Holiday Horror: Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)

In Little Haven, Anna and her friends are seniors in high school and poised on embarking their adult lives. As they agonize about the effect they have on the world, what they will do next year, and if their love is returned, zombies take over their town on Christmas. Anna and her friends must hack, slash, sing, and dance their way to the school to rescue their friends and families.

Anna and the Apocalypse is a breath of fresh air in the current state of horror. Most films take themselves deadly serious and it's nice to have a horror comedy that provides gore, some drama, a little bit of sadness, and a lot of humor. Our protagonist Anna is bored with her small town and wants more for her life than what her friends and father want for her. Her friends want everything to stay the same so they hang out and have fun while her dad wants her to immediately go to college and embark on a career. She wants to explore the world and find her place in it before she settles down to adult life. This is met with incredulity and eye rolls from everyone around her. It's a horrible feeling at any age to not be supported by those around you.

The other teens have different goals in mind. John is Anna's best friend and completely in love with her. He has conventional dreams to go to college. Their friends Chris and Lisa are rather wrapped up in each other. Steph is more of an outcast, but wants to truly make a difference in her community while being thwarted by classmates and authority figures at every turn. This varied view of teens feels refreshing. They aren't all bored or consumed by technology or monolithic in any way. Everyone wants something different and wishes others would see and support them. The one outlier is Anna's ex Nick, a bully who spread rumors about Anna. Even his character is fleshed out and sympathetic by the end of the film.

The songs prove to be much better than I expected. In the trailers, the tune and words seemed fairly basic. However, each song shows how a character feels and is fun to listen to. Break Away and Hollywood Ending establish the characters and what makes them tic with relatable themes of fitting in, the unknown of the future, frustration, and dreams. It's That Time of Year is ridiculously laden with double entendres, a more vulgar Santa Baby. Soldier at War is my favorite zombie fighting song with sass and energy. My favorite visually is Turning My Life around because Anna and John obliviously sing this upbeat, inspirational song as zombies destroy their town.  Even seemingly throwaway songs are a delight like Christmas Means Nothing Without You and The Fish Wrap. The former could have been any Christmas song, but it gave a specific flavor at the start of the film. The latter is so silly and punny that I wish it were longer. The songwriting is good on every song even if the production and orchestration aren't the best. The use of non-autotuned voices is not only refreshing, but makes the characters and the film have a sense of realism and vulnerability.

The actual plot is pretty basic with Anna and her friends gathering weapons (the best being the giant candy cane lawn ornament) and saving their friends and family. Tonally, the vast majority of the film is lighthearted and fun, which I love. Some scenes are more comedic like Headmaster Savage's whole character and his songs. He desperately wants to control everyone in the school and becomes hilariously unhinged when zombies attack. When people start dying, it just doesn't have the emotional resonance needed. It seems out of character compared to the rest of it and simply doesn't fit. It's the only real flaw in an otherwise fun, enjoyable film. The ending has a dose of realism that felt more in line with everything else.

I knew Anna and the Apocalypse was my kind of movie just from the trailers. This Christmas zombie romantic comedy musical combines the gore and horror of zombie films, the wonder of Christmas, and the warm fuzzies of a romantic comedy with some surprisingly well written songs. The main characters feel real with their own view of the world and how they fit in it. The film's biggest strength is taking its teen characters seriously and portraying them as varied. I had so much fun watching Anna and the Apocalypse and I'm eager to own it to put into my yearly Christmas viewing rotation.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

Santa Clarita Diet Season 2

Sheila and Joel are in pretty bad shape at the start of the season. Sheila is locked in the basement due to her lust for flesh eating and accelerated rate of decomposition while Joel is in a 72 hour psychiatric hold due to trying to steal an old Serbian woman's bile. This season has them discovering new zombies, finding out more about zombie lore, trying to live their lives and succeed in their real estate business, and stop the spread of zombie infected clams. Their daughter Abby and her friend Eric help them along the way.

Santa Clarita Diet Season 2 has everything the first season has and more. It's hilarious, heart warming, and gory as hell with the perfect mix of horror and comedy. Sheila and Joel are an adorable couple. I didn't think I would like Joel anymore after the events of last season. He essentially rejected Sheila and admitted her only supported her because he thought she would return to the meek human woman she was before she became a zombie. This season, he got some perspective and accepts his wife for who she is. Their relationship greatly improved when his ego stopped getting in the way of Sheila's new attitude and outlook on life. They unite even further as real estate agents against another couple desperate to take any success from them with Sheila as the driving competitive force. They also investigate the zombie disease spreading and do what they can to save the general public from turning into zombies.

Sheila has a lust for life now that she's a zombie that has intensified from the first season. Her worsening condition caused her to become more prone to give in to her hunger, anger, and other desires, but she's stabilized and channeled her bloodlust into jogging and chasing animals in the desert at superhuman speed. Unfortunately, her condition still brings some surprises such as her blacking out and eating someone she doesn't remember, chewing off her fingers when nervous, and having to choose the right people to eat. There is a particularly funny scene where they befriend some Neo Nazis in order for her to eat awful people without guilt. Joel, on the other hand, drags his feet for everything and lets his pride in a negative Yelp review hold them back from investigating the origin of the disease at an Italian restaurant. His priorities are a bit skewed at times, but he comes through for Sheila and his family.

