A World’s End

The long awaited end of the trilogy begun with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz might not be a genre movie at all. “One thing Edgar and me have discussed, we’ve been away for a weekend and got things going, is that we’re not going to just do what we’ve done before,” Pegg said. “Even though we want this film to be like Shaun of the Dead times Hot Fuzz, we’re not the genre guys. I think people want to figure us out and they want to know who we are. That’s not it. So we’re not going to do okay, let’s do cowboys next. What Edgar and I are trying to do is fit in some writing time before I start Star Trek.”

The Adventures of Tintin

‘The Adventures of Tintin’ Teaser Has A Whole Mess Of Danger

Trailers for Tintin have come out and most audiences are still confused. It’s motion capture, it’s Belgian, but having played a character in it, Pegg says it’s all quite noticeably a Steven Spielberg movie.

“Yes, because you can feel his DNA in the way that it moves. I’ve seen some of it. Motion capture is more like directing live action because you are dealing with a 3D environment. You’re moving the camera around a 3D environment, but that 3D environment is digital. It’s not real. All the way that the camera moves, it’s Steven and you definitely feel that.”

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Suffice it to stay, Pegg has a bigger part in the sequel to Mission: Impossible III. “I had two days on Mission: Impossible III. That was it. I did seven months on the fourth one so yeah, I go back.”

Rumor has it Jeremy Renner is positioned to take over the franchise from Tom Cruise, but Pegg says it’s ambiguous. “It has been bandied around. Looking at the film as it is, I don’t think so. It’s anyone’s guess really. It certainly sets up a new IMF agent who can return and who is an Ethan level player. We’ll see. I honestly don’t know. It’s one of those things that there’s a lot of life in that story because it is a kind of Bond thing that you can just have iterations of different adventures and different teams and stuff. I can’t say really. I don’t want to give anything away. It’s another Mission: Impossible but it’s an evolution I think. There’s some great character stuff in it. There’s some incredible action.”

On the photos of Tom Cruise scaling the Burj Khalifa in Dubai:

Pegg got an even better view of that stunt. “He leapt out the window of the tallest building in the world and looked back in at all of us, this huge sh*t eating grin on his face. The guy’s a machine. It’s insane. He was like running like a spider along the side of the Burj Khalifa. I’m glad that was seen because I wouldn’t want anyone to watch the movie and not know he did that because he did do that. I was just feeling sick saying that. What are you doing you crazy bastard? Yeah, it’s going to be good.”

Pauls

‘Paul’ Looks Like A Kids Film With Lots Of F-Bombs

Pegg and Nick Frost actually have an idea for a sequel to Paul too. Like that other classic alien franchise, the sequel will just be plural. “Nick and I have this idea that we had out on the way to Area 51 that was really funny. It was like oh, this could be great. It would cost an absolute fucking fortune. If it involved more than on Paul, it would mean that we’d have to have twice that budget again. The idea was it was called Pauls. Again, it was like From Dusk Til Shaun, that title is so good we have to make that film.”

A big motivation for Pegg to do another Paul was he’d like to recreate the experience of traveling the country and working with American comedians in supporting roles. He promises he’ll still write a good script though. “I do have enough principles to stop me doing that just for the sake of it. It would have to be a good idea, but I’ve just been thinking about that recently. You ask yourself why you do what you do. It’s not for the reward. It’s for the experience, not the product.”

It’s not known how or even if McConaughey will retaliate against Cooper. I’m guessing some kind of a bro-off, or maybe a shirtless arm-wrestling match. (via The AV Club)

SXSW screened Paul and http://www.screenjunkies.com/?post_type=Gallery&p=201913 While reporting from South by Southwest I’ve stood on a few red carpets to get interviews, and sat in a few screenings where the stars got on stage for a Q&A. At the premiere of Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, O’Brien got out of his car on the street and greeted fans on his way to the photo pit, including Allison Schiman in her pro-jeggings tank top. After the movie, O’Brien answered questions from the audience.

At the red carpet for Paul and Bridesmaids, Kristin Wiig did press for both films. Paul’s Simon Pegg and Nick Frost also walked. The whole gang got on stage before and after Paul to geek out with the fanboy crowd.

At the Aint It Cool News secret screening, Harry Knowles teased the film and special guest. It was Guilermo del Toro who revealed the movie would be 1981’s Dragonslayer. After the film, Knowles and del Toro spent a half hour discussing how they felt the film had more balls than today’s kids movies and fantasy movies in general.

Paul is like all those comedies I used to like, the kind where they were just plain good. They had a little of everything and just worked. That makes it harder to write about since there’s no hook except overall solid work, but I’m up to the task.

Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nick Frost) are Brits visiting Comic-Con. On the road to Area 51, they meet an actual alien Paul (Seth Rogen). Paul needs their help but won’t tell them much at first. At an RV park, they pick up Ruth Buggs (Kristen Wiig), a devout Catholic who experiences an awakening when she witnesses the existence of Paul. Agents Zoil (Jason Bateman), O’Reilly (Joe Lo Truglio) and Haggard (Bill Hader) are on their tail.

Pegg and Frost, who wrote the script, deliver on all the sci-fi, comic book and general movie references you’d hope for. You’ll hear familiar music, lines of dialogue and even a reference to spoilers themselves, incorporated seamlessly into the narrative. Try to catch the obscure Capturing the Friedmans joke. It’s not all mainstream. Clive and Graeme also recreate some familiar action moments that I just know Frost and Pegg were saving since Hot Fuzz (the age old “grab my hand” bit.)

It’s not ALL sci-fi, so there’s plenty to amuse general audiences, although it never sells out the target audience for a mainstream laugh. They do sex jokes, drugs jokes and some good old fashioned immaturity, mooning through windshields and swearing creatively. I love the running gags. Whenever a joke happens more than once, it’s instantly funnier to me.

Paul is a great character. He’s the everyman alien so he gets indignant about alien clichés, and he has base needs like anyone. The CGI looks real and interactive with the scene and characters. It never feels like they had to construct a scene to fit the effect. Clive and Graeme are delightful, childish foreigners and Ruth has a sweet arc in between Wiig-y profanity outbursts, which are also awesome.

Like the classic comedies, there’s a bit of depth with Paul confronting Ruth’s creationist beliefs. Paul actually heals Ruth, which is sweet considering at that point in the story he hates her. Is it predictable? Yes, in that I knew where the story was going, but I’d also call that paying off. Most importantly, it’s all funny.

CAST: Simon Pegg; Nick Frost; Seth Rogen; Jason Bateman; Kristen Wiig; Sigourney Weaver

SYNOPSIS: Two British comic-book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.

Instead, we are left what appears to be something of a generic children’s romp save for the gratuitous use of f-bombs. Also, if they referenced the alien’s genitals one more time, they would have to call the movie Paul’s Balls, which would just be horrible. Unless we’re missing a big component of the film (which I doubt, considering this is the third trailer), this will be a big step backwards for Pegg, Frost, director Greg Mottola, and possibly the comedy films in general. Just kidding about that last one, but this film doesn’t look great. (IGN)

However, in these clips, I can see the elements working together nicely. Comic-Con, secret government alien (?) weed, girl-on-robot sex: these are the topics that all movies should discuss. Plus director Greg Mottola shot Superbad, which I continue to McLovin, despite how dated that reference has already become.

Paul will beam you into theaters March 18. (JoBlo)

All three films are highly anticipated, but for vastly different reasons. Paul, a road comedy about two men and an alien(!), is the third film starring and written by the Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz duo, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who spin genre comedy into nerd gold. Foster’s The Beaver is the tale of a seriously disturbed man who connects with his loved ones using a beaver hand puppet, and he’s played by notoriously disturbed man Mel Gibson. The O’Brien doc should excite audiences with a behind the scenes look at the struggles of the talk show host you love to root for.

The fest kicks off March 11th and runs through the 19th. Opening starts with Duncan Jones‘ Source Code, a thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan. (The Playlist)

I am a little concerned about Seth Rogen though. I heard he was trying to slim down but I think he’s gone too far. His skin is all pale, and his eyes are so bugged out. Not to mention the total lack of body hair. I’m afraid that whatever crash diet he subjected himself to, just wasn’t the healthiest route to go. And all for what? To see his name up in lights?? Sadly, another victim of the Fame Monster.

The comedy tells the story of two UFO nuts who happen upon a stranded alien while traveling to Area 51. The pair decide to help the creature rather than turn him over to the authorities. Normally, a character that is completely CGI comes off as kind of corny, with a few obvious exceptions (LOTR, Avatar, etc.). But for Paul, it might actually add to the laughs.

I myself once picked up an alien trying to get back to its far away home world of “Guatemala.” But I was afraid it was going to lay eggs in my stomach, so I tried to beat it to death with a rake. It got away, but not before I taught it a valuable lesson about the resilience of mankind. Also, the cops came. (First Showing)

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have teamed up in the past to take on horror and the action genre, now they’ve set their sights on sci-fi. As this teaser for Paul will show you, the pair play nuuurrrdddssss who encounter an alien outside of Area 51.

Not much comedy is shown in this teaser and I need to applaud Greg Mottola‘s restraint in not having the alien play air guitar or perform a Black Eyed Peas song. Because that’s the constant temptation and danger with working with CGI characters. Before you even realize it, you’ve veered into Alvin and the Chipmunks territory.

Check out the teaser after the jump…