A full month of cinematic goodness brings us four films pretty decent films.
The 40 Year Old Virgin is almost entirely predictable. Our protagonist’s colleagues find out he has never had sex and set about fixing that, in increasingly bizarre ways. In the end he finds the right women and all is well. Even though the premise doesn’t warrant the two hours or so that the final cut is, it’s still a good film. Steve Carrell pulls off both the geeky and awkward side of the character and his quiet wit with aplomb. If nothing else, this film should be a vehicle for him to go on to bigger things.
Next up is new Wes Craven film, Red Eye. A killer corners his victim on an aircraft and tries to get her to assist in his plan. Being a headstrong young women, she resists. Until the final acts, it does pretty well; the two lead characters showing a fair amount of depth and creating a real tension. Sadly the final section, away from the enclosed space of a plane, is truly awful. The film degenerates from a creepy encounter to a farcical horror film. Shame.
Sadly, I’ve yet to see Dogtown And The Z-boys so can’t compare it with its dramatised reimagining, Lords Of Dogtown. The story of the friends who reinvented skateboarding by introducing aspects of surfing, we see fame and fortune tear them apart. An enjoyable film, even if the acting lets it down at times.
Finally, George Romero, king of zombie films, adds another chapter to his infamous series with Land Of The Dead. Set decades after the dead begun rising, the last remnants of civilisation are holed up in a walled city. The poor stay in slums and the rich in a fortified tower block, keeping everything else out. In a continuance of the smarter zombie theme from Day Of The Dead, the zombies begin to realise that the city is where they need to go. Mix into this the theft of the one weapon capable of taking away the power from the rich, and you’ve got the makings of an interesting storyline. It’s not as good as the predecessors, taking in too many action movie influences and making sure the increased budget is spent rather than focussing on the characters, but still damn good.
Film of the month is Land Of The Dead, but if you know me you would have known that before it came out.