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NO IMPACT MAN Like Michael Moore, Morgan Spurlock and others, Colin Beavan is one of the new breed of ego-tripping documentarians, ably mixing sincerity with showmanship. With No Impact Man, he's made a nonfiction film based on an idea that turned into a blog and then into a book and will soon be transformed into a fictionalized Hollywood feature. Whew! That's a lot of mileage for a project that's only a couple of years old, but Beavan is nothing if not adept at selling himself. The title refers, of course, to Colin himself; his plan was to minimize his impact on the environment for one year. That meant no motorized transportation (including elevators), no food that had to be shipped in from somewhere else (local produce only), no electricity, and – yikes – no toilet paper. For the project to work, Colin had to get the cooperation of his wife Michelle, and it's clear from the start that she's not as gung-ho about the idea. A city girl if ever there existed one, Michelle lives for designer clothes, fancy expressos, and expensive makeup. Admitting that she doesn't care for nature, she's not thrilled when Colin purchases a mess of worms to break down the garbage in his makeshift compost bin or when she's required to give up meat and live solely off vegetables and fruit. Described by acquaintances as "bourgeois fucks," Colin and Michelle can be an infuriating couple, he with his frequent moodiness and she with her occasional shallowness. But as the project progresses, they both relax and adapt to their new lifestyle, which, among other pluses, gives them more opportunities to spend quality time with their button-cute daughter Isabella. In the end, No Impact Man – both the movie and the project – is little more than a stunt (otherwise, why only a year instead of a lifetime?), but its message is admirable, its tactics are amusing, and its family dynamics are intriguing. ***
WHIP IT Despite the title, you won't find any Devo on Whip It's soundtrack, but the Ramones and .38 Special both make vocal appearances in this film that marks the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore. If those two songs ("Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" and "Caught Up in You," respectively) made the journey from Drew's iPod to the big screen, more power to them, as they're certainly in tune with the rock & roll aesthetic on display throughout this rowdy, rebellious film. Juno's Ellen Page once again flashes her impressive acting chops, this time playing Bliss Cavendar, a 17-year-old whose mother (Marcia Gay Harden) is hellbent on entering her in every beauty pageant that pops up anywhere near their rundown Texas town. But Bliss eventually finds her true calling when she discovers the sport of roller derby: Adopting the name Babe Ruthless, she lands a second family in the form of her sisters on skates (played by, among others, Kristen Wiig as Maggie Mayhem and Barrymore as Smashley Simpson). The trappings are all familiar – a disapproving parent, a competitive rival (Juliette Lewis as hard-as-nails Iron Maven), scheduling conflicts, and the climactic championship match – but in the capable hands of Barrymore and scripter Shauna Cross (adapting her own novel, Derby Girl), they're all given a fresh coat of paint that allows the movie to easily skate by on the charms of both its novel setting and its gung-ho cast. ***
ZOMBIELAND What's with this unlikely epidemic of good zombie flicks? From 28 Days Later (and its sequel) to the imaginative regional shorts featured in last fall's George Romero event here in Charlotte, there have been approximately a dozen zombie yarns in this decade alone worthy of the critical accolades hurled their way. Now here's another one. The blood flows freely in this gonzo horror tale, but, more importantly, so do the laughs. And while the humor may be frosty around the edges, it's never downright mean-spirited, thanks in part to a director (Ruben Fleischer) with a light touch, two screenwriters (Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick) who have obviously done their zombie-film homework and humorously place the rules for survival front and center (they include keeping fit, being weary of bathrooms, and always wearing seat belts), and four actors (five, if you include the A-lister who turns up in a crowd-pleasing cameo) who remain ingratiating throughout. Jesse Eisenberg, giving up Adventureland for Zombieland, plays the lovably geeky Columbus, while Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are savvy survivalist sisters Wichita and Little Rock. Yet it's Woody Harrelson, all rolling thunder as kick-ass cowboy Tallahassee, who makes the biggest impact. In a wild and wide-eyed performance, he stops just short of completely chewing the scenery – even the zombies aren't capable of matching his ferocious bite. ***
