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Post by wmcclain on Oct 25, 2023 12:09:11 GMT
Pontypool (2008), directed by Bruce McDonald. Something very much like a zombie apocalypse as witnessed from the studio of an Ontario morning radio program. It takes place on Valentine's Day. It is not a comedy or meant to be a spoof, but the quirky interpretation of the genre is pretty rich: - The news organization is the last to know what is happening in their own town.
- Having a big scoop they try to narrate it professionally with phony-concerned journalism-speak no matter how horrific the news.
- They are out-professionaled by the BBC who call in wanting to direct the story into a bogus "separatist uprising" narrative.
- The host is a talker and makes his living talking, which is unfortunate because the "infection" is spread not by germs but by words.
Stephen McHattie carries much of the story in his craggy face. He is great as the outlaw DJ, drinking at work and on his way down the ladder. Since talking is what he knows he tries to weaponize words to fight the outbreak. We don't know if he was correct. Words as a "mind virus" is clever and totally unexplained in the story. Not the same words for everyone and we don't know who was patient zero. People start repeating phrases, get locked into loops, join into "herds" and become homicidal and self-destructive. At one point our people get a warning message in French which they translate and read over the air: - avoid terms of endearment
- avoid English
And finally: - do not translate this message
Available on Blu-ray. The director and writer provide a chaotic, uninformative laugh-track. They spend most of the time talking about and reading from the scripts for two sequels they are certain are just about to be made, but never were as I write this. The sequels would have been more zombie splatterific and sexually excessive. The outlines sound bad.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Oct 25, 2023 12:23:17 GMT
A very cool take on the zombie genre. Stephen McHattie never disappoints.
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Post by masterofallgoons on Oct 25, 2023 12:27:25 GMT
A cool, interesting, kind of alternative horror movie. It's a weird one but I appreciate the different approach. I'm kind of surprised it's as well regarded as it is though. It's keeps so much of its action and horror elements off screen that I would have thought it would piss off fans.
Those more splattery sequel ideas sound terrible. What would be the point? Why take what made your movie special and disregard it to make it more ordinary?
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Post by Captain Spencer on Oct 25, 2023 16:16:55 GMT
I thought it was pretty good, definitely an offbeat take on the zombie apocalypse genre. Stephen McHattie was great.
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Post by Prime etc. on Oct 25, 2023 18:36:41 GMT
Only Canada would make a film where language is considered hurtful.
The government controls what films get made and distributed theatrically and the rules are ridiculously strict.
A film must “conform to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) Code of Ethics and to all other programming standards endorsed by the CAB or the CRTC, and not contain any element that is an offence under the Criminal Code, is libellous or in any other way unlawful.”
I always wondered why Canada avoided depictions of murder in films--(at least after 1985) and that must be the reason. This is why Canadian film is so lame. Shakespeare would be rejected for funding.
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forca85
Sophomore
@forca85
Posts: 351
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Post by forca85 on Nov 15, 2023 5:22:12 GMT
I've not seen "Pontypool". But did enjoy "Dead air". Similar kind of. Taking place in a Radio station.
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Post by masterofallgoons on Nov 15, 2023 13:52:10 GMT
I've not seen "Pontypool". But did enjoy "Dead air". Similar kind of. Taking place in a Radio station. I've heard of that one in comparison to Pontypool, and it would probably be interesting to see Bill Mosely in a 'normal guy' kind of role. I've only seen one movie directed by Corbin Bernsen. I've seen him as an actor plenty of times, of course, but he directed the 2014 release Christian Mingle: The Movie, which I did enjoy, but mostly because it was just so unbelievably terrible that it was hilarious.
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