Some movies I have seen recently...

So, Pauly goes and promises to THE WHOLE DAMN INTERNETS that we'll be posting every day this month then the bastard goes and gets married--like being knee-deep in hot, hot marital bliss will give him time to contribute. I've been slowly dying inside at my job, so I haven't had much time to construct a series of themed entries like last year. Instead, I will be presenting you with the following hastily-compiled reviews of films I have seen recently.

ANTICHRIST (dir. Lars von Triers)

This is my first von Triers film, so I cannot comment on how it contributes to themes of misogyny or whatever it is the intelligentsia have decided the talking points on this should be. I do know, however, that I saw something terrible and beautiful and revolting and thought-provoking, often all at once.

BRONSON (dir. Nicholas Refn)

I think I first heard about this from the trailer, which does not promise anything the film cannot deliver. If you enjoy a little of the ol' unltraviolence, this is a film for you. Brutal, hilarious and a great "that was awesome!" film to sit back and enjoy. I'll definitely be seeking out the director's Pusher trilogy after seeing this.

GOOD HAIR (dir. Jeff Stilson, produced by Chris Rock)

I went to see this with my girlfriend. I've long known about some of the issues surrounding black hair--I remember being struck in college by the knowledge that the first African-American millionaire was a woman selling hair product & the passage in The Autobiography of Malcolm X about the first time he relaxes his hair is rather memorable-- but this goes well beyond that. Still, I basically agree with the criticisms that far too much time was spent at the hair show in Atlanta, which is mostly spectacle, and that time could have been better spent exploring some of the issues in detail.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (dir. Spike Jonze)

Again, I think I will agree with the majority of the critics. While I loved the film--the acting, the production design, the story were all near perfect--I'm not sure its a film for kids as much as a film about being a kid, which is a pretty big difference. E.g. the little girl, 6 or 7 or so, sitting down the row from me who was bored senseless by it while her early-30s yippie mom ate it all up.

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS (dir. Grant Heslov)

Amusing but complete fluff. On the continuum of ironic, self-aware modern war films this is a lot closer to something like Lord Of War than it is to Three Kings in terms of re-watchability. I'm not sure what the underlying message is meant to be but you get a few amusing set-pieces here and there. Unless you're dead set on seeing it immediately, you can probably wait to see this on HBO.

TOWELHEAD (dir. Alan Ball)

I thought this was a very strong film, which could have been better if it dealt with its themes less heavy-handedly. But, Ball always has a tendency to be a bit on the nose. Expect exactly what you're expecting from him: the sexualization of young women; men with odd, affectless voices; & undermining the existence of the "American dream."

ONG BAK 2 (dir. Tony Jaa)

If you've seen the original Ong Bak, The Protector or Chocolate you know that you're in for some really awesome fight sequences. (Also, elephants.) But, what you don't know, is that Tony Jaa also directs this one and he is completely out of his gourd. Its all very Sam-Raimi-directs-a-Thai-martial-arts-film. The story is borderline indecipherable but pay no mind to that fact; the fights will explode your head with their sheer awesomeness.

Review: ZOMBIELAND

Zombieland is an incredibly fun zombie comedy, or "zom com" if you will. I had the opportunity to catch an advance screening this past Tuesday, and it was well worth the hour and a half wait in line.

First off, its worth noting that these are not zombies in the traditional sense. For one thing, they run. Yes, this has been done in other films, but there is a distinction made here. It's stated by the narrator that the virus that creates the zombies is an "advanced strain of Mad Cow disease that leaves victims with a swollen brain, insane, and with an intense hunger." Not once is it stated or shown in the film that anyone has risen from the dead. Therefore, we are dealing with infected people, not zombies in the Romero/Brooks sense.*

However, it must be said that in a real world situation, if one is faced with creatures that display most if not all characteristics of a monster in the popular culture lexicon, then you might name said creature after a popular monster. Thus, the infected in this film are referred to as zombies. This is actually a strength in Zombieland, in that the survivors have come to terms with their new world. By naming these creatures "zombies", they're actually establishing a sort of dominance over them, in the way that man has named all animals that he has found. Zombieland also stands out amongst other zombie/infected movies in that the "Zed word" is actually said.

This is also the first upbeat zombie film. While a comedy, like Shaun of the Dead, this film doesn't play with the same stakes. Its a bit more cartoony and doesn't have to deal with the issues of shooting your zombie mother, or leaving your best friend to die. Zombieland takes place after all of that. As I mentioned earlier, most of these characters have come to terms with the world they live in. They know that just about everyone else is dead. In the end, it celebrates the fact that these four characters have found each other, and maybe that's enough in their world.

* The risen dead that crave flesh although they have no scientific need for it, as defined by George A. Romero and Max Brooks. While straying from Romero/Brooks zombies may discourage, and even enrage my colleague in zombiology, Dr. Giacomo Kmet, I encourage him to check out this film.