A Boy And His Zombie... "Fido"

Fido (2006)

Rated R

Starring Kesun Loder, Billy Connolly, Dylan Baker, Carrie-Anne Moss, Henry Czerny

Directed by Andrew Currie
The Story:

During the 50s, a cloud of radiation has covered the earth and it turns the dead into zombies! Thankfully, Zomcom has developed a collar that will neutralize those zombies and make them productive members of society! Finally, the Robinson family has a zombie to call their own, and Timmy (Loder) decides to call him Fido (Connolly).

I think the best way I could describe this movie is...

Remember The Iron Giant?

Well, replace the robot with a zombie, and there you go.

But not quite. ;)

However, that's the essence, vibe and feel that the movie gives with the 50s setting and while the zombies are bad, they possibly can be harnessed for good.

It's a throwback feel that's a lot of fun and a great entry into the horror comedy genre.

A fun cast, with Connolly giving a great performance behind the zombie features that still imbues a lot of life into his character.

Which isn't easy to do when you're supposed to be a zombie.

A lot of fun and worth a look if you missed it the first time, like I did.

Better late than never! :)

Final Grade: B

It's Been A Decade, Still Waiting For A Sequel To "The Incredibles"

The Incredibles (2004)

Rated PG for slightly scary stuff... if you're like a baby or something! ;)

Starring Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Spencer Fox, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee

Directed & Written by Brad Bird

The Story:

Mr. Incredible (Nelson) and Elastigirl (Hunter) were two of America's best superheroes.  However, the times have changed, and all of the old heroes have gone into "retirement" at the behest of the government.  Trying to live a normal life, they started a family, but Mr. Incredible has the itch to get back into the game.  When given a chance to relive some of the old glory days, he takes a chance, but is captured by Syndrome (Lee) a wannabe sidekick with delusions of grandeur.  It's up to the family to save their dad, and the day.  Can they do it?

With the release of this film, it was easily, for me, considered the best superhero movie ever.

If Marvel Studios hadn't hit a home run with Iron Man, I would have maintained that the best way to bring the heroes to life would be to follow Pixar's lead and craft well written stories that allow for the dynamics of animation to best convey the stories of superheroes.

But, Marvel made miracles happen, and the rest is history.

Meanwhile, The Incredibles now celebrates a decade of being one of Pixar's finest films.

It also cements the fact that Brad Bird is arguably the best writer/director of animated films of this generation.

The Iron Giant
The Incredibles
Ratatouille

All written and directed by him.

Probably John Lassetter is the only one more successful, but Bird was doing it prior to his arrival at Pixar, and he's also made the jump to live action films with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol which was a very highly entertaining entry in that franchise.

The voice cast is spot on in this film, from the kids to every character throughout the film.  The dialogue and plot just pulls you in and holds you until the very end.

Plus, before he was Nick Fury, Samuel L. Jackson was FroZone!

:)

Excellent, all the way around.

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Own it, love it.  Looking forward to the announced sequel (about time!)