Ghouls, Giggles and Gore

By Adam Pope
October 15, 2009 Issue

The appearance of zombies on screen certainly is not a new phenomenon—George A. Romero has been doing it for just under half a century. But with 2004’s Shaun of the Dead, a gruesome and cheeky British import, fans were introduced to a new kind of zombie cinema, the zombie comedy. These “zomedies” attempt to tickle and terrorize, no easy feat. Zombieland follows carefully in the well-worn path of its British predecessor, delivering hordes of laughs and buckets of blood and gore without wasting time on pesky plotlines or character development.

As with most zombie flicks, the audience is not clued in on exactly what caused the majority of the known world to become brain-craving cadavers, only that it began at the Gas ‘N Gulp as some form of Mad Cow Disease that soon spread to Mad People Disease. At least that’s the inner monologue we are given from Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), the pasty, lily-livered college student who has survived in Zombieland (as he refers to the world) due to a meticulous and oft repeated set of rules. Director Ruben Fleischer flashes these rules on screen any time they come into play, such as “Rule #1: Cardio” whenever Columbus has to hoof it out of an undead situation.

Columbus is soon joined in his quest to survive by Tallahassee, a rootin’ tootin’ redneck with a chip on his shoulder and a short fuse played giddily by Woody Harrelson, and a double dose of heroine in Wichita (Emma Stone) and her younger sister, Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). All have somehow survived the widespread destruction and seem to have gotten their PhDs in zombie slaying. Each character has his or her own ulterior motive, from Columbus’s desire to get the girl to Wichita attempting to keep her much younger sister’s spirits up to Tallahassee’s unbridled passion for locating a Twinkie before they reach their expiration date. After fighting wave after wave, it soon becomes apparent that Columbus may have to break one of his beloved rules—“Rule #17: Don’t Be a Hero.”

The jokes in Zombieland come fast and furious, and there really is something for everyone to laugh at whether you like the blatant, brutal physical comedy (Woody Harrelson going after zombies with hedge clippers and baseball bats) or the perfectly serrated banter. The script is a masterpiece of pithy comebacks, zingers, one-liners, and colloquial hodgepodge that seems oddly fitting deep in the heart of Zombieland, USA. Eisenberg gives a believable performance as a lovable coward, and Harrelson is having more fun than some actors have in their entire careers as he plows through the zombie masses in a parade of Hummers, handguns, and garden hoes, all without wrinkling his snakeskin shirt. Fleischer also does a great job with the over-the-top gore effects needed to make any zombie film complete. There isn’t a single organ or body part that isn’t being happily tugged on or ingested by some walking carcass, and gallons of fake blood hammer the point home that this isn’t a PG film.

“RUTHLESS”LY AMUSING
Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, Whip It, is the best movie no one is seeing, having earned only $4.6 million in its opening weekend. True, the basic plot—which combines teenage rebellion against parental oppression witha typical underdog-comeback sports story—isn’t that original. The setting, however, is anything but ordinary, basing itself in the resurrecting underground world of roller derby. It literally puts a new spin on an old genre.

Ellen Page stars as Bliss (a/k/a "Babe Ruthless")a typical teen chastised for appreciating life's amazing randomness. She eventually discovers the world of roller derby, hides the fact that she's not old enough to compete, and (shocker) discovers that she's really good at it. Page is joined by an amazing supporting cast that includes Juliette Lewis, Zoe Bell, Eve, Kristen Wiig, and, of course, Barrymore. It’s as if Barrymore one day decided to get together with her fellow actresses and said, "Hey, let's make a roller derby movie and have some fun with it!"

The on-screen chemistry of the cast suggests that they did, indeed, have fun making this film.Barrymore brings out a wild side not seen since her famous sitting with David Letterman.Lewis takes the stereotypical antagonist role and makes it her own. Page, as always, plays her role very well and certainly earns her props for taking such a beating on the rink. The most surprising performance, however, is by SNL's Wiig—she throws in her usual offbeat flavor while pulling off the caring mentor vibe.

The movie as a whole is very enjoyable.Although somewhat predictable, it’s still funny and thrilling to watch, but most importantly, empowering.As odd as it may sound, this movie is a certain motivator for young girls wanting to find their place in the world. Whip It takes the "can do anything" attitude and takes it to a very unique place while showing an entertaining world that is making a major comeback.
- “Johnny C.” Alexander

Next Beachcomber: Is there enough money in the Beachcomber’s budget to get one of our writers to suffer through Saw VI?

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