So You've Decided to Watch 17 Hours of Space Wizards... (Force Awakens Spoiler Free)

On Thursday, December 17th, I prepared for the new Star Wars movie perhaps the only way I really knew how to prepare for it. By attending a marathon of every single Star Wars Movie there had been up until that point. Excluding the Holiday Special and the two Ewok specials. But we don’t discuss those.

It was technically Thursday, December 17th as we got to the movie theater, much in the same way a cat is technically a tiger… the first movie started at 1:00 a.m. in order to give us maximum time to watch all of them, in chronological order, and still have enough time for breaks. For a brief moment I debated skipping the Phantom Menace, if only to not hear the Dark Lord of the Sith yell “yippee” when he gets his way, but, I wanted to attend all of them.

I should also point out that this is an odd time of year for me. You see, I’m finishing up finals, which means sleep is already at a premium for me this week as I squeeze work in between school. In fact my final class was Wednesday from 7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. For those keeping track at home, that meant I had about three hours in between marathon and wrapping up my last class. So, in the long run maybe signing up for a 17 hour Star Wars Marathon may have not been the smartest idea. This week.

I never was very smart, when it came to Star Wars.

I grew up with Star Wars. My dad introduced me to the adventures of Luke, Leia, and Han early on in my life. He did so proudly. It was a great story. A farm boy finds out he’s really the son of a powerful space wizard and he has to go fly a space fighter to destroy a planet? Incredible. Then it go better… it turns out that the farm boy is related to the bad guy? What? That blew my little mind. Then there was Han Solo. He was everything, goofy, smart, he did his own thing, he was a bad boy that flew a spaceship unlike any other space ship, ever, the Millennium Falcon. 

Everyone wanted to be Han Solo. At least I did.

My favorite Christmas Memory was when I lived in New Jersey. We lived on base housing, so I was afraid that Santa wouldn’t be able to get in since there was no chimney. On Christmas Eve there was a knock on the door. My parents told my brother and I to get it, and Santa was there. The big guy himself, in the flesh, at our door, who had to stop by early since we didn’t have a chimney. I don’t remember anything else he gave us, except one thing. A giant Millennium Falcon toy. It had the removable plates so you can hide your action figures when the storm troopers came by, it opened up so you could see inside, and the cockpit door opened just right. It was perfect. I spent hours coming up with ways Han would save everyone. 

So going to see all the movies on the big screen was exciting for me. Yes, even the prequels. I’ll be the first to tell you that the prequels aren’t very good objectively. They’re poorly written and not very planned out, despite having the hindsight of being written after that original trilogy. The acting from most is wooden. And there’s a sense of “hey, look at what we can do with CGI” for about 90% of the film. But you know what? It’s Star Wars. I loved seeing them back up on the big screen. 

It was odd watching it with a theater full of people with the same agenda as me: to marathon them all before the new one. Some people were dressed up in costume. My friend Kim and I referred to them as rookies, because you don’t dress up in costume for a movie marathon. Our comfy pants and T-Shirt ensembles were perfect for the night (and day) allowing the versatility to relax while still being able to breathe. But everyone laughed in the right… or in a few moments, the wrong but totally appropriate… spots. Despite the prequels reputations as being awful, there was still reverence for what we were watching: the story of a young wizard-knight seduced by the power of the dark side, wishing to save his love. 

I’m not sure what else to break down here. Jar-Jar was still terrible. Too much CGI. Liam Neeson was gone way too soon. And Darth Vader shows up five minutes before the end, when everyone expected him to show up. They were the prequels.

The prequels ran until about 7:30 ish, so we had time to go get breakfast. I’m fortunate that Kim is an expert at food, so we were able to bypass the eight bag of popcorn and the stale hot dogs for a nicer place that involved sitting down and having hot food provided to us as we sat in our clothes we’d been wearing for so long now. As people were getting up for work, we had downed three entire movies that comprised the Star Wars Saga.

