(I’m posting this late at night as I wind my East Coast workday down after midnight in the hopes of avoiding a Catfreeek Burial, as well as hoping for some West Coast Comment love…)
At the risk of treading into Simpsons Haiku Territory, i.e. Trying To Be Funny About Something Already Inherently Funny, I hereby attempt a review at Shaun Of The Dead. Brilliant. Funny. Great horror shit going on. (That was it. You can skip the rest.)
Anyway (massive segue approaching), one of the (few) things I gleaned from my high school education was the jaw-dropping notion of the “behind-the-scenes story.” Studying Tom Stoppard’s "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead," I was struck with an explosive concept: great works of literature are only telling PART of the story. If you really start to investigate and carve into each character and back story, you’ll find some serious layers of brilliance hidden in the original author’s subconscious.
For example, what the heck were Rosencrantz & Guildenstern really DOING that whole time they were offstage? Let’s hear some more about THEIR story. A fascinating, stimulating concept to my pre-beer, pre-bong-hit mind.
By extension, when Obi-Wan is shutting down the tractor beam and distracts the two Stormtroopers sent to guard the doorway, it is their dialogue that I find to be some of the most thought-provoking material of the Original Trilogy:
ST #1: What’s goin’ on?
ST #2: I dunno. Must be another drill.
ST #1: Hey, did you hear about that new RK-427? [sic]– (I have no fucking idea what algebraic combo Lucas put in their mouths)
ST #2: Yeah, some of the other fellas were telling me about that. I hear it’s really…something to see. (Force Distraction into the hallway) What was that?
(Kenobi escapes)
I mean, I want to know about THESE two guys. What exactly did their superiors tell them to do? What was the overall level of alert? What constitutes "just another drill"? What the hell kind of device, vehicle or thing were they talking about, and what else do “the fellas” think about it? Why is it, vaguely, "something to see"? Is there a Death Star Bar where they all go to bitch at the end of the day? The onion just keeps peeling back and back.
The whole “hidden backstory” idea is nothing new, and the layers of SW have been addressed brilliantly by Clerks, Robot Chicken, Family Guy, and dozens of fan films (Troops, George Lucas In Love, and so on). A paraphrase and a misquote from (most likely) John Cleese, discussing Life of Brian: “No matter what historically important thing you’re talking about as having happened, there’s always somebody in the room next door mopping the floor who has no idea what’s going on.”
(Segue winding down)
So anyway, Shaun Of The Dead (whew): the significant part for discussion is the opening 20 minutes. Directorially, it is STEEPED in subtlety that the “Zombie Movie” is clearly ALREADY HAPPENING to other people, all around the world, but a couple of drunk nutters in Britain don’t realize that fact until “that fact” quite literally walks into their living room (a priceless hand-wringing “Oh My Goddddd” reaction). It is the "Rosencrantz" to the "Hamlet" of Dawn of the Dead.
Witness the twin Steadicam shots of Shaun going to the convenience store, first on a “normal work day,” and subsequently on “zombie day” while hungover. In his perspective, it’s exactly the same experience. To us, we notice ALL the hilarious differences: the guy washing the car is now gone, the foam replaced by the shattered glass of a broken windshield…the guy who was casually jogging the day before is now SPRINTING by in panic…the glass cooler door in the store now has bloody hand prints all over it…Shaun slipping on the floor in what is now clearly a pool of blood, which he doesn’t notice…the homeless guy asking for change is now just attempting to eat human flesh…and so on and so on. The out-of-focus decapitation of the making-out-couple outside the pub the night before is the spearhead of the sequence. Brilliant comedic filmmaking.
(And also the bit where the two “surviving troupes” meet each other in the backyard, and it’s the meeting of 6 doppelgangers of the main characters – clearly they’re going through their own parallel “zombie movie” too…also Shaun stumbling out hungover on Zombie Day - who HASN'T felt like that?...also the comedic use of clichéd horror movie staples – the slightly ajar mirror, pushed back in to suddenly reveal THE ZOMBIE, or, on the first day, THE FLATMATE IN THE SHOWER…I could go on and on…)
But I won’t. Great, hilarious stuff. I’ve taken up enough vertical inches just trying to contribute to the month. Love you all.
Coming Soon, on a Very Special Horrorthon Post: Army Of Darkness (please don’t nobody beat me to it)
25 comments:
Dude, nothing could make me happier than a reference to those two guys! I've loved those guys for years.
