Another week spent waiting for the beginning of summer it seems... I can't remember a year that has drawn me in to the theaters less than this one. I've seen something like 12 movies from 2007 total, and only a handful of them have been in theaters. Really slim pickings thus far.
This weekend is no exception. The best choice seems to be either Fracture with Ryan Gosling and Anthony Hopkins or probably the consensus favorite, Hot Fuzz, from the Shaun of the Dead guys.
Personally, I liked-but-didn't love Shaun and haven't been over the moon about the awfully-titled Hot Fuzz. Meanwhile, Fracture became a whole lot less interesting with the casting of Anthony Hopkins in the killer role (obvious casting 101). Doesn't look like anything better than a rental in my estimation. I'd lean towards Hot Fuzz if I had to, but it looks like another weekend rummaging through my DVD collection finding something I haven't seen before. And to me at least, Vacancy and In the Land of Women look putrid.
Your thoughts?
Also, got a nice topic set for my next post, but I'm always interested in hearing what everyone is seeing... so I'm holding off for a day or two.
This weekend is no exception. The best choice seems to be either Fracture with Ryan Gosling and Anthony Hopkins or probably the consensus favorite, Hot Fuzz, from the Shaun of the Dead guys.
Personally, I liked-but-didn't love Shaun and haven't been over the moon about the awfully-titled Hot Fuzz. Meanwhile, Fracture became a whole lot less interesting with the casting of Anthony Hopkins in the killer role (obvious casting 101). Doesn't look like anything better than a rental in my estimation. I'd lean towards Hot Fuzz if I had to, but it looks like another weekend rummaging through my DVD collection finding something I haven't seen before. And to me at least, Vacancy and In the Land of Women look putrid.
Your thoughts?
Also, got a nice topic set for my next post, but I'm always interested in hearing what everyone is seeing... so I'm holding off for a day or two.
8 comments:
Actually I completely disagree with you Mulligan. Im actually looking forward to most of the movies on this list. I agree that this year has been mostly forgettable with ofcourse a few exceptions, but this week interests me alot.
Vacancy-i like the cast. I think the concept while trite could be interesting. So while I won't be rushing out and I wouldn't pay to see it in theatres, I would probably rent it for sure.
Fracture-The cast is about the biggest reason I want to see it. Gosling is on fire in my opinion. Hopkins gets to play a bad guy again. You may be right saying the plot is a TV movie, but the cast elevates it past that.
In the Land of Women-uh Meg Ryan is in it. So i won't be seeing it.
Hot Fuzz-Im a huge fan of Shaun of the Dead. Im a big Romero fan, so their homage to his flicks as well as cooking up something different was brilliant I thought. Hot Fuzz I think is a great title. It almost spoofs other movie titles that try to lure people in with a title that promises tons of action like Bad Boys, Lethal Weapon, or any Jackie Chan/Jet Li movie. Ive seen an episode of "Spaced", their BBC show they had, and I thought that too was brilliant. So Im looking forward to this movie a lot. After Grindhouse, 300, and Zodiac, it is probably my next most anticipated flick of the spring. Plus that trailer is hysterical. The monkey bit cracks me up everytime. Besides Edgar Wrights Grindhouse Trailer was also brilliant. These guys are simply brilliant in my book.
Ive seen Hot Fuzz, and believe it or not it actually exceeded my high expectations. I actually think it was funnier than Shaun, though it wasn't as original as Shaun was.
It was a brilliant merging of British quirkiness and all American balls to the wall action. These guys understand our cinema very well. They mastered the camera moves, the use of overemphasized sound, and the set pieces, all were a brilliant parody of action films. But don't call it an outright parody. At least not to their faces. They clearly have an affection for these films even Bad Boys II, which up til now I didn't think had any redeeming qualities even worthy of a parody since it basically is a parody unto itself.
The roles could easily have been just their characters from Shaun subplanted into the world of Hot Fuzz, but they arent. Nicholas Angel is better developed than most action films allow from its lead, and Pegg plays him wonderfully straight, yet teetering on the edge of insanity. Frost, I honestly thought would be pretty much the same guy from Shaun, but once again they surprised me. He plays Danny as the town teddy bear, naive to everything, but loved by everyone.
