TFT 94 – Capitalism / Zombieland
posted by
Jett Loe
In this week’s episode: Capitalism – A Love Story / Zombieland / Return of the Living Dead / Wizard of Oz / Dark Crystal
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This entry was posted on Sunday, October 4th, 2009 at 5:09 pm. It is filed under Action, Blog, Comedies, Documentaries, Gareth Higgins, Gareth Higgins Reviews, Horror, Jett Loe, Jett Loe Reviews, Podcast, Science Fiction.
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love this review of Capitalism! I think your breakdown of Michael Moore is quite apt: getting angry and incensed is not enough, it leads to nowhere. All his films are about exposing the corruption and wrong in our society, and yet it goes nowhere.
there are many documentary film makers out there who approach things in a different way: via personal empowerment and change. That is the way foward.
cheers.
You know my issue with Michael Moore is that he presents himself as the small-town, Michigan filmmaker who is out there fighting for the little guy; but then you see him at the premieres of movies like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Is it wrong to use the fame/notoriety you've achieved to go see a new release Spielberg movie, no. Does it make you look more like the huckster and loud-mouthed antagonizer that his critics call him? Possibly.
Having said that, I liked Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11 quite a bit – not as documentaries, but as exercising an opinion/viewpoint. I haven't seen Sicko yet, but I think that eventually I might have a double feature of that and Capitalism…But, it's not high on my list of priorities.
I do side a lot more with Gareth on Zombieland though (is it ironic, that I'd go out to see this movie and not the Moore movie?). I thought that it was absolutely hilarious. The dry humor/wit of Eisenberg's character (who I claim as the rich man's Michael Cera), the over the top, freak of Harrelson's character were great for their “buddy” comedy pieces.
I felt like the movie wasn't necessarily aiming to try and be different, or add anything new to the zombie genre – heck, there's a majority of the movie where zombies aren't even around – except for it maybe being an instruction manual to the looming zombipocalypse. I think it does a great job at subverting the now cliched slo-motion action scenes – like with the opening credits, where it's slo-mo is set up with ridiculous sequences (like the one used in the trailer, of the zombie in the bikini), the great use of the interactive text and running gags about the rules, and the not surprise cameo of Mike White (writer of movies like School of Rock and Chuck & Buck.) who was the gas station attendant in not one, but two flashback sequences. Then the surprise cameo, which builds up with the hilarious notion of the scene going one way, then it goes a complete and totally different way – but does wind up going exactly where you'd imagine. (I'm assuming Jett didn't stay til after the credits, but there's a great little end-piece playing from this scene.)
you know…i feel bad now re: the whole 'bucket of urine' thing. i've gotta be more positive – i'll try next show!
Regarding the subscriptions you need to rack up before the new year, I think a good idea would be to put a counter up on the site, so people have an idea of how many more subscriptions are needed. Particularly as the deadline approaches, I think this would be a good way to motivate people (of course, mentioning it on the podcast is still probably a good idea for people that listen via i-tunes and don't visit the site).
I have not yet seen Capitalism, but after seeing 'Slacker Uprising', I get the feeling Michael Moore has spent his career building the mantle of proactive, progressive politics and is looking for someone/something to pass it on to. The sad, perhaps profoundly so, part is that it seems no one wants to do so. To some degree, Michael Moore's 'documentation' of the fall of the american dream follows such an arc itself.
interesting suggestion Peter – i'll look into doing that – so far we're 1/15 of the way there! ;)
also, i wonder what a michael moore documentary of michael moore would look like.
I wonder if he'd refuse to see himself.
I saw Zombieland and there is nothing here that wasn't done better in the Dawn of the Dead remake or Shaun of the Dead. I smirked, I thought “that's funny” but I didn't laugh – it just isn't very funny. Hell, the videogame Left 4 Dead is more interesting. If you want to see an interesting zombie movie, see the forgotten gem Fido.
The main problem? It's called Zombieland and they go to an urban center with 4+ million bodies and there are maybe a total of 50 people on the screen at once – no scope at all and serious disrespect for the audience. Thing just reeks of cheapness – the graphics and slo-mo are cute, but mainly serve to keep actors from getting scale for speaking roles.
It's interesting in seeing the different viewpoints people come at for movies. The description you gave for Zombieland, and then the movie you recommended – FIDO – would actually be the two that I would put together. FIDO is a cool, high-concept film, not done particularly well; the funny moments are presented in a way that makes you think “that's funny” but just don't click. And it looks extremely cheaply made, even considering the period decor.
But, one man's good time is another's bucket of piss, or so they say. :)
i still feel bad about 'bucket of pissgate' – on TFT 95 am going to have to do a 'Zombieland Reconsidered' segment.
I personally don't feel like you have a reason to feel bad – other than the thing about directly saying that after Gareth saying he liked the movie. But, I think that he called you out on it, and that should be that. :)
(But, I am happy you're going to give it another look, I just hope you don't wind up feeling like you've wasted your money on a movie you don't really care for.)
It's interesting in seeing the different viewpoints people come at for movies. The description you gave for Zombieland, and then the movie you recommended – FIDO – would actually be the two that I would put together. FIDO is a cool, high-concept film, not done particularly well; the funny moments are presented in a way that makes you think “that's funny” but just don't click. And it looks extremely cheaply made, even considering the period decor.
But, one man's good time is another's bucket of piss, or so they say. :)
i still feel bad about 'bucket of pissgate' – on TFT 95 am going to have to do a 'Zombieland Reconsidered' segment.
I personally don't feel like you have a reason to feel bad – other than the thing about directly saying that after Gareth saying he liked the movie. But, I think that he called you out on it, and that should be that. :)
(But, I am happy you're going to give it another look, I just hope you don't wind up feeling like you've wasted your money on a movie you don't really care for.)
[...] Wallace Shawn – you know, Wallace Shawn, man of wit and letters, agreeable suppers with theatre directors, and potentially poisoned cups of mead, has some things to say about life. Haymarket Books have gathered his elegant essays in a book which turns out to be one of the wisest and most pleasurable I’ve read in a while. He riffs on topics as varied and inextricably connected as the relationship between artists and the corporations who fund so many of us, the dependability of sex and our inability to talk about it, and what he considers the detachment from morality that occurs when you stop noticing the connection between imperialism and you. You can hear his inimitable voice as you read, and, for myself at least, might rather wish you were discussing this with him in a cafe, just like he does with Michael Moore in ‘Capitalism: A Love Story’. [...]
[...] Wallace Shawn – you know, Wallace Shawn, man of wit and letters, agreeable suppers with theatre directors, and potentially poisoned cups of mead, has some things to say about life. Haymarket Books have gathered his elegant essays in a book which turns out to be one of the wisest and most pleasurable I’ve read in a while. He riffs on topics as varied and inextricably connected as the relationship between artists and the corporations who fund so many of us, the dependability of sex and our inability to talk about it, and what he considers the detachment from morality that occurs when you stop noticing the connection between imperialism and you. You can hear his inimitable voice as you read, and, for myself at least, might rather wish you were discussing this with him in a cafe, just like he does with Michael Moore in ‘Capitalism: A Love Story’. [...]