G is for...

Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the script, but Bill Murray gets all the best lines and moments in this 1984 comedy directed by Ivan Reitman (Meatballs). The three comics, plus Ernie Hudson, play the New York City-based team that provides supernatural pest control, and Sigourney Weaver is the love interest possessed by an ancient demon. Reitman and company are full of original ideas about hobgoblins--who knew they could "slime" people with green plasma goo?--but hovering above the plot is Murray's patented ironic view of all the action. Still a lot of fun, and an obvious model for sci-fi comedies such as Men in Black. (synopsis provided by Amazon.com)

directed by Ivan Reitman

released 1984

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou [2004]

We join documentary film auteur and oceanic explorer, Steve Zissou, as he sets out on a journey for revenge against the Jaguar shark, who killed his best friend and first mate, Esteban. Along with him is a crew of misfits - his film crew, a bonds man, a reporter and a young pilot who may be his son.

There is something about the sheer joy of filmmaking that Wes Anderson brings to his films that makes them so appealing to someone who watches a lot of movies. He combines elements and influences that make you say – “that reminds me of...” or “after watching that I feel like watching...”

He brings a subtle humor to most of his films – he doesn’t go with the easy joke – he goes with the smart joke. Though in The Life Aquatic he goes for a few of his broadest of jokes – none of them feel forced or contrived. Bill Murray is brilliant as the aging Zissou – who desperately wants to stay relevant – but plays it in such a deadpan way as to not fully show his hand.

Anderson’s films aren’t overly bitter or mean – everyone is typically kind of caricatures – but that’s not to say they don’t have some depth – and a sense of a history to them. You get the feeling that they’ve all got stories in their past worth hearing – and they will go on to have more stories in the future. This is one of the aspects that I’ve always enjoyed about how Wes Anderson approaches his characters – I’m always left thinking about them.

His cast of characters – and talented actors of course is outstanding. Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, Michael Gambon, Jeff Goldblum, Angelica Houston and of course Owen Wilson and the Wes Anderson staple – Bill Murray.

The soundtrack of pretty much all early 70’s David Bowie tunes –most of which covered in Portuguese by singer Seu Jorge - was an inspired choice for a soundtrack. There’s an excitement about Bowie in that time frame that really goes along with this film – as Bowie (on the surface) is singing about outer space and aliens and wonders from beyond.

The Life Aquatic captures an innocence of childhood wonder and the spirit that adventure is all around you – but it doesn’t’ require you to be childish to enjoy them. You could imagine this film as a kids movie if there wasn’t the nudity or swearing – and this film goes as kind of a tribute to childhood.

“Let’s get the gang together guys and have an adventure! Watch out for pirates! We discovered a wreck! Oh no, leeches!”

The stop-motion animation critters they encounter along the way – the snakes and exotic animals all over – the over the top action – all those things you get from old adventure films – and things you envision in your childhood adventures playing pretend with your friends.

I’ve watched this film several times – and it’s been one of those films that has grown on me to the point where I love it and give it full marks 5 out of 5.

Zombieland [2009]

I was hesitant to see Zombieland in the theater – as it looked like it’d either be really good – or dreadfully bad. Sometimes those stylized “hip at the time” kind of films – especially comedies - can lead you in with it’s sweet promises – only for you to walk out cursing that you were duped again.

The United States has been overrun by zombies. An overly cautious boy named Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) meets a violent Twinkie obsessed guy named Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson)– they join up to travel and to survive. They meet a girl named Wichita (Emma Stone) and her younger sister named Little Rock (Abigail Breslin)– and a cat and mouse chase develops.

This film tries to have some varying themes and zombie like messages – but that’s coated so very thin – that it’s almost not worth mentioning. The main theme would probably be the detachment of people from each other – given the fact that Columbus was basically a shut-in – and they all call themselves by the town they grew up in – in order not to get too attached to one another.

The film is pretty much all fun and zombie killing from there. It provides some VERY solid laughs – some good zombie kills – and a special cameo that was quite satisfying. The movie felt like a video game at times – which is fine – but it does lack substance for it.

Everybody was as good as can be expected in their respective parts – with a special nod to Woody Harrelson who hits a big home run in the role of Tallahassee. The performances – really don’t equate into the liking of the film – you just basically don’t want to follow around a bunch of unlikable characters – so as long as the parts are written right – there’s no problems.

As Columbus ticks off his “rules to survive” there’s graphics showing up on the screen – and demonstrations of what he’s talking about. The graphics don’t added or detracted from my personal enjoyment of the film – but in other films I know it’s really gotten to me. Don’t try and be too cute or try to bee too cool “look at us” – or else I’ll turn off right away.

There's plot holes the size of something very big and there’s a couple of really stupid decisions made my some of the characters – that you just want to shout at the screen and ask “why?” – but it’s no more dumb than giant robots who can transform into stuff in order to hide in plain site but not transforming when they need to because they want to play peek-a-boo around the corner of a fucking house while that stupid fucking kid is having some inane conversation with his dumber than rocks family in that one really fucking stupid film that makes me want to punch myself in the head over and over and over and over... Sorry.

Zombieland is fun – just plain fun – I won’t tell you to turn off your mind and enjoy it because life doesn’t work that way – but if you want to watch it I won’t tell you not to – if you are on the fence I would give you a nudge toward the ‘watch it’ side – if you have no interest I won’t tell you you’re missing a lot. In my book - Woody and the cameo make it worth it - I’m giving it a solid 4 out of 5.