Weekend Bites: Ace vs. Zombieland... the Zombies win!

Posted by Ace

4 bites [out of 5]

There is finally something worth watching this weekend… or rather something worth spending your $15 at the box office.


Rules for surviving the Zombie apocalypse:
Rule #1 – Cardio
Rule #2 - The Double Tap
Rule #3 - Seatbelts

Alright… so who hasn’t thought of what they would do if, in fact, the Zombie apocalypse broke out? (Personally, I’d probably hull up in a Wal-Mart or Costco or something… that is to say after I killed all the Zombie employees first) With all the strange infectious disease scares floating around, who’s to say that the Zombie apocalypse won’t happen? I’m just saying… It’s something to keep in mind…

But I digress…

When I first heard about “Zombieland,” I naturally wrote it off. I’m not big on horror, or gore, or zombies for that matter. Ever since I was a kid and watched Night of the Living Dead during a daytime matinee on TV, zombies have scared the bejeezus out of me (and yes, there’s still a small part of me, hidden deep inside, underneath this dastardly handsome exterior that still gets a little scared by the “Thriller” music video).

But like I was saying, I wrote this movie off almost the instant I first saw a poster for it, mainly because I didn’t know anything about it. But the first trailer I ever saw for Zombieland was actually at San Diego Comic-Con this year, and it was probably the biggest surprise of the Con. Perhaps a lot more people shared my original sentiment about the movie, and just as likely, we were probably all pleasantly surprised by what the film had to offer. So, kudos to newcomer director, Ruben Fleischer, for breaking my preconceptions about this movie and dissuading me from not watching it.


The film stars Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland), Woody Harrelson (White Men Can’t Jump), Emma Stone (Superbad) and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) as the last remaining living human beings in Zombieland, formerly known as America.

The plot is pretty simple… Survival.

Eisenberg’s character, Columbus, named after the city in Ohio (a coping strategy for the characters -- referring to themselves as the names of the cities they were from, helps them stay emotionally detached, in the event that they would have to kill one another) narrates the film as he runs through a list of rules he’s compiled which are imperative to surviving in Z-land. Columbus is trying to get to, well, Columbus in hopes of finding his family, and along the way, he runs into Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), the expert in zombie killing, who’s also on a quest of his own — finding Twinkies. Somewhere along the way, Columbus and Tallahassee get hijacked by a sister duo, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). I don’t want to give too much away here, so I’ll just say this: they eventually all team up together.

And like I said earlier, the movie is pretty simple and straight-forward. There aren’t too many twists and turns, but it’s just pure, unadulterated fun at the expense of killing zombies. Drawing its inspiration from another great Zombie-comedy insta-classic, Shaun of the Dead, the film really isn’t a horror movie (and I still find it strange that Zombie movies have become their own sub-genre). Of course it has its moments that startle you, but I can’t really classify this as “HORROR” per se. It’s much too light-hearted for that. Unless you’re squeamish and you consider all movies that feature blood, guts, gore, and Zombies as horrific, then this movie’ll probably scare you.

But it’s not just about gore and guts and zombie smashing, it has a great amount of heart. As the characters try to stay emotionally detached from one another, they find themselves actually growing closer together. Columbus finds another kind of family in his endeavor to find his real family. But I guess being the sole surviving members of the human race will do that to people. Plus, someone makes a really GREAT cameo in the movie… arguably the greatest cameo of all time. Alright, I hyperbolized that just a tad, but it’s still awesome!

That being said, here are my rules for surviving Zombieland…

Rule #1 – Go watch this movie!
Rule #2 – If you’re squeamish… get over it and go watch this movie! (It’s time to Nut up or Shut up!)
Rule #3 – Refer back to Rules #1 and #2…

Images courtesy of Columbia Pictures

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What's on the Menu: October 2 - 4

- Posted by Rusty

What a great weekend for movies. We have 5 new releases (and one very special double-feature re-release), and it looks like all are worth catching in theaters. Let’s break down the movies, and see what we have…


1. “Whip It” - I’m crazy about the trailer for this—check it out below if you haven’t seen it. I don’t know about you guys, but it looks like a great time to me—colorful characters, a rousing spirit, and a pretty heartwarming coming-of-age story at the center (and love that Weezer song it’s set to!). This is actually the directing debut of Drew Barrymore, and it’s all centered on Ellen Page’s Bliss Cavendar, a teen misfit who defies her mother’s beauty pageant dreams…and joins the roller derby instead! The trailer has an infectious energy, and just look at the talent that Barrymore rounded up: Page is dependably good at this point (especially in playing quirky teens), and she’s backed up by Kristen Wiig, Barrymore herself, Juliette Lewis, super stuntwoman Zoe Bell (from Tarantino’s Death Proof), Marcia Gay Harden, Daniel Stern (great to see him again—he was Joe Pesci’s robber partner in Home Alone), and Jimmy Fallon as derby announcer “Hot Tub” Johnny Rocket. The reviews are strong, and this could very well be a popular, feel-good hit for Barrymore.

