Movie Reviews: Saved and Shawn of the Dead

I’ve been dealing with a cold and laryngitis this week, so I rented a couple of movies for last night. Light entertainment that doesn’t require moving or saying anything.

Saved is a pleasant teen comedy set in a “Christian” school and community. The main character in the movie is a senior appropriately named Mary who always wanted to be the perfect disciple of Jesus, but ends up pregnant with a gay boyfriend. The cast is rounded out by several amusing characters; the goody-goody and sanctimonious Hillary Fay, who always takes care of her wheelchair bound brother Roland (played by Mackauley Caulkin), who is a teen with the mind of a dirty old man. Mary’s mom is having an affair with the married minister, and Roland falls in love with a Jewish bad girl sent to the School for reasons never completely explained.

The story line is simple but appealing. Mary is able to conceal her pregnancy until prom, when everything comes to a conflict at once.

I liked the portrayal of the teen characters, they were really true to what my students are like, except, of course, there’s a lot less acne in the movie. The movie was fun to watch with the exception of a very self-righteous few moments near the end, when good triumphed over evil, and everything turned out happy.

Overall, I give the film three stars (***) for its brutally honest portrail of teenage insanity.


Shawn of the Dead is a must-see horror/comedy for anyone who wasted Saturday afternoons or late nights watching old zombie-filled horror movies. Shawn lives the life of a suburban London slacker, he goes to work and drinks at the pub. His roommate never leaves the couch. As zombies start appearing, an aura of uncertainty arises, since the zombies’ behavior isn’t really that different from their behavior when they were alive. Shawn finds greatness within himself when he must defend his local pub from the zombies. This movie made me laugh several times.

I give Shawn three stars (***)

One disturbing trend I noticed in both movies is the repeated lines and images about smoking. Especially disturbing in a teen comedy where all the cool kids smoke. I suspect Phillip Morris is continuing its Sub Rosa marketing to kids.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.