Best movie of this year hands down!

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

With a friend coming back from Australia,I decided to look round for a movie that she would enjoy.Due to her being a Simon Pegg fan,I was happy to find that one of his lesser-known movies had turned up at a local DVD shop,which led to me getting ready to discover how fantastic this fear could be.The plot:Unable to sell his children's book, author Jack decides to move on to writing a book on Victorian serial killers (not much of a change there!) Delving into research,Jack starts to become obsessed by the history of the killers,and starts to become paranoid.Locking himself in his flat,Jack gets a call from his publisher,telling him that he must come out,due to their being a big shot producer who wants to adapt Jack's book. Failing to clean up,Jack accidentally super-glues a knife to his hand.Putting a big coat on to hide the knife,Jack steps out into the outside world,where he soon runs into a modern wannabe serial killer.View on the film:Changing chords from Brit Pop band Kula Shaker to the big screen, Crispian "son of Hayley" Mills and fellow co-director Chris Hopewell turn the pages in Jack's book with an ultra-stylised chic.Backed by pounding Hip-Hop songs and a creepy score from Michael Price,the directors and cinematographer Simon Chaudoir lock Jack in his flat with a vice-like grip,as lightning fast whip-pans and scatter shot zoom- ins uncover the terror that Jack fears has joined him in his flat.Opening with a matte painting, Mills & Hopewell show a bravely in taking the chilling mood into unexpectedly quirky routes,by bringing Jack's stories to life in hand-drawn and raw stop-motion animation.Whilst the ending disappointingly leaves Jack's debut novel to end on a whimper,the screenplay by Crispian Mills thankfully spends the rest of the title pulling the blood red Comedy Horror nerves from Jack's paranoia.Opening up Jack's troubled life,Mills unveil all of the anxiety fuelling Jack's horror fears,which leads to bitter slap- stick laughs,as Jack faces his fears on the outside. Twitching across the screen,Simon Pegg gives a great performance as Jack,thanks to Pegg pushing Jack's eyes to bursting and shivering with terror over the smallest thing,as Jack faces his fantastic fear of everything.

This movie caught my attention given the synopsis and because Simon Pegg starred in it. So it was with some anticipation and expectation that I sat down to watch "A Fantastic Fear of Everything".And let me just say that the movie didn't disappoint. It was every bit as odd and quirky as I had anticipated. The comedy was abundant, although it was dark and twisted, not the type of comedy that makes you laugh most of the time though. It should also be said that given the movie's odd nature and surreal extremity, then it is hardly a movie that will appeal to everyone. No, this is definitely not a mainstream comedy movie.It was the wonderfully bizarre storyline and Simon Pegg's ability to immerse himself into the odd character that made the movie what it was. You will either love the story or hate it, as it is that extreme. And don't expect a movie in the likes of "Shaun of the Dead" or "Hot Fuzz", because the movie doesn't have that mass audience appeal.I loved the absurdity of the character and all his fears, and Simon Pegg really performed superbly in this particular role. If you enjoy Simon Pegg movies then you should take the time to sit down and watch "A Fantastic Fear of Everything".As I mentioned earlier, do take into consideration that the absurdity of this movie might put you off, but at least give it a chance and watch it.

"A Fantastic Fear of Everything" has some very strong elements. The performances are good, especially by the versatile Simon Pegg, Paul Freeman and Amara Karan. The production design is stylish and detailed. Cinematography is good, although marred by a few shots that could have been a bit steadier. However, it is a dark comedy that is neither particularly dark nor particularly funny. It is more absurd than comedic and suffers from a weak structure. Pegg plays a man who spends most of his time running around in his skivvies, but is embarrassed to wash them at a Laundromat, which is either ironic or absurd, but not very amusing and certainly not sufficiently amusing for the amount of time and attention devoted to the gag. At the beginning of the film, he is driven by his phobias to the point of insanity, so has no place to go dramatically. Consequently, much of the first half is at a single tone, despite plot developments that elevate the stakes. While Pegg is usually affable in his comedic and dramatic roles, it's difficult to sympathize with an unkempt misanthropic underachiever who is paralyzed by irrational fears. Pegg must come to grips with his phobias before they destroy him, but also learns that his phobias are not entirely unfounded, although they are not realized in the way he expects. Consequently, he is struggling with both inner demons and outer demons, but we're not sure they belong in the same film. He must also break out of his shell, become a human being, find love, and succeed as either a children's writer or a chronicler of historical crimes. And he must survive increasingly absurd and perilous predicaments created by his own follies and phobias and the homicidal designs of an actual murderer. The story is all over the place. When he achieves a measure of success at the end, we're not quite certain he has earned it, despite the many perils he confronted. While he finds a moral for his own life, his circumstances are so unorthodox and unique, that moral doesn't seem relevant to anybody else.

If you notice the technical aspects of the movie then its a pretty good movie, the cinematography, back-ground music, the lighting and especially Simon Pegg's acting all add up to the atmosphere, but unfortunately all these things just end up looking like gimmicks in the end, because there is hardly anything concrete in the script to back these elements.Simon Pegg as usual is brilliant, he basically carries the whole film on his shoulders, but the remainder of the cast just don't look the part.At its core this movie has a novel idea, but the director didn't have any clear vision, in terms of his story narration.I am a big Simon Pegg fan, but even then... this one was a hugely disappointing affair, you could easily give it a miss... still if you have to, then watch it for Pegg's acting because there isn't much else, to right home about.