Fido

Title: Fido
Director: Andrew Currie
Cast: Billy Connolly, Carrie-Anne Moss, Henry Czerny
Year: 2006
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sequences of zombie violence and gore, and comic horror situations.
Date of Review: March 27, 2007

Lassie…with zombies. The money I would pay to pitch that idea to the studios is monumental (if I had any, that is) and that is the basic plot of Fido, the most recent inductee into the zombie genre. It’s the story of a picture-perfect 1950s community, and more specifically a picture-perfect 1950s family. They live in a time when the zombie apocalypse has already happened and now gated communities exist where people can live out their lives as if nothing ever happened. And thanks to ZomCon – a semi-futuristic company responsible for the "collar" which makes zombies docile and harmless – the zombie threat has instead turned into a blessing in disguise, as all menial jobs can now be carried out by the completely submissive and ever-growing zombie population.

Billy Connolly stars as the titular character, Fido. He is a zombie, and he is Timmy’s best friend. Timmy is a lonely little boy, whose father is more interested in golf than him, and whose mother is obsessed with what the neighbours think of their house. Fido is brought into the picture when the mother, Helen (Carrie-Ann Moss’ best performance since Memento) buys him from ZomCon as a houseworker so that they aren’t "the only house on the street without one". The father, Bill, is afraid of zombies, and doesn’t want Fido in or around the house - and it’s both hilarious and disturbing to see how people look at him as if there’s something wrong with him because he is afraid of these walking corpses. It’s all got the feeling of an episode of Leave it to Beaver, but with a gory, zombie-filled twist.

As with any other zombie movie of particular significance, Fido has a strong message relevant to the times it has been released in, regardless of the fact that it takes place in the 1950s. Violence is so regularly accepted in society, that a child actually points a loaded rifle at the head of another child during Target Practice Class at school, and all he gets is detention. And when the head of security for ZomCon is talking to an elementary school class, he asks if anyone has ever had to kill a zombie before, to which many of the children excitedly raise their hands, followed by him continuing to openly talk about people having their flesh eaten by undead family members. Of course, like most of its socially conscious predecessors, the message is quite heavy-handed, but it is fully aware of this, as it both looks and feels like a science fiction film from the 1950s. There is rampant overacting (that wonderful happy-go-luckiness that was a trademark of the era) and the shots inside vehicles make great use of fake backgrounds, and the driver is constantly turning the steering wheel even on a perfectly straight roads.

The dynamite script and tongue-in-cheek acting really add to the fun of the movie. Carrie-Anne Moss is absolutely hilarious as she slowly becomes attracted – yes…in THAT way – to Fido, who shows her more attention and affection than Bill (played by recognizable character actor Dylan Baker). But the real show-stealing performance is from Toronto-born actor Henry Czerny, who plays Jonathan Bottoms, ZomCon’s head of security and the latest addition to the friendly neighbourhood of Willard. He is a decorated hero from the "Zombie Wars", and a completely cold and heartless man whose utter indifference towards all the violence and mayhem the zombie threat poses makes him even funnier. In one scene, he talks about how horrible the zombies have been in making families have to kill each other, then remarks "I’d take Cindy’s [his wife] head off in a second if I had to", to which his wife simply smiles and replies "oh he’s so sweet…he always says that!". The humor in the film is very sarcastic, and at times almost Monty Python-esque.

While Fido doesn’t really bring anything particularly new to the table in terms of the actual zombie action and gore, what is there is great. It even provides a back-story, going through how some radioactive space dust was absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere, with main side effect being - of course - raising of the dead. There was then an all-out zombie war, in which humans prevailed, leaving us with this wonderfully sugar-coated view of 1950s America...with zombies. Anyone familiar with the zombie genre knows that quite often the actual reason for the dead returning to life is often left out, instead having it happen almost completely at random, but in Fido that is not so, and the opening propaganda reel which outlines these world-changing events adds even more to the nostalgic, 1950s-sci-fi feel of the film.

Since it’s the one of the only other zombie comedies to come out in the past few years, Fido will undoubtedly be compared to 2004's runaway hit Shaun of the Dead, but beyond the actual subject matter there really isn’t much of a comparison. They are such different films - with Shaun of the Dead spoofing the zombie genre itself, while Fido makes another entry into the genre which just happens to be funny. Considering its Canadian indie roots and lack of any media exposure, Fido will surely fly under the radar, maybe achieving some cult status in the years to come. But for now, if you drive by your local theatre and notice those four letters up in lights, do yourself a favor and buy a ticket - it’s a funny, gory romp with a lot to say.

