Archive
Movie Review: Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Summary:
Shaun is a 20-something loser with a dead-end job and a girlfriend who he only ever takes out to the local pub. She dumps him on the eve of a zombie outbreak. Shaun drags his job-less roommate through the streets, battling zombies in an attempt to save his mother and restore his relationship with Liz.
Review:
I couldn’t watch this movie and not compare it to Zombieland, which I watched last summer. I honestly think that anyone wanting to compare US culture to UK culture should just watch these two films. Shaun of the Dead takes an everyman who wants desperately to save people, but his only weapon is a cricket bat (btw, those things look like such a pussy weapon). Shaun stumbles about the city with his line of relatives, friends, and frenemies, and they all make witty asides to each other while maintaining some sense of propriety when battling the zombies. It’s wonderfully funny to watch, but not a point of view I, as an American, would imagine at all for a zombie apocalypse. My pov lines up much more with Zombieland where the characters swipe trucks and double-tap the zombies with guns. However, that’s what made Shaun of the Dead such a delightful watch, because it was a character study on top of the fun zombie scenes. There were some jokes that fell flat for me, and I wasn’t too keen on the ending, but I know some people will enjoy the ending for precisely the reasons I disliked it. However, Shaun of the Dead was still a delightful watch, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys humorous apocalypse or zombie tales.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: Netflix
Movie Review: Black Dynamite (2009)
Summary:
When Black Dynamite’s brother turns up dead, he comes out of ass kicking retirement to clean up the city streets. There’s more going on than originally met his eye, though. It’s a damn good thing the CIA reissued him his license to kill.
Review:
There’s not much that I love more in my movies than ones that are knowingly making fun of themselves. Black Dynamite is simultaneously a satire of 1970s blaxploitation films and a mockery of itself. The dialogue, characters, outfits, and story are so bad that they’re good, and it’s that bad on purpose. That makes it awesome in my book.
The acting is excellent. You believe in the characters in spite of the ridiculous situations and conversations they’re having. The soundtrack is amazing. It sounds just like 1970s music, only it has specially written lyrics that go along with the story. The storyline is so outlandish that it lands in the awesome zone. If you enjoyed Bill Murray’s appearance in Zombieland, you’re going to like Black Dynamite‘s storyline.
Black Dynamite is hilarious and unique. If you enjoy kitschy, crazy plot, dialogue, and characters, you’ll like it as much as I do.
5 out of 5 stars
Source: Netflix
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This work by Amanda Nevius is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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