Never Mind Pop Film

As the Cornetto Trilogy draws near an end, let us take a moment to appreciate how we got here. Before Simon Pegg was a key fixture in massive studio properties like Mission Impossible and Star Trek, he caught on as a layabout, who played video games with his buddy Ed (Nick Frost) before the impending zombie apocalypse. Ten years later and the smashing success of 2004's Shaun of the Dead and 2007's Hot Fuzz have brought Pegg, Frost and Edgar Wright to the mainstream.

As we gather to say goodbye to the wild romps that Wright, Pegg and Frost are known for there is only one question. Will their third feature come out on top?

Gary (Simon Pegg, taking his lead in a different direction this time) was an "outlaw" in high-school, his trademark black duster alerting everyone that he was on the scene. Gary wasn't really liked then and he certainly isn't now as a wayward 40 year old still rebelling against the system.

There was a time though when people did like him, tw…

The Blood and Cornetto Trilogy end this August and Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost seemed to have saved the best for last. We waited five years since Hot Fuzz and it will be a blast to watch the three riff on another genre flick.

The World's End careens into theatres with a fiery explosion on August 23rd!

As Star Trek Into Darkness opens, we are thrown into a Starfleet operation where James Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) are actively disregarding the Prime Directive. The mission is ultimately a success, but there are consequences waiting for Kirk when he gets home. Captain Pike is livid, flying by the seat of your pants works when you're just some local farmboy, but Kirk is responsible for the lives of hundreds of officers and he can't be left in the captain's seat in good conscience.
There is plenty of reason to question the fearless leader of the Enterprise. Kirk has the requisite swagger, but there is always a glimmer behind his eyes that suggests he still doesn't know what he should do. Any chance for character growth in a summer blockbuster is appreciated, but it is handled in a devil-may-care fashion by the writers and, frankly, Kirk's perpetual combat with maturity should be resolved by now.
The time for Kirk to reflect on his leadershi…

Courtesy of Simon Pegg's twitter page, we now have out first look at the recently wrapped The World's End, the final installment of Edgar Wright's Blood & Cornetto trilogy. Judging from how the leads are dressed, Pegg is either playing a guy down on his luck, or a Chris Angel enthusiast. It's hard to say.

We boldly venture to watch another thrilling trailer with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto looking panicked...

If you are not sure where to find the IMAX extended previews of Star Trek Into Darkness, then this list should prove fruitful to your endeavors.

Alabama Carmike Patton Creek 16; IMAX, Hoover Cobb Hollywood 16; IMAX, Tuscaloosa
Alaska Regal Tikahtnu Commons Stadium 16; IMAX, Anchorage
Arkansas Dickinson Chenal 9, IMAX, Little Rock
Arizona  Dickinson Gateway 12, IMAX, Mesa AMC Deer Valley 30; IMAX, Phoenix AMC Loews Foothills 15; IMAX, Tucson

California AMC Burbank 16; IMAX, Burbank Edwards Fresno Stadium 22; IMAX, Fresno AMC Century City 15; IMAX, Los Angeles Esquire IMAX, Sacramento AMC Palm Promenade 24; IMAX, San Diego AMC Van Ness 14 + IMAX, San Francisco AMC Downtown Disney 12; IMAX, Anaheim
Colorado UA Colorado Mills Stadium 16; IMAX, Lakewood UA Colorado Center Stadium 9; IMAX, Denver AMC Westminster Promenade 24; IMAX, Denver
Connecticut AMC Loews Danbury 16; IMAX, Danbury Rave Buckland Hills 18; IMAX, Manchester
Florida AMC Universal Cineplex 20; IMAX, Orlando AMC Regency 24; IMAX, Jacksonville AMC Veteran…

The anticipation for J.J. Abram's follow-up was already incredibly high to begin with, now, people who don't even enjoy sci-fi want to see this.
By the way, nice creepy voice, Cumberbatch.

A person looking at wreckage facing away from camera should be its own category. Whoever we're looking at (presumably Benedict Cumberbatch's character) has caused a lot of damage and it looks like J.J. Abrams has upped the mayhem for his sequel. It will be appreciated as Star Trek Into Darkness marks the series' first attempt at the IMAX format.

One can't help but wonder if this poster for The World's End is a barebones layout of the plot via this exchange in Shaun of the Dead. Deceptively simple, yet brilliant.

