Zombieland 11:50

Here's an entry from Paul about a movie I happened to see (and really liked).

Zombieland, directed by Ruben Fleischer, is the story of two men’s lives in a post apocalyptic world. Columbus is trying to make his way back home to Columbus, Ohio in search of his parents. Columbus lives his life by a list of rules to keep him safe from the zombies roaming America. While walking on an empty highway, Columbus encounters a man, Tallahassee, in an Escalade driving down the highway. Tallahassee is trying to survive by looking for zombies to kill on his way to Florida. Tallahassee is also in search for the last Twinkie on Earth. Tallahassee offers to give Columbus a ride, but only to Texarkana. While driving the two men find an abandoned grocery store where Tallahassee goes and looks for any left Twinkies. The men have to fight off some zombies and then meet two survivors who steal their guns and car. They eventually decide to team up to go to pacific play land, a rumored zombie free zone.

At eleven minutes and five seconds, Columbus and Tallahassee have just met and are traveling down the highway on their way to Texarkana. While traveling down the highway, they see a Hostess truck on the side of the road. Columbus reviews his rules in his mind and shares another one, “Limber up”, as the men prepare to go and look what’s in the truck. Tallahassee gets his gun and gives one to Columbus. Tallahassee is annoyed on how cautious Columbus is and says, “Have you ever seen a lion limber up before he takes down a gazelle?” The armed men carefully open the trucks door and a bunch of Snowballs fall out of the truck. Tallahassee is very disappointed and the men continue on their way.

In this frame, the setting is realistic which creates a deserted and abandoned environment around the two men. The only thing around them is a highway with empty cars and dead bodies and a ditch where Hostess truck has crashed. There are no props, except for the guns that they have, which also show how deserted everything truly is and how alone that they are. The colors in this frame are very neutral and earthy since this frame is an outside shot surrounded by nature and sunlight.

3 point lighting is used to show the normality of the environment, even though there is nothing normal about the situation. The 3 different lights get rid of powerful shadows and also shows dimension. The 3 point lighting also represents the natural sunlight rather than the unnatural sunlight.

Tallahassee and Columbus are dressed in a way that makes them seem like normal Americans, which they are. The men wear jeans, a simple shirt, and a jacket. Makeup is used to make them look dirty and not washed. They look dirty because their priorities are about surviving rather than their cleanliness. Tallahassee is wearing a cowboy hat which shows his southern lifestyle where as, Columbus looks more polished because of his lifestyle.

Woody Harrelson, who plays Tallahassee, and Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Columbus, both act physically. They use hand gestures, facial expressions, and body movement, to act. For example, Woody Harrelson uses facial expressions to show how annoyed he is with Columbus. Woody and Jesse both use modern acting. They both studied their character and became them during the movie to make it even more realistic to the audience.

The overall look of the frame all matches making sure it looks realistic and believable. The frame gives the illusion of order, even though nothing is even close to being in order. The order of the scene shows how looking for the Twinkies is like their escape from the scary world of zombies and trying to stay alive.

What does the Hostess truck represent?

Mr. Cowlin here. You know, since Twinkies were used as a motif throughout the entire movie, I think the quesiton really is, why does Woody's character crave them so much in general?