Never Mind Pop Film

Last year made Academy voters feel good about themselves, but in 2013 films about the life-affirming power of love, collaboration and unity were replaced with greed, corruption and isolation.

Three very prominent winter releases were about conning the system or using it to enrich yourself. Dallas Buyers Club chronicled the true story of Ron Woodroof and his efforts to find alternative treatments for HIV. American Hustle told the tale of Irving Rosenfeld and Sydney Prosser's transition from conning the public to doing it for the FBI. Perhaps the biggest picture about corruption was Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street based on the life of Jordan Belfort, the titular lead of the film, a man who did everything (and everyone) he could to make a name for himself.

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!

Two more posters for some of the summer's most anticipated films. One for Zack Snyder's Man of Steel and the other for Edgar Wright's The World's End. The banner for Man of Steel doesn't reveal much, it's just stylish, but the new poster for World's End reveals a look at the villains previously unseen in any promotional materials. The glowing eyes don't give away enough to say definitively, but could it be aliens?


(Courtesy: IMPAwards.com)

School will be out soon, the heat is coming and what better way to pass the time in a cool movie theatre? We all know about the big franchise releases this summer: Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, Fast and Furious 6, Man of Steel, The Hangover Part III, but what about some of the lesser-known pictures coming out during the warmest season? Here is your itinerary for what to watch this summer:
Iron Man 3 (May 3rd) Following the events of The Avengers, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) may believe he faced his largest challenge ever, but The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) threatens to tear Tony's world apart. With his back against the wall, Tony may have to protect his loved ones without his iron suited alter-ego.
Star Trek Into Darkness (May 16th) Maybe the most anticipated sequel of the year finds Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and crew facing their most destructive threat yet in the form of Benedict Cumberbatch. J.J. Abram's is playing things close to the chest, bu…

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.

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.