Netflix Debuts DreamWorks Animation's "3Below: Tales of Arcadia"

DreamWorks Debuts "3Below: Tales of Arcadia"

Premieres on Netflix December 21, 2018

DreamWorks Animation Television has released new clips for Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated Netflix original series 3Below: Tales of Arcadia, bringing an out-of-world experience exclusively to Netflix December 21, 2018.

Featuring an all-star voice cast including Diego Luna (Narcos: Mexico), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Glenn Close (TheWife) and more. 3Below: Tales of Arcadia follows two royal teenage aliens, Aja (Maslany) and Krel (Luna), and their bodyguard Vex (Offerman), as they flee a surprise takeover of their home planet and crash-land on Earth – in Arcadia, the same town where the events of Trollhunters take place. Now on the run from intergalactic bounty hunters, they must blend in and adapt to the bizarre world of high school all while attempting to repair their shipt to return to and defend their home planet.

From the seven-time Emmy Award-winning team behind Trollhunters, 3Below is created and executive produced by Guillermo del Toro. Rodrigo Blaas, Marc Guggenheim and Chad Hammes also serve as executive producers. The star studded voice cast also includes Andy Garcia, Nick Frost, Alon Aboutboul, Chris Obi, Uzo Aduba, Cheryl Hines, Tom Kenny, Haley Atwell, Danny Trejo, and Ann Dowd. Additionally, The Crystal Method created the main title theme that can be heard in the main title sequence. Returning talent fromTrollhunters includes Emile Hirsch, Charlie Saxton, Lexi Medrano, Steven Yeun, Cole Sands, Kelsey Grammer and more in epic crossover episodes that bridge the events of Trollhunters and 3Below in surprising ways.

All 13 half-hour episodes of 3Below’s first season will become available to Netflix members worldwide on December 21, 2018.

3BELOW: TALES OF ARCADIA SEASON 1 - Trailer: https://youtu.be/jfVmNGUA-eo

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Review: "Ice Age: Continental Drift" - Same Old, Same Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 7 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – PG for mild rude humor and action/peril
DIRECTORS: Steve Martino and Michael Thurmeier
WRITERS: Michael Berg and Jason Fuchs; from a story by Michael Berg and Lori Forte
PRODUCERS: Lori Forte and John C. Donkin
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Renato Falcão
EDITORS: James Palumbo and David Ian Salter with Christopher Campbell
COMPOSER: John Powell

ANIMATION/COMEDY/ADVENTURE and FAMILY/FANTASY

Starring: (voices) Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Peter Dinklage, Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, Wanda Sykes, Alan Tudyk, Aubrey “Drake” Graham, Josh Gad, Nick Frost, Aziz Ansari, Nicki Minaj, Heather Morris, Joy Behar, with Queen Latifah and Chris Wedge

The subject of this movie review is Ice Age: Continental Drift, a 2012 computer-animated film from Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox. This comedy-adventure movie is the fourth film in the Ice Age series. Continental Drift follows the original Ice Age trio of Manny, Diego, and Sid after they are separated from the rest of the herd.

As Ice Age: Continental Drift begins, the herd is living in peace in the vast land they call home. Manfred “Manny” the mammoth (Ray Romano) is at odds with his teenage daughter, Peaches (Keke Palmer), with mother, Ellie (Queen Latifah), caught in the middle. Family strife isn’t the only rumbling in the land. The continents are dividing, and an earthquake separates Manny, Sid the giant sloth (John Leguizamo), and Diego the saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary) from Ellie and the rest of the herd.

Lost at sea, Manny, Sid, and Diego begin an epic journey to reunite with the herd, their family. Standing in their way are a vicious primate, Captain Gutt (Peter Dinklage), and his band of pirates, who sale the seas using a floating iceberg as their ship. Meanwhile, the prehistoric squirrel/rat, Scrat (Chris Wedge), continues to chase that acorn.

I expected Ice Age: Continental Drift to be more of the same when it comes to the Ice Age franchise, but that is not a bad thing, anyway. The Ice Age films have been entertaining, if not great, because the franchise’s shtick is both funny and familiar. Each Ice Age film is basically a prehistoric, domestic situation comedy featuring talking animals, and the situation always involves some adventurous mission.

