THE WORLD'S END (2013)

To those lucky enough to have discovered the first two films in Edgar Wright's "Cornetto Trilogy" early on, it became apparent that the people who made these films had something special about them. What that "special thing" is may never be answered, but one thing was for certain: Whatever charm or special something that actors Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright have in common translated to brilliance on film. The "Cornetto" films were titled as such because they each feature the appearance of a Cornetto ice cream treat in some form, several of the same actors appear in each film (with the cast being lead by Pegg and Frost), scripts penned by both Wright and Pegg, all three were directed by Wright, and they all feature the "normal man in an extraordinary situation" style story.

The film centers around the reunion of 5 high school friends who 20 years earlier, attempted a pub crawl of epic proportions: 5 guys, 12 pubs, and 1 pint of beer from each watering hole for each of them. Their small town of Newton Haven proudly calls this strip of drinkery the "Golden Mile." However, the 5 of them didn't make it to the end, failing to complete the final goal, each of them blundering in some form or another. The quintet is lead by Gary King (Pegg),a middle aged man stuck in the long past prime of his high school days. His friend Andy (played by a surprisingly dramatic Nick Frost), Steven (Paddy Considine), Oliver (Martin Freeman), and Peter (Eddie Marsan) all return to finish what they had started years earlier. However, upon returning to Newton Haven, they notice that things aren't quite like they used to be. Not only have locations changed and some of the pubs have been made to look like one another (Starbucking as Steven calls it in the film), but the people are acting very strangely. Before the end of the night, the group discovers that the dark secret Newton Haven is hiding beneath its seemingly normal exterior. As the grop gets more and more drunk, they realize their odds of leaving Newton Haven alive dwindle.

From left: Oliver (Martin Freeman), Steven (Paddy Considine), Gary (Simon Pegg), Andy (Nick Frost), and Peter (Eddie Marsan) return to their hometown of Newton Haven to finish a pub crawl they never completed in high school.

As with "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", the script from the mind of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg is tight, well put together, and brilliantly written. Never once in the film do are characters have a glimmer of interpretation. What I mean by that is that in this film Simon Pegg was born to play Gary King. Nick Frost was born to play Andy Knightley. The same can be said for the rest of the cast. Every role is perfectly filled. A factor in that is more than likely that Pegg and Wright tailored their scripts to individual actors when revisions began before production, after all, all of the principal actors except for Eddie Marsan have been in at least one of the other "Cornetto" films (The Andies, anyone?).

However, a really stunning turn, and this is coming from being a huge fan of the first two films, is that Nick Frost's character loathes Pegg's. Definitely one of the more surprising and risky aspects of the entire film. Where in "Shaun" Pegg as the titular charcter was a grown man who just needed to get over being stuck in his mediocre job and life, "World's End" finds Pegg having to give us a character who refuses to grow up, leading to quite possibly, the best confrontation between two characters (Andy & Gary) in any movie released this summer.

Rosamund Pike as Sam, sister to Oliver, played by Martin Freeman in "The World's End"

I can't sing enough Praise for Wright. Under his direction, the film's action sequences really shine in both an original and geeky way. His film oozes homages to "Invasion of the Body Snatcher", "Westworld", "The Omen", and "Road Warrior" among many. At times though, it feels like Wright is more comfortable paying homage to other filmmakers than stepping into his own realm, much like John Carpenter. So in a way, Wright is the modern John Carpenter? I'm blowing my own mind here.

Newton Haven certainly does posses the small town feeling that makes films like "Tremors", "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" or "Halloween III: Season of the Witch" so creepy. Behind the façade of normalcy, lie everybody's deep dark secrets. Though this theme is nothing new, the film explores the topic from a technological standpoint. Machines are now everywhere, but can people be as cold and calculating as a computer? Another fantastic overtone to the films is putting the past behind you. Personally, I know people like Gary King who are stuck in their high school days. Simon Pegg is brilliant in the role, having nothing but fun and selling the character. Also, I had a friend who always wore Doc Martins in high school and in this film, Gary wears DM's. A very cool and authentic touch. A lot of great comedy is shared between Simon Pegg and Oliver's sister Sam (played by Rosamund Pike).

