Cela fait 2 jours que mes collègues mont déclarée perdue à jamais dans les flammes de la geekitude.
Pourquoi cette claire voyance soudaine ?
Non, pas parce que je blogue dans le métro, ni parce que ma liste de Noël inclut une étoile de la mort en lego.
Non, c’est seulement parce que je ne pouvais plus passer 1 heure sans parler de Zombieland.

On peut les comprendre, comment un être socialement normal peut comprendre qu’un film avec des zombies, des guns, du rock et un fan de WoW peut être la meilleure comédie de l’année depuis the Hangover ?

Et bien, je n’aime pas me la péter, mais, pour changer, j’avais raison : ce film est GÉANT !!!

Non sans blague, c’est le seul film de zombies à pouvoir concurrencer Shaun of the Dead.

Faut dire qu’il y a du beau monde : Jesse Eisenberg, un accro des fêtés foraines apparemment puisque son dernier film, le génial Adventureland (5 étoiles les gars, foncez le regarder) avait lieu dans un parc d’attraction, Woody Harrelson, Abigail “ais-je encore besoin de la presenter ?” Breslin, et surtout une guest star que si je vous disais son nom vous ne me croiriez même pas !

Pour tout vous dire, à la fin du film, y a même un mec qui a cru que s’il applaudissait tout le monde allait le suivre comme dans une pub coca ou une flash mob, sauf que, hé, c’est pas une pub mais une salle de cinoche dans Paris 8.

Bref, j’aime, j’aime, j’aime !!!!!

2009, l’année vampire,
2010, l’année zombies ?

Et un article qui tue sur les zombies : Comment les zombies savent-ils qui manger ?

La question qui est sur toutes les lèvres : Mais qui est la guest star qui a rendue folle toute la salle ?
Une devinette, quand there’s something wrong in the neigbourhood, who you gonna call ?

As a big-time Anglophile making a trip to England for the very second time and also a big fan of English humor, it was only inevitable that I would go to see the area of London where the movie Shaun of the Dead was filmed. Well, I guess it wasn’t inevitable, seeing as how I didn’t go to Wells (where Hot Fuzz was set). I have to thank Dara O’Reilly from snopes for taking me here and being kind enough to stand back and just look embarrassed when I acted like a total tourist.

This is the outside of Shaun’s house. From what Dara said, right after the filming wrapped, the person who owned this house did some remodelling. Therefore, you can tell that this is THE house because it looks absolutely nothing like the movie.

This is the top floor, which I’m pretty sure you didn’t see at all in the movie. Still, I just like how it looked and I own a digital camera.

And here we have the sidewalk out in front of the house where the kid played keepy-uppy and, later, where a hung-over Shaun stumbled past the zombie version of said kid and the zombie spare change asker. This will be mother-f’ing AWESOME in 50 years. AWESOME.

Here’s the 4-way intersection right down the road from the house. One thing I like about this neighborhood is that everything’s right next to each other. In the movie the newsagent, which you can see just behind the tree in this picture, was a 20-second walk from the house. That’s right about accurate. It would have been a bummer if it was like 4 blocks away, but it’s not.

Okay, this was my major geek moment. I have to apologize again to Dara for this. I walked in here and started taking photos like I was a big fat paparazzi. I love how the place is laid out like *exactly* the same as how it was laid out in the movie. Granted, there are only so many ways you can lay out a newsagent’s but still… you’ve got the Coke machine halfway down (I bought a Diet Coke for nostalgia’s sake but did not keep the can because I’m not THAT bad) and the ice cream machine right up front. The whole entire thing’s set up just right for a zombie-fied owner to be hanging out in the back while you whip out a pop and early morning ice cream and then deposit some change on the counter.

A close-up of the Coke machine (see the Coke cans midway down) and the ice cream machine. You know, in places like this in Seattle (we don’t call them newsagents but I’d be darned if I know the American equivalent – convenience stores?) they *still* have Sleepless In Seattle T-shirts available. 20 years after that movie came out. In areas nowhere near where Tom Hanks lived. I will grant you, London is a much larger city than Seattle and therefore not liable to devote like 7392762398% of its tourist capital to the fact that one time Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan made a movie that was sort of here and named after us also. That being said, Crouch End is just one little borough of London, and Shaun was a paean to Crouch End to a much, much larger extent than Sleepless cared at all about the city of Seattle, other than how the words alliterate. You’d think there’d have been some button or gewgaw you could buy.

This is a look down the street. Obviously. Dara insists that this is like a symbolic image of England, all the houses in a row. I had to object that I’ve seen a thousand streets that look just like this in the USA. Granted, maybe US streets look like this precisely *because* they want to imitate England, but that still doesn’t differentiate Old Blighty with the New World or whatever nickname you want to ascribe to the US of A. I am particularly tempted to quote the theme song from Weeds: “Little houses, little houses, little houses made of ticky tacky, little houses etc. and they all look just the same.” But I will not give into that temptation.

This is the little green space where the zombie ate the pigeon while Shaun watched from across the street. Then a bus went by and he disappeared. It really is right across the street from the flower shop. Sadly, I got there too late in the day to actually go in there and make a fool of Dara in two locations instead of one.

And here’s the pub. No, it’s not actually the pub that’s in the movie. Apparently this was the one piece of continuity that Simon Pegg and co. had to break with. I guess the Queen’s Arms was considered too dark. Besides, how do you make a “Q” with your hands? Anyway, it’s kind of a moot point where exactly the pub is because they recreated the interior out in a movie studio way over to the west of this area.

The interior was much, much different than the studio as well. Instead of feasting on pork rinds (or whatever they call them in England) and warm beer, I had… well, warmish beer again since this is England (actually, the beer’s not that warm; it stays in cool cellars. It’s just not ice-cold like crappy American lager) and bangers and mash, which is what they call sausages and mashed potatoes. Sausages and mashed potatoes are a major English pub food. And I have to say, they are delicious. Dara’s sister also joined us at this point and drank something that was approximately half rasberry juice and half Guinness. I don’t know which country claims that concoction.

Thanks again, Dara!

All of these films received a perfect 5/5 rating from me, so I’m not going to rank them. They have withstood multiple viewings and I love each and every one like a sibling.

LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE 1974
Directed by Jorge Grau
Radiation emitted from farm equipment meant to eliminate insects brings the dead back to life. Thanks to a minor accident, a man and woman become travelling companions. Not only do the couple have to contend with the living dead, but they also have a relentless cop on their trail that believes the two are on a killing spree. The zombies in this early entry are visually, the least grotesque of the list. However, they pile on the gore when the zombies are chowing down, which was particularily nasty for the time. A strong story with interesting plot twists and two likeable leads, played by Ray Lovelock and Cristina Galbó, who do an excellent job. The film looks great and the final showdown in the Manchester Morgue is a memorable affair that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 1985
Directed by Dan O’Bannon
Two inept employees of a medical supply warehouse accidently release a gas that brings the dead to life. Suddenly medical experiments are reanimating. Sliced half dogs start barking, butterflies pinned to boards start fluttering, and a really gory dead guy needs to be put down. After eliminating their gory new friend they need to find a way to discard his twitching parts. Fortunately a funeral home with a crematorium is right around the corner. They make up a crazy story about rabid weasels, so their neighbour helps them out. This of course releases more of the gas into the air and a group of friends partying in a graveyard are the first to be attacked. This film just kills me. Not only does it make me laugh…hard, it is also very gory. The zombies makeup is awesome. The zombies can actually speak and think. At one point a zombie gets on the police radio and asks the station to send more cops. Another zombie manages to rig up a device to break down a metal door. James Karen and Thom Mathews who play the bumbling employees are hilarious. There is no down time in this film. It is one crazy scene after another. Loads of zombies, copious gore, fun characters, humour and it still manages to deliver some pretty damn intense scenes. The ending is pure horror gold!

DAWN OF THE DEAD 1978
Directed by George A. Romero
Romero’s second film in the “Dead” series follows four survivors who whole up in an abandoned mall. They make a decent go of it for a while by arming themselves, killing the zombies inside
and locking the place down. But tensions begin to build among the group. So when a bike gang invades their safehaven, they are forced to fight for their lives against both the bikers and the undead. Horrifying, intense, gory as hell and occasionally amusing, ‘Dawn of the Dead’ was one of the first zombie films for me, and it quite literally changed my life. My movie life anyway. From that day forward, I had to see every single zombie film ever made. It also upped the ante on my gore expectations for every other horror film thereafter. Once again, Romero creates an intelligent and entertaining horror film that has become an endearing classic. Thank you very much Mr. Romero.

CEMETERY MAN 1994
Directed by Michele Soavi
The film is about cemetery caretaker Francesco Dellamorte. When the dead begin rising after being buried for seven days it’s just business as usual for Dellamorte. His job is making sure the dead get buried after all. It’s about the dead and the living, and loneliness and love. Oh, and it has zombies, decapitated heads, nudity and gore! You could call this one the thinking man’s (or womans!) zombie film. It manages to happily marry an artistic approach with solid dialog and acting, with outrageous over-the-top gory situations. It’s all served up with a hearty helping of black humour. Rupert Everett who plays Dellamorte is just excellent. Cemetery Man sports one of the most fantastic endings I have ever seen.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 1968
Directed by George A. Romero
After her brother is attacked, Barbara makes a run for it, and eventually comes to an isolated house where she seeks shelter. Barbara meets Ben who decides the best course of action is to fortify their shelter. After several hours they discover there is a small group of five survivors holed up in the basement. With plenty working against them they attempt to construct the best plan of action. ‘Night of the Living Dead is indeed the granddaddy of zombie films. Obviously it is not as graphic as Romero’s more recent work but for the time it was pretty risky. The reanimated freshly dead look relatively normal but dazed. Those who were bitten are in various stages of decay and are considerably gorier. The zombies are shown gnawing away on organs and body parts, ripping and tearing away at the human flesh. The effects makeup and action scenes really are outstanding. The feeling of hopelessness is overwhelming and Romero does not reward with a happy ending. It is bleak, cynical and horrifying. Concentrating on the human reaction to the zombie outbreak instead of the creatures themselves allowed Romero to make some interesting and thought-provoking commentary. It is the manner in which he handles his subject that results in a truly eerie and memorable experience. A classic in every sense of the word. You can read my full review of Night of The Living Dead by clicking here.

PLANET TERROR 2007
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Lt. Muldoon is making a business transaction on behalf of the military for a biochemical weapon known as “Project Terror”. During the transaction the scientist who created it intentionally releases it into the air. Meanwhile elsewhere in rural Texas an unhappy and abused wife/nurse is arranging to leave her doctor husband. In another part of town Cherry Darling, who has just quit her job, stops at the Bone Shack for something to eat when she runs in to ex boyfriend El Wray. Eventually the various survivors come together, and the ragtag group work together to fight for their lives and save the world. I love everything about this film, but Cherry’s machine gun leg is the coolest fucking thing on the planet! Great cast, tons of energy, action-packed with kickass effects. This film rocks!

ZOMBI 2 1979
Directed by Lucio Fulci
A boat arrives in New York with a zombie on board but no passengers. The boat belongs to Anne’s father and she wants answers. She hooks up with a journalist and the two investigate her fathers disappearance. They travel to an island where they meet Dr Menard, and they soon find out that a plague has taken over that is bringing the dead back to life and hungry for human flesh. Maggots and worms is what makes Fulci’s Zombie films extra special. Well maggots and worms and deliciously disgusting makeup. Fulci zombies are gross with a capital “G”! If you enjoy Fulci, then you gotta love the gore. Entrails, eye-gouging and the infamous ‘zombie bites shark’ under water sequence.

SHAUN OF THE DEAD 2004
Directed by Edgar Wright
Shaun is dumped by girlfriend Liz and vows to get his shit together to win her back. The plan is put on the backburner however, due to a recent infestation of zombies. Shaun, along with best pal and roommate Ed, bravely go about saving friends and family and head to the safest place they know…their favorite pub, The Winchester. Shaun of the dead manages to be both hilarious and intense. The scene with Shaun and his mum almost brought a wee tear to my eye. An excellent cast with perfect chemistry that create characters you actually care about. Did I mention zombies? There are a shitload of zombies!

DEAD ALIVE (aka Braindead) 1992
Directed by Peter Jackson
This is Dead Alive’s second appearance on a Dungeon list. It held the number one spot in my “Five Films that Feature Bad Ass Mom’s“. An overbearing mother is bit by a rare Sumatran Rat Monkey while spying on her son and his date at the zoo. She rapidly becomes ill and dies. Unfortunately, she comes back as a zombie. If he thought mom was demanding before, he hasn’t seen anything yet! She starts chomping on people like crazy and soon her son has a gaggle of zombies to contend with. Trying to balance a new relationship while attending to the undead proves to be a challenge. When a creepy uncle shows up for mom’s funeral things spiral out of control. I haven’t a clue how many times I’ve watched this film over the years! The effects in this film are outrageous and bloody amazing. It is insanely gory! Among its numerous memorable scenes are zombies fornicating and giving birth to a little zombie baby. It wins hands down as the best use of a lawnmower in a horror film!