8.5 / 10

300

Title: 300
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Gerard Butler, David Wenham, Lena Headey
Year: 2006
MPAA: Rated R for graphic battle sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity.
Date of Review: March 15, 2007

On page A3 of the Wednesday, March 14, 2007 edition of the Ottawa Citizen, an article titled "U.S. accused of ‘cultural warfare’" written by Steven Edwards talks about a problem which has arisen with the release of Zack Snyder’s visually arresting 300: Iranians believe the film is insulting, saying that it portrays their Persian ancestors as "...both ruthless and repeatedly outsmarted by the Greeks." This is just one of the many complaints and backlashes against the action epic, others being that it is sexist, misogynist, and that it praises violence. Indeed, 300 has become a much more controversial film that it was ever believed (or intended) to be. However, what everyone seems to be forgetting about this film is that, while it is indeed a story based on an actual event, it is not meant to be taken as historical fact. It is an energetic action romp with some of the most stunning visuals ever put on film, and considering Snyder’s outspoken goals of creating "something cool", he has succeeded.

To call either Frank Miller’s graphic novel or Zack Snyder’s film adaptation misogynist seems like a totally redundant criticism. Almost all of Miller’s work has had tones (usually none-too-subtle) of sexism, but at the same time, the women are also portrayed as morally superior to men. In Sin City - another film greatly bashed for its portrayal of women as sexual objects - the women were actually more dangerous than the men, and were always the ones left with the upper hand. Similarly in 300, while the men are the ones doing all the fighting, the women are portrayed as the keepers of knowledge, wisdom and equality. The Oracle - a nude woman who spasms and gyrates as she acquires her visions - is the one who prophesizes the battle with the Persians, and without her vision the Spartans would have been destroyed in their homes. The other main female character, the wife of King Leonidas, also represents democracy and common sense and she pleads with the elders to send reinforcements to the battles. Perhaps people have been a little too hasty to call the film sexist before actually looking at the roles of women in the film, as compared to the men who are, by and large, blunt instruments.

That is not to say that the male characters aren’t interesting or entertaining - they are, but for different reasons. Miller has written a story about some of the manliest men that ever lived, literally born and bred to fight and kill. The combat in the film is stunning, especially as the camera focuses on a single fighter as he works his way through the battlefield. The best example of this actually happens in the first battle, as we watch King Leonidas (played by Gerard Butler, and with enough charisma and machoism to cut with a knife) pummel his way through the Persian fighters. For action junkies and gore hounds, it’s certainly a sight to behold. The violence, much like Sin City, is brutal, but so stylized that it can’t really be considered "gross" - as warriors slice and dice their way through each other and limbs go flying, the audience is assaulted with a barrage of two-dimensional, comic book style blood which adds a great feel of surrealism to the film, which is accentuated in many other scenes such as a tree literally built with human bodies. There are images in this film that need to be seen to be understood, and once seen surely won’t be forgotten very soon.

300 isn’t a horribly complicated film, and viewers looking for a realistic or telling story of an ancient battle and its societal repercussions should look elsewhere. What’s stunning about the film is the sheer scope and passion of it all - to go to battle knowing that you are going to die, but you do it so that people will remember that at least you tried is a very noble theme. Miller obviously had a great passion for this story when writing the comic, and Snyder and the cast and crew no doubt had just as much dedication in bringing it to the screen. They do not sugarcoat it or try to make it into something more than it is - Snyder and the rest of the team were perfectly content in making an action film, and did not have any illusions about making something that would be any smarter or deeper than what is right in front of us in the theatre. It’s entertaining as hell.

To reiterate, the imagery in 300 is astounding. Every shot is composed so beautifully, with a wonderful colour palette which alters with each battle and major location. The costumes are beautiful, the battles maintain a grand scope while focusing on only one or two fighters at a time, and it is generally just a great looking movie. The sound is equally impressive, with a rousing score by Tyler Bates - though some may be disappointed that there is no Nine Inch Nails used in the film, since the track "Just Like You Imagined" was used to effectively in the trailers. Technically, movies don’t get much better than this.

The performances are also generally quite good for this type of balls-to-the-wall action film. The whole thing is completely stolen by Gerard Butler, though, whose portrayal of King Leonidas (in both his acting ability and his awe-inspiring physical shape) seems almost god-like. The script is a bit stilted at times, as it often sounds as if the actors are saying lines directly from a comic book - and, more specifically, a comic book by Frank Miller. The glorified prose can come across a little hammy at times, especially in the narration by David Wenham, but when the action starts and the film kicks into gear, this all seems very forgivable.

Coming back to the situation with Iran, it is hard to understand how one could be truly offended by this film, unless they believed it to be parading itself as historical fact. But this is such a flawed perspective to go into the film with, it’s hard not to laugh at anyone that feels they have been psychologically wronged by viewing it. 300 is a heck of a lot of fun, and while it isn’t as ambitious as Sin City in terms of story, its visuals and energy make it nearly surpass its film-noir brother in terms of sheer entertainment.

8 / 10