Still, Continental Drift offers its own inventive high points: icebergs as pirate ships, a group of tricky sirens, and Scrat’s treasure hunt come to mind. Captain Gutt and his pirates are, in my estimation, the series’ scariest villains to date, with Peter Dinklage giving a wonderful, layered voice performance. The film actually has a number of good voice performances. Wanda Sykes delivers her funniest voiceover as Sid’s Granny, and Jennifer Lopez is just shockingly good as Shira, a saber-toothed tiger and one of Gutt’s crew.

Continental Drift underutilizes some characters, such as Louis the mole hog (Josh Gad), Peaches’ love-interest-of-sorts. Sometimes, the film is too laid back, but overall Ice Age: Continental Drift is quite good. I found myself laughing at and with the characters, and ultimately, I cared enough to cheer them on.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, January 25, 2013

Review: "Snow White and the Huntsman" is a Fractured Fairy Tale

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 78 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hour, 7 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sensuality
DIRECTOR: Rupert Sanders
WRITERS: Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini; from a screen story by Evan Daugherty
PRODUCERS: Sam Mercer, Palak Patel, and Joe Roth
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Greig Fraser
EDITORS: Conrad Buff IV and Neil Smith
COMPOSER: James Newton Howard

FANTASY/DRAMA/ACTION

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Sam Claflin, Sam Spruell, Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone, Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones, Johnny Harris, Brian Gleeson, Vincent Regan, and Noah Huntley

Snow White and the Huntsman is a 2012 action fantasy film starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, and Charlize Theron. The film re-imagines (a word I’m starting to hate) the German fairy tale “Snow White” as an epic fantasy.

The film opens in the Kingdom of Tabor, where King Magnus and Queen Eleanor welcome a baby daughter they name Snow White. Sometime after Eleanor dies, Magnus marries the mysterious Ravenna (Charlize Theron), who turns out to be a powerful sorceress. After usurping the throne, Ravenna imprisons Snow White (Raffey Cassidy) in the north tower of the castle. With her brother, Finn (Sam Spruell), at her side, Ravenna rules over the kingdom, while draining the youth from young maidens in order to maintain her own youthful appearance.

After coming of age, Snow White (Kristen Stewart) escapes into the Dark Forest. Ravenna orders Eric (Chris Hemsworth), a huntsman, to find Snow White, but Snow White’s destiny may prove to be bigger than any one person’s plans for her.

I discovered that Snow White and the Huntsman is the first feature film directed by Rupert Sanders, which may explain why the movie’s narrative develops in fits and starts. Sometimes, Snow White and the Huntsman is overly serious, and sometimes, it is painfully dull. It’s as if Sanders wants to treat some of the movie as if it were Lord of the Rings (which it is not). When he’s not trying to do his own version of director Peter Jackson, Sanders is trying to create some character drama and that’s mostly awkward.

First, let me say that I am a fan of Kristen Stewart. I think Stewart is perfect for Sanders, because, as an actress, she is overly serious. In practically any movie in which she appears, Stewart will spend part of that film kind of hunched over, like a dog waiting to be smacked across the head with a newspaper even when she does something good (like rescue Timmy from a well). I could be nice and say that her acting is decent, although she delivers dialogue with all the stiffness of a graduate of the Keanu Reeves School of Acting. Her big speech scenes in the last act of Snow White and the Huntsman are not inspiring and are, in fact, dry as dust.

Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron try, and Theron really tries, but the script seems unsure about what it should be – action movie or fantasy drama… or Evil Queen movie? The script isn’t even sure who the lead character is, and I’m not sure Sanders knew which characters should be the focus and when they should be. This movie should have been titled “Sometimes Snow White and sometimes the Huntsman and sometimes the Queen.”

I’m being critical because this movie and its story/concept have so much potential, and there are times when Snow White and the Huntsman seems like it is going to be an exceptional fantasy film. A clunky opening act and its occasional meandering are what keep Snow White and the Huntsman average rather than special.

