signal (2007)

(3) vampires (contagion, not supernatural). 
the strain. the hunger. the addiction. true blood. nosferatu (1922), daybreakers. lifeforce

(4) zombies. 
Dawn of the Dead" (1978/2004 remake), resident evil series (2002-2017), 28 days later (hulu), 28 weeks later, world war z (2013), pontypool (2008). The Day After Tomorrow, maggie (2015). shawn of the dead (comedy). anna and the apocalypse (2018 zombie xmas musical comedy). Pride prejudice and zombies (2016 comedy), Planet Terror. zombieland (comedy).



Like JoeBob said in March, every zombie or vampire movie is a virus/outbreak movie. Now I didn't list every single zombie or vampire movie, because the point of this qtine marathon is more about contagion than haunted mansions or supernatural stuff and mostly I avoided alien movies unless they caused mutations or were contagious.

I have found these movies to make me feel a little better about what is going on because hey, at least there are not motorcycle henchmen with flamethrowers chasing me. the current pandemic is temporary even though it is uncertain how long we will be toughing this out or what side effects it will have on us a a society. I feel like our ancestors survived the bubonic plague and 1918 flu pandemic, so some of us will survive this too. We're survivors.

Suggested Movies made pre-1950

Pandoras box 1929.

Freaks 1933

White heat with james cagney 1949

Metropolis 1927 (be sure to watch the "restored" cut that is 2.5 hours long, makes more sense)

Cat people 1942

Man with a movie camera 1929

Little caesar 1931 with edward g. Robinson (they totally stole the plot of scarface from this movie)

Anemic cinema 1926

ballet mecanique 1924

Safety last 1923 with harold lloyd

Blue angel 1930 marlene dietrich

Modern times 1936 chaplin

Sherlock jr 1924 buster keaton

Mystery of the leaping fish 1916

Maltese falcon 1941

The man who knew too much 1936 by hitchcock with peter lorre

M 1931. By fritz lang w peter lorre, the first serial killer movie

Dead end 1937 bogart

the black swan 1942 maureen o'hara pirate movie

bringing up baby 1938 cary grant & katherine hepburn

MUST SEE MOB MOVIE LIST

Index to the MUST SEE MOB MOVIE LIST

-1- Old School Mobs in Black & White

-2- Mob Epics (much dialogue)

-3- Modern Mob Flix in Color

-4- Mob Comedy

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OLD SCHOOL MOBs:

• The Public Enemy (1931) – James Cagney & Jean Harlow
• Little Caesar (1931) – Edward G. Robinson (the original Scarface plot)
• Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) – James Cagney & Humphrey Bogart
• Key Largo (1948) –Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall with Edward G. Robinson dir. John Huston
• White Heat (1949) – James Cagney is the craziest mob boss ever ever

 

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MOB EPICs (with much dialogue):

• Donnie Brasco (1997) Johnny Depp
• A History of Violence (2005) Viggo Mortensen dir. David Cronenberg
• Godfather Trilogy (1972, 1974, 1990) Marlon Brando & Al Pacino dir. Francis Ford Coppola written by Mario Puzo

 

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MODERN MOB FLIX IN COLOR:

• Scarface (1983) Al Pacino & Michelle Pfeiffer dir. Brian de Palma written by Oliver Stone, Miami

• King of New York (1990) Christopher Walken & Laurence Fischburne
• GoodFellas (1990) Robert Deniro, Ray Liotta & Joe Pesci dir. Martin Scorsese
• Casino (1995) Robert Deniro, Sharon Stone & Joe Pesci dir. Martin Scorsese (Vegas)

 

• Boondock Saints (1999) Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery & Norman Reedus dir.& written by Troy Duffy
• Black Caesar (1973) blaxploitation's finest, soundtrack by James Brown

• Long Arm of the Godfather (1972) Italian dubbed in English with Jack Palance, not pc
• Untouchables (1987) Kevin Costner & Sean Connery with Robert Deniro dir. Brian de Palma Chicago
• Pulp Fiction (1994) John Travolta, Harvey Keitel & Uma Thurman dir. Quentin Tarantino

• Reservoir Dogs (1992) Harvey Keitel dir. Quentin Tarantino
• Bonnie & Clyde (1967) Warren Beatty & Faye Dunaway 

 

