June 5: Paul

"Two British comic-book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51."

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are amazing together and every "outing" they share is certainly a watch. Paul is no exception and while it may not be as hilarious as the duo's other films (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) it does have its own little charm. It is a raunchy, sci-fi comedy with a great cast filled with plenty of cameos and a ton of movie references. It is its own sci-fi film but pays plenty of homage to plenty of other films in the genre which deepen the experience. That is, if you actually can understand the slight nods to past flicks. If you don't, then you're pretty much left in the dark to a lot of the jokes.

Keep in mind that the film is based loosely on the life of politician, and Gandalf look-alike, Ron Paul. 

Paul tells the story of two British nerds, Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost) who are on holiday in America, with plans to take a road-trip through all of the alien hot spot tourist locations of the South West. While they are on the road, making their way to Area 51, they meet Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), an alien who has escaped a government facility. The nerds are huge fans of everything sci-fi and find their new friend to be mindblowingly cool. The three of them bond as they evade government agent Zoil (Jason Bateman), who is after the pot-smoking, bird-eating extra terrestrial and will do whatever it takes to recapture him. Paul refuses to be captured again, as he simply just wants to go home.

Familiar story, no glowing finger. Oh, and very, very, R-Rated. 

Paul is great. It's fun, it's funny, and it shows two actors having a blast working together in a genre they love. While the film never reaches epic heights and may be a little too raunchy for its own good, it is still very enjoyable. Sci-fi films, in general, do not come around too frequently, let alone a sci-fi comedy, so anytime one of them is even just okay, it's worth a watch. 

The Good:

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost having fun... and we get to watch

The Bad:

some overused and unfunny jokes that seem like they forced themselves into the script

The Ugly:

realizing that a film in the hands of this duo could have been much better... where's Edgar Wright when you need him?

Overall: 7.3/10

Trailer: