THERE BE SPOILERS BELOW. . . and braaaaaains!

Based on the Tony Burgess novel ‘Pontypool Changes Everything’ and inspired by Orson Welles’s radio broadcast of ‘The War of the Worlds,’ ‘Pontypool’ combines two modern crazes – talk radio and zombies. The film centers around Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie), a shock jock who lost his job in the big city for pushing things a little too far.

Mazzy has a new job in the small town of Pontypool, Ontario, where he and his producer Sydney Briar (Lisa Houle) clash over the best way to run his broadcasts. As they argue their way through his first broadcast, they start getting reports of a riot at a local doctor’s office. The nature of the riot is unclear as the rioters seem to be shouting gibberish about the disappearance of Honey the cat. Soon, the reports get more ominous until the radio broadcasters themselves come under attack.

‘Pontypool’ differs from other zombie movies because it disdains what has become the standard undead formula. Almost without exception, the films involve a small group of people trapped by zombies forced to shoot their way to safety. These films invariably turn into gross-out fests and shooting galleries almost from the opening scene. ‘Pontypool’ doesn’t. You don’t even see a zombie for a long time, and you never see a gun. Instead, you watch Mazzy and his staff of two (Sydney and Laurel Ann) struggle to make sense of what is going on based on the sketchy reports they are getting. And it is gripping!

In ‘Pontypool,’ the infection process itself becomes a mystery to be solved. Why are people acting so strangely? How is this infection spreading? Can it be stopped?

Zombie films rarely delve into this except in the most cursory of ways because they are really action films at heart. But ‘Pontypool’ isn’t action packed; it’s a genuine psychological drama. The tension here doesn’t come from close calls and narrow escapes but from the characters returning to their broadcast when you know they should be focusing on the real problems at hand like solving the mystery before the zombie mob gets them. That’s what makes this film tense and interesting.

Also, the interactions between the characters are smart and well within character. There are no stupid characters or Rambo-style heroes, and no one declares themselves king of the post-apocalyptic world. These are just ordinary humans responding to a crisis, and it feels real. Plus, the strong performance by McHattie as Mazzy (who plays the first believable talk radio host I’ve seen on film) keeps your eyes glued to the screen.

Moreover, ‘Pontypool’ has an interesting take on the origin of the zombies, a welcome twist to a genre that’s grown stale. ‘Night of the Living Dead’ essentially started the modern zombie movement in 1968, after converting the ghoul into what we think of as the modern zombie – mindless corpses that roam the earth looking to eat braaaaains. In 2002, ‘28 Days Later’ introduced fast-twitch zombies – infected humans rather than animated corpses who are faster than normal humans, because of mega doses of adrenaline, and who are intensely, mindlessly violent. But that’s been about it for zombie innovation. Sure, sometimes the zombie condition is caused by a meteor or a virus or spoiled milk, but in each case, the effect is identical: the person becomes infected, dies, and wakes up as a mindless killer hungry for the great taste of human.

This film is different. The zombies here are seemingly normal people who fixate on particular words once they become infected. This sends them into a sort of waking catatonic state where they become violent as they spout nonsense. I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil everything, but the infection agent and mechanism are unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Finally, a word on the film’s political ideology. This film is Canadian, which doesn’t insulate it from politics, but I found the film to be refreshingly free of liberal messages. Sydney shows herself to be a liberal in one scene, but McHattie counters her with conservatism, though it’s never clear what his leanings are. There is some French Canadian v. English Canadian politics going on, but that likely won’t resonate with American audiences. So ultimately, conservatives won’t feel like they’re being pounded with liberalism during this film.

‘Pontypool’ is unique within the genre. It’s extremely well-done with great performances and strong writing. There’s limited violence, little gore, and the story doesn’t fall apart or become an excuse for a twenty minute bloodbath at the end. I highly recommend it.

Know any other cool little-known horror films?

George Lopez, the left-wing comedian who recently made headlines after threatening to move to Canada should Governor Sarah Palin become president (and once called her a “bitch” on his now-canceled “Lopez Tonight”), is now just another unemployed statistic in his precious Obama’s failed economic “recovery.”

