Zombieland is a 2009 zombie comedy film.  It’s theme is highly similar in concept to Shawn of the Dead, however this flick is made in America.  The film stars Jesse Eisenberg (also the star of “The Social Network”), Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin as survivors of a zombie apocalypse.  Together they take an extended road trip in an attempt to find a sanctuary free from zombies.  Based on my not so in-depth research, Zombieland received very positive reviews and was a commercial success.  It grossed more than $60.8 million in 17 days at the box office, surpassing the Dawn of the Dead remake to become the top-grossing zombie film to date in the United States.

The film is set in a post-apocalyptic America, two months after a disease turns nearly all humans into zombies.  College student “Columbus” (Jesse Eisenberg) is on his way to Columbus, Ohio to see if his parents are still alive.  Along the way he encounters “Tallahassee” (Woody Harrelson), who is on a quest to find the last Twinkies on Earth.  They travel together and later meet up with two con-artist sisters, “Wichita” (Emma Stone) and “Little Rock” (Abigail Breslin).  After a bit of character development and car jacking, they end up traveling together to “Pacific Playland”, hoping zombies aren’t there.  The rest of the plot you’ll have to find out for yourself.

This was the first movie that I saw with Jesse Eisenberg, and I think he was the perfect choice for the role he was cast into.  It was also nice to see Woody Harrelson jump back on the map.  The lead actress Emma Stone was a great fit for the tough yet sexy zombie-killing woman role.  You may recognize her from “Superbad” or “The Rocker”.   To top off the great cast, part of the movie included a cameo from Bill Murray himself.  In case you’re wondering, yes, there was a reference to Ghostbusters in the movie!

A running gag, and a central theme throughout the film, is the list of rules Columbus comes up with for surviving in the zombie-infested world.  Periodically they appear on the screen as 3D text when a relevant event occurs.  Here are a few of my favorite ones:

1. “Cardio”
2. “Double tap”
3. “Beware of bathrooms”
31. “Check the back seat”

Most of those should be pretty self-explanatory, with the first rule popping up right when the movie starts.  Remember, staying in good physical condition and keeping up your cardio will have ample benefits when the zombie apocalypse arrives.

All in all, this is a very good movie suitable for (mostly) all age groups, possibly not little kids scared of zombies.  The casting and plot line are top notch, and there are some nice zombie kill moves concocted throughout the film.  Oh also I should mention a killer soundtrack.  The movie opens with “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Metallica playing in the background.  Anyway, if you haven’t already, go see Zombieland!

This first one is of Jack, the main character, in his drunken state once he has left the island and is trying to go back.  Spoiler?…too bad.

This second card is of Sayid, who is the tech expert on the island and helps discover Rousseau’s distress call in season one.

As for sources of these pictures, the link is in both of the pictures, so it should be pretty self-explanatory.  Also to note, you can click on the pictures for a larger version.  This is the case for most pictures that I will post.

After watching the season premiere I was pretty satisfied, and excited about what was to come the rest of the season.  The next day my dorm neighbor sent me the Lost picture that is in comic style fashion on the right of this post.  I personally found this pretty hilarious, and I think any true Lost fan would as well, however if you don’t really follow the show it’s pretty hard to appreciate, so let me explain a bit.

The two characters shown in the comic  are the main two actors of the series.  The first shown is Jack, and the second is Locke.  Jack has been the heroic leader of the survivors and typically the focal point of the show.  Locke came to the island in a wheelchair, and can suddenly walk when he wakes up on the beach.  He also is quite a knife fanatic and hunter, etc etc.

If you’ve seen Avatar and all of its unoriginal blueness then it’s pretty clear that the character of Locke and his background was picked right out of Lost and put into Avatar, with a facial makeover.  I’m not saying I’m mad about Avatar’s choice because the character worked out well being in a wheelchair and then being able to take on a new life as the Avatar.  However it does add yet another tally to the amount of ideas the movie is accused of ripping off of.  Those being Dances With Wolves, Pocahontas, FernGully, The Matrix, etc.