Image Unavailable
Color:
-
-
-
- Sorry, this item is not available in
- Image not available
- To view this video download Flash Player
Pontypool
Genre | Mystery & Suspense |
Format | Widescreen, NTSC, Multiple Formats, Color |
Contributor | Beatriz Yuste, Rick Roberts, Bruce McDonald, Daniel Fathers, Boyd Banks, Rachel Burns, Georgina Reilly, Lisa Houle, Tony Burgess, Laura Nordin, Hrant Alianak, Stephen McHattie, Hannah Fleming See more |
Language | English |
Runtime | 1 hour and 36 minutes |
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
- The Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)Peter CushingDVDFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 27
- Renfield - Dracula Sucks Edition [DVD]Nicholas HoultDVDFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 27
- The Raid: RedemptionIko UwaisDVDFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 27
- Aliens (Special Edition) [DVD]Sigourney WeaverDVDFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Friday, Mar 29Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
- The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection [Blu-ray]James StewartBlu-rayFREE Shipping by AmazonGet it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 27
- Event HorizonKathleen QuinlanDVDFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 27
From the manufacturer
Shock jock Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) has been kicked off the airwaves and now works at a small-town morning show. Another mundane day on the job quickly turns deadly when reports pile in of people developing strange speech patterns and evoking brutal acts of violence. Before long, Mazzy discovers that the behavior is actually a deadly virus being spread through language. Does he stay on the air in the hopes of being rescued or, is he providing the virus with its ultimate leap over the airwaves and into the world?
Special Features:
- Filmmaker Commentary
- CBC Original Radio Show
- Short Films: “Eve” “Dada Dum” “The Death of Chet Baker”
Product Description
Product Description
Shock jock Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) has been kicked off the airwaves and now works at a small-town morning show. Another mundane day on the job quickly turns deadly when reports pile in of people developing strange speech patterns and evoking brutal acts of violence. Before long, Mazzy discovers that the behavior is actually a deadly virus being spread through language. Does he stay on the air in hopes of being rescued or is he providing the virus with it's ultimate leap over the airwaves and into the world?
Review
GRADE: A. One-of-a-kind zombie film. --Entertainment Weekly
...the notion that we are all being driven mad by an incessant verbal deluge makes nasty comic sense. --The New York Times
Awesome --Salon.com
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 2.35:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 1.45 ounces
- Item model number : IDFC9307DVD
- Director : Bruce McDonald
- Media Format : Widescreen, NTSC, Multiple Formats, Color
- Run time : 1 hour and 36 minutes
- Release date : January 26, 2010
- Actors : Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georgina Reilly, Hrant Alianak, Rick Roberts
- Subtitles: : English
- Studio : IFC Independent Film
- ASIN : B002TZS5G0
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #25,137 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #814 in Horror (Movies & TV)
- #1,154 in Mystery & Thrillers (Movies & TV)
- Customer Reviews:
Videos
Videos for this product
1:35
Click to play video
PONTYPOOL - RADIO ZOMBIE
Publisher Video
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Pontypool is one of the most interesting and polarizing "zombie" films I've ever seen. It's not the best one, but it's originality and unique take on how the infection spreads make it one zombie film every horror fan needs to see. I will say this: you will either love it or hate it. After reading many reviews, it's clear that some people think it's brilliant while others think it's trash. I say give it a watch and decide for yourself.
The film is based off the novel Pontypool Changes Everything by Thomas Burgess, who also wrote the screenplay. While they both share the same writer, the book and the film are very different in terms of perspective. The film is more straightforward, but this is not a bad thing. The story takes place almost entirely inside a radio station in Pontypool, Ontario and follows the radio crew as the outbreak begins. Very little of the outbreak is actual shown, with most of the carnage being described verbally. This turns out to be extremely effective because the audience's imagination creates things way more terrifying than anything the filmmakers could've shown on-screen. I know this will turn some people away, but with all the in-your-face shaky-cam horror crap out nowadays, it was quite refreshing to be scared by something so simple.
I didn't want to give away major plot points, but they're why the film is so good and I want to address them - there's a reason I put the word zombie in quotation marks above. You have been warned:
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
The most intriguing aspect of the film is how the infection spreads: through the English language. It sounds stupid, but somehow it really works. Just the idea that speaking certain words can potentially turn you into a mindless, flesh-hungry creature is utterly terrifying. Some people may think this is ridiculous, but the way the film conveys it makes it seem very plausible. Our brains are just computers, right? Don't computers sometimes mess up, getting caught in endless loops or becoming infected with viruses, causing them to behave erratically? The notion that your brain can turn on you like that is very unnerving to me. The director has stated that the creatures aren't zombies but something else, dubbing them "conversationalists". Whether or not they can be considered zombies is up to you. Regardless, the methods they devise to combat the virus are ingenious and clever.
**END SPOILERS**
The film's cast also does a tremendous job. Stephen McHattie, who you might recognize from Watchmen , is outstanding in his role. He plays a former "shock-jock" forced to do morning traffic reports. McHattie's voice is almost hypnotizing and you hang on his every word, making what would be otherwise boring scenes very engrossing. Special mention must go to Rick Roberts, the actor who voices the radio crew's field reporter Ken Loney. We never see this character, but his vocal performance was so filled with genuine terror that I was literally on the edge of my seat. It actually creeped me out, something which doesn't happen very often. The rest of the cast does a fine job.
