A series about my favourite directors and their filmography.
Edgar Wright is an English filmmaker. He is best known for his satirical and fast paced films, and his use of popular music to fit the scene is sublime. Let’s take a look at the films that make him a wonderful director.
A Fistful of Fingers 1995
Comedy – Western
A comic western about a cowboy who seeks a wanted and evil man who caused the death of his beloved horse named Easy.
Edgar Wright’s directorial debut of low budget and an unknown cast that parodies the classic spaghetti western. The title alone suggests a homage to the ultimate classic western A Fistful of Dollars starring Clint Eastwood.
Shaun of the Dead 2004
Comedy – Horror
The uneventful, aimless lives of an electronics salesman and his couch potato best friend and roommate are disrupted by the inconsiderate timing of a zombie apocalypse.
This film is the first of The Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy and collaboration between Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (the latter are best friends in real life too).
This was a very thoughtful film. With all of the visual gags and call backs from earlier dialogue was brilliant.
Hot Fuzz 2007
Action – Comedy – Mystery – Thriller
A skilled London police officer Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is transferred to the sleepy village of Sandford, after repeatedly irritating and embarrassing his superiors due to his efficiency.
When he does arrive, he finds that his colleagues are so laid back, they might as well be in bed, and he irks them because he is a stickler for rules and regulations. One colleague, Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) is enamoured with Angel’s lifestyle and barrages him with questions.
Everything seems as quiet and sleepy as Angel anticipates until a couple are found decapitated, and much to Angel’s chagrin it has been called an accident. And then the murders, sorry, accidents keep on coming. With Angel’s tenacity and Danny never far away with his extensive action movie knowledge, together they solve the mystery of what the hell is happening in Sandford.
This is the middle child of The Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 2010
Action – Comedy – Fantasy
Edgar Wright flies across the pond to direct this magnificent film.
Set in a magical realistic version of Toronto, a 23 year old man, the titular named Scott Pilgrim must defeat his new girlfriend’s seven evil exes in order to win her heart.
Ramona Flowers has left the beating heart of New York City to live a quiet life in Toronto. She is the vixen that has stolen Scott Pilgrim’s heart. What will his high school girlfriend Knives Chau think about this? Or his friends and band mates of Sex Bob-Omb who are trying to get a record deal throughout all of this madness? If you like video games then it might have some appeal, as the fight scenes resembles certain platform games of the past.
The World’s End 2013
Comedy – Sci-Fi
Five friends return to their hometown to reattempt an epic pub crawl that they failed to complete twenty-three years prior, only to discover that their beloved town is subjected to an alien invasion. The third and final film of The Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy.
This was my least favourite of the three films. Even though all of Wright’s muses starred in it and some of the gags were funny, I didn’t see it.
Baby Driver 2017
Action – Crime – Drama – Music – Thriller
After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver is forced to participate in a heist that is doomed to fail.
Ansel Egort leads this caper as the titular named Baby. I was impressed to know that the soundtrack was thought of first and then followed up with a script.
I will never be able to hear the songs Bellbottoms or Tequila quite the same again.
Both Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm playing against type as the ruthless armed robbers was a fascinating thing to see!
Kevin Spacey as the engineer of the crimes was a pleasant surprise.
The Sparks Brothers 2021
Biography – Comedy – Documentary – History – Music
A musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with Ron and Russell Mael celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks.
One of pop’s best-loved and influential cult bands. Russell Mael’s formidable vocal range and Ron’s keyboard skills, together with their vivid and witty songwriting defined their music as it evolved over the decades.
Edgar Wright’s vision that brings five decades of invention to life through use of animation and interviews, all the while digging deep into the band’s rich career.
Last Night in Soho 2021
Drama – Horror – Mystery – Thriller
An aspiring fashion designer Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) is somehow able to enter the 1960s where she encounters a hopeful singer Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy). She learns the hard way that not all that glitters is gold.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this film. I don’t know if it was because the typical muses were not in the film. Or because I felt that Anya Taylor-Joy was everywhere all at once at the time.
I finally watched it and enjoyed it but not so much that I could rewatch it unlike the other films.
Matt Smith is seen desperately trying to shed his Doctor Who persona by playing Jack, the pimp, there is no other way around it though, he played a pimp, and I still couldn’t get past his previous role.
We never do get to find out why Eloise transports into the 1960s, and by the final act I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown, which is probably Edgar Wright’s intention, that we feel what the protagonist feels.
So there we have it, an ensemble of Edgar Wright films. What do you think of this director? Are there any of these films that stand out for you?
Leave a message in the comment section, I would love to hear from you!
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