• Bugsy (1991) Warren Beatty & Annette Bening Hollywood/Vegas
• The Long Good Friday (1980) Bob Hoskins & Helen Mirren UK mob
• The Krays (1990) the twins Gary & Martin Kemp UK

• Lock & Stock 2 Smoking Barrels (1998) Jason Statham & Nick Moran written & dir. Guy Ritchie UK
• Snatch (2000) Jason Statham, Brad Pitt & Vinnie Jones written & dir. Guy Ritchie UK
• RocknRolla (2008) Gerard Butler, Toby Kebble & Thandie Newton dir. Guy Ritchie UK

• Carlito's Way (1993) John Leguizamo, Al Pacino & Sean Penn dir Brian de Palma
• American Me (1992) Edward James Olmos
• Millers Crossing (1990) Gabriel Byrne & John Turturro dir. Joel & Ethan Coen
• New Jack City (1991) Wesley Snipes, Ice-T w/ Chris Rock dir. Mario van Peebles 

• American Gangster (2007) Denzel Washington & Russell Crowe dir. Ridley Scott
• The Departed (2006) Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon & Jack Nicholson dir Martin Scorsese
• Once Upon A Time in America (1984) Robert DeNiro & James Woods w/ Joe Pesci & Tuesday Weld dir. Sergio Leone
• Brother (2000) Beat Takeshi written & dir. Takeshi Kitano (yakuza meet LA hood, 1st half in japanese with subtitles, 2nd half in English)
• City of God (2002) Alexandre Rodrigues & Leandro Firmino dir. Paulo Lins (brazil favelas - extremely graphic violence, in portugese with english subtitles)
• Ichi the Killer (2001) Tadanobu Asano dir. Takashi Miike (yakuza hitmen - extremely graphic violence in japanese with english subtitles)

• Public Enemies (2009) Johnny Depp dir.  Michael Mann

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MOB COMEDIEs (extremely bad movies that are still pretty funny):

• Harlem Nights (1989) Eddie Murphy & Richard Pryor (actually not a bad movie)
• Johnny Dangerously (1984) Michael Keaton & Joe Piscopo dir. Amy Heckerling
• The Big Hit (1998) with Mark Wahlberg & Christina Applegate
• 8 Heads in a Duffle Bag (1997) Joe Pesci
• Married to the Mob (1988) Michelle Pfeiffer & Joan Cusack

• Robin & the 7 Hoods (1964) Frank Sinatra & the Rat Pack (yes it's a musical)
• Johnny Stecchino (1991) Roberto Benigni in Italian with English dubbing
• Analyze This (1999)   Robert Deniro & Billy Crystal dir. Harold Ramis

 

MOVIES about Girls that could probably Kick your Ass

ACTION MOVIES about Girls that KickAss

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INDEX

-1- CHIX w/ SWORDS

-2- SCi-Fi

-3- Law Enforcement/Secret Agents/Criminal Anti-Heroines

-4- SUPERNATURAL

-5- in GENERAL hardcore FEMALEs

-6- COMICS / GAMES / Graphic Novels

-7- WESTERNs

-8- TRASH/ B-Movies / Exploitation

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CHIX w/ SWORDS:
Conan the Destoyer (1984) Grace Jones
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Michelle Yeoh & Ziyi Zhang
Legend of Fong Sai Yuk (1993) Josephine Siao  (aka The Legend)
Red Sonja (1985) Brigiette Nielsen
Ninja 3:  The Domination (1984) Lucinda Dickey uber cheese
The Messenger (1999) Milla Jovovich
Joan of Arc (1999) Leelee Sobieski

RoboGeisha (2009) Naoto Takenaka

Suckerpunch (2011) Emily Browning

SCi-Fi:
Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, 4 & 5 (1979+) Sigourney Weaver
5^th Element (1997) Milla Jovovich
Mad Max beyond Thunderdome (1985) Tina Turner
Bladerunner (1982) Darryl Hannah
The Matrix (1999) Carrie Ann Moss
Predator 2 (1990) Maria Conchita Alonso
Terminator 2 (1991) Linda Hamilton
Ice Pirates (1984) Angelica Huston 

