Nick Frost once picked his five favourite films of all time
Nick Frost is a British actor, author, comedian, painter, producer and screenwriter, most known and loved for his comedy Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, in which he stars alongside fellow actor Simon Pegg. These films consist of the horror comedy Shaun of the Dead, the action comedy Hot Fuzz in 2007 and lastly sci-fi comedy The World’s End.
His other notable appearances include Joe Cornish’s film Attack the Block and the 2011 film Paul, which he co-wrote with Pegg. Furthermore, he has also worked in television such as portraying various roles in the sketch show Man Stroke Woman. In 2020, he collaborated with Pegg again when they both created and starred in the paranormal comedy horror series Truth Seekers.
Considering his consistent contributions to comedy, Frost’s taste in cinema tends to be a little more serious. The genres of his favourite films range from crime to science fiction.
During a sit-down interview with Rotten Tomatoes, the actor shared his top five films and his reasons for loving them. Find out what they are below.
The first entry to Frost’s list is Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The film follows how humanity reacts to aliens making their presence known. As expected, the government denies their existence. However, when Roy, an electrical lineman, encounters a UFO, he is drawn to the Wyoming wilderness. Frost shares how this alien classic “will always be number one” in his love for films.
He traces his love for Spielberg’s film back to his childhood: “I can watch it today, and it’s like a time machine; it completely takes me back to the way I felt when I first watched it as a kid”.
Shane Meadows’ psychological thriller Dead Man’s Shoes is next on Frost’s top list. This 2004 film follows a disaffected soldier who returns to his hometown to get revenge on the men who brutalized his mentally-challenged brother years ago. The actor references the film’s cast when explaining his love for the film, stating, “I think Paddy Considine is the finest actor”.
Frost then shares his own experiences working with Considine: “I loved working with him on Hot Fuzz and stuff. I think I’d like to be as good an actor as Paddy Considine one day when I grow up”.
Frost then ventures into something more light-hearted when discussing number 3. on his list. Bottle Rocket, directed by beloved director Wes Anderson, tells the story of a group of friends as they conjure up a scheme to commit a simple robbery and go on the run. However, their ensuing escapade goes far beyond what they were expecting.
Frost expressed admiration for the film’s auteur, stating, “I love Wes Anderson. I love his staging of detail and specificity, you know; I think if the devil is in the details, Wes Anderson just nails it.”
Another Spielberg classic comes in at four on Frost’s top films list. Raiders of the Lost Ark, released in 1981, shows Indiana Jones on his journey to seize a biblical artefact known as the Ark of the Covenant. While doing so, he comes into conflict with a troop of Nazis. For Frost, this film is a source of comfort: “If I’m sick… I will often put Raiders of the Lost Ark on.”
He shares the opinion of many film fans in how Raiders of the Lost Ark is “like a timeless gem for me, and it just never gets tired.” He also promises to pass on his love for the film, “when my son becomes old enough to watch films, I am gonna show him Raiders.”
Check out the full list below.
Nick Frost’s five favourite films of all time:
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
- Dead Man’s Shoes (Shane Meadows, 2004)
- Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson, 1996)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
- The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
The last entry on Frost’s list is a Kubrick adaptation of Stephen King’s work. The Shining is a classic horror masterpiece that follows Jack and his family moving into an isolated hotel with a violent past for Jack’s work as an author. Growing exhausted from living in isolation, Jack begins to lose his sanity, which puts his family in danger. Frost states, “It’s a great horror film, and it’s incredibly creepy”.
In his eyes, the “fantastic performances and just that sense of threat that is prevalent throughout the movie” give the film its strengths. “I just love it”, says Frost.