5 of 10
B-

Sunday, October 14, 2012

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"Attack the Block" Attacks the Sci-Fi Movie Status Quo

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 3 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Attack the Block (2011)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK, France
Running time: 88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – R for creature violence, drug content and pervasive language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Joe Cornish
PRODUCERS: Nira Park and James Wilson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Thomas Townend
EDITOR: Jonathan Amos
COMPOSER: Steven Price

SCI-FI/COMEDY/ACTION

Starring: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard, Luke Treadaway, Jumayn Hunter, Danielle Vitalis, Paige Meade, Michael Ajao, Sammy Williams, and Nick Frost

Attack the Block is a 2011 British alien invasion movie and science fiction comedy. Written and directed by English comedian Joe Cornish, the film follows the members of a South London street gang who defend their block from an alien invasion. Edgar Wright of Shaun of the Dead fame is one of the film’s executive producers.

Attack the Block opens on Bonfire Night (also known as Guy Fawkes Night) in South London. While walking home, a young nurse named Sam (Jodie Whittaker) is mugged by a gang of teenage boys and their leader, the sullen Moses (John Boyega). The attack on Sam is interrupted when an object falls from the sky and smashes into a nearby car. While Sam escapes, the boys investigate the object and find a small, strange creature which attacks them.

After killing it, Moses and the boys hope to gain fame and profit from the creature. However, more objects like the first are falling from the sky, and the creatures that emerge from them are larger and more vicious that the first creature. Now, Moses and friends have to protect their block, Wyndham Towers, from alien jaws of death.

Early in my viewing of Attack the Block, I thought of J.J. Abrams’ Summer 2011 movie Super 8, which I liked but found to be an under-achiever. Attack the Block is the imaginative, socially conscious, and fun teens vs. alien invaders film that the too-serious Super 8 could have been. While Super 8 can come across as Abrams’ Steve Spielberg masturbation fantasy, Attack the Block is Joe Cornish’s imaginative and inventive fantasy. This is a small science fiction movie that stands tall next to the big boys of 2011’s slate of science fiction and action films (Green Lantern, Super 8, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, etc.).

There are many reasons for Attack the Block’s success. One is the simple, uncomplicated creature effects. The alien monsters look like guys in gorilla suits that have a luminescent set of choppers, yet they are effectively scary. I think these monsters should make more film appearances.

Two other reasons for this film’s success are the performances and the character development. First, let me say that it is cool and makes me ecstatically happy that most of the main characters in a science fiction movie are “lower class” black teens. What is even better is that Cornish’s script delves into them, especially Moses, whom Cornish grows as a character from the beginning to the end of the story. Of course, John Boyega’s quietly potent, still-wet-behind-the-ears turn as Moses is the key reason the character rises in stature. However, Cornish sadly under-utilizes Sam, who comes across as an intriguing player from the start of the film.

Attack the Block is a blast, and that Cornish deftly inserts social commentary into this science fiction mix makes this film more than just escapism. To me, Attack the Block is real speculative, imaginative fiction simply because it takes the elements of science fiction and places them in a fresh context.

8 of 10
A

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

"Paul" on DVD and Blu-ray August 9th

PAUL arrives on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital Download on August 9, 2011.

BUCKLE UP FOR A HILARIOUS ROAD TRIP FROM THE DIRECTOR OF SUPERBAD & THE STARS AND CREATORS OF HOT FUZZ AND SHAUN OF THE DEAD - PAUL

OWN THE OUTRAGOUS UNRATED VERSION NOT SHOWN IN THEATERS ON BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK, DVD & DIGITAL DOWNLOAD AUGUST 9, 2011

“Irreverent and hilarious!” – Sean P. Means, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
“Seth Rogen is perfect as Paul.” – Ray Bennett, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Universal City, California, June 7, 2011— One tiny alien makes for big, big trouble in the comedy adventure Paul, coming to Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD August 9, 2011, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Both versions will feature the theatrical movie, as well as an unrated version of the film, not shown in theaters. The film and its unrated version will also be available day and date for digital download and video on demand.

Paul reunites Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) as two sci-fi geeks on a pilgrimage to America’s UFO heartland, where they accidentally encounter an alien who sends them on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever. Written by Pegg and Frost, Paul boasts a star-studded cast that features Seth Rogen (The Green Hornet, Knocked Up) as the voice of Paul, Sigourney Weaver (Avatar), Jason Bateman (Hancock), Kristen Wiig (Date Night, Knocked Up), Jane Lynch (“Glee”), Bill Hader (Pineapple Express), Joe Lo Truglio (Role Models), Jeffrey Tambor (“Arrested Development”) and Blythe Danner (Little Fockers). Directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad), Paul comes loaded with in-depth, behind-the-scenes features, bloopers, filmmaker and cast commentary and more, to take viewers on a comical journey behind the making of this critically hailed film.

