Zombieland

[megladon8]

From IMDb...


Harrelson To Star In Zombieland

26 August 2008 5:08 AM, PDT

Actor Woody Harrelson will star in forthcoming comedy film Zombieland.

The No Country for Old Men star is set to feature in Ruben Fleischer's zombie action film.

The movie revolves around a mismatched pair of survivors who find friendship in a world overrun by zombies, and Harrelson will play one of the men, a fighter named Albuquerque.

[Dukefrukem]

I'm there!

[Grouchy]

Great.

I find it funny how the actors are always "the star of (the latest hit they made)". When I think of Woody Harrelson, the first movies that come to mind are Natural Born Killers, White Men Can't Jump or Grass. Not No Country for Old Men.

[Rowland]

Is this the Ruben Fleischer who has... lets see, three episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live to his directorial credit?

[MadMan]

Great.

I find it funny how the actors are always "the star of (the latest hit they made)". When I think of Woody Harrelson, the first movies that come to mind are Natural Born Killers, White Men Can't Jump or Grass. Not No Country for Old Men.True, but Woody actually had the best lines in "No Country." He was also hilarious/awesome in that film, if only because he was a cowboy hat wearing hitman. His scene with Javier was pretty damn good. But yeah he played a much bigger role in the other movies you mentioned.

I need to see a trailer for this movie. But hey it has zombies, which is a plus.

[Sycophant]

Bold prediction: This will not be the best movie ever made.

Though I will concede that "Albuquerque" may be one of the best names for a hero character, particularly played by Woody Harrelson.

Suggested alternate plot: Two entrepeneurs are shocked (shocked!) to discover that their idea for a Zombieland theme park powered by and featuring real live zombies goes horribly awry!

[number8]

Suggested alternate plot: Two entrepeneurs are shocked (shocked!) to discover that their idea for a Zombieland theme park powered by and featuring real live zombies goes horribly awry!

But in the end, Woody, some chick and a couple of random kids helicopter their way out to safety, and the zombies are left to die in Zombieland...

...Until they learn how to swim and attack San Diego in the sequel.

[MadMan]

Bold prediction: This will not be the best movie ever made.

Though I will concede that "Albuquerque" may be one of the best names for a hero character, particularly played by Woody Harrelson.

Suggested alternate plot: Two entrepeneurs are shocked (shocked!) to discover that their idea for a Zombieland theme park powered by and featuring real live zombies goes horribly awry!The alternative plot=pretty awesome. At the very least it would be a hilariously sharp satire.

[Watashi]

Trailer (http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/06/18/must-watch-first-trailer-for-ruben-fleischers-zombieland/)

They should have just renamed this Dead Rising: The Movie.

Sure it looks like fun, but it's all really pointless since there is only one true definitive zombie comedy.

[Winston*]

Sure it looks like fun, but it's all really pointless since there is only one true definitive zombie comedy.

Peter Jackson's and Edgar Wright's. That's two.

[Watashi]

I haven't seen PJ's.

I'm just really tired of the zombie franchise. Is it still really that big of a marketable seller?

[megladon8]

And Fido.

[Winston*]

And Fido.

Fido's fine but it doesn't come close to Shaun or Brain Dead.

[Sycophant]

I think Fido was when I became done with zombies.

Though I never liked them that much to begin with.

[Dukefrukem]

Im there

[Acapelli]

i'd consider zombie's a genre rather than a franchise (i assume that was a miswording on your part wats). like any genre it has its fans and detractors

[number8]

Ah, this. The movie that Woody Harrelson used as an excuse to punch paparazzis.

[dreamdead]

Yawn. These films are getting a little boring.

I like the piano bit, though.

[Grouchy]

Ah, this. The movie that Woody Harrelson used as an excuse to punch paparazzis.
Do you even need an excuse for that?

It's almost as if the zombie satire is becoming its own Horror sub-genre. At least this one is not called Shit of the Dead or of the Dead something.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I'll pass until they start doing something truly interesting with zombies.

And Fido was not good.