Secondary characters shine this season, especially in Abby and Ramona. Abby goes from sullen, sarcastic teen to superhero. She realizes that societies' rules don't always dictate what's right and she decides to fight for what she believes in even if it may fall outside the law or societal norms. Her efforts are channeled into protesting frakking in Santa Clarita and being who she really wants to be. I always liked Ramona as the clerk who always caught Joel and his family at odd moments staring at cleaning supplies trying to deal with their new and overwhelming living situation. Her character is fleshed out and we see more than just the few one liners she delivered the previous season. Ramona experienced something similar to Sheila and left her old job as an auctioneer to the sardonic, slow speaking drug store clerk she always wanted to be. She takes up a relationship with Eric where she essentially uses him to get human flesh. He's so meek that he just goes along with it until Abby intervenes for him. I enjoy how the women have the power in this show unlike most sitcoms like it.

The zombie lore has expanded. The virus originated in Serbia and came to the US in a pair of carnivorous red clams, infecting Sheila and who knows how many other Santa Clarita residents. The ball Sheila threw up when she turned grows eight legs and seems to be a living creature. Its purpose isn't known yet, hopefully something explored next season. The infected will become completely feral and inhuman if they don't have the weird Serbian bile serum, as seen with an elderly veteran. A couple seem to be zombie hunters, having a similar double life of shady actions and illegal activities to Sheila and Joel to a very different end. This tradition also seems to be continued from the medieval era according to the family's research. It's like the start of answers are there, but the threads have yet to be connected. I'm interested in seeing how it will further expand in future seasons.

Santa Clarita Diet Season 2 has a wonderful balance of family drama, comedy, zombies, and over the top gore. At turns, it's effectively heartwarming, funny, and disgusting but all with an undercurrent of heart. Drew Barrymore and Timothy Oliphant especially shine as the central couple. Barrymore has wonderful comedic timing and infuses her performance with optimism. Oliphant is more bumbling and unsure since his relationship has been upending and he's forced to do stomach turning things to feed his wife. Joel changes from the last season in that he accepts his wife and their unconventional situation much more. I can't wait for next season to find out what happens next, how the lore will expand, and how many other zombies will be revealed in Santa Clarita.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins

Movie Mini-reviews: The Nice Guys and The Huntsman: Winter's War

The Nice Guys

Holland March, an alcoholic private eye, is on the case to find a woman's famous daughter Misty Mountains. Actually, everyone knows that Misty's dead, but missing girl Amelia is somehow involved so he takes the case. Jackson Healy, professional hired muscle, was hired by Amelia to get March off her case. He thought it was done, but thugs come to his house trying to find her. He teams up with March to crack the case.

I didn't think I would like The Nice Guys because I'm not usually interested in films set in the 70's or the main actors. However, the trailers were pretty hilarious and the humor throughout the film is surprisingly dark. Russell Crowe is sardonic and more serious while Ryan Gosling is overreacting constantly and hysterical. They make a fun team with their bumbling, poor decision making, and jokes at each other's expense yet somehow actually finding evidence. Over the course of the film, they each improve some aspect of their lives (Holland by cutting way back on drinking and Healy by doing something significant) and become friends. The 70's setting gives the ridiculous opulence of the upper class and the rabid (also ridiculous) indignance of the hippies and college students. The only thing I had a problem with was a few one liners from March's precocious daughter. Some of them fell flat, but other than that, the film was Overall, The Nice Guys is a fun comedy open for a sequel that I hope gets made.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins

The Huntsman: Winter's War

Eric and Sara were trained to be in Snow Queen Freya's army. The only rule she had was to never love (including familial, friendship, or romantic). Of course they do and get caught. Eric sees Sara murdered before falling in a river, where he becomes the grumpy guy seen in Snow White and the Huntsman. Seven years after Ravenna's death, he discovers she's still alive and she saw him abandoning her to be imprisoned for years. They have to team up in order to find and destroy Ravenna's evil mirror.

The Huntsman: Winter's War is both a prequel and sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman. I know it didn't do well in the box office, but I found it to be an entertaining fantasy film. It took everything I hated from the first film (Snow White/ Kristen one expression Stewart) and added a Snow Queen sister for Ravenna. The film has a lot going for it. The plot is pretty standard: quest for evil mystical item, rekindle the love between Eric and Sara, and then the final battle between good and evil. All of the actors in the film are pretty stellar. They ham it up when needed and give emotional gravitas when needed. Chris Hemsworth is endearing and charismatic as the lead. Charlize Theron reprises her role as the deliciously evil Ravenna. Emily Blunt is Freya whose story is tragic and powers are formidable. The visuals are beautiful and well done. The costumes in particular are gorgeous and I would watch a ton more movies just to see more gorgeous evil queen dresses. The only part I found lacking was the goblins. Their design defied logic and the scene went on a bit long. Other than that, the film was fun. Don't go in expecting something profound and you won't be disappointed.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