Simon Pegg delivers the performance of his career as Gary King

Of the three films however, this one is definitely the most serious. In "Shaun" and "Hot Fuzz", the audience gets to see the transformation of Pegg's character from the beginning to the end of the film. In "World's End", we're dealing with a man who refuses to grow up, especially as society is quickly changing around him. In brilliant Wright fashion, there is plenty of foreshadowing of future events through things we see the characters do and speak about. Hell even the title itself points to the direction the movie is going in, but which one!? There are multiple routes to take, however, they all lead to the same conclusion. Brilliant.

Another interesting aspect to keep your eyes peeled for are the frequent references to Arthurian Legend. Our main character is named Gary King. His friend's name? Andy Knightly. Beer of choice? Golden Crown. Here's another possibility that dawned on me after seeing the film a second time: the movie could be a metaphor for the current state of Hollywood filmmaking. Reboots and even Starbucking (nothing being original, but looking like new versions of something old), mentioned in the film to describe the first pubs our characters enter. I'll let the viewers decide on that one. But the last thing to look out for, pay particularly close attention to the use of the color blue in the film.

"The World's End" is the final film in the "Cornetto Trilogy", following genius zombie rom-com "Shaun of the Dead" and the masterfully made "Hot Fuzz." "End" is the most daring, ambitious, boldest, and most profound film Wright has made to date. For the fans of the trilogy, there are plenty of running gags kept throughout all three films that return here. The film has nothing but heart and sets out to make us laugh and even ponder how much technology has a grasp on our daily lives. It is a perfect book end to the trio of movies and one of the best films of the year. If you missed it in theatres, I can't recommend it enough. Pick up a copy on Blu-Ray, pour yourself a pint, and enjoy the ride.

9.5/10

• Rated R
• Directed by Edgar Wright
• Written by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg
• Runtime - 109 minutes
• The World's End on Blu-Ray; Cornetto Trilogy Collection on Blu-Ray
• 7.3 of 10 stars on IMDb
• 89% on Rotten Tomatoes

Barnes & Noble's 50 Off The Criterion Collection Sale - UPDATE #2

It's that time again folks!

Payday at work was this past weekend, so that means that it was time to make a trip down to my local Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Ventura, CA to pick up some more titles on the Criterion Collection while their 50% off sale is still happening!

I picked up two titles I've always wanted to watch this past Monday. One of them being horror, because - you know... I'm the horror guy (see every post in the month of October if you don't know what I'm talking about). In actuality, I bought three titles this evening, but one of them is a gift for a professor of mine. Here are pics of what I got for myself up today and what I've picked up so far!

Thank you all for reading and I'll talk to you all once more for update #3!

• The Night of the Hunter (1955)
• El Norte  (1982)

And here's what I've picked up this far as part of the sale, for myself:

• Criterion Update #1

MAN OF STEEL (2013)

After the financial and critical blunder of "Superman Returns" (a film I actually enjoyed), Kal-El returns to Earth in the Superman franchise reboot "Man of Steel". The cast includes relative unknown Henry Cavill as Kal-El and seasoned veterans like Michael Shannon, Laurence Fishburne, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, and Russell Crowe in the supporting cast. The film is directed by visionary Zack Snyder with a story from executive producer Christopher Nolan and a script written by David S. Goyer, writer of "The Dark Knight." Now that I've listed a lot of the names behind this film in that order it absolutely astonishes me that "Man of Steel" only holds the audience's interest in bursts. The film is bloated, top heavy, and for a great deal of screen time, a mess. However, within the chaos are glimmers of hope that make me want to believe that something great is in store.

