Cuban Fury

 

http://www.bigtalkproductions.com/cuban-fury/

Those who know me, or who read my reviews frequently, will know that I am not really a fan of British movies, and specifically, of British comedies. I know this is a strange thing for someone who is British and an avid cinema goer, but I just can't abide them. Of course, I don't like to generalise as one of my favourite movies of last year was About Time, which was a British romantic comedy. But I must admit that I chose Cuban Fury as it seemed like the best of a bad bunch of the films on offer that week, not because I thought it would be the new About Time.

As a huge fan of Spaced (and having met Nick Frost), I also felt a sense of loyalty towards the film and as though I should support not only the career of a genuinely lovely man, but also the British Film Industry as a whole, by seeing this movie. And so.

The film starts in the 1980s, where a young boy named Bruce was learning to Salsa dance. He had fire in his heels, and although it's not something you would expect to find a boy of his age doing, it's something he was passionate about. He and his sister Sam were actually very good and won a number of trophies from entering Salsa competitions, that was until a group of bullies cornered Bruce and stopped him from winning the biggest contest of his career, and humiliating him in the process. We fast forward 20 odd years and Bruce (Nick Frost) is now an overweight office worker, with no real passion for his life or work and no girlfriend in sight. That is until his firm hires American Julia (Rashida Jones) to take over the UK business. Bruce is immediately attracted to Julia, and upon trying to find common ground for them to become friends, he discovers that she is learning to Salsa. Will Bruce re-light the fire in his heels, or will he let Julia slip through his fingers into the arms of his foul-mouthed co-worker Drew (Chris O'Dowd)?

Cuban Fury has a charm about it which I am going to attribute to the cast. Without the chemistry they all have together I don't think the movie would have worked. Having said that, it could have, and probably should have, been a LOT funnier than it was. It has it's moments sure, but it's not laugh out loud hilarious at any point, and with comedic actors such as Frost and O'Dowd, it ought to have been.

The movie is perfectly watchable, but much like The Monuments Men, it's not really anything to write home about. I wish it had been this year's About Time but sadly, it's just nowhere near. Nice try though boys. 6.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 5th March 2014
UK Release Date - 14th February 2014

Cast Overview:
Bruce ~ Nick Frost
Drew ~ Chris O'Dowd
Julia ~ Rashida Jones
Sam ~ Olivia Colman
Ron ~ Ian McShane
Bejan ~ Kayvan Novak

Director ~ James Griffiths
Writer ~ Jon Brown (based on an original idea by Nick Frost)

The Cornetto Trilogy - Shaun Of The Dead - Hot Fuzz - The World's End

http://www.focusfeatures.com/shaun_of_the_dead

As a long time fan of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz, I was incredibly excited about the prospect of another collaboration between Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and writer/director Edgar Wright. So when my best friend informed me that Worthing Theatre would be showing The Cornetto Trilogy, in full, on my birthday weekend, with a free Cornetto to accompany each film, well I just had to go along. Especially as I'd not seen Shaun Of The Dead on the big screen, and had yet to see The World's End. So we started the day with Shaun and a Strawberry Cornetto (it's red for the blood see)...

Brief synopsis of SOTD: The first ever RomZomCom (as my brother pointed out) and an inspiration that lead the way for films like Zombieland and Warm Bodies to name but a few. Shaun of the Dead tells the story of a man in his late 20s who needs to get his act together. Stuck in a dead end job (geddit?), still living with housemates, and a best friend who thinks farts are funny (we all know someone like Ed don't we?). Everything starts to really fall apart for Shaun though when his girlfriend dumps him. Oh yeah, and then a zombie apocalypse happens. Shaun must think fast and finally get his arse in gear if he's going to save his girl. 

As I was a fan of Spaced when it first aired I honestly couldn't tell you how I missed Shaun at the cinema when it was first released, but what I can tell you is that it was an absolute joy to watch on the big screen. I love that SOTD is just so daft in places, and so endlessly quotable. I think my favourite is "Ooh he's got an arm off." 

It's ground breaking, funny, touching and, in my opinion, one of the best british films ever made. How's that for a slice of fried gold?! 9 out of 10. 

