This weekend Zack Snyder assembles an army to take on an undead hoard in cinema's first zombie heist film and Josh Dun from Twenty One Pilots breaks down the band’s new album Scaled and Icy.
Army of The Dead is pretty much exactly what you would expect from the title, a no-nonsense, non-stop zombie rollercoaster ride from the mind of Justice League director Zack Snyder. The last time we saw Snyder take on the undead was in 2004’s Dawn of The Dead remake, his feature film debut.
While not a direct sequel, it takes place following a zombie outbreak that has left Las Vegas in ruins and walled off from the rest of the world.
The film tells the story of Scott Ward, played by Guardian’s of The Galaxy and WWE star Dave Bautista, who is approached by a casino boss with the proposition to break into a zombie-infested quarantine zone to retrieve $200 million sitting in a vault beneath the strip before the city is nuked by the government in 32 hours.
Speaking of assembling the cast, Zack Snyder told me it was a very easy job getting them all on board and they all loved the experience.
"I hadn't made a movie in a long time where my connection to the actors and the actual process was so deep because I was operating the camera and being the DP and the director, there's no way to avoid the process.
"The cast was lovely to be around all the time."
Click here to read Harry Guerin's review of Army of the Dead
But what if Zombies really did hit the modern world? Surely Zack would be best prepared, two films in, to lead our own army and figure out a way to stop them? Speaking of the hypothetical situation, he mused that in the current world people would panic momentarily but like everything else, we would just get on with it.
"One thing I really like about the movie, and I think we've seen this over the last year as a potential reality, is that if we build a wall around them like around Vegas and contained the zombies then everyone just kind of gets back to what they're doing.
"No one really is that freaked out by the fact that there are hoards of zombies, just on the other side of that wall, everyone's just like, 'Oh no, that's where the zombies are fine, can I get another hot dog?'
"I realise now that that that's probably pretty accurate to the way people would react."
Sure Zack…sure. Although some of the events of the last few years would probably have seemed cinematic if we heard of them before they actually happened.
You can catch Army of The Dead on Netflix now.
Speaking of new releases, Twenty One Pilots are back with their sixth studio album, Scaled and Icy, this week.
Off the back of the astronomical success of the last two records, which featured hit singles like Stressed Out, Heathens and Chlorine, the two-piece show no sign of slowing down. Those three singles alone have racked up over 7.5 billion streams on Spotify and YouTube views, yes 7.5 billion.
The last time we saw them take to our shores was in 2019 for a sold-out show in the 3Arena with a return on the cards when we can all get back to gigs again.
Known for their anxiety-driven music, sympathising with the darkest points in people’s lives, Josh told me how the band had to regroup and think about whether that style of music was appropriate for the current climate.
"I think there have been a few times in life where, collectively, everybody feels the same. In the state that I'm in or the country, but this might be the first time in my life that it feels like the whole world has kind of gone through the same thing together, a really tough thing.
"Understanding that, I think that definitely has played a part in the sound of this album, realising that maybe releasing an album that, that feels that way too isn’t going to help anything."
The first single Shy Away leans on their more pop-driven attributes and gives the fanbase something to dance to, whilst still thinking deeper.
The first time I ever saw them live was in London back in 2017, knowing little about their back catalogue, I was blown away and have seen them four times since and maintain in most conversations I’ve had since, that they are one of the best live acts in the industry right now.
While we can all hope to be front row and sweaty at a show soon, they have spent the last few months working on a livestream gig for fans worldwide, which takes place this weekend.
Speaking of assembling the project Josh broke down the limitations.
"Obviously it's lacking our biggest band member, the audience but I think it's going to be exciting and we've worked really hard to make sure that it doesn't become stale after a few songs and it just maintains, with visual excitement. I think it's gonna be awesome."
You can stream Scaled and Icy right now and head to the Twenty One Pilots website to purchase a live stream ticket.
The Weekend with Stephen Byrne, RTÉ 2fm, Saturday and Sunday from 3pm