The Wrap:

TBS has reached the difficult decision not to order a third season of Lopez Tonight,” the company said in a statement. “Thursday will be the final episode of the show. We are proud to have partnered with George Lopez, who is an immensely talented comedian and entertainer. TBS has valued its partnership with George and appreciates all of his work on behalf of the network, both on and off the air.”

The Wrap promises more to come.

Lopez has floated the idea of enering politics.  We at Big Hollywood look forward to that.

The elevation came in the form of a supercilious warning to put the brakes on the world’s second largest proved oil reserve. It could, he feared, become a curse if not properly managed.  This revelation came upon reflection via a government sponsored helicopter tour and a token chat with a group of not-so disenfranchised First Nations peoples in the area. (In 2009, oil sands companies contracted more than $890 million for goods and services from Aboriginal owned businesses and employed 1600 Aboriginals in permanent jobs).

And with that, Mr. Cameron and the media were able to close the case on the oil sands, as Mr. Cameron purportedly had to jet.  It’s not Mr. Cameron’s fault, completely. The oil complex is just that – complex.  It’s not the kind of business one just picks up as a hobby horse.  Sure, Cameron can regurgitate the technical terminology if he likes. It would be difficult for a techno-geek of titanic proportions to resist a sexy term like steam gravity assisted drainage (SAGD).

Here is where I suggest “putting the brakes on.”  Perhaps a moratorium on incendiary statements by celebutantes or politicians a-la-Pelosi who are not able to, because of their lack of training, do the type of deep comprehensive assessment required for these matters.

There are a few facts that cannot be disputed and you will get those out of Mr. Cameron, the enviro-statist and their press sycophants.  In this case it can be narrowed down to just two: the area containing the deposit and the size of the estimated reserves in Alberta.  Then it’s down the rabbit hole we go.

The oil sands deposit covers an area that would equate to the size of England (54,132 square miles).  For Americans without passports, that is the size of the state of New York.  Of the total 170.4 billion barrels of remaining established reserves, about 80% is considered recoverable through in-situ (no tailings ponds and contrary to what is stated results in significantly lower GHG and energy intensity) the remaining 20% will be mined.  Total estimated reserves are actually 1.7 trillion barrels but at this stage only 10% are recoverable at current technologies and prices.

To put these numbers to reality, to date only 0.3% of the total oil sands area has been disturbed, roughly equal to a small to medium sized city. Even more crucial to understand is that as only 3% of the total surface area could ever be mined (the deposits lie deeper than 75 meters) which leaves 97% of the surface area with some, but not much, industry impact.  Mathematically this scales the land disturbance of oil sands development back to about 0.5% the size of England, and all area that are mined need to have a reclamation plan laid out by producers.  In respect to Alberta’s boreal forest, in 40 years of oil sands activity, a mere 0.02% of the boreal forest has been disturbed.

In 2007 Alberta became the first jurisdiction in North America to legislate GHG reductions for large emitters. However, industry had already vastly mitigated its footprint and has every incentive to do so. Less energy in for every barrel of oil out means increased cash flows.  Strong show of cash flows increases marketability to shareholders and helps shield a company from the inherit volatility of commodity prices.  At current rates of production, 2.6 MMbbls/d, about half bitumen (WCS) and half synthetic light (SCO), the oil sands are responsible for 0.1 percent of total world emissions and that number is doubtful to increase much even if production ramps up to 4MMbbls/d as projected by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

As far as climate change is concerned, the oil sands are not really Alberta’s dirty secret at all.  Environmentalists may still choose to call this resource “tar sands” like the brat at school who won’t let a nickname die, but they would be better served to make their mockumentaries where GHG is unregulated such as Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, or Venezuela where Hugo Chavez may believe he can bend time and space. And of course there’s no place like home; the GHG from the oil sands equates to only 1% of the emissions of the U.S. power sector where coal happens to be the “King of the World.”

Just like little bit of meat will never do for a vegan, neither will a little bit of oil development for an environmentalist. Therefore there will always be an entire portion of the story that the enviro-statists will obfuscate.  This is the basic social cost/benefit analysis that economists are required to do.

As the leading exporter of crude and petroleum products to the United States, Canada is not only the safest, most secure supplier, but an economic partner.  The North American energy complex is one of the most valuable business chains in the world precisely because every aspect from Main Street to Wall Street is linked and integrated.  Hundreds of thousands of jobs will depend on the oil sands both directly and indirectly in the coming decades. The input goods, materials, and services for oil sands and in the U.S. oil shale – tires, trucks, gauges, pumps, steel, are produced across North America. It is this understanding of the political economy of North American oil, and how it positively impacts the average person, which the enviro-statist circumvents every time.

