Land of the Dead

I watched this one last night (again). So, this one is from 2005, and its premise is that the dead have been turning into zombies for a few decades, so the living have isolated themselves in walled cities. When someone dies, they must destroy the bodies immediately. So, these people don't make anything, grow anything, or do anything productive. They go out of the city to scavenge for food and other supplies, which they bring back into the city.



The rich live in luxury, shopping and eating well. The poor live in slums around the city. All the people have to keep them busy is vices: gambling, drinking, fighting, watching zombie fights, etc....

They've become so worthless that in this movie, the black hero is Big Daddy, the leader of the zombies! The zombies are remembering more things, and they're able to communicate, and to use tools. One of my favorite moments is when Big Daddy finds a jackhammer in the street, and he realizes what it is and how to use it. He yells, "Hah HAH!" and triumphantly waves it high in the air! My other favorite scene is when he realizes that the river bordering the city really isn't a deterrent like the humans think. He walks (with hundreds of zombies following) right into the water, and right across the bottom of the river and up the other side. The visual of all those heads calmly surfacing on the city's side of the river is so good!

There is a little kid zombie, who reminded me of Eddie Munster. He distracts a human on a skateboard so that a CLOWN zombie can come from behind and grab the human. Kids and clowns = superscary!

Since I don't have 'Day of the Dead' (which fits between 'Dawn' and 'Land'), I'll be moving on now from zombies. In 'Day of the Dead,' some military team is in an underground bunker doing experiments on zombies. They discover that zombies can remember things from before, but also that they can LEARN new skills, even if slowly. I don't remember if there are any kids in that one; it seems unlikely.

Tonight Jason and I are planning to go see the Supersuckers play at the Bluebird in Denver. A local band, The Railbenders, is opening. It should be fun. The Supersuckers are a great live band.