Brainnnn Dead?: Pontypool

Can the Internet be wrong?  The film in question today is an Internet sensation that every critic I know has talked about.  Sorry for being late to the party.  Thanks to Blockbuster's timely-demise, I was able to get my hands on a copy of the DVD for $3, so I consider that a win for commerce.  So what is Pontypool?  Aside from a very silly word, it's apparently the name of a town in Canada.  This town has a rash of bad luck, leaving only the gun manufacturer from Shoot 'Em Up to report the events.  Is it a joke?  Is it real?  Let's find out in this brief- and SPOILER-free- review of the Indy darling known as...

After a confusing bit of dialog involving coincidences, a radio DJ (Stephen McHattie) goes to work.  A woman walks up to his car in the field, but leaves before he can figure out what he wants.  In the grand scheme of things, this is unimportant, although they try to imply otherwise.  He goes about his normal day, reporting the News and Weather.  His co-workers are a lady that looks like Patricia Richardson and a young lady who looks like a brunette Anna Farris.  Unfortunately, their day takes a turn for the worse when the snowstorm is actually the best news out there...

News reports come in of a mass riot in front of a Doctor's office.  It builds to even more violence.  In what is either a good twist or a lazy one, we never see any of this.  That's the only real SPOILER I'm going to through out here.  Just know that you won't see much of what is supposed to be happening.  If you can deal with that fact, keep reading...

Don't worry, I'm not going to SPOIL the final events of the movie.  Hell, I can barely explain what happens in the first place.  Here's a general summary:
* Freaky news reports.
* Zombie vomit.
* Explanation of the events...sort of.
* Bizarre pseudo-science.
* The End.

On the radio, everyone can hear you scream!  The plot of this movie is certainly interesting, even if I don't necessarily get it.  The idea is unique.  Unfortunately, that is a two-edged sword.  The ideas are a bit different than anything I've ever seen, but I don't really know if they're great.  I can't fault the film for being unique.  I do question the way the film is structured a bit.  I also take some issue with the way the ending comes about, but I won't go into detail on that.  The whole thing boils down to this- if you want a very different kind of horror film (one that is more about the idea of violence and death than actually showing it), you'll like this movie.  If you can't stand a movie explaining things to you and not showing them to you, look elsewhere.

Up next, I end the week with another David DeCoteau film.  Haven't I suffered enough without a Nightmare on Elm Street rip-off?!?  Stay tuned...