| Critic |
Review |
Quote |
Analysis |
This Week's Verdict |
Stephanie Zacharek,
Salon.com |
Hot Fuzz |
"Wright and Pegg are masters at balancing great, dumb, obvious jokes with ticklish, oblique ones, gags that zing by, only half-glimpsed, like that possible hedgehog. Even when one of the uptight town busybodies, eager to run common street performers out of the town square, declares, 'If we don't get rid of these clowns, we're going to be up to our balls in jugglers!' his outrage is so palpably sensible that it takes a split second for the absurd, vaudeville-style pun to hit home." |
If this doesn't brighten your day, I don't know what will. It is a beautiful thing when a critic manages to translate a funny movie into a funny review with a few well-chosen lines from the movie.
|
|
Robert Wilonsky,
The Village Voice |
Hot Fuzz |
"Ultimately, Hot Fuzz is a kind of a love story between these two guys — appropriate, as the film is obviously inspired by the scene from Lethal Weapon in which Mel Gibson begs Danny Glover to put his gun in Gibson's mouth. But Hot Fuzz transcends its influences to create a brilliant Brand New Thing — a laconic laff-riot." |
After a somewhat long-winded review skirting a good point, Robert Wilonsky brings us the poodle's kernel towards the end. |
|
Armond White,
The New York Press |
Hot Fuzz |
"Edgar Wright's parody trailer, Don't!, is the only good moment in Grindhouse. It stands out for having a sense of what's ridiculous — something Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino lack. In under three minutes, Wright perfectly conveys the trashiness of horror films while mocking their ludicrous hard-sell. Then he redeems it all: His mock title is not just a punchline; its savvy advice is, well, Godardian. Such brilliant, critical regard of pop culture is combined with storytelling flair throughout Wright's new full-length movie, Hot Fuzz." |
And there you have it: according to Armond White, Hot Fuzz is like Grindhouse only with social commentary, better and more Godardian. You've got to admire White for making the comparison, though perhaps it was unnecessary to reshuffle the main point six more times throughout the review.
|
|
Manohla Dargis,
The New York Times |
Fracture |
"They're beautiful slummers, these two, as well oiled and practiced as those great old-studio dissemblers who worked a soundstage to their and Louis B. Mayer's advantage. The only difference is that once upon a time Joan Crawford would have whispered dangerous nothings into Mr. Hopkins's ear, not Mr. Gosling. There are a couple of women onboard in Fracture, though as usual they're mostly around to look good and play (almost) dead." |
Thinly veiled homoerotica seems to be the blockbuster theme of the week. Then again, such things never really go out of style in Hollywood. |
|
Kenneth Turan,
The LA Times |
In The Land of Women |
"The twenty-seven-year-old Kasdan also displays an ability to bring a refreshing, human touch to what could be overly familiar material that echoes what his father did in films like The Big Chill and Body Heat. But the younger Kasdan (whose older brother Jake's own film, the sharp and funny inside-show-business satire The TV Set, hit screens earlier this month) is very much his own person as a writer-director." |
Despite the ostensibly positive review, it's possible to detect both a note of jealousy at the success of the Kasdans, and a need on part of the reviewer to let us know that he's familiar with every biographical detail of Kasdan Junior. |
|