Issue date: 12/8/04 Section: Arts

Despite the "Christmas with the Kranks" and "Dodgeball" duds this year, a few films emerged to restore hope in movie-goers and justify paying outrageous prices for popcorn.

As the first Chinese-language film to ever debut in the number one spot, "Hero" obviously drew audiences for reasons other than it's simple dialogue. The triumphant of "Hero" at the box office hopefully marks a shift in American cinema. Audiences are choosing style, substance and story over the hyper-sexed and fart jokes that dominate Hollywood offerings. Starring Jet Li as Nameless, this screenplay was composed after the star turned down a role in the hugely successful "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Li choose to spend time with his pregnant wife during this time and returned to film in his native China in 2002 with "Ying xiong."

Tarantino saw the film and campaigned heavily with American execs to have "Ying xiong" or "Hero" released in the States. "Quentin Tarantino presents" was added to the title and American audiences turned out in droves.

The non-linear, hypothetical plot keeps audiences guessing. The personalities and motives of characters are subject to change and challenge the viewer. Deadly assassins with the names Broken Sword, Flying Snow and Sky display amazing skills and inspire awe with their stunning moves. Visually "Hero" combines the best of aspects filmmaking. Almost any still frame of the film could be a painting. Bold colors in costume and setting tell more story than the few spoken words in "Hero."

A romantic comedy. With zombies. Go see "Shaun of the Dead" right now. Well, wait till Dec. 21 when it's released on DVD. "Shaun of the Dead" has crept its way into the hearts and minds of cult film fanatics everywhere. With the winning combination of horror and comedy "Shaun of the Dead" stands above most domestic releases this year. After opening to rave reviews in the UK in April, "Shaun" crossed the pond this September to an equally grand debut in the States. "Shaun" combined cheeky humor with zombie bashing and social commentary. An unrivaled loser, the title character, is forced into action after his girlfriend, family and best friend are threatened by the undead. With a wink and a nod to the godfather of zombie films, George A. Romero, Shaun and company proceed to hurl unfavorable records and shovels at the undead. Generation Y has found a hero in the most unlikely of places. Originally unmotivated and ambitionless, Shaun finds purpose in a video game come to life.

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