Viewing Date - 28th July 2013

UK Release Date - 9th April 2004

Cast Overview:

Simon Pegg ~ Shaun

Nick Frost ~ Ed

Kate Ashfield ~ Liz

Lucy Davis ~ Dianne

Dylan Moran ~ David

Peter Serafinowicz ~ Pete

Rafe Spall ~ Noel

Bill Nighy ~ Philip

Penelope Wilton ~ Barbara

Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson) ~ Yvonne

Martin Freeman ~ Declan

Reece Shearsmith ~ Mark

Tamsin Greig ~ Maggie

Julia Deakin ~ Yvonne's Mum

Matt Lucas ~ Cousin Tom

Director ~ Edgar Wright

Writer(s) ~ Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright

http://www.focusfeatures.com/hot_fuzz

Next up was Hot Fuzz, a film I had seen on the big screen before, but if you're going to commit to a trilogy you can't leave out the filling in the sandwich! And this was of course accompanied by a Vanilla Cornetto - the packaging is blue see, like the boys in blue...

Brief synopsis of HF: London PC Nicholas Angel is good at his job. A little too good. He's making the rest of his colleagues look bad. So they ship him off to sleepy Sandford, a village in Gloucestershire with the lowest murder rate in the country. The most action he'll see there is chasing down a missing swan. That is until a series of 'accidents' starts to plague the village, and Nicholas uncovers a plot to keep the Village of the Year award in Sandford at all costs!

Hot Fuzz upped the ante from Shaun of the Dead considerably. There was a much bigger cast, more locations, and action sequences that will blow your socks off (not literally). But in some respects I do feel like the film suffers for this. It's over long and feels like there are one too many endings. Just when you think it's finished, someone else makes a last ditch attempt to be the bad guy. Having said that, it's still immensely enjoyable and whenever it's on the TV I will always watch it. HF is also filled with the quotable lines and homages to other movies, much like Shaun and Spaced were. The added bonus for me with Hot Fuzz is that Nick Frost finally got to play a lovable character. Danny is such a sweetie and his scenes with Pegg's Nicholas Angel are a delight. 

Not as good as Shaun for me, but only because they tried to outdo themselves and reached a little too far. 8.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 28th July 2013
UK Release Date - 14th February 2007

Cast Overview:
Simon Pegg ~ Sergeant Nicholas Angel
Nick Frost ~ PC Danny Butterman
Timothy Dalton ~ Simon Skinner
Jim Broadbent ~ Inspector Frank Butterman
Paddy Considine ~ DS Andy Wainwright
Rafe Spall ~ DC Andy Cartwright
Kevin Eldon ~ Sergeant Tony Fisher
Karl Johnson ~ PC Bob Walker
Olivia Colman ~ PC Doris Thatcher
Martin Freeman ~ Met sergeant
Bill Nighy ~ Met Chief Inspector
Billie Whitelaw ~ Joyce Cooper
Peter Wight ~ Roy Porter
Julia Deakin ~ Mary Porter
Bill Bailey ~ Sergeant Turner
Paul Freeman ~ Rev Philip Shooter
Edward Woodward ~ Tom Weaver
Anne Reid ~ Leslie Tiller
Adam Buxton ~ Tim Messenger
David Threlfall ~ Martin Blower
Lucy Punch ~ Eve Draper
David Bradley ~ Arthur Webley

Director ~ Edgar Wright
Writer(s) ~ Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright

http://www.focusfeatures.com/the_worlds_end/

The last film of the day, and one I hadn't yet seen, was The World's End. The final film in the Pegg, Frost, Wright trilogy, known as The Cornetto Trilogy because in each film there is mention of a Cornetto, and each film has a theme that matches the colour of one of our best known Ice Cream treats. This time we had a mint one. I wonder what that could pertain to?

Brief synopsis of TWE: Gary, Andy, Oliver, Steven and Peter are childhood friends who have all gone their separate ways. Andy, Oliver, Steven and Peter all now have steady jobs and have made something of themselves, either professionally or personally. But alcoholic Gary is still living in the past. He decides that before he faces up to reality he wants to recapture his youth by having one last pub crawl with his school mates, using a route they once planned to conquer but never quite got to the end of. It takes in 12 pubs, one pint in each, and the final watering hole is called The World's End. The question is, will they make it that far?