EVIL DEAD/EVIL DEAD 2/ARMY OF DARKNESS 1981/1987/1992
Directed by Sam Raimi
The series starts with five friends who go to stay in a cabin in the woods. They innocently play a tape they find that happens to be translated passages from the Necronomicon or “Book of The Dead”. Evil most foul is unleashed on their asses. I didn’t want any sequels on the list and I already have one director with two films (Romero, of course!) so I’m packaging these ones together. All 3 of these films are fun as hell! The effects are great, it is high energy, fast paced and hilarious! And of course there is Ash, the handsome smart-ass S-Mart employee played by Bruce Campbell. Campbell can definitely take at least some of the credit for the success of this triology. I could quote more lines from these three films than the other seven combined. I believe this is the first and only time that I have seen a woman raped by a tree.

shaun of the dead

Download Link:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KWA8KLO9

*with the rate 8.0/10 on IMDb, I can’t see how anyone could not like this movie.

Depois de “Shaun Of The Dead”, ainda tinha gente que duvidava de que é possível rir e render milhões com um filme de comédia sobre zumbis? “Zombieland” é a prova cabal disso. Aliás, não só simplesmente rir, estamos falando de uma ótima comédia com toques de ação e terror. E também, não só render milhões. A produção do diretor estreante Ruben Fleischer, que estreou nos EUA em 2 de outubro e tem lançamento previsto para 4 de dezembro aqui no Brasil, já se tornou o filme sobre zumbis mais rentável da história, arrecadando em bilheterias mais de US$ 60 milhões em 17 dias, desbancando o remake “Dawn Of The Dead” de 2004.

Na história, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg, de “Adventureland”) se vê obrigado a unir forças com o cowboy badass motherfucker Talahassee (Woody Harrelson) enquanto atravessam os EUA devastados por uma massiva proliferação de zumbis. No caminho, eles topam com as irmãs Wichita (Emma Stone, de “Superbad”) e Little Rock (Abigail Breslin, “A Pequena Miss Sunshine”) que, após demonstrarem seus meios pouco ortodoxos de sobrevivência, os convencem de seguir para um parque de diversões na Califórnia onde, até onde se sabe, os zumbis ainda não chegaram.

Na verdade, enquanto todos lutam pela salvação, Talahassee está em busca do último ‘twinkie’ (tipo um bolinho Ana Maria) do planeta. E num mundo infestado de humanos infectados transformados em cadáveres ambulantes, o personagem de Woody Harrelson vai chutar bundas com estilo para continuar vivo em sua jornada pelo ‘twinkie’ perdido (há!). Sem dúvida, esse veterano em meio a um elenco de jovens estrelas ascendentes, se destaca e dá um brilho a mais ao valentão Talahassee.

Outro destaque de “Zombieland” é o guia de como sobreviver num mundo infestado por zumbis de Columbus. São algumas pontuais regras que lembram em muito o conteúdo do livro “Guia de Sobrevivência Aos Zumbis” de Max Brooks. Até o final do filme, a lista soma trinta e três regras, mas só algumas são expostas, e de forma bastante irreverente, assim como feito também em teasers durante a campanha de divulgação da produção.

No início de dezembro, portanto, o Brasil terá a oportunidade de conferir um dos melhores lançamentos de 2009, que promente agradar a fãs do terror, comédia e ação, contando com ótimos efeitos, divertidíssimas cenas de destruição e extermínio de zumbis, personagens carismáticos e uma edição primorosa. Temos ainda como a cereja do bolo a participação brilhante de Bill Murray interpretando a ele mesmo. E pros ogros, como eu, deleitem-se com a sequência inicial de “Zombieland” que tem como trilha sonora “For Whom The Bell Tolls” do Metallica.

Tyvärr har jag inte fått chansen att se varken Robinson Karibien eller Paradise Hotel ännu men ryktesväg har jag hört att gårdagens avsnitt som gick under namnet Paradise Hotel endast ska vara en sammanfattning av veckans avsnitt. Personligen så har jag svårt att se poäng med detta då samtliga avsnitt finns gratis att se på TV6 Play och detta enbart betyder att 8 avsnitt av seriens 40 kommer bestå av repriser. Meningsfullt?

Ikväll fortsätter TV-kanalerna visa upp sin oförmåga att visa bra TV genom att lägga samtliga vettiga program efter klockan 10 på kvällen. Fram till klockan 5 på eftermiddagen får vi enbart se repriser och därefter följer en mängd mediokra program innan TV-kvällen tar fart. Kvällens höjdpunkt är utan tvekan filmen Shaun of the Dead men tyvärr lär inte många tittare se den eftersom TV3 har valt att lägga den halv 4 i natt. Känns inte särskilt logiskt att köpa in en fantastisk film och lägga den när ingen tittar.

I övrigt kan jag rekommendera Entourage på TV6.

Handling för Shaun of the Dead

Shaun (Simon Pegg) och hans bästa vän Ed (Nick Frost) spenderar största delen av sin lediga tid på lokalpubben “The Winchester”. En kväll bestämmer sig hans flickvän (Kate Ashfield) att göra slut, eftersom Shaun inte gör något med sitt liv. Shaun bestämmer sig för att göra något åt sitt liv för att kunna bli ihop med sin flickvän igen och försöka komma överens med sin styvfar (Bill Nighy).

Tyvärr så bestämmer sig de döda att vandra på jorden på samma gång och vad som följer är en zombieinvasion som försätter landet i kaos. Shaun flyr tillsammans med sina vänner till den sista utposten som han känner till: The Winchester.

22:30 – Entourage på TV6
23:05 – Entourage på TV6
03:25 – Shaun of the Dead på TV3

Länktips: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]

I was trying to find the clip I wanted of Shaun of the Dead (the one of Shaun doing the zombie walk in the morning), and had no luck. But that got me thinking how much I love the theme song of the film.

Anyone know how I can make this my ringtone on my phone? Because that would be AWESOME.

I’m not sure exactly how many films I’ve seen in my lifetime.

It is probably over a thousand, the list below barely scratches the surface of all the films I’ve seen and it was surprisingly easy to come up with. Rather than systematically list films by era or genre I got my brother’s girlfriend Dawn to call out any films she could think of.

I thought of this idea about five minutes before I began typing and Dawn rattled off films as they came to her while I typed out brief verdicts for each one. I initially intended to create a system for rating but found it too restrictive so I just wrote a brief instinctual verdict for each one.