We got back to the theater to hear the tail end of a trivia contest that there was no way we were going to win while wearing T-Shirts that said “Star Wars” our dedication to the marathon and another guy was wearing a screen accurate Boba Fett Costume. But we were ready to start the Original Trilogy. The yellow words came up that said “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” then the words “Star Wars” hit the screen. It was beautiful. We watched another three movies, the ones I grew up with. We cheered when the Death Star blew up. We laughed at Leia calling Han a nerfherder. Some nerd next to Kim complained when “A New Hope” popped up on the crawl because it meant it was the remastered versions. There was slight cringing when Luke kissed Leia. Really. We cut out Han shooting first when we re-edit these things, but you can’t cut out that kiss. now THAT’s arrogance, George Lucas.

Oh, one other thing. Anyone else notice that a LOT of astromech droids die in these things, except R2D2. He’s either very lucky, or he’s the one behind these deaths. Just throwing that out there.

It was an incredible mix of camaraderie and anticipation. Everyone wanted to watch the movies and give them respect, but we were ready. Ready for Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.

I know a lot of people haven’t seen it yet. And you know my feelings on dubbing certain things as “spoilers.” I still don’t agree that the “plot” of the movie, insofar as it’s one line like “Rocky Balboa fights for the championship” or “A boy sees a psychiatrist because he sees dead people” is really a “spoiler”. So I was concerned when we knew of Episode VII as “the continuation of the Star Wars saga and nothing else. 

But I agree, it’s better to go in fresh and know nothing about the movie. So, no spoilers in this review. (Spoilers come Monday.)

That being said, I’m not going to ruin it here. My first, non-spoiler impressions was, (and apologies to Phineas and Ferb) “I was blown away, much like Alderaan.” It movie had time to not only meet and acknowledge all of my expectations, but it did so on the way to exceeding all of them. Simply put this is the first time I’ve felt this way since the first time I saw the original Star Wars. it was amazing. The CGI was kept to a minimum. BB-8, the soccer ball droid, was incredible. Character backstories were expertly weaved into the existing characters. There were references and acknowledgements to the characters that came before and made this galaxy what it was. The old movies are revered in a way simply not done by movies today. 

I am looking forward to sharing all my thoughts. But for now I want everyone to know about the experiences in that theater with 100 other people who loved the movie as much as I do.

Summer Movie Season: It's a Fun Movie

Hang on!

I’ve had this theory for a while about television. If you look at some of the best television series right now, they’re surviving by becoming essentially like movies. Yes, they are episodic but there isn’t a reliance on needing to cover 22 unique episodes that will play really well in syndication. Think Breaking Bad or Daredevil. You can easily point to any of those shows and they have great episodes, but the narrative story is set up more like a movie, one that makes sense as they feed into each other to tell an overarching story. (One could argue that Deep Space Nine did this years ago.)

Conversely, movies are becoming more like television. Some of them are, anyway. Getting Chris Evans or Robert Downy Jr, to show up on your television show may not always work, tell Chris, “Hey, do your own movie, then show up as a supporting player in this one for a bit” thus sort of providing different episodes of an overall Avengers franchise. 

Then one could argue that Mission Impossible has been doing this for years. Each sequel is almost a new movie unto itself, only carrying a few of the characters into brand new situations and a brand new feeling. (Even the whole plot of Ethan being married was only briefly mentioned when it had to be, and then it was quickly removed.)

This incarnation of Mission Impossible (Rogue Nation, since the numbers were dropped around the time they realized that brought in more money) once again stars Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt who is once again on the run when once again the Impossible Mission Force is once again compromised and once again shut down. Apparently there’s some evil organization who does what they do but for evil, and the British Government is involved. There’s a lot of moving parts. You don’t really care about this, what you care about are the explosions as mixed with the stunts, which is awesome.

Oh, and there’s a subplot where Alec Baldwin (CIA Director Hunley)  and IMF Agent Brandt (Jeremy Renner) are off on the side doing office stuff, because when you have one of the world’s most up and coming action stars, you want to stick him in a suit and have him sit in an office while Tom Cruise Runs around. Ving Rhames is back as tech dude Luther, and Simon Pegg is showing off his serious acting jobs after his rant against frivolous movies in the returning role as Benji. Rebecca Ferguson joins the cast as Ilsa Faust, who’s loyalties keep you guessing until the end.

