Rob Wickings's Blog, page 29
November 20, 2020
The Cut
The majority of The Cut staff are still embroiled in the annual writer’s assault course known as Nanowrimo (go here if you have no idea what we’re on about). For those of you joining us on this mad journey–we feel your pain, and we know you’ve got this. Enjoy the ride!
This does mean that today and probably next week’s issue will be shorter than usual. Look, we know you’re disappointed. Bear with us, please. The fact we’re able to do this as well as cope with all the other stuff in our bulging schedules shows how much we care about you.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Rob on the Ninth Art Desk reports:
Back in the heady days when I was dark of hair and fleet of limb, I chose the path of higher education. The dissertation I wrote to earn my degree was on The Representation Of War In Comics (see, a panel nerd even then). I was pleased to see this excellent piece on NeoTextCorp covering some of the same bases as my long-forgotten excursion into the academic analysis of the funny papers. Always good to see Captain America punching Hitler, too!
https://neotextcorp.com/culture/10-cent-heroes-an-abridged-evolution-of-american-war-comics/
We would cheerfully watch a triple bill of Con Air, Face/Off and The Rock any day, not just because we believe Nicolas Cage to be the greatest actor ever to grace the silver screen (he is, tho) but because all three have a smart blend of action, eccentricity and sheer silliness. The urge to watch Con Air was kindled in us again this week as AV Club released a seating plan for the unwilling passengers of the Jailbird. There’s even a listing for the bunny!
https://news.avclub.com/neat-somebody-mapped-out-the-seating-chart-from-con-ai-1845654300
It’s probably no secret that the demographic of The Cut’s staff skews older geeky lefty bloke. Imagine our discomfort, then, to see one of our crushes, the wonderful Gillian Anderson appearing in the new season of The Crown as Maragret Thatcher, one of our all time pet hates. It’s an odd experience, to put it mildly. Our Gillian is not the first person to play The Iron Lady, of course. The New York Times talks to some of the actors who have donned the wig and picked up the big handbag…
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/arts/television/margaret-thatcher-the-crown.html
With shows like The Crown and Downton Abbey defining Britishness across the globe, it’s important for a different perspective to get an airing. We wonder, for example, how the international audience consider Steve McQueen’s Small Axe (now screening on Sunday nights on BBC 1, we recommend strongly) as a portrait of our country at a particular point in time. Writer Laurie Penny takes a closer look at the way our nation’s image has become theme-parked for mass consumption–to the point where we almost believe it ourselves…
https://longreads.com/2020/06/18/the-long-con-of-britishness/
Harlan Ellison’s The Last Dangerous Visions has been a Great White Whale of science fiction for decades. The lost third part of a trilogy of short writing that helped redefine modern SF, it’s garnered mythological status for many keen skiffers. Following Ellison’s death last year, it seemed we would never see the anthology. Now, though, Babylon 5 writer J. Michael Straczynski has thrown his hat into the ring (and more importantly some cash on the table) in an effort to actually get the thing in reader’s hands. Some, notably author and contributor to TLDV, Christoper Priest, still don’t think it’ll happen. We’d like to hope it will.
It would be really easy to post an article from the Vittles newsletter every week. It’s the most vibrant and exciting outlet for food writing out there. We recommend you subscribe and perhaps even drop them a little Patreon cash.
We couldn’t resist sharing this piece on the remarkable chef, philosopher and pottymouth Kenny Shopsin, which gives you a path into the mind of a wayward culinary genius.
https://vittles.substack.com/p/iteration-3-feroz-gajia-cooks-kenny
An an extra treat, check out the 2004 documentary on Shopsin, I Like Killing Flies. Well worth an hour and a half of your time.
You know us, we like a bit of oral history, particularly on the creation of a favourite album. Belle And Sebastian’s Tigermilk is one of those records that snuck up on people, making itself at home in people’s heads before they quite realised what was going on. Even if you think you don’t like fey Scottish indie, we think you’d get on with this.
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/belle-and-sebastian-tigermilk/
However, because we are awkward cusses, this week’s Exit Music is not from that album. Instead, we share the greatest song B&S ever recorded–the gigantic, epic Lazy Line Painter Jane. Normal rules regarding volume levels apply, thank you.
See you in seven, hepcats.
The Cut
The majority of The Cut staff are still embroiled in the annual writer’s assault course known as Nanowrimo (go here if you have no idea what we’re on about). For those of you joining us on this mad journey–we feel your pain, and we know you’ve got this. Enjoy the ride!