I have included a link to Rotten Tomatoes and the score of each film, I haven’t seen some of these movies in a very long time…

NOTE: The percentages at the end are not my scores but the percentage of positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

1. Men in Black (1997) – meh (91% – seriously?!)
2. Fight Club (1999) – brilliant (80%)
3. Unforgiven (1992) – immense (96%)
4. Shaun of the Dead (2004) – decent (gets worse every time I watch it)
5. Memento (2001) – pretty good (93%)
6. The Departed (2006) – good (92%)
7. Aliens (1986) – the best sequel ever made (100%)
8. Reservoir Dogs (1992) – great characters and dialogue (95%)
9. American Beauty (1999) – uplifting, brilliant (the stupid bag scene apart) (89%)
10. Goodfellas (1990) – excellent (96%)
11. Predator (1987) – one of Arnie’s best (76%)
12. 12 Angry Men (1957) – captivating (100%)
13. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) – meh (78%)
14. Shawshank Redemption (1994) – really, really good (88%)
15. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) – better than I expected (90%)
16. Sin City (2005) – flashy trash (78%)
17. Toy Story 2 (1999) – yep, it’s good (100%)
18. Bambi (1942) – I remember it being good (much to the amusement of Dawn and Sean, many gay jokes followed) (89%)
19. Final Destination (2000) -guff (30%)
20. Edward Scissorhands (1990) – pretentious crap (90%)
21. Stranger than Fiction (2006) – Surprisingly good (72%)
22. Shallow Grave (1995) – okay (71%)
23. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1996) – facepalm (49%)
24. Man on Fire (2004) – underwhelming (39%)
25. Ocean’s Eleven (2001) – meh (81%)
26. 28 Days Later (2003) – meh (88%)
27. Casino Royale (2006) – surprisingly really good (94%)
28. Psycho (1960) – I was expecting it to be better (98%)
29. The Flintstones (1994) – Jesus wept (18%)
30. Aladdin (1992) – good (92%)
31. Jackass: The Movie (2002) – hard to class as a film really, hit and miss(48%)
32. E.T (1982) – good (98%)
33. Independence Day (1996) – a glorified B movie (61%)
34. Titanic (1997)  – Good (81%)
35. Ring (2002) – fairly decent (71%)
36. Pulp Fiction (1994) – Tarantino’s best film by a long way (97%)
37. Hot Fuzz (2007) – fun (90%)
38. Monty Python: Holy Grail (1975) – classic (94%)
39. Good Will Hunting (1997) – good (97%)
40. Heat (1995) – pretty good, not great (89%)
41. Zodiac (2007) – boring (87%)
42. Little Mermaid (1989) – decent (90%)
43. Ghost (1987) – crap (80%)
44. Dirty Dancing (1987) – utter shit – that women like this film makes me wonder if they actually deserve equal rights (67%)
45. The Terminator (1984) – the best Terminator (100%)
46. Bean (1998) – a test of mental endurance, awful (41%)
47. The Mask (1994) – rubbish (76%)
48. Frailty (2002) – ridiculous (74%)
49. The Day After Tomorrow (2004) – shite
50. Donnie Darko (2001) – overrated pish (84%)
51. Apollo 13 (1995)– crap (96%)
52. Deep Impact (1998)– more crap (46%)
53. Volcano (1997) – even more crap (40%)
54. I know what you did last summer (1997)– yet more crap (36%)
55. The Matrix (1999) – first half decent rest shite (86%)
56. Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (2002)– boring (96%)
57. Addams Family Values (1994) – some good moments (74%)
58. Nightmare before Christmas (1993) – overrated, largely guff (97%)
59. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) – (see earlier blog) (75%)
60. Three Men and a Baby (1987) – sickening  (78%)
61. Transformers: The Movie (1986) – decent (haven’t seen it in 10 years) (50%)
62. Cruel Intentions (1999) – trash (47%)
63. Lock Stock and Two Smoking barrels (1998) – good if a little overrated (71%)
64. Clerks II (2006) – absolutely fucking diabolical (62%, seriously what the fuck?)
65. Baby’s Day Out (1994) – horrific (23%)
66. Home Alone 2 (1992) – decent (17% – that seems harsh!)
67. Liar Liar (1997) – pretty bad (84%)
68. Babe (1995) – Jesus wept (98%)
69. The Simpsons Movie (2007) – unfunny crap from a show that is a pale shadow of what it used to be (90%)
70. Mr Nanny (1993) – a holocaust of a film (7%)
71. The Thing (1980) – really tense, really good (80%)
72. Blair Witch Project (1999) – doing something different doesn’t make it good (85%)
73. Run Lola Run (1999) – see above (92%)
74. The Santa Clause (1994) – crap (Dawn: “What’s the film with Tim Allen dressed as Santa Claus?”) (79%)
75. Silence of the Lambs (1990) – they really should have just stopped at this one, a fine film (96%)
76. Matilda (1996) – another crap Dahl adaptation (89%)
77. A Bridge too Far (1977) – the quintessential war movie (67%)
78. Rocky V (1990) – laughable (21%)
79. The Sting (1973) – really good (91%)
80. The Sword in the Stone (1963) – good (73%)
81. The Witches (1990) – crap (100%, what the fuck?)
82. Starship Troopers (1997) – entertaining trash (60%)
83. Love Actually(2003)  – hated it (63%)
84. White men can’t jump (1992) – I liked it despite itself (78%)
85. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1999)– a pointless sequel (48%)
86. A Bug’s Life (1998) – meh (91%)
87. Hollow man (2000)– hollow is an appropriate adjective (but I like Bacon’s character) (27%)
88. Jaws (1975) – good but overrated (100%)
89. Jerry Maguire (1996)– oh Christ (84%)
90. Dawn of the Dead (1978)– awesome (95%)
91. Drop Dead Fred (1991)– mindless crap (still haunted by my little sister’s repeat viewing of this monstrosity) (9%)
92. Braveheart (1995) – good (it’s a movie, not a history lesson) (76%)
93. Saw II (2005) – crap (35%)
94. Mouse Hunt (1997)– hated it (really wanted the mouse to die) (44%)
95. The Mummy (1999)– didn’t like it (54%)
96. George of the Jungle (1997)– crap (53%)
97. Leon (1994) – ludicrous garbage (74%)
98. Death becomes her (1993)– had its moments (56%)
99. Meet Joe Black (1998) – meh (49%)
100. Dog Soldiers (2002) – entertaining (79%)
101. Cool Hand Luke (1967) – the best film ever (100%)

I’m guessing that today I’m going to be quite like a zombie today.

uuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Because I went to see Amanda Fucking Palmer last night.