As one final example I will let Mr. Cameron’s own words to MSNBC hit the nail on the head.  “[T]here’s an opportunity for all of North America to be weaned to some extent off of OPEC oil so that’s why it makes me very nervous… we need more science… we have the capacity for ecological disaster here on an unprecedented scale…”

As standards of living and GDP per capita increases worldwide and millions of individuals are lifted out of poverty, the global demand for energy is expected to increase by as much as 40% over the next two decades. Given even the most ambitious outlook for alternatives, biomass, hydro, and nuclear, unconventional oil remains the integral component of non-OPEC supply. There would be no realistic manner to supplant unconventional production other than increasing the call-on OPEC crude.

In reality, the disaster has been averted.  Thankfully, enough people understand the inextricable link between North America’s oil (and gas) resources and economic growth and prosperity for all.

—–

Tonight:

Michelle Collins!

Janice Dean, the weather machine!

Steven Crowder, the nonweather machine!

and in for Bill Schulz, funny smart guy John Devore!

Flash forward to today and The Trews boasts two gold records, 10 top-10 singles and opening gigs for the likes of Robert Plant and The Rolling Stones.

—–

The hard-rocking quartet – lead vocalist Colin MacDonald; brother John-Angus, cousin, drummer Sean Dalton, and long-time pal bassist Jack Syperek – delivers uncomplicated rock that flies in the face of today’s electronica-saturated age.

The ascent has been gradual, the lead guitarist tells Big Hollywood, but with sign markers along the way.

“Hearing yourself on the radio for the first time … the tip of the hat from some of the older guard, like The Rolling Stones … selling out our own tours,” he says. “It’s an extremely special thing.”

The Stones tour revealed the pragmatic side of classic rock.

“They’d invited us to play in an unannounced show in Toronto,” he recalls. “We spent about 15 minutes hanging out with them. Everything with them is orchestrated down to the minute.”

His rock ‘n’ roll dreams were better fulfilled by opening up for Plant.

“There were plenty of opportunities for [Plant] to give us old Led Zeppelin stories,” he says.

The Trews find inspiration from the usual sources, but their most recent single sprung from the loss of a very brave soul.

“Highway Of Heroes” mourns the 2006 death of Capt. Nichola Goddard, the first Canadian female soldier killed in Afghanistan.

Goddard was from Nova Scotia, where three of the four band members grew up. The more the band members learned of her life – and heroism – the more inspired they became.

“It’s a daunting thing to voluntary sign up for something that like,” he says.

The song took on a life of its own, becoming a fan favorite at live events. Proceeds from the single go to the Canadian Hero Fund which provides scholarships to the spouses and children of soldiers killed in combat.

“We’ve been blown away by how people have connected to [the song],“ he says. “We’ve received notes from soldiers all over the world, soldiers in general showing their appreciation for us writing [about it].“

The band always keeps tabs on its fan base, either through live performances or via the web.

“I think we’d be fools to ignore the tidal wave of Internet technology that swamped the industry,” he says of the band’s Internet savvy fan base. “It’s an integral part of the fan experience. They’ve come to expect it … you can‘t stop,” he says with a chuckle.

It‘s why the band will post video blog entries up on its main site and Facebook page.

MacDonald describes The Trews’ music as “good time rock ‘n’ roll that sounds great in a bar, or with a beer in your hand.”

The prolific band is deep into the recording sessions for an upcoming album, a process he describes as different approach from their 2008 disc “No Time For Later.”

That release “lacked the organic feel we bring to the table when we play live,” he says.

“It’s taking elements of what we learned touring with the [2009] acoustic album ['Friends & Total Strangers'], but it’s a return to some of our heavier stuff as well,” he says.

Last night I told you about the SF mayor banning city employees from traveling to Arizona. But now, in a move meant to bring the state to its knees, the Montreal pop band “stars” has tweeted that until its “racist new immigration law is repealed,” they will boycott the state.

Arizona’s reaction? One of devastation.

