If you like Romeroesque Zombie movies or cheeky British comedies, I highly recommend Shaun of the Dead. It's half parody, half homage, and half actual zombie movie. Why three halves? It's that good of a movie. Don't expect a Scary Movie or any of those other hit-and-miss zany parody films; the comedy is handled far better in this, and to much greater effect. Instead, expect the funniest zombie movie (or the scariest romantic comedy) you've ever seen.

Shaun is an everyday guy trying to get along with everyone, and ultimately pleasing no one. Dumped by his girlfriend, resentful of his stepfather, and virtually ignored at work, he's just trying to get through life. Before he can even think about trying to patch up with his girlfriend, though, he has to deal with the undead that have started to roam the streets of London. Armed with only a cricket bat and his oafish roommate, he's off to save his friends and family and take them to the only safe place he knows - the local pub.

There are lots of sly zombie movie references that may be lost on the average viewer, but I think everyone can apperciate a good old-fashioned zombie beatdown choreographed to Queen's Don't Stop Me Now or get a chuckle over the description of a zombie's slackjawed face as "vacant, with a hint of sadness, like a drunk who's lost a bet".

Perhaps to coincide with Shaun of the Dead, the (pending) reopening of Things I Hate, and my recent fascination with the Winchester Mansion, I hade a zombie dream the other night.

I was at a house that shows up in my dreams a lot. In most dreams, I either own it by myself or rent it with others, but in this case, it was near a trail that I was walking around on with a friend. Somehow, he died from being hit in the head with a blunt object, and I got the impression that a lot of people died suddenly or randomly while walking around the area. I realized that the normal protocol when walking with someone who died was to put the body in the house and leave it there, and just continue on my way. You weren't supposed to just pile them by the door, as that would block it off, but you were supposed to go in a short distance. It was tough because the house was pitch black and so you had to be careful when walking around inside.

In the past, when people carried the bodies in, they didn't have a free hand to flick the light switch (if indeed there was one), and once they had dumped the body, they were anxious to get out, so no one had ever really looked around. I was curious, so I flipped on the light before dragging my friend into the house, and saw that there were bodies all over the place. I felt guilty at such an improper burial, but knew that you shouldn't leave the bodies outside, and somehow this was the best solution.

I figured as long as I had the lights on, the bodies would remain inanimate and everything should be safe, so I wandered around for a bit, and had gotten to the widow's walk at the top of the house when the lights went back off. I realized that I had to get out of the house, but didn't want to go down through the dark living room with all the dead bodies (now zombies). I was annoyed, because in most dreams with this house, the roof was laid out a little differently, and I can normally jump to a tree and climb down that way. I realized that with the house laid out the way it was, the only way out was through the house, but I knew of a servant's staircase in the back of the house that led to the cellar.

To be honest, I don't really remember much beyond this point, other than a vague recollection of running down a hallway I hand't seen before and having it dead-end. I guess I made it out alive, as I'm here typing this entry right now. Maybe I had the help of a wise-cracking sidekick, and we got into some scrapes, laughed a little, cried a little, and learned a little something about life. But probably not.

These Action Shots aren't submitting themselves, people. Pretty soon I'm going to have to break down and start taking pictures of people and interviewing them against their will. And we don't want that.