Billy Connolly is one fantastic zombie

Went to an advanced screening for the film Fido which comes out next week, June 15th.

All I can say is one word, really: Fucking Brilliant!

Yes, that's two words. I'm going for comedy here. But seriously, any movie that satirizes the 50's americana bullshit we've seen attempted at in films like Pleasantville but actually ties in a zombie story within it is the cat's meow to me.

Billy Connolly plays the title zombie character, Fido, who is just like any zombie in this alternate reality: A slave to the system run by the company known as Zomcon. After the Zombie Wars, which was caused by a radioactive gas and brought back the dead as flesh eating zombies, this company was the first to realize that shooting them in the head was the way to their deaths. Then, even more economical, was to put a collar on them and make them our servants for all the menial labor we wouldn't do, but don't mind seeing a whole group of people do instead.

Carrie Ann Moss and Dylan Baker play the parents in this 'ideal' world and their son Timmy, played by K'Sun Ray (a perfect name in Hollywood) who is a bullied and picked on by the youth of the town. He just doesn't fit in and wonders if the zombies are really that dead after all. A troubled youth? Not at all, in fact, he's probably the most sane in the town.

Mr. Bottoms (played by Henry Czerny) is the new man in town. A new sheriff in town, really, because he is the head of defense for Zomcon and a war hero with over 500 kills in the Zombie Wars and now lives across the street from the Robinsons. He's a bit overbearing too, but I won't dig too deep into each character, just some nuances and whatnot. His daughter, Dee Dee, has a bit of a crush on Timmy, and plays a big role in the movie later on.

When Helen Robinson (Carrie Ann Moss) gets a zombie for the house to fit in with the rest of the neighborhood, you know something bad is going to happen. Bill Robinson (Dylan Baker) hates zombies with a passion (he had to kill his own father when he turned into one at the age of 11) yet loves funerals with a passion and can't wait to give his family the funerals he's been paying off for years. Headless, of course... so you don't come back.

So in a nutshell, the movie has some zombie kills (by Fido, but I won't say who), some more zombie massacre, lots of colorful 50's kitsch, great vintage looking commercials for Zomcon products, learned not to trust old people (ever), love affairs with zombie (a wonderfully creepy and upbeat Tim Blake Nelson), some heartache and a pretty twisted and loving ending.

Just have to give two shout outs to Andrew Currie (the director/writer) and Billy Connolly, who came to the screening here in NYC, courtesy of Forbidden Planet. He was fantastic and spoke highly about everyone in the film, even his body double, who supposedly died of an overdose the same day he was hired. I couldn't help but laugh and he smiled at me and then said, "Well, come to think of it, it isn't funny at all. But I thought you fucking dead looking people wouldn't mind that story."

His performance is especially great, considering he doesn't utter one word, and being known as a comic who speaks more often than Robin Williams, that's some good acting.

Go and see it next week when it comes out. Not only is it a funny movie, but it has zombies. And it's not some bullshit tie in with another franchise or a shitty sequel/ remake that's coming out soon (Day of the Dead, I'm talking to you!).

Just do me that favor and see it.

Until next time,

James