Go "Z" This Movie

mild spoilers ahead—beware...

World War Z, the latest entry in today's ongoing, fin-de-siecle zeitgeist of zombie movies, pays homage not only to the familiar tropes of the genre, it does something that I found pleasantly unexpected—it bypasses visceral gore, a staple of so many of these movies, in favor of good, old-fashioned suspense. And for a movie with a budget reported at more than $200 million and several delays due to special effects scenes, the tension is most effective when you don't see anything at all—just an empty hallway, a dark corridor, a silent street.

This is a movie about sound, and the contrast between silence and chaos is one of the qualities that works most effectively. There are some distinct differences between these zombies and others that have come before it, as well as some significant similarities.

The nature of the zombies themselves does owe a great deal to 28 Days Later, especially in the nature of the disease that turns humans into savage predators as well as the speed at which they move. The things that make them different are what make this movie really interesting, so I won't give that away here.

Brad Pitt, as usual, gives a solid performance. His good looks and his ubiquitous celebrity often distract from the quality of his work as an actor. He's a former U.N. crisis investigator—a fixer, in other words—and he's remarkable skilled at his job, which is simply connecting the dots in order to diagnose the problem and create a solution. In this case, the task is monumental—circumnavigate the globe in order to save the human race from its savage mutation.

Unlike so many other zombie movies, the photography here is both epic and claustrophobic at the same time, mercifully lacking so much of the rapid-fire jump-cut editing and seventh-grade quality hand-held camera shaking that passes for "edgy" and "suspenseful" in so many movies today. The pace is harrowing without being exhausting, but you'll want to be sure to go to the bathroom during the previews and keep the drinks to a minimum—you won't want to miss a single moment after the opening credits.

The quality I liked best about the movie was how competent all the characters were. Sure, mistakes are made, but they are honest and realistic; the screenwriters didn't use "stupid" as a plot point (see "Once Upon a Time" and "Revolution," just to name two). In fact, this is a movie about smart people using their brains to save themselves and others.

Nobody screws up. The military, other governments, the U.N., the WHO—they all put their best people in action in a crisis, and they rise to the occasion. In an era where apocalyptic movies are a monthly occurrence,  the idea that we might actually be able to survive catastrophe may be the most optimistic message we've seen yet in this genre. There may be hope for us yet.

An added note: I did not see this movie in 3D, and I don't recommend that you spend the extra money on it. There are many dark scenes that would be obscured in 3D. Save the extra money for some popcorn instead.

Five Concerts I'd Like to See Before One of Us Dies

I've seen just about every band and singer I ever wanted to see. I've seen Depeche Mode, R.E.M., Def Leppard, Tears for Fears, Simple Minds, The Cars, INXS, Van Halen, Queensryche, Soul Asylum, U2, The Who, and just about every Christian band and singer I've ever listened to.

There are some bands that can't be seen (Nirvana comes to mind first), some that could be seen, but not as they were at the height of their careers (Journey, Fleetwood Mac), and still others who just don't perform live (Kate Bush is WAY at the top of that list).

So who's left? These are the top five groups that I would pay semi-ridiculous ticket prices and drive at least 2-3 hours each way to see (I would be willing to drive longer if gas didn't cost almost $4/gallon in the midwest). That means St. Louis, Memphis, or Little Rock (for sure), and maybe Tulsa, Kansas City, or Nashville (depends on cost and my schedule). Also, these are acts that are either a) touring or b) could conceivably tour at some point in the future.

1. The Cure
I was a late-comer to the Cure phenomenon; I didn't really become a fan until the nineties, but "Just Like Heaven" is my favorite song of all time, and "High" is in my top five favorite albums of all time. Closest available appearances: Chicago/Aug. 2 (working); Austin, TX/Oct. 4-6 (too far).

2. Rush
Neal Peart is the reason I became a drummer. Do I need to explain any further? Closest available appearance: Kansas City/Aug. 4 (working).

3. Pearl Jam

I came this close to getting tickets to see Pearl Jam back when I lived in St. Louis. The guy right in front of me literally bought the last tickets available before they put up the "Sold Out" sign. My sister was with me, and she was an even bigger Pearl Jam fan at that time than I was—so disappointing. I've never even gotten close since.  Closest available appearance: Chicago/Aug. 19 (sold out—it figures!).

4. Cyndi Lauper

In the early eighties, most pop fans went Gaga (see what I did?!) for Madonna. Not me—my first two cars were easily identified by the "I Love Cyndi Lauper" bumper sticker. Thirty years later, Cyndi's a Tony winner and the toast of Broadway, while Madonna...say, does anyone know where Madonna is these days? Never mind, I don't care. Closest available appearance: Biloxi, MS/June 29 (too far away).

5. Barry Manilow

Closest available appearance: Evansville, IN/June 26 (too far/work next day).

