Booze News: Here Come the Fuzz

>> Sunday, April 29, 2007

I had to drive forty miles out of my way today to catch Hot Fuzz, the new comedy from the team that created Shaun of the Dead, but it was well worth it. It was easily the best film I’ve seen this year, and I won’t be surprised if I’m saying the same thing in December. In short, it was brilliant--every bit as good as Shaun of the Dead. Do not wait for the DVD! See Hot Fuzz on the big screen while you have a chance! In fact, I’d suggest seeing it this week, before theaters drop it to make room for Spidey.

I’ll post an official review when the movie makes its way to DVD, because happily, Hot Fuzz features an ample amount of booze humor. The local pub looms large in the plot; serving first as the vehicle that introduces super-cop Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) to his dumpy partner Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) and later as the setting for a night out that cements their friendship. Along the way, there’s a good bit of guzzling, staggering, and public urination.

Like Shaun, Hot Fuzz is tightly written and directed. Several lines of dialogue have double meanings, and camera shots and phrases that are used early in the film are repeated later to different effect. Also, just as Shaun was an effective horror film as well as a comedy, Hot Fuzz proves that director Edgar Wright is a master of high-octane action. The Agatha Christie-like mystery scenes are also beautifully rendered.

With Shaun, the Grindhouse trailer “Don’t,” and now Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright has quickly jumped to the top of my list of favorite living directors. He appears comfortable in every genre, and film fanatics will have a field day recognizing nods to everything from The Killer to A Fistful of Dollars to Chinatown to The Wicker Man. Of course, there are more obvious references to popcorn schlock like Point Break and Bad Boys 2.

I don’t want to give anything else away, because you know by now that YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS FILM. However, before I go, I must repeat my favorite line of dialogue from the movie... “Narp?”

P.S.--Kinks fans will be happy to hear two songs from the band's 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society in Hot Fuzz.

Hot Fuzz (3-Disc Collector's Edition)

2 comments:

Chris B. May 2, 2007 at 9:14 AM  

We took your recommendation and I have to say - Hot Fuzz was awesome. It starts out a little slow but by the end, it's a whirlwind. Lots of references to other movies (obvious and otherwise) and lots of subtle stuff that I'll look for in the DVD (i.e. the living statue in the background of a number of scenes). Nothing makes me feel like I got my money's worth more than a smart low-brow comedy.

garv May 2, 2007 at 5:09 PM  

Glad you liked it. There are movies to rent on DVD and movies to own. HOT FUZZ definitely falls in the "own" category. No matter how many times I watch SHAUN OF THE DEAD, it never gets old. I anticipate feeling the same way about HOT FUZZ.

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I like to drink. I like to watch movies. I like to watch movies about drinking. I like to write about the movies I’ve watched, but only if I’ve had a drink first.

All text including the title "Booze Movies: The 100 Proof Film Guide" Copyright William T. Garver

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