From Bones to Bites

Chris and I are officially back in full swing on our runs. This week’s movie was The Bone Temple at Regal North Hollywood. After that, we checked out Ozzy’s Apizza, then Randy’s Donuts, and I wrapped up the run with a Fogata taco from La Fogata.

The movie was good. I enjoyed it primarily because this one had more of a story than the others. In the other movies, the big villain is always the virus or the outbreak itself. This time, they had an actual villain, which made it more interesting and more personal. In the other ones, you might get attached to the main character, but it’s still mostly about surviving the situation. This one felt different because there was someone specific driving the conflict.

It’s also the first time they actually interconnected the movies. Anyone who knows the 28 Days Later universe knows that the stories aren’t really connected. They’re isolated stories across the UK, and you don’t really know what happened to the other people afterward. You can only hope for a happy ending, even though they’re on a completely quarantined continent while the rest of the world keeps going, and they’ve basically gone back to Little House on the Prairie, but with zombies.

What made this one especially interesting is how they tie the stories together. It was obvious there would be some interconnectivity since it’s a direct continuation from the prior movie. What stood out, though, is that they tie in more than just the previous film. I can’t say much more without getting into spoilers, but it makes the whole thing feel like it comes full circle in this movie. There are also clear hints that another movie is coming. I counted two possible extensions from this one, but I believe this stretch of 28 Days is a trilogy, so at least one more feels guaranteed to really complete everything. I don’t believe they’ve begun production on the third yet, though—probably waiting to see how this one performs.

They also give more information about the virus itself, which I thought was fascinating. I don’t think many zombie movies or series really do that. Usually it’s just, “they’re infected,” and then it turns into survival mode. Learning more about it added another layer, and I won’t go into any more detail than that because I don’t want to give away any spoilers.

There’s also a moment at the very end that I won’t go into detail on. Jump scares usually don’t get me, especially in horror, because you can almost always feel them coming. This one actually did. It was quick, unexpected, and genuinely well done.

My only real gripe with the movie is the pacing. It’s slower, but that’s pretty genre-specific, and that’s how I feel about horror movies in general. I can’t really complain all that much because it’s something I expect, and I just remind myself of that going in.

Ozzy’s Apizza isn’t new in general, just new to us, and we had no idea it was there even though it’s been around for about five years. Ozzy’s Apizza (pronounced “ah-beetz”) serves New Haven-style pizza, a thin, crackly-crusted style that originated in New Haven, Connecticut. While Ozzy’s itself is a Southern California spot, the style is defined by its slight char and simplicity, which sets it apart from traditional Neapolitan or New York pizzas.

Ozzy’s was good. I got the Pepperoni Idiot. The pizza is a little thinner than I usually like, but it was still solid. I couldn’t finish the whole pie because I had to save room for the donut and the tacos later, so I’m looking forward to the leftovers. I’d definitely recommend Ozzy’s if you’re in the area and just looking for a punk rock pizza place.

After that, we hit donuts. There are three core donut places in the area—Randy’s, Prince, and Hut—and we hadn’t been to Randy’s in a while, so we went with Randy’s since it felt like a repeat-donut-place kind of week. Randy’s was really good. I got a raised maple donut with churros and caramel sauce on top. A little fun fact: churros are also classified as a donut, so it’s basically a twofer.

It was a great run. It was good to be out. It’s been a wild week, so it was nice to go out, watch a movie, and talk shop about movies with a friend. Who knows, maybe we’ll start vlogging the after-conversations.