Mock me all you want; if you're honest, you're just like these guys:

Decades Ahead of Their Time

Of all the bands whose careers were made at the beginning of 1980s as part of the music video revolution on MTV, who did you think would have the most staying power? Of all the synth-pop, manufactured, bubblegum pop behind the slick videos and jump cuts, would you have guessed Duran Duran? Believe it or not, not only are they still relevant, but their original hits from the eighties and nineties sound fresher, edgier, and far more innovative than what passes for popular music today.

They certainly weren't well-received in the early days of their MTV-fueled success. Music critics dismissed them as pretty boys who made disposable pop music that was overshadowed by the production value of their videos.

Duran Duran—ironically enough, named after a character in the '60s sci-fi schlock-fest "Barbarella"—didn't shy away from their critics. Lead singer Simon LeBon and keyboardist Nick Rhodes made just as much impact in the fashion world with their clothes, hair, and—again, way ahead of their time—makeup.

But they were also marvelously skilled musicians, especially the three Taylors—John on bass, Andy on guitar, Roger on drums—and collaborated as songwriters on all their major hits. Here's their biggest U.S. hits; I bet you can hum the tune and sing the lyrics to almost all of these (U.S. pop chart peak in parentheses):

• The Reflex (1)
• A View to a Kill (1)
• Notorious (2)
• The Wild Boys (2)
• Hungry Like the Wolf (3)
• Ordinary World (3)
• Union of the Snake (3)
• Is There Something I Should Know? (4)
• Come Undone (7)
• New Moon on Monday (10)
• Rio (14)
• Save a Prayer (16)
• All She Wants Is (22)
• Girls on Film (5 in UK)

In addition to the success of Duran Duran, once the group split up in the nineties, Simon and Nick formed "Arcadia," which had a big hit with "Election Day," (a really great song), while Roger and Andy teamed up with Robert Palmer earlier as a side project in the eighties as "The Power Station," which spawned two iconic eighties hits, "Some Like it Hot" and "Bang a Gong."

The band is still together, although not with their original lineup, although the core of the group, including Simon, Nick, and Roger, are still making music. But their legacy was established 30 years ago. As a matter of fact, I've been listening to their album "Rio" while writing this little homage of praise. It's the original vinyl I bought in 1982, and it still sounds great in 2013.

I'll leave you with one of my favorites, which is also impossibly cheesy in a way you can only find in the 1980s.

Welcome to my pop culture corner of the Interwebs

For those of you who have enjoyed my sports blog, "The Sandlot," this blog is intended to give me a forum to write about the other aspects of American popular culture that capture my attention. You'll get more TV than anything, some movie and DVD reviews, and occasionally comments about books and music.

I want to get things started with something that's been bugging me for more than a year with several one-hour dramas on television right now. There are two shows in particular that I'm thinking of, both shows that I've watched since the beginning of their runs: ABC's "Once Upon a Time" and NBC's "Revolution."

Here's what's bugging me: Why are the protagonists so stupid? Both shows have great premises that are effectively portrayed in terms of plot, scenery, and special effects. But the lead characters—the heroes, if you will—are just dumb, dumb, dumb. Gomer Pyle dumb. Gilligan dumb. Vinnie Barbarino dumb.

The height of the stupidity is the utter inability of the main characters in each show to kill off an obvious villain—who in both cases has tried repeatedly to murder them—despite multiple opportunities. In "Once Upon a Time," they let the evil queen, Regina, pretty much do whatever she wants, even though she tries to destroy the town and everyone in it whenever she's left unsupervised.

In "Revolution," it's even worse. The psychotic, sadistic, douchebag dictator of the "Monroe Republic," Gen. Sebastian Monroe, has escaped certain death more often than the Road Runner. Even though killing him would be like killing Mussolini in 1933, no one seems capable of pulling the trigger. Even worse, his smarter (but even more sadistic) lieutenant, Tom Neville, has been able to shift loyalties as easily as regular people change their shirts, and it hasn't occurred to anyone yet to put a bullet through his head. As a result, the good guys keep losing.

Look, I'm a fiction writer too, and I know that sometimes you have to keep certain characters alive because the story would just end at that point if they died. But certainly professional Hollywood writers and producers can be more creative in keeping their villains alive than making the heroes too stupid to pull the trigger when they have the chance.

For the record, what makes HBO's "Game of Thrones" both great and emotionally frustrating is that the book's author and the show's creators punish stupidity with death—just like it often happens in real life. But that's a topic for another day. In the meantime, I like both the shows I mentioned, but it sure would be nice to see both sides act like real people at war: When you have a chance to kill the evil leader of your enemy, PULL THE TRIGGER!

Come to think of it, we could say the same thing to the Grimes Gang on "The Walking Dead," couldn't we? If Rick had a brain, he would have walked in that warehouse and shot the governor right in the head. Memo to writers: If you don't want to kill off your villain, be more creative than just making your hero an idiot.