Column 34: Shaun of the Dead‘s Harmonious Relationship with Pop Music
Annnnd we’re back. After a long hiatus, we’ve returned with the latest installment of Screened Plays, the place where cinema and pop music collide. And just in time for Halloween, our good friends at North Park Theatre are showing one of my all-time favorite comedies: Shaun of the Dead. While many directors (Quentin Tarantino, Danny Boyle, Martin Scorsese) have a famously close relationship with pop music, I would argue perhaps no filmmaker has ever had quite as harmonious a relationship as Edgar Wright. Even going back to his early days with Spaced, his comedies looked different, moved different, and definitely sounded different from anything else on television. This is because Wright’s approach to filmmaking much more unique than that of most comedy directors. While many comedy films rest on the strength of either their writing or lead stars, Wright’s comedies are notably more visual. Perhaps the greatest weapon in his comedic arsenal is[...]