I did find that the ending is a little... off. I'm not entirely certain of the 'point' of constantly charging back into the fray after you've managed to escape it, but that seems to be a constant theme throughout. Perhaps that, too, is part of being a guy. Regardless, this one is still pretty funny, and I forgive the weirdness of the ending. Could have done without some of the dramatic "I love you man" moments, especially since you don't need to make 'authentic' moments like that in a movie about zombies, but whatever. Still a good flick just for fun.
Movie to Skip: Sweet Karma
The fact that French-Canadian model (and Playboy Playmate) Shera Bechard plays her role (Karma) as a mute doesn't add anything to this flick. Given the inherent difficulty of trying to portray a character in an emotionally (and often physically) taxing environment without speech can't be easy, but Bechard does an admirable job. At least, she's convincing enough to get me roped into the story, and I liked that. I suppose her character's handicap could have added an interesting element to the story by having her overcome her inability to speak in order to save her sister, but for some reason this movie just skips that possible avenue altogether. It doesn't add any tension to the story becuase somehow everyone seems to intuitively know what Bechard wants (cab drivers, bouncers, bar tenders, etc.). She merely nods and points, and her every wish is their command. It's kind of hard to believe and, in all honesty, creates an unavoidable elephant in the room that is never explained and merely detracts from the story. Misunderstandings happen all the time when people CAN speak, so I totally don't get the pointing = clarity approach. It's unrealistic and adds a "fake" undertone to her actions -- which were already pretty incredible to begin with.
Personally, I think the story would have been better if Karma's disability had actually added to the tension by creating difficult stumbling blocks along the way. How do you get people to trust you or to help you do apparently illegal actions without even being able to tell the other person WHY you're doing them? I mean, don't get me wrong, Bechard's a knockout, but she isn't THAT attractive. Her handicap simply doesn't slow her down in any fashion. I'm sure others would disagree with me, but if a character's trait (especially one that should make 'simple' human interaction more difficult) doesn't add to the story in any way, why put it in there in the first place? Why make a story obviously take place in New York city if the city (or its pace, it's "vibe", it's police force, etc.) doesn't mean anything to the characters in the story? Why make someone 9ft tall if a character's height is never an issue (even if it becomes an issue by the fact no one seems to notice)? Being mute is kind of rare, from my own experience. So, what's the point? I honestly don't understand why Karma is mute, and it really makes me feel like I've missed something important.
I did have the afterthought that maybe Karma was mute as a way of showing how "silenced" women are in our society. The outside world judges a women by the attractiveness of her pretty face, and every interaction she has thereafter is a reflection of how her physical beauty has been measured; what she says is not as important as how pouty her lips are when she says them. While I do like this possible artistic/societal commentary, I realize I'm just digging to save the plot element. It still doesn't work because we have no way to measure the world's interaction with Karma. She is beautiful, and there is no comparison to someone that is less attractive to see if Karma is getting more traction without saying a word simply because of her looks. Frankly, all of the women (well MOST) in this movie are attractive, they all have a wide range of intelligence and stations in life, and how they are treated seems to have nothing to do with their attractiveness whatsoever. So, I don't think my invented commentary truly holds any water.
Ultimately, all I'm left with is a deep suspicion that either the mute element of Karma's character was just slowly written out (without bothering to give her dialogue) during the production of the movie, or Bechard has a terrible speaking voice and everyone just thought it would be better if she kept her mouth shut. I've never heard her speak, so all I have are blind suspicions. My guess, however, is that it really boils down to poor writing and terrible character development. Everything else about the writing in this story is fairly pedestrian, so I have to chalk this up to another artifact of poor writing.
And speaking of poor writing, the ending of this movie is pretty terrible. While the story is ultimately a revenge plot, the 'revenge' element kind of falls flat in the last two minutes. This movie doesn't end the way I expected or really wanted it to (which is a fact of life, I guess). A lame twist is inserted into the end of this movie that: (a) knocks all of the wind out of the sails for those that might use this film as a call to arms against the sex-slave trade; (b) is such an abrupt and ridiculous ending that even M. Night Shyamalan would stand up at the end of the movie and say, "Well, why would I ever watch this one again?"; and (c) just smacks of the film makers realizing the bank account was starting to get low and simply filming a two minute sequence to wrap up the movie after about 30 minutes of sitting down to think of how all of the plot threads could be wrapped up quickly (with or without any real explanation). It has a disatisfying feel that can really leave you with a bad taste in your mouth if you bothered to give two shakes about Karma and her quest to save her sister. Just know that as soon as the police show up (after being suspiciously absent the entire way through), the movie is about to really suck...
I've written a lot, but it all boils down to this: Sweet Karma is not a great movie... but better than most movies I don't recommend. It had potential, but disappoints.
