Film Screening 25th February, 2006

Poster for The 40-Year-Old Virgin

The 40-Year-Old Virgin 

8:00 PM, 25th February, 2006

  • MA
  • 116 mins
  • 2005
  • Judd Apatow
  • Judd Apatow, Steve Carell
  • Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Elizabeth Banks

Andy Stitzer (Carell) has done quite a few things in his life. Hes got a cushy job stamping invoices at an electronics superstore, a nice apartment with a proud collection of action figures and comic books, good friends, and a nice attitude. But there's something about Andy... he's never known a woman. And I'm talking biblical here, not pen pal. But is it such a big deal? For Andy's buds at the store, it's huge. So they consider it their duty to help Andy out of his dire situation. When Andy meets Trish (Keener), love might be in the air, but Andy's friends aren't happy when they hear about a mutual no-sex policy. So they introduce sexy Beth (Banks) to alleviate Andy's 'condition'.This movie is fantastic. Simply fantastic. It's sweet, sexy, ribald, and raunchy at the same time and filled with characters you grow to love. And it's the characters that make this film. Sure, there's lots of smart semi-smut and creative carnality, but the characters bring it to life by making it so funny it makes your cheeks hurt. Carell does an amazing job with this film. His comedy timing and genius is obvious. All of the supporting cast are superb, along with the writing and directing. It all wraps up into one film that certainly hits my comedy spot.

Steven Cain

Poster for Land of the Dead

Land of the Dead 

10:33 PM, 25th February, 2006

  • MA
  • 93 mins
  • 2005
  • George A. Romero
  • George A. Romero
  • Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento

Director George Romero is the unrivalled master of the zombie genre with a long history of using horror to make points about the way we live. Romeros latest film, Land of the Dead, is a wickedly funny assessment of life in early twenty-first century America. The newly reanimated dead (referred to as 'stenches') terrorise the living. The latter have retreated into a walled city. In the middle of this is an exclusive gated community, Fiddler's Green, which is presided over by the sinister mogul Kaufman (Hopper). The population is fed with supplies looted by Kaufman's employees, Riley (Baker) and Cholo (Leguizamo), and kept entertained by ghastly and sadistic amusements. When Kaufman snubs Cholo, the latter seizes a giant zombie-proof armoured personnel carrier and threatens Fiddler's Green. Meanwhile the stenches have found a leader, who directs their murderous rage against their human foes...

A polemic about the ill-treatment and neglect of the surplus population, the pauperisation of the middle class and the amorality of the business elite, this is a highly topical piece of cinema with enough gore to thrill fans of zombie flicks. Good production values, a smart script and solid performances enable Land of the Dead to offer superb dystopian entertainment.

Phillip Hilton