[megladon8]

Fido > Shaun of the Dead

[D_Davis]

Yeah, Fido was kind of mediocre. It has some good moments though.

Good-to-decent (pseudo)zomcoms:

Return of the Living Dead
My Boyfriend's Back
Braindead
Shaun of the Dead
Slither
Night of the Creeps
I was a Teenage Zombie
Biozombie
SARS Wars

[jenniferofthejungle]

Trailer made me smile a lot. We'll see.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Fido > Shaun of the Dead

It's like Meg learned the word wrong and demanded a stronger definition.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Good-to-decent (pseudo)zomcoms:

Return of the Living Dead
My Boyfriend's Back
Braindead
Shaun of the Dead
Slither
Night of the Creeps
I was a Teenage Zombie
Biozombie
SARS Wars

I hated Bio-Zombie. Its dial was stuck on shrill.

[jenniferofthejungle]

I hated Bio-Zombie. Its dial was stuck on shrill.

The whiny girl nearly made me give up on it, but mass' love for it made me press on and I did end up liking it tons.


I love both Shaun and Fido, but I place Shaun above it.

[D_Davis]

Biozombie is a top 100 film if there ever was one.

Some brilliant filmmaking. One of the best trick-split screen takes I've ever seen, and the use of the Gameboy camera is brilliant. It's truly funny, and even a little touching at the end. Shaun of the Dead owes a huge debt to that film; beat for beat the two are quite similar.

One of my favorite films. I've seen it dozens of times.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Biozombie is a top 100 film if there ever was one.

Some brilliant filmmaking. One of the best trick-split screen takes I've ever seen, and the use of the Gameboy camera is brilliant. It's truly funny, and even a little touching at the end. Shaun of the Dead owes a huge debt to that film; beat for beat the two are quite similar.

One of my favorite films. I've seen it dozens of times.

Huh.

[D_Davis]

Huh.

You don't say?

:)

[balmakboor]

Yeah, Fido was kind of mediocre. It has some good moments though.

Good-to-descent (pseudo)zomcoms:

Return of the Living Dead
My Boyfriend's Back
Braindead
Shaun of the Dead
Slither
Night of the Creeps
I was a Teenage Zombie
Biozombie
SARS Wars

I kinda like that typo. It fits.

I also really enjoyed Biozombie. In fact, I think I saw it based on your rec. I've also seen and liked Return, Braindead (actually Dead Alive which may be a bit tamer, I dunno), Shaun, and Slither. I'll queue up the others.

[D_Davis]

Descent... heh....:)

[number8]

I liked Biozombie a lot, too. The setting was ridiculously clever.

[D_Davis]

I kinda like that typo. It fits.

I also really enjoyed Biozombie. In fact, I think I saw it based on your rec. I've also seen and liked Return, Braindead (actually Dead Alive which may be a bit tamer, I dunno), Shaun, and Slither. I'll queue up the others.

The least of my recs are: My Boyfriend's Back and I Was a Teenage Zombie. I rented these during the phase in which it was my goal to see every zombie film available to rent in my home town - I did. And I saw some terrible films. I expected these to be terrible, but I ended up digging them to a certain degree. I haven't seen them since, and probably shouldn't vouch for their status.

And while not strictly a comedy, Cemetery Man contains some wickedly dark humor and also comes highly recommended.

[D_Davis]

I liked Biozombie a lot, too. The setting was ridiculously clever.

I love how it opens up with a commentary on bootlegging. Hilarious. This was especially funny because the first copy I saw was on a bootlegged VCD.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I liked Biozombie a lot, too. The setting was ridiculously clever.

The mall?

[number8]

The mall?

Yeah, referencing Dawn, but rather than a regular mall, which Hong Kong does have, it opts for HK's underground mall, which is usually a place for bootlegs and knock-off items. If I remember correctly, the two main characters sell pirated VCDs, too. It adds a claustrophobic atmosphere that a regular big mall lacks, but also sets it someplace quite distinct for their culture. Not to mention the meta-commentary (it being a "knock-off").

