Movie Preview: Zombieland

Sometimes you just want to go to a movie and be completely distracted from reality. Those types of movies that acheieve this distraction the best tend to never win Oscar's or anything else. But at their best they are like what some call comfort foods. They satiate out need for visual fluff, and that's it.

Zombieland looks like a film that fits right into that comfort zone.



There not much to say about this film. The writing won't be grand. The acting will likely not be above most television fare. The plot will have holes big enough to fit a Transformer through. But none of that really matters.

This is a kill-the-zombies film. The bigger the bang, the more absurd the explosion, the more outlandish the violence, the more the film will please.

Woody Harrelson looks like he was just having fun in this film. In fact all the lead actors seem to be. Which bodes well for this film.

As a bonus, the film looks like there won't be any CGI involved - which means the focus is on stunts, explosions, and guns. All the things a good zombie film should have. Add to that a good sense of humor and it's a win-win.

Could the trailer be the best parts of the film? Undoubtedly. But if we can race along from zombie killing scene to the next without some Hollywood introduction to the cause of the week, audiences should get what they paid for. And lately that has become a rare treat at the movies.

My expectations are low for this film. They should be. Which means that it very likely may be the best film this year so far.

Woody Harrelson respects soldiers - finally

I am happy to say that the level of insensitivity and stupidity in Hollywood has dropped slightly today. It may not change much, but any change is a positive there.

Now you might wonder what I am referring to. I mean Woody Harrelson,

“I've been an outspoken peace activist for good reason. But what was missing from my own philosophy was a real understanding of what these soldiers go through. The time we spent with them working on the film left me with profound respect and compassion for these people who are going to Iraq and Afghanistan.

They're putting their lives on the line because they believe they're trying to help and doing something for their country. However you feel about the war, I have a lot of respect for these soldiers. I hope this film gives the warriors the light they deserve."

No shit.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the acting ability of Harrelson. I deeply respect his strong position of being a peace activist. And I would die to protect his ability to keep those views or make any statement he likes.

I just think it is a statement of complete arrogance and stupidity to not realize that every single freedom every American enjoys is directly connected to the service provided by the military. People like Hanoi Jane Fonda never figured it out, but it seems that Harrelson has, to some degree. And it’s nice to hear – finally.

Now I am not advocating war, nor all the political decisions made that place our soldiers in harms way. But there is a huge difference between what a soldier has pledged to do, up to and including sacrificing their lives, and what politicians give them orders to do.

Were it not for the blood spilled in service to the nation, Harrelson, and all of Hollywood, could never do what they do for a living. People like Hanoi Jane Fonda and Moveon.org would never be able to say what they do.

I think its well beyond time that Hollywood, and celebrities making individual comments, regained a bit of respect when addressing our soldiers and what they do. Harrelson has taken a step towards that, we can hope that Hollywood will too.

Wesley Snipes unfairly sentanced to 3 years, Willie Nelson free

So I was wrong. Not by a lot, but wrong all the same. Wesley Snipes was sentenced today to 3 years of prison by a judge in Florida today. I had expected him to receive no jail time and probation.

“Mr. Snipes was found guilty of 3 counts of not filing a tax return. Those were misdemeanor counts. He was up for 16 years in prison, that pundits were sure he would be convicted for, and based on the misdemeanors he will almost assuredly spend no time in prison.”

Given that the various pundits were nearly demanding his incarceration I found it interesting that he was found innocent by a jury, and that it was not publicized. There was massive media in convicting Snipes before the trial ever started as I have written. Now that he has been unfairly penalized, the media is all over this in a manner they have avoided on the positive news of this case.

Mind you that before the sentancing many entertainers offered letters defending his character. Some of those included Denzel Washington, Woody Harrelson, and Judge Greg Mathis. At least in the case of Judge Mathis, the hope was not in obtaining leniency but in ensuring a fair sentancing. That obviously did not happen.

Unlike Willie Nelson who lost a case with the IRS, owing $32 million, and received no jail time or probation Snipes was placed in jail. This reminds me of the various cases where crack dealers receive severely harsher penalties while those convicted for cocaine receive lesser punishment. In these examples of what is known to occur commonly, we see that being Black virtually ensures the longest jail sentances.

Remember that in this case we have Snipes with no prior criminal record, this is a non-violent crime, it’s a misdemeanor, and he’s a celebrity (which usually helps). Add to that that the IRS paid Wesleyt Snipes a full $7 million dollar refund, and waited 5 years for the red flags to go up.

At what point is this not the Government picking on a Black man? They used tax loss even for years in which Snipes was acquitted of failing to file a return. And the fact is criminal tax prosecutions are relatively rare. The judge in this case wanted to make a point and hurt Mr. Snipes, not unlike the courts and juries that went after OJ Simpson after he too was found innocent. They just couldn’t let the African American man walk away when they knew (in their minds), and wanted him to be found guilty and suffer in jail. Again, if you think I am wrong just refer to Willie Nelson and his freedom though he was found guilty for $32 million.

And I have to ask, why must the media play up the negatives of this case. From day one they framed this, in 30 second soundbites, to enhance the presumed and pre-convicted guilt of Mr. Snipes. Similar in the way that 35 years of sermons of Rev. Wright were summarized into five 10 second polispeak soundbites to be used against him and Senator Obama.

The media seems to take great joy in promoting any image or story that presumes guilt of African Americans. Yet they are remiss in dealing with obvious events of Whites commiting atrocities and repugnant racial attacks. Just look at all the news coverage given to Megan Williams as compared to Bobbie Cutts or the manner in which the death of Sean Taylor was covered, or the brief coverage of Michael Richards, or the unabashed and unrelenting proclamation of innocence of the Duke Lacrosse team, or the 3 month long coverage of Anna Nicole Smith as opposed to the virtual fleeting coverage of James Brown’s death. And I can go on.

With this kind of media coverage, is there any question why Senator Obama gets such strong polling, and yet reflectively few White votes? Or that Wesley Snipes is now going to serve 3 years in jail for something a comparable White entertainer didn’t spend 5 minutes in jail for?

Hell, Paris Hilton had petitions and multiple pundits proclaiming she was unfairly sentenced – though she flaunted the law and was a menance to the lives of the public on roads. Yet I’ve heard only Judge Mathis on the news media saying the same thing (the sentancing) for Wesley Snipes.

What a world we live in. And what major media we have telling us about it. Keep your eyes open because the America they are selling us isn’t the Friends they want us to believe in, but a more colorful and diverse reality. Until they get a chance to spin the polispeak against us.