Monty Python's And Now for Something Completely Different (1972) ****1/2

Of course this movies good, it's Monty Python. A collection of sketches presented with a linear quality that they can only achieve. A classic film that contains a ton of sketches that most of you nerds out there can recite by heart. There's not much more you can say about this one other than it's a nice little piece of the TV show.

Zombieland (2009) ***1/2

I've always wondered something about zombie movies. Is each movie in its own parallel universe or is each movie just another take on the same day? Yes, I know that Romero's movies are a progression, but is it the same plague or a bunch of bizzaro world little plagues?

Anyway, Zombieland is another look at the day when the virus drives us all bat shit and humanity becomes one large Big Mac (not a Mac Snack Wrap, that's for wimps). Our pseudo hero is Columbus (no names, just home towns) played by Jesse Eisenberg, who is a paranoid shut in. It's his paranoia that has helped him survive the Vegas buffet featuring human flesh. He runs into Tallahassee (Woddy Harrelson) who is the exact opposite, risking life and limb for a Twinkie and taking practice swings with a Louisville Slugger against zombie craniums. Along the way they get hornsnoggled by a pair of sisters (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin), but combine forces to get to the shelter of a place that doesn't have zombies- an amusement park. There's also a cameo I will not discuss, but it's not Eddie Murphy.

The film is a good little romp that doesn't take itself as seriously as a Romero film, but isn't over the top ridiculous as Shaun of the Dead. It's choppy at times and some of the characters do stupid things, but its source material is the horror genre so stupid things have to be done so that they can be severely punished. You know what I'm talking about. Zombieland feels more like a road trip movie than zombie flick and I think it benefits. Hell, you forget about the zombies for a little while, becoming as comfortable as the characters until the inevitable chomping sounds coming from behind you. In reality, this silly zombie movie almost lets the characters go for the same ride as appears on the screen. It's far from a perfect movie, but it does deliver a nice little ride for the viewer and doesn't end up a mess in the end.

Fame (2009) *

There isn't much to say about Fame. A bunch of kids are a performing arts school being trained by Lilith, Frasier, and Rock (let's see if you get that last one kids!). Endlessly dull to the point you'll be looking for somehting to fiddle around with at the half way point. Yes, the kids struggle. We know that. It happened in the original. If they really wanted to succeed they would be auditioning on American Idol, not paying Sideshow Bob thousands of dollars to eventually flunk out. Let's put this one to sleep real fast, it's a dose of benadryl on a cold winters day.

Vegas Vacation (1997) *1/2

Four years after torching his career live on Fox late night, Chevy Chase returned to the well to soil the legacy of Clark Griswold with Vegas Vacation, a film so bad that National Lampoon wouldn't even put their name on it.

You get the idea from the title: the Griswold's go to Vegas in a romp that is not funny and soils the previous three films, and I am including European Vacation. At least that movie had John Astin instead of Wayne Newton. Serial cheap ass Randy Quaid returns as Eddie. I can barely contain myself. My question is that if Clark hates him so much, why in the hell does he insist on taking vacations close to where Eddie lives? If you can afford a fucking pool with your Christmas bonus, then you can swing for Atlantic City, Florida, or Hawaii. Tickets to Vegas are quite inexpensive you cheap bastard, so avoid you're kin and go somewhere else.

Yes, Vegas Vacation sucks. It doesn't sucks as much as the Chevy Chase Show, but it's still pretty horrible. I still need to discuss my cocaine theory some time.