Zombie Bill Murray has taken over the City Of God?! We have GOT to get the Ghostbusters on this and call them... Oh, wait- that's right! This is "Movie Night"!
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Hello, and welcome to "Movie Night", YouTube weekly interactive DVD review show. I'm your host, Jonathan Paula. Our first film tonight is the most successful zombie film in history, which was released on DVD just last week.
"Zombieland", starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Emma Stone, was released last October to very positive reviews. It is set in a post-apocalyptic America where mad cow disease has turned everyone into zombies.
The zombies have overrun the country. Of course, a small group of survivors have banded together, and they're on their way to the west coast. They're also looking for Twinkies to eat along the way.
All of our lead actors portray these survivors with just the right amount of comedy and drama in their roles. This quickly creates some very likable and memorable characters for us to root for.
This is important, considering the main foursome of characters are almost the only people in the entire 81-minute film who have more than a couple of speaking lines.
The plot moves along by way of voice-over narration provided by Eisenberg, doing his best Michael Cera impression, who explains to the audience the many rules required to stay alive in Zombieland.
These rules are presented in 3D-kinetic typography that is seamlessly and humorously integrated into the narrative whenever one of the rules is relevant. It makes for a few great laughs and some outstanding special effects work.
The budding love story between Eisenberg and Stone is something you see coming from the second we're introduced to her character, but their on-screen chemistry is no less entertaining because of it.
The make-up and effects with the zombies will delight even the most hardcore fans of the genre, who may have otherwise been put-off by a quote, unquote "comedy" film.
In reality, I found myself enjoying the blood, gore, and zombie murders in this movie almost more than in a regular horror film. The movie throws in quite a few nice surprises.
One of these surprises is an epic cameo by Bill Murray who pretends to be a zombie, so that he can still go to the golf course without being bothered by anybody.
Although this movie probably isn't going to win any awards or really wow you in any departments, it does a great job of delivering exactly what is advertised: some funny comedy and some great zombie gore.
And while the plot isn't anything special, the endearing characters will keep you invested in this film until the very end. I only wish the ending had a bit more closure to it, myself.
Anyway, that's what I thought about the film "Zombieland." Now, let's see what you had to say about the zombie comedy in the YouTube comments.
Jon: MusLtngBlue wrote... (reads MusLtngBlue's comment)
Jon: rahsheyne wrote... (reads rahsheyne's comment)
Okay, now that we've heard from the comments, let's fire up the Rate-o-Matic to see how we both ranked "Zombieland."
Okay, I scored it a "great." I loved the characters and the comedic take on a zombie apocalypse, which was very well-done. But at the end of the day, I felt that nothing really impressed me.
You guys, on the other hand, showed no discretion at all, went all-out with your rating, and scored this film a perfect "10", an "amazing" score. Many of you praised Bill Murray's amazing cameo, which was the favorite part of many of you.
Our second film this evening is 2002's "City of God."This foreign film, firmly entrenched in the coveted top-20 highest-rated films on IMDB, is the true story about two boys growing up in the violent "City of God" neighborhood outside of Rio de Janeiro.
One becomes a photographer, while the other becomes a murderous drug dealer. "City of God", which is entirely in English subtitles, feels a lot like a Portuguese version of Scorsese's "Goodfellas"...
...Except with delusional and hopeless children, rather than Ray Liotta and Robert DeNiro. Perhaps it was because of the subtitles or because all of the little Brazilian kids looked the same to me...
...Or even because of the non-linear and sporadic narrative, but I found myself struggling to follow the complicated plot and character paths for most of the first half of this film.
When things finally settled in and most of the supporting cast had been killed off, I was pleasantly surprised by "City of God", which finally started to come into its own, rather than just being "Godfather"-esque cut scenes of people being murdered.
The immensely large cast of local amateurs all did a terrific job here, but none of them really stood out, and I found it difficult to really connect to any of the main characters.
I will say this, though- the cinematography and editing in this film were absolutely outstanding. They kept things moving at a blistering pace, all while maintaining a very stylized, almost music video-type look to some of the shots.
The dirty slums of Rio are portrayed with gritty and striking realism that really immerses you in the sights and sounds of this hellish neighborhood. And although this film and all of its characters are closely based on a true story...
I couldn't help but feel that it was like a poor man's version of much better gangster films that had come before it. Although beautifully shot, written, and acted, I quite honestly wasn't that impressed with "City of God."
I'd even go so far as to say I was bored at times. Perhaps it was because I had set myself up for an amazing film or because the subtitles kept me distant from sympathizing with the characters, but I really didn't think this movie was anything special.
That being said, however, I did enjoy the film, especially the last hour, and I can certainly appreciate it for what it was trying to accomplish. So, it wins back some points from me there.
Anyway, that's what I thought of "City of God." Now, let's see what you had to say in the YouTube comments. sandyman002 wrote... (reads sandyman002's comment)
Jon: bassoonarama wrote... (reads bassoonarama's comment)
Alright, let's fire-up the Rate-o-Matic and see how "City of God" fared.
I scored it a "6", you scored it a "7." My opinions on this film were certainly mixed. There were aspects I thoroughly enjoyed and thought were quite deserving of a higher rating...
...While at other times, I found myself disconnected and uninterested with the plot. I ended up giving it a "good" rating. Your views were just as mixed as mine.
Many of you either flat-out hated the movie or absolutely loved it and scored it a much higher "10", praising the shockingly realistic portrayal of slum-life in Brazil. Your rating averaged out to a "cool."
Moving forward now, let's take a look at some movies currently playing in theaters, with your Tweet Critiques. RogelioQ Tweeted... (reads RogelioQ's Tweet)
Jon: CrashingSuccess Tweeted... (reads CrashingSuccess's Tweet)
Remember, if you're going to the movies this weekend, submit your review via Twitter, to have it featured on an upcoming Tweet Critque. That does it for this week's movies. Now, let's take a look at the films we'll be watching for next episode.
"Couples Retreat" is a vacation-inspired comedy film starring Vince Vaughn that was released last October to large box-office success, despite negative reviews.
"Felon" is a smaller movie that slipped through the cracks in 2008. It's a "Shawshank Redemption"-esque movie about a man unjustly sentenced to a maximum security prison and his struggle to get back into the free world.
Until next time, I hope you get a chance to buy, rent, or download these two films. I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say about them in the comments below.
Until then, my name is Jonathan Paula. Thank you for joining me on another episode of "Movie Night." Have a good one!
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