My return post will focus on movies of course. What will possibly be the most influential trilogy of my generation has come to its conclusion this past weekend. You may be asking yourself if I've somehow lapsed back in time to 2003, when The Return of the King was released into theaters thus concluding the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy. While that trilogy is indeed extremely impressive, and I absolutely love it to death, I'm talking about a different set of movies. A set that doesn't exactly follow a narrative structure yet still manages to tell its own story with each entry. I'm talking about what has come to be known as the Cornetto Trilogy.
For the unaware, the Cornetto Trilogy is made up of director Edgar Wright's zombie masterpiece Shaun of the Dead, the action/buddy cop sendup Hot Fuzz, and the apocalyptic blast The World's End. Wright co-wrote each film with his frequent collaborator and star Simon Pegg, and each film co-stars their buddy Nick Frost. AND EACH FILM IS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!!
Here's a little backstory. I'm a huge movie buff (DUH), specifically horror movies. In the spring of 2004, young 17-year old Joseph Moore was very excited to hear that there would be a new entry in the zombie sub genre, a British horror comedy that would be an homage to the classic Romero films while telling a fresh story in a fun way. I remember watching the UK preview for Shaun of the Dead and giggling with glee as a couple of blokes attempt to deal with the chaos around them. I knew I had to see this movie right away, but being a British film I had to wait quite a few months before it was released in the states.
Months and a birthday went by, and finally Shaun found its way to the Atlanta area. An extremely excited yet very lazy (still no driver's license) 18-year old talked his wonderful father into driving about 45 minutes out of the way to witness what is arguably the best zombie movie ever made. The way it balances horror and humor yet still manages to feel very real and connects you to the characters and their plight is something that no zombie film ever did prior nor has done since. Our titular Shaun's post breakup/hungover trip to the store as zombies lurch around him is just one instance of the dry humor found here, and it only gets better from there. After our group finds themselves holed up in their favorite pub, insanity eventually finds them as Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" blasts through the jukebox. But not only is this film hilarious; it also has a sense of heart. The relationship between Shaun and his girlfriend Liz is very sweet. As the film progresses Shaun turns from slacker to hero, and you want the two to end up together by the end of the film. I haven't even touched on the bromance between Shaun and his stoner/best friend Ed, played brilliantly by co-star Frost. Let me just say things get emotional toward the end, and the last few frames are wonderful. Really I could go on and on about how brilliant this film is, but there's other things to discuss.
You can't imagine my excitement when I heard Wright, Pegg, and Frost were teaming up again to sendup Michael Bay's stylized action films. Action isn't my favorite, but I knew if anyone could make me appreciate the genre, these three hombres would be the ones to do it. So when Hot Fuzz was released in 2007 I was once again in movie nerd heaven. Fuzz is gleefully silly and surprisingly gory. Wright shows more growth as a director while still using his trademarks whips and quick edits that give his films such a fun energy. Pegg and Frost of course are brilliant yet again. Their chemistry is spot-on as Pegg's straightforward Sergeant Nicholas Angel eventually loosens up and befriends Frost's kinda clueless Lieutenant Danny Butterman, who may be a little too obsessed with action flicks. Like I said before, action isn't my favorite genre sooo I'm a little biased when I say I prefer Shaun to Fuzz. My former roommate and I used to watch the two movies back-to-back, and we would argue about which was the better film. Of course it was pointless to argue because there was no way either was going to budge. I was a horror guy, and he was an action guy. That was that. I love both these films for existing though just for the fact they bring people together to chat and/or argue about how awesome they truly are.
Which brings me to their latest collaboration, The World's End. As per usual I had to wait AGES before it was released in the good ol' US of A. To prepare myself for the epic reunion of these three collaborators, I decided to watch their classic UK series, "Spaced". The show stars Simon Pegg and fellow writer Jessica Stevenson as two recently single 20-somethings who decide to pose as a couple in order to move into a flat. Many pop culture references and misadventures ensue in the way only Wright and Pegg know how. Seriously y'all, if you haven't watched it, or if you've heard of it but never got around to viewing it, stop reading this blog right now and get on Netflix. The entire series is streaming there for your viewing pleasure!
I got distracted. Back to The World's End. First off I was absolutely ecstatic when I discovered certain theaters around the country were showing ALL THREE FILMS!!! When I found out it was playing in Atlanta while I was in town for my sister's wedding I was discouraged. Being the awesome brother I am, I didn't want to take away from her weekend. However, being the kind-hearted sister Emily is, she informed me there were no wedding shenanigans planned the Thursday evening the trilogy was showing, and she gave me her blessing to spend my evening reveling in all kinds of blood and ice cream. I. Could. Not. Wait!!!