This does mean that today and probably next week’s issue will be shorter than usual. Look, we know you’re disappointed. Bear with us, please. The fact we’re able to do this as well as cope with all the other stuff in our bulging schedules shows how much we care about you.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Rob on the Ninth Art Desk reports:
Back in the heady days when I was dark of hair and fleet of limb, I chose the path of higher education. The dissertation I wrote to earn my degree was on The Representation Of War In Comics (see, a panel nerd even then). I was pleased to see this excellent piece on NeoTextCorp covering some of the same bases as my long-forgotten excursion into the academic analysis of the funny papers. Always good to see Captain America punching Hitler, too!
https://neotextcorp.com/culture/10-cent-heroes-an-abridged-evolution-of-american-war-comics/
We would cheerfully watch a triple bill of Con Air, Face/Off and The Rock any day, not just because we believe Nicolas Cage to be the greatest actor ever to grace the silver screen (he is, tho) but because all three have a smart blend of action, eccentricity and sheer silliness. The urge to watch Con Air was kindled in us again this week as AV Club released a seating plan for the unwilling passengers of the Jailbird. There’s even a listing for the bunny!
https://news.avclub.com/neat-somebody-mapped-out-the-seating-chart-from-con-ai-1845654300
It’s probably no secret that the demographic of The Cut’s staff skews older geeky lefty bloke. Imagine our discomfort, then, to see one of our crushes, the wonderful Gillian Anderson appearing in the new season of The Crown as Maragret Thatcher, one of our all time pet hates. It’s an odd experience, to put it mildly. Our Gillian is not the first person to play The Iron Lady, of course. The New York Times talks to some of the actors who have donned the wig and picked up the big handbag…
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/arts/television/margaret-thatcher-the-crown.html
With shows like The Crown and Downton Abbey defining Britishness across the globe, it’s important for a different perspective to get an airing. We wonder, for example, how the international audience consider Steve McQueen’s Small Axe (now screening on Sunday nights on BBC 1, we recommend strongly) as a portrait of our country at a particular point in time. Writer Laurie Penny takes a closer look at the way our nation’s image has become theme-parked for mass consumption–to the point where we almost believe it ourselves…
https://longreads.com/2020/06/18/the-long-con-of-britishness/
Harlan Ellison’s The Last Dangerous Visions has been a Great White Whale of science fiction for decades. The lost third part of a trilogy of short writing that helped redefine modern SF, it’s garnered mythological status for many keen skiffers. Following Ellison’s death last year, it seemed we would never see the anthology. Now, though, Babylon 5 writer J. Michael Straczynski has thrown his hat into the ring (and more importantly some cash on the table) in an effort to actually get the thing in reader’s hands. Some, notably author and contributor to TLDV, Christoper Priest, still don’t think it’ll happen. We’d like to hope it will.
It would be really easy to post an article from the Vittles newsletter every week. It’s the most vibrant and exciting outlet for food writing out there. We recommend you subscribe and perhaps even drop them a little Patreon cash.
We couldn’t resist sharing this piece on the remarkable chef, philosopher and pottymouth Kenny Shopsin, which gives you a path into the mind of a wayward culinary genius.
https://vittles.substack.com/p/iteration-3-feroz-gajia-cooks-kenny
An an extra treat, check out the 2004 documentary on Shopsin, I Like Killing Flies. Well worth an hour and a half of your time.
You know us, we like a bit of oral history, particularly on the creation of a favourite album. Belle And Sebastian’s Tigermilk is one of those records that snuck up on people, making itself at home in people’s heads before they quite realised what was going on. Even if you think you don’t like fey Scottish indie, we think you’d get on with this.
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/belle-and-sebastian-tigermilk/
However, because we are awkward cusses, this week’s Exit Music is not from that album. Instead, we share the greatest song B&S ever recorded–the gigantic, epic Lazy Line Painter Jane. Normal rules regarding volume levels apply, thank you.
See you in seven, hepcats.
The Cut
The majority of The Cut staff are still embroiled in the annual writer’s assault course known as Nanowrimo (go here if you have no idea what we’re on about). For those of you joining us on this mad journey–we feel your pain, and we know you’ve got this. Enjoy the ride!
