SPECTATORS - Part 38
As our heroes go vertical...
Wonderful cold and rainy morning in the Valley. How are things in your microclimate?
Brian here, and I just heard the extremely sad news that we lost legendary comic artist and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen co-creator Kevin O’Neill. I’ll have more to say after I’ve had a few days, but for now, my deepest condolences to his loved ones and many, many fans.
Every Monday, I wake up to the nicest emails from France and the UK, as artist/co-creator Niko Henrichon and letterer/designer Fonografiks add their finishing touches to our latest installment of Spectators.
When last we left our spectral protagonists Sam and Val, they had just learned of a terrifying nuclear explosion back in the land of the living…
Hmm, what exactly has Sam just spotted…?
Niko provides the answer with his usual flair in just seven short days, thanks so much for reading.
For last week’s Halloween installment, readers described their possible encounters with the supernatural, inspiring faithful Exploding Giraffe subscriber Robert Kirkman to send me the following:
I was doing a late night podcast interview many years ago when I heard a woman’s voice (not my wife’s) say “ROBERT” in a weak, slightly distressed sounding voice. It sent chills up my spine just hearing it. It was super scary. I turned to look. No one was there. You can totally hear it on the podcast, too.
Frightening, no?
But just as I was about to click on the link he provided, Robert added:
That link to the podcast appears dead though. I wanted to listen to make sure I could still find it. And I can’t find the file online now.
HOAX!
Look, I’ll open up the Almighty Prize Drawer to anyone who can find audio “proof” of Kirkman’s claim, but I ain’t holding my breath…
In last Friday’s bonus post, Tower members shared their favorite films of the 1970s, and I added more than a few of your surprising selections to my viewing queue, thanks.
I also promised to give away a copy of Quentin Tarantino’s Cinema Speculation to one of you generous paid subscribers, and this week’s randomly selected lucky recipient is…
…Attilio Gorini, who thoughtfully wrote of his favorite 70s film:
The 70s were magnificent moviewise. It would be easy to go with either of the Godfathers or with Jaws or One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, maybe even Enter the Dragon on the martial arts side of things. And what about the incredible Annie Hall or the wonderful Dersu Uzala from the other side of the world? Ugh, too many to list!
But my choice today would be a very simple, yet very important movie for the career of a “somewhat” important director: DUEL. That is one hell of a little movie - made for TV! - that serves as a sort of a “test drive” for Jaws, but on wheels and of a wonderful career in the film industry. And based on a short story by the one and only Richard Matheson who even wrote the screenplay!
Agreed, Attilio, and I also recommend the incredibly underrated Sugarland Express for some more early excellence from that obscure director.
In that same bonus post, I mentioned:
I haven’t finished Cinema Speculation, but I immediately flipped to the index to see if Tarantino name-checked my (no offense, QT) current favorite filmmakers the Coen Brothers. And he does… but only to call the screenplay to an adaptation of To The White Sea that the Coens apparently wrote with David Webb Peoples in the nineties “terrible.”
I said that sounded like blasphemy, though I have to admit that I’d never read that particular unmade script… until now!
My good old pal Daniel M. Kanemoto wrote to say, “Quentin’s wrong,” and kindly attached a draft of To the White Sea dated August 13, 1988, written by Joel & Ethan Coen, based on the novel by James Dickey (but with no mention of David Webb Peoples, so maybe Tarantino read a different draft?).
I don’t want to spoil (or link to, though you should be able find a copy online) any screenplay that could conceivably still get produced someday, but I’ll say that Dan was right, this script is fucking magnificent. Largely free of dialogue, it has some of the most beautiful descriptions of violence I’ve ever read. Give it another shot, QT!
Anyway, last week’s private Tower discussion about movies was so interesting, I thought we should move forward a decade and open it up to everyone with this closing question: What’s your favorite film of the 1980s?
See you at the movies and/or the comments section,
BKV
Much as I love Blood Simple and Raising Arizona, Full Metal Jacket wins the 80s for this dork.
Stand by me. I was a big Stephen King nerd, and I really loved his short stories and novellas. I say this because my favorite 80s (and 90s) movies were born out of the same book Different Seasons.
I am curious about the Coen Brothers script although I would prefer to hear that there is Ulysses Everett McGill level of dialog in it. Love that Coen Brothers banter.