Pegg stars as Nicholas Angel, an elite police officer who is reassigned to a West Country village and investigates a series of gruesome deaths. Nick Frost co-stars as Police Constable Danny Butterman, Angel’s partner. …
Wright and Pegg spent eighteen months writing the script.
The first draft took eight months to develop, and after watching 138 cop-related films for dialogue and plot ideas
Influenced by American movies like Raising Arizona ,Bad Boys, & Point Break, the cinematography in Hot Fuzz (2007), shot by Jess Hall, parodies Hollywood action movies by applying a blockbuster visual style to a sleepy English village.
High-contrast lighting, wide-angle lenses, and rapid-fire editing.
The film features over 5,500 edits. Fast cuts connect quick “insert shots” (close-ups of objects like a gun, a pen, or a badge) with wide shots. This turns mundane chores into high-intensity action.
Director Edgar Wright frequently cuts to extreme close-ups of eyes, boots, and weapons to build dramatic tension.
The “Whip Pan”: The camera rapidly swings to the side. This creates a blur effect.
The “Crash Zoom”: The camera violently zooms into a character’s face during moments of sudden realization. It is a classic 1970s and 1980s cop-movie trope used for comedic effect.
Dad died March 9, 2025, at night, peacefully in his sleep.
Both the Canadian Red Cross and B.C. Health Care system were fantastic supporting his final days.
I was thinking this would be the way I’d like to go.
All palliative care was delivered in the home. Better than the hospice or hospital, in our experience.
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I’d always liked the photo below on a German document. Dad had it posted on the fridge.
We could assume it was a military I.D. from his years serving with the Canadian Armed Forces in Deutschland — BUT it turned out to be his German Fishing Licence from 1962.
I’m posting this photo as it preceded the injury suffered while Dad was playing hockey for the Canadian Forces team. He lost an eye from a skate to the face which led to a medical discharge from the Army.
… Dad loved fishing. He owned 6 boats over his lifetime.
End of life came shockingly quickly.
One day we were grocery shopping and downing chicken wings at the local eatery. The next his bodily systems began to shut down.
One of the first warning signs was a loss of interest in watching his favourite TV shows: Hogan’s Heroes, Perry Mason, Matlock, Father Brown, Bonanza, Beverley Hillbillies, Green Acres.
Dad loved routine. Every day the same schedule. Any change not appreciated.
Here’s a slideshow of photos from his retirement years. Dad died age-94 — still with a driver’s licence.
Dad and I spent many days at French Creek Marina watching birds in the river delta.
Mom & Dad bought insurance in 2014 which paid for most of their funeral expenses. In fact, all we had to do was make one phone call to a 24 hour / day number and most of the arrangements were made for us. It simplified things immensely when we were grieving.
In addition, they’d simplified their estate as much as possible. We still had one investment that required probate, but the rest was very easy.
Sadly, my expensive DJI Mini 4 Pro is no more. It’s back somewhere in S.E. Asia.
As a replacement, I bought last year’s model (discounted) of the DJI Neo.
Neo (left) and Mini 4 Pro (right)
cost as I post CAD $209
much less expensive than the Mini 4 Pro
more durable
4K/30fps only
no obstacle avoidance
Super lightweight (135g)
faster to launch. No satellites needed.
can be used indoors safely
The Mini 4 Pro was a huge commitment for travel. Neo 1 is a fraction of the size, weight, and bulk. I’ll shoot more video in more places with what I call a …
Easy to use image generation and editing artificial intelligence software is here. Almost anyone — even Ron 😀 — can get amazing PHOTO results very quickly, just using their phone.
Me? I’m still waiting for FAST, EASY VIDEO editing A.I. software.
December 2025 here are 3 clips created in about 2 minutes each using Envato Image Gen (Google’s Veo series (specifically Veo 3.1), MiniMax Hailuo 02, ByteDance Seedance 1.0, and Kling AI.)
I first gave the software 2 still beach photos.
It created these 3 video clips from simple prompts.
I’m not really the Yoga / Beach Bum / Party Harder kind of tourist — but how could I avoid Bali forever? 😀
… are you concerned for the eldest backpacker on the beach?
NO WORRIES. I had a Spa give me a Bali makeover. Now that I have a man bun, I fit in better with the kids.
For advice on this super popular island, I relied most on The Broke Backpacker, Will Hatton, and his team — many of whom live in Bali.
I use Broke Backpacker quite a bit deciding on hostels around the world.
Will opened Tribal Hostel in Canguu and recommends it as a good starting point for first time visitors. He promotes it as a digital nomad coworking environment.
Tribal Hostel
Pretty much everyone in the public areas here is on a laptop. Seemingly doing something important.
I believe this makes me officially a legit YouTube creator. 😀 Working out of Bali is a requirement, I believe.
August is highest season in Bali — but there still seems to be next day accommodation everywhere.
The restaurant at Tribal is quite good. If consumed by some project you are working on online — you can chow down while keeping at it. 😀
From the hostel I walk parts of the 10 km-long beach a couple of times a day.
Surf lessons are popular here. Beginners tend to get drowned quickly. NOT ME, of course. I stay dry and use A.I. to create a totally believable image of me mastering the surf.
One slight problem is the number of dogs running free.
There’s no shortage of lean beach bodies. Drop-in at the fitness club across the street is CAD $50!
Everyone is out on the beach for sunset. Many enjoying dinner and drinks.
A tourist trap, for sure. But that didn’t bother me. Traffic and second hand smoke are the biggest hassles.
Though Indonesia is mostly Muslim, Balinese Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of the population on this island.
Looking to join me?
Walk down the beach until you see the Statue Gajah Mina (fish body and elephant head) ➙ turn inland a few blocks and you’ll find the hostel. 😀
A few years after my parents, my brother Rob and his wife Yvonne decided to move to Parksville, as well. They bought a 2nd house. AND got married in that Parksville home.
Randy and Val made long trips from Calgary, especially enjoying the annual Sandcastle Building competition and LIVE music at the Park.
I was born and raised in Calgary, the high prairie. Ocean and rain forest were a big attraction for me.
Most mornings, I’d get up for dawn and take coffee down to Rathtrevor Beach.
Rick McCharles 