National Parks plus Zombieland Review

First, in terms of the recent concern about science, I'd like to recommend the National Parks documentary recently aired on PBS. You might be able to catch reruns or download it or something. In it, the scientists featured are inspiring--their work, findings and writings as well as their characters. Lone scientists seem to be running through the Parks throughout its history like hermits or fawns. Their writings, filled with poetry and themes of transcendency as well as remarkable empirical findings and observations, were scattered throughout the nation, and found good earth in the ears of various presidents, whom we now have to thank for "america's best idea" - the National Parks.

Zombieland Review

Although this movie didn't do anything really special, it accomplished what I think it set out to do, and that can be best expressed in its motif, you have to "enjoy the little things." That is exactly what this movie has you do. It is a movie of small enjoyments, built off of the standard features of the zombie genre. All the little enjoyable things that the apocalyptic zombie comedy offers were freshly presented: the simplification of life to survival and the few people around you, the ability to not have to worry about breaking anything around you, the guiltless violence towards the zombies, the ease of romance with the providentially cute girl your age, the availability of all kinds of guns and weapons, etc. And if you're just kind of using the zombie genre to have fun, why not throw in Bill Murray as himself? Why not have your main character play ghostbusters ("Don't cross the streams!") with Bill Murray, and follow that with having your main character hit a bong with Bill?

The movie doesn't bite off more than it can chew. For the most part, it knew what it wanted to do and be and delivered on its simple goals. It just had fun. And to put it in a more formal way, it had a kind of identity of form with content in terms of the "enjoy the little things" theme.