Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

While it may initially appear irrelevant to the rest of the plot, Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #4 may be one of Gillen, McKelvie, Cowles, and Wilson’s finest hours as a creative team. By using the tropes and tics of a popular and defining work, they manage to tell a story that both plays with the central theme of the arc and the central theme of the work referenced in astoundingly creative ways. It’s fun, electric, and even just a bit precious.

Hugh Jackman has played Logan aka Wolverine in seven different films. It’s an impressive number that will shortly increase with a third solo Wolverine film and possibly X-Men:Apocalypse, although at the time of writing he has yet to be officially cast. A few other names are snapping at the heels of Jackman, notably the cast …

Sex Bob-omb is the ultimate indie rock band: the struggling team of musicians trying to gain success in spite of their bassist Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), whose life—and love woes—continue to thwart the band’s rise. There’s lead singer, guitarist and long suffering manager Stephen Stills, drummer and ex-girlfriend of Scott Pilgrim, Kim Pines, the inimitable …

Over the years, Jeph Jacques has created a universe bursting with interesting characters. His web comic, titled Questionable Content, focuses on Marten Reed who is just starting his new life in Northampton, Massachusetts. The comic follows Marten’s daily life, from work (currently at the college library) to hanging out at the local coffee shop, or drinking (usually …

When the film adaptation of Scott Pilgrim was released in 2010, it was like an explosion of colour and two-tone jingles. To the casual eye, the film is a classic – albeit awkward – love story between Scott (Michael Cera), a loveable loser, and the intriguing yet aloof Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). In order to date her, Scott has to defeat the League of Evil Exes – Ramona’s exes. All seven of them.

Ultimately Scott Pilgrim vs the World is a film that its admirers promote loudly and proudly whenever the opportunity presents itself. They did it from day it opened theatrically and still do today. The problem is that few people pay attention to the rumpus. The numbers do not lie: the picture cost close to 90 million dollars and struggled to earn 47 million during its theatrical run.

To exit a film directed by Edgar Wright is to be reinvigorated by the state of modern cinema. He’s now made his fourth feature-length film, The World’s End, and it’s tempting to rate it as his best work yet. But when you consider his others—Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World—the challenge becomes differentiating these by how many slight nitpicks may crop up from story to story. Like most directors of his generation, Wright’s work is heavily influenced by the pop culture of his childhood. Unlike many of his peers, though, Wright is able to translate that affection and hyper-literate awareness into something fresh, exciting, and intelligent. As such, The World’s End is as peerless as a mainstream film gets.

Tai Chi Zero Directed by Stephen Fung Written by Kuo-fu Chen, Cheng Hsiao-tse and Zhang Jialu China, 2012 If you find yourself at the cinema, and you happen to have a fistful of quarters, then, by all means, go and see a discount matinee of Stephen Fung’s Tai Chi Zero. But if for whatever reason you can’t, …

Safety Not Guaranteed Directed by Colin Trevorrow Written by Derek Connolly USA, 2012 In the classifieds of a local newspaper, one ad reads: “Wanted: someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You’ll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once …

Put together to compete in the SXSW Title Design Competition, Ian Albinson has edited a large mix of some of the greatest film and television titles ever made. Slashfilm reports that the websites mission is: A compendium and leading web resource of film and television title design from around the world. We honor the artists …

Kial Natale and Dylan Innes have done an incredible job in creating an hommage to Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. The minute-long video titled Scott Pilgrim VS 60 Seconds was made for the Virgin Radio Fake Film Festival contest and the results are so good that they earned the approval of director Edgar …

Disclaimer: I purposefully did not include Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. For my purposes, it’s too American. I am interested in hearing if you think it should qualify and if you are willing to undertake a discussion on defining National Cinema. It is tricky, I certainly don’t object to others who would include it on …

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seven films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 83rd Academy Awards®. I’m really hoping Scott Pilgrim makes the final cut for bringing together several popular strains of contemporary moviemaking and an orgy of visual gimmickry. The films are listed …

#10 – Let Me In Directed by Matt Reeves Based on the best-selling Swedish novel “Let The Right One In” by John Ajvide Lindqvist, and the highly-acclaimed film of the same name, Let Me In is a haunting, provocative thriller and in many ways is better than the original. While originally pegged as their own …

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Directed by Edgar Wright Edgar Wright’s wildly innovative film adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s series of graphic novels should more than satisfy fanboys while engaging adventurous newcomers. Wright does a terrific job establishing and adhering to the tone of the book while providing a faithful adaptation of O’Malley’s six-part series. …

The best soundtracks of 2010 are somewhat varied and random. Not always does a great film produce great music and sometimes a horrible film can have decent music, there is no pattern. Thus, I have made my own very subjective selective pattern. Using my main theory that a soundtrack is best when it reflects and …

Joel Walden has assembled a two minute mashup clip of Edgar Wright’s three films Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and it carries the approval of Wright himself who posted it on his official website. Here’s what Walden had to say about his creation: “I would like to give …

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the final 15 contenders for the 2010 Oscar for Best Visual Effects.  Only seven will make the next cut at which point the members of the visual effects branch will watch 15 minute clip reels from those seven films and select the final five nominees. …

“In the wrong hands, a preposterous premise like Pilgrim’s could have produced a complete mess, but Wright is so well-attuned to the material that he’s able to exploit its visual possibilities without losing sight of the core idea…” Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World Directed by Edgar Wright Written by Michael Bacall 2010, USA / UK …

There is no harm in further promoting one of my favourite films of 2010 Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, especially since it isn’t making much money at the box office. It was reported that Edgar Wright changed the ending from what test screening/preview audiences saw earlier in the year to what we have now in …

Full disclosure: I have not seen this movie. That being said, I grew out of the stage of being a 23-year old person mere days ago and feel confident in my ability to return to that mental state. Also, I enjoy the prospect, nay, the challenge of imagining the placement of each song within the …

On January 25, 2007, Onion A.V. Club critic Nathan Rabin inadvertently added a phrase to the movie lexicon. One that would eventually get it’s own Wikipedia page and it’s own NPR story. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl. In his review of Elizabethtown, Rabin said the following of Kirstin Dunst’s character: “Dunst embodies a character type I like to call The Manic Pixie Dream Girl (see Natalie Portman in Garden State for another prime example). The Manic Pixie Dream Girl exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl is an all-or-nothing-proposition. Audiences either want to marry her instantly (despite The Manic Pixie Dream Girl being, you know, a fictional character) or they want to commit grievous bodily harm against them and their immediate family.”

Originally I was only going to list my five favourite films of the entire fourteen year history of Fantasia. Only after last night’s screening I couldn’t help but add on Scott Pilgim vs. The World. These six films are without a doubt my SIX FAVORITE FIRST RUN FEATURES to ever screen at the festival. Look …