2. “Zombieland” - This just looks fantastic—I have a weird love for zombie flicks in general, and this one feels like it’s mining the same horror/comedy gold as Shaun of the Dead (one of my all-time favorite zombie movies). The previews have all been fun, and the story, tracking a group of random heroes as they travel a zombie-ravaged world, has tons of potential for both laughs and scares. The cast is also pitch-perfect: Woody Harrelson looks like he’s having a blast as Tallahassee, a guy who finally discovers his one true talent (killing zombies!), and Jesse Eisenberg (ironically following up another “land” movie, Adventureland) and Emma Stone are fast becoming my new favorite young actors. This is actually the best-reviewed movie of the week, so, in terms of sheer entertainment, I think this will be your best bet. I’m psyched to see what the final product will be—hopefully, I’ll catch it sometime this weekend, so I’ll let you guys know how it was.

3. “A Serious Man” - This is the new film from the Coen brothers, the always-unpredictable duo behind Fargo, No Country for Old Men, and Burn After Reading, and it’s supposedly their most personal (and, according to the many positive reviews, their best) film yet. Featuring mostly unknown actors, this tackles the midlife crisis of a Jewish man in 1960’s suburbia. I think the trailer (check it out below if you’re curious) is brilliant—it’s strange, but with a captivating, haunting edge to it—even in two minutes, it really pulls you in, and you feel for this guy whose life is crumbling all around him. And while I’m not crazy about all of the Coens’ films (I thought Fargo was a masterpiece, but No Country For Old Men didn’t live up to the hype for me), they’re certainly never boring, and they always manage to bring something new and intriguing to the table. If you’re in the mood for something more challenging, or are a fan of the filmmakers, this looks like it’s worth seeing, even if it doesn’t strike me as a must-watch-in-theaters type of film.

4. “The Invention of Lying” - I can’t wait to see this. From Ricky Gervais, the mastermind behind The Office (the original British version) and Extras, this movie takes place in a version of our world where everyone can only tell the truth…that is, until one man (Gervais) discovers a lie, and uses that power to get everything he ever wanted (including the way-out-of-his-league Jennifer Garner). The premise is ripe for Gervais’ satirical bite, and the cast alone might make this worth seeking out: alongside Gervais and Garner (who showed great comic chops in 13 Going on 30), we have Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Jonah Hill, and apparently some big-star, secret cameos. The reviews are a bit mixed, but that’s not surprising—Gervais’ brand of comedy isn’t for everyone, and sometimes he goes too far into the squirmingly-awkward even for me (there’s also a religion subplot here—cleverly hidden by the marketing—that's sure to rub some people the wrong way). Still, this feels like something witty and original, and its topic is brimming with comic potential, especially with these actors tackling all the painfully honest dialogue.

5. “Toy Story" / "Toy Story 2" 3D Double Feature” - This is just too tempting an opportunity: two of the best animated films of all time, back-to-back for the price of one, all in a nifty, brand-new 3D presentation…and capped off with a never-before-seen preview for next summer’s Toy Story 3! I never saw the original Toy Story in theaters, so I’ll definitely make time for this—if anything, it’s a lovely way to spend a few hours—some great storytelling, characters you love, and I hear the 3D adds a beautiful touch to already perfect films (oh, and apparently there’s some in-between-movies footage that’s really entertaining as well). For $10, I think it’s a wonderful deal…and it should do the job of all getting us all pumped for Toy Story 3—if anyone can pull off two brilliant sequels in the same series, it’s the band of geniuses at Pixar! This is only playing for two weekends, so if you want to see it, make sure to catch it soon.

6. “More Than a Game” - I’m really not the target audience for this—opening in limited release, it’s a documentary about LeBron James’ rise from humble beginnings to NBA Basketball superstardom. True, I’m the least knowledgeable guy when it comes to sports, but this does sound like a compelling story—if you’re a James and basketball fan, this might be worth checking out.

And that’s all we have for this weekend. What do you guys think? Interested in seeing one (or more) of these?

Me? I actually want to see almost all of them (sorry, Mr. LeBron James), so this weekend is a very nice change of pace from the last couple of weeks. All of the major releases look like good movies, so I think you can’t go wrong—it all depends on whatever you’re in the mood for. And I could never pass up some zombie-comedy action!

Images courtesy of Fox Searchlight, Columbia Pictures, Focus Features, Working Title Films, Warners Bros. Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, and Lionsgate.

Clips courtesy of Trailer Addict.
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