Movie Marathon: The Cornetto Trilogy

1. Shaun of the Dead - It's been SO LONG since I've seen these movies!! I actually just bought the boxset because I've been waiting for them to stream on ANY of my streaming services for FOREVER and it just never seems like it's going to happen. I can't believe this movie is over 20 years old! That's just insane! I probably haven't watched it in about 15 (maybe even more?), so I don't remember a lot. Just that it's zombies and they get trapped in a pub, and I vaguely remembered the whole girlfriend part with Shaun being a loser and her dumping him. This is one of my husband's favorite movies (actually both husbands - my real one and also Taron Egerton always lists this as his favorite too), so I suggested we do a "Cornetto trilogy rewatch" and he had never heard them called that and asked why, so I explained that they aren't a technical trilogy - just a lot of the same cast, same director, and they all feature a character eating a Cornetto, to which he asked "what the Hell is a Cornetto?" LOL. It's IN THE MOVIE! THEY TALK ABOUT IT?! Didn't you connect that when they said the word "Cornetto" they ate ice cream?? ANYWAY. I loved this, obviously. The cast is great - I kind of miss this Simon Pegg (I feel like once he got into the M:I movies, he stopped being this silly), he has great natural chemistry with Nick Frost, Bill Nighy is terrific, and I love seeing the start of his little friendship group that forms (Martin Freeman, Rafe Spall, etc.). I also think, for this time period, this was very original and fun - to take this horror concept and turn it into a buddy comedy. And surprisingly, it's not as dated as I expected it to be. A few jokes don't land anymore, but overall it's still a silly, fun comedy. The "Don't Stop Me Now" scene is absolutely brilliant. 

2. Hot Fuzz - I have a much better memory of this one, and my initial thought was this one was my favorite out of the three, and that is still true (I think most put Shaun first? They are both 4 star films). I think the cast just work together really well, the script is tight, it's hilarious, and has some truly iconic moments (like the scene with Rafe Spall and Paddy Considine when Paddy glides back into the shot - which I think was accidental, but is literally one of my favorite shots of all time). Plus, Olivia Coleman!!! On a side note - I totally forgot that Paddy and Olivia were in this, but it reminded me of that excellent movie that Paddy directed that Olivia starred in called Tyrannosaur. Paddy needs to direct more films, please! Anyway, him and Rafe are probably my favorite part of the movie - just so funny together. I love the Romeo + Juliet scene with references to the movie instead of the play ("Love me, love me, say that you love me"! Brilliant). There's also a Bad Boys 2 reference (and a lot of other famous cop tv/movie references). Also, I screamed in the beginning - is that Cate Blanchett??? And yes, yes it is. HAHA! I think the end of this is a little stupid, but I can forgive it. 

3. The World's End - I wasn't the biggest fan of this one when I saw it on release, but I enjoyed this rewatch a bit more. I think I was just disappointed and expected it to be funnier than it was. But it's a good story! And a great cast! Paddy Considine and Martin Freeman have bigger roles than the previous two films. I also remember assuming that this was a genuine, real pub crawl that people do, and later found out that it's completely made up (how disappointing!). But, I like the film references (mostly The Day the Earth Stood Still - with the eyes that light up! Super cool!), and I like the initial run-in with the teenage android because it's really surprising (I feel like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz were a little more obvious to it being about zombies and a serial killer cult towards the beginning, but I had NO IDEA where this one was going). I just think this film moves a little too slow, feels long, and is kind of sad (with focusing on aging and nostalgia - Pegg's character is just very pathetic instead of funny). But there are still some funny moments, some great reveals and fight sequences, etc. So, it's not technically a bad film, just disappointing. The pressure was surely too great. 

Ranking: 

Hot Fuzz

Shaun of the Dead

The World's End