"The best zombie-spoof-slasher-action-romantic-comedy of all time. No, really. I'm dead serious.... get it?"
Directed by Edgar Wright; Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Kate Ashfield
I've heard a good deal of praise aimed towards Shaun, he and his pack of dreary friends. And now I've finally gotten the sweet opportunity to watch the film myself, and I must say it is instantly one of my favorite comedies of all time. This comedy, my friends, is dead on. (Alright, I'll stop it with the dead jokes).
The movie follows pathetic loser Shaun, who has a dead-end job, a dead-beat roommate and a dead-beautiful girlfriend who dumps him. It seems life is falling apart for Shaun, that is until he decided to make things right, too bad the undead have been rising from their graves with the sole, rabid intent of eating your brains out. Happy hunting.
Where this movie succeeds as a spoof of the Zombie movies and of everything else is a combination of wit, class and dire respect for the genre. And of course, it's funny. No, really, it's drop-dead hilarious. Several scenes had left me laughing like crazy, a rare feat for most comedies these days. But the simple concept of the Everyman loser getting together his life amidst a zombie outbreak adds a new dimension into zombie films that whether or not was intentional, actually adds a whole new breath of fresh air into zombie movies.
One of the great things about this movie is that while it is a spoof, it does not, unlike many others, ignore the rest of the factors. In fact, the story and screenplay are amazing, production values are admirable and as an added factor, it actually makes a pretty solid zombie-horror movie in its own, only of course it's also a comedy... and a romance film.
This movie is born to be an instant cult favorite, and Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright were born to make a new legacy of classic comedies in line with British legends Monty Python. Of course, this one is more grounded, albeit still silly, and increasingly violent. The amount of blood here is outrageous. It's perfectly dead-right for the whole ambiance of the film. After all, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing.
I cannot wait now for them to finish their Blood and Ice-Cream trilogy, this is a classic in the making and I cannot heap enough praise on this new style of comedic genius. If you don't watch this movie now, well you could just go drop dead.
9.0 out of 10
Hot Fuzz
"Blood? Check. Ice Cream? Check. Bring on the Fuzz."
Directed by Edgar Wright; Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Timothy Dalton
Shaun was amazing, but I was not prepared for the encore performance that is Hot Fuzz.
The story follows Nicholas Angel, the best cop in London. In fact, he's so good, he's making everybody else look bad. So they send him off to a little village called Sanford which is so peaceful, it drives him insane. That is until dark little secrets begin popping out.
This movie ups the ante set by Shaun of the Dead and raises it to spectacular and ridiculous new levels. From violence to sheer silliness, this movie isn't afraid to go all out with explosions, bullets and laugh-out-loud moments.
I didn't think they could make a better film than Shaun, and maybe they didn't. While Shaun had a lot of subtlety to it, this movie abandons that to the more action-spoof it undertakes. Even the cut-fast pacing and editing keeps this movie pumped with adrenaline and I suppose it would be up to the viewer to decide which of the two current Blood and Ice Cream movies are more to their liking. Of course they could be pretty equal too.
The plot here is outrageous, the wit better than ever and the comedic gut is rumbling for the entire film. From the no-holds bar fights to the sly banter, this British comedy sets new standards for the Action genre as Shaun did with the Horror. It seems to me that Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg are doing right to genres what American films such as Disaster Movie, Superhero Movie, Epic Move and Meet the Spartans are doing wrong. The clear difference is that these British ones seem to actually care about the genre, and instead of cannibalizing it for all its worth, these movies actually enhance the experience. This is spoof done right, and while the days of Airplane! are long over and while the spoofs are in a free fall in the Land of the Free, it is a comforting thought that somewhere in the world, someone is doing it right.
As I said, this movie is considerably more fast paced than its predecessor, and it helps the movie's quick comedic homeruns as well. The performances here are also top-notched, and while Simon Pegg and Nick Frost had already shown great on-screen comedic aptitude in Shaun, I sincerely believe that they shine even more in this movie, simply because there are scenes here so fun and so bombastic you can't help but lose yourself.
It may be a big mistake for me to praise this movie so much right after praising its predecessor right before, because now I am quickly running out of praises for the dynamic duo. So I suppose there's nothing much else but for you to go out there and get yourself copies of both movies. It is a modern comedic experience that you simply must not miss. What are you waiting for? GO!
Yarp!
9.5 out of 10
Wanted
"High adrenaline, little else"
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov; Starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman
Funny how things work out. This movie was easily among those I anticipated for in the summer. And while the trailers did not convince me outright that it would be a great movie, it did give me the notion that it would at least be entertaining. It is a shame that that is exactly what I got for seeing this movie.
The movie is based on Mark Millar and J.G. Jones' graphic novel of the same name, yet of considerably not the same look. In fact, its barely recognizable. The graphic novel consists of an Eminem lookalike and a Fox-suit donning black vixen. Instead we get McAvoy and Jolie, not that it's my complaint, mind you. The fact that it strays so far from its source doesn't bother me much, since it at least does so with gusto and a brilliant sense of imagination, something many other movies going the same route fail to do.
Let's start off with the good, this movie as I said is highly enjoyable. No, as in incredibly fast paced and a must-see for any adrenaline junkie out there. You think you've seen bullet-time? Well no you haven't not unless you watch this movie. The action sequences here are so out there they are a cross between jaw-dropping and laugh-out-silly, which I am not sure is a bad or good thing. Nonetheless it achieves the honor to be called a true summer blockbuster, filled with so much action and blood that it riddles the brain numb. If you're into that sort of stuff, which I'm sure most of you are, then this movie is a no-brainer.
Now for my problems, this movie just never gets off its butt. The story itself proves to have o much potential to be epic, and the screenplay actually shows a lot of promise in so many areas, but in the end it all comes up irrelevant as this movie seems more content with answering every hurdle with a barrage of bullets and "F*CK!!"s. It is frustrating, mostly because its already done more than enough a handful of scenes to convince me of its worth as an action movie, but it does little else to convince me of its worth as a film. While not falling into the traps of comic book movie-suckiness, it does fail to elevate the genre into new heights as several movies this season has already been attempting. And Timur's (easier to say than his last name) first foray into the American Film industry is not going to convince me of his worth just yet, but it at least shows his potential, if only he gets his priorities straight.
It's just as well I suppose, after the success of both Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, we finally wipe the slate of expectations clean for the next batch. all good and all, but I really don't think any comic-book movie, no matter how much it sucks, will take away the excitement I have now for Hellboy 2 and a little something called The Dark Knight.
Still if you love slow-motion headshots, jumping cars and the naked ass of Angelina Jolie, you should watch this. And if you don't, then there's no helping your homosexual butt, not unless you're a girl of course, in which case, "Sorry Ma'am".
6.5 out of 10