Look, no one is going to be clutching an Oscar, thanking the entire cast and crew for their work on Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. The movie does what it’s supposed to do: it’s pretty entertaining. The movie starts with the well shown stunt of Ethan Hunt hanging onto the side of an airplane as it takes off. There’s cool car chases, great one liners, and a scene where they have to switch computer files in a tank of water that literally had me holding my breath. 

To me, this is one of the reminders of why I enjoy summer movies so much. It’s just a fun movie, one that’s not too concerned about itself, one that doesn’t spend a lot of time brooding, weighing consequences, or taking subtle digs at other movie franchises. (I’m looking at you, Avengers. It’s real easy to save everyone when you’ve got like, 12 people that can fly.)

It’s just a fun movie. That’s the best thing that can be said about it. It really doesn’t need further praise than that.

Nine out of Ten

Whedon Be Praised! Another Successful Movie Season!

Every movie I’ve seen this Summer movie Season, laid end to end, with the exception of one. I’m missing the ticket from my second viewing of Man of Steel. If you find it, please contact me.

Sadly, Summer Movie Season has come to a crashing close with Getaway. I did not see it, (yet) but young Disney Starlet Selena Gomez playing a carjacker as Ethan Hawke, Race Car Driver follows the instructions of a personless voice to save his wife practically screams, “GET TO A MOVIE THEATER NOW”. It also screams that it’s the exact opposite of Iron Man 3 in that it will lack some of the “pew-pew explosion pow” that makes it a true Summer Blockbuster. No, I ended the summer with a spectacular friend (it’s the same friend as Mortal Instruments, so I need to come up with new superlatives each time) accompanying me to Closed Circuit, which was actually a decent movie. That starred Rebecca Hall, same as Iron Man 3! Hey, the loops been closed! (It also starred Eric Bana, and I feel I deserve a prize for never once leaning over to my friend and saying, “oooh.. .he’s getting angry in this scene... you wouldn’t like him when he’s angry.)

Summer Movie Season, the bookends. Considerably less men in Iron Suits in last one, but the first one had WAY less wigs worn by lawyers.

Overall, I went to the movie theater 28 separate times this summer. Of course, the number of movies I’ve seen all depends on your math of it all. While I have 28 tickets, I saw six movies twice: Pacific Rim, Star Trek, Man of Steel, Mortal Instruments, and Iron Man 3. Why see them twice? Because they were awesome. Particularly Pacific Rim, which had the dual appeal of giant fighting robots, Charlie Day playing a scientist, AND Idris Elba yelling cool things about stopping the Apocalypse. I swear, I’d watch a movie that was just him screaming things at people. Which was most of this movie. So I guess I did! Twice! Score!

See how sad the one Man of Steel Ticket is without his brother? Also, the size difference between the two theater tickets for some reason?

The Math is further complicated by this little gem: The Cornetto Trilogy! All three movies: Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End, three fantastic movies on one glorious ticket. And lanyard. And T-Shirt. Unlike some OTHER people that went to a marathon and didn’t get a ticket. (I’m like 90% sure he doesn’t read this blog, so that line may be for naught. But it made me feel better.) The first two were released years ago, and you’ll remember I watched them in the “Thanks Mum” Marathon over July 4th, but watching them in a theater full of... well, people like me... made it that much more worth it. There was line quoting, there were standing ovations, there was a lot of nerd rage at the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman (more on that next week)... but it was an experience. Honestly, one of the best experiences I had this summer at the movies. 

                                                                        I get a lanyard, I get a lanyard...

So.... I’m sure the question you’re asking yourself right now, other than when is he going to show off that sweet shirt, is why do I do it? Why do I go to the movies this many times... 28 times is more than there weeks in summer meaning I doubled up some weeks (Hell, I doubled up some days... swearing again to generate more controversy. Is it working? Do I have to twerk yet?) and more buttered popcorn than it’s probably safe to smell, much less consume? 

