When you read it, you'll see a lot of movies tied for certain rankings thanks to the number of votes. The list was compiled by seeing who voted for what and then narrowing it down. In the end, 60 critics named almost 180 films in total in all of their respective top 10 lists. That's why I was so elated when I found out Massive Cinema had made a list of the best British Movies of the 21st Century.Īs Massive says on their site, "The goal was simple-streamlining all the greatest films both made and released in the UK since the year 2000, with, as is always our aim at Massive, the intention of championing British filmmaking talent in front of and behind the camera."
I like to correct my blindspots by checking out how critics from different countries rank their movies. Sometimes, the folks in Hollywood forget there is an entire world out there making movies. It's slow at first (rightfully so), but you'll be in love with these characters come the end credits.What's your favorite British movie of the last 20-odd years? There's a scene in the bar involving Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" that I'll always cherish as cinema gold in a hysterical way.įolks, if you miss the days when comedies weren't super-delayed sequels nobody asked for, go give Shaun of the Dead a watch. Of course, this lends to the theme of dead and lifeless creatures resulting in Shaun "coming to life" in a sense, but that's a pretty easy idea to spot. The character development of Shaun and company really hits home, and there are some interactions that really tug at the heartstrings (Shaun and his step-dad's exchange in particular stood out). The editing (or lack thereof) really shines through the muck of zombie guts.įor a comedy, there's a lot of heart to this movie as well. His cinematography is very solid here as well the sequences without any cuts to a second or third camera really stand out, especially when it comes to watching Shaun's two trips to the mart - one when everything is boring and fine, and another the morning of the zombie infestation. Even the morbid ending had some humor! Edgar Wright has always been a solid filmmaker, and this first installment in the "Cornetto Trilogy" stands as his rise to fame. The dialogue is quick and witty, the chemistry is strong (especially between Pegg and Frost), and the film delivers both in an action and comedic sense. This British film is a bloody good time, mates. After a bad day ends with a wild night at the bars, Shaun and Ed wake up to find the world infested with zombies, and they join forces with others to overcome the threat. Shaun of the Dead stars Simon Pegg as Shaun, a boring man with a dead-end job and repetitive lifestyle which includes nightly trips to the bar with his fiance, Liz (Kate Ashfield), and best friend, Ed (Nick Frost). Shaun of the Dead was and always will be a refreshing take on the Zombie sub-genre of horror. It doesn't feature an Oscar winning script or world class actors, but it is loads of fun with a kicka** soundtrack paired with amazingly timed physical gags. These are all real-life scenarios put into a horror film, and thus the comedy works better than expected. Or even the gag where Pegg struggles to shoot a shotgun.
I don't watch the news and rarely care to people watch when running to the store, so I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't realize there was a Zombie-apocalypse going on either. The enjoyment here is clearly with the fact that if a zombie outbreak ever did happen, I would act exactly how these characters did. I much preferred their bro-mance to the romance between Pegg and Kate Ashfield, who plays his girlfriend Liz. Buddies Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play the duo, and brilliantly so. The first of the Cornetto or "Three Flavor's" trilogy focuses on a world in the midst of a zombie outbreak, and two loser friends who don't really do anything with their lives. But Shaun of the Dead is just too dang fun and filled with cliché bending humor that Wright's style proves to be the best thing about this Horror-Comedy. Sometimes a director's style can overtake the story so much that the film suffers for it, and that was the case with the more recent The World's End, in my opinion.