The summer movie line is the perfect American aggregate. There, single-file, stands a representation of every socio-economic category conceivable. The amorous Chinaman. The ever knife-wielding Dane. The benevolent Eskimo. The Lethargic Cape Verdean. Puerto Ricans. And they’re all there with the same purpose – to be entertained. One of my favorite of these groups, which you’ll typically find towards the front of the line – are the young pop-elite. You know them. Some of you may still be them. (If you wear a blazer, t-shirt, shorts, and a fedora – you are most likely the alpha of the group.) While Gwendolyn Brook’s youth jazz june, these kids sit on the floor outside the theatre playing cards. They talk loudly of anything remotely affiliated with pop-culture. Their jokes aren’t very good. They curse like sailors. The one girl with them just looks wrong. But they’re my favorites because they’re the ones who have been looking forward to this movie for months. My favorite aspect of Powell and Pressburger’s The Red Shoes isn’t found in any of the amazing Technicolor dance sequences. Nor is it found in the macabre events that transpire. It's the opening scene where the young bohemians trample one another to secure a prime seat for the ballet. I carry that admiration, of the young who hold art at their center, over to them.

Die and Let Live is what happens when those kids make a movie.

I could tell you about Benny and Scotty, two modern day teenage interpretations of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I could tell you about the party they throw in hopes of wooing girls, who are years away from knowing the pain of wisdom teeth, only to have zombies
crash the place. I could even tell you about the numerous references to The Sandlot, all of which are about as subtle as an erection in the face. Bah, it’s a zombie movie made on the same budget as my last bar tab. The drag of teenagers, plucked out of class, exchanging dialogue across a few rooms before a shaky camera is made up by something endearing. The same way a garage-band comprised of 14-year olds doing really bad Black Flag covers is endearing. It’s nice to see kids doing something, and leaving me alone. But I’m conflicted. Too, too often the people who have the will and are inspired to create, end up making another fucking zombie movie. The argument could be made that these kids are paying tribute to the movies that they love. That's great. However, they miss what made so many of those movies lasting - they comment on something. Dawn of the Dead is a biting attack on consumerism. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is about those displaced by creative destruction. Even Freddy and Jason are a by-product of man's inhumanity to man. A movie needs something more than condoms and Karo syrup.

Die and Let Live could be funny. Some of the dialogue and sequences draw a laugh. (Eight years of watching BET's Comicview could never do that.) Unfortunately, comedy is dependent on so much, especially delivery. I'm sure this was the first time that a majority of the cast has ever delivered dialogue, or even performed in front of a camera. With that, the infliction and pitch essential to a snappy exchange were compromised. I'm certain in writer/director Justin Channell's future efforts, this won't be an issue.

So the movie is hit-and-miss. The story isn't anything new or exciting. The guy that plays Scotty Smalls (Zane Crosby) is good when he manages to tone his act down a notch. But what's truly impressive is that I saw this movie. It was recommended to me by the site editor, Jamie. Someone in Kansas, and Illinois watched this. I'm certain Justin Channell made a movie that has been viewed in every state in the union.

How many of us can say that?