What If You Could Do "Absolutely Anything" ?

Absolutely Anything (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Simon Pegg, Kate Beckinsale, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Rob Riggle, Robin Williams, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam

Directed by Terry Jones

The Story:

When a group of all-powerful space aliens (voiced by the members of Monty Python) target Earth for destruction, they give infinite power to one soul to determine whether or not Earth is worth saving. That potential savior of the planet? Neil (Pegg). Of course when one learns that they have pretty much omnipotent power, saving the planet is usually the last thing on your mind.

Apparently released a few years back in the UK, this film is finally available on this side of the pond.

Pegg, as usual, carries the film as the comedic everyman whose personal wish fulfillment ability could doom all of mankind to destruction, or potentially save it.

Always embracing the manic and literal decision of the wishes (or lack of) the Neil tosses off casually and never realizing the Spidey mantra of "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility". Instead, his wishes are self-centered and while he often means well, his casual delivery often causes things to happen literally, much to Neil's chagrin.

While not the greatest entry into Pegg's film catalog, it's still solid and he makes the whole affair completely watchable. Surrounded with a strong supporting cast, there are enough laughs throughout and enough heart to make this one worth your time.

The film is also notable for being the final performance of Robin Williams who voices Dennis, Neil's dog.

It's also likely Jones' last feature as he was diagnosed with Dementia after this film was released, so this is likely the last time the surviving members of Monty Python will have a chance to act together, even if it is only their voices.

Final Grade: C+

Not As Painful As It Sounds..."Kill Me Three Times"

Kill Me Three Times (2014)

Rated R

Starring Simon Pegg, Alice Braga, Teresa Palmer, Sullivan Stapleton, Luke Hemsworth, Callan Mulvey, Bryan Brown

Directed by Kriv Stenders

The Story:

Charlie Wolfe (Pegg) is a hitman on the job in Australia when he gets his next assignment. It seems that Alice (Braga) has a price on her head, but when Charlie arrives to take care of matters, he discovers that a local dentist and his wife (Stapleton & Palmer) are attempting to take care of his problem for him. So Charlies sits back and watches the mayhem unfold.

To try and describe the further what is going to happen would ruin much of the charm and storyline of the film.

I think they were going for a Tarantino-esque Australian caper, and I'd say they pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Action, humor, oddball characters, they're all added into the mix with twist and turn and betrayals lying around every corner.

The glue that holds the whole narrative together is Wolfe, who may not be the best hitman in the world, but he's the only one available in this corner of the world, so he apparently keeps a steady income.

It's a perfect fit for Pegg, and he makes the best of it whether it's through dialogue or just reaction shots.

The rest of the cast fills their roles nicely with some familiar and not too familiar faces providing Pegg different characters to work with.

All in all, an enjoyable caper from beginning to end.

Currently streaming on Netflix if you're in the mood to give it a try.

Final Grade: C+ / B- range

The Secret Is Out There..."Hector and the Search For Happiness"

Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014)

Rated R

Starring Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Jean Reno, Christopher Plummer, Ming Zhao, Toni Collette

Directed by Peter Chelsom

The Story:

Hector (Pegg) is a psychiatrist who leads a seemingly ideal life. Except he seems both bored by his patients and his girlfriend (Pike). So one day, Hector decides to throw caution to the wind and embark on a global adventure to discover what true happiness is.

A quirky little indie dramedy that grows on you as the film rolls, Pegg continues to shine as a leading actor who seems perfectly at home in these offbeat love stories.

He absolutely loves Clara, but feels the need to see what life could throw at him if he leaves his very organized life behind for a moment and travels the globe.

Along the way he encounters all manners of characters who impart their wisdom of how to be happy, and how they achieve it. Naturally, each one adds a new layer to Hector and he is able to use what he's learned along the way to help him out of situations as the needs arise.

Naturally, there is the other woman (Collette) who Hector needs to see to find out what he might have missed out on, or if there is a chance that she was his happiness all along, and Clara is a substitute of what might have been.

If you've seen enough movies in your life, you know pretty much how this movie will play out from start to finish.

Still, it's a journey that's always worth taking, and a great cast that takes you along for the ride.

Final Grade: B

The Trek And The Furious..."Star Trek Beyond"

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

PG-13

Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Sofia Boutella, John Cho, Anton Yelchin,

Directed by Justin Lin

The Story:

The crew of the Enterprise lands on an alien planet where their latest enemy (Elba) vows to destroy the Federation. With help from an alien (Boutella) and the Beastie Boys, perhaps Kirk (Pine) and his crew can save the galaxy.

Again.

So at this point, you either love (or at least tolerate) the rebooted franchise, or you hate it.

I'm not sure there's a middle ground.

I've enjoyed both the original series and the reboot for what they are: entertainment.

I enjoyed this installment of the series more than Into Darkness, mostly because I wish they would create new storylines for this crew versus rehashing old storylines.

