Seems like everyone's battling aliens this summer. The Transformers have been there, done that... three times already. Teenage wannabe filmmakers in the 70s fought one in a 112 minute homage to the works of Steven Spielberg in the movie Super 8. And according to a new trailer for the movie Battleship (yes, based on the board game), even our Navy is fighting aliens in the water. Now we've got cowboys and South London street gangs taking on the otherworldly beasts... in the same weekend. Well, the same weekend in a few select cities anyway...
Since our resident Red Hot Reviewer, Luis Calderon, and I had already gone to the old west a few nights ago, it was time to catch Attack the Block, a much smaller alien invasion film directed by Joe Cornish and executive produced by Edgar Wright, the man behind Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Luis and I trekked up to Hollywood to catch a special screening at the Arclight that featured a Q&A with the executive producer Wright and lead actor, John Boyega, who plays gang leader Moses. Attack the Block marks this young man’s film debut, but if you get a chance to see this film in the coming weeks, you’ll know that it will be far from his last role on the big screen.
I’ll come right out and say that I thoroughly enjoyed the film even if I couldn’t understand what the gang members were saying half the time (and I grew up watching a good amount of British television). It’s strong on all the points you’d expect from looking at the trailer: solid comedy, action, and horror. It makes for a fun night at the movies and is easily one of the best movies of the summer, no matter how familiar you are with a South London dialect.
After the film, the audience was surprised by the appearance of Jon Favreau, who came out to encourage the audience to talk about Attack the Block so that it gets into more theaters, allowing the world to see it, not just us chosen few at the Arclight this weekend. And after a humorous little plug for Cowboys & Aliens, he introduced Edgar and John (director Joe Cornish couldn’t make it as he was in London introducing a double bill of Attack the Block and Die Hard along with Hans Gruber himself, Alan Rickman) to the enthusiastic crowd.
Below you’ll find Luis’s Red Hot Review of the film (beware of spoilers) and the complete Q&A session from last night. Be aware that the video quality is horrible due to the darkness of the theater, but I did my best to salvage it in a way that looks kinda cool.
To finish, I want you to beg your local theater to bring Attack the Block to your town. That way you can grab your gang and invade your multiplex in force when it lands. If you’re already in one of the 7 cities that’s currently playing it, GO SEE IT NOW! To find out more, go to attacktheblock-movie.com
But, hey, that’s just how I feel. Let’s find out what Luis has to say…