The Difference with Zombieland Is That the Unexpected Is the Combination of Genre. Reading the Film Closely You Cansee Elements
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DEFINITION : POSTMODERNISM FILMS are indicated by an overwhelming self-reflexive and a self- consciousness, indicated by many direct allusions and quotations to earlier, well-known texts in that a film may routinely call attention to itself as an artificially constructed work than present its narrative as something REAL Refer to each other from their cities – deters attachment. The very genre becomes the substances……overtly aware of its own construction and parody… A coming of age story…he gets the girl to grow in confidence Mad cow…mutants…. The difference with Zombieland is that the unexpected is the combination of genre. Reading the film closely you cansee elements of horror (zombies), comedy (humorous approach to a horrid reality), coming ofage film (youth of three characters), Western (landscape and outlaw nature of Tallahassee), filmnoir (femme fatale in Wichita), road film (constant travelling), etc. It could be argued that the burlesque stage of genre transformation could also lead way to genre convergence (an idea thatwe will explore in the following chapter). The most devoted horror enthusiasts can always find the deepest contemporary metaphors in even the cheesiest of Zombie flicks. I think in a sly, subtle way,Zombieland might be a delicate portrait of our stressful times. Perhaps the mess of the Zombie landscape is meant to reflect the mess of current times, in which economical problems, health care concerns, and unemployment anxieties are running as frantically as bloodthirsty Zombies. In this context, the human characters make us realize that even in the face of a collapsing society; we still face minute plights in our daily routines of survival. I find it interesting that even in the face of a crumbling world, these characters are still concerned with their own personal crisis, which consist of such matters as romantic crushes and intense food cravings. It’s not hard picturing ourselves behaving the same way in such a situation; perhaps we’re doing it right now. As with many films of this genre, the opening of the film is a self-reflective piece, giving you an introduction to the life of this lonely, awkward, pubescent American teenager. What’s unusual is this self reflective piece is an incredibly amusing sequence of him running circles round zombies reciting to us his common-sense rules of surviving in a world populated by zombies. Rules such as double-tap (that all self-respecting geeks would understand on hearing), cardio (the exact opposite) and wearing a seatbelt seem fairly minor given his predicament. But you begin to understand them as he carries out the execution of a douzen flesh-devouring creatures without so much as breaking a sweat. This is where Eisenberg shines through. He is challenging Michael Cera for the role of greatest virginal pubescent teenager and there’s a reason for it, he pulls it off extremely well. Not only does the role seem to come naturally to him, but he acts it extremely well, every emotion is realistic, every motive evident, every piece of dialogue felt and seen. There really is no faulting him, except that he’s not Michael Cera. It is a parody too….makes fun of zombie movies… Max Brooks – the Zombie survival guide…. Columbus follows the rules Breaks the rules…don’t be a hero and he gets the girl Zombie slapstick Self effacing humour….he is aware of his failings…..cant get the girl..ibs…fear of clowns… Sefl reflexive humour as they meet bill murray and they get to act out their favourite movies…..ghost busters…. Bill murray as himself…playing warped versions of themselves… Watching a movie in a movie… Gross out terror and laugh out loud Finds cache of weapons…where else in the world would rednecks leave weapons apart from in the USA> Pokes fun at zombie conventions….. 3) ZOMBIELAND 2009′ : Directed by Ruben Fleischer and Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. This is a very popular Postmodern Horror Comedy Film with today’s audience. The Plot concerns Columbus (Jessie Eisenberg) on his way home to Ohio after a Zombie apocalypse. He meets up with the Twinkie Loving Asshole Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and they take a buddy road-trip to an amusement park that is supposed to be a safe haven from the Zombies. In a self-reflexive moment, the characters watch Ghostbusters and “Real” Bill Murray shows up. It turns out that it is His home that they took refuge in from the Zombies. That was just too much for my tastes! Aimless and stupid fun is the best way to describe this comedy Horror film. Of course there are rules to stay alive from the Zombie attack which are described throughout the course of the picture. The best thing about film, in my opinion, is the actor Jessie Eisenberg performance! ———— SCREAM 1996′ : Directed by Wes Craven and Written by Kevin Williamson did change the Horror Film landscape because of its mainstream popularity in 1996! Horror Fans debate whether this was really good for the genre as a whole. For example, all the cheesy/insipid copycats like I know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legends, Cry Wolf, and Valentine! The plot of Scream has Ghostface stalking and killing Sidney Prescott’s (Neve Campbell) friends off one by one as they self-reflexively joke about the rules in Horror Films. Scream’s features an”All Star” cast such as Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Rose McGowan, Drew Barrymore, and Henry Winkler (The FONZ) as the principle! Scream is probably the Best Postmodern Horror Film ever made. Love it or hate it, Scream is an extremely well crafted Horror Film! .