THE DANMAN CAN

I came. I saw. I ran. Edgar Wright Feature Films Ranked

20 years on,  Shaun Of The Dead  is still a perfect film. All the jokes and references still land, the dialogue is incredibly quotable and relatable (and the callbacks clever), the editing and story beats still impress, you care in one way or another for all the characters, and the film is ridiculously fun for the entirety of its runtime.  SOTD — along with  Re-Animato r  ( review )  and  The Return Of The Living Dead   ( review ) (both 1985)—is one of the Top 3 zombie comedies ever. Edgar Wright Feature Films Ranked

1.    Licorice Pizza   ****1/2 ( Review ) 2.    The French Dispatch   ****1/2 ( Review ) 3.    The Tragedy Of Macbeth   **** ( Review) 4.    Nightmare Alley  **** ( Review ) 5.    West Side Story   **** ( Review ) 6.   No Time To Die   **** 7.   Dune   ***1/2 8.    Psycho Goreman   (2020) ***1/2 ( Review ) 9.   Benedetta   ***1/2 10. Titane ***1/2 11. Annette   ***1/2 12.  No Sudden Move   ***1/2 ( Review ) 13. Mandibles  (2020) ***1/2 ( Review ) 14. Pig  ***1/2 15. The Last Duel  ***1/2 16. Last Night In Soho  *** 17. In The Earth *** 18. The Many Saints Of Newark *** 19. Censor *** 20. House Of Gucci *** Biggest Disappointment Ghostbusters: Afterlife   ** ( Review ) (Click image above for Letterboxd link)

The World's End  (2013) is a fun film. I've seen it three times now. It's not in the same league as  Shaun Of The Dead  (2004) ( review ) or  Hot Fuzz  (2007) ( review ), but it's still quite enjoyable. I like seeing all the  Spaced   (1999–2001)   alumni make their appearances (particularly  Mark Heap ), but the cameos themselves aren't really memorable. The first hour of the film is quite hilarious and brilliant (on par with most of what  Edgar Wright  has done), but after that it begins to lose me every time and by the end I flat-out don't like it. Which is a shame because I think the film works better when it's grounded in reality and just a clever comedy. When it goes sci-fi, the overblown "superhero" nature and slightly forced drama in the finale ultimately hurts it. I appreciate the choreography of the fight scenes, but I don't like the shaky camerawork at all. There are plenty of funny and inventive moments, but The...

Hot Fuzz   (2007) is one of those films that just holds up amazingly well. Tonight I was in the mood for something familiar and this film is like comfort food. Though some of the gore gags and f/x unfortunately look dated due to CGI, and though some of the action is a bit too sloppy/quick cut style for me, the editing and cast are brilliant, the jokes still land incredibly well, and the dialogue is inimitably quotable. Hot  Fuzz  is off the fucking chain. You can find my  Edgar Wright Feature Films Ranked  list  here .

It's difficult for me to fathom that Shaun Of The Dead (2004) is already fifteen years old. All the jokes and references still land, the dialogue is incredibly quotable and relatable (and the callbacks clever), the editing and story beats still impress, you care in one way or another for all the characters, and the film is ridiculously fun for the entirety of its runtime.  SOTD is basically a perfect film, and, along with Re-Animato r  ( review )  and The Return Of The Living Dead ( review ) (both 1985), is one of the Top 3 zombie comedies ever. You can find my  Edgar Wright Feature Films Ranked  list  here .

I finally got around to revisiting  Baby Driver  (2017). I still love it, despite a few eye-rolling moments. The soundtrack is tight, the choreography of the scenes around the songs is impeccable, the film is a marvel of sound design, the stunts are impressive, and it's all done in a way that no other filmmaker could accomplish. Musicians themselves crop up all over the film as well—most obviously Jamie Foxx ,  Paul Williams ,  Flea ,  Sky Ferreira , but also  Big Boi ,  Killer Mike  and   Jon Spencer  ( JSBX  is the first track used in the film). I like that Edgar Wright   isn't afraid to acknowledge his influences (obviously 1978's  The Driver  ( review ) and 2011's  Drive   ( review )), including a cameo from  Walter Hill  (which I spotted this time), and there's also a nice homage to  The Omen   (1976).   I'm sure there's other stuff that I've missed—as with  Sp...