Edgar Wright is a very popular man amongst his legion of geeks, nerds, and other pop-culture aficionados. One of those reasons being that Mr. Wright is a certified master of easter eggs—Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is entirely made up of them. Yet the ode to the English auteur's brilliance takes place in Shaun of the Dead. This throwaway line Ed shares with Shaun at the pub “a bloody Mary first thing, a bite at the King’s Head, couple at The Little Princess, stagger back here and bang… back at the bar for shots.” 

Not much to ponder for a viewer seeing a film for the first time, but think about how the film unfolds after that. Shaun and Ed kill a zombie named Mary. They then go to Shaun’s stepfather’s place to find out he’s been bitten. Off to rescue Liz (Shaun's love interest) at her flat and then the group pretends to be zombies and infiltrate The Winchester where they fend off zombies with a rifle.

The entire film is described in one line. Brilliant.

A couple of pieces of note for J.J. Abram's upcoming Star Trek sequel:

Below is a set photo of Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Benedcit Cumberbatch's unnamed villain. The Vulcan Death Grip is alive and well. Cumberbatch appears to be wearing a Space Fleet Officer shirt so perhaps a double-cross is at hand? Either that, or Cumberbatch ate Quinto's lunch during the shoot.

Finally, portions of Star Trek 2 will be filmed in IMAX! J.J. Abrams was taken with the process while serving as producer on Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and decided to implement that into the sequel. In addition to the IMAX treatment, Star Trek 2 will be post-converted into 3D.

Tintin is a creation that has largely not made an impact on this side of the Atlantic, but the beloved creation of Hergé has been critiqued, studied, and read in Europe for the better part of several decades. In adapting the series into a new trilogy for modern times, the Holy Trinity of geek writers (Edgar Wright, Steven Moffat and Joe Cornish) have been brought in. The three very clearly hold the source material dear and what most moviegoers aren't familiar with could become a kid-Indy for future audiences.

After journalist, Tintin (Jamie Bell), purchases a model ship his life suffers a quick upheaval. His refusal to sell the ship to Sakharine (Daniel Craig doing his dastardly best) results in several murders and his kidnapping. Tintin awakens on a ship set for Morocco and finds that the ship that he has purchased is actually contained a map that could lead to untold fortune.

The crew of Captain Haddock (the inimitable Andy Serkis) have been paid handsomely to mutiny against Cap…

Since J.J. Abrams took the reins of the Mission: Impossible franchise, there has been a sense of fun and exhilaration unmatched by other action series. The tone for the films prior to the 2006 release was an evolving one: Mission: Impossible played it dark and had very little room for laughs of any kind, the sequel dialed back the seriousness, but not enough to translate to a good time. Placing Abrams in the director's chair was a good start to revitalizing the series and once it was announced the Pixar's Brad Bird would helm the fourth film, anticipation went sky-high.

Ghost Protocol opens with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) breaking out of a Russian prison to the tune of Dean Martin’s “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head”. From the opening on, the audience knows it is in the hands of a director who can compose action sequences cleanly and competently.

Newly named field agent Benji (Simon Pegg, one of two IMF holdovers from MI: 3) and Jane Carter (Paula Patton) await Hunt outside the comp…

Eminem? Why? Doesn't this franchise deserve a little more credit than that?

If Shaun of the Dead were drawn by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Nostalgia tripping is risking becoming it's own subgenre of film. It's a golden age for nerds: comedic geniuses like Simon Pegg riff on 80s pop-culture for hours and make watching it enjoyable. This is old hat for Pegg, who starred with Paul co-writer and co-star Nick Frost in Spaced so many years ago. Spaced pulled from the same bag of "Wars and Trek" references, and like in Paul, it didn't let the in-jokes ruin the comedic chemistry, plot and character development. Contrast this with Fanboys, another exercise in sci-fi reverence that was steeped too deep in arcana and lacked comedic wit. Fanboys featured a cameo by Seth Rogen, who gives the charming the voice to the titular alien.

Paul is the story of two aging nerds taking a road trip through some of the more alien lore rich states after a visit to comic-con. While stopped to see The Black Mailbox, a car crashes nearby that contains a lovable extra terrestrial who needs help to escape. He is being chased by pur…

Nod to Empire for putting this up. Simon Pegg (of Spaced and Shaun of the Dead infamy) and Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings) are headlining John Landis' latest effort based on the true story of two 19th century serial murderers and grave robbers who run a very profitable business providing cadavers to a medical school. The release date right now is listed as 2010 so there's no sure date, but be looking for this black comedy.