And ohhh my Thursday evening was quite the blast. I attended the trilogy with a few theater friends who had never seen any of the movies so not only did I get to watch the best trilogy ever put on film, but I got to share my experience with those who were less fortunate than myself. I am SUCH a thoughtful person! Shaun was amazeballs of course, Fuzz was almost equally groovy, and then it was time for the End. I was giddy in my seat as the film started with Simon Pegg, as Gary King, recounting his and his friends' failed attempt at The Golden Mile, 12 beers in 12 different pubs, all in the course of one evening. When the screen shows King recounting his tale to what I assume is his AA group, I knew I would be in for a good time.
The World's End is an absolute blast from beginning to apocalyptic end (wow I'm clever...). The opening introduces you to each of our five central characters. Pegg's King gathers his five friends together in their hometown to complete the mission they failed to complete in their adolescence, The Golden Mile. Only as their trek goes on, the five gents realize something is amiss with the townsfolk. Not only must they battle themselves and the issues between the five of them, they also have to figure out the strange goings-on as they continue toward the last pub, The World's End.
Pegg and Frost switch up their usual roles. This time around Frost is more of the straight man to Pegg's manic 40-year old longing for his teenage years. Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, and Cornetto newcomer Eddie Marsan fit into the crew quite nicely. Each of their characters has a backstory, and each are fully realized throughout the length of the film. Wright and Pegg were even nice enough to add some estrogen into all the testosterone. Rosamund Pike is a beautiful presence and really holds her own as if she's one of the guys. Once our heroes find out what's going on in their hometown, shit really hits the fan. Blue blood sprays the screen in an awesome bathroom brawl. The fight scenes are tight and you can actually see what's going on. It's clear Wright learned a lot from his fight scenes in the Pegg and Frost-less but still awesome Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World.
It's not all blood and ink though. As I said the gents aren't exactly at peace with one another, specifically Pegg and Frost. To give away their relationship would spoil the movie, but let me say their dialogue during the climax of the movie is fantastic, and I jumped in my seat during a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reveal.
I still can't believe I was able to witness such a breath of fresh air amongst what has honestly been kind of a downer of a year for this movie-goer. Sure there have been some good movies, but none have even come close to being as awesome as The World's End. I know I will be seeing it at least two more times while it's in theaters. I'm sure I'll miss things that I missed the first go-around, and I cannot wait. Oh! And a quick shootout to the soundtrack for the film, which I have not been able to get out of my head for the past week. It is awesome!! Wright and Pegg did a bangup job compiling and slew of late 80s/early 90s rock that I have quickly fallen in love with.
So now that you've (hopefully) read through this entire thing, get off your bum, speed to your nearest theater, and see The World's End. It's the best movie to come out this year if not the past five years. Seriously, y'all. It's amazeballs. Deuces.
The World's End is an absolute blast from beginning to apocalyptic end (wow I'm clever...). The opening introduces you to each of our five central characters. Pegg's King gathers his five friends together in their hometown to complete the mission they failed to complete in their adolescence, The Golden Mile. Only as their trek goes on, the five gents realize something is amiss with the townsfolk. Not only must they battle themselves and the issues between the five of them, they also have to figure out the strange goings-on as they continue toward the last pub, The World's End.
Pegg and Frost switch up their usual roles. This time around Frost is more of the straight man to Pegg's manic 40-year old longing for his teenage years. Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, and Cornetto newcomer Eddie Marsan fit into the crew quite nicely. Each of their characters has a backstory, and each are fully realized throughout the length of the film. Wright and Pegg were even nice enough to add some estrogen into all the testosterone. Rosamund Pike is a beautiful presence and really holds her own as if she's one of the guys. Once our heroes find out what's going on in their hometown, shit really hits the fan. Blue blood sprays the screen in an awesome bathroom brawl. The fight scenes are tight and you can actually see what's going on. It's clear Wright learned a lot from his fight scenes in the Pegg and Frost-less but still awesome Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World.
It's not all blood and ink though. As I said the gents aren't exactly at peace with one another, specifically Pegg and Frost. To give away their relationship would spoil the movie, but let me say their dialogue during the climax of the movie is fantastic, and I jumped in my seat during a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reveal.
I still can't believe I was able to witness such a breath of fresh air amongst what has honestly been kind of a downer of a year for this movie-goer. Sure there have been some good movies, but none have even come close to being as awesome as The World's End. I know I will be seeing it at least two more times while it's in theaters. I'm sure I'll miss things that I missed the first go-around, and I cannot wait. Oh! And a quick shootout to the soundtrack for the film, which I have not been able to get out of my head for the past week. It is awesome!! Wright and Pegg did a bangup job compiling and slew of late 80s/early 90s rock that I have quickly fallen in love with.
So now that you've (hopefully) read through this entire thing, get off your bum, speed to your nearest theater, and see The World's End. It's the best movie to come out this year if not the past five years. Seriously, y'all. It's amazeballs. Deuces.
