ZOMBIELAND (2009)

Damn! Now I want a Twinkie!

After Dawn of the Dead, and the original Shaun of the Dead, I was convinced that there was no more that could be done with the zombie genre. Not because my mind was closed to the idea that anybody could ever do another "good" zombie flick, but because I didn't think it was necessary. Dawn proved zombies could be scary while commenting on our wacked out consumerist society, and Shaun proved an actual good spoof could me made, while still taking the horror genre seriously (sorry, Scary Movie series, you shoulda stopped at one). Oh, and then there is also 28 Days Later, that was pretty awesome, too.

Then Zombieland came out, and thank G-O-D they didn't stop. Because it is defiitely up there with Shaun, but mixes the zombie genre a little more with something like I Am Legend - where people are left alone in the world wondering if there are more people who are unaffected such as they are.

In this case Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and Michael Cera's long lost brother Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), meet up as a means of watching eachother's backs until they get a little more north to their destination, where either family or Twinkies may lie. Think of a buddy road trip movie with zombies. Along the way they meet up with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who screw them over more than once with their "we only look out for ourselves and we eachother" attitude. But, that doesn't stop them all from becoming a sort of dysfunctional family. Think National Lampoon's Vaction ... with zombies.

What reallly helps this movie move and move along fast is the fact that it's not afraid to have some fun, and lots of it. Nor is it afraid to be silly and a little over the top. It's one of those movies you won't watch again to see one funny part that reminds you of something you once laughed at, it's one that you watch again to see the whole movie filled with memorable dialogue and characters. "You're just asking to have your hair swept behind your ear." It's a day later and I'm still laughing every time I hear Eisenberg utter that line. The same goes for when his character meets Bill Murry for the first time. Murray, who plays himself, by the way, is the cherry that tops off what is already one of my favorite movies of the year.

When it comes down to it, Zombieland is more than just a comedy, and its more than just a horror, it's why I love movies. No, this won't win an Oscar, well, actually with the new expansion this year... no, okay it won't, but that's not the point. However, you will have fun watching it, no matter your mood. Whether it be lazy afternoon bored mood, a late night cuddle/date flick, or getting drunk and wanting to laugh at something. The door is wide open on this one, because damn it if Woody Harrelson beating up zombies with every different weapon imaginable and then wastefully tossing them aside in order to grab a new one, all in an effort to have some fun and get agression out, isn't a welcome site. Any movie, any day.

*Still courtesy of Columbia Pictures