Law Enforcement/Secret Agents/Criminal Anti-Heroines:
View to a Kill (1985) Grace Jones
Silence of the Lambs (1991) Jodie Foster
Beverly Hills Cop 2 (1987) Brigiette Nielsen
La Femme Nikita (1990) Anne Parillaud (in French with English Subtitles)
Black Cat (1991) Jade Leung
Supercop (1992) Michelle Yeoh
Sister of the Street Fighter (1974) Etsuko Shihomi
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Diana Rigg
Goldfinger (1964) Honor Blackman
Mr & Mrs Smith (2005) Angelina Jolie
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) Gena Davis
The Brave One (2007) Jodie Foster
Jackie Brown (1997) Pam Grier
Domino (2005) Keira Knightley

SUPERNATURAL:
The Hunger (1983) Catherine Deneauve & Susan Sarandon
Ghostbuster (1984) Sigourney Weaver
Species (1995) Natasha Henstridge
Underworld (2003) Kate Beckinsale
Van Helsing (2004) Kate Beckinsale
Queen of the Damned (2002) Aaliyah

in GENERAL hardcore FEMALEs:
G.I. Jane (1997) Demi Moore dir. Ridley Scott
Girlfight (2000) Michelle Rodriguez
Million Dollar Baby (2004) Hillary Swank
Freeway (1996) Reese Witherspoon
Call Her Savage (1932) Clara Bow
Ladies of the Mob (1928) Clara Bow
High Tension (2003) Cecile De France
Deathproof (2007) Zoe Bell (who is also amazing in the 2004 documentary about female stuntwomen called Double Dare)

COMICS / GAMES / Graphic Novels:
Kill Bill v. 1 & 2 (2003) Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Darryl Hannah & Vivica Fox
Sin City (2005) Rosario Dawson & Devon Aoki
Tomb Raider (2001) Anglina Jolie
Wanted (2008) Angelina Jolie
PeeWee's Big Adventure () Large Marge lol
XxX (2002) Asia Argento
Resident Evil, 2 & 3 (2002) Milla Jovovich
Resident Evil (2002) Michelle Rodriguez
Batman & Robin (1997) Alicia Silverstone
Batman Returns (1992) Michelle Pfieffer
Catwoman (2004) Halle Barry & Sharon Stone
Xmen or X2 (2000) Halle Barry, Famke Janssen, Rebbeca Romijn, Anna Paquin
V for Vendetta (2005) Natalie Portman
Ultraviolet (2006) Milla Jovovich
Elektra (2005) Jennifer Garner
Aeon Flux (2005) Charlize Theron, but the animated version is way better
KickAss (2010) Chloe Grace Moretz

WESTERNs
Quick & the Dead (1995) Sharon Stone
Gang of Roses (2003) Little Kim, LisaRaye, Monica Calhoun

TRASH/ B-Movies / Exploitation:
Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973) Anitra Ford aka Graveyard Tramps
Serial Mom (1994) Kathleen Turner dir. John Waters
Switchblade Sisters (1975) Monica Gayle
Faster Pussycat! Kill Kill! (1965) Tura Satana dir. Russ Meyer
Foxy Brown (1974) Pam Grier
Coffy (1973) Pam Grier
Original Gangstas (1996) Pam Grier
I Spit on Your Grave (1978) Camille Keaton classic revenge horror
Kitten with a Whip (1964) AnnMargaret
Big Bad Mama (1974) Angie Dickinson produced by Roger Corman

review of : Boondocks Saints: All Saints Day

**no spoilers**

So Sam Raimi made Evil Dead & if you had seen that original as a very serious horror movie, then the sequel would have been a surprise. The first Boondocks Saints movie is often compared to Scarface, the sequel carves a less serious niche all its own. But as a young filmmaker, sometimes they have to give themselves permission to have fun with the process. If they have a strong fan base this can be a vital self confidence boosting exercise, important to their evolution as a later artist.

That being said, the sequel to The Boondock Saints
 is this screenwriter/director Troy Duffy’s second movie to make ever. In person, you can tell he enjoys film and was very nice & down to earth but Duffy isn’t the most confident guy in the room. In our conversation, I told him it was okay to take his time between movies to do it right. I also told him “fuk Weinstein.”

Weinstein is a studio exec that this director must’ve pissed off. I asked him how he managed to do that & he just laughed. There is a quite defamatory “documentary” funded by that studio exec which features a lot of cleverly edited outbursts taken out of context & shown in a way that makes the director look like a tool. Troy Duffy & Sean Patrick Flannery both confirmed this was the case in Q&A, they also put the rumors to rest and said 100% of the people involved in the last film came back to work on the sequel. The holy trinity of filmmaking is to have a single artist direct, film & edit their own work. The Coen Brothers do it, so does Robert Rodriguez. It is a rare thing because the studios don’t like giving any one person that much control.