The cinematography looks fantastic. It has a very industrial feel to it, with lots of blues and greys, making scenes seem cold and unwelcoming. The snowy setting also increases the feeling of isolation. The score is minimal but highly effective, complementing the action and scares nicely. All of these things really enhance the film's atmosphere and make it all the more unsettling. The gore is minimal but well-done; if you're a gorehound, this is NOT the movie for you.
To sum things up, Pontypool is definitely a thinking man's zombie movie. It presents some very bizarre concepts that it makes the most of, really going for broke. If you're expecting standard zombie fare, you will either be very disappointed or (un)pleasantly surprised. It's a weird and interesting film that is definitely worth a look.
While the film is not the same as the book at all, the concept in science fiction/horror has precedence in books like "Snow Crash" (Neal Stephenson) and to some extent, as early as "Blood Music" (Greg Bear). About 2/3 through the movie, I realized what was tickling me in the back of my mind (ironically enough, given the subject).
One of the central concepts of the aforementioned novels as well as "Pontypool Changes Everything" by Tony Burgess, on which this movie was based, was that a virus could be both transmitted by blood as well as by sound to hit the deep structures of the brain. That is what this movie invoked with the main concept of the movie - that a deadly virus can spread by words/repetition, causing violence, horror, and death. While that isn't a new concept, how the movie brings it slowly, terrifyingly to life on the screen is amazingly well executed for an indie film. One particular example that was unbelievably well done was the 'kill is...' scene. You truly aren't sure how it will end.
Kudos to the director and actors, especially Stephen McHattie and his IRL wife Lisa Houle. It is impossible to convey most complex books in a movie - but this movie pulls it off. The sci fi/horror concept was not immediately clear (though it is introduced almost immediately, which becomes obvious later on). Since it is a new, unusual idea, it takes time for both the characters and the audience to realize what is going on.
The characters were believable and likable from the start; you want them to survive, to win. Once the epidemic is well underway, the story builds to a heartstopping conclusion. The use of v/o instead of music at the end was a nice touch, particularly when the broadcaster catches the virus himself.
NOTE: There's a cute scene at the end after the credits between McHattie and Houle.
Pontypool is a unique ride into the zombie movie genre. It is one of those movies that you can watch 20 times and still get something new out of it that changes your perception of the movie quite remarkably which makes it a perfect addition to your movie library. Alfred Hitchcock would be proud of this movie because the visual and the fear is provided by the viewer in his/her mind, not the movie screen.
Grant Mazzy is a morning radio show host in a small town in northern Canada (Pontypool) where the big news is ice fishing disputes and reading school snow closures. But when their `eye in the sky' news & traffic reporter in the field, who really just sits on a hill in his Dodge Dart overlooking the town, sees a large crowd around a Dr.'s office and then witnesses the building `explode in an explosion of people' it becomes apparent something strange is going on.
As the viewer, you only can hear the reports coming in from around town and see the confused and concerned expressions on the faces of Mazzy and his two co-workers manning the phones. As the reports progress, it becomes apparent that there is some kind of outbreak that is making its way closer and closer to the radio station.
I really have enjoyed watching this movie numerous times as it continues to reveal more and more detail as to how this mysterious disease or virus or whatever it is continues to spread. There are some things that I still don't quite understand so I presume I just need to watch it some more until I finally "Get it" but until then, I will continue to avoid using terms of endearment, conflicting phrases, and the English language.
So, what does it all mean? Well... it means something's going to happen. Something big. But then, something's always about to happen.
Top reviews from other countries
Il renouvelle totalement le film d'apocalypse/de chaos avec des moyens modestes mais parfaitement maîtrisés.
L'idée centrale de contamination est à la fois originale et rondement utilisée, et la mise en scène vespérale est vraiment très bonne.
Le je des acteurs est au niveau et la photographie est réussie.
J'ai découvert ce petit bijou par hasard il y a des années, malgré son absence de promotion, et je le recommande chaudement depuis. Personne ne s'en est plaint à ce jour, loin de là...
Best recent canadian movie since REAL TIME.
It's more of a slow paced thriller rather than a horror. Also, you shouldn't be able to call it low-budget, they didn't need to waste millions on pointless explosions; they spent the money needed, and it works. Some people seem to think low budget means shotty and not worth the time. There are some plot holes when you think about it, but very logical online arguments would prove otherwise.
movie rating 9 everything on the dvd 10
ben girato. nonostante la location claustrofobica della stazione radio mantiene alta la suspense e la tensione. memorabile il dj !!
Release Date: Jan. 25 2010'....... IS region FREE !
which is great since there doesn't seem to be a north american hi-def release. the xfer is wonderful (no noticeable DNR EE etc) and the audio is as well, and it's lossless.
right now, I think it's my favourite bruce mcdonald film actually, even though i'm still a huge fan of 'roadkill' , 'highway 61' and 'the tracey fragments'.
my 'reviews' are essentially technical ... of the release itself, and not of the film. there are plenty of reviews of the plot etc .....
if you like this film and own a blu-ray player, THIS is the version to get for sure.
le film mise sur l'intrigue, l'ambiance et les dialogues.