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Scholar, Writer, Mother, Dreamer. Editor of Luminarium, an online library for English Literature of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Movie Mondays

With "Proof" in full swing there hasn't been much time to watch movies, but I did manage to sneak in two on DVD:
 
Aeon Flux
Category: Sci-fi
A virus has wiped out all but 5 million of the earth's populace, who live in the walled city of Bregna for 400 years.  A Utopian existence in some respects, but without freedom.  The reigning dynasty is opposed by an underground of 'Monicans' who want to displace them.  Aeon Flux is one of these underground agents, played by a ravishingly hot Charlize Theron.  I'm far from being a Charlize fan, but I can't say she is not beautiful.  Flimsy on plot and suffering from lukewarm direction, the movie is cool visually and has a good leading man performance by New Zealander Marton Tsokas.  Fans of the animated Æon Flux will doubtless be disappointed, for the movie lacks the edge, both visual and storytelling, of the original.  That said, it's a fun evening at home, and I'd give it a B-.

Shaun of the Dead
Category: Comedy/Horror
A strange British zombie comedy in which a man who is a bit of a loser, living with his boorish roommate, just dumped by his girlfriend, wakes up one morning to find that all of London has turned into zombies.  Grabbing his cricket bat and his friend, the two go on a mission to rescue his mother and his girlfriend, and to make a stand against the zombies at the local pub.  Slowly becoming a cult hit in the US, but not particularly my cup of tea.  Very low budget and low on the laughs, this movie gets a C- from me.
 


Tags: Movies
 

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4 Comments:

Blogger Mophia said...

i've been somewhat intrigued by AeonFlux movie for awhile, but, like so many other things, haven't had (or made) time to see it. Shaun of the Dead on the other hand, is so far from the realm of things that interest me that I have no intention of ever ever ever seeing it! (but, then again, i never had any intention of seeing Napolean Dynamite, but I ended up being trapped at someone's house and more or less having to watch it. Coming straightway after Kung-Pow, Napolean Dynamite actually almost seemed good!)

May 16, 2006 2:07 AM  
Blogger Mark A. said...

Please give Shaun another chance. I was a bit under whelmed with it the first time I saw it, but I become more and more impressed with the writing and the cinematography with each viewing.

Simon Pegg (Shaun), Nick Frost (ED) and Edgar Wright (director), along with Jessica Stevenson (she plays Shaun’s “double”) were all part of a very, very good British comedy "Spaced." If Shaun’s not your cup of tea then try and find a few episodes of “Spaced.” It’s a very good series. Lot’s of nerdy references to Star Wars and comic books and fun stuff like that.

May 16, 2006 2:58 AM  
Blogger Wulfweard The White said...

Shows that British humour does not always cross the pond (same with some American humor here in Blighty).
Simon Pegg Nick Frost and Jessica Stevenson are some of the rising comedy actors in the UK.
It's cult status here was slow coming as it did better when it went to DVD. It is now known as the first zom/rom/com (zombie romantic comedy) and has been imitated in the US with 'Slither'.

May 20, 2006 7:16 AM  
Blogger Anniina said...

Hey Wulfie,
I don't think that's what's going on in this case tho - after all, I'm not American, but Finnish, and in Finland a huge chunk of our tv programming is BBC comedies, so I've grown up exposed to the British sensibility in humor - I also lived in London for a while. So it's not that I'm being a thick-head Yank here. Just didn't speak to me, this one, is all :)

May 21, 2006 2:31 AM  

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