Check It. Attack the Block.

It's a peculiar thing watching Attack the Block while being aware of all the riots and madness going on in London and surrounding whereabouts right now. There's a youthful grittiness that's almost all too real in this film, and can hit particularly hard if you think about it too much.

Thankfully, there's enough fast-moving action, witty remarks and just plain heart to distract you and have you enjoy this fun-filled adventure of a film. Attack the Block was directed by first-time director Joe Cornish, a friend of Edgar Wright (who also produced the film), and it's obvious that Cornish looks up to Wright's fast-cut storytelling pace. It's refreshing, keeps the movie young and holds well with the script's banter.

I went into the theater not knowing much anything about the plotline, and I think other moviegoers should do the same. But if you're curious, the basic story follows a group of British teenagers as they encounter a pretty crazy, out-of-this-world (wink wink) night. I was extremely impressed by the cast of actors -- many of them young and new and right of the gate (similar to Super 8 earlier this year; the kids are killing it!). They really help to bring you into this South London world, and you strangely might not ever want to leave.

Attack the Block is playing at the Arclight theaters, L.A. Live and other theaters.

-- Chau Tu

Do It. Edgar Wright at the New Beverly.

I've already professed my love for Edgar Wright here before, but I'm not ashamed to say again that the man knows how to make great movies. And if you need a refresher, here it is:

The New Beverly will be screening Wright's three great features -- Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World -- on Friday and Saturday, with Wright and other special guests scheduled to make appearances (previous screenings of Scott Pilgrim at the New Bev have yielded nearly the entire cast). Understandably, the screenings have sold out of advance tickets, but this one is sure worth waiting in the standby line for -- but be sure to get there way before the 7:30pm start time.

But if you're awesome and have already seen all these films, you can still support Wright by seeing the rest of his curated series -- The Wright Stuff II -- at the New Bev. From Jan. 16-31, Wright is sponsoring screenings of awesome (and assumingly inspiring) films like Brazil, American Graffiti, Dirty Harry, Run Lola Run and The Warriors. He'll even be on hand the first week to introduce some of them. There are definitely some great double features he's put together that are worth seeing even if you aren't particularly a Wright fan. Check them out here.

Edgar Wright's screening series "The Wright Stuff II" is taking place Jan. 14-Jan. 31 at the New Beverly, located at 7165 W. Beverly Blvd. in Mid-City.

-- Chau Tu

Check It. Edgar Wright on KCRW.

Undoubtedly, one of my most anticipated movies of the summer/year is Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Starring two of my favorite actors--Michael Cera and Jason Schwartzman--the movie is an adaptation of the highly successful comic series Scott Pilgrim created by Bryan Lee O'Malley. The film itself is helmed by Edgar Wright, who can also be credited for writing and directing the absolutely wonderful Shaun of the Dead and its somewhat companion piece Hot Fuzz.

Because I've been so excited for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, I've been trying to avoid most of the recent press surrounding the film. But while watching a screening of Shaun of the Dead on Comedy Central a few weeks ago, I couldn't help but be entranced by the special Scott Pilgrim previews that included commentary by Wright. The English filmmaker is well-spoken, funny and smart, and made the commentary actually interesting to pay attention to.

So despite wanting to avoid any possible spoilers--and I doubt there'll be too many (hopefully)--I'll probably tune in today to catch some more fun insight into the movie, when Wright appears on The Treatment with Elvis Mitchell at 2:30 p.m. on KCRW. As always, you can listen (old-school) on the radio on 89.9 FM, or (new-school) streaming live online at kcrw.com. Wright also has a pretty cool personal website.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World premieres Aug. 13. Check out the trailer here.

-- Chau Tu