1. Warm Bodies (Summit Entertainment, 3,009 Theaters, 97 Minutes, Rated PG-13): Let’s get one thing straight; Shaun of the Dead is the best zombie romantic comedy there ever was, and it likely will be for the foreseeable future.
But this doesn’t mean that there’s not room for more zom rom coms, especially ones with an inventive twist to them.
Based on teh novel of the same name, the film focuses on a zombie named R (Nicholas Hoult) who comes across Julie (Teresa Palmer), a woman fighting his kind. Their eyes meet. A spark happens. And when R saves Julie from an attack from an especially vicious breed of zombie, they realize that something is happening. But what is happening? And what does it have to do with R eating Julie’s boyfriend’s brain?
The fact that a zombie can turn back to being more human through the power of love might be a bit too much for hardcore zombie fans to accept, but I think it’s an interesting take on the genre. I’d be interested to see where they go with it.
2. Bullet To The Head (Warner Brothers, 2,404 Theaters, 91 Minutes, Rated R): Two weeks ago, it was Arnold Schwarzenegger making his return to the big screen. Now, its Sylvester Stallone. Granted, Sly has been a bit more active than Arnie in the last few years, but I’m holding out hope that this is the start of a 80s octogenarian action movie icon revival. Maybe Chuck Norris is next!
Stallone plays a hit man who teams up with a Washington, DC cop to gain vengeance against a common foe who killed both of their partners.
This film is also the year’s first comic book adaptation. It was based on a French graphic novel by Alexis Nolent. That is not the only thing that adds an international flavor to the mix. The producers seem to be chasing after the worldwide market. The part of the cop was originally intended for Thomas Jane, but producers cast Asian-American actor Sung Kang in the hope that he would appeal to an Asian market overseas, with the idea that it would add to Stallone’s already strong international appeal. Whether or not the film does well in the United States might be inconsequential.