Their small talk is just amazing; pure Lucas "so bad it's good" material. Obviously Lucas realized that they needed some "small talk" to indicate they weren't paying attention to Kenobi. So he obviously thought, well, what would two stormtroopers discuss? Some new piece of equipment, of course. And it's the NASA 'Seventies, so sci-fi dialogue is filled with this kind of stuff; rather than "Hand me the 'space nullifyer'" it's "hand me the XJ-2000-M unit." (Remember Kubrick's TMA-1 and AE-35.)
So the dudes are talking about some new gizmo. But then they're permitted to improv, so you get "some of the other guys were talking about it; apparently, it's...ah...quite a thing to see." (Since I have no fucking idea what we're supposed to be talking about.) (And neither does Lucas!)
And yet, somehow, it works. The moment reads as real. You buy these two jerks and their history-altering mistake. (Can you imagine if they'd caught Kenobi? Actually, forget it; they'd both be dead and stuffed in a closet somewhere.)
i find myself leaping to the defense of the horror aspect of SotD all the time -- nobody takes it seriously, which is totally fair because it is a comedy. but i don't notice a single moment in the movie in which anyone acts inconsistent with how a person might behave in these circumstances.
there are focal points of sincerity in the movie (Shaun's last talk with his stepdad is well written and sad; also, i had a little bit of a "moment" when watching Shaun's last scene with his mom (I think i managed to navigate both these examples without actually giving anything away!)) putting your sense of humor on hold for a viewing, the whole film could play as bonafide horror.
your Rosencrantz argument is dead on, is what i'm trying to say.
Jordan, I can only imagine the crisp dialogue if they had spotted Kenobi.
ST #1: Hey, you!
ST #2: Ummm....
Anyway, there's a similar moment in ESB in the Hoth base with 3 Rebel soldiers talking about random tasks. The scene is SO boring that it usually takes about 4000 viewings before you finally actually see and hear what they're saying. I've watched it over and over to try and commit the most banal SW dialogue ever to memory, and I can't for the life of me recall it now. It's an amazing scene, because no matter how many times you watch the film, it falls at that exact moment in the movie where you would turn to your neighbor to discuss what you had just seen previously. Every time. I think the scene pops up right after Ozzel gets choked and Piette gets promoted.
50, I couldn't agree more. Every performance is entirely plausible. They manage to walk that fine line of total comedy, believable horror, and even that tricky zombie-movie concept of not wanting to kill a zombie because it resembles one of your loved ones (a concept I have NEVER bought. Conceptually, I feel like I could handle blowing a family member's head off if they were lurching at me trying to eat my flesh. Clooney handles this sort of thing well in Dusk Til Dawn, I might add.).
Hysterical review.
(Except the Python quote was from Eric Idle when he was discussing the brilliant deleted sheep scene from Life of Brian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS3j_mwAhE0 )
Ah yes - thank you JSP. I knew I was off by a Python or two.
Wonderful comparison to R&G are dead - that play was definitely the highlight of my high school english class. I ended flipping a coin for months afterwards to make sure the laws of probability still applied - anyway, I really want to go check out Shaun of the Dead again now. Thanks.
Wow, I HAVE to watch the Hoth scene now. I can't even picture it.
I love the subtleties of Shaun of the Dead that you pointed out. The cutural impact of this movie can already be measured. Zombieland for example wouldn't exist without it.
Terrific and hysterical review. I love the Star Wars conversation. In fact, I have always been captivated with the background behavior of extras (e.g., Just what are the people siting on the bench in the backgroud really talking about?). Although its not exactly the same idea, I recently posted a frame grab from a Leave it to Beaver episode that was from Beaver's teacher. The letter is hilarious and was not supposed to be seen by the audience. No one commented on it. Jerks.
I thought that Beaver letter was a gag. I didn't realize it was real!
I want to know the backstory of the fat biker in the original Dawn of the Dead who grabbed the portable TV during the mall looting. Another biker asks "What are you gonna watch with that thing anyway?" The fat guy thinks about it for a second and then replies "I don't know man" before smashing the small TV into a larger one. What did he normally watch on TV? Did he join a biker gang before or after the zombies took over? Is his quickness to anger an asset or a liability?
I believe he was same guy who idiotically tests his pulse during the chaos resulting in his intestines getting ripped out and eaten.
Ahhhh, zombies...
Aren't you so glad I didn't bury this review :)
Excellent review, I always looks forward to your unique perspective. Stan, always pointing out the subtle side humor in films.
Now back to writing my 78 not so great but fairly accurate reviews.
