Zombieland

    The world of Zombieland is desolate and filthy, yet still amazingly funny. It caters to Black Comedy Rule Number #1- fill the movie with grime and gore, but keep it distanced from reality to keep the viewers from getting too uncomfortable. It's like Cillian-less 28 Days Later without the rape, if Danny Boyle had been going for funny instead of disturbing.

     The characters in this film have given up on names, it appears, as they are known chiefly as their hometowns. The hero, Columbus, is played by Jesse Eisenberg, a young actor best known as the non-masturbating older brother in Noah Bambach's The Squid and the Whale.

     Columbus opens the film with a deadpan narration, saying that his country can no longer be considered America, because "something needs living people to be a country, and everyone here is dead." This is seemingly literal, as the only other people we come into contact with in the first ten minutes are raging, brutal corpses.

     There is a set of rules, Columbus says, for one to stay alive in the area, to avoid becoming a "human happy meal.". The viewer is shown bloody clips of potential survivors who broke these. Fasten your seat belt. Don't be fat and out-of-shape. Pay attention to where you are, and where the undead are. Finally, don't get close to anyone.

 Having lived in isolation before the virus, he is to some extent used to being alone.  He also seems a prime candidate for obsessive-compulsive disorder, having carefully stayed away from his fears before there was really anything to be afraid of. His encounters with the apocalypse begin in a flashback, when he allows an attractive girl who has been attacked to take refuge, and she tries to eat him.

     In the present day, he decides to head to his home town looking for any surviving family. On the way, he is surprised to find another survivor. This is Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a macho guy who's made it his goal to kill every zombie he can get his hands on.

     His other goal drives him to raid Hostess trucks by the side of the road, desperate for a Twinkie, a scrap of normalcy in a life that's gone off the deep end. They join up, though Tallahassee's on a revenge kick and Columbus would just as soon keep as far away from the undead as possible.

      The rest of Zombieland's short duration revolves around the duo's cross-country trek to find an apparently safe haven when Columbus's family plan falls by the wayside. They are accompanied by two sisters who, while they seem innocent at first, have a knack for getting the best of any situation (Abigail Breslin and Emma Stone, who wears eye make-up incredibly unblemished by zombie attacks.)

     Woody Harrelson fits comfortably into his subtly sensitive character, while Jesse Eisenberg plays his role as the droll, paranoid Columbus completely straight. The character's seriousness almost brings gravity into the ridiculous plot.

     The best thing about Zombieland is that the director, with all his fervor in making the most disgusting zombies imaginable, doesn't forget to add an interesting feel to its living protagonists. In fact, Tallahasee -- and particularly Columbus -- are cleverly conceived, though it seems the female characters are skimmed over somewhat.

     Along with the wit, though, is the very common tough girl and sensitive guy tension, which wasn't original in 28 Days Later, let alone in this one. It seems that people are still feeding the feminist issue and find aggression in girls almost endearing.

     I suppose that I wasn't expecting  Zombieland to be so short, but all the same, I found the ending somewhat abrupt. It's the kind of conclusion that seems awkwardly unfinished, and leaves you saying "is that all there is?" to a black screen.

      All the same, I left the theater amused and happy, and  appreciated an enjoyable movie that just seemed a little too clipped. It may not be the first zombie-themed comedy of late, but it deserves its place next to Shaun of the Dead as an entertaining, witty comedy in horror's clothing (Rated R.)

rating- *

Up

      Up, which sports one of the simplest and uninformative titles, may well be the best movie of the year. It is cringeworthy to hear it unfairly dismissed as a "kids'" matinee. If you are twenty-five, childless, and planning to rent the latest emo-flavored slasher flick, please, do not deny yourself this film. The people who you sit with are likely to be too involved to judge you anyway. This transcends the family genre, period.

     Many children's movies, even ludicrous ones, toy with relevant emotion, but none since Up have used it so beautifully. This is a film with talking dogs and giant rainbow birds, where the laws of gravity do not apply, and not a minute of it seems artificial. And it's funny, Abundant in visual humor (Kevin the bird's mannerisms are enough to inspire chuckles), it rises far beyond average "funny" films that spend one hour thirty minutes trying to find the right note.

    Carl, one of Up's leads, isn't one of the typical animation characters. He is old, for one thing, albeit with a sequence as a younger person. He's cranky and not a fan of children. His dialogue contains little sarcasm, and he is behind the times -- sounds of computer ads on his television seem oddly out of sync with the quiet conventionality of his home.

     Carl's life long love interest follows the Disney rule, where the spunky female friend becomes a romantic figure later in life. This is Ellie, who shares an interest in Charles Muntz, the explorer they follow at the theater. Carl and Ellie fancy themselves future explorers but are now stuck in the typical rounds of childhood, the only adventure coming from imaginary play.

   Carl is silent, which suits Ellie fine, as it gives her the time to talk enough for the both of them. Charles Muntz, it seems, has been discredited for a bird skeleton he collected on an island. Denounced as a fake, he promises to bring the bird back. Ellie and Carl swear to go to Paradise Falls, where Muntz resides. They keep their dream, but after marriage, life gets in the way.

    Ten minutes take the couple from early childhood to elderly life, where they live a pleasant but unremarkable existence. Though neither regrets their marriage, their dreams go away and neither feels completely fulfilled. When Ellie dies, in a quiet scene, which is sad but sparing, Carl seems about done with his life.

     When he injures a overeager construction worker, he is forced into retirement. This is when the title comes into play. Being a former balloon salesman, he attaches hundreds of balloons to his and Ellie's house and sets out for nowhere in particular (hopefully Paradise Falls). Good movie luck sends him in the right direction, aided by an appliance he uses to steer. Bad movie luck brings Russell, a talkative boy scout who gets stuck on the porch.

     The rest of the film take place almost entirely at Paradise Falls, a brightly colored, exotic island. There they meet Kevin, a gigantic bird who likes chocolate, and Dug, a dim-witted retriever who, despite a voice collar Charles Muntz has installed which gives him the voice of Bob Peterson, never loses his doggishness. Finally they meet Charles Muntz, who has not become nice in his old age, and hasn't taken his years-old rejection gladly.

     In more than five instances of seeing this film, I never once sighed at the messages - objects do not replace people and friendship is meaningful. It didn't seem *Disney*. It seemed real. This is boosted by likable voice performances, especially especially Bob Peterson, who plays the dog, and Jordan Nagai, as Russell, who is an unknown young actor but still very good.

     Some of Up's thematic material may be too much for sensitive children. However, I don't consider it to nearly qualify as a "dark" or "depressing" film. Though it has its moments, most of which will affect parents more than kids, it has been a long time since I saw a happy ending that felt so earned (Rated PG.)