Right after I’d gotten off the subway today, I stopped by the newsstand to get my dirty little mitts on the December edition of Empire: “The Icons Issue”. (I’ve read Empire since 1993. I know that because the T-Rex from Jurassic Park was on the cover of the first issue I bought.) This month, there are ten different covers to choose from, and I saw six or seven of them on the shelf. Anyway, I wasn’t about to fork over my hard-earned cash for The Bride (from Kill Bill) or The Joker. Harry Potter? Puh-leeze! I had decided on either James Bond or Jason Bourne, when a welcome sight revealed itself at the very back: Shaun! You know, as in “of the Dead.” And with that, despite a tiny tear in the cover, the choice was obvious. Easy decisions are such a relief!

When I got home, I saw that there’s an additional, subscribers-only cover. It features Ron Burgundy, San Diego’s top anchorman, admiring his mustache in the mirror. That’s actually the cover I would have chosen, had it been available. (Am I committing genre sacrilege by admitting that on my horror blog?) But up against candy-asses like Jack Sparrow and Aragorn, Simon Pegg wielding a cricket bat will do just fine.

Here’s a breakdown of the basic Zombie senses. Knowing the Zombie attributes is the first step to knowing the Zombie.

The senses:

• Sight: A zombie’s sight doesn’t differ greatly to a human’s in the way that it is used. But, like many zombie senses they are more impaired due to the lack of a fully functioning, well oiled brain. The senses themselves are as they would be in a human but because the signals and messages to the brain are weakened they are of less use and are less effective. By assessing their ability to follow or chase humans it appears their sense of direction is relatively normal as is their capability to judge distances.
  

  Cross-sections of a normal brain (l) and a zombie brain (r) show the extensive atrophy of zombie brain tissue

Nevertheless, along this train of thought a theory has also been debated that if we, as humans, adopt a slower, eratic and more awkward walking style we can trick zombies in believing we’re one of them and consequently leave us alone. (This is a hypothesis Simon Pegg put into action in Shaun of the Dead to avoid any… unwanted attention from the undead.)

• Sound: Similarly to a zombie’s sight, it doesn’t differ too much from that of a human. In the majority of zombie films zombies will react and respond to sounds. However, the kind of zombies featured in popular culture are easily confused so you’d be wise to use this to your advantage. According to the fvza zombies go deaf within a few weeks of transformation.
• Smell: With most superhuman, abnormal creatures that differ from us humans a sense is either heightened or is especially used to their advantage. The fvza states “zombies have even more receptor cells than vampires. If the wind is right, zombies can smell humans from as far as several miles away.”

• Taste: Little is known or reported on when it comes to a zombie’s tastebuds but we all know that they like to eat, is this therefore for the taste of flesh or is it a form a drug they feel dependent on? Like a Vampire needs blood perhaps? It is hard to believe that with the detriated brain of a zombie it can make a distinction between tastes. What we do know is that zombies are flesh-hungry.

• Touch: Considering the state of a zombie’s brain and the condition of their perishing flesh it is apparent that zombies possess no physical sensations. “All nerve receptors throughout the body remain dead after reanimation.” – Max Brooks. The Zombie Survival Guide

…And now you know!

Today I was in Angus and Robertson and decided to indulge myself by buying a novel! I perused the bookshelves until I settled on a book that had interested me since I first heard about it. I am referring of course to “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” – Seth Grahame-Smith’s reworking of the Austen classic.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

I read Pride and Prejudice earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it! Although I don’t have a framed poster of Colin Firth as Darcy coming up out of the lake, I would still call myself a Pride and Prejudice fan.

Does the fact that I like Austen make me any less manly?

It most certainly does. Sigh

Anyway, I thought it might be fun to compare the two books at key points to see if the inclusion of Zombies enhances the original story, or takes away from it. I think that I am in a good position to be a good judge on this front, as I am both an Austen fan and a lover of good zombie movies such as the Resident Evil series and of course Shaun of the dead.

The format will be simple. I will post an excerpt from the Austen original and then an excerpt from the Zombie version at the same point in the story. I will then offer my reflections.

Here we go

The all important opening paragraph.

Austen’s classic: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property as some one or other of their daughters?

Zombie version: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. Never was this truth more plain than during the recent attacks at Netherfield Park, in which a household of eighteen was slaughtered and consumed by a horde of the living dead.”

Zombies. Never a welcomed guest at a ball, they have worse manners than Mr Darcy!

Upon reading Austen’s classic opening, most readers would have a small chuckle to themselves; Austen’s signature wit is spot on and is sure to bring a smile to the readers face. The zombie version by comparison brings a worrying frown to the reader’s disposition. “Slaughtered and consumed by a horde of the living dead”? That is very worrying. One of the great things about the original is the laugh out loud wit that Austen employs, thus it is disappointing for the zombie version to start with such a grim subject.

However, having said this, the zombie version is very astute in giving the reason for why Netherfield Park is empty! It makes perfect sense for a beautiful country house to be vacant after its inhabitants were brutally murdered by the very vermin of hell. Austen fails to inform her readers of the reason Netherfield Park is vacant, something that I feel she has clumsily overlooked! To suggest that there would not be a good reason why such an elegant property would not be occupied is not only poor writing, but it’s simply had to believe. A zombie attack is a much more believable reason for the vacancy of Netherfield Park.

Thus although the zombie version lacks the humour of the Austen original, it adds depth to the story and helps fill in some of Austen’s unexplained plot holes.

Thus, all in all, I think the zombie version enhances the original! But will this be true of all the parts of the story? We will have to wait and see!

Now, fact or fiction… Possible or a bit of fun… It wouldn’t hurt to know your stuff about Zombies.

Personally I think it’s more closer for comfort than we think.

Firstly, where does it begin?

The Solanum virus is touched upon in Max Brooks‘ book The Zombie Survival Guide. (It is of course to be taken with a pinch of salt, the book is essentially a fun read and should not be used for advice during the unfortunate event of a zombie attack.)

However, I maintain that this blog is a source of escapism and essentially contemplation.

According to Mr Max Brooks the Solanum virus starts like any other virus by travelling through the bloodstream, running from the point of entry and infecting the brain. The virus works away at the body, “during this period all bodily functions cease. By stopping the heart, the infected subject is rendered ‘dead’. The brain however remains alive but dormant, while the virus mutates its cells into a completely new organ. The most critical trait of this new organ is its independence from oxygen. By removing the need for this all-important resource, the undead brain can utilize, but is in no way dependent upon, the complex support mechanism of the human body into a form that bears little resemblance (physiologically speaking) to the original corpse.”

Transference – caused by the infamous ‘bite’ of those infected, but this is not the only means it can be contracted from one to another. Humans can be infected by being ’splattered by a zombie remains after an explosion’.

