August 2013 – The Radio Dan Show

By Dan Delgado

EDIT: Just moments after publishing this, I’ve been corrected! Edits have been made. They may not be the last.

Fair Warning: If you haven’t seen The World’s End (Why not? It’s great! Get to a theater.) here comes a bunch of spoilers regarding that particular film, so you may not want to read this.

I really got a kick out of The World’s End, the latest offering from the team of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost. One of the fun things about this movie, about five friends reuniting in their hometown to finish an unfinished pub crawl from over 20 years ago, is the pub names themselves.

Those clever Brits put some thought behind each each pub our heroes crawl (or run) to. So much so that the very names of each pub is symbolic of…something. After much discussion and debate I will now give my personal findings. Feel free to disagree.

1. The First Post

This one’s not hard to figure out. It’s first pub on the crawl, our starting point. Not much happens here other than learning that Nick Frost’s Andy doesn’t drink anymore.

2. The Old Familiar

The joke here with this name is that this pub is basically identical in appearance to The First Post. We get some lamenting about the corporate ‘Starbucking’ pubs here. Also Gary once had a tryst with her in a handicapped restroom. When she heads off the restroom here he misinterprets that as invite to rekindle old times.

3. The Famous Cock

Simon Pegg’s Gary King is the famous cock. He’s the leader of the gang and the reason they’re doing this pub crawl in the first place. So famous in fact that’s been barred from ever going back in this pub for acting like…well you know. Famous cock, indeed.

4. The Cross Hands

Now we’re getting somewhere! Here is where we get down to the business of encountering the robots that have taken this town over. The cross hands either refers to fight in the bathroom or the idea of our five heroes working together. Also note this is the first pub sign to have the blue ink that serves as the robots blood splashed on the sign, an indicator of some robot violence.

5. The Good Companions

After realizing the town has been taken over by robots it would be a good time to hightail it out of town. However, famous cock Gary convinces everyone to continue on the pub crawl, as to not arouse suspicion. Really, it’s just Gary’s selfish mission to finish this crawl. The good companions are his pals going along with his wishes. Look at that picture too. Five faces, one happy, four miserable. Sounds about right.

6. The Trusty Servant

Gary sees his old weed dealer, Reverend Green (great name for a weed dealer) and decides to ask him if he’s a robot or not. As it turns out he’s not, but he knows what’s going on and he’s seems to be okay with it. He’s not really okay with being questioned about it though as he is loyal to the robot/aliens inhabiting the town. He is the loyal servant. Also here is where Oliver enters the bathroom and comes out a robot. Bummer!

EDIT: It should be noted that I totally had this wrong at first publication!

7. The Two Headed Dog

Trouble comes in twos in this places as Sam encounters a set of robot twins only to be saved by Gary and Steven (Paddy Considine). Note the tell tale blue blood splashed on the sign.

8. The Mermaid

This is less of a pub and more of a disco. Here the gang runs into the ‘marmalade sandwich’, two blondes and a redhead they used to lust after 20 years ago. Seen only by the back of their heads earlier, now it is revealed that these ladies haven’t aged a day. Or really that they’re robots. And just like the mermaid sirens that would lure sailors to doom, these ladies attempt to do the same.

9. The Beehive

The robots are swarming in this place! There’s blue ink all over this sign. Here the gang encounters their old professor Guy Shepard (Pierce Brosnan) who attempts to convince the boys that being a robot ain’t so bad. But don’t call them robots because that means slave. Either way, no truce is made and a massive bar brawl breaks out as robots seem to endlessly pour in this place.

10. The King’s Head

Gary, Andy and Steven make it here. Andy knows they’ve gone as far as they can go and it’s time to cut bait and run. However, Gary King isn’t giving up the crawl. Here is where the king gets it in his head to finish the crawl no matter what. Here there’s no blue blood splash but there is some fire coming of that king’s head.

11. The Hole in the Wall

Gary and Andy appear to be trapped in this pub until a distraction is provided by Steven crashing a car through the pub. A hole in the wall indeed! Also Gary jumps through a small hole in the wall (okay, it’s a window) and keep going. Fire and blue blood on the sign make it extra special.

12. The World’s End

Well all know this one right? The world as we know it pretty much ends right here in this pub.

There you have it, sort of. At least that’s what I came up with. Granted as of right now, I’ve only seen The World’s End once but I’m sure repeat viewings will make things clearer. What do you think?

By Dan Delgado

Five friends reunite to finish a pub crawl and bump into some body snatching, Stepford Wives kind of problems along the way.

Simon Pegg stars as Gary King, a man still living in the past and not over the fact the he did not complete this very same pub crawl over 20 years ago. Now he is determined to finish what he started all those years ago, no matter what gets in the way.

He reunites his old pals, who begrudgingly go back to their hometown and join him. Things go badly from the start, as Gary is a pretty weaselly selfish kinda guy. However, they go from bad to worse once they all realize that their hometown has been taken over by robot replacements.

Rather than getting the hell out of town, like they should, Gary still wants to finish the crawl and get to the last bar, The World’s End. You got all that?

You should know by now that this is the same team that brought you Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. I think it’s safe to say that if enjoyed those two movies, (and you should have!) then you’ll have a good time here.

While our heroes are being pursued most of the movie, it’s all played for laughs, though there certainly is a message about the dangers of living in the past.

Pegg is hilarious as the shifty leader of the gang and his usual partner in crime, Nick Frost, is playing a bit straighter than usual. This is one of the best times I’ve had the movies in a while. You should make sure you do the same.