[D_Davis]

Yeah, referencing Dawn, but rather than a regular mall, which Hong Kong does have, it opts for HK's underground mall, which is usually a place for bootlegs and knock-off items. If I remember correctly, the two main characters sell pirated VCDs, too. It adds a claustrophobic atmosphere that a regular big mall lacks, but also sets it someplace quite distinct for their culture. Not to mention the meta-commentary (it being a "knock-off").

Right. And the opening only strengthens this theme. It's a very clever film.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Yeah, referencing Dawn, but rather than a regular mall, which Hong Kong does have, it opts for HK's underground mall, which is usually a place for bootlegs and knock-off items. If I remember correctly, the two main characters sell pirated VCDs, too. It adds a claustrophobic atmosphere that a regular big mall lacks, but also sets it someplace quite distinct for their culture. Not to mention the meta-commentary (it being a "knock-off").

Ah. That explains things.

Still, I didn't think much of the setting. Aesthetically, I found it dull, as it was mostly a series of identical hallways with brief detours into small rooms. Suspense-wise...well, I thought everyone was too abrasive and loud to be sympathetic, so the claustrophobia never quite hit the way it should have.

[MadMan]

I'm a sucker for zombie flicks, and this one looks funny and highly violent. Plus its got Woody Harrison in a cowboy hat again, only this time he's killing zombies. Sweet.

[D_Davis]

Another one, on On Demand right now...

Dance of the Dead

Pretty good.

[megladon8]

Another one, on On Demand right now...

Dance of the Dead

Pretty good.


BLAAAARGH'in FLAAAAARGH'in!!

Dance of the Dead is freaking terrible!!

[D_Davis]

I liked it well enough.

[Rowland]

Not to mention the meta-commentary (it being a "knock-off").Sounds like what Tsui Hark did with Knock Off, which itself was so infused with this meta-commentary that I'm amazed virtually every critic missed it.

[D_Davis]

Sounds like what Tsui Hark did with Knock Off, which itself was so infused with this meta-commentary that I'm amazed virtually every critic missed it.

I know, right?

[Grouchy]

I liked it well enough.
Eh, me too. The actors are all pretty solid, which is good for a comedy with so much dialogue.

[number8]

Hm. So these guys are doing the Venom spin-off movie.

[Dukefrukem]

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/377/zombieland.jpg

[Dukefrukem]

also a bump to merge

[Dukefrukem]

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/242/zombieland2.jpg

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/377/zombieland.jpg

[Dead & Messed Up]

Maybe we should move this to the main forum...?

Anyway, I just got back, and it was a blast. The zombies are dull, as zombies frequently are, and the film never quite follows through on its concept of ridiculous zombie kills - it's mostly shotguns to the chest for these ghouls. But the terrific cast work within their roles really well, and it's refreshing how much of the film is devoted to how those personalities bounce off against each other. My favorite moment being when Abigail Breslin tries to explain Hannah Montana's two personalities to an impatient Woody Harrelson.

Oh, and there's an extended cameo that absolutely brings the house down. I was losing my shit, and I was amazed by how far the movie was able to take it.

[The Mike]

My favorite moment being when Abigail Breslin tries to explain Hannah Montana's two personalities to an impatient Woody Harrelson.

This might have been my favorite bit too. :D

[Fezzik]

Great fun.

The opening credits were amazing, and the extended slo-mos were pretty damn impressive.

I loved how the film kept coming back to Eisenberg's "rules" throughout the movie.

Everything was handled so blithely, even the uneven moments were hard to dislike.

As DAMU said, the cameo was just perfect and really put the film in a different mode entirely.

I'm glad you guys mentioned the Hannah Montana moment, because that stood out for me too.

The line delivery, in general, was spot on, especially Harrelson. I loved how, when they found the Hostess truck, he lamented aloud how he hated coconut, but added, almost as an apology: "Not the taste, mind you, but the consistency."

Really, really fun.

[Fezzik]

Though I will concede that "Albuquerque" may be one of the best names for a hero character, particularly played by Woody Harrelson.