The Lobster

The Lobster features a bizarre dystopian world where being single is banned. The police are constantly vigilant in seeking single people to send to the hotel to be rehabilitated back into a relationship. given 45 days to fall in love or they will be turned into the animal of their choice. They have the opportunity to extend their stay by tranquilizing renegade loners on the run and bringing them back to the hotel. The rules are specific and the punishment for not following them proves to be surprisingly brutal. Some rules require attendance at awkward dances and viewing of pro-couple propaganda skits, showing how life as a single person is awful. Other rules ramp up the sexual desire without release to torture the residents into getting into a relationship. The only consequence we see for an infraction is when a man is forced to put his hand in a toaster and hold it there. It's only the beginning of the unexpectedly horrific aspects of the film.

Enter David. He arrives at the hotel with his brother, who went through the same program and was turned into a dog. After a while, he decides to lie as much as required to get an appropriate mate and leave, but it doesn't turn out exactly as he expected. I didn't like David through the first half of the movie because he was a sad sack person and didn't help a woman who literally told him she was going to commit suicide if she didn't find someone. He didn't have to date her, but maybe tell someone about it before it was too late. Everyone in the film finds one thing to have in common with their partner even if it's imagined. The idea that people can have different interests or more profound connections than being near-sighted or getting nosebleeds frequently is unheard of. I understand the lying because who wants to be turned into an animal? However, he really chose the wrong person. This woman is heartless and makes no apologies for it. She cleverly games the system by being the best at tranquilizing singles and keeps adding days to her stay. He pretends to be just as heartless, but regrets it when she commits a horrific and violent act to test his heartlessness.

When their relationship ends, David flees to the loners in the woods. Although they are on the outskirts of society and live in the wild, they also have their strict rules that have severe consequences. We only see the consequence of one relatively minor infraction and it's not pretty. Like the hotel, the loners have their required uniform. Unlike them, loners can stay as long as they want, take part in solitary activities, and dig their own grave since no else will do it for them. Their main rule is to never fall in love, but of course David falls in love with a woman who is also short-sighted. They build a relationship of adorable wordless communication in an effort to keep their relationship from the others. Both factions are incredibly toxic by setting rigid rules and take away choice from their members.

The Lobster is a hilarious black comedy that has some sharp things to say about our couple obsessed world. I laughed out loud many times, but the film turns a sharp corner into the very uncomfortable and disturbing a few times. It even borders into horror territory at times, especially a particularly tense scene at the very end of the film. The earnest way and flat way everyone speaks is the cherry on top of the absurdist sundae. The film adeptly changes tone when needed. The humor doesn't in any way lesson the horror.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins

Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art

It's the year 1890 and the art world in France is still reeling from the apparent suicide of Vincent Van Gogh. He shot himself in the chest and went to a doctor for help shortly afterwards, which seems counterintuitive. He didn't actually kill himself. He was murdered by a small man who calls himself the Colorman and sells quality paints to artists. He is always flanked by a donkey and a woman he calls Bleu. That woman's name is also Juliette and she has her sights set on Lucien Lassard, a baker who aspires to be a painter. Lucien and his best friend, Henri Marie Raymond de Talouse-Lautrec-Monfa, are investigating Van Gogh's death and see similarities to other painter's live that have ended tragically. Can they put together the puzzle before any other artists die? How is Juliette connected to the Colorman and who is the Colorman really? Will she prevent Lucien from solving the mystery and condemn him to a tragic death?

I will read pretty much anything that Christopher Moore writes, but I was particularly excited about Sacre Bleu because it's about art history and mostly the French Impressionist artists. I have always liked that era in art, but I never really thought that much about how the people painting these masterpieces would be in their day to day lives. Sacre Bleu portrays them as normal men in an irreverent, funny manner. Whenever I've heard about these artists at museums or in art history classes, I think of their lives as epic and eventful and more interesting than a normal person's, but Christopher Moore's story probably falls closer to the truth. They were simply men, many with torrid love affairs, venereal diseases, and substance abuse problems. These artists revered by historians and art critics were just people and not always pleasant or sober or even sane.

Bleu/Juliette is my favorite character in Sacre Bleu. She's the only major female character and she holds her own with all these famous and powerful men around her. She acts as a muse for the artists she manipulates and a goddess figure in this comic novel. That inspiration causes the artists to create faster and more intensely and better than they ever thought possible, but it comes at a price. I loved the reveal of her connection to the Colorman and of how far their influence in art history actually goes. I can't really talk any more about her character without spewing spoilers, so I'll stop here. Just trust me that she's awesome.

Sacre Bleu is a fun novel that blends art history and irreverent humor. This narrative is full of bawdy jokes, drinking, whores, drugs, and sex and it's incredible fun. There are paintings printed throughout the novel that help the reader visualize each artists' style and see some of the paintings described. I would recommend this to fans of art history not afraid to laugh a little or fans of Christopher Moore's work in general.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins