Hot Fuzz
MOVIE
How do you follow a comedy as perfectly executed as 2004's Shaun of the Dead? If you're the winning team of director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, apply the same formula to the cop genre, producing the even greater Hot Fuzz.
Pegg plays Sergeant Nick Angel, a London cop who is so good at his job that he's making the rest of the department, including his superiors, look bad. To compensate, they transfer him to the sleepy town of Sanford, where everyone knows each other and the only emergency call involves a missing swan. There, he's teamed up
with Danny Butterman (Frost), who does exactly what the job requires of him: nothing.
While on the "beat," the team discovers a number of suspicious accidents. As the accidents become more frequent, Butterman and Angel actually do some investigative work and encounter more than they bargained for.
have seemly created a new genre;the smart parody film.
For a filmmaking team to not fall into the sophomore slump and actually outdo their first picture is a rarity in Hollywood, but in this case, Hot Fuzz puts Shaun of the Dead to shame. Director Edgar Wright and company
The film is hilarious, but Wright's stylish direction deserves acclaim as well. That direction, along with the writing, puts the film above parody much like Shaun of the Dead. These guys love the movies they're poking fun at and that affection earns Hot Fuzz its five stars.
23
Rated R 2 hours
★★★★★ Jared Duncan
MUSIC by Blonde Redhead
23, Blonde Redhead's first release since 2004's Misery Is a Butterfly, finds the band once again delving into exciting new territory.
The albumopens with "23," which has a driving drumbeat and catchy melody. It sets the groundwork of dreamy textures mixed with intricate rhythms. Lead vocalist Kazu Makino's airy voice provides a psychedelic
feel that compliments the eclectic music. Her lyrics are usually unintelligible, but that doesn't seem to hurt the band. Amedeo Pace, who also plays guitar, provides the lead vocals on "SW,""Spring and By Summer Fall" and "Publisher," adding another exciting quality to the band.
Blonde Redhead tries out a variety of moods, in the bittersweet "My Impure Hair," the confused "Top Ranking" and the up-tempo "Silently." This gives the album variety, something that is lacking from a lot of releases.
A combination of foot- tapping drumbeats mixed with atmospheric music makes 23
- one of the most interesting releases of 2007.
Chris Brower
ALL RATINGS ARE OUT OF A POSSIBLE FIVE STARS.★★★★★