Movie Discussion: The World's End

Evie Totty | August 4, 2013
Sweeet!

I plan to watch the 'Trilogy' in Tampa 22 Aug! Very much looking forward to this.

Scott Hardie | August 25, 2013
I laughed so much at this, and needed to on a tough weekend. I'm glad that I avoided all advertising, because it looks rife with spoilers. In fact, I expected a world-ending apocalyptic movie (or rather a spoof of apocalyptic movies), and technically it delivered that in the epilogue, but most of the movie (after the normal first act) is more local-level sci-fi mystery. The distinction mattered little to me as long as the movie was funny, and it certainly was.

As much as I'm tired of hearing that Pegg, Frost, and Wright always work together, I'm glad that they reunited for this, and I hope they make more movies. The ending left me with a strong desire for more.

I bristle a bit at hearing this called the end of a "trilogy," not just because the word is becoming exhausted by the entertainment business, but because I didn't think the series was intended that way: I never got the impression that either Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz were made with the specific intention of following up with another genre spoof until they reached a total of three. Certain linking elements like Cornetto candy bars seem to be, at best, a wink to the audience. But reading interviews with Pegg and Frost and Wright (such as this one), it sounds like they've considered more connections between the films than I have: They are all about expressing individuality in the face of societal conformity, and their real satirical targets are not cinematic genres but the smiling, polished, "Starbucksification" of our culture. That said, I can't agree with the claims that the thee movies are also about perpetual adolescence, as the main character in Hot Fuzz is very much a grown man.

I'm still amazed at how little I recognize Martin Freeman. Now that I've seen Sherlock, I knew who he was in this and The Hobbit, but looking back over his resume, I had no idea that he was also in Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, or various other things I had also seen. He's a really good actor, but he has a certain generic quality to his appearance that makes him easy to overlook, I think.

Given the reunion of Rosamund Pike and Pierce Brosnan, I was looking for a reference to Die Another Day, but I didn't catch one.

How did the men fail to find a cell phone signal only minutes after "Mum" called on Simon Pegg's phone? Did the Network really turn off access to telecommunications that fast?

Now that the "trilogy" is complete, which of three Pegg-Frost-Wright films do you like most and why?

Evie Totty | August 25, 2013
More please!

I was one of those folks who heard of Shaun of the Dead AFTER it had left theaters (though I do remember my entertainment blogs raving about it).

I did get to see Hot Fuzz in the theater though and when a friend said that this was going to be shown as a marathon with the first two, I was all over it. I wish more folks could have gone. Definitely a great way to watch the films (hopefully our little group can get together to do the same in the future).

That said, other than my review 'over there' I gotta say I loved this one too. The crazy logic they come up with ... who does that, right?

Oh and I'd like an order of marmalade MANwich please.

Evie Totty | August 25, 2013
Yeah Scott, when we were watching the trilogy both my friend Bev and I went 'Oh my God!' when we saw Martin Freeman. What was hilarious was that there was a third friend in the middle and she just started cracking up at the fact that she got it in stereo.

Gosh, how can I pick a favorite? They are all so good on their own terms. But if I HAD to I guess I'd pick Hot Fuzz because of the 'it's not because of the road, it's because of the best town contest' reason for all of the murders. The whole 'well of COURSE this is the reason - what other reason could there be?' attitude of the murderers.

Enough time had gone by to where the only things I had in my head were the Bay Boys II over the head slo-mo shots and the 'best small town' reason. As a result, it was as if I'd seen it for the first time - I'd even begun to question the reason for a second!

Now, I could argue that I liked Shaun the best because Yvonne's group managed to not only get out alive but to bring help ;)