Oh, his name is different in the final product. Still a city, though (all the characters are known by the cities they're from/going to).

[Raiders]

The film almost never steps wrong. It is very much dedicated to the character interactions and the terrific "rules." I will concede that the book "The Zombie Survival Guide" (an obvious inspiration here) being a big hit amongst my circle of friends certainly aided in my appreciation of this film. It never really tried to overplay any of the drama it occasionally interspersed and I actually found the moment where it reveals the truth about Harrelson's back story to be well handled. If there's a fault it is in the rather over-reliance on music cues and jump scares to generate the tension of the zombie attacks and the zombies themselves are not particularly interesting.

Oh and yeah, the cameo is pretty much the best thing ever.

[EyesWideOpen]

The cameo was great and the first ten minutes or so where entertaining but everything else was pretty mediocre.

[Dead & Messed Up]

This film also furthers my opinion that the best zombie movies are movies that take the time to avoid the zombies and get into the characters. Shaun, Dawn, Night, and 28 Days Later are first and foremost movies about people, and, frequently, the best sequences are ones that avoid zombies altogether.

I wouldn't place this film on equal footing with them - my point is just that Zombieland has a real heart underneath all its guts.

[number8]

Terrible dialogue aside, this was great fun.

[Ezee E]

Very fun indeed.

Is it just me or do you think Jesse Eisenberg was originally written with Michael Cera in mind?

The cameo was great, and I like the Emma Stone, even though she's not a great actress.

[Watashi]

Is it just me or do you think Jesse Eisenberg was originally written with Michael Cera in mind?

There's a difference?

[number8]

Is it just me or do you think Jesse Eisenberg was originally written with Michael Cera in mind?

What, you mean did his parents raise him to become Michael Cera?

The answer is yes.

[Raiders]

No. Eisenberg has been doing this longer than Cera (Roger Dodger anyone?) and though I'm a fan of Cera's, Eisenberg is more animated and to me all around more amusing.

[The Mike]

No. Eisenberg has been doing this longer than Cera (Roger Dodger anyone?) and though I'm a fan of Cera's, Eisenberg is more animated and to me all around more amusing.

Right-o. :cool:

[Spun Lepton]

How much gore is there? I have a friend asking me. He can handle everything up to internal organs, so if there are any "intestine-pulling" scenes he wants to know ahead of time.

Hopefully, I'm gonna catch this over the weekend, so I might be able to answer the question myself. Given how frequently I get to the theater these days, though ...

[number8]

There's a brief intestine pulling. Just once, I believe.

[Pop Trash]

I mostly hated this. Terrible screenwriting that relied heavily on an unfunny and laaazy voiceover, unfunny and overcooked dialogue (I can just picture the screenwriters saying "What's a better way of saying taking a shit?" "Taking the Browns to the Superbowl!" "Oh yeah! Good one! Hi five dude!"), and flat, uninspired direction to prop up the bad screenplay. Eisenberg plays Eisenberg as usual, but with much worse writing/directing than The Squid and the Whale and Adventureland (two excellent movies BTW), his shtick feels forced and dull and I felt he easily could have been replaced by Michael Cera with about the same results.

There are, however, two scenes I liked and one is so great that it awakened me from my boredom and waiting for this thing to be over. That scene is indeed the one everyone is talking about, but I believe it has more to do with the awesomeness of the unnamed actor from the 80s than anything the filmmakers bring to that scene. The other scene is a series of jump-cuts of conversations about random topics like Abigail Breslin explaining Hannah Montana to Woody Harrelson. That scene made me laugh and at least demonstrated some inspired craft. The rest was pretty bad.

I made some comment in the "At the Movies" thread about AO Scott needing to come down from his ivory tower (re: his opinion of this movie) but I realize now he doesn't like it because it's a zombie comedy; he doesn't like it because it's a bad zombie comedy. It's neither funny nor scary. And I love Return of the Living Dead, Re-Animator, The Evil Dead Trilogy, Dead Alive, and Shaun of the Dead as much as the next guy. Sorry Scott. All is forgiven.

