It's getting Hot in here

Liz and Valerie made it to the last show (12:50am) of Hot Fuzz on Friday night, aka Saturday morning, hopped up on Krispy Kreme doughnuts and ready for gun fights and car chases. They were not disappointed.

Those who complain that this movie is not as good as Shaun of the Dead have, perhaps, more affection for zombies than cops. In the same way that SotD was a parody of and homage to horror films while itself being a good one, Hot Fuzz is a good action film at the same time that it parodies and homages just about every action film ever made. The allusions fly faster and thicker than bullets, yet they don't feel forced or out of place as can be the case with parodies (see Scary Movie et al.)

It doesn't make a lot of sense to say things like "the cinematography was great" because that's not really the point. Better to say that the cinematography was typical action movie fodder, getting the job done in a way that makes the audience focus on what's going on rather than how it's being framed. The same goes for the sound, although the music was occasionally a bit more interesting than the usual fare.

It's the acting, dialogue and wacky moments that really make this movie awesome. The dynamic duo from SotD were great, Bill Nighy made an appearance, and the various townspeople who populate the idyllic town where the story takes place are each interesting in their own way. But Timothy Dalton was the best in show here, playing a devilish but charming grocery-store owner who keeps popping up to say suspicious things and then waltz off innocently. As in SotD, there is hardly a wasted line in the film, and the puns elicit laughs even when you're groaning on the inside.

Will you still like this movie even if you don't get all the inside jokes? Absolutely. Valerie only got a few of them, and she still laughed her head off all the way through (maybe she forgot to take her pills that day, or maybe it was the Krispy Kreme sugar rush). Anyone who likes comedies, detective flicks or action films should appreciate this movie. Don't be like Valerie's friend Dave, who neglected to see SotD on the big screen and has regretted it every since. Go see this movie now.

A Moment of Silence

Valerie was devastated to hear that the inimitable Kurt Vonnegut died yesterday at age 84. She still remembers when her uncle gave her several enormous boxes of books that he didn't have room for anymore, and among those boxes was a vast selection by Vonnegut.

Like the methodical person she is, she started reading his work chronologically, with Player Piano. This was right about the time that she was really getting into science fiction and dystopic writing and satire, the likes of Voltaire and Orwell, movies like Fahrenheit 451 and Soylent Green. Thanks to her uncle, she also dabbled in things like Dune and Foundation, but she was always partial to "soft" science fiction, which focused more on people than science.

Cat's Cradle; God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater; Slaughterhouse-Five; Bluebeard... Kurt Vonnegut didn't write a lot of novels, and Valerie didn't read them all, but she treasured the ones she did. And who can forget short stories like "Harrison Bergeron" and "Welcome to the Monkey House"? She once got the opportunity to see him read, but things got in the way, as they are wont to do. Now she'll never get to see him, and it breaks her heart. But the good thing about authors is you can always hang out with them by picking up one of their books, and thanks to her uncle, Valerie can do that anytime.

God bless you, Mr. Vonnegut.

Missing Reel

Liz and Valerie headed out with Pam on Saturday night to catch the double-feature spectacle that is Grindhouse. Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino team up to make two almost-feature-length homages to the cheesy, ultra-violent B movies of an era predating Liz and Valerie. The films included fake trailers for equally ridiculous films that one suspects, in an alternate universe, might actually have been made.

Planet Terror is the first flick, in which Robert Rodriguez concocts a zombie-creating chemical that is naturally loosed on an unsuspecting Texas town. Many things happen, and most of them involve guns, knives and fire. Rose McGowan and Freddy Rodriguez star, along with many of the Rodriguez/Tarantino regulars. Liz liked this one best, and fans of From Dusk Till Dawn will almost certainly enjoy the outrageous explosions and gory special effects. Sure, the plot isn't perfect, but if you came for the plot then you're kind of missing the point.

Tarantino's contribution is Death Proof, ostensibly about a bunch of girls who like to hear themselves talk. A creepy-looking Kurt Russell, sporting a wicked facial scar, is possibly stalking them. Also featuring Zoe Bell, stuntwoman extraordinaire, and Rosario Dawson, last seen by Valerie in Clerks II and Sin City. If you can handle French films and the talkier portions of Tarantino movies, you should enjoy this flick. Valerie especially loved the last 20 minutes or so, which are worth the price of admission in her opinion.

A word of caution: the violence is extremely graphic and the camera rarely looks away from it. In fact, the camera is usually staring right at it in close up. If you're squeamish, stay home and rent The Princess Bride or something. But if you love the usual Rodriguez/Tarantino fare, you've come to the right place and you probably won't leave disappointed.