I just noticed I added an s onto look, haha. It reads funnier that way, oops.
Great review! I watched this last year and loved it.
I teach a class about responsible alcohol service at the hotel and we watch a bunch of scenes with terrible actors. I have seen the clips so many times now I have started to watch the background people and wonder what the hell they are talking about. Ironically, it led me to notice that one dude is a dead ringer for JSP...
I love this review! But I don't have time to go into how much right now. Stan, if you're the egomaniac I know you are, check back tomorrow for more love.
Aw shucks :) "Egomaniac?" More like "ego-brainiac!"
(Chlorophyll? More like...bore-o-phyll.)
Thanks for the props everybody. I looks forward to all of your reviews, too!
And as someone who sets extras in shots for a living, I can confirm two things:
1) They are either mouthing the word "rutabaga" over and over (a "technique" they actually teach in acting classes), OR
2) Whispering about how much free craft service snack food they're going to steal later, or how much they're going to complain about union violations to the AD department later.
Funny, about 300 of our students last night began playing "BG Undead," a big 4 day role playing game where most of them begin as pink bandana wearing "humans" who have to survive the game by not being attacked by other student "zombies." The humans get to carry nerf guns all around campus to defend themselves, or use marshmallows or socks as bombs/grenades. When you shoot/bomb a zombie, I think it has to stay idle for 10 minutes or so.
Yes, it's the nerdiest thing ever. But, yeah, JSP. I thin Shaun of the Dead is having a cultural impact alright!
Great great review, Stan.
Thanks, Shark!
What kind of school IS this?
And how do I enroll?
Was this what you were referring to on Hoth?
"Group 7 & 8 will stay behind the flat(?) speeders. As soon as the transporter is loaded, evacuation control will give clearance for immediate launch."
"Yes sir."
I had trouble transcribing because a whooshing ship sound overwhelms his first sentence.
That's TOTALLY it. Even reading it, and then scrolling back up to Comment, I've completely forgotten it.
It was seriously HUNDREDS of viewings in before my roommate in college (Beaker), putting down the bong, was like, "Wait a second, I've never seen that shit before!" And we rewound and marveled at this heretofore undiscovered, hiding-in-plain sight incredibly lame, useless scene.
It's almost feels like it's there by design. An Anti-Scene meant to give you a window to talk about how Admiral Ozzel was really more stupid than clumsy.
Speaking of background actors, the best background reaction EVER is in that Ozzel choke scene. Watch the guy at the console behind everybody. Ozzel steps up, chokes, Piette steps in, gets promoted, and Ozzel falls. Ozzel's impact on the ground is what gets that other guy's attention, he looks down, then up at the screen with Vader on it, his eyes go wide as he understands now EXACTLY what just happened ("Oh fuck, I see what's going on here") and he turns immediately back to his work.
Layers.
Excellent review as always, Mr. Stan! You've motivated me to see Shaun of the Dead again.
I read it again and forgot each syllable after prounouncing the last one. Here is my challenge: read it, turn around and restate it without reading looking. You get 3 tries.
"Group 7 & 8 will stay behind the flat speeders. As soon as the transporter is loaded, evacuation control will give clearance for immediate launch."
The funny thing is that one guy walks off in the middle. He's just that bored.
I just tried it, and I can't stop laughing because it's impossible! Even staring right at the paragraph, the words just start to lose all meaning.
Excellent work on the transcription; I don't know how you got through it.
When Luke complains about how little cash he's getting for h's getting for his landspeeder, he says it's because they haven't been in demand since the "XP-38s" have come out. I always liked the idea that the stormtroopers were discussing the XP-38 too.
But they're not. According to Wookiepedia, the VT-16 (or BT-16) is a droid, the spidery-looking kind like the one that freaks out 3PO as he enters Jabba's Palace. Whatever.
Anyway, Stan, loved this review. I kind of never thought of it that way, that the real zombie movie is happening to other people.
Octo, that's a fascinating point - I never really examined that bit of inane dialogue. Of COURSE Luke is driving a beat-up piece of shit as a blue-collar farm boy.
If I could sell my 1982 S-10 Chevy pickup for 2000 Imperial credits, while competing against the fact that there's a Ford F-150 landspeeder out there that BLOWS AWAY the XP-38, then I'd pretty much take what I could get. And talk about it in exactly the way he does.
There's the next rallying haiku topic: Inane Star Wars Dialogue.
Anyway, glad you enjoyed the review. As always, it's quality, not quantity. Which is to say 3 reviews in October.
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