Wash the MMFF off your brain
With buckets of blood, brains and gore, and plenty of belly laughs. Zombieland opens in Metro Manila theatres on Friday, January 8, hopefully not too late to save you from gouging your eyes out over the Metro Manila Film Festival.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer, Zombieland stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin, plus a major star we won’t name because it would ruin the surprise, as some of the last survivors of a zombie outbreak. They ride across the desolate American landscape, blowing away the undead and searching for a certain snack food that Woody wants, because Woody is all about appetites.
Until 28 Days Later zombie movies were regarded as silly B-movie fun: Zombieland keeps “silly” and “fun” and adds “clever”.
Of course next to the MMFF entries it is Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Why do we love zombie movies? Why our delight at seeing a zombie’s head burst open like an overripe melon? These were people after all, with a claim to our sympathy. Or do we enjoy watching zombies get blown away precisely because they were people, and better them than us?
Supplemental reading: Susan Sontag on disaster movies.
Seems like every other movie produced these days is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Filmmakers are in an end-times state of mind; coming up are movies in which Viggo Mortensen and Denzel Washington are walking, walking, walking across the rubble of our world.
What if the apocalypse has already happened, and we were too busy looking forward to it to notice?
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
January 5th, 2010 at 06:03
Hi!I hope you read this! I know you get this like twice a day, but I am a fan of your writing. I swear. I private-read in Powerbooks, sometimes National, being the cheap ass that I am. But I bought your latest Twisted 8 1/2… I even gave it as a gift, to make up for all the Twisted books, the Womenagerie, the Twisted Travels, The 500 People You Meet in Hell, and the How to pick your politician mini-book (forgot the title) which I did not buy but enjoyed a lot.
I’m glad I found your official blog.
As for Zombieland, I have been waiting for it with the same anticipation I have for Sherlock Holmes, I’ll probably even file a sick leave so I won’t have to go to work that day. January 8 is like fiesta. Darn the Metro Manila Crap Fest.
Thank you.
January 5th, 2010 at 11:31
How compare to “Shaun of the Dead?”
January 5th, 2010 at 16:03
Yeah maybe apocalypse came 10 years ago but we don’t know we’re dead. Sixth Sense style.
January 5th, 2010 at 19:22
Hey Jessica,
Have you heard of Sen. Bong Revilla’s proposal of limiting international films to one film per month to give importance of local films? Can you do a post about it? I wouldn’t mind if most are indie Pinoy films but it what the senator is implying then I’m sure he’s pertaining towards MMFF-like films of the local industry.
January 5th, 2010 at 21:45
Shaun of the Dead is wittier and Zombieland is more in-your-face comedy. I like Shaun better because the relationships between the characters are well established before all the gore fest.
Not to say Zombieland is a crappy movie, in fact, it’s very clever.
January 5th, 2010 at 22:00
I watch zombie movies and imagine the zombies as someone I want dead. Uses and gratification theory. The screenplay writer of Zombieland probably really hates clowns that’s why… shutting up. Don’t wanna spoil anyone.
January 6th, 2010 at 01:12
Isa lang masasabi ko. Avatar is back!!!!
January 7th, 2010 at 00:52
You mentioned “apocalyptic” tales. When I was younger I used to be terrified of biblical revelations-end of times-end of the world “666” scenarios,which the overzealous and religious groups say is approaching fast. Well, Jesus was asked by his followers when all of these will happen. He replied matter-of-factly that his “second coming”,i.e.,the apocalypse, will happen DURING the generation of those who were asking him at that time,not the FUTURE generation. He said many of those who were listening to him then will still be alive and be “taken to heaven to sing praises” etc.etc.. Guess what,nothing of that sort happened. Jesus’ prophecy simply failed,and with it,the credibility of the entire Hebrew scriptures collapses. Yet the fictional tales of the revelations (which was a very common theme of writing during the old and new testament times)persists because of the deception of religion.