Though this plot seems vaguely reminiscent of some previously seen episode, or movie...

maybe GalaxyQuest?

:)

Justin Lin moves from the Fast & Furious franchise to take over the Trek franchise, at least for one film.

If he does stick around, expect The Rock to show up in another sequel, soon, but that's about the time the quality of the franchise gets even better.

My biggest complaints for the film:

Karl Urban is woefully underused, as usual, and is still the best character the franchise has.

Star Trek: Beyond.  Star Trek-Beyond.

It's killing me to not have some type of punctuation in the movie title.

Otherwise, I need to know Star Trek Beyond...What?

What have they gone beyond?!?

;)

Final Grade: B-

It's Time To "Man Up"

Man Up (2015)

Rated R

Starring Lake Bell, Simon Pegg

Directed by Ben Palmer

The Story:

Nancy (Bell) has grown weary of all the blind dates that her friends and family have set her up on. By chance, she winds up meeting Jack (Pegg) who thinks she is the blind date that he has a date with. Nancy decides to go along with the assumption, and the two hit it off quite well.

And then, things take a decidedly different turn once the lies are exposed.

Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy tries desperately to get girl back.

It's the standard formula for romantic comedies, but this one approaches it with enough charm and fun and engaging performances by Pegg and Bell that you easily forgive formula and get sucked into their date and look forward to what is going to happen next.

For the most part, it is a dialogue driven movie, and I don't wish to spoil what unfolds upon their date.

I won't say it's the most realistic romantic comedy you've ever seen, but it is one of the most grounded, if that helps.

It's a chick flick that guys should also appreciate, how's that?

Totally worth your time.

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B 

Your Review, Should You Choose To Read It..."Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation"

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Alec Baldwin

Written and Directed by Christopher McQuarrie

The Story:

CIA Director Hunley (Baldwin) convinces the Senate to disband the Impossible Mission force because they are reckless and are doing more harm than good. While this is happening, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) realizes that there is a sinister agency known as The Syndicate out to destroy the IM Force. He is now alone, but calls in those he trusts the most (Pegg, Rhames) to help him track the mysterious Isla Faust (Ferguson) and stop the Syndicate once and for all.

Over the past few years, the Mission Impossible movies have been getting better and better.

I prefer this series to the Bourne franchise, and I hate to say it, but even Bond is beginning to take a backseat to the IMF.

Sacrilege, I know.

I think a lot of it may be in the handling of the spies themselves.

Whereas Bourne and Bond are unstoppable machines that can pretty much do anything unassisted (gadgets notwithstanding), Hunt relies on the teammates to help him overcome the odds and win the day.

This allows others to shine in the series and make Cruise look good, but vulnerable as our main character.

Twists and turns abound, and these movies take on an air of con-man/heist film in addition to being a spy thriller.

That works for me.

The teamwork required to pull off the elaborate ruse is always a joy, and the addition to Pegg as comic relief has elevated this series nicely.

I enjoyed Ghost Protocol, but I may have to give a tip of the hate to Rogue Nation for being the best of the series.

Like the Fast and Furious franchise, the Mission Impossible series is simply getting better with each installment.

Looking forward to # 6

Final Grade: B+

If This Is Truly "The World's End", Then I'm Crawling Back Into Bed!

The World's End (2013)
Rated R - Language

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost

Directed by: Edgar Wright

The Story:

Gary King (Pegg) is trying to reunite his five friends to go on the mile long pub crawl that they tried and failed to finish 20 years earlier.  They all reluctantly agree, and return to the town of their youth.  Only things seem strangely different.  It appears that the townspeople have been replaced by robots who are trying to take over the world!

Can 5 drunk Brits save the world?

5 Of Your Finest, Please?

Well, probably, but maybe not *all five* of them.

Oooo...cryptic!

Apparently the trilogy (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) comes to an end for Frost, Pegg and Wright.

But really, the term trilogy is less than correct, more like 3 films that these guys all worked on together, as that is really the only thing the films have in common.

That said, I'm sorry to say that it went out on less than a grand note.

Let's face it, it was all downhill from Shaun of the Dead which was hilariously brilliant.

Just Try and Blend In!

The problem I had with the movie?

The pacing.

Your Complaints are Invalid!

The World's End simply takes too long to get started.  It takes forever to get the boys back home, and then it picks up, and begins rolling at a breakneck pace towards the conclusion.

With the revelation of the robots, you'd think they would have wanted to spend more time in the town as the boys rush from pub to pub.

That said, it's still not that bad of a movie, so if you really liked either of the other 2 films these guys have worked on, you're going to like this one.

Promise!

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I suppose I could watch it again after some time has passed.  My opinion might change about it.  I was less than inspired by Hot Fuzz, but having caught pieces of it again lately, it seems like it was better than I remember, so we'll see what happens.