I love movies. I love bad ones. I love good ones. I love ones that make you think. I love that for two hours I get to get lost in the world of someone else. I get to get lost in a world that doesn’t exist here. Plus, I get something out of it. Its weird and cliche, but I do learn a little something out of each one, even if it’s that Tatum Channing is funny. Sometimes, it’s deeper than that, like with The World’s End, which was a hilarious movie in it’s own right, but it also had a deeper meaning that I took away, and I want to go watch again. 

There’s also the shared experience. Some people have told me, “hey... don’t go to the movies with someone. Don’t sit in the dark for two hours, you’ll get nothing out of it!” Do them I say boo! BOO, I say! That was redundant. But movies allow you to share a world with a friend. Indeed, I had three friends that accompanied me to the movies this summer (well... we went TOGETHER... but it’s my blog, so it’s my narrative) and I have fun quoting the movies with them, leaning over and making some joke (I’m still ashamed I didn’t make the Hulk joke at the last movie) or sharing that moment that made the movie worthwhile, even if it was the fact that the movie was terrible and we’ll never mention it again, ever. (It was great that they only made two Hangovers, right?)

Anyway, as a way of wrapping up and appeasing the God of Movies, Joss Whedon, I present to you my Summer Movie Season in a Nutshell. 

In Memoriam: The movies I didn’t get to see because they were gone that quickly. We’ll miss you, RIPD (aka Men in Black with Ghosts.) The Lone Ranger could also be described as the only person in the theater, watching you. And Independence Day 2 is looking a lot better to Will Smith right now. But I’ll catch you all on DVD... I’m sorry I don’t have a movie stub for you.

Biggest Surprise: This one is a twofold... The first was that the Great Gatsby was so good. Look, I’m a literature guy, so I was bound to see it. I was surprised by how much I wanted to KEEP watching it, repeatedly. Honestly, had I not seen the last showing, I’d probably go back right away. 

The second big surprise is how much the Hangover 3 suuuuuuuuuccccckkked. Worst movie of the summer, and this is coming from someone who says that John Goodman makes everything better. But they took a funny premise and it was clear that most of the co-stars were just sort of coasting. 

Worst Use of an Accent: Jodi Foster in Elysium. Still not sure what she was supposed to be, actually. Elysium wins a second award this summer for Worst Allegory, which didn’t even try to hide it’s message in the story or the plot, just sort of... told everyone what it was thinking. Which isn’t bad, it was just... disappointing. (90% sure not reading friend, who loved it would disagree.) 

Held Up Their End of the Bargain: I was looking forward to two movies this summer above all others: Man of Steel and Much Ado About Nothing. You know what I wasn’t disappointed in this summer? Man of Steel and Much Ado About Nothing. Loved’em. Can’t even think of something funny to say. Wuzzle Wuzzle? There. That’s you’re funny saying for this post.

Best “Bad” Movie of the Summer: I was surprised more people didn’t enjoy the Olympus has Fallen 2: Die Harder, but I loved it. It was an excellent cheesy throwback to buddy action movies, just one of the buddies happened to be the President, and the other one happened to look better in a while tank top. But the hostages, the betrayal, the James Woods, the action... I think history will be kinder to it. Of course, the Irishman managed to do the same thing without help from the President, so I’m not sure what message it’s sending to our children.

Favorite Movie of the Summer: This... this is something I always play out in my head. This is the moment I look forward to, thinking back and trying to pick out my favorite movie. The thing is I can’t pick based on the movie itself. I just can’t, because of what I mentioned: I don’t just enjoy the movie, it’s the experience. So with that note, I have to go with...

The World’s End.

Hands down, a great movie. The third part of a loose trilogy, so I was saying goodbye (sorta) friends, but I also managed to share it in a setting that will probably never be replicated. It wasn’t just the best movie of the summer, but it was one of my favorite experiences of the summer.

