Film 2 – Paul
PAUL is my go-to fun, have a laugh, spoof film which takes the mickey out of so many other science fiction/alien/space films. I’m not such a fan of the more serious versions. I believe this film is the work of comic genius which spans generations.
Released in 2011, it’s a great story with fantastic actors and writing. Written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who came up with the concept for this film while waiting for the end of a rainstorm on the set of ‘Shaun of the Dead’ in 2004.
The film’s main actors are: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman and Sigourney Weaver.
The synopsis of the film, which is full of jokes and adult references, is set around two geeks from the UK who go on an ‘alien’ tour of the USA, travelling in a rented Winnebago, starting with a visit to Comic-Con in San Diego.
After visiting some of the sacred sites of supposed UFO sightings and cover-ups, they meet an actual alien called Paul. He has escaped a government facility driving a car which then crashes in front of the geeks in the middle of nowhere.
He reveals himself and asks for their help to get him to the meeting point where a spaceship from his planet will pick him up. Basically, the film is the mad journey and chase that ensues, involving a kidnapped girl, a Bible-bashing father, ambitious FBI agents and a FBI leader who wants Paul dead. There’s also a kid called Kevin.
I think this film is an utter masterpiece for entertainment and for some wonderful one-liners including – “and that’s jenga” and “god-bothering Cyclops” referring to a character with one eye covered who believes the world was made in seven days and that Darwin was wrong about evolution.
It has a great soundtrack too, including several tracks by ELO, (which reminded me how good they were) – “All over the World”, and “Don’t bring me Down”; “Got to Give it up”, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, and “Just the Two of Us” by Bill Withers.
Incredibly for a fairly small film, with a budget of a mere $40 million, world-wide, it grossed $98 million.
This is not the only film Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have made together. They also collaborated on writing, ‘Shaun of the Dead’, ‘Hot Fuzz’, and ‘The World’s End’ among others.
It is our plan for our 60th birthday to travel to some of the places featured in this film as a bit of fun (we’re not expecting to meet Paul!).
5 Places to visit in the US linked to UFOs
- Roswell, New Mexico – home of the 1947 alleged UFO crash – which the air force declassified in 1994, sceptics still believe it was a UFO. The wreckage actually belonged to a weather balloon, part of a top secret project – or so it’s officially claimed…
- Area 51 in Nevada – the government used to deny that Area 51 even existed – so why are they still denying it?
- Bowman, South Carolina – an unofficial welcome centre for aliens. In 1994, Jody Pendarvis build a giant saucer in his back yard to welcome extra-terrestrial visitors. It is a 46-fee-wide sculpture only held together with eight screws. He has a smaller saucer on the top, which is for him to take off with them!
- Sedona, Arizona – bright lights have been seen in the skies in this area for many years.
- Kecksburg, Pennsylvania – in 1965 a 15-foot long copper coloured object covered in Egyptian type hieroglyphics allegedly fell to earth in a fiery blaze, landing in the rural Kecksburg forests. The U S military arrived and removed the object within hours, and stories circulated about army personnel telling people to forget what they saw…