The film's story centers around the salvation of Kal-El, son of Jor-El (Russell Crowe), the planet Krypton's most brilliant scientist. Warning the Kryptonian high council that the depletion of natural resources on the planet will lead to it's destruction, he is ignored. Meanwhile, Krypton's military leader, General Zod (Michael Shannon), stages a coup that lands him and his conspirators a one way trip to the Phantom Zone, an alternate dimension that is used to imprison criminals. To save his son, he and his wife send the boy to planet Earth, where the atmosphere will support him. However, the combination of less gravity than on Krypton and the yellow sun will give him powers that will defy comprehension. Baby Kal is sent off in time to be saved. Krypton is destroyed. On Earth, we follow a more adult Kal (Henry Cavill) and flash back to a younger one as well (played at different ages by both Cooper Timberline and Dylan Sprayberry). Because of the destruction of Krypton, Zod and his fellow para-military villains are freed and his has set his sights on finding and destroying Kal-El, in a personal vendetta against Jor-El.

Henry Cavill as Superman in "Man of Steel"

A great deal of the film's story is set away from the city of Metropolis, which is a staple of the Superman universe, much like Gotham is to Batman. The fact that we don't really see much of Metropolis until the second act was something that I thought was a breath of fresh air and reminiscent of "Superman: The Movie."A large portion of action takes place at the Kent family farm and downtown Smallville. This is where the production got a little carried away with product placement. When Zod finally returns to Earth, he chooses to engage Kal-El in one of the places he holds close to his heart: Ihop. Well, more specifically the Ihop located in Downtown Smallville. When they finally break free, I was relieved that the scene would finally continue and the the filmmakers had gotten their sponsor's 15 minutes of fame portion out of the way - when they crash into a Sears. Who knew that Smallville, what's supposed to be a small town in the heartland of America had so many places to shop?

Adding to the film's epic scope, is the discovery of a Kryptonian scout ship frozen in ice. Kal manages to get get on to the crew working the find using a false identity, something he'd been doing for ages, living a nomadic lifestyle moving from job to job. This was yet another new take on the character that I felt is what was needed. For so long, we've seen Superman stand for all that is right and also, live what is right. He had a good job, home, and kept his head down as Clark Kent (a name given to him by Jonathan and Martha Kent, his Earth parents played by Kevin Costner and Dian Lane respectively). Instead, we see Superman as a dirty, bearded, and homeless man with seemingly no happy ending in sight. Anyway, back to that ship that just so happened to be in the ice. Ace reporter Lois Lane from The Daily Planet, Metropolis' top newspaper, is covering the story when she encounters Kal.

Michael Shannon steals the show as General Zod.

Talk about no chemistry. Amy Adams was great as Lois Lane when she argued with her editor Perry White (Laurence Fishburne) or was out doing research trying to find the mysterious identity of the man she met in the arctic. But as soon as she begins to interact with Cavill as Superman, any spark to her character is lost. The two have absolutely no chemistry together and the film suffers for it. It seemed as though Adams was not the first choice for the role of Lois, nor the last, but she doesn't seem to be the right fit for it. This is indeed a really bizarre aspect of the film because every actor in it besides Adams feels perfectly cast.

However, the saving grace of the film are the performances of Michael Shannon as Zod, Russell Crowe as Jor-El, and Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent. All three actors added so much depth to the dialogue which they spoke that their appearances on screen made me feel like I was watching the comic book characters brought to life as opposed to a live action adaptation of them. Shannon steals the film, outshining everyone, Cavill included. His performance as Zod was scary, dark, and full of conviction. As Krypton's military leader, his job and sole purpose in life was to ensure the survival of Krypton and its citizens. He failed. So naturally, he's pissed. However, something happened that I wasn't expecting. In act III of the film, in which the final conflict is reached, I felt for Zod. There was something I wasn't at all expecting to happen.

