16. Edgar Wright
EDGAR WRIGHT
SHAWN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
British director Edgar Wright, a lifelong cineaste, began making low budget short films as a kid and his unique filming and editing style led to a career directing television. His directing of the cult series Spaced in 1999 and 2001 led to his collaboration with Simon Pegg. Both being fans of horror and comedy, they co-wrote the romantic zombie comedy (or Rom-Zom-Com) Shaun of the Dead in 2004, which Wright directed and starred Pegg. The film paid heavy homage to a number of zombie and horror films but never spoofed the genre. Wright and Pegg teamed up again for 2007’s Hot Fuzz, another homage film based on big American police action movies of Michael Bay, Tony Scott, and John Woo, but also contained references to The Wicker Man as well as slasher films. Hot Fuzz continued Wright’s use of graphic, stylized violence for the purposes of comedy. In 2007, Wright contributed a fake trailer to the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez experiment Grindhouse. Wright’s trailer, Don’t!, spoofed the practice of renaming British horror films for American markets and making the trailers almost totally incomprehensible. In 2010, Wright released his third feature as a director, the comic book adaptation Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, his first without Pegg as co-writer and star. Wright effectively made the film a living comic book and video game and employed some of the most surreal techniques he had used to that point. Wright’s films are fun and frenetic and benefit from his wry sense of humor and absurdity. With only a few films under his belt, he has made an indelible mark on pop-art cinema with a cult edge.
See the full list HERE.
Way too soon on this guy. If we’re counting avaiable titles at Redbox, this guy is a solid #1, but seriously?
It’s a good thing John Ford’s found a place here at Battleship Pretension. Given the death of the West, I was seriously worried Ford would have to live in Dallas or something. Good thing he’s here today.
And I find it very interesting that you are a redbox customer. Dirty secrets, Mr. Ford?