Let me start by saying that The World's End was not what I was expecting. I had seen the trailer, and I had just watched the previous two films in the Cornetto trilogy. So you'd think I would be pretty well prepared for what was to come. But while the film had many of the same attributes as Shaun and Fuzz, most of the cast having appeared in Fuzz, and a lot having appeared in both films. The foreshadowing that appears in the previous films is also present (in Shaun they talked about having a Bloody Mary in the morning and ending up with shots at the bar - everything mentioned happens, just not in the way they thought. And then in Fuzz Danny asks Nicholas if he's ever fired a gun whilst jumping through the air etc and then they end up doing those things later on in the movie. Here the foreshadowing is in the name of each pub. Look out for it.) but it's a very different beast to the previous two films. Whilst Shaun was all about the lack of responsibility you feel in your twenties, and Fuzz was all about finding that responsibility thrust upon you in your thirties, End is all about the mid-life crisis of your forties. As such, it's quite the sombre wake up call for those of us who haven't yet made it that far in our lives. And as the previous two films were so lighthearted, it was not what I was expecting from this movie. 

The performances are top notch, especially from Pegg and Frost, who really put everything into showing how a friendship between two people can be the best thing that happens to one, and the worst thing that happens to the other. But how, despite their differences, they still mean the world to each other. The supporting cast is not only a shining example of British talent but also of the loyalty and love between the team who have brought these three movies to the screen. So many of the same people worked on all three films and it's nice to see that kind of dedication in an industry that is normally so fickle. 

Not the best of the three but certainly worth a watch if you're a fan of the other two. Just don't expect as many laughs. 7 out of 10. 

Viewing Date - 28th July 2013
UK Release Dates - 19th July 2013

Cast Overview:
Simon Pegg ~ Gary King
Nick Frost ~ Andy Knightley
Martin Freeman ~ Oliver Chamberlain
Paddy Considine ~ Steven Prince
Eddie Marsan ~ Peter Page
Rosamund Pike ~ Sam Chamberlain
Pierce Brosnan ~ Guy Shephard
David Bradley ~ Basil
Michael Smiley ~ Reverend Green
Julia Deakin ~ B&B Landlady
Rafe Spall ~ Young Man
Bill Nighy ~ The Network

Director ~ Edgar Wright
Writer(s) ~ Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright

Attack The Block

http://www.attacktheblock.com/

Those who regularly accompany me to the cinema will know that I wasn't all that interested in seeing Attack The Block. For whatever reason, the trailer just didn't grab me. The thing that changed my mind was finding out that it was written and directed by Joe Cornish, who I've been a fan of since his Adam and Joe days.

Bearing this in mind I decided to give the film a go, feeling a kind of obligation to Mr Cornish to support him in this new and exciting venture.

The film is set in a saaaf laandaan (South London) block of flats and begins with the mugging of one of the block's residents. The teenage gang who commit the crime then witness an alien landing and decide to investigate. The alien in question is a vicious little blighter and after scarring the lead gang member the teens decide to teach it a lesson. Unsurprisingly the kids give the alien a kicking and the result is it's death. In retaliation their block is then invaded by even bigger, hairier and scarier creatures who are out for redemption. So it's up to the kids to defend the block and stop the aliens from killing the residents, which include the nurse they mugged at the start of the night.

I can't tell you how pleased I am that I gave this film a chance as it didn't disappoint. The trailer plays it for laughs and although the film does have some laughs (and all of the youf speak I was 'spectin innit bro!) it's also surprisingly scary. The alien effects, for what I would imagine was a modestly budgeted British film, were really very good and much scarier than they appear in the trailer. The great thing for me (take note Battle: Los Angeles, here's where you can learn something!) was that by the end of the film, you did know what the aliens looked like. You get several really good shots of the aliens in the closing moments. And they looked impressively real. 

The script was what you would expect for an inner city gang movie, so I can't say it was great, but then I guess the fact that they spoke so realistically means it actually was great? The thing I was most impressed with was the direction. There are some really fantastic shots in the film, the one that stayed with me, and made me almost hide under my coat, was the shot of all the aliens climbing up the front of the block (but I think that's because it's a genuine nightmare of mine to have aliens in a real setting like that). For a first time director I was genuinely impressed (and a little proud). There were also a few nice nods to Joe's heroes in the biz - in particular, the scene where the teens go looking for the alien on their bikes made me think of ET - and it was good to see his friends Nick Frost, Nira Park and Edgar Wright all leant a helping hand to the film.