That leads me to my next point: the movie's final confrontation and climax. I will not address the final battle between Zod and Ka-El in "Man of Steel" due to a major spoiler. Instead, I will post a new entry discussing the ending of the film and what it could mean for our character. The final battle is a great way to sum up the experience of watching this film: It's loud, violently edited, and too over-the-top. Ironically enough, I'd say that in the process of saving Metropolis and the rest of the world, Superman actually destroyed a lot of it. I'm not kidding. The city is left in ruins. Zod delivers a final commentary to Kal in a gray field of rubble before throwing Kal through more buildings. Building fall on top of buildings, jets crash into city streets, and hundreds run for cover, all as Hans Zimmer's rigidly over-produced score blast through whatever speakers were unlucky enough to be used by you to watch the film.

Things aren't going very well in the city of Metropolis.

I don't understand how anyone would accept Superman after pretty much wiping the city clean off of the face the Earth to supposedly "save it." The script is long and it suffers from David S. Goyer attempting to create a modern Iliad. Superman is the stuff of legend for today's young generations (the case could be made that superheroes are the Greek Gods of today) of kids, but the Phoenix must rise from the ashes right? And it does. At its heart, "Man of Steel" is a story about first contact. What if suddenly, the existence of extraterrestrials was confirmed and one of them had been living among us all along? The film does explore these topics in subtle and not so subtle ways. With Zack Snyder, who in my opinion is the worst director our there today, at the helm, the film is too long, too effects heavy and uninspired to warrant a second watch, but contains the seeds of what will hopefully lead to far more interesting Superman stories. As expected, a sequel to the film was announced not long after "Man of Steel" opened, confirming that the creative team needed to get Superman's origin out of the way to move on to bigger story arcs:

5/10

• Rated PG-13
• Directed by Zack Snyder
• Written by David S. Goyer
• Story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer
• Runtime - 143 minutes
• 7.4 of 10 stars on IMDb
• 56% on Rotten Tomatoes
• Man of Steel on Blu-Ray

Barnes & Noble's 50% Off The Criterion Collection Sale - Update #1

Today, I stopped by my local Barnes & Noble store in Ventura to take advantage of the Criterion Collection being marked at 50% off. The sale usually comes twice a year, sometime in August and once again during the fall. In August, money was tight, so I had to watch my pocketbook pretty closely. Being that I have a job now, I was able to go a little bit more crazy this time around!

I love stepping over the the Criterion section of B&N and seeing all of the films that could potentially become favorites, great memories, or a great study in all things cinematic. Unfortunately, many of the films of the Criterion name have gone unwatched by me, something I intend to change slowly but surely.  I spent more than I should have, but I regret nothing! All titles are currently marked down, as I mentioned, so advantages must be taken, corners cut, and Blu Ray players activated.

Here are the films I picked up today:

• Che (2008)

• Charade (1963)

• The Uninvited (1944)

Part 2 will be coming up soon! The sale goes on through December 2nd.

The Barnes & Noble Criterion Collection Sale - Fall 2013 Edition!!!!

There are multiple things that I look forward to every year: John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl, seeing Brain Wilson live in concert, Thanksgiving, and the Summer and Fall Criterion 50% off sales at Barnes & Noble! One of which is upon us now! Stay tuned for more details including dates, my must own Criterion picks, and what I'll pick up from the sale! All the exclamation marks after every sentence don't do my excitement justice!!! I MUST TYPE IN ALL CAPS!

• For more info on the Criterion Collection visit their official site: http://www.criterion.com/
• Ryan Ghallager runs CriterionCast, a regular podcast about all things Criterion including upcoming releases, reviews, and panel discussions on films in general, you can find his site here: http://criterioncast.com/
• And of course, here's the link for the sale on Barnes & Noble's website - but as it has happened in the past, you can also find the 50% off deals at your local B&N stor as well: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/Criterion-Collection-Blu-ray-Disc-DVD-Special-Editions/379003202?cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-asRKMkp*Elc-_-10:1&r=1

Thank you all so much for reading!

Cheers, everyone!