Zombieland

Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin.

Reviewed by Junior.

Doubling the genre of zombie parody films (held exclusively by Shaun of the Dead since 2004), Zombieland is a solid entry with a small, good cast. The film begins with one lone survivor, Columbus (Eisenberg), and his rules for survival, used repeatedly for humorous effect throughout, such as 1. Cardio, 2. Beware of Bathrooms, 3. Seatbelts, 4. Doubletap... all explained and proven very practical by our unlikely, somewhat nerdy protagonist.

Columbus soon hooks up with another survivor, Tallahassee (Harrelson), who revels in the chaos of Zombieland and has no such concerns for rules or other survivors in general. This diametrically opposed male duo soon meets up with two sisters, played by Stone and Breslin and our quartet, after initially clashing, set off on a road trip across a zombie-filled wasteland to California.

The film starts out with some very violent bits initially, which should be no surprise considering the genre, but soon settles into more of a lightweight buddy flick (x2) vibe. One can almost forget that the world has been overrun by the undead. Our heroes never seem to be in any real danger, which doesn't hurt the enjoyment of the film, but does give it a different flavor than you might expect. We learn the backstories of our motley group and they bond. I won't give away the very entertaining cameo appearance, all too short lived, when they arrive in Hollywood.

Of course, in the third act the movie does reach a slightly menacing crescendo, reaching a satisfying conclusion and setting up a sequel. Not, in my opinion, as funny, smart, or dark as Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland is nevertheless an entertaining romp with an appealing cast, solidly directed by first-timer Ruben Fleischer, at a perfect length of 88 minutes.

Story: 6

Acting: 7

Look: 7

Overall: 7

An Education

Directed by Lone Scherfing.

Based on the memoir by Lynn Barber. Adapted for the screen by Nick Hornby.

Starring Carey Mulligan as Jenny and Peter Sarsgaard as David.

Released 2009.

Review by CINEMAGIRL:

An Education is a lovely, well-acted film with great 1960s scenery a sweet love story and....a dark underbelly.

Jenny (Carey Mulligan - Oscar nominee) is a studious, English private school girl whose father (Alfred Molina) dreams of educating her at Oxford. While Dad is busy pushing her to study her Latin, Jenny would rather play her cello and hang out with her gal pals at the local coffee shop, where they smoke cigarettes and fantasize about being Parisian.

One day, Jenny meets David (Peter Sarsgaard) - a playboy twice her age - and a world of decadence, jazz clubs, and fine dining opens up to her. Jenny's parents believe David's good intentions, or at least choose to look the other way, and accept his "positive" influence on their daughter while becoming enamored with his wealth.

The dynamic between Jenny and David is enthralling. Jenny has her head on her shoulders. She is a commanding girl which David is so happy to oblige. David enjoys wining and dining with his new girlfriend, who although half his age, can hold a discussion on Classical music and speak French. In a sense, he's found a lady he can mold into a girlfriend, instead of the other way around.

David is charming, disarming, so willing to please...but all as long as he can get his own way. He is gentle, yet completely manipulative - willing to lie, cheat and steal because he is infallible. After the writer and director so expertly pull the audience in and make them feel comfortable in this completely inappropriate relationship does the story begin to reveal the many reasons why this coupling is doomed.

What I really loved about this story was rather than depicting Jenny as a flirtatious bimbo who had a train-wreck relationship headed her way, she is quite the opposite. Although it could be argued that she was manipulated by the ever charming David, Jenny is a willing accomplice throughout the story. She leaps at the chance to be treated like an adult and fulfill her personal dreams. Granted, she is far too immature to be completely responsible for her actions or the relationship, however she is not the classic "girl victim" who falls for a man out of her league only to be emotionally and psychologically damaged. You get the feeling that Jenny will be all right, because she is so smart and wise for her age.

Interesting to keep in mind is that this screenplay is based on a memoir, meaning this actually occurred in the life of the author. Nick Hornby is nominated for an Oscar for best adapted screenplay.

I highly recommend this film. I don't think it has much of a chance as a Academy Award Best Picture nominee (it's just not that kind of movie) but it's an excellent ride made memorable by great acting.

STORY: 8

ACTING: 8

LOOK: 8

Overall: 8

Wanted

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov

Starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Terence Stamp and Thomas Krestschmann.

Reviewed by Junior.

An aimless office drone (McAvoy) is thrust into a world of preternaturally endowed assassins, learning that his father was one of them and that he is similarly endowed with extraordinary capabilities. After undergoing an excruciating indoctrination/training under the supervision of Fox (Jolie), he is sent out on his first assignment.

This movie can best be described as fantasy. While modern action flicks always require some suspension of disbelief, the outrageous Matrix-like capabilities of these assassins (due supposedly to having excess adrenalin in their systems) go well beyond any relation to reality. Further, the film serves as a fantasy for anyone stuck in a job they don't like, whose personal life isn't working out, and whose bank account isn't what they would wish it to be. All this is changed for our protagonist, Wesley Gibson, in one fell swoop.

McAvoy, fresh off a strong performance in the well-regarded The Last King of Scotland, does good work here, for what little is asked of him. Similarly slumming are Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman, who both give stock performances. The story is outlandish, with a magical loom giving coded messages from Fate to assign the assassin's targets and mysterious, milky baths which allow the killers to heal in days from serious wounds which should take months to heal. Oh, and the assassins can shoot bullets in a curved arc, rather than in a straight line like the rest of us.

These imaginative touches aside, the plot itself is easily predictable and ultimately pretty unsatisfying. However, if you are looking for crazy cgi action set-pieces and copious violence, you might enjoy Wanted. There is even a Wanted 2 in pre-production, for some reason.

P.S. Come to think of it, this movie would have actually been helped by the hoary old cliche of the protagonist waking up at the end and realizing it had all been a dream. Then he could have gotten up out of bed and gotten his real life in order. But they didn't do that, so we have Wanted 2 to look forward to.

Story: 1

Acting: 3

Look: 9

Overall: 4