Famous Zombie films such as 28 days later (and sequels), Shaun of the Dead, and the first big film of its kind- Night of the living Dead concur Zombie infection is viral.

However there are differences in what caused and introduced this virus. Do you think any of them holds anything of viable substance?

2002 saw the release of 28 days later in which the characters encounter an infection that is also passed through blood (but again, not necessarily due to a bite), but this film also highlights the Scientific aspect possibly responsible for the virus’ development – ‘Neuro chemicals’ that cause anger and excessive aggression in humans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCuhDvL493U

Night of the Living Dead differs in the plot of the infection. Night of the living dead is well, just that. This film released in 1968 embodies the age-old idea that corpses rise from the dead (think ‘Thriller’). – Murderers are recently dead human beings who have returned to life and who are consuming their victims’ flesh. Experts including scientists and military generals are not sure of the cause of the reanimation, but one scientist is certain that it is the result of radiation emanating from a Venus space probe that exploded in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Differing from the two aforementioned films Shaun of the Dead is a spoof horror zombie film (and in my opinion, a bloody good one). It is uncertain throughout the film about the cause of the infection that has spread throughout london, the featured zombies possess every characteristic you’d expect from the cliché zombie idea, and unlike the previous two films one can only be infected by a bite.

So should we be prepared for the outbreak of zombie infection?

The bad news with any information or interpretation on the cause of infection, once you’ve contracted the disease of the undead there is no treatment. Hello underworld!

In my previous blog we began to delve into the possibility of the Zombie crossing and dwelling within the line of dead and undead.

This is not been written to scare or threaten, but it is an intriguing thought isn’t it?

What is a zombie? What do they seek? Are good, or evil? Dead or undead?

British actor and director Simon Pegg, who has burst into  Hollywood in recent years explains his fascination on the creatures-

“I used to lie in bed in my flat and imagine what would happen if there was a zombie attack. In fact Nick Frost (who plays Shaun’s best mate Ed in the film) and I used to plan our escape routes if it happened. Over the roof, down the street and find the nearest gun shop.”

So what is it exactly that he finds so appealing about them?

“It’s their strangeness. They are so slow and inept, but they don’t appear to have any motive or moral rage. They are eerie and hungry.” [full Simon Pegg interview here]

I guarantee some of you have had more of a thought about Zombies than it being just a fictitious creature, a lot of people are most scared or fascinated by things that have a glimpse or truth or possibility in it.

Of course there are many theories on zombies, and I’m more than open to comment or enlightenment.

November is a time of year to ruminate on all the things that we’re thankful for, and as we close in on the end of 2009, I find myself with a list containing innumerable pieces of my life that I’m grateful of. I have a wonderful fiancée with whom I have a fulfilling relationship; I have a good home which I share with her and our two mischievous cats. I’ve got friends who care about me and family that loves me. And in our uncertain job market, I have a solid and stable job, which in turn lends me the financial stability that so many people in our country have been bereft of. In short, I’m happy and comfortable and secure; if that’s not reason enough to be thankful, I don’t know what is.

But of course, you don’t read this blog because you’re terribly interested in how great my life is; this is a blog about movies, and that’s ostensibly what you’re here for. You see, while thinking about those personal elements of my life, I got to thinking about my passion for the cinema, which in turn got me reflecting on the films that I’m thankful for, the movies that have influenced or affected my love for all things cinematic directly or in more clandestine ways. And so, keeping with the theme of this month’s holiday, I wound up putting together a list of ten such films for your reading pleasure.

As a note, this is not supplementary reading for my top ten list; it’s also not a generic “top X most influential films” list, though in some cases it is precisely the influence of the film in question that I appreciate. That appreciation will only be examined on a personal level– as much as some of these movies have had broad and far-reaching impact on cinema as a whole, here I’m only interested in how they have effected films that have specific significance to me. These aren’t necessarily the movies that I could watch from start to finish any day of the week, any time of day, but rather the movies that helped shape and change my perception of cinema. So with that in mind, please enjoy!

Shiri/Swiri– Shiri (spelled Swiri inside Korea) is often credited as being the film that jump-started the Korean New Wave back in 1999. While under even distant examination this isn’t totally the case, Shiri‘’s success did much to cause a resurgence in interest toward Korean cinema; as the film became an instant smash, local companies became more willing to risk their money on genre films with larger budgets, and the sales of Korean films overseas increased. On its own it’s a tight and energetic espionage thriller about a North Korean terrorist plot to target and destroy South Korean landmarks, but in the broader context of South Korean cinema, Shiri’s existence may largely be responsible for the boom the SK film industry has enjoyed since its release– and therefore, films like Oldboy might never have been made without it.

Watchmen– I wasn’t one hundred percent enthused by Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Alan Moore’s classic graphic novel (read my review here), but it’s hard for me not to crack an appreciative smile when I sit back and think about it in retrospect. Watchmen is a crackling, pulsing, living and breathing piece of glorious pop-art, flawed for certain but also filled with crackling performances and eye-popping attention to detail. It’s also a challenge to other super hero movies to attempt to achieve similar faithfulness to their source material. Watchmen is also the kind of against-the-mainstream property that one would never expect a major studio to back, and yet that’s precisely what Warner Brothers did. It wasn’t a box office winner, but it also hasn’t added up to a total failure for the studio just yet (thanks to the ancillary market), and if anything its existence should give the movie geeks faith in the studios; if Watchmen can get made, anything can get made. But most of all, even if the end result wasn’t as good as it should have been, I’m just happy that someone had the chutzpah to even attempt to translate this “unadaptable” story to the big screen.

The 40 Year Old Virgin– The Judd Apatow train got its start with the TV series Freaks and Geeks, but it picked up the most steam upon the release of this 2005 hit comedy. Since then, it’s helped shape the face of American comedy, leading films to place greater emphasis on character and plot development instead of leaving those elements to the wayside in favor of more fart jokes; it’s this focus on heart and story in addition to belly laughs (which leads to more robust and fulfilling comedies) that makes Virgin’s existence so richly deserving of our gratitude. Of course, no one does it better than the master himself; the best comedies of the last half a decade have come out of the Apatow camp, and no imitators have come close to replicating what makes those films great. (Though amusingly enough, many of those seeming imitators are actually part of the Apatow family, as Judd’s arm has grown so long that he has his hands in untold numbers of contemporary comedies.) And aside from being a comedy game-changer, Virgin is responsible for helping establish Steve Carell’s presence as a leading man, as well as introducing actors like Romany Malco and Seth Rogen to wider audiences; if that’s not enough reason to tip your hat to it, then I don’t know what is.