[Raiders]

I really liked the dialogue and the voice-over.

:: shrug ::

Don't know what else to say, really. Yeah, that one line you quoted is rather lame and writerly, but most of the dialogue isn't like that at all. His rules, and the film's frequent use of them, were pretty inspired I thought (and as I mentioned, certainly cribbed from the clever Zombie Survival Guide book). And the Twinkie motif, considering their reputation, was amusing as well.

And really, the whole Eisenberg = Cera thing is lame. So because some actor came along and created a similar persona, he should stop playing to what he's good at doing? Not to mention he's more neurotic and much more lively than Cera, and all around more enjoyable.

The part fit him well and he excelled in it. Same for Harrelson.

[number8]

I could tolerate most of the dialogue even though it was very terribly written, but the voiceover was just completely 100% shitty.

I think the director deserves a lot of credit for making it as fun as it is even with the crappy script.

[Dukefrukem]

I also enjoyed the voice over and thought this movie was pretty fun. I saw the BM scene from a mile away............

A couple of things bugged me. Wasn't it pretty obvious that turning on the lights and sounds would attract all the zombies? And why did they ever think to go on that ride?

[Dead & Messed Up]

I thought the product placement was worse than the dialogue (which I liked) and the voice-over (which I tolerated). I mean, hawk products if you have to, but Mountain Dew Red? Seriously?

[Dukefrukem]

I thought the product placement was worse than the dialogue (which I liked) and the voice-over (which I tolerated). I mean, hawk products if you have to, but Mountain Dew Red? Seriously?

I didn't even notice. I just figured that is what they thought nerds drink.

[number8]

I didn't even notice. I just figured that is what they thought nerds drink.

Then they're posers. Wrong Mountain Dew flavor, man.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/MtnDew_GameFuel%28WoW%29_can.j pg

[Dead & Messed Up]

Wasn't it pretty obvious that turning on the lights and sounds would attract all the zombies?

Yes.


And why did they ever think to go on that ride?

Because they are dumb.

[eternity]

That was...okay.

[Dukefrukem]

A couple of things I thought about driving to work this morning.

Driving into LA, there should have been way more zombies looming around. Just like in The Walking Dead, there should have a been a fear to go anywhere near a city. They drove through LA way too easy.

And I wish they revealed more of the "rules". There were 32 of them? (33 was added in the movie) Why didn't we get to see more? Instead the first three were the only ones really repeated. They could have had fun with that.

[NickGlass]

I mostly hated this. Terrible screenwriting that relied heavily on an unfunny and laaazy voiceover, unfunny and overcooked dialogue (I can just picture the screenwriters saying "What's a better way of saying taking a shit?" "Taking the Browns to the Superbowl!" "Oh yeah! Good one! Hi five dude!"), and flat, uninspired direction to prop up the bad screenplay.

Yes.


There are, however, two scenes I liked and one is so great that it awakened me from my boredom and waiting for this thing to be over. That scene is indeed the one everyone is talking about, but I believe it has more to do with the awesomeness of the unnamed actor from the 80s than anything the filmmakers bring to that scene. The other scene is a series of jump-cuts of conversations about random topics like Abigail Breslin explaining Hannah Montana to Woody Harrelson. That scene made me laugh and at least demonstrated some inspired craft. The rest was pretty bad.

Yes. And everything that follows is so much worse than what came before.

[Raiders]

"Taking the Browns to the Super Bowl" was not invented by this film. I have heard people say this before the movie came out.

[NickGlass]

"Taking the Browns to the Super Bowl" was not invented by this film. I have heard people say this before the movie came out.

I'm aware of that, yes. It wouldn't have been the example I'd use to illustrate the point, but it does mean something that the filmmakers found it suitable to appropriate it into a screenplay (and it didn't exactly fit the character, either). This film dd have a terrible case of Diablo Cody-ism. I didn't realize it at first, but the awkward, obnoxiously-written, pop-culture-laced dialogue is so overbearing, and induces more eye-rolls than laughs.