Studios also don’t like giving the audiences that much control. Distribution of film is tricky business & its based on what they assume will be popular (who their selected control group of test audiences deem fit for mall release). Sleeper cult hits are a nagging reminder that studios don’t always know what the audience wants.

The director said that he originally got no profits out of the first film & the studios didn’t even give him the rights to the sequel. They fought in court for five years before all parties settled with him out of court for an “undisclosed sum of money” Lucky for us, he also got the right to make a sequel & do it his way.

"Boondocks Saints: All Saints Day” is a fun movie to watch. It looks like it was pretty fun to make too. It is a little heavier on comic relief than I would like, but the gratuitous violence is still there. The Brothers McManus still have the same chemistry & it was fun to watch them interact in real life. The new Mexican sidekick introduced in the film tries to be funny but he reminded me of one of Street Fighter Sonny Chiba’s wacky helpers.      But I will forgive his unnecessary slapstick, because the fight scene the sidekick is introduced with is pretty freaking awesome.

Julie Benz from the series Dexter plays an FBI agent and he films her like it’s a Russ Meyer movie, from the taking down of her hair to her cherry red heels. I appreciate a tough as nails & smart female character that isn’t there to be avenged or rescued. Speaking of great characters, I really liked the dark psychological stuff going on with the bad guy “shooter.”

There are lots of dream sequences & re-enactments of all new murders which lend a surreal quality to the movie. This gives the story a sense of balance actually & keeps it from being uneven. I suppose the comic relief is a break for the intensity of all the killing, which still has that odd sense of reverence (who knew I would also run into a highly religious boondocks fan at the afterparty lol). Excellent prequel flashbacks tell the origin story of the father’s own violent youth.
The priest from the first movie has been murdered in an attempt to frame the brothers and lure them out of hiding. Three cops from the last movie are back (including stand up comic Bob Marley who I was hoping would get taken out before his next attempt at a joke) and are joined by the lady FBI agent. The brothers are in self imposed exile in Ireland & take the murder as a challenge to return. In an almost A-Team moment of preparation, we get to enjoy a shower scene of the brothers featuring the boys’ fine backside assets. This is my kind of exploitation movie. The sequel brings more vigilanteeism, interrogations, setups & over the top plans. Fight choreography reminded me of a music video at times. But it was worth it all to see the plot culminate in the greenhouse. The dialogue between those two characters… firelight flickering off their glasses, ah that scene looked great.

The director talked about the symbolism of bad guy Peter Fonda’s ritualistic snack and was worried that we had missed it with our audience’s rowdy laughter. I told him I caught the comment about the tomatoes on the phone and then I compared it to the scene in Angel Heart where deNiro is eating the egg. The director seemed relieved and a little flattered. He shook his head in agreement, “that is exactly the mood I was going for there.” I also told him he had enough artistic serious footage that he didn’t have to add so much cheese but I still enjoyed the film.

They leave a wide door open for another sequel. Personally, I am thrilled.  Army of Darkness was a really fun movie done with great production values after the first two The Evil Dead pictures became underground sensations, leading director Sam Raimi to head the Spider-Man franchise for a while. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Troy Duffy. If this picture gives him the confidence & contacts to do another film (whether its in the Boondocks storyline or not), I expect good things. If the fans stick with him after All Saints Day & have fun with this sequel, I think Duffy will not be afraid to take himself seriously.

Writer/Director Troy Duffy and actors Sean Patrick Flanery & Norman Reedus were in attendance at the screening as well as the drunken afterparty at the Irish pub, Trinity Hall. There was massive fan presence & they all signed autographs for at least two hours at the pub. The brothers needed their bodyguards to keep the lusting females at bay. But both actors had conversations with the fans while Reedus took smoke breaks, posing for pictures, signing memorabilia like tattoos inspired by the movie & defying bodyguards in general. The director hung out and talked film with all the movie nerds like me.

The theatre was filled to capacity an hour before show time (my companion waited in line for two & half hours for our seats). Many people were turned away, others were smuggled in & sat lining the walls of the theatre as well as the center row. Fans drove from all over this state and a few neighboring ones to see the film, some travelling over 5 & 6 hours. Q&A questions about the documentary, kudos to the filmmaker & fans from places like Oklahoma City asking when will this movie come to big screen in little town America?