Calum Gilchrist
-
Review: Paul
26th February
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are just a great duo. All their projects where they’re together are amazing. Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Spaced and now Paul. I love Simon Pegg and Nick Frost - I actually have Simon Pegg’s autograph, even though I completely froze up when I met him. Spaced is one of my top 5 television shows but I knew not to get too excited for Paul. The only reason I didn’t get myself too excited was because it’s quite a tall order for something to be as good as Hot Fuzz or Shaun of the Dead, although I did really enjoy Paul.
Paul starts out with Nick Frost and Simon Pegg at Comic Con in California, a thing that I would love to do some day. Nick and Simon just make a really great nerdy duo as that’s what I believe they’re like in real life. They just fit the roles snuggly and it was entertaining to watch them together.
My main criticism with the film was the pace, it just felt a little slow between key sequences, there was just too much space. I’m not sure entirely what I mean by that, but I feel this way about many films.
Of course the main thing you want from a Simon Pegg and Nick Frost film is comedy. There was enough to keep me happy and I had quite a lot of fun. Although I will admit that I sat quite near the front which I wasn’t a fan of, so I’d maybe like to see it again. That’s one of the curses and joys of going to the cinema. Your experience in the building can sometimes effect the way that you react towards a film.
There were plenty of references to past Science Fiction films which were quite nice to see and I’d maybe like to watch it again to try and spot all of them. I really liked the idea of Paul, the alien (voiced by Seth Rogen). It was just nice to see an alien so accustomed to life on Earth and actually being a much ‘cooler’ person than Simon Pegg or Nick Frost’s character.
Although it’s not my favourite Nick Frost and Simon Pegg film I really liked it and it had a really nice to it and the dynamic between Nick and Simon is always a joy to watch.
Paul - 3/5 -
Review: The Green Hornet
14 Jan
There have been a lot of comic book films now. My favourites are probably Kick-Ass, The Watchmen and Christopher Nolan’s Batman films. I really like the new-found maturity of comic book films as it’s allowing some really nice super hero films to get through.
Seth Rogen is really great. If he likes a project he’ll do everything he can to stick with it. The Green Hornet had a very tumultuous production. It was passed around quite a few writers and directors but finally came through with Michel Gondry. Once Michel had got Seth on board it made life easier as Seth actually is also a writer, so he assisted in writing some of the scenes, which to me seems like a really interesting thing for an actor to do. I really enjoyed Seth Rogen in the film, he’s funny and lots of nice little quips that you don’t see coming, overall just a fun performance.
The story was interesting although not entirely unique, but it’s harder and harder to do that. Christoph Waltz was really interesting as the villain, he had this sort of timid feel around him, but he was still a badass.
I found Green Hornet really really enjoyable. It wasn’t the finest superhero film I’ve seen but it’s definitely not the worst, feels like a good Comic based film to start the year off, as we have Thor, Green Lantern and Captain America to look forward to, and maybe some others. I’d recommend this film if you like Seth Rogen and you just want a few hours of fun and entertainment. The action sequences are quite good as well.
Green Hornet 3/5