And, shockingly, not many have mentioned this, and I hate to call out a zombie film for being implausible, but...there's no need for that romance angle. Perhaps an idealistic mention in Jesse's voiceover is appropriate, but nothing beyond that. First Adventureland, now this--nerd fantasies are so destructive for a film's potential.

[Raiders]

Actually, I would say it fit his character very well. Certainly better than "going to take a shit." His speech was more florid than to-the-point and he certainly wanted to be tougher and "cooler" than he was. It's the kind of phrase secure people don't really need to utter (and likely realize how pathetic it kinda is).

Overall, it certainly has some Cody-ish need to proliferate the zings and one-liners, but where Cody's characters (in Juno anyway) all sound insufferably fake to me, this film didn't really stretch it and I don't think took it anywhere near that level. "Nut up or shut up" is a silly phrase, but in Harrelson's character, it felt rather organic to his overall philosophy.

Really though, this is not a film of enough consequence for me to defend. I did enjoy it quite a bit though.

[MadMan]

Not only did I not have any problems with the dialogue or the script, but I actually liked the voiceover. And that's one thing I usually take issues with. The movie was not only funny, but sported likable characters (and in a movie like this, that is quite important), and entertained me throughout. Is it as clever or as funny as Shaun of the Dead? Of course not, but that was a parody/homage style film anyways, where as Zombieland is a regular comedy.

[Kurosawa Fan]

This was awesome fun. Sure it's dumb at times, and too often it unnecessarily tried to interject some drama, which fell flat on every occasion, but I had a blast watching it.

[megladon8]

This was awesome fun. Sure it's dumb at times, and too often it unnecessarily tried to interject some drama, which fell flat on every occasion, but I had a blast watching it.


I think it's so cool that you've been digging a few little horrors lately :)

[Kurosawa Fan]

I think it's so cool that you've been digging a few little horrors lately :)

Ha. It's been completely coincidental. My niece was staying with us and wanted us to watch The Crazies, and today I noticed that Zombieland was added to Instant Viewing on Netflix, and work is unbearably slow. But yeah, it's been nice to watch two solid, horror-centric films lately.

[megladon8]

Ha. It's been completely coincidental. My niece was staying with us and wanted us to watch The Crazies, and today I noticed that Zombieland was added to Instant Viewing on Netflix, and work is unbearably slow. But yeah, it's been nice to watch two solid, horror-centric films lately.


I know you hated The Mist, but it was pretty much just the ending that killed it for you, right?

Everything up 'til then you liked (or at least didn't mind)?

[Kurosawa Fan]

I know you hated The Mist, but it was pretty much just the ending that killed it for you, right?

Everything up 'til then you liked (or at least didn't mind)?

That's a fair statement with the "at least didn't mind" part. I thought it was decent up to that point, and if it had a great ending I would have liked it.

[Dukefrukem]

Zombieland Pilot

Watch the full pilot here

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CE18P0K



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=v_7Zc7PuAVU

[Spun Lepton]

WOW that looks terrible.

[EyesWideOpen]

"Our Zombieland series will not be moving forward on Amazon," tweeted writer/producer Rhett Rheese (he also wrote the 2009 movie), before telling the world exactly how he feels: "Sad for everyone involved. I'll never understand the vehement hate the pilot received from die-hard Zombieland fans. You guys successfully hated it out of existence. Anyway, we did our best, and we're very proud of our team."

That's funny.

[Rowland]

The movie was lame too. Good riddance.

[Dukefrukem]

Why again did it take so long to make a sequel?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlW9yhUKlkQ

[Yxklyx]

Why again did it take so long to make a sequel?

It was successfully hated out of existence - for a time. The original was OK, quirky and odd nothing I'd want to revisit, well maybe...

[Skitch]

I literally haven't met anyone that disliked the first movie.

[Irish]

*coughs politely*

[Skitch]

Met. :p

I meant irl. Personally I found the flick merely passable and didnt quite see why everyone was going bonkers over it. It's fine I guess. Not quite a Napolean Dynamite sitch, but not far off.