MYST#6: Hot Fuzz

Hot Fuzz
Review By Nicky Nocerino
    From my experience British comedy is a bit of a mixed bag. I really enjoy the Wallace and Gromit shorts and The invention of Lying, but I also found the UK's version of The Office to truly abysmal. With this in mind I was actually quite interested in seeing this British take on a satire of American cop thrillers and I have to say that I was not disappointed.
     Hot Fuzz is the second in a series of four movies staring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, including Shaun of the Dead, Paul, and The World's End. Having seen Shaun of the Dead, which turned out to be one of the funniest takes on zombies and commentaries on consumerism I have ever seen, I was pretty excited to see these two team up again. And while Hot Fuzz might have held back a little on the critique, it brought the parody and comedy both up to 11.
     Directed by Edgar Wright (he also directed all of the other Simon Pegg/Nick Frost Movies), Hot Fuzz stars Simon Pegg as Nicholas Angel, The strictly by the books super cop, who is transferred from London to the country for making everybody else on the force look bad by comparison. Here he meets his new partner Danny Butterman(Nick Frost), the loser son of the police chief who loves American cop movies. As Angel tries to adjust his strict methods to the laid back attitude of the town, a series of strange accidents begin to lead him to believe that the town is not quite what it seems. This all culminates into  the reveal of one of the most hilarious conspiracies of all time. After barely escaping with his life angel realizes that the only way to fight such an adversary he would need to become the action movie cop he always looked down upon. This leads up to a ridiculous shoot out that crosses the entire town,and is chalk full of references and jokes.

     This is were reviewing this movie gets hard, because not only is it hard to say what makes a comedy funny, but also that by doing so I would ruin the joke. This in mind I will simply say that it is extremely funny, and give a few example of things that if you like them, you will probably like this. If you liked any of the other Simon Pegg/Nick Frost movies, other over the top comedies, or movies like Zombieland or The Other Guys you will probably find this funny. Alternatively, if you enjoy the type of action packed cop movies this movie is parodying you will probably also have a lot of fun with this movie.

     While the obvious standouts were Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, it was clear that everyone involved was having a lot of fun with this. Special credits go to Paul Freeman as the shotgun priest, Jim Broadbent as police chief, and Paddy Considine and Raffe Spall as the detective partners.

     All in all, the only real judge of a comedy is whether or not in was funny, and Hot Fuzz most certainly was. I Give it five pluses and zero minuses with a recommendation to watch it if you are someone who enjoys laughing.

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MYST#5: The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski
Review by Nicky Nocerino
Movies have had a profound impact in their century of existence. They have evolved as both entertainment and art in ways that were unimaginable when Blacksmith Scene first hit the public. No matter how you look at it, the undeniable fact is that movies are important. With this in mind I would have to say that The Big Lebowski is the least important movie of all time, and because of this it is also one of the best.
     Directed By the Coen Brothers, The Big Lebowski is the story of the Dude(Jeff Bridges), who is mistaken for a much wealthier man who shares his name and is dragged into a kidnapping plot. This seems like a rather simple premise, but it soon goes out of control, building and building until it all comes out to....... nothing. That's right by from the time this movie begins to the time it ends nothing has changed, no one has grown, it was all just a bunch of stuff happening, and the world will continue on just as it did before. In fact, I would go so far to say that you could have taken pretty much any plot line or story thread out of this movie, and it still would have been pretty much the same. Now I think you can see why I would call this movie unimportant.
     I also called this movie one of the best, which might seem weird that it could hold such a position beings so unimportant, but it is here that things get more interesting. This movie is unimportant because most of life is unimportant, its just a bunch of stuff happening. There are bits of tragedy, bits of comedy, but really in the end it all comes out to nothing. Because of this when we see the Dude go through his misadventures we can sympathize with him, and can even learn from him. He may be lazy, but he's not stupid he understands that he is lazy and is content with that. He keeps to himself, doesn't hurt anybody, and if he can he'll go out of his way to help people a little bit. Even when tragedy strikes he won't torn up, he just keeps going in the best way he can, and we all can learn a little something from that. The movie says it best with one phrase "the Dude abides".

     With simultaneously so little and so much going on at once it is hard to pin down where the genius lies, but a good amount lies in the cast. John Goodman nails his role as the Dudes friend Walt, making him an extremely memorable character, and the same goes to Sam Elliot as the Stranger. However, the standout performance is Jeff Bridges, so much so that I will always remember him as the Dude, and as an actor it has been his defining role.
     All in all, this is one of my favorite movies of all time. There is no way I could do it justice, hell people have written whole books on this movie. I recommend that that everyone sees this movie, and if I had to make a list of movies to see before you die this would be on it. I give it 7 pluses and zero minuses.

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