There was an awesome poll over at horror-movies.ca, where they posed a question to their audience. The question: Which movie was better–Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland?
You likely won’t be surprised to hear that Zombieland won out. But where you WILL be surprised is to hear that it only won by THREE PERCENT. And there’s one more surprise in there.
The breakdown went like this:
Zombieland: 37 percent
Shaun of the Dead: 34 percent
Both were equally good: 29 percent
I have to admit I’m in the “equally good” camp myself, but I have to further admit I enjoyed Zombieland more. Why? Because Zombieland spoke to my cultural heritage. Sure, Shaun of the Dead was a comic riot and watching a mostly disarmed country try to tackle zombies WITHOUT GUNS was an interesting if terrifying treat.
But Zombieland was pure baseball, mom and apple pie start to finish. Okay, so it was more like amusement parks, family and Twinkies, but close enough for government work, huh?
In an objective sense, they’re equally good. They show the cultural foibles of a society attacked by the horror of zombies and they do so in a hilariously overblown way that emphasizes the comic. But most have a preference, one way or the other, which you see mirrored in the poll.
So where do you come in on this one? Zombieland? Shaun of the Dead? Or do you see the joy in both these comic gems?
And you’ll be amazed how the criminal element in the supposedly gun-free country manages to get their hands on literally all kinds of armament, up to and including an Uzi.
Ten Dead Men deals with Ryan, the mostly mute former henchman of a criminal syndicate. Ryan is the syndicate’s gifted assassin who, one day, decides he’s going to pack it in for the simple life as the male half of a young couple. Dinner parties, white sheets, occasional vacations in the sun…these things seem pretty ideal for Ryan until one day he helps an old friend…who’s double crossed the syndicate.
Directly after, the syndicate then killed Ryan’s lovely young girlfriend, and very nearly Ryan too. So now Ryan has to set out to get his revenge on the ten men who took his life away. Ten men had to pay…and when you find out what happens to them, you’ll be amazed.
Despite the fact that Ten Dead Men is extremely low budget, possibly owing to the fact that they got Doug Bradley–Pinhead himself–to serve as the film’s narrator, you’re going to find that Ten Dead Men has a great many satisfying twists involved with it. In fact, the greatest secret of all is the identity of the tenth person on Ryan’s murder list. I won’t tell you who it is, but I will tell you that it’ll be just plain old amazing.
And plain old amazing is an excellent descriptor. I usually enjoy British gangster films–they have a certain charm to them that you can’t get anywhere else. They have the violence and action you expect, but they also bring in some comic relief, too–plus the occasional surprise or two.
The Screenhead Ten Scale gives Ten Dead Men a high-grade nine out of ten. If they’d had a proper budget, chances are this would blow Snatch out of the WATER. It’s an excellent piece that’ll hold your interest all the way through, and any action buff will love having it in their library.
Upcoming British comedy, “The Infidel,” about a Muslim taxi driver who discovers he’s Jewish, has been pre-sold to a number of regions, including the Middle East. Samantha Horley heads up London-based sales and financing outfit, The Salt Company and confirmed the sales following a push at Cannes.
Written by David Baddiel, “The Infidel” is about an identity crisis focused on Mahmud Nasir, a blue-collar Muslim cabbie who discovers that he is adopted — and Jewish. The supposed “comedy of ethnic proportions” stars Omid Djalili and Richard Schiff. The film is currently in post-production and is produced by Slingshot with Revolver.
“In The Loop” is a political satire from director and co-screenwriter Armando Iannucci. Simon Foster is a minor minister of international development with the British government who casually mentions, in the midst of a radio interview, that “war is unforeseeable.” However, the prime minister goes into a tirade when the press turns Foster’s passing comment into a major news story. Foster and his personal communications director, Judy, are joined by political damage control expert Toby as they’re sent to Washington, D.C., to meet with American political and military leaders.
Foster finds he is unable to say what he’s supposed to and gets caught in the middle between pro-war factions that including diplomat Karen Clarke, State Department official Linton Barwick, Pentagon attaché General Miller, and activist Liza. To complicate matters, Liza used to date Toby and Gen. Miller was once involved with Clarke. All of this bitter romantic history adds to an already rocky playing field. Not rated. Open July 24.
There appears to be some excellent talent in FAQ About Time Travel, a British film full of British humor, but the movie trailer lacks American spunk (if there is such a thing).
I was hesitant on watching the movie Control because the subject matter is not very uplifting or upbeat. The film is art; it’s a masterpiece of entertainment.
The acting alone, Sam Riley and Samantha Morton, is transpiring while the black and white photography sets the eeriness of the coming suicide of the genius of punk rock. The film went under my skin and stayed there throughout. At times I wanted to reach out and help Ian Curtis; he was looking for help and solutions to his trouble life of epilepsy and love. Yet, it ended tragically, a tale well told by director Anton Corbijn.
With that all said, I believe, you’d want to see this film — Control. I have Control DVD to giveaway. Simply post your name and I will pick the winner Thursday July 31st. Good luck.
There was an awesome poll over at horror-movies.ca, where they posed a question to their audience. The question: Which movie was better–Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland?
Low-budget awesome, but still awesome.
