Movie – Paul (2011)

After doing the movies Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz together, Edgar Wright moved on to direct Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and Simon Pegg went on to play Scotty in the reboot of Star Trek.  When it came time to do another movie, Wright and Pegg could not coordinate their schedules, so Pegg worked with Nick Frost to co-write the next movie they would star in.  That movie is Paul, which is still in theaters as I write this.

After doing comedies in the zombie horror and buddy cop action movie genres, Pegg and Frost decided they would tackle the sci-fi alien genre, but also in a comedic way.  It was a natural for them since they are big fans of these movies. 

Movie – Hot Fuzz (2007)

This movie was directed by Edgar Wright.  It stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.  Pegg and Wright co-wrote the movie.

All three of these guys loved action movies, especially the “buddy cop” action movies like Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys, Point Break, and others.  They decided to combine their love for these movies and make an action comedy of their own.  The result is both a loving tribute to the genre, as well as a good movie that can stand on its own.

Movie – Shaun of the Dead (2004)

This movie was directed by Edgar Wright.  It stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.  Pegg and Wright co-wrote the movie.

All three of these guys loved zombie movies and there had been a bit of a revival in interest in them with 2002’s 28 Days Later and the upcoming (in 2004) remake of Dawn of the Dead.  As you can tell from the title being a play on words on Dawn of the Dead, this movie is a comedy.  In fact, they claimed they had created a new genre, the “rom-zom-com.”  A “rom-com” is a romantic comedy, so a “rom-zom-com” is a romantic comedy with zombies.  You might not think the combination would work, but it does.

Simon Pegg/Nick Frost Movies

"Both me and Edgar are firm believers in never underestimating or talking down to an audience, and giving an audience something to do, to give them something which is entirely up to them to enter into the film and find these hidden things and whatever." – Simon Pegg

You may be asking yourself, “Who are Simon Pegg and Nick Frost?  Or even Edgar, for that matter?”

Pegg and Frost are British actors who have collaborated on a number of projects.  They are best friends in real life and this comes across on the screen.  In fact, Nick Frost was Simon Pegg’s flatmate when Pegg was an up and coming actor.  He actually got Frost into acting.

The two of them became known in the U.K. after working together on a cult TV show titled Spaced that aired from 1999 to 2001.  Edgar Wright directed all fourteen of the episodes.  In 2004 Pegg, Frost, and Wright would team up to make a zombie horror comedy titled Shaun of the Dead.  This movie was very well received and brought the three of them to the attention of American audiences and filmmakers. 

They followed this up in 2007 with a buddy cop action comedy titled Hot Fuzz.  The trailer said it was “brought to you by the guys who have seen every action movie ever made” and it showed.

Pegg and Wright co-wrote those two movies.  Edgar Wright went on to adapt and direct the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, one of the ten best movies of 2010.  (See my review here.)  Pegg and Frost co-wrote their next movie, Paul, which has been in theaters the last several weeks.  It is a comedy about an extraterrestrial alien trying to get home.

Outside of these movies, Simon Pegg is probably best known to general audiences for playing Scotty in the Star Trek reboot that hit theaters in 2009.

I have not seen the TV show Spaced (if someone has, please let me know what you thought of it), but I have seen those three movies and will be recommending all of them.

You can find my posts for these movies here:

Shaun of the Dead
Hot Fuzz
Paul

On to the reviews…