Zombieland

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by FordSVT, Sep 28, 2009.

  1. Orintho

    Orintho Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Saw Zombieland Friday - it was freeking hilarious. 'Thank god for rednecks!" lol


    And now that I have seen the lethal 'piano maneuver' twice (both in Zombieland and Superman Returns), its turning into a really amusing fight move.
     
  2. Thrall

    Thrall Commodore Commodore

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    I don't know if the rest would be worth your time, honestly. Just about every zombie film that I've seen starting with Night of The Living Dead are pretty much just the same movie told differently. You get a ragtag group of survivors who hold up in some building and have lots of character conflict with each other. Eventually the end of the film always gets really dark because someone fucks up and the zombies get in and brutally kill just about everyone. Combined with a lot of heavy-handed messages about how the zombies represent the socially downtrodden. Even Sean of The Dead and 28 Days Later follow this formula. Almost all zombie films are like this. You seen one, you seen them all.

    This film breaks that formula. Because it's not really about zombies. It's about 4 really funny good guys kicking ass and cracking wise. The zombies are just there to give them something to kick the shit out of. The end isn't a last stand, but the hero rescuing the damsel in distress. And there's just something really funny about Little Miss Sunshine blowing away a bunch of mutant monsters and then trying to explain the complex nature of Hannah Montana to a Psychobilly hooligan.
     
  3. Harvey

    Harvey Admiral Admiral

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    I wouldn't describe the Romero films as simplistically as that. It can be debated whether or not Night of the Living Dead has overt themes about race relations all day, but the themes about consumerism in Dawn of the Dead, conservative government in Day of the Dead, and the age of Youtube in Diary of the Dead make those films a little more complex than the formula they use to accomplish their messages.
     
  4. Venardhi

    Venardhi Vice Admiral Admiral

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    It is like 2 weeks into fall, give me a break. Either way, I can count on one hand the solidly Good/Great movies that came out in late September/early October in the last decade or so. From August through October is generally pretty dead. A bunch of stuff that didn't make the cut for the competitive summer season and isn't "Oscar bait" enough for November/December. You run into the same lull from late January 'til April or so most years.

    In any case, it is still a good movie.
     
  5. Mr. Adventure

    Mr. Adventure Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    BM. At least for me it was such.
     
  6. Starbreaker

    Starbreaker Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I really enjoyed this movie. It took a while for the laughs to start, but it was worth it.
     
  7. Thrall

    Thrall Commodore Commodore

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    Yeah, but that's not what I was getting at. Just about every zombie movie sticks to a plot formula. Rarely have I ever seen any zombie film not break the formula that I mentioned. Zombieland was different in that it broke the formula.
     
  8. Brikar99

    Brikar99 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Loved this flick. Tons and tons of fun. :)
     
  9. davejames

    davejames Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Really? The audience I was with was cracking up from the beginning, with the fat guy trying to outrun the zombie. :D

    I thought the whole introduction with the kid laying out his survival rules was hilarious.
     
  10. Admiral_Young

    Admiral_Young Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I didn't think it could be done...but Star Trek has been knocked off its throne and been replaced by Zombieland as my favorite film of 2009 and that's saying a lot for me since I am not a big fan of them. This movie though is different...it's a buddy flick and a romantic comedy disguised as a zombie movie! The zombies are almost secondary in the movie. I loved everyone in the movie. I loved how it was shot, how it looked, the score, the script, and the acting were all brilliant. I'm getting the DVD for this when it comes out. I hope there's a score released too.
     
  11. Aragorn

    Aragorn Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    ^ So if the next Star Trek movie were to be a comedy involving zombies, would you be in heaven? :)
     
  12. Crash

    Crash Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Loved this, btw. Definitely worth seeing.

    That said, I hope one day someone releases a zombie movie based entirely on a 24 hour news network. Something about the idea of CNN or Fox covering the destruction of the United States and the world in a zombie apocalypse as it happens just strikes me as immensely entertaining.
     
  13. davejames

    davejames Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Lol, I'm sure if that did happen FOX would find a way to blame the democrats for it, and MSNBC would find a way to blame the republicans. :lol:
     
  14. Harvey

    Harvey Admiral Admiral

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    Fair enough, although I'm curious, have you seen Fido? It certainly breaks from the forumla you mention.
     
  15. Really funny movie. I was pretty impressed actually with the filmmaking itself. Well directed, very polished, good effects, etc.
     
  16. Thrall

    Thrall Commodore Commodore

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    No, but I've heard it's pretty good.
     
  17. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Commodore Commodore

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    I had been thinking lately how a certain genre of movie no longer existed. Genre films with a strong comedic tone. Though not parodies. Where there are likable, fun characters and a comedic sensibility but the genre elements are treated mostly seriously. There were a lot of movies like this when I grew up in the 80s.

    There are others but the clearest examples of this genre were Back to the Future and Ghostbusters.

    I think Zombieland is the closest too that type of movie I have seen in along time.
     
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2009
  18. Trent Roman

    Trent Roman Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    You're right about the formula; broadly speaking, the zombie genre can be called the Harlequin of horror movies. At the same time, however, I just so love the premise of the zombie film that I would gladly watch a dozen that were only variations on the 'begraddled survivors hole up and fight zombie' theme. There's something about the basic idea, the basic plot, that makes me empathize with the characters and get immersed in the story every time without fail. I've never met a zombie film I didn't like, other than Jesus Camp (a little too scary); even zombie movies I know to be objectively terribly made, I love watching them, bad acting, idiotic plotting, crummy effects and all.

    This film, however, didn't have those; like I said, I'm hardly objective, but this was a top-notch zombie movie. I loved the repartee, I loved the one-off zombie gags speckled throughout, and I even liked the happy if not sappy ending. The cameo didn't work for me--I've never found him funny, honestly--but the rest was quite entertaining. Tallahasse needs a spin-off franchise, or his own comic book, maybe. I'd watch it.

    Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
     
  19. T'Baio

    T'Baio Admiral Admiral

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    I think Evolution may have killed the concept for awhile.
     
  20. ladyheather69

    ladyheather69 Captain Captain

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    Saw it on Friday afternoon. Loved it! Both DH and I thought it was hysterical! Loved the look of it, the 'feel' of it. Looking forward to getting it on DVD :)

    (think maybe we should get a zombie smilie....)