So, that’s it. Say a closing prayer to Joss Whedon. We’re headed into Prestige Season, which means many of these movies will be part of the Oscar Movie Marathon, which I will be part of next year, and then of course the post-January Movie Dumping Ground Season, which produces some of the finest films worthy of the name Nicolas Cage.

I look forward to doing this again next year, Whedon be Prasied!

Star Trek: The Final Frontier. And the Final Movie in the Marathon

Space. Some have called it “The Final Frontier.” Fortunately, there’s a lot of it to explore, get lost in, and aliens to attack and cause cool space battles so we can be all like, pew-pew! Boom! Beam me up, Scotty! Vooosh!

This blog’s love affair with Star Trek is long, longer than the recently discussed love affair with Simon Pegg. Which is why watching 2009’s Star Trek was perfect way to end today. You all know the story, five year mission, Kirk, prequel, reboot, Spock, you have to wait until the sequel to see Benedict Cumberbatch, blah, blah, blah. Simon Pegg only makes a really brief appearance in this movie as Scotty, the miracle working Engineer who keeps the ship running with a little bit of duct tape and some hope. But it’s enough, he makes an impression that was large enough to give him a much bigger role in the sequel. (Which seems to be standard with most Simon Pegg roles.)

And of course there’s the whole debate about remakes or reboots and how it means that Hollywood is out of ideas, but of course if that were the case everything’s been out of ideas for about 400 years now. But more on that, later.

Sadly, this bring us to the end of our little trip down Simon Pegg lane, and an end to a Very Simon Pegg July Fourth Movie Marathon. So what did we learn today? We learned that while it may not be practical to dive through the air whilst firing two guns, but it’s fun. We learned that aliens are already on Earth, and they invented Agent Mulder. We learned that maybe the pub isn’t the best place to go when the zombies attack. We learned that sometimes changing the room numbers so the bad guys meet in the wrong place can be just as exciting as hanging off a very tall building. And we learned that if you accidentally beam Admiral Archer’s prized Beagle into oblivion, then you should expect to be marooned on an ice moon until Captain Kirk and a future version of Spock comes and beams you onto the Enterprise.

I like Simon Pegg. I liked him before this movie marathon, I like him even more now. Let’s face it, he’s a nerd who gets to live the dream. He’s fought zombies, sat on the bridge of the Enterprise, hung out with aliens... he’s even done some light romantic comedy and worked with the Dude in movies that we didn’t watch today because we decided to limit it to only 12 hours. And it’s a good way to get us in Simon Pegg/Nick Frost time before his new move, At World’s End, opens at the end of the month. I don’t count that as a shameless plug, but really what I’ll be doing in a few weeks. I’m not paid by the studio... not just yet. Oh, the cars they’ll fly that day...

I certainly hope you enjoyed this marathon down Simon Pegg lane. I know I did, but right now  I’m seeing Nick Frost, like, everywhere. It’s probably time to go watch something else.  Thank you for reading and spending this time with us! Join us next July Fourth as I find something equally as ridiculous to blog about.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Star Trek Bad Shakespeare Approved Meal: Klingon Gagh. Fresh.

Tom Cruise Fails. Repeatedly. But It's Ok, Simon Pegg Saves Him.

Dun duh duh duh duh dun dun dun dun duh duh nananaaaaa nananaaa nanananaaa.. NA NA!

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (named so you don’t have to see Mission Impossible 4, and therefor know it’s the fourth part and thus realize that Tom Cruise is old) is a movie built on failure. For most of the movie, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise’s) IMF Team, is mostly an annoyance to the bad guys. Through careful planning, they manage to facilitate the exchange of diamonds for Russian Launch Codes, be in the wrong place at the wrong time to convince people that the IMF force were the bad guys to begin with, and then the whole thing of course ends with them letting the missile launch. It’s really just at the last minute that they finally save the day.

Side note: I’d like them to remake these movies with Samuel L. Jackson. Then they could call it the BMF force. Look, I’ve been watching movies all day. I’m a little punchy.