—–

Wow, they’re taking it harder than I thought.

Look, I love Canada for many reasons (it’s where I keep my winter clothes), but they don’t share a porous border with a troubled country with limited opportunities for its hardworking people. In 2008, do you know how many people illegally immigrated to Canada? I could count it on my hand, if I had 120,000 fingers.

There are almost five times as many already in Arizona.

And let’s not forget what happens to Mexicans who try to seek refugee status in Canada. According to the New York Times, in 2006 just 28 percent of claims made by Mexicans were approved in Canada, compared with 47 percent from all nationalities.

Wonder what Canadians have against them?

Probably nothing -but even Yanks can play this game.

But look, racism sucks in all forms. I mean, imagine if you were a government who passed a law that actually excluded an entire race – say the Chinese – from entering your country altogether! For like 25 years!

I mean, that’s gross. And, back in the 1920’s, Canadian.

Finally, to all you boycotty bands: focus. In Iran, homosexuality is punishable by death, and human rights groups estimate some 4,000 gays have been executed since the Islamic revolution in 1979. In the summer of 2005, two teens were hanged in public, for being gay.

Pick real injustices – instead of the stylish ones – to rail against, and the response might not be stifled laughter.

And if you disagree with me, you’re a racist homophone.

Tonight we’ve got a great lineup!

Leanne Tweeden is back!

So is Shira Lazar!

and Stephen Kruiser.

Plus the man behind “The Room,” returns. Tommy Wisseau!

You’ve no doubt heard about Ann Coulters’ escapades in the Great White North. College leftists (who’d had no qualms with terrorist sympathizers speaking at their school in the past) were so offended with the idea of what Madam Coulter might say ,that they attempted to ban her from the premises. When that didn’t happen, the young Green-Day liberals decided to stage a protest. Of course (as is often the case with liberal protests) things got out of hand, with protesters becoming so unruly that the situation had become not only a safety hazard to Ann herself, but for the myriad people who were there to hear her speak. Woodstockers would be proud! So students thirsty for knowledge and debate have to deal with all of this hooplah because many Canadians forecasted that Ann Coulter might engage in –cue dramatic chipmunk– hate speech!

See, leftists will read that and deem the censorship completely appropriate. Liberals and censorship go together like Batman and Robin, milk and cookies or hockey and beaver pelts. Unlike canucks however, Americans are apprehensive towards the idea of censorship because of the “rugged individualism” that rests at the center of our cultural landscape. We gained our freedom by flipping the bird to the monarchy… Canada gained it by bending down, kissing the ring and making concessions. American leftists love to hold Canada in high esteem however, and often use it as a blueprint for what the United States should become (the silly accent notwithstanding).

Enter “hate crime” laws. For those of you who don’t know — those who buy into the idea of “hate crimes” believe that if you kill someone, a harsher sentence is merited if the victim happens to be a minority or gay. The laws are designed to place emphasis on intent, ergo criminalize thoughts in the process. See, I don’t think that murder needs a footnote. As a matter of fact, if leftists believed in harsher sentencing of convicted felons these policies wouldn’t be an issue in the first place. If only one of the four people that Tookie Williams brutally murdered had been gay, Clooney might have left his protesting shoes in the closet.

See how clever this little backdoor is? When you criminalize thought through hate crime legislation, you can ultimately criminalize speech based on the premise that the words are reflective of hateful thoughts. Combine that with leftists basing their arguments on the premise that conservatives are all bigoted, homophobes (mostly because we’re all secretly gay) and you’ve got one hell of a powerful tool in your hands.

You needn’t ask Ann Coulter. Just ask Stephen Boisson, a Canadian pastor who now faces fines and possible jail time due to his speaking out against homosexuality. No he didn’t beat any gay people up, no he didn’t use words that would incite violence, and no, he wasn’t even caught rejecting advances from Boy George in a Los Angeles porta-potty. He simply stood by the doctrine of his church and actively expressed himself. Canadian human rights tribunals were not happy.

Whether you agree with Boisson or not, one has to ask themselves if we want that kind of a cultural shift in America. Do you want the government to have the right to tell you what you can and cannot say? Should the folks in Washington be the ones to determine whether your dissent crosses the line into the territory of “hateful?” Should the “rugged individualism” of America be made a relic of the past, pushed aside to make way for more legislation that fosters “tolerance?”

