Two Good Movies

OK. I saw two really good movies recently that you need to check out for yourself.


The first was 'Hot Fuzz'. This one is the second offering from UK comedic duo, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who came out with 'Shaun of the Dead' a couple years. This movie does for buddy cop/action movies what 'Shaun' did for zombie movies. I did like 'Shaun', but I really enjoyed this one immensely! There's so much acerbic wit as it slowly puts together all the pieces of a murder mystery, poking fun and revering at the same time all of the cheesy cop movies you have ever seen. You'll have to listen closely to hear all of the comments muttered (in thick accents), especially by the two Andy's. You may want to consider turning on the Closed Captioning to catch everything. Spoiler alert: The ending is an incredible blood bath, just like 'Shaun', but not in a serious way. It was completely hilarious and you totally don't see it coming! Pegg's movies just seem to be getting better and better, so I'm really looking forward to seeing 'Run, Fatboy, Run'.


'The Dancer Upstairs'. I happened to catch this one by accident the other day on IFC. I think since there was so much Oscar "buzz" associated with the film 'No Country For Old Men', that they've started playing all of the recent movies featuring Javier Bardem, who plays the hit man in 'No Country'. Well, his role in this one is completely different as a police terrorist investigator in an unnamed South American country. I was really dismayed that they never reveal which country this is supposed to be occurring in, but I read that it is roughly based on a series of government assasinations by a terrorist faction that occurred in Peru a few years ago. The movie is directed by John Malkovich, and it really shows. This movie is not a typical thriller in that it has a lot of heart and there is so much down-to-earth, truthful character development beneath all of the tension going on with the investigation. Bardem's character is really lovable, and is totally believable as a father, husband, and regular guy. The ending is heartbreaking, but also a fantastic release after the climax of the movie (and also features nice use of a Nina Simone song). This isn't your typical political thriller, but almost more of a sleeper. Rent it or look for another showing on IFC.