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Shaun of the Dead, a review by Jon

Shaun of the Dead
5 out of 5



Shaun (Simon Pegg) is struggling to make his relationship with Liz (Kate Ashfield) work, because he spends too much time at the pub and with his friend Ed (Nick Frost). A zombie outbreak is the last thing he needs...

Shaun of the Dead is a far better film than you might expect. It's a proper zombie film, albeit a funny one, with irony and gore by the bucket load. Made by people who love the old zombie flicks, it's wonderful fun with a lot of heart. Simon Pegg and especially Nick Frost are hilarious throughout and pull off the more dramatic stuff too (a very British thing to successfully mix drama and slap-stick).

It's one of the best purely British films for years. Aside from a fantastic cast, the characters feel very true, so you might not ask for a romantic comedy when you sit down for some gore, but you get one anyway! It helps that they don't have to change because the best zombie films are never character driven; you introduce zombies to any mix and it simply accentuates the relationships and neurotics that were already there and lets them play out naturally and confidently in a state of heightened tension. Shaun and his companions don't affect the situation at all, they just try to survive it. You can take the actors out of the sitcom, but you can't take the sitcom out of the actors! Good job as well.

Spaced wasn't just any sitcom though. They peppered every episode with affectionate digs at classic movies, throwing plenty of perfectly judged gags around in some complicated sequences, yet never drowning the story. Shaun is more of the same on a basic level, but the screenplay is more assured and ambitious with lots of old-fashioned links between scenes (a throwaway line early in the movie gives you clue to a characters fate). And the ending is wonderful. Again typical sitcom (not even rom-coms are this natural), but with a nice twist in the zombie plot.

Neither the rom-com, or the zombie factor are compromised. Both naturally compliment each other, so you get the absolute best of both worlds and something unique and brilliant is the result. Written by and starring talented film-geeks with a detailed understanding of what a zombie story is, it's definitely a film for this generation and will last for years. Hot Fuzz was a very funny follow up to Shaun, but not as clever or honest (that time the characters couldn't be so laid back). Edgar Wright gives excellent value for money, regardless of what he does.

(From Jon's Marathon of Horror! 2009 on October 10th, 2009)

Contagion, a review by Antares

Contagion (2011) 3/5 - Steven Soderbergh films for me are like Chinese food, after I finish it, I'm hungry again very shortly after. Meaning that I find his films very stylized, yet very cold, clinical and lacking any real depth, and I don't feel like I invested my time wisely in watching it. I get a sense that yes, I watched a tactician present a story, but I'm left indifferent to the characters and the story in general, and I want to watch something else, by someone else who can grab me by the throat and suck me into the story. Soderbergh has failed me in this regard repeatedly. When I finish one of his films, I don't find myself going over it in my head, and its pretty quickly forgotten. Contagion doesn't break this string for me. It's not a bad film, but it's not a great film either, for the most part it's pretty mediocre. Sure, it's got a lot of big name stars, but they're pretty much wasted in their brief moments on screen. The first hour of the film starts off well, with the outbreak in its initial stages of incubation and transmission, and there's a slight bit of suspense as to how many people are going to get infected worldwide. Yet as this scenario is being played out and news organizations are reporting of outbreaks around the world, people still seem to be relatively calm about the situation. And this is what I mean about cold and clinical, Soderbergh has events transpire in a ho hum manner which doesn't fit the material. The film is definitely much better than the ridiculous Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo, but that's not saying much.

(From Antares' Short Summations on February 19th, 2012)

NCIS Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

17. SKELETONS
An explosion at military cemetery mausoleum reveals several dismembered human remains. The team looks for potential serial killers, but Gibbs is surprised wth the final outcome.

My Thoughts:
This is a good episode... though somewhat standard. Little bit more then a filler episode.

My Rating:

18. ICEMAN
A man supposedly frozen to death is about to be autopsied by Ducky, when he suddenly sits up - alive! As the NCIS team tries to figure out who left the man for dead, they discover there's a link to Gibbs' past.

My Thoughts:
This is a good episode. We get a visit from Mike Franks again in this one. I enjoy the story... went by quickly.

My Rating:

19. GRACE PERIOD
An anonymous call to the NCIS tip line about possible terrorist activity sends two agents into a trap and certain death.

My Thoughts:
A very good episode. One where we say goodbye to a recurring cast member. I really liked all about this one. I would definitely have to rate it as one of my favorites.

My Rating:

20. COVER STORY
With little information to go on, McGee is under serious pressure during the murder investigation of a Petty Officer.

My Thoughts:
Another excellent episode. I really enjoyed how they made this episode about Tim's new book. It made for a fun and entertaining episode.

My Rating:

(From NCIS Marathon on December 26th, 2009)