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‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ is possibly the best in the series

‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ continues to up the ante for spectacular set pieces. More importantly, this is the fourth script penned for Tom Cruise by McQuarrie, who understands how to maximize Cruise’s particular skill set. Their collaboration, along with stunning cinematography and a solid supporting cast, makes this, arguably, the most entertaining entry in the series.

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Simon Pegg pens thoughtful essay on ‘infantilization’ of mainstream films

Simon Pegg is still a nerd and proud of it. This week however the nerd community was ready to cast him out on account of some comments he made to the Radio Times. Pegg, who despite writing Star Trek 3 and leading the Cornetto Trilogy and likely cameoing in Star Wars VII, felt that he …

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‘Man Up’ Movie Review – Fails to Woman Up

At 34, Nancy (Londoner-accented Lake Bell) is a flakey journalist on the reluctant look for love at the pestering of friends and family. Through a case of mistaken identity hinging on a self-help book, she winds up on a date turned epic day with Jack (Simon Pegg), an online marketing manager. Charming, right? It’s this on-the-nose “charm” which will divide audiences into lovers and haters (with this viewer falling more towards the latter). In spite of a stellar cast, Man Up falls flat on its promising premise of being a rom-com for nonbelievers.

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‘Kill Me Three Times’ isn’t nearly as good as Simon Pegg’s mustache

Kill Me Three Times Directed by Kriv Stenders Written by James McFarland Austrailia, 2014 In the 1990s there was a overstock of Quentin Tarantino-knockoffs trying to cash in on the success of Pulp Fiction. These movies were wordy, featured well-dressed men with large guns, and nihilistic viewpoints that often excessively violent deaths. Other writers would …

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Week in Review: Hollywood planning Play-Doh and live-action Winnie the Pooh movies

Why does Hollywood keep mining the smallest nooks and crannies of my childhood? This week, two major children’s film projects are reportedly in development. The first is Disney continuing to pile on to their live-action reboot slate with a reimagining of none other than Winnie the Pooh. How they intend to do this without sending one …

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Simon Pegg will co-write ‘Star Trek 3’

Set your phasers to stunned, as Deadline reported Wednesday evening that Simon Pegg would be co-writing the latest Star Trek sequel along with Doug Jung, creator of the TNT series Dark Blue. Pegg has co-written all of Edgar Wright’s films in the Cornetto Trilogy, as well as some of his own projects including Run, Fatboy, …

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‘Hector and the Search for Happiness’ finds only shallow observations

There’s a burgeoning subgenre of films about people in existential crisis setting out on a globe spanning adventure to find themselves, to figure out how to really live. These movies are ostensibly inspirational, but for several reasons, they often play out as somewhat depressing. For one thing, they seem to suggest that all it takes to feel alive is a costly globe-spanning adventure. Even more troublingly, they tend to turn the problems and wonders of the rest of the world into just more glib lessons for their heroes to learn. To the ranks of films like Eat, Pray, Love and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, we can now add Hector and the Search for Happiness.

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‘A Fantastic Fear of Everything’ an unfeeling digest of interesting ideas, references, and aesthetics

A Fantastic Fear of Everything Directed by Crispian Mills and Chris Hopewell Written by Crispian Mills UK, 2012 A Fantastic Fear of Everything is a film that Wes Anderson would make if he didn’t give a flying sausage about storytelling. It has many of his auteur signatures (a twee pop-art sensibility, creative and meticulous set …

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‘The World’s End’ is more than just a Pegg/Wright hits collection

Without much fanfare, Edgar Wright has molded himself into one of the best action directors in the world. Shaun of the Dead had many effective moments of zombie slaughter, and, with Hot Fuzz, Wright matured into someone who could simultaneously parody Michael Bay and deliver Bay-type material more effectively than the man himself. The third film in Wright’s so-called Cornetto trilogy of films made with actors Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, The World’s End, goes even further. It becomes a sharp and riveting action-comedy that has few peers in the last decade.

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The Once and Future Kings: ‘The World’s End’ is a triumph for Pegg, Frost, and Wright

To exit a film directed by Edgar Wright is to be reinvigorated by the state of modern cinema. He’s now made his fourth feature-length film, The World’s End, and it’s tempting to rate it as his best work yet. But when you consider his others—Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World—the challenge becomes differentiating these by how many slight nitpicks may crop up from story to story. Like most directors of his generation, Wright’s work is heavily influenced by the pop culture of his childhood. Unlike many of his peers, though, Wright is able to translate that affection and hyper-literate awareness into something fresh, exciting, and intelligent. As such, The World’s End is as peerless as a mainstream film gets.

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Win Double Passes for the Toronto Premiere of ‘The World’s End’

For their final instalment of what is now known as the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost aren’t holding back with their signature brew of camaraderie, knockabout humor, excessive quaffing, questionable life choices, hand-to-hand combat, and explosive surprises. The newest movie from the creative team behind Shaun of the Dead …

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‘A Fantastic Fear of Everything’ Movie Review – an unfeeling digest of interesting ideas, references, and aesthetics

A Fantastic Fear of Everything Directed by Crispian Mills and Chris Hopewell Written by Crispian Mills UK, 2012 A Fantastic Fear of Everything is a film that Wes Anderson would make if he didn’t give a flying sausage about storytelling. It has many of his auteur signatures (a twee pop-art sensibility, creative and meticulous set …

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Fantasia 2012: Ricky D’s most anticipated films

I’ve been lucky enough to attend the Fantasia film Festival since the very first year and make no mistake about it, Fantasia has always been a highlight of every summer since. This year is no exception. With another impressive and diverse line-up, any movie crazed die hard genre fans such as myself are left with …

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News: Pegg and Frost Comedy Boasts Impressive Cast, Pacino to Play Dr. Death, Anchorman 2?

Hot off the heels of a big critical success with Adventureland, Greg Mattola’s upcoming Simon Pegg and Nick Frost sci-fi comedy Paul has gotten a lot more interesting.  Variety reports that a ridiculous quantity of talent has now been added to the project: Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Jane Lynch, Bill Hader, and the glorious Kristen …

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