"Zombieland" and "Ugly Americans"

I want to give you 2 reviews of films I've just seen.

The 1^st is “Zombieland”. I missed it when it was in the cinemas because it didn't sound like something I'd enjoy, but then people kept telling me how funny it was. Then, I saw the clip where Woody Harrelson plays the banjo solo from “Deliverance” and proceeds to lop off a charging overweight zombie's head with it. I was hooked! By then, though, the film has left the cinemas. So just last night I got the Netflix copy and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I saw a number of similarities to “Zombieland” and the bloodiest film I've every made, “I Married A Strange Person.” I give “Zombieland” a score of 9 out of 10.

The other film, or actually, TV Show I saw that had a lot of similarities is called “Ugly Americans.” I believe it's on Adult Swim. It's an extreme look at New York City as if it's been repopulated by all sorts of mythical evil creatures (Werewolves, Zombies, Robots, Vampires and Devils) but it's played like they're very common-place and part of the the everyday fabric of Manhattan. That's what makes it so funny and yet so true to New York City life: everyone here in the Big Apple is so extreme.

The design by Aaron Augenblick is wonderful – it reminds me a bit like Charles Burns (which is a good thing). “Ugly Americans” now ranks up there with “Sponge Bob” as one of my favorite TV Shows – I give it an 8 out of 10.