PRESS RELEASE
In theatres: March 18, 2011. Distributed by: Universal Pictures. MPAA Rating: R.
Genres: Adventure Comedy. http://paulthemovie.co.uk/
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost ("Hot Fuzz," "Shaun of the Dead") reunite for the comedy adventure "Paul" as two sci-fi geeks whose pilgrimage takes them to America's UFO heartland. While there, they accidentally meet an alien who brings them on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever. For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. For reasons unknown, the space-traveling smart ass decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicle out of town -- a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive Collings (Frost). Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a young woman that they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. And as two nerds struggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.
TRAILER
ABOVE THE LINE
Stars: Simon Pegg, http://www.peggster.net/
Nick Frost, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0296545/
Seth Rogen, http://sethrogenonline.net/
Producers: Liza Chasin, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0153877/
Robert Graf, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333747/
Director: Greg Mottola, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Mottola
Writers: Nick Frost, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0296545/
Simon Pegg, http://www.peggster.net/
BUZZ
Now the human side. One theme is the Odyssey saga. The persevering, long patient type who endures the impossible and then some. And like Odysseus, defeats the monsters not by sheer strength, but by cunning and wit. And finally, there is the childlike, inept, sad sack human with the big heart who attempts to shield this injured or lost alien from a nefarious governmental agency that wants to dissect the alien for some mysterious reason.
This last category seems to be the thrust of Paul. Two hapless friends take a road trip to enliven their humdrum lives. The object of their trip: the notorious Area 51. There they encounter an alien who has the body of Gollum of Hobbit fame and the quick wit of Robin Williams. These area 51 films always remind me of times spent as a kid looking up at the night sky for any tell tale signs of UFOs darting by. I used binoculars and actually saw some pretty strange movements from objects that did not seem to be planes. I never did find out what it was that I saw, but these alien films always bring those sightings to mind.
The unspoken paradox is that both alien and human eat fowl. It's just that Paul's vision of Chick-fil-a or KFC is the polar opposite of ours. And the crowning irony-we humans enjoy eating raw (live) oysters. No upscale restaurant would be caught without oysters on the menu.
In theatres: March 18, 2011. Distributed by: Universal Pictures. MPAA Rating: R.
Genres: Adventure Comedy. http://paulthemovie.co.uk/
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost ("Hot Fuzz," "Shaun of the Dead") reunite for the comedy adventure "Paul" as two sci-fi geeks whose pilgrimage takes them to America's UFO heartland. While there, they accidentally meet an alien who brings them on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever. For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. For reasons unknown, the space-traveling smart ass decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicle out of town -- a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive Collings (Frost). Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a young woman that they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. And as two nerds struggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.
TRAILER
ABOVE THE LINE
Stars: Simon Pegg, http://www.peggster.net/
Nick Frost, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0296545/
Seth Rogen, http://sethrogenonline.net/
Producers: Liza Chasin, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0153877/
Robert Graf, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333747/
Director: Greg Mottola, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Mottola
Writers: Nick Frost, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0296545/
Simon Pegg, http://www.peggster.net/
BUZZ
With great gags, lots of clever little moments and a winning, almost-human story at the center to leaven the big action sequences, the film should please devoted fans of the genre with its savvy attention to detail. But also it should appeal to those who generally can take or the leave the genre, which it treats with cheerful disrespect. Box-office riches lie in wait, as it is exactly the kind of film that fans will want to see more than once. http://blog.moviefone.com/2011/02/08/paul-movie-reviews-simon-pegg-nick-frost/INFORAMA COMMENT
Writers and directors of sci-fi alien flicks seem to hopscotch between four squares for their general story lines. Two from the human aspect and two from the alien aspect.
On the alien side, there is the cast-a-way friendly ET type who simply wants to be anywhere but on their planet. The plot revolves around the friendly, compassionate and more importantly, non flesh eating traveler who is stranded on this planet.
The second theme is the otherworld traveler who has specifically targeted the earth and unfortunately is very apt to be the flesh eating type. The earth becomes a martial arts playground for this malevolent variety of alien.
The second theme is the otherworld traveler who has specifically targeted the earth and unfortunately is very apt to be the flesh eating type. The earth becomes a martial arts playground for this malevolent variety of alien.
Now the human side. One theme is the Odyssey saga. The persevering, long patient type who endures the impossible and then some. And like Odysseus, defeats the monsters not by sheer strength, but by cunning and wit. And finally, there is the childlike, inept, sad sack human with the big heart who attempts to shield this injured or lost alien from a nefarious governmental agency that wants to dissect the alien for some mysterious reason.
This last category seems to be the thrust of Paul. Two hapless friends take a road trip to enliven their humdrum lives. The object of their trip: the notorious Area 51. There they encounter an alien who has the body of Gollum of Hobbit fame and the quick wit of Robin Williams. These area 51 films always remind me of times spent as a kid looking up at the night sky for any tell tale signs of UFOs darting by. I used binoculars and actually saw some pretty strange movements from objects that did not seem to be planes. I never did find out what it was that I saw, but these alien films always bring those sightings to mind.
In the trailer, the lines are witty and double edged. Without being sanctimonious, the writers present some scenes with funny but interesting observations of the seeming difference between human and alien. After inadvertently hitting and killing a bird with a car, Paul, the alien protagonist, performs an ET Heimlich Maneuver and resurrects the bird. His earthling friends are instantly elated, then horrified when Paul eats the live bird. A bewildered Paul asks in return why would he eat a dead bird.
The unspoken paradox is that both alien and human eat fowl. It's just that Paul's vision of Chick-fil-a or KFC is the polar opposite of ours. And the crowning irony-we humans enjoy eating raw (live) oysters. No upscale restaurant would be caught without oysters on the menu.
One of the things I am looking forward to in the film is the surprise cameos that I have heard about on other websites. "Perhaps the nicest points are the 'look who it is!' cameos littered throughout the film, with one or two surprising appearances before the climactic scenes." says James Luxford at http://www.muveez.com/reviews/1076/review-paul-starring-simon-pegg-nick-frost-jason-bateman. I agree that cameos are the bomb because my experience of utter enjoyment when I see them confirms it!
All this is done with a deep vein of humor. It looks like it may give us a good belly laugh. Some of the jokes are well thought out and truly hilarious. A few contain bathroom humor that some moviegoers will find sophomoric and offensive: Paul mooning in a car and presenting a pressed ham. My guess is that the movie will be an instant hit with men, less so with women but adored by kids.
All this is done with a deep vein of humor. It looks like it may give us a good belly laugh. Some of the jokes are well thought out and truly hilarious. A few contain bathroom humor that some moviegoers will find sophomoric and offensive: Paul mooning in a car and presenting a pressed ham. My guess is that the movie will be an instant hit with men, less so with women but adored by kids.
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