Of course, none of this is our boy Simon’s fault. No, I place the blame on Tom Cruise. Mostly because I can. And he’s the leader. And a good leader takes responsibility when he’s out climbing the world’s tallest building for no real reason other than to show off the cool spy gloves that should be in a James Bond movie. But you wouldn’t get Daniel Craig climbing the world’s tallest building just because it was there.

It is nice to see Simon not just relegated to the roll of comic relief, though, even with this movie starring Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise’s love interest, the guy who’s going to replace Tom Cruise eventually, and Simon Pegg. I mean, most of the comedy comes from him, but he plays a pivotal roll on the team. He gets to enter Nicolas Angel mode and really kick some Russian Terrorist Butt. (fortunately, this movie returns the Russians to the role of the bad guys. FINALLY.)

Bad Shakespeare Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Approved Snack: Spaghetti Tacos. Because they’re Tom Cruise Crazy.

Our Final Movie for the Thanks Mum, A Very Simon Pegg July 4th Movie Marathon: We take a little trek through the stars in our least Simon Peggiest movie of the day.

Shaun Manages to Shamble is Way into Your Heart

Zombies are in right now. There’s zombie TV shows, all types of zombie movies, including a zombie romance, zombie books... it kind of makes me wonder what type of movie Shaun of the Dead would have been had it come out today as opposed in the ye olde days of 2004 (back before iphones and facebook, back when we were forced to talk to each other in person like animals) when the whole Zombie craze was just newly bitten and had not yet shambled its way into America’s heart the way it has today.

I’ve always enjoyed Shaun of the Dead, not just for the spot on way it manages to skewer zombie movies while crafting a genuinely scary one. Not even because it’s probably the way I’d react during a zombie invasion. Probably because it’s one of the best depictions of what it’s like to be aimless, trying to figure out what you want to do with your life. 

Let’s talk about the two best scenes from the movie.  I know they’ve been discussed and discussed, but come on... this is my blog, I get to talk about it. The first one, of course, is the scene where Shaun walks through is day, unaware that all hell has broken loose and zombies are now everywhere. It’s a hilarious take on somehow we just don’t take the time to see what is going on to pay attention to what is going on around us. Yes. It’s pretty obvious. But Simon Pegg plays it off well, probably a little better than anyone should have. Love it.

The other one, and this is one of my favorite scenes of any movie, ever. It’s in the middle of the movie when Shaun and his group encounters his friend and her group. Yeah, it’s an easily telegraphed joke... but it’s one that people don’t think about. In World War Z, one of the things Max Brooks (I can’t emphasize enough.. Mel Brooks’ son) points out is the “Last Man on Earth” Syndrome, where a group of people assumed they were the only survivors of the zombie invasion. I loved seeing this played out by encountering another group randomly like that. (Plus the fact that the show up again at the end...)

Overall, Simon Pegg’s true Simon Pegg-ness is on display in this movie as an aimless dude just trying to figure it all out, and the last thing he needs is this pesky Zombie attack going on.

Shaun of the Dead Bad Shakespeare approved meal: Pub Burger with Fries... after a pint we’ll just wait for this whole spot of business to blow over.

Up Next: Simon Pegg trades in Nick Frost for Tom Cruise, to save the world, and take part in a mission that might not be quite possible.

Who's Adam Shadowchild?

Aliens, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Nerd References Galore! Paul is not an official part of the “Three Flavours” Trilogy (that wraps up this month with At World’s End. There’s a a 90% chance I’ll be in line to watch that. I don’t know. I’m watching a lot of Simon Pegg today. For you. The reader. You’re welcome.) but it’s an enjoyable look at what would happen if aliens made it to Earth, smoked a punch of pot, and then hung out with science fiction fans in a road trip across the midwest. Which is plausible, right? Aliens are going to come down, sound like Seth Rogen, and just hang out with the nerds. I hope.

Think E.T. by way of Pineapple Express. (Which is lazy, since Seth Rogen is in both. But I’m writing a lot of these today. I’m going to be lazy.)

