“Yarp”
To accompany the mammoth Horror Watch of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The Worlds End on Saturday night, @Ventspleen delves into the slightly odd world of Edgar Wright.
All three films in one night? Are you mad? well yes quite possibly but they make up the awesome trilogy that has come to be known as The Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy or sometimes just The Cornetto Trilogy. Started as a silly joke during the promotion of Hot Fuzz. An interviewer due attention to the mention of cornetto’s in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Wright jokingly replied stating it was comparable to Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colours film trilogy and so a legend in film history was born. Amazingly, Wright wrote the final part, The Worlds End, primarily to complete this popular ice cream based trilogy. Each film features a different flavour. In Shaun of the Dead we see Shaun buying a strawberry cornetto (representing the blood and gory scenes of the film) Hot Fuzz features Nicolas Angel and Danny Butterman purchasing a blue wrappered “original” cornetto (signifying the police themes of the fim) whilst Worlds End has a mint green wrapper wafting past in one scene (the sci fi or alien themes). Mad, totally bloody bonkers! Yet also totally brilliant.
Shaun of the Dead is one of my favourite zombie films in that it achieves the titanic task of perfectly encompassing horror and comedy. Anyone who has had to endure the pathetic Scary Movie sequels will know that this can go horribly wrong very easily. The combination of Wrights, punchy and witty dialogue and the ensemble cast (Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and a brilliantly cast Bill Nighy amongst them) make for a film that became an instant cult classic. Take your pick for favourite and memorable moments. Whether it’s the hilarious White Lines cover featuring a guest appearance from a zombie, the beating to “death” of the zombiefied landlord to the strains of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” or just simply the sparkly and profanity laced interplay between Frost and Pegg there really isn’t anything to dislike. It probably helps that Wright, Pegg, Frost and Producer, Nira Park had worked together previously on Spaced. Their knowledge and awareness of each others abilities is clear to see. Pegg, himself, is well known to be a huge zombie film fan and all the crucial elements are here including body ripping and entrails (you gotta have entrails)
How do you top a film so mind blastingly well executed as Shaun of the Dead. Well you dont! Wright’s trilogy crosses genres and Hot Fuzz isnt really a horror film, ok it is but its also a Police, crime thriller. Nicholas Angel’s religious dedication to the police force is something to behold! I absolutely love his scenes with Danny Butterman in which he tries painfully to explain what proper policing is about. Danny’s response? “I think you would have made a great Muppet” Aside from the humour and fantastic death sequences the film is owned by Timothy Dalton, for me anyway. Dalton is stunning as “slasher….. of prices” Simon “this really hurts” Skinner. For many, Hot Fuzz is the firm favourite of the three films and one can easily see why. It just doesnt drop pace or waste a single line of dialogue, not for a second. I have to admit that whenever its on television I’ll always sit down and watch it. Even though I’ve got all three films on bluray (see link below for an amazing deal should you wish to upgrade) Well you have to don’t you? its live! Certainly Hot Fuzz (Fuzzes??) popularity showed at the box office. Its world wide takings were more than the other two films added together.
The Worlds End, or Wrights idea of “lets have the heroes of the film totally hammered” concludes our viewing for the evening. Expect wobbly tweets by this stage both due to alcohol and the sheer volume of tweets. That’s the problem actually. With all three films every bloody line is tweetable! I love the sci fi themes of body snatchers with more than a nod at Stepford Wives and John Christopher. Pegg’s character Gary King is likeable but desperate and wow cant they all drink. Well all except Martin Freeman! For me though, this is a trip down a drunken memory lane. The soundtrack is all 90’s! just hearing Primal Scream’s Loaded or Happy Mondays “step on” makes me go all misty eyed. Bill Nighy is totally awesome as the voice of The Network and the banter between King and The Network is pure comedy gold. This then is essentially a monumental pub crawl with an anarchic Sci Fi wrench that sends it in a direction that inspires the case to more lunacy.
Personally, I cant wait to crack open a beer, or whatever your poison is, and start the evenings viewing. Its going to messy, tiring but a lot of bloody fun. Our illustrious leader @Opiniongeeks (The Network) may be along for the ride. enjoy the films but if you cant join us (why? seriously what can you be doing that’s more important) read the tweets. At the heart of any of the Tweet watches we do is a serious passion and love for great films. Hell, even terrible films are great to watch with company. You just wait to see what I do with the vomit worthy The Evil Dead “reboot” give me a shovel now!
“You’ve got red on you”
Follow David Martin on twitter @ventspleen
photos courtesy of edgarwrighthere.com, Simonpegg.net, themindreels.com and besthorrofilms.com
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