Kikujiro–  From my experience, filmmakers like Japanese auteur Takeshi Kitano get an unfair rap in the US for working in very narrow and specific genres of cinema. Here, Kitano is popularly thought of as a director of crime thrillers, and while I can understand why– much of his creative output that has reached the States consists of gangster films like Brother, Sonatine, and Hana-bi– the reputation is grossly unjust given his comedic roots and surprising penchant for the poignant. During my years in college, I found myself defending Kitano against just such accusations from my friend; the argument ended when I popped Kitano’s 1999 film Kikujiro in my DVD player. I’ll always be grateful  for this film’s existence as a counter-point against the idea that Kitano, as a filmmaker, knows only violence; here, he tells a story that’s artful and moving and entirely relatable despite examining its themes through a specific cultural lens. The movie follows the journey of a young boy as he travels across Japan to find his mother; Kitano plays the gruff, curmudgeonly eponymous character who accompanies the child on his quest. It’s a colorful and beautifully shot movie that’s perhaps more touching than Kitano’s better-known gangster films are violent, a road movie that closely explores isolation and alienation in Japanese society.

Shaun of the Dead– As a foreign property, Shaun of the Dead introduced me (and many, many others) to a bevy of English talent: Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes and Nick Frost. Wright, Hynes, and Pegg had worked together prior to Shaun on the wonderful TV series, Spaced, while Frost had starred on his program Danger! 5000 Volts! (wherein he advised his audience on how to best handle volcanic eruptions and hippo attacks). For this alone, I’m indebted to the film; the fact that it not only schooled me on these fantastic talents but also surprised me by turning out to be one of the best zombie movies of all time was icing on the cake. Or perhaps it’s the other way around? Either way, Shaun of the Dead makes up for decades of terrible imitations and blatant rip-offs of the films of Romero and Fulci and also stands up to them in sheer quality (I honestly believe that Shaun’s script might be one of the best scripts written in the last decade). The film’s secret to success? Shaun can be described as a zombie parody or an homage to the films of the greats, but the truth is that it eschews the chance to be cute, coy, and tongue-in-cheek and instead chooses to stand on its own as an honest-to-God zombie movie filled with laughter, fantastic effects and make-up, and a whole lot of heart. Like Virgin (both films are, after all, tastemakers in their respective genres), many films have tried to imitate what makes Shaun work, and none have succeeded; it’s a wholly unique film, something that can’t be replicated, and that makes it truly special and worthy of adulation.

***

What films are you thankful for? What are the movies that you appreciate in a broader context outside of their individual quality? Feel free to share your thoughts here. Enjoy the season, everyone!

I’m pumping that hand sanitizer like a lab rat desperate for a reward.  So far, so good.  I feel like I’m the only person who hasn’t come down with IT. Whatever IT might be.  So far I don’t think anyone’s been diagnosed with H1N1 at my school.  Just the usual prelude to Thanksgiving flu and chronic bronchitis that dogs you when you’re a teacher and never get to rest your voice. (It’s true – There is no rest for the wicked.)

My husband and son went to see Zombieland the other night.  I passed, since I work in Zombieland.  Just when one kid comes back to school, another goes down.  Pump, pump – More hand sanitizer.  I’ve taken to slathering it on my neck and arms. One boy came back after a week out and promptly announced he felt like throwing up.  I tossed him a plastic bag along with a pass to the nurse.  I have my students trained. I told that straight out, “If you think you’re going to get sick, don’t come to me, cause I’ll run from you.” They laughed, but I was dead serious.  I just don’t want to be undead. Seriously.

The school nurse donned her face mask on Friday when she had a roomful of germ factories sick children all complaining of being “hot.”  The school librarian told me she’s glad she’s already had IT.  ”I got it over with early, ” she said, though she said she’d paid dearly for her immunity.  I mumbled something about how quickly viruses mutate, to take that smile off of her face.

November is always a tough month for teachers, what with report cards and all those parent teacher conferences.  I’ve just got to make it to Thanksgiving.

When I wrote my post Time Zone Zombie – Asleep at 30,000 Feet, about the world’s longest trip over the Atlantic Ocean, I was looking for a picture of a zombie.  Who knew there were thousands of them on Flickr from Zombie Walks around the world?  Here’s an activity the whole family can do together.  The cool thing is that I wouldn’t even need make-up to play a zombie.  I can just crawl out of bed.  As a big fan of Shaun of the Dead, I’d be up for the zombie pub crawl myself.  That is, if I make it to Thanksgiving.

POST MORTEM:  Officially zombified on Nov. 18th.  Tried to pass as human for two days, but finally succumbed.

Photo Credit:  Zombified Children from Wikipedia’s Zombie Walks

Es gibt Filme, die man gucken muss nur um den Hype zu verstehen der um sie gemacht wird. „Zombieland“ gehört sicher dazu. Der Film wird im Internet als der neue Zombie-Kult-Film gehandelt und mit einem Film wie „Shaun of the Dead“ verglichen. Auch wenn ich behaupte das der Vergleich hier ein wenig hinkt, denn „Zombieland“ ist so viel mehr als ein schlichter Metzelfilm in dem es hauptsächlich darum geht wie man am besten Untote beseitigt. An dieser Stelle nicht falsch verstehen, „Shaun of the Dead“ war eine absolute Bereicherung für das Zombie-Genre und genauso ist es auch „Zombieland“, nur auf eine komplett andere Weise, darum würde ich nie versuchen diese beiden Filme miteinander in Verbindung zu setzen.

Kinostart in Deutschland ist am 10.Dezember 2009. Die Kritik zum Film findet ihr jetzt direkt hier oder aber auf der Filmkritiken Seite.

However, it is only for a Total Film Comedy of the Decade shoot presumably for Shaun of the Dead. Still we have Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim film to look forward to along with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in Greg Mottola’s Paul and Spielberg’s Tintin.

By Jay A. Fernandez and Borys Kit – HollywoodReporter.com

Writer Dante Harper has been hired to sprinkle a few more bread crumbs on the script for “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.”

“Dead Snow” co-writer/director Tommy Wirkola is helming the project for Gary Sanchez Prods. and Paramount. The Norwegian pitched and plotted out the story line, which picks up the fairy-tale siblings 15 years after their traumatic gingerbread house incident, which provoked them to become witch bounty hunters.

Sanchez execs Kevin Messick, Adam McKay, Will Ferrell and Chris Henchy are producing the horror-action comedy, which is pitched as having a gory-but-funny “Shaun of the Dead” vibe.