Speaking of everyone, the supporting characters each are given their time to shine. We all have heard about Timothy Dalton and his scene chewing performance, but equally affective was Jim Broadbent. I love this geezer. Never heard of him til he won the Oscar for Iris, but he has been wonderful ever since. While not a fan of the flick, i loved him in Moulin Rouge. Great in Gangs of NY. Even had a memorable voice in Robots. Only ones I wanted more of was the London squad of Steve Coogan, Martin Freeman (of BBCs Office and Hitchikers Guide), and the great Bill Nighy, all whom deserved more time in my opinion.
Most surprising of all though was Edgar Wrights direction. He is a fantastic director, with a keen eye for action. He staged some wonderful action scenes that really get the heart pumping. THE MOST INTENSE PAPERWORK EVER!!! as pengin will tell you. The film was a complete joy to watch. Cant wait to see what these guys have in store for us.
PS The final battle literally had me laugh so hard, my heart stopped. I was legally dead for about about fifteen seconds. Think Im not being serious. See for yourself. Though if you die, I can't be held responsible.
Alright, chachi... Hot Fuzz can't possibly live up to the expectations that you have set up for it. Which is the same damn syndrome Shaun suffered from... overzealous ravings.
Shaun was a good movie. I expect Hot Fuzz to be good as well. But you threw around "brilliants" left and right over this one and, I dunno, maybe I just don't see it.
I haven't seen their TV show, so besides Edgar Wright's Grindhouse trailer (which I thought was one of the weaker ones, honestly), Shaun is my only experience with their brand of humor... and they're funny. Admittedly they're funny. But brilliant?
Come on.
They had a couple good ideas for parodies and have made a career out of it thus far. I'm still waiting on something innovative. Maybe I put too much emphasis on the creative process, but I don't think it's all that hard to take an idea and spin it on its head. I mean, brilliant? I think you're playing a little loose with that term.
Hell, for the most part Shaun adheres strictly to the story of your commonplace horror movie. So what's so brilliant? The concept of placing a couple normal lazy guys in the middle of it? That sounds like an idea that took all of three beers and a barstool to come up with.
I think you are wrong to merely write them off as parodies. They themselves dont like the word. It implies that they don't care about character or plot. It implies all jokes come with a wink and a nod. I think there comedy is much mroe than that.
I love British humor. So naturally I find them very funny. But it still all takes place within the world they have set up for themselves. Shaun was "brilliant" to me, not simply because it was a zombie comedy, but because at the core of it, it was a romantic comedy that happened to have zombies in it. Hot Fuzz is "brilliant" because it not only lampoons action flicks, but that they set it in the tiniest village where still everything explodes. I find it to be inspired.
I can see your argument based on these two cases that they perhaps haven't really come up with the most original ideas. They may have been one or two sentence studio pitches. It reminds me of who Talladega Nights was pitched...Will Ferrell + Nascar. But their show Spaced was quite original. It is a wonderfully dry show with some great absurd moments. I think they excel perhaps at taking what is familiar and putting a new spin on it much like Tarantino. I wouldn't say they are anywhere near as great as he is, but they share the same love for film (whether they are Sergio Leone or Michael Bay films) that I think is evident from their own work. I guess once again, it is a case of a film geek loving another film geeks concoction.
As for my overusing "brilliant" (which was intentional by the way), i for some reason consitently say it with a British accent. For some reason everything is funnier with a British accent. Thats why their movies are so funny.
'Ello, 'ello. The Brits make me giggle with delight. Seriously. Even with the bad teeth. And the awful food. Ever since I was a little kid, British humor has always been my thing. I was that weird 1st grader who could more or less recite Monty Python and the Holy Grail word for word. So, when Shaun of the Dead came out, and combined two of my favorite things in this entire world (Brit humor and zombies), it's needless to say that I needed a new pair of shorts. Several new pairs of shorts.
I happen to love the title Hot Fuzz. It's fun to say, and I think its funny to call cops the fuzz. I'm going to admit to a tiny wee bit of fanboy-ism with these guys. This film would have had to work mighty hard to disappoint me.
If you are a fan of American balls-to-the-wall action films, if your dreams as a child included growing up to be John McClane or hell even Steven Seagal, if you are sitting at your computer right now hoping to god to click onto joblo.com and read that Point Break is going to be re-released to theaters for its 16th anniversary, then you will absolutely love this movie.
