Shaun of the Dead

For the third guest review, I asked my old friend American Guy if he'd like to choose a film and write a review. He has been a willing contributor to this blog on a few occasions in the past.

AMERICAN GUY'S “THINGS WILL CHANGE, I PROMISE” REVIEW:

Though I still believe that blogging is a dying art form, I was more than happy to pitch in another guest review for this here site. When the great Green one gave me my choice of movies, we toyed around with a few things before deciding on one of my favourites of recent years – “Shaun of the Dead”.

Now I had heard of this film when it first came out in the theatre and thought the premise was great, but as is so often the case didn't actually get to see it. Much like Snakes on a Plane, (which I think was the last guest review I did here), the name alone promised a rollicking good time. Unlike Snakes though, this is a genuinely good movie (as opposed to the 'so bad it's good' variety). I'm a big fan of Simon Pegg, was a fairly recent convert to Dylan Moran (if you've never watched Black Books, see if you can get your hands on it), and I've always had a soft spot for zombie movies (here's a quick zombie joke for you all, overheard at a rally for zombie rights: “What do we want?” “Braaaaaains”, “When do we want it?” “Braaaaaains”).

Some people call this a send up of the zombie genre. I don't think that's quite right. It's a comedy, though not in the traditional sense, and you can tell the filmmakers have a genuine love of zombie flicks. So while it plays on some of the excesses of movies about the undead, it does so in a way that never makes fun of them. One recurring joke is the characters' reluctance to use 'the zed word'. Nor, it should be said, is this a take off on “Dawn of the Dead”. It's just a clever title.

I'll leave the who's who in the zoo to Green. But as a very brief outline, this film is about Shaun: a working class everyman stuck in a dead end job, living with his feckless flatmate, and trying to figure out his relationship with his much too good for him girlfriend. When an outbreak of zombinism occurs, he doesn't immediately notice. Once he does, we spend a fair bit in familiar 'don't let them get you' territory (and yes, despite this being a comedy, there is a bit of gore, including one genuinely gruesome scene). Zombie movies often have a hard time figuring out how to end the story, but I think all told they figured out a reasonable way to approach it.

This film may not be for everyone. The comedy is probably a bit dry for an American audience. If sitcoms and Jim Carrey are your idea of funny, Shaun may not work for you. But if you fancy some wit mixed in with a bit of slapstick against a backdrop of blood stained and armless reanimated corpses, than definitely check it out.

Things to watch for: 1) The opening credits are brilliant in showing how the undead already seem to walk among us. 2) A cute nod to 28 Days Later. 3) In the third act, watch for a musical number that had me on the floor in stitches. You'll know it when you see it.

**** out of *****


GREEN'S "WE'RE GOING TO THE WINCHESTER" REVIEW:

I had only heard of this movie two years ago, when Scribe and I reviewed Hot Fuzz, which also starred Simon Pegg and Nick Frost; which is to say I saw this film listed on Pegg's IMDb page. I believe one of my college friends a few years ago advised me to skip this movie because it was totally stupid. And I did, until AG decided he'd like to review it. I borrowed the DVD from the library, had it for the maximum two weeks, returned it, borrowed it again for another two weeks before I finally decided to watch it and get it over with. You can tell how exited I was to see this and how high my expectations were. I'm just glad I didn't have to pay to watch it.

AG did a great job giving you the basic synopsis of the movie, so I won't rehash it again.

I can appreciate the dry British sense of humor, so that aspect of the film was not a problem for me. I've never been a fan of horror movies (even those horror movies that make fun of horror movies, like this one). I find the whole genre ridiculous and laughable, with a few rare exceptions. Given the genre I was not disappointed (not necessarily a good thing, mind) and I understand the spirit in which this movie was made. It is obvious that the director and Pegg, at least, like or have a reverence for zombie movies. I think Simon Pegg is a brilliant comedic actor and was very credible as a young Scotty in 2009's Star Trek.

IMDb touts Kate Ashfield as "a powerful British actress" which may or may not be accurate, since I've not seen any of the English television shows she's acted in. Sure, she was good here, playing the straight, serious girlfriend Liz to Pegg's slacker boyfriend Shaun. It would be interesting to see her acting skillz in some other role.

It took me a few minutes to pick out the movie in which I had seen Dylan Moran before this, but eventually I got it. See if you can pick him out in Notting Hill.

Director Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg are obviously friends and have worked together on a few other movies and know what the other brings to the table. Wright does a good job directing the film and keeps the story from getting too silly.

If this is the genre of movies you love then this movie is great; there is none better. For the rest of us it's an enjoyable waste of time, if only barely.

** out of *****

Shaun of the Dead (2004, R, 100 minutes), starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy and Nicola Cunningham. Screenplay by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. Directed by Edgar Wright.