I enjoyed this movie, which was written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost without the aid of Edgar Wright. I haven’t seen it as much as I have his other works, and there’s just something that’s missing something. Maybe it is that Edgar Wrightness that Hot Fuzz had.  The jerk needs to just get started with his Ant-Man movie. Who knows? But it’s an enjoyable movie, and it’s rewatchable for the millions of different references to other sci-fi movies. I will ALWAYS laugh when Jason Bateman shoots his radio and says, “It was a boring conversation, anyway”. (I’m not telling you where that’s from. you should know.)

Great movie. Laugh out loud great, and again, you have the idea that the writers re-watched a ton of science fiction movies to get the little moments right.There’s a lot to love about Paul. As usual, Simon Pegg is hilarious, and of course he’s entrenched with Nick Frost in a pairing that just feels right. They obviously enjoy hanging out, and I’m sure even home movies of the two of them watching football (or soccer) are probably just as amusing. Sometimes it gets to the point that you want Seth Rogen to go away so you can just watch the two of them hang out for a little bit. Not that I have anything against Seth Rogen. I don’t want him to sic James Franco on me. I feel the two of them could take me.

But Nick Frost and Simon Pegg: I’d like to grab a beer with them. Or a pint down at the local pub. That last part’s funnier if you say it in a British Accent. Also if Aliens are attacking, like in that new movie they have coming out.

I have to say, re-watching movies for this marathon is fun, but it’s a lot different than the AMC Oscar Movie Showcase, largely featuring movies I hadn’t seen. Also there’s the sense of control that’s different, as 1) I get to go at my own pace and 2) I got to pick the movies, which means that, for instance, I won’t be forced to sit through a movie that features an old French Woman dying for two hours. Although, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in a parody of Oscar Baiting movies. Someone get me Edgar Wright!

Paul Bad Shakespeare approved snack: Reese’s Pieces. Duh.

Next up: Lunch.

Then the one that started my love affair with Simon Pegg as he saves England, or at least his girlfriend, mother, and best friend, as they head down to a local pub to ride out the zombie apocalypse. 

Thanks, Mum: A Very Simon Pegg July 4th

Ladies and Gentlemen... welcome to the first ever Bad Shakespeare Holiday inspired movie marathon! Back in February we did the AMC Oscar movie marathon and we had so much fun I wanted to do something else like that, and given that I didn’t have any other July 4th plans this seemed like a great idea. Or at least a serviceable one. So here we go: Thanks, Mum... a Simon Pegg Fourth of July Movie Marathon!

Some people have asked: Why Simon Pegg? Why a very famous British Actor on this, America’s Special Day? Well, for one, it’s been well over 200 years since the whole war business. I think it’s time for the healing to have ended. I mean, look how many people were obsessed with the Royal Wedding. And the Royal Baby. Meanwhile America’s Royalest Birth involved a baby born to an amateur porn star/attention whore and a mediocre rapper with a God Complex. So, there’s that.

Also, if my intention was to pick someone so British he overshadowed the holiday I’d have picked Benedict Cumberbatch. Seriously, in four years he’s going to be elected king and the flag is going to be replaced with just a picture of his face. Hopefully in his Sherlock trench coat. I can dream...

Anyway, I picked Simon Pegg because in addition to having a new movie come out at the end of this month, being an amazing writer and actor, he is a professional nerd, and we know that nerds are extremely welcome here at ol’ Bad Shakespeare. So, it’s all in good fun that we put on some of my favorite of his works, we watch them, then I write up a little something about then at the end.

Oh, originally I was going to pair this with some kind of meal, unfortunately, I’ve been knocked down with an illness most of the week. (But I got up again. Ain’t nothing going to keep me down.) Thusly, at the end of each post I’ll make a brief mention of what I was probably going to make, but with less emphasis on it as I recover.

So, let’s get ready to have some fun! The schedule is very, very, very loose, and was picked on the basis of the foods we’d be having. The schedule is this:

1. Hot Fuzz
2. Paul
3. Shaun of the Dead
4. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
5. Star Trek

Let's get this party started!