SHAUN OF THE DEAD

5/5
stars simon pegg, kate ashfield, penelope wilton, nick frost

when my good friend vito recommended this film, i doubt he would've anticipated that it would become my favourite film of all time. in fact, i remember him saying "i don't know if you'll like it, but there are bits in it that are definitely you", or similar words to that effect. but as you can see by my 5/5, i loved this movie through and through.

by now, most of you would know the basic premise of the film: a romantic comedy - with zombies. the film follows shaun (pegg) in his ho-hum kind of life, living with his primary school mate ed (frost) and pete, both of whom hate each other. shaun is working in an electrical appliace store and ed is a now-and-then dope dealer, and both are regulars at the winchester pub. shaun's girlfriend of three years liz (ashfield) is tired of thier complacent lives and wants to do something more and unfortuantely for shaun, he doesn't know what she means. that is, of course, until the recently deceased come back to life to feed off of the living.

shaun is then forced to make a plan to save his friends (and friends of friends) and finally take charge of his life.

when i first heard of this film i thought it was just going to be a spoof of zombie films with a bit of comedy thrown into it. but then i realised it was a british film and not a hollywood one. if you remember what i wrote about romantic comedies, the hollywood ones seem to be formulaic and predictable. you can see the jokes and gags coming from a mile off, and the trials faced by the protagonists are easily overcome.

"shaun of the dead" however, is very different. like a lot of english comedy, it relies on making everyday situations funny, meaning that the jokes are inherent throughout the entire film. there aren't build-ups to jokes, they just happen. and when they do, they always hit the spot.

script-wise, the film is perfik. a lot of the dialogue throughout the film can be referenced back to preceding scenes, and also make links back to films that influenced the writers (simon pegg and edgar wright) while making their own movie. the characters are authentic and unique in their own right, and never having seen pegg in anything before, i can confidently say he is one of the best actors i have ever seen. supporting cast were also awesome, with a huge mention to lucy davis who plays dianne, liz's air-head best friend.

furthermore, the editing in this film is amazing. from fast cuts, dynamic camera zooms, to just conventional continuity, "shaun of the dead" displays them all with perfection.

a lot of people may think "pft, that's so stupid - a romantic comedy with zombies. it's just an attempt to be different." different it may be, but the writers didn't push aside the need for strongly developed characters or storytelling to make way for zombie scenes. in fact, even without the zombies the film could have been an awesome stand-alone romantic comedy. oh, before i forget, shaun actually decides to sort his life out BEFORE any zombies start emerging so even without the living dead, shaun knew he had to change and make a go at his life.

the film hits emtional highs and lows, and the closing scene is just plain awesome.

go see this film, it is bloody fantastic.

-LOki

HARDBALL

4/5
stars keanu reeves, diane lane

it pains me to know that this film barely made it to the cinema; such a refreshing movie with a couple of big-man actors could have been really huge if it was marketed right. man, i wish i could turn back time and not watch this movie for the first time on some shitty bootlegged vcd, but alas i can't.

anyway, to the actual film. it centres on conor o'neil (reeves), a guy with a messed up life and plenty of gambling debts. with guys out to bust his ass for payment, o'neil is desperate to make some quick cash. enter a group of kids from the chicago projects and their little league baseball team. in exchange for coaching these kids, o'neil gets paid under the table to clear the $12k gambling debt.

this film is awesome on so many levels; it puts keanu in a completely different role that many audiences are used to, but even so, he pulls it off superbly. it's hard to picture him as anything but neo or some wandering hot-shot, so this story really allows us to see another side to him. it also plays on what it is to be an adult and having assumptions about children yet really having no idea what's going on in their lives. there's a key scene which really hits the spot here, and when you see it, i'm sure you'll know exactly what i mean.

the kids also give excellent performances. all first-time actors, they give such authentic performances that its hard to distinguish the character from the actor. if you watch it on dvd, the commentary by the screenwriter and director tell us just how they got the kids to act as well as they did.

being set in the projects, chicago, the film also explores the life of kids in these areas, and what paths they could take if no one's there to steer them right. it's hard watching some of these kids go through what real chicago project kids go through all the time, and i think the uplifting vibe of the movie lets us know that beneath the turmoil, there are unique and talented kids.

the film follows o'neil's journey as he discovers who he really is, and through these kids he is given an opportunity to prove to the world that he's more than just some bum with debts hanging over his head.

and as director brian robbins ("varsity blues") says, what this film is really about is that by helping others, you can help yourself.

you have to see this movie. please, see this movie.

-LOki