But most of all… Does this mean that I can go to jail for calling Sean Penn a wiener?

The actor Viggo Mortensen has apologized to Canada after inadvertently accusing the country of policy misdeeds for which he meant to chastise political leaders of the United States. The go-round occurred Sunday night at a Toronto International Film Festival panel discussion introducing ”The People Speak,” a documentary about dissent and resistance to power based on the book ”A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn. Mr. Mortensen wore a T-shirt that read: ”Impeach Remove Jail.” By way of explanation Mr. Mortensen, in Toronto to promote the movie ”Appaloosa,” began a plaint about things ”that have been happening in the last eight years in this country.” He was checked by the moderator, Tom Powers, the festival’s documentary programmer, who asked if Mr. Mortensen was referring to Canada. ”Ladies and gentlemen, the angry left,” said a laughing Matt Damon, who was joined on the panel by Josh Brolin and Marisa Tomei, among others. Mr. Mortensen allowed that Canada may have committed misdeeds of its own, without leveling a specific charge against either country. ”My apologies,” he concluded.Read the full article here.

I have nothing to say in my defense and await your wrath.

Well, I do have one thing to say: Henry Winkler is a marvelously talented and underrated actor, and any opportunity to boost his Winkler-ness I’m taking. See also: Night Shift (1982) and an under-appreciated masterpiece called The One And Only (1978).  

Besides, Adam Sandler loves the guy. You want to argue with that?

Other than The Disco Ghost of Christmas Past, shifting the Dickens’ classic from Victorian England to Depression-era New England was an inspired idea that adds a nice spin to the story’s familiar template. Though the characters are given Americanized names (Scrooge becomes Slade), they’re all there including a very effective Tiny Tim. Another terrific spin is making the child Scrooge/Slade an orphan after the death of his parents. This added subplot not only helps to explain why Slade whould grow into a lonely old miser but adds something different and effective to his Christmas day reformation.

For a television movie the production design is superb. Many of the exterior locations were shot on real locations (in Canada) with real snow, and the interiors give off a stage vibe which is a perfect match for Winkler’s larger-than-life charisma and performance. While his old age make up is a bit much, Winkler’s Slade is very funny and you get a sense he ad-libbed some of the more interesting bits of business. It’s hard to imagine the script called for the phantom Slade visiting his past to remove a piece of lint from his mentor’s suit.

“An American Christmas Carol” isn’t the only television movie in the top 25. Will the Marlo Thomas remake of “It’s a Wonderful Life” make the list? Stay tuned.

We now have a Sudan Czar. I thought they had their own Czar, but hey, if it helps improve our image in the Arab world I am all for loaning them a Czar or two. We have a Health Czar despite the fact we have a Surgeon General and to be honest I’m not sure who’s in charge of health. You might think a Czar would outrank a general but a number of third-world countries with tons of Generals are run by colonels.

I addition to having a Czar just for Sudan we have an Afghanistan Czar. Isn’t the President afraid that some countries will feel miffed that he didn’t appoint a Czar just for them? I thought we had a whole State Department with Czars called “ambassadors.” We now have a Mideast Peace Czar and a Mideast Policy Czar. At least the Obama administration has a clear understanding that these two things aren’t related.

We have Herb Allison who is the TARP Czar and Earl Devaney the Stimulus Accountability Czar. Apparently Mr. Allison is not a very accountable guy and needs his own Czar to keep him in the straight and narrow. Do they both answer to the Economic Czar?

We have a Weapons Czar and a Weapons of Mass Destruction Czar; I hope that doesn’t lead to weapons envy.

We have a Border Czar, a Terrorism Czar and an Intelligence Czar. What if a terrorist is crossing the border? Who do we call? Come to think of it, why do we even need a terrorist Czar since Janet Napolitano has told us there are no acts of terrorism only “man-created disasters?”

What this country really needs is a Czar Czar — one uber-Czar to keep all the minor Czars from getting out of line. A person who is feared for their hard line principles. A person with a proven record of successfully eliminating government waste and creating economic success. At the same time the Czar Czar should be someone who can understand and relate to the common man and woman.

Yes, I think Sarah Palin would be an excellent Czar Czar. Hopefully, she will be considered for the job in 2012.