Saturday, October 31, 2009

Shaun of the Dead (movie #94)

This is one of my favorite comedies of all time. I still remember the first time I saw it. My friend and I got off third shift at work, came to my house, popped it in, and thought it might end up being really stupid. the first few jokes kind of fell flat, and then something happened,we looked at each other, burst out laughing, and then didn't stop laughing for the rest of the movie. It's just that kind of humor, the kind that gets me giggling no matter what (I can think of a scene in this movie and it makes me smile no matter where I am or what I'm doing).

This movie is about a guy named Shaun, a slacker in his 30s who doesn't have much ambition. He lives with two roommates and his girlfriend dumps him at the beginning of the movie because she doesn't think he plans to go anywhere in life (and he doesn't seem to care, either). He goes out with one of his roommates to get drunk the night of the break up, and in the morning, the world is suddenly ending in a zombie apocalypse. Soon, he's going around town gathering his friends and family and trying to seclude them all in a local bar, waiting for rescue. It's the same plot from any other zombie movie, but the twists and nudges to other classic zombie films are what make this one a treat for horror fans. The jokes in this movie aren't forced the way they are with one of the "Scary Movie"s or with something like "Shriek if You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th," it's not a spoof in that classic sense, it's just a movie where dialogue and situations are cast in a funny light, and that's something refreshing in this age of "Epic Movie" and "Date Movie" and "Spoof Movie 3001." I love returning to this movie every time I need a genuine laugh and a good time (and I can't hear Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" without thinking of this movie...that's a good thing). I haven't seen this movie in awhile, so it was the perfect choice to cheer me up this Halloween.

No comments:

Post a Comment