The thing that sets this apart from so many parodies or spoofs is that this is betters most of the films its homaging/parodying at their own game. I love the works of Mel Brooks. Young Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorite films. When Peter Boyle (RIP you loveable lug) passed this last December, I started crying because Frankenstein was no longer with us. But, I would never, ever say that it is a better horror film than the original Frankenstein. I would never say that Blazing Saddles is a better western than Once Upon a Time in the West.
I would, however, say that Hot Fuzz is easily one of the best action films released since the first Die Hard. The direction is actually very very very good. And yes...that is the most intense paperworking I have ever seen. The acting...I'm just gonna focus on Tim Dalton. He chews his scenes up like they were so much taffy...therefore, he just keeps chewing until he gets tired, and then he spits that damn gross sticky taffy right in your face, and you love him for it, because he was once James Bond. The cast all around is good at playing the "naive" small-towners. Except for Simon Pegg, who somehow makes Brits seem manly.
These guys have talent. There's not much denying that. And, they've found they're niche. They may not start with the most original ideas, but they set themselves apart from an abysmal group of films (anything at all to do with the Scary/Epic/Date movie franchise). They aren't spoofs in the traditional sense of the word. They make fun of films like Point Break and Bad Boys 2, but, at the same time, show them tons of love.
They made a great action film that happens to be the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. I for one certainly hope that they continue to do that voodoo that they do so well, because I think mafia flicks are in need of a good spanking....and these guys are probably already holding a paddle.
Caught Fracture finally. I was disappointed with it. Hopkins really does seem to be going through the motions. He doesnt get to sink his teeth in the part and shows no real enthusiasm for the part either. Gosling is better, though he comes off simply as an egotist rather than trying to unwrite a wrong. Strathairn is wasted. Ever since Good Night and Good Luck, Ive noticed him more and more, but none are sizable roles, and certainly arent worthy of his time. The "love plot" is down right awkward and unnecessary. And I hated the simplicity of the film. The whole film hinges on this one piece of evidence. Once it is reviled, its not shocking, but kinda careless. The plot relies on to many conveniences at the beginning for me to get on board for the entire film. The film is shot fairly well though with great use of reflections, particularly at the beginning. It was also too slow of pace. It dragged its feet to the conclusion, which in comparison to the unraveling of the "twists," was really unnecessary once again.
Plus the title is stupid. I hate titles that dont really pertain to the plot all that much, but are used more to evoke a general response to the title word itself ie Cradle 2 the Grave, Twisted, and ever Segal/Chuck Norris/Van Damme film ever made.
Caught three movies today, two being Vacancy and Women.
Vacancy- it was very slick and well made. The thrills, while conventional, were actually somewhat thrilling. The premise, while Hostel-ish, was seedy and intriguing. The actors, while have been better, were not stupid and were honest. Wont be winning any revolutionary award, but when a new horror flick is released every week, this one deserves to be ahead of the pack. Much better than it deserves to be when the name of your director is Nimrod.
In the Land of Women- Adam Brody is really charismatic and compelling. I think he has alot of potential. Meg Ryan was actually pretty good, and that is hard for me to say. Kristen Stewart was decent though she was better in Panic Room. The young girl though seemed for fake and unrealistic in my eyes. Precocious, yes. But she is too savvy and wise for me to buy at that age. It had some very good moments and it also had some bad ones. The love triangle was kinda stupid, though it is handled well. There dont seem to be much at stake. The movie seems to run in circles dragging it feet. It doesnt really ever seem like it is heading towards any sort of conclusion. It was okay. I like Brody enough to enjoy it for the most part, but dont rush out to see it. Catch it on cable someday. You wont regret your time spent, but you will be glad you didnt have to pay for it either.
Chachi, you wuss.
I finally got around to seeing Hot Fuzz and you gotta stick to your guns more man. You kinda let me off the hook and helped make excuses for me.
I still say it isn't brilliant... but it is exceptional. I had a real great time with it, enjoying it much more than Shaun of the Dead. Shaun I respected, but not being a big horror buff, I didn't love it. And honestly, I didn't think it was all that revolutionary either.
You're also right about it being more than a parody (even if the concept is just that). The writing and wit manage to overcome that and elevate it.
Besides, it's hard to nitpick when I'm cracking up over the sly 2-second Bruckheimer-esque cuts during any action scene.
Go ahead, sign me up for another.
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