PontyPool (2008)

PontyPool

               

                             ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

                                                                                     (Really Liked It)

Netflix Synopsis:  Valentine's Day is off to a bizarre start for a radio shock-jock when he runs into a crazed woman on his way to work -- and that's only the beginning. Soon, scores of other people in the small Ontario town of Pontypool start acting awfully odd.

The Peeps:  Bruce McDonald (director); Tony Burgess (writer); Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle

Quick Run Down:  Interesting, Confusing, Commercial Avant-Garde, Fun and Smart  

Worth the Watch?:  If You're Looking For Something Different, Yeah!

PontyPool connects us with Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie), a radio DJ in a small town in Ontario, Canada, after which the film is named.  Mazzy is on his way to work, and, once he arrives, we see that it is a very small radio operation - run out of the basement of a church with only three people, including Mazzy.  Immediately, we are introduced to the provincial day to day Mazzy deals with and how he wants something more and tries to constantly provide and be more for his audience.  The producer, however, Sidney (Lisa Houle), wants him to keep it simple and calm, so Mazzy's forced to remain boring.  All that begins to change, though, when a report comes through that a riot has broken out at a local doctor's office.  Uncomfirmed, Mazzy still goes with the story and starts reporting it, happy to finally get something to chomp down onto for a change.  As weirder and weirder details emerge, strange phone calls and and crazy reports start coming in that pave the way for the bizarre sequence of events that follow!   

To avoid spoilers, I won't get into specifics about the film, but Pontypool is not your typical zombie movie.  It advertises itself as such, and, technically, I guess it is.  Still, it's not your typical zombie flick.  Based on a book by Tony Burgess (Pontypool Changes Everything), the author also penned the script, and you can tell there is something that he is getting at about modern society in the story that he is telling.  Burgess' handles the plot really well, relying strictly on dialogue and character to drive the story.  The humor employed is sometimes so underscored that you're sort of confused on whether to laugh or not.  It can still be incredibly funny, though.  Where the script lacks, however, is in its thematic efforts.  While the story lends itself to a certain metaficional and avant-garde charm, the hinted at overall theme tends to be thin and confusing, allowing one to think it was never fully realized or captured during the filming.  All that aside, the tension of the film really works, and, for me at least, there are some very unique and intriguing elements at play.  First, McHattie's acting is really good.  I felt like his portrayal of Mazzy was inconsistent and misunderstood at times, but he still has a great film presence that makes you want to watch him and see what he'll do.  He's a lot of fun and helps give the film a certain electricity.  Second, the story, though thematically thin and confusing as mentioned, is very unique in its way of being handled.  There's a metafictional undertone to it that makes it intriguing and energetic.  I can't really say much about that without giving stuff away, but I think any one that watches it will find this to be the most enteraining bit of the movie.     

Probably the coolest quality of the film would be its limited production demands.  I'm fascinated by the minimalist approach to making a movie, and, when I see that idea employed, I find myself rooting for the film all the more.  There are mostly just 3 people throughout the entire movie, and there are only two locations (one of which is a car).  There are a few scenes that include several extras, but those scenes number no more than 3 or 4.  These kind of detials really cut down on budget demands, which is key for independent filmmaking.  Surprisingly, though, on doing some research, I found the film is reported at costing $1.5 millon to make, and it barely made a $6,000 return.  Poor marketing is my only thought for the small return, but I'm shocked at the cost of the film.  McHattie must charge a pretty penny for taking on roles because, outside of him, I don't see why anything in this movie should have put it over a $500 grand budget.  You could probably even include equipment in that number, as, with the limited actors and single location, I'm sure it was a quick and relatively easy shoot.  Speaking of equipment, I don't know what the film was shot on, but it looks awesome! 

So, if you want to watch a "zombie" flick that has a very unique story behind the outbreak's origin, wraps up in a very different way than any other zombie flick out there, and carries a certain energy in its quasi-avant-garde, metafictional style, I'd watch Pontypool.  It's a good different for the genre.  Check it out - it's no Netflix*!

 "Do we really want to provide a genocide with elevator music?"

___

*Disclaimer: Netflix is TM and copyrighted; all rights reserved.  Any material used or stemming from the site is theirs, exclusively.  This site is not, in any way, affiliated with Netflix.  It's only a horror hound's effort to help consumers find the best (and worse) horror movies available on the website. Happy watching!