Back again with a shortlist of things that have caught my interest over the past 24 hours. There’s not much in the way of big news or trailers, it being Saturday, but there’s still some cool stuff to share!
JOHN CARPENTER!
I’m a guy with a fair number of creative heroes, but John Carpenter is top three for me. As far as movies go, there’s never been anybody better, for my money. We can debate when it starts and when it ends (I would say it covers at least ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 through IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS), but that run is Hall-of-Fame material. That body of work is a perfect synthesis of classic influences and inspiration and impeccable craft and worldview. When it wasn’t fun anymore, he put the camera down. In between watching basketball and collecting checks off remakes that were nowhere close to his originals and giving flawless interviews, he found a new calling in creating and touring with original music and reworked versions of his own soundtracks. That’s a life well lived, and nobody deserves it more. And now he’s getting a star on the Walk of Fame!
The dedication will be live-streamed on Thursday, April 3. It hasn’t been announced yet which friends and collaborators will be on hand to speak, but we can make a few guesses!
I think JC warrants an honorary Oscar too (the fact that he never got one for directing still burns my butt), but I’m happy to see a hero of mine getting his flowers anywhere he gets ‘em. Salud, Jefe!
MOVIE POSTERS!
A collector named Dwight Cleveland (based in Chicago, ironically) has amassed an archive of vintage movie posters that is truly incredible, and Heritage Auctions will be selling it later this week. Unfortunately, this is so far out of my budget to even dream about, but this piece from CBS This Morning at least offers a view!
STEPHEN LANG!
Interviewing is an invisible art, like film editing. The people who are best at it are not usually famous, because the people who are best at it make the interview about their subject and not themselves. For my money, Will Harris is one of the very best there is. Always there with the research, aleast able to pinpoint the most interesting and under-considered aspects of the work of his subjects, always ready with thoughtful follow-ups. When his name is on an interview, you know you’re going to learn something new about somebody you may have read about a hundred times already.
Stephen Lang is an incredible actor and always a lively interview. He’s in a ton of movies that I’d call favorites, so he’s one of those people who I’ve read a lot of interviews with. But there’s plenty here that’s new to me! Read it!
PHIL TIPPETT!
Phil Tippett is a genius. ROBOCOP. STARSHIP TROOPERS. MAD GOD. This clip is something that just popped up on my YouTube feed. Never sure exactly how that algorithm works, but in this case, the algorithm got it right. Here, Phil Tippett talks about dropping acid right before reporting to work on RETURN OF THE JEDI.
MURS!
MURS is an underground rapper I’ve been following for well over two decades. His songs are sometimes hilarious and sometimes profound and always compelling. Reportedly, he’s about to retire, which bums me out of course, but at least there’s one more album on the way. The album is Love & Rockets 3:16 (The Emancipation) and the song is called “Silverlake Rec League.” I used to listen to MURS all the time back when I lived in Silver Lake, so this is a sort of homecoming for me. Give it a listen!
- [THE BIG QUESTION] WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FEMALE ENSEMBLE IN MOVIES? - July 22, 2016
- [IN THEATERS NOW] THE BOY (2016) - January 24, 2016
- Cult Movie Mania Releases Lucio Fulci Limited Edition VHS Sets - January 5, 2016
Tags: Columns, Heritage Auctions, Hip-Hop, Hollywood, john carpenter, Jon Abrams, LA, Los Angeles, Movie Posters, Movies, MURS, Phil Tippett, Silver Lake, Stephen Lang, Will Harris
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