So, has anyone noticed that movies tend to travel in packs? You know, where someone in Hollywood produces an end-of-the-world spectacle and three others follow? Or where one Holocaust movie begets three more? Seems that trend is happening again right now with zombies. Currently in wide release is Zombieland starring Woody Harrelson but hidden within the hundreds of movies currently playing at the Vancouver International Film Festival is ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction. Now I can't make any comparisons here as one can only take in so many zombie movies in a single week but I can say ZMD is a comedy gorefest that had the entire audience laughing as the undead chomp their way through brains, intestines and in some instances even the scenery.
The directorial debut for filmmaker (and writer) Kevin Hamedani, ZMD sees Tom (Doug Fahl) and Lance (Cooper Hopkins) visiting the small town of Port Gamble, Washington where Tom is finally going to come out to his mother. Seems there is never a convenient or "right" time for Tom to come out but little does he and Lance know that he has actually chosen the night the zombies come to town to finally do it. And this is one of the funniest coming out scenes ever witnessed as Tom's mother succumbs to her own zombie bite and ends up skewered to the wall by her own son.
Along with Tom and Lance, ZMD, like most zombie movies before it, follows a small group of other survivors through this hellish night with some very funny and sometimes unexpected results. With plenty of gore, blood and even an ex-gay ministry thrown in for good measure, ZMD definitely raises the bar for zombie movies much like Shaun of the Dead did back in 2004. ZMD will definitely give Zombieland a run for its money if it manages to see a wider release beyond the festival circuit (which we hope happens).
On a related note, I have a confession to make (seems this is a theme for me in the past few months). After living in Vancouver for almost 25 years, 2009 marks the first year that I have actually taken in any of the Vancouver International Film Festival. It's not that I don't like movies (I LOVE movies) its just falling so closely on the heels of the Vancouver Queer Film Festival I've just never had the energy for another festival. Besides, who would have thought that the VIFF would offer the queer content that makes our own festival so great. But with 14 full length and 3 shorts with some sort of queer content I liken the VIFF to a mini queer film fest. And the best part? None of the movies playing in October as part of the VIFF were part of the Queer Film Festival in August.
The Vancouver International Film Festival continues through to October 16th. Be sure to check the GayVancouver.Net (Gay Vancouver Online) list of queer movies at this year's festival.
Update! An additional screening of ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruct has been added - Oct 10, 11:30pm, Granville 7. Visit http://www.viff.org/home.html for details!
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