Hot Fuzz

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: February 14, 2007 (UK & Ireland) / April 20, 2007 (USA)

DVD Release Date: July 31, 2007

Plot 411: When a cop becomes too good at his job, making his fellow officers look bad, he is transferred to the safest town in England.

Review: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost join forces once again and the end product is one gut-busting comedy. Pegg plays Nicholas Angel, a hot shot cop who has all the right moves. Because of this, his superior packs him up and sends him to a small town. Frost is Danny Butterman, a young cop in town who is awe-inspired by being Angel's partner. This set up creates scenes that are hilarious, like when the two are called in to investigate missing swan. The banter between the two partners volley back and forth. Frost does a great job at playing the fool once again. If you liked Shaun Of The Dead, then this movie is for you. It has a lot of the same comedic beats that'll have you rolling. You've got to be in tune with the British sense of humor though as it's a bit different than American movies. Also in this film are Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent and Timothy Dalton.

Watch It: And check out the blooper reel

Skip It: Because it's not completely a comedy or an action flick that most people are used to.

Star Trek

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: May 8, 2009

DVD Release Date: November 17, 2009

Plot 411: A prequel to the Star Trek mythology that portrays the lives of young Kirk and Spock.

Review: Romulans attack the USS Kelvin on the day of James T. Kirk's birth, killing his father. Kirk (Chris Pine) grows up as a wild child and is recruited into the Starfleet as a young man. Simultaneously, Spock (Zachary Quinto) is struggling with his half human/half Vulcan persona and unsure which characteristics suit him best. When an emergency calls Starfleet students into action, the flight crew gains support from Uhuru's (Zoe Saldana) linguistic aptitude, Sulu's (John Cho) piloting abilities and McCoy's medical training (Karl Urban). The bad guy in this film is Nero, played by Eric Bana. He attempts to hurt Spock in retribution for the hurt that Spock has caused him. Again, despite not being big on the sci fi genre I think this movie was pretty good. There was humor and action, a small love triangle and definite emotional beats. Even though I didn't really know a lot about the backstory of these characters, I was still able to follow along and not get too confused. I'm sure there were dozens of homage's to the TV series and other films that the fanboys caught that I didn't. The fact that the movie is accessible to both types of audience definitely helps its success. Quinto's performance as Spock is awesome. He completely pulls it off. The emotion he keeps in check due to his Vulcan side really comes through in the performance. Even better is Bana's portrayal of Nero. He is almost unrecognizable in this role. It's a real credit to his acting ability that the audience doesn't know who the hell he is. Another plus about this film is that Leonard Nimoy makes an appearance. This movie also stars Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin and Winona Ryder.

Watch It: Of course if you're a Star Trek fan or if you just like action in general.

Skip It: If you're a physicist since you know you'll only get irritated at the inaccuracies of the film. And yes, they did incorporate sound in outer space . . . again.

Shaun Of The Dead

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: April 4, 2004 (UK) / September 24, 2004 (USA)

DVD Release Date: December 21, 2004

Plot 411: Two slacker friends must act fast to save themselves and their friends when a zombie outbreak spreads through London.

Review: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are Shaun and Ed, two roommates whose lives are just falling apart around them. When everyone around them becomes zombies, they must stay alive long enough to be rescued. They out run and outsmart zombies using various methods such as flinging records at them and pretending to be zombies. They gain a group of friends as they try to escape, however, Shaun's stepfather and mum are both bitten. The movie is hiliarious and my favorite Pegg movie thus far. There's everything anyone could want in a good movie - horror, comedy, romance and excitement. You'd think it'd be difficult to weave this all together but it all works well. The humor is a bit dry by American standards, but if you love British humor this movie is roll-on-the-floor funny. Just make sure you put on the subtitles so you don't miss any jokes. They're swift and come with an accent so you might just miss them if you're not paying attention.

Watch It: For a bust-a-gut good time and the first rom-zom-com.

Skip It: If Pegg's retarded antics grate on your nerves.

Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs 3D

Rating: PG

Movie Release Date: July 1, 2009

DVD Release Date: TBD

Plot 411: Manny and his herd discover a whole new world below theirs when they venture into it to save Sid.

Review: First of all, I think this movie would've been just fine without the 3D effect at $3.50 a pop. Unlike other recent 3D movies, this one didn't really utilize it to full effect. Besides that though, I thought this was a fun and entertaining movie for both kids and adults. There were some scary parts that younger kids might not enjoy (after all, there are dinosaurs in this one), but overall I think it was really good. It's impressive how the animation has progressed throughout the years. There's a scene when Scrat (the squirrel) and his girlfriend are falling through the sky. You can see all the individual strands of fur blowing in the wind. The technicality is amazing and yet you're still able to enjoy the artistry of it all. In this movie, Sid (John Leguizamo) is kidnapped by a mommy t-rex because he's stolen her eggs in an attempt to start his own family. The herd rushes off to save him, even though Ellie (Queen Latifah) is pregnant, like any good herd would do. They encounter a warm, tropical world where dinosaurs exist underneath their cold and icy one. They meet up Buck (Simon Pegg) down under and he helps them track down Sid and avoid the nastiness that is Rudy. Also along for the ride are Manny (Ray Romano), Diego (Denis Leary) and Ellie's brothers - Crash (Seann William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck).

Watch It: If you're already in love with the Ice Age franchise. I think the best movie is a toss up between this one and the first one.

Skip It: If you're child is too young because some of the dinosaurs are scary-looking and come with loud roaring sounds.

How To Lose Friends & Alienate People

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: October 3, 2008

DVD Release Date: March 16, 2009

Plot 411: A British hack gets hired for a leading American magazine and tries to adjust to being in a new echelon of journalistic hierarchy.

Review: You can never go wrong with Simon Pegg, never. Pegg plays Sidney Young, a struggling pap trying to conive his way into celebrity functions to get the dirt and swing with celebs. When he's hired across the pond, he finally thinks he's made it big but soon discovers the shiny life of stars could be out of his reach. Pegg is completely and utterly likeable, even when he constantly spouts sexist remarks or acts like a jerk. I think there are few actors out there that can do this and still have the audience rooting for them. Playing opposite of Pegg is Kirsten Dunst, another actress that I just can't seem to really like. She's fine in this role and actually has some great comebacks to Pegg's often wild antics. Pegg and Dunst seem to connect well on screen though, which makes the romantic angle a bit easier to swallow. However, Pegg really is the focal point of this film and probably is the appealing thing in it. Well, unless you're in love with Megan Fox.

Watch It: For classic Pegg humor. He's seems to be back in top form, especially the flop that was Run Fatboy Run.

Skip It: If you don't get British humor. This movie was made by Brits.

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