I don't want to say much more because I would really like this film to do well, not only for the British Film Industry, but because it's a good British film for once and I'd like people to go and see it.

Highly recommended for horror fans, British film fans and anyone who likes to be surprised every once in a while. 8 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 15th May 2011

UK Release Date - 13th Maty 2011

Cast Overview: 

Jodie Whittaker ~ Sam

John Boyega ~ Moses

Alex Esmail ~ Pest

Franz Drameh ~ Dennis

Leeon Jones ~ Jerome

Simon Howard ~ Biggz

Sammy Williams ~ Probs

Michael Ajao ~ Mayhem

Jumayn Hunter ~ Hi-Hatz

Luke Treadaway ~ Brewis

Paige Meade ~ Dimples

Danielle Vitalis ~ Tia

and Nick Frost ~ Ron

Director and Writer ~ Joe Cornish

Paul

http://www.whatispaul.com/

As a huge fan of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (and as someone who's met Nick Frost - he was one of the nicest famous people I've ever had the pleasure to meet!) I was looking forward to Paul like you wouldn't believe. I've known about it ever since Simon Pegg and Nick Frost first started talking about it which must have been at least two or three years ago now. I was intrigued at how different a movie Paul would be considering Edgar Wright wasn't going to be involved, as he'd been instrumental in the three previously mentioned Pegg/Frost outings. 


Paul is an alien who crash landed on earth in 1947. Only he wasn't called Paul then. He was pulled from the wreckage of his spaceship and so named by the young girl who found him. Paul is then taken to Area 51 where he remains, a prisoner of the US Government, for the next 60 years. Whilst trying to escape Paul crashes again (this time a car rather than a spaceship) in front of an RV (camper van for you non US folks!) driven by British geeks Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nick Frost). The three of them embark on a road trip across America, along the way picking up Ruth (Kristen Wiig), a devout Christian who doesn't believe in aliens, and a series of federal agents following their trail.


I was right to wonder how different Paul would be without Edgar Wright's co-writing and directing skills. And I couldn't help but miss him and wonder what Paul would have been like with him at the helm. Truthfully, probably not that different. I'm not saying I didn't like Paul, just that it was different, and there's not necessarily anything wrong with different. 


I think I just wanted to like it so much and in the end I just thought it was alright. I put down the casting of Paul as one of the reasons I didn't love the film. *If you don't like knowing who voice actors are, please skip to the next paragraph* As mentioned previously, I'm really not a fan of Seth Rogan. I hate to repeat myself but as with the review I did of his film 'The Green Hornet' I feel like he only knows how to play himself. Now I don't honestly know if Paul was written with him in mind. If it was, well I don't really blame him for taking it, as I would probably take any part that Simon or Nick wrote especially for me. But he's not exactly fighting the typecast here. 


I can't fault any of the other cast. Jason Bateman was sufficiently stern as the no-nonsense federal agent who gives chase to the elusive alien and his cohorts. I loved Kristen Wiig, having not really seen much of her before I didn't know what to expect and I thought she was delightful as the shy and innocent Ruth. So sweet and charming but then with a potty mouth you'd never expect! Pegg and Frost were on form as ever, it's always a pleasure to see them on screen together no matter what they're doing. I just wish I could put my finger on why Paul didn't do it for me, maybe I was just looking forward to it too much? Maybe it was the voice casting of Paul, as I thought the CGI was excellent? I wasn't all that disappointed, it just wasn't as great as I'd hoped. Maybe it will be a grower. When I've watched it a couple more times, I'll let you know. 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 20th February 2011

UK Release Date - 14th February 2011

Cast Overview:

Simon Pegg ~ Graeme Willy

Nick Frost ~ Clive Gollings

Sigourney Weaver ~ 'The Big Guy'

Jason Bateman ~ Special Agent Zoil

Bill Hader ~ Haggard

Joe Lo Truglio ~ O'Reilly

Kristen Wiig ~ Ruth Buggs

John Carroll Lynch ~ Moses Buggs

Blythe Danner ~ Tara Walton

Jane Lynch ~ Pat Stevenson

Jeffrey Tambor ~ Adam Shadowchild

and

Seth Rogan ~ Paul

Director ~ Greg Mottola

Writer(s) ~ Nick Frost and Simon Pegg