Edgar Wright

Two British buddies (Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz's Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) head out on the road in search of Area 51 after attending a comic convention, only to encounter a cute little alien named Paul along the way in this comedy from Working Title and Universal Pictures. Superbad's Greg Mottola directs from a script by Pegg and Frost. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Convinced that a clandestine group of powerful rulers are secretly calling the shots for all of humankind, a female extremist makes it her mission to unmask the all-seeing shadow government as author Jon Ronson's novel comes to the big screen courtesy of director Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Shaun of the Dead's Edgar Wright writes and directs a takeoff of the action crime genre with this Working Title production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

A top London cop who is so good at his job that he makes his fellow officers look like slackers by comparison is "promoted" to serve in the sleepy village of Sandford in this contemporary action comedy from the creators of Shaun of the Dead. Police constable Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) always gets his man, but these days his impeccable record seems to be more indicative of his fellow officers' shortcomings than his own formidable skills as a keeper of the peace. Loathe to stand idly by as their once respectable track record is steadily soiled by the hyper-competent actions of one lone overachiever, Sergeant Angel's superiors at the Met soon determine to remedy their problem by relocating the decorated constable to the West Country village of Sanford -- where tranquil garden parties and neighborhood watch meetings stand in stark contrast to the violent crime and heated gunplay of the city. As Sergeant Angel does his best to adjust to the relative calm of his new environment, his oafish new partner Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) strives to gain the respect of his fellow constables while sustaining himself on fantasies of his favorite action films and police shows. Later, just as it begins to appear as if Sergeant Angel has been relegated to an uneventful existence in the relative calm of the countryside, a series of horrific "accidents" lead him to suspect that the tranquil hamlet of Sanford has fallen prey to a sinister plot which reeks of foul play. Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Steve Coogan, and Martin Freeman co-star in the Edgar Wright film. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

It's often said that the true character of a man is only revealed in times of dire crisis, and for likable, lovelorn loser Shaun (Simon Pegg), that moment of reckoning came when the dead rose from their slumber to feast on the flesh of the living. A hapless electronics store employee who spends most of his spare time downing pints at the local pub with his roommate, Ed (Nick Frost), Shaun's life seems to fall apart when he is dumped by his girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield), and his obnoxious stepfather, Philip (Bill Nighy), shows up to berate him for not being more attentive to his caring mother Barbara (Penelope Wilton) -- especially since he forgot to send flowers for her birthday. Things take a turn for the worse when the dead return to stake their claim on the Earth, and though the chaos that follows threatens to swallow up all of England, it's up to Shaun to keep his cool and prove himself once and for all by successfully rescuing Liz and his mother. With his trusty roommate by his side, nothing -- not even the living dead -- can stand between Shaun and the two most important women in his life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

An excellent vehicle for the comic brilliance of Matt Lucas, the British miniseries Sir Bernard's Stately Holmes featured Lucas as the titular Sir Bernard, a self-styled "theatrical raconteur." The series was a satire of the "guided tour" format that British TV had been beating to death for years. On each of the series' six ten-minute episode, Sir Bernard conducted a tour of an actual British estate, making snide, sarcastic, and borderline offensive comments all along the way. Sir Bernard's Stately Holmes was aired as part of BBC2's late-night lineup from May 12 to June 16, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide