Showing posts with label Bill Murray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bill Murray. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Zombieland (2009)

A great companion movie to the classic Shaun of the Dead (click here to see my review), Zombieland just rocks! I most definitely will be purchasing this movie when it comes out on DVD and plan to watch it every October (if not multiple times before each Halloween). It made me jump out of my skin as well as laugh out loud. What a great combination.


The movie stars Woody Harrelson, who over the years I have grown quite fond of as he has matured into an interesting actor to watch – even if briefly – in such high quality flicks as No Country For Old Men. And Mr. Harrelson does not disappoint here. While this film is definitely a comedy – Woody brings a certain nuanced charm to his role that makes you see where he is coming from and forget that he was ever in Cheers.


The film also stars relative newcomer Jesse Eisenberg who starred in Adventureland earlier this year (notice the reoccurring theme in the title that pans out in more ways than one if you’ve seen both pics). And while I enjoyed Mr. Eisenberg in Adventureland, he was over the top in Zombieland with his dedication to his list of “rules” that must be followed if one is ever caught in a zombie apocalypse. As the narrator of the film, he set the entire tone.


Along with the zombies (and one great cameo which I won’t let out of the bag), Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin round out the cast. I saw Emma Stone in Paper Man earlier this year, and the girl definitely has range. I also love seeing Abigail Breslin continue to grow. She needs to keep finding roles that show her ability to move forward as an actress along the lines of Jodie Foster and not Lindsay Lohan.


In addition to great laughs and scares, the movie had an awesome soundtrack that fit with knocking off zombies to a T. Check it out in theatres now (see trailers below).


And take a look at this sweet picture of me as a zombie. You can zombify yourself at the Zombieland website.


End.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Wes Anderson movies are always entertaining. I've loved them all - but I believe that "Life Aquatic" is his best film to date. Bill Murray has starred in multiple Anderson films and seems to have found his niche. His humor has a subtlety that needs to be watched multiple times to truly be appreciated. “The Life Aquatic” has a great ensemble cast – Willem Dafoe, Angelica Huston, Jeff Goldblum (sexy!), Michael Gambon, Owen Wilson (also his best in Anderson films), Cate Blanchett and the cult classic actor himself, Bud Cort.

Mr. Anderson also has a great sense of music – the entire score of this film centers around David Bowie songs. The music is actually woven into the plot due to the fabulous performance of Seu Jorge who performs the songs in Portuguese.

I’m not one to give away too many plot details (I hate spoilers), but I will say that this story does have a touching side amidst all of the action adventure and humor. It is ultimately about a man that has lost his way over the course of time but realizes the importance of family. Family grounds you and gives you strength – even if it is not a conventional family.

End.