Hot Fuzz

I wish I could remember what it was that made me pick this movie for my netflix queue. I'm sure it was probably a recommendation from netflix itself... perhaps even from when I watched Shaun of the Dead, although it seems like that was years ago... Anyway, whatever it was that caused me to choose this movie was somewhat ill-advised. I mean it definitely wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen, but it will never make my Best Movies Ever list. And the only way I'd ever watch it again is if my cinematic amnesia hits and I forget I've seen it. I hope this blog entry will keep that from happening.

Not that it wasn't a funny movie. But maybe I'm just too American for this British humor. I hate to admit that I'm probably not cultured enough to appreciate humor this dark and dry, but there it is. The only times I laughed out loud were at the two pratfalls, one of which was when Danny crashed through the fence rather than jumping over it, and the other of which I don't remember. I did crack a mental grin when the desk lady called Nicholas a fascist and he called her a hag (both answers to clues on her crossword puzzle) though when they called each other these same names during the gunfight at the end of the movie, all it got from me was a mental eye-roll.

Not only did I not sufficiently appreciate the dry, dark humor, but for me the movie quickly veered off into the ridiculous, treading dangerously close to the too-ridiculous-to-even-be-funny, starting with the revelation that there was not just one killer, but an entire secret sort-of-Satanic society behind the "accidents", and culminating in the village-wide firefight--just like high noon in a Western set in the English countryside with automatic weapons. (See what I mean? A little bit ridiculous). Then it became the Neverending Story. There were several points where the movie could have ended with a satisfying resolution, but no. This was the Energizer Bunny of ridiculous British humor.

I thought Hud said he didn't like this movie, and that surprised me because they blew a bunch of stuff up (ok, so maybe it was just one house and one police department, unless I'm forgetting something) and "busted lotsa caps" at the end. But I clarified with him and figured out that what he'd actually said was "It wasn't as good as Shaun of the Dead," and since I personally didn't think SotD was that great I assumed this meant Hud didn't like Hot Fuzz. Think of it this way: if I said that something was not as good as smashing my thumb in the car door, you would assume I didn't like that something, right?

I was surprised by how many people I recognized in this film, like Horace Slughorn from Harry Potter, Slartibartfast from The Hitchhiker's Guide (who will also be Rufus Scrimgeour in the last two Harry Potter movies!), and James Bond (though probably the worst one, after Roger Moore), and I even recognized the actress who played Eve Draper but I can't think from where.

By the way, this doesn't really apply here, but did you know Slartibartfast is much funnier when pronounced with an English accent? When I read The Hitchhiker's Guide, I read it as "Slartybartfast" but it was much better in the movie as "Slahtibahtfahst." Just try it yourself and you'll see.