To usher in the season, I chose Wet Hot American Summer as the next Sunday Classic. Whether or not you like this movie depends greatly on whether the sense of humor espoused by its creators appeals to you. And if the critical reception to the film is any indication, it’s a type of humor that most people just don’t get.

Wet Hot American Summer was the brainchild of David Wain and Michael Showalter, previously of the MTV sketch comedy troupe The State. If you have ever seen the show, or other projects from State Alumni like The Ten, Reno 911! and Stella (not to mention various other writing and directing gigs like Balls of Fury and Night at the Museum that seem made for a wider audience) then you will sort of get their schtick–humor from randomness and obscure reference. They aren’t trying to make a lot of sense, and in that lies the brilliance.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Wet Hot American Summer satires the camp movies of the late 70’s and 80’s, but also sort of satires satire itself. It’s the last day of camp, and everyone is scrambling around to find a summer hookup or work on sketches for the Big Talent Show or even save the world. The cast of characters is massive and each group has its own hilariously satisfying subplot. Read More »

What is a classic? Some consider the word in its most traditional form when using it in the context of film: movies made over fifty years ago, usually in black and white, usually overflowing with critical and popular esteem.

I like to think of the term in a broader sense, disregarding the time in which it was produced and whether or not it won any awards or are on any ‘best-of’ lists. No, a classic to me is something that has or will stand the test of time because of its brilliance, or its entertainment value, or its strong characterization, etc. And a movie like Shaun of the Dead has all of these things and more.

At first, it may seem like a silly zombie movie, but Shaun of the Dead, in all of its silliness, may actually be one of the most perfect movies ever made.

Shaun is a lazy television salesman, too caught up in the routine of his life to notice that he’s on the verge of losing his girlfriend, he’s neglecting his family, and, oh yeah, there is a horrible zombie outbreak. Fighting off the zombies in his favorite pub, The Winchester, Shaun has to come to terms with his own mortality and the loss of the people that he loves. At its heart, Shaun of the Dead is a movie about accepting one’s adulthood, and all the varied and often scary implications of that.

Going back to the idea of ‘classic’, if we apply the idea of the ‘classic’ movie or literary structure to the film, it has very strongly delineated acts and the main character, Shaun, goes through an inner emotional journey that reflects and is affected by his greater outer journey. This is some Chekov-level sh*t. Read More »