The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack will include a Blu-ray and DVD copy of the unrated and theatrical versions of the film. Additionally, for a limited time only, the Combo Pack also includes a digital copy of the unrated film that can be viewed anytime, anywhere on an array of digital devices. Blu-ray ™ consumers can also access MY MOVIES™, an exclusive feature that allows consumers to stream a bonus movie instantly to their television through any Internet-connected Blu-ray ™ player via BD-Live™ or to their Smartphone and iPad™ using the free pocket BLU™ app. The bonus movie offer will be available for a limited time only. Visit http://www.universalhidef.com/ for more details.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK:
· Between the Lightning Strikes: The Making of Paul
· Behind the Scenes Featurettes:
o RV Doorway: The Cast of Paul On-Location — The cast is just as funny off-screen as they are in front of the camera.
o Runway Santa Fe: An Interview with Nancy Steiner — Follow Nancy Steiner, the costume designer, as she chooses hilarious T-shirts and wardrobe for the cast.
o Smithereens — Blowing up a house on location causes excitement among the cast.
o 5th Date Level Direction: The Cast on Greg Mottola — The cast talks about the fun of working with Mottola, who also directed Superbad.
o Mexico Zero: The Locations of Paul—Mexico Zero is the nickname the cast gives to New Mexico, where the majority of filming was done for Paul.
o The Many Pauls — To create Paul, the filmmakers used all the tricks of the trade, from capturing Seth Rogen’s facial expressions and movements, to using a child dressed up as an alien while on-set.
o Paul: The Musical — The cast joins together for an impromptu musical version of the film.
o The Traveler Beagle — A look at all the different RVs used on the set of Paul, from fully functioning vehicles to a mock-up on a Hollywood soundstage.

· BD-LIVE™: Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to watch the latest trailers and more.

· pocket BLU™: The groundbreaking pocket BLU™ app uses iPhone®, iPod® touch, Android™, PC and Macintosh to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray™ player. Also available on the iPad®, owners can enjoy a new, enhanced edition of pocket BLU™ made especially to take advantage of the tablet's larger screen and high resolution display. Consumers will be able to browse through a library of Blu-ray™ content and watch entertaining extras on-the-go in a way that's bigger and better than ever before. pocket BLU™ offers advanced features such as:
o Advanced Remote Control — A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease.
o Video Timeline — Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film.
o Mobile-To-Go — Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
o Browse Titles — Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU™-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray™ Hi-Def. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.
o Keyboard — Entering data is fast and easy with your device’s intuitive keyboard.

BONUS FEATURES ON BLU-RAY™ AND DVD:
· Bloopers
· The Evolution of Paul — An inside look at how Paul became a living, breathing alien.
· Simon’s Silly Faces — Simon Pegg makes an assortment of wildly funny faces for the camera.
· Who the Hell is Adam Shadowchild? — Find out about the legendary sci-fi writer from the characters in Paul.
· Feature Commentary with Greg Mottola, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Bill Hader and Nira Park
· Photo Galleries, Storyboards and Posters

SYNOPSIS
For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. For reasons unknown, the space-traveling smartass decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicle out of town—a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Frost). Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a young woman they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. As two nerds struggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.

http://www.whatispaul.com/

CAST AND FILMMAKERS
Directed By: Greg Mottola
Written By: Simon Pegg & Nick Frost
Produced By: Nira Park, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
Executive Producers: Liza Chasin, Debra Hayward, Natascha Wharton, Robert Graf
Director of Photography: Lawrence Sher
Production Designer: Jefferson Sage
Editor: Chris Dickens, ACE
Costume Designer: Nancy Steiner
Music By: David Arnold

Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Blythe Danner, Joe Lo Truglio, John Carroll Lynch, Jane Lynch, David Koechner, Jesse Plemons with Sigourney Weaver and Seth Rogen

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
BLU-RAY™ HI-DEF
Street Date: August 9, 2011
Copyright: 2011
Selection Number: 61118963
Running Time: 1Hour 44 Min
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 2.35:1
Rating: R for language including sexual references and some drug use
Technical Info: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish and French DTS Surround 5.1, DVS, English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles

DVD
Street Date: August 9, 2011
Copyright: 2011
Selection Number: 61111728
Running Time: 1Hour 44 Min
Layers: Dual Layer
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Rating: R for language including sexual references and some drug use
Technical Info: Dolby Digital English 5.1, Spanish 5.1, French 5.1, DVS, English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles

NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.

