MIXED BAG WEEK! : SHAUN OF THE DEAD

Now, as some of you may actually know, your humble author has been on a bit of a sabbatical for a while now. And said author (me) is (am) using this opportunity to peg the massive holes in her (my) cinematographic general culture. I take the operation very seriously and try and watch a film a day at least. But sometimes, it all gets too much. When I settled down this morning, second cup of tea in hand, to figure out what to do with the rest of the day I A) wanted to get on and watch a film. B) wanted to do something not too taxing. After a barrel load of classics (including three days of “And Quiet Flowed The Don”) I somehow didn’t quite feel up to something heavy. Something light yet sustaining. Like chicken soup only not necessarily “good for you”. Fruit salad with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, I was looking for that kind of film – something you could seriously enjoy eating yet not get indigestion afterwards. I dug around in my “to watch” pile for about half an hour (no kidding – and yeah, what can I tell you, it’s a big pile!) when I stumbled across this yet again. I say “yet again” because it’s not the first time I’ve stumbled on this, only every other time I turned and chose something else at the last minute – until today…
Dear readers, I adore this film. But your reaction to it will vary depending largely on your reaction to British humor. If you love it (as I do) you’ll love it. If not, it may seem like a pointless waste of time. Bear in mind and read on…
Shaun (the BRILLIANT Simon Pegg) is your common or garden loser, living in the south of England. He shares a house with his straight-laced flat mate and his childhood friend Ed who is a prize slob. He works in retail and gets on with things. His girlfriend Liz however, would like slightly more. A change, an adventure, anything just as long as Shaun is shaken out of his torpor. Their relationship has almost reached crisis point when they notice something strange going on around them. A mysterious disease is turning the entire country into zombies. The disease is spreading, the panic is spreading and soon Shaun, Liz and a bunch of acquaintances are the only ones left “alive” in the neighborhood… But for how long?
The director of this timeless classic is Edgar Wright (who I wrote of in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World). And I swear I like the man’s work better every single time I watch it. The storyline of the film is, you may have noticed, the same as just about every other zombie film (funny or otherwise) out there. The story isn’t the point though. It’s a showcase of comic talent, that’s what it is. I mean, maybe at the outset it was meant to be a horror – comedy; for me it was just a comedy with zombies in it. I couldn’t begin to describe all the hilarious little details about the story and the characters (and wouldn’t dream of it either seeing as that would RUIN the film for you) or the MAGNIFICENT finale but I assure you, you will enjoy it. Even if you don’t like zombies. And so long as you like British humor. I can’t say that often enough actually; if you don’t like British humor do yourself a favor and steer clear of this one. Personally, though it just affirmed something I thought all along. The British are one of the funniest peoples on earth…