Similarly to Hot Fuzz  (2007) ( review ) (which I watched about 80% of with my friends/neighbors on New Year's Eve, immediately followed by this film), age has dulled a bit of the sheen of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World   (2010), a film which up until now I have always rated a perfect score. This was my fourth time watching SP  and my first since 2012. While I did detract a full star, I still love it dearly. Unlike Fuzz , I think the CGI still holds up well in Pilgrim  because it isn't supposed to be hyperreal, but rather fantastical, like the video games it frequently references. The production design, costumes, casting, and, of course, editing (it's an  Edgar Wright  film, after all) are all fantastic. It's also commendable how well the film adapts the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley .

I'm not exactly sure but I think I watched about 80% of Hot Fuzz (2007) with my friends/neighbors on New Year's Eve. It's still one of my Top 100 Films , but it's amazing how even 10-11 years can make a huge difference when it comes to CGI. Not that there's a lot of CGI in HF  but some of the gore gags and other f/x stood out to me as looking pretty fake this go around. The film itself still rules—the editing and the cast are brilliant, and the jokes still land incredibly well. I just felt it deserved a 1/2 * lower rating from the perfect score I've always given it. I have other little nitpicks, but Fuzz  is still off the fuckin' chain, as far as I'm concerned.

1.   Blade Runner 2049   ****1/2 ( Review , Review 3 ) 2.   Lady Bird  ****1/2 ( Take 2 Review ) 3.   The Shape Of Water  ****1/2 ( Review ) 4.   Paterson   (2016) ****1/2 ( Review ) 5.   I Am Not Your Negro  (2016) ****1/2 6.   Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri  **** ( Review ,  Review 3 ) 7.   Lucky **** ( Review ) 8.   Logan Lucky **** ( Review ) 9.   Baby Driver  **** ( Review ) 10. Get Out  **** ( Review , Take 2 Review ) 11. David Bowie: The Last Five Years   **** 12. It  **** ( Review , Take 2 Review ) 13. Dunkirk  **** ( Review , Take 2 Review ) 14. Logan **** 15. It Comes At Night  **** ( Take 2 Review ) 16. The Killing Of A Sacred Deer  **** ( Review ) 17. Kedi  (2016) **** ( Review ) 18. Phantom Thread  ***1/2 ( Review ) 19.  Star Wars: The Last Jedi  ***1/2 ( Review ) 20. Brawl In Cell Block 99  ...

I wasn't sure where my opinion was going to lie with Baby Driver  (2017). I ended up loving it. It is by far the most "pop" Edgar Wright film so far, but it still has his stamp all over it. The soundtrack really is gosh darn good and the choreography of the scenes around the songs is impeccable and done in a way that no other filmmaker could accomplish. Musicians themselves crop up all over this film as well—most obviously Paul Williams , Flea ,  Sky Ferreira , but also Big Boi , Killer Mike  and (somehow I missed it)  Jon Spencer  ( JSBX is the first track used in the film). I like that Wright   isn't afraid to acknowledge his influences (obviously 1978's  The Driver  ( review ) and 2011's  Drive   ( review )), including a cameo from Walter Hill  (which I apparently also missed), but also includes homages to The Omen   (1976)   and I'm sure other stuff that I need a second viewing to catch (as with Spaced...

This is what I had to say about The World's End  (2013) on my first viewing. Not much has changed, except that I actually liked it less (and gave it a 1/2 * less for a rating). After the hour mark is when the film loses all of its steam for me. Too bad.

The World's End  (2013) was fun. Not in the same league as Shaun  (2004) or Fuzz  (2007) (or Scott Pilgrim  (2010) or Spaced  (1999-2001) for that matter), but still quite enjoyable. I liked seeing all the Spaced alumni make their appearances (particularly Mark Heap ), but the cameos themselves weren't that great. I like that two James Bond s have now been in Edgar Wright films. I wasn't jazzed about the camerawork of the fight sequences, but the sequences themselves were good. I liked the Invasion Of The Body Snatchers  (1978) vibe. But this just wasn't as clever, funny or inventive as either of the other "Cornetto" films. I'm not really excited for Ant-Man  either. I hope Wright surprises me, as he did with Pilgrim .

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