Review: Ejiofor Wears "Kinky Boots" Quite Well (Happy B'day, Chiwetel Ejiofor)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 195 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Kinky Boots (2005)
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for thematic material involving sexuality and for language
DIRECTOR: Julian Jarrold
WRITERS: Geoff Deane and Tim Firth
PRODUCERS: Nick Barton, Peter Ettedgui, and Suzanne Mackie
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Eigil Bryld
EDITOR: Emma E. Hickox

COMEDY/DRAMA/MUSIC

Starring: Joel Edgerton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sarah-Jane Potts, Nick Frost, Linda Bassett, Jemima Rooper, Robert Pugh, Ewan Hooper, and Stephen Marcus

After inheriting the family business, Charlie Price (Joel Edgerton) becomes the fourth generation head of Price and Sons, Ltd., a shoe making company in Northhampton, England. Charlie had other plans – primarily working in London and marrying his fiancé, Nicola Marsden (Jemima Rooper). However, he feels obligated to keep the factory running, but his late father left the business financially insecure. It doesn’t help that the current English footwear market is dominated by cheap imports from Eastern Europe and elsewhere.

When he meets Lola (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a cabaret singer and drag queen in London, Charlie gets the idea of turning Price and Sons into a factory that produces women’s boots that men can wear – kinky boots, and he hires the sassy Lola to design this racy line of boots. However, Lola finds both the factory and Northhampton a difficult fit for him. And on the eve of their trip to Italy for the Milan Shoe Fair, everything starts to fall apart for Charlie.

Inspired by the true story of a traditional men’s footwear factory in Northhamptonshire that turned to making kinky boots for transvestites, Kinky Boots is the kind of British movie in the vein of The Full Monty or Billy Elliot – British indie films that occasionally capture the fancy of American audiences, even the kinds of audiences that normally don’t bother with American independent films. Mixing comedy and drama or pathos and joy, Kinky Boots is basically a feel good movie. The direction isn’t distinctive, but it’s good, and the writing nicely dramatizes what must have been a long, drawn out, and occasionally painful process in real life. None of the characters or actors really stand out… except one.

Since his first leading role in 2002’s Dirty Pretty Things (released in the U.S. in 2003), Chiwetel Ejiofor has worked steadily, proving that he is a gifted actor, in a number of diverse roles and for an eclectic list of directors including Woody Allen (Melinda and Melinda) and Spike Lee (Inside Man). As the drag queen Lola, Ejiofor takes a character that has in recent times become a feel good flick stereotype – the drag queen. He tosses out the drag queen’s cinematic baggage and ignores what other actors have done and goes directly to the character. Ejiofor shows us who Lola truly is, even if it takes us a while to get it, and he does it singing up a storm with joy and gusto.

In one pivotal scene near the end of the film, Edgerton’s Price makes the kind of speech to Lola that, had it been in another film, was meant to change Lola. However, it is Price who needs to prove his mettle, Lola knows who she is because Ejiofor makes it that way. Kinky Boots may not be great, but Ejiofor gives a great performance – the kind that words alone fail to describe. You have to see the man.

6 of 10
B

Saturday, September 9, 2006

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Edgar Wright Did Action in Comic "Hot Fuzz"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 132 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux


Hot Fuzz (2007)
Running time: 121 minutes (2 hours, 1 minutes)
MPAA - R for violent content including some graphic images, and language
DIRECTOR: Edgar Wright
WRITERS: Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg
PRODUCERS: Nira Park, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jess Hall (DoP)
EDITOR: Chris Dickens

COMEDY/CRIME/ACTION/MYSTERY

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Timothy Dalton, Martin Freeman, Paul Freeman, Bill Nighy, Lucy Punch, Anne Reid, Bill Whitelaw, Stuart Wilson, and Edward Woodward

The director/co-writer (Edgar Wright), co-writer/star (Simon Pegg), and co-star/sidekick (Nick Frost) of Shaun of the Dead return in Hot Fuzz, a send up of America cop movies, with a British twist.

Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg), the finest police officer in London, has an arrest record 400% higher than any other officer on the force. Because that makes everyone else look bad, Angel's superiors transfer him to the sleepy, seemingly crime-free village of Sandford. There, he is partnered with the well-meaning but overeager police officer PC Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), who is also the son of Sandford’s amiable police chief, Inspector Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent).

Danny is a huge action movie fan and craves the kind of action he sees in his beloved American action movies – two of his favorites being Bad Boys II and Point Break. Danny is hoping that his new big-city partner might just be a real-life “bad boy,” and that Nick Angel will help him experience the life of gunfights and car chases for which he's longed. While Nick is dismissing Danny's childish fantasies, a series of grisly accidents rocks the village, convincing Nick that Sandford is not the peaceful paradise it at first seems. As the mystery deepens, Nick may be able to make Danny's dreams of explosive, high-octane, car-chasing, gun-fighting, all-out action a reality, but it may come at a high cost for both men.

As comedies go, Hot Fuzz is a pretty special movie, primarily because, outside of comic horror movies, this is one of the few instances that a film uses graphic violence and gore in a way that is so clever and hilarious. In fact, Hot Fuzz is a beautiful send up of the American high octane action flick, and the film is so disarming. It’s not just disarmingly funny, but the entire thing is beguiling in the way droll British humor and dry wit can be. Yet, Hot Fuzz is as relentless funny and subtly manic as any joke-a-minute American gross-out comedy.

Simon Pegg is terrific as the tightly wound professional police service officer, and Nick Frost is brilliant as the sweetly naïve Butterman. They are, however, just the tip of the iceberg in a film made of superb and witty supporting performances constructed from a good script and directing that, for the most part, hits the right notes. The film falters here and there and has several noticeable extended dry stretches, but at its heart, Hot Fuzz is delicious lunacy and outrageousness in the service of a good cause – comedy.

7 of 10
A-

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Review: "Shaun of the Dead" is a Great Zombie Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 248 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux on Patreon

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK

Running time: 99 minutes (1 hour, 39 minutes)

MPAA – R for zombie violence/gore and language

DIRECTOR: Edgar Wright

WRITERS: Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright

PRODUCER: Nira Park

CINEMATOGRAPHER: David M. Dunlap

EDITOR: Chris Dickens

COMEDY/HORROR/THRILLER

Starring: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Nicola Cunningham, Penelope Wilton, Peter Serafinowicz, Jessica Stevenson, and Bill Nighy

Shaun’s (Simon Pegg) life is moribund, and he’d rather spend time with his best friend, Ed (Nick Frost), much to his girlfriend Liz’s (Kate Ashfield) chagrin. Tired of his lack of motivation and lameness in the romance department, Liz dumps Shaun. Shaun’s desperate to win back Liz and to reconcile his relationship with his mother Barbara (Penelope Wilton), so he’s initially ignorant of the fact that the recently dead have suddenly returned to life. However, when his community seems to fall apart, Shaun not only tries to win back his girlfriend, he also tries to save his pals from the dead who have come back to eat the living.

Shaun of the Dead is one of the best zombie movies I’ve ever seen, and it’s also a damn fine comedy. That might be difficult for some people to reconcile, but Shaun of the Dead is exceptionally hilarious, and it’s certainly a goose-flesh raising horror thriller. Anyone who likes zombie movies will surely like this, and it’s hard not to be stunned by how funny this movie is considering its subject matter. Imagine something akin to a Monty Python zombie movie.

Co-writer Edgar Wright’s directorial effort is a superb melding of dark comedy and convincing horror thrills, and his script, co-written by star Simon Pegg, breathlessly and shamelessly borrows from a host of genre films, mostly horror, in particular the gold standards of zombie films, Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dawn of the Dead (1978). The script and resultant film are brilliant renditions of those two horror classics, but with move overt comedy. Shaun of the Dead is film heaven for the smart horror movie fan.

9 of 10

A+

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