Hot Fuzz Review
28/02/07 00:10 Filed in: Personal
Just come back from watching the late night showing of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wrights latest film "Hot Fuzz".
Before I begin I should mention something. Ever since catching, almost by accident, an episode of the first series of 'Spaced' and being almost immediately hooked. Spaced was a situation comedy about a young non-couple Tim and Daisy sharing a flat in a house filled with some slightly odd characters. Brian the yet to be discovered and somewhat socially introverted modern artists. Monica the alcoholic land lady. Try not to think The Young Ones and instead try and imagine a more affectionate League of Gentlemen with a homage to many film motif running throughout the series.
It was both fresh, original and very, very funny and justifiable won the writers Jessica Stevenson and Simon Pegg many admirers. All two series (they always planned to end while it was still on top) were directed by then relatively unknown director Edgar Wright.
Now closer to today, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright co-wrote and Wright directed the 2004 monster (pun intended) hit Shaun of the Dead. The film cost around £3m to make and grossed umpty thrumpy million in return. Around the £20m mark and that's just on box office sales. Shaun of the Dead was one of fastest selling DVD's.
No wonder then that Working Title pictures feel somewhat obliged that when Edgar and Simon come knocking, to hand over the blank cheque and smile sweetly.
It's got to be said that nobody, with the exception of John Carpenter, can make a small budget stretch so far and look so good. I've no idea how much Hot Fuzz has cost to make, but the mere production values are extraordinary.
Was it any good? Yes, it was excellent. It's no Citizen Caine but then it hasn't got any pretensions to being anything but a great action comedy (with the emphasis on comedy) and so refreshing to see it doesn't take itself TOO seriously. Everybody looks like they are having a superb time making the film and it really shows. Nobody seems to be having more fun than Timothy Dalton as slightly dodgy spiv supermarket manager Simon Skinner.
If you like a good laugh then Hot Fuzz is a great funny. If you love Spaced, laughed out loud during Shaun of the Dead and have seen far to many buddy buddy cop movies then do yourself a favour my friend and get over to your nearest cinema and pay good money to see this film.
Back to our Carpenter analogy. Lets hope nobody offers Edgar £25m for a film or, like Carpenter, he'll turn Escape from New York into Escape From LA. Ten times the budget and a tenth as good a film.... ooooooh bad show. That and 'Ghosts of Mars' (Vampires perhaps broke even) toasted his career... and I REALLY like John Carpenter movies on the whole.
Escape from New York, Halloween, Christine, The Thing. I even liked Price of Darkness, In the mouth of Madness and my first real 'horror' film The Fog (aged 12). On which subject, why is it just a PG in Canada while in the UK it's a 15?!?! Originally this was a AA. Which actually stands for Adult Accompaniment. Confused? I am.
But in case this makes you a little down... go see Hot Fuzz.
Before I begin I should mention something. Ever since catching, almost by accident, an episode of the first series of 'Spaced' and being almost immediately hooked. Spaced was a situation comedy about a young non-couple Tim and Daisy sharing a flat in a house filled with some slightly odd characters. Brian the yet to be discovered and somewhat socially introverted modern artists. Monica the alcoholic land lady. Try not to think The Young Ones and instead try and imagine a more affectionate League of Gentlemen with a homage to many film motif running throughout the series.
It was both fresh, original and very, very funny and justifiable won the writers Jessica Stevenson and Simon Pegg many admirers. All two series (they always planned to end while it was still on top) were directed by then relatively unknown director Edgar Wright.
Now closer to today, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright co-wrote and Wright directed the 2004 monster (pun intended) hit Shaun of the Dead. The film cost around £3m to make and grossed umpty thrumpy million in return. Around the £20m mark and that's just on box office sales. Shaun of the Dead was one of fastest selling DVD's.
No wonder then that Working Title pictures feel somewhat obliged that when Edgar and Simon come knocking, to hand over the blank cheque and smile sweetly.
It's got to be said that nobody, with the exception of John Carpenter, can make a small budget stretch so far and look so good. I've no idea how much Hot Fuzz has cost to make, but the mere production values are extraordinary.
Was it any good? Yes, it was excellent. It's no Citizen Caine but then it hasn't got any pretensions to being anything but a great action comedy (with the emphasis on comedy) and so refreshing to see it doesn't take itself TOO seriously. Everybody looks like they are having a superb time making the film and it really shows. Nobody seems to be having more fun than Timothy Dalton as slightly dodgy spiv supermarket manager Simon Skinner.
If you like a good laugh then Hot Fuzz is a great funny. If you love Spaced, laughed out loud during Shaun of the Dead and have seen far to many buddy buddy cop movies then do yourself a favour my friend and get over to your nearest cinema and pay good money to see this film.
Back to our Carpenter analogy. Lets hope nobody offers Edgar £25m for a film or, like Carpenter, he'll turn Escape from New York into Escape From LA. Ten times the budget and a tenth as good a film.... ooooooh bad show. That and 'Ghosts of Mars' (Vampires perhaps broke even) toasted his career... and I REALLY like John Carpenter movies on the whole.
Escape from New York, Halloween, Christine, The Thing. I even liked Price of Darkness, In the mouth of Madness and my first real 'horror' film The Fog (aged 12). On which subject, why is it just a PG in Canada while in the UK it's a 15?!?! Originally this was a AA. Which actually stands for Adult Accompaniment. Confused? I am.
But in case this makes you a little down... go see Hot Fuzz.