Children of Men (2006): It’s almost been twenty years since this came out and the film-reality of mass deportations of “illegals” feels as real as ever. I remember reading the book when I heard Cuaron was making this and it turned out that the book and the film are very different beasts. I wasn’t sure about either, but then grew to appreciate the movie in time (obviously, I didn’t reread the book, so it’s not a fair comparison). The concept at its core is so powerful, that you can’t really ignore it – what if we were doomed to a childless future? How would society survive if we had no real future? Cuaron’s CoM is terribly dystopian, perhaps one of the grimmest interpretations out there. There is no respite and the pockets that are shared from the downfall get no screen time. And then the finale, a brutal warfare sequence that’s as visceral as the best ever shot, is the final gut punch. In all this disaster, there is never more than a sliver of hope. There are few moments of emotion, few moments of colour in this blue-tinted world. It’s probably why I could never love it, but, as I said, it’s difficult to not be in awe. 8
Shaun of the Dead (2004): After watching Edgar Wright’s iconic Spaced, my expectations for his debut film were sky-high. They were met. In his first of the so-called Cornetto trilogy, all co-written with lead Simon Pegg, we are offered a different take on the then-nascent zombie genre. One rife with irony and sharp societal critique. The common theme is one of mindless subservience to “the system”, whichever that may be. In Shaun, it’s the mundane corporate existence, but also the settling into a rote domestic life. The Spaced alumni starring in this one are nicely complemented by the likes of Kate Ashfield, Bill Nighy or Rafe Spall. Compared to the others in the trilogy, Shaun is arguably slow, but it remains an impressive creative statement to kick-off Wright’s feature-film career. 8
Hot Fuzz (2007): In what I think as the most complete movie of the Cornetto trilogy, Wright and Pegg find the best balance between comedy, satire, satire – and pacing. It helps to have the Pegg-Frost duo in a classic good cop-bad cop pairing. The former plays the grizzled, hyper-effective city cop, whereas the latter embodies the aimless, nepotistic country cop. Together, they have to ensure the apparently crimeless and idyllic town of Sandford stays so. Or perhaps stage a DC-like intervention to justify other murky plans. Naturally, things aren’t as they seem, because politics and interests are everywhere. The movie works its way towards a bombastic showdown, the pure antithesis of the quiet country life it was set up to embody. It’s style and rhythm are clearly Wright-ian by now, and the engaging story elevates this a smidge above the rest. 8
The World’s End (2013): Although it seems to be the least beloved of the trilogy, I thought The World’s End was a suitably inventive conclusion. It reinvents itself by reinventing the characters we expected from Pegg and Frost, while adding a strong supporting cast: Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan, alongside a bunch of other familiar faces. Pegg plays Gary King, whose life seems to be in arrested development. His inability to move on from “childish things” is epitomized by his desire to recreate pub-crawl with his estranged friends. They had failed to finish it twenty odd years before. Clearly, this is more a movie about growing old, the responsibilities of adulthood, and enduring friendships. In a way, not so different to Shaun, but coming at it from a different angle. Their adventure takes on a completely unexpected twist, which makes TWE feel like two movies. But it all comes together well and paints an earnest picture of striving to become the person one was destined to be. 8
Snack Shack (2024): While not as ambitious as Adam Rehmeier’s previous movie, Dinner in America (2020), this is a pitch-perfect genre film. And you know the genre: two friends, coming of age, summer of love, retro US of A. Set in 1991, we follow AJ and Moose, two wheelin’ dealin’ friends with an eye for easy money and the same girl, Brooke. They end up working hard, but being well rewarded when they overpay to run the community pool’s Snack Shack. In the age old words of George Bluth, “there’s always money in the banana stand”. The movie has that beautifully entrancing feel of fleeting youth and nostalgia, is all around well acted and a friendly reminder that there some stories just never die. 7
tributary stu 