Harper also worked on the screenplay for “Black Hole,” which director David Fincher has been developing at Paramount.

McKay, Henchy, Messick and Ferrell are shooting the Gary Sanchez comedy “The Other Guys,” which Sony has scheduled for an August release.

Amazon Specials!

Killing zombies has never looked so much fun!

Zombieland stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin as survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Together they take an extended road trip in an attempt to find a sanctuary free from zombies, following a set of “rules” designed to keep them alive where others have failed, all the while trying to “enjoy the little things”, killing zombies in a variety of creative ways.

When I first started following this film back in February I was interested a little bit because I love zombie films and I love comedies so you know when those two mash together I’m just gonna go crazy. Then I saw the trailer and thought,”well I guess we’re looking at the American Shaun Of The Dead”. However, now that I look at it, if people are choosing whether to see this or Shaun Of The Dead, I say this one.

Zombieland has some amazingly nice touches on its comedy in this film. It has a lot of comedy that you won’t get when its said, but afterward you understand it and find it hilarious. The jokes were either sarcastic, ironic, or plain and simply just obvious jokes but were still very funny, much ado to Eisenberg’s hilarious narration.

The film also isn’t all about the comedy it actually does have some “heartfelt” moments. I found this to be very odd since it is a zombie comedy, but overall very effective with it’s highly witty screenplay.

Shall I not forget to mention that there is plenty of gore and violence to keep any “gore-lover” happy. The way they kill the zombies are very creative and that’s what really makes this film stand out. Not just with your car, or with a piano, or with a shotgun, but at the end there is this whole amusement park sequence where they use some to kill zombies.

The whole cast does a great job at being really funny, witty, and most of all likable. The characters are mostly 2 dimensional  stereotypes, but they actually turn out to be funnier than some would expect. Eisenberg does once again at playing the same character he does in every film so not much changes here. Harrelson plays a stereotypical B-movie hard ass really well, and it seems like he’s the funniest and shows us that this was the role he was born to play (other than Natural Born Killers). But the best in the film that is definitely worth full price of admission is the secret cameo star, that once you see it you will not stop laughing.

I think my only problem with the film is that it seems very scary at the start, and then slows way down for alot of character and jokes, with barely any zombies at all, to the spectacular finale. I loved all aspects of the film, but it would of much needed to mix all these together better, to make it truly outstanding film, a shock indeed, plus the gore was alittle on the short side for me. Also, so much more could have been added to make this film even better.

Consensus: The makers of Zombieland aren’t really doing anything different for the zombie comedy genre, but make a great collection of gore, comedy, and violence with a little touch of heart to make this whole film a great and fun experience.

9/10=Full Priceee!!!

I hadn’t realized before but hulu does that amazon thing where they suggest other shows you might like based on whatever show you happen to be watching. Same way amazon does with books, although I have to say I often find amazon’s suggestions suspect, at least for my taste. Anyhoo… one of the suggestions associated with Green Wing, a show that I’m still watching obsessively, is Spaced,  a half-hour comedy. (Do the call them sit-coms in England?) And I figured, oy, why not give it a go, then.

[this is where the video of the first episode of Spaced via hulu.com would appear if I could just get it to work - dammit!]

Glad I did.

Spaced is about two twenty-something Londoners. Tim (Simon Pegg aka Shaun from Shaun of the Dead) and Daisy (Jessica Stevenson, who has a bit role in Shaun as Yvonne) who both suddenly find themselves in need of new lodgings and decide to pose a professional couple so that they can rent a nice flat, clearly an allusion to the 70s sit-com Three’s Company.

The show is chock-full of pop culture references, especially TV and movies. And, a la Scrubs, it employs fantasy sequences to great effect (or is it affect?). Also like Scrubs it is a single-camera show, but I don’t know how unique that is to British TV.

Other GenX-ieties  include: Tim is a skateboarding graphic artist who wants to work for a comic book company but is currently working part-time at a comic book shop; while Daisy is a journalist who is on the dole.

Simon Pegg does much of the writing and the director is Edgar Wright, who collaborated with Pegg to make Shaun of the Dead. Also, Nick Frost, who plays Shaun’s best friend Ed in the romantic-comedy-zombie flick plays Tim’s best friend, Mike, who is described as a “weapons expert.” Much of what appears in Shaun of the Dead was first portrayed in Spaced. Some of it practically verbatim.

Another treat for me is that the character of Brian, the quirky, twitchy, semi-reclusive artist who lives upstairs from Tim and Daisy, who is played by Mark Heap, the actor that portrays the wonderfully pompous Dr. Alan Staythem in Green Wing.  Clearly Heap has a talent for infusing his characters with all kind of interesting traits and foibles that make them a little creepy and endearing at the same time, no small accomplishment.

At this point I can’t say which show I like better. It’s difficult to decided. Green Wing has way more swearing and sexual references. But Spaced has loads more pop culture stuff. In the end it hardly matters. What I can say is that I’d like to own both shows on DVD. I think Spaced is available for Region 1 where as Green Wing still is not.

In any case, both shows are more than valid GenX vehicles. Spaced is about younger GenXers, of the kind featured in Douglas Coupland’s novel, Generation X. While Green Wing is about older GenXers who have matriculated into the workforce.

And both shows are funny and sarcastic and surreal and ultimately very touching and human.

The idea of ‘the zombie’ is one linked with gruesome horror films (like Night of the Living Dead) and spoof movies (such as Shaun of the Dead)- and of course, you can believe what you want- but there’s nothing wrong with entertaining the idea that the walking dead may indeed, in some form, walk among us.

He comes from the grave, his body a home of worms and filth. No life in his eyes, no warmth of his skin, no beating of his breast. His soul, as empty and dark as the night sky. He laughs at the blade, spits at the arrow, for they will not harm his flesh. For eternity, he will walk with the earth, smelling the sweet blood of the living, feasting upon the bones of the damned. Beware, for he is the living dead.

- OBSCURE HINDU TEXT, CIRCA 1000 B.C.E.

As touched on in my first blog- there are several definitions and interpretations of what a zombie is…

• A voodoo spell that raises the dead?
• An animated corpse that feeds on human flesh?
• A voodoo snake god?

Either way, the creature now commonly refered to as a ‘Zombie’ in popular culture may be something we need to pay more attention to… with a world of epidemics – the most recent being swine flu – and a world getting a more advanced grasp of science… is a ‘Zombie’ so far-fetched?

Many directors and authors have explained their Zombie theme as a metaphor or representation of fears in society- fear of illness, fear of viruses, fear of the uncontrollable etc.    

Zombie autopsy

Will there become a time the reality overtakes the metaphor?…