Fido
Directed by Andrew Currie
By Travis Mackenzie Hoover

Given this film’s combination of ’50s repression and flesh-eating zombies, I was ready for something sophomoric and cheap. Imagine my surprise at the unusually sustained romp it became, a fact rendered all the more shocking when you realise that it’s Canadian. Set in an alternative past where zombies have been tamed and a mega-corporation controls their movements, it depicts the relationship between lonely boy Timmy (newcomer K’Sun Ray) and new household zombie Fido (an uncanny Billy Connolly). The two strike up an immediate friendship, which is complicated by the fact that Timmy’s father (Dylan Baker) hates zombies, oh, and that Fido’s accidentally infected some of the locals. It’ll take strength, determination and the lecherous man next door (a standout Tim Blake Nelson) to set things right. The whole thing could so easily have gone wrong but writer/director Andrew Currie deftly blends comedy, carnage and Diefenbaker for a film that’s as funny as it is pointed. I regretted the film’s refusal to get serious, especially when Timmy’s mother (Carrie-Anne Moss) starts to fall for Fido, but though it misses out on being All that Romero Allows it’s still well in control of its premise and its anti-corporate mission. CanFilm watchers will also be intrigued. Instead of glumly accepting the machinations of power, the film tries to find a happy medium between stifling order (the ’50s) and untrammelled anarchy (the untamed zombies), a small gesture but one that shows progress is being made in loosening up the national myth. And of course, Currie’s wit and aesthetic sense show that competency might yet come to Canadian film, making his debut feature all the more pleasing. (TVA)
The Host - Dir. by Bong Joon-ho
What better way to revive the sagging monster movie genre than to begin with a revelation that the titular threat is a result of chemical waste dumping at the hands of an arrogant American military official? Actually based on a true incident that occurred on a U.S. army base in Seoul, The Host goes ...Read More
Congorama - Dir. by Philippe Falardeau
A Canadian surprise, Congorama is well acted, nicely shot and manages to be reasonably smart without getting aesthetically stupid. Dardenne brothers regular Olivier Gourmet stars as a Belgian inventor who’s been living in the shadow of his novelist father. Imagine our hero’s surprise when he discove ...Read More
300 - Dir. by Zack Snyder
A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash - Dir. by Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack
Air Guitar Nation - Dir. by Alexandra Lipsitz
Black Snake Moan - Dir. by Craig Brewer
Breach - Dir. by Billy Ray
Breaking and Entering - Dir. by Anthony Minghella
Factory Girl - Dir. by George Hickenlooper
Ghost Rider - Dir. by Mark Steven Johnson
Hannibal Rising - Dir. by Peter Webber
I Think I Love My Wife - Dir. by Chris Rock
Music and Lyrics - Dir. by Marc Lawrence
Premonition - Dir. by Mennan Yapo
Radiant City - Dir. by Gary Burns and Jim Brown
Reign Over Me - Dir. by Mike Binder
Sharkwater - Dir. by Rob Stewart
Shooter - Dir. by Antoine Fuqua
The Last Mimzy - Dir. by Robert Shaye
The Namesake - Dir. by Mira Nair
The White Masai - Dir. by Hermine Huntgeburth
The Wind That Shakes the Barley - Dir. by Ken Loach
TMNT - Dir. by Kevin Munroe
Wild Hogs - Dir. by Walt Becker
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The Music Box
The term "videogame music" is often intended as an insult, deriding electronic beatscapes as rudimentary by comparing them to the 8-bit by necessity, bleep-based soundtracks of early Atari and Nintendo games. (See: Castles, Crystal) That Super Mario's theme music remains embedded in the frontal lobes of anyone under the age of 40 proves the critical weakness of the diss ― but it's also hopelessly archaic considering how much videogame music has evolved over the years.... Read More
Etaoin Shrdlu - Mating Calls
Explosive and precise, Etaoin Shrdlu knowingly wink at the perception that their post-hardcore math rock musical approach might be a throwback while simultaneously contributing something vibrant to punk rock with Mating Calls. Featuring members of significant bands like Blake, I Can Put my Ar... Full Review
Bayonetta [PS3 / Xbox 360]
"I've got a fever and the only cure is dead angels."
-Bayonetta

Ever since the Christmastime gaming deluge ended, I've been killing a lot of angels. Though God's messengers have been bad guys in other pop-cultural products ― His Dark Materials book trilogy, the pas... Full Review
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