By Dan Helmy and John Maidman
| Life & Style
| Reviews
| October 29, 2009
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Zombieland, directed by Hollywood upstart Ruben Fleicher, premiered in theaters Oct. 2. The film depicts the last survivors of a “zombie apocalypse.” These unlikely heroes take a road trip across the country, hoping to find sanctuary from the undead hordes. John: If you can get past the gratuitous images of zombie blood, zombie vomit, and who-knows-what-else zombies are spewing up, this movie has heart. Protagonist Columbus Ohio (Jesse Eisenberg) is plagued by social anxieties to which we can all relate. The shy, video gaming shut-in is forced to abandon his reclusive lifestyle in order to escape certain death. In his journey through an American wasteland he is left to reflect on his solitary fears. The rules for survival in this apocalyptic world ensure that he continues his shallow existence, but also serve as a barrier against human contact. In his interactions with the film’s other primary characters, we see Columbus’s vulnerability reflected. He grows ... Dan: ... a pair of balls! Seriously, you spend 90 percent of the movie watching Michael Cera stubbornly avoid puberty while he has Woody Harrelson save his skinny butt every time he does something you don’t care about like express his feelings. Post ball-drop Cera’s pretty tolerable. But seriously, a zombie movie with Harrelson. It’s about time. He plays the part of Tallahassee, wielding submachine guns, Hummers, baseball bats, and a banjo to kill zombies in increasingly awesome ways, culminating finally in an epic showdown that is so genius that to say another word about it would spoil the movie. He even pretends, at one moment, to cry, totally throwing you off-guard, just so he can slam you in the face with his awesomeness by wiping away his tears with one-hundred dollars bills. Brilliant work, Woody, brilliant. John: First of all, there is much more to Zombieland than flashy gun slinging. To be perfectly honest, I felt that the relentless violence only distracted from character and plot development. Second, Cera does not appear in the film. The actor you are referring to, whom I mentioned previously, is Eisenberg. Dan: Give me three reasons he’s not Cera. John: That ... he has a name and it’s Eisenberg! Dan: That’s one reason. John: No, he’s a different person! Dan: So I guess Cera kills a clown at one point. That is kind-of badass; character development in the right direction, I’d say. Preventing this movie’s development into a sausage fest, though, is Emma Stone, who plays the role of being hot. Her sister is Abigail Breslin, who was involved in a freak casting accident that landed her in this movie. If Zombieland were a goose, Harrelson would be its wings and Bill Murray would be its magical uterus, unexpectedly producing a golden egg. Cera would be its stupid little head. Breslin would be its appendix: small, yellowish and completely unnecessary. John: What Dan fails to realize is that Zombieland is not a goose. It is a story about the universality of loneliness. Zombieland shows us that life without laughter is not worth living and that true happiness can only thrive within a nurturing community. Dan: When the zombies come, weaklings like John will be the first to die.
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Claremont Climax: October 2
By Stephan Scinto and Julia Gibas-Jones | Life & Style Claremont Climax ChallengeWe all have goals and, if you’re like us, around 95 percent of those goals involve 20+ vaginas (AWESOME). Sexual goals—or perhaps more specifically sexual quests—provide us with a fun, (and generally, but not always) free way to entertain ourselves or test our sexual mettle.The (in)famous 5-C Challenge is often the first quest that comes to mind, though ...
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Modern Decor at the New Honnold Café
By Claire Berkman | Life & Style When you think of the Honnold/Mudd Library, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the thousands of books, the rows upon rows of metal shelves, and, of course, that eerie silence. Luckily for 5-C students, Honnold/Mudd has just opened a new café, located on the first floor of the Honnold Library. The easiest way to get to the café would be ...
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Calendar: November 13 - 19, 2009
By TSL Staff | Life & Style Friday, November 13Friday Noon Concert Series12:15 - 1 p.m.Balch Auditorium, ScrippsSnowstock6:30 - 10 p.m.Rose Hills Theatre, PomonaKeep it Cute or Put it on Mute: A Neo Futurist Play7:30 p.m.Seaver Theater, PomonaSaturday, November 14Festival Del Cuatro6:30 - 9 p.m.Scripps Performing Arts CenterMillennium Consort Singers: Music Across Five Centuries8 - 10 p.m.Bridges Hall of MusicEbony and Ivory9 p.m. - 1 a.m.Gold Student ...
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Art Focus: Old-Fashioned Signs at the Museum of Neon Art
By Cindy Hernandez | Life & Style The Museum of Neon Art (MONA) is a 28-year-old non-profit art institution hidden in the posh section of downtown Los Angeles. The current exhibition showcases pre-neon signs, “quackery devices,” a vintage postcard collection, and neon signs reminiscent of Las Vegas. The MONA is a very small museum: its main space is about the size of Edmunds Ballroom. And I had the ...
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Decked-Out Dorm Rooms
By Emily Brotman | Life & Style Trap doors. Videos projected onto walls and ceilings. Doors operated by remote control. It sounds like something out of a spy movie, but all of this can be found on the 5Cs, in the dorm rooms of the super-innovative. Let’s take a step back. Band posters, photographs, bulletin boards, printed artwork, and throw rugs are the staples of your ordinary, humble ...
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Post Pomona: Academia
By Justine Selsing | Life & Style This week in our series on life and careers after Pomona, we have the stories of alumni who pursued a career in teaching at the university level. The accounts and advice of these four graduates should prove helpful for any current students interested in becoming a professor.“I had a pretty checkered career path, shaped more by necessity than planning,” said ...
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Fall Fashion
By Ann Mayhew | Life & Style The current recession is affecting every nook and cranny of American life, even reaching the fashion industry elite. This cannot come as a surprise, given the obvious negative effects on fashion shows—profit declines leading to slashed salaries, designers cutting after-parties, and a host of other cutbacks at the most recent New York Fashion Week. The recession, however, has also started ...
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KSPC Corner: October 2
By Alyssa Morris | Life & Style Hello, friends! Welcome back to another edition of the (long-absent) KSPC corner. This week, I will teach you a very important skill: how to win free concert tickets. Concerts are some of the best things on earth, but they also cost money, which makes us sad. However, KSPC gives away concert tickets almost every week. Yes! It’s true. Here are ...
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