This does mean that today and probably next week’s issue will be shorter than usual. Look, we know you’re disappointed. Bear with us, please. The fact we’re able to do this as well as cope with all the other stuff in our bulging schedules shows how much we care about you.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
Rob on the Ninth Art Desk reports:
Back in the heady days when I was dark of hair and fleet of limb, I chose the path of higher education. The dissertation I wrote to earn my degree was on The Representation Of War In Comics (see, a panel nerd even then). I was pleased to see this excellent piece on NeoTextCorp covering some of the same bases as my long-forgotten excursion into the academic analysis of the funny papers. Always good to see Captain America punching Hitler, too!
https://neotextcorp.com/culture/10-cent-heroes-an-abridged-evolution-of-american-war-comics/
We would cheerfully watch a triple bill of Con Air, Face/Off and The Rock any day, not just because we believe Nicolas Cage to be the greatest actor ever to grace the silver screen (he is, tho) but because all three have a smart blend of action, eccentricity and sheer silliness. The urge to watch Con Air was kindled in us again this week as AV Club released a seating plan for the unwilling passengers of the Jailbird. There’s even a listing for the bunny!
https://news.avclub.com/neat-somebody-mapped-out-the-seating-chart-from-con-ai-1845654300
It’s probably no secret that the demographic of The Cut’s staff skews older geeky lefty bloke. Imagine our discomfort, then, to see one of our crushes, the wonderful Gillian Anderson appearing in the new season of The Crown as Maragret Thatcher, one of our all time pet hates. It’s an odd experience, to put it mildly. Our Gillian is not the first person to play The Iron Lady, of course. The New York Times talks to some of the actors who have donned the wig and picked up the big handbag…
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/12/arts/television/margaret-thatcher-the-crown.html
With shows like The Crown and Downton Abbey defining Britishness across the globe, it’s important for a different perspective to get an airing. We wonder, for example, how the international audience consider Steve McQueen’s Small Axe (now screening on Sunday nights on BBC 1, we recommend strongly) as a portrait of our country at a particular point in time. Writer Laurie Penny takes a closer look at the way our nation’s image has become theme-parked for mass consumption–to the point where we almost believe it ourselves…
https://longreads.com/2020/06/18/the-long-con-of-britishness/
Harlan Ellison’s The Last Dangerous Visions has been a Great White Whale of science fiction for decades. The lost third part of a trilogy of short writing that helped redefine modern SF, it’s garnered mythological status for many keen skiffers. Following Ellison’s death last year, it seemed we would never see the anthology. Now, though, Babylon 5 writer J. Michael Straczynski has thrown his hat into the ring (and more importantly some cash on the table) in an effort to actually get the thing in reader’s hands. Some, notably author and contributor to TLDV, Christoper Priest, still don’t think it’ll happen. We’d like to hope it will.
It would be really easy to post an article from the Vittles newsletter every week. It’s the most vibrant and exciting outlet for food writing out there. We recommend you subscribe and perhaps even drop them a little Patreon cash.
We couldn’t resist sharing this piece on the remarkable chef, philosopher and pottymouth Kenny Shopsin, which gives you a path into the mind of a wayward culinary genius.
https://vittles.substack.com/p/iteration-3-feroz-gajia-cooks-kenny
An an extra treat, check out the 2004 documentary on Shopsin, I Like Killing Flies. Well worth an hour and a half of your time.
You know us, we like a bit of oral history, particularly on the creation of a favourite album. Belle And Sebastian’s Tigermilk is one of those records that snuck up on people, making itself at home in people’s heads before they quite realised what was going on. Even if you think you don’t like fey Scottish indie, we think you’d get on with this.
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/belle-and-sebastian-tigermilk/
However, because we are awkward cusses, this week’s Exit Music is not from that album. Instead, we share the greatest song B&S ever recorded–the gigantic, epic Lazy Line Painter Jane. Normal rules regarding volume levels apply, thank you.
See you in seven, hepcats.
November 13, 2020
The Cut ⚔️ Issue 27
This week’s featured image comes from Times cartoonist Morten Morland.
Well, phew, glad that’s all over and done with, eh? A neat, clean and gracious transfer of power—oh yeah, silly us. We forgot for a moment we’re living in The Darkest Timeline. Hey ho. Let us (quite literally in one case) shine a little light on Things That Are Not The Election. Added proviso—Nanowrimo is keeping us busy and also thinking about our own invented worlds instead of whatever this batshit crazy simulation we find ourselves in is. Which on the whole is probably a good thing, but is also our explanation for a slightly shorter than usual newsletter. No apologies issued. This is our art.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
We find it a little difficult to take seriously many of the comics writers that inspired our delight in the form in our impressionable years. Alan Moore has largely given up on funny books altogether, but will happily honk on at length at how rotten they are. Frank Miller’s recent work is a bewildering lurch into ugly parody. Warren Ellis is… ugggh. Grant Morrison continues to delve into DC continuity in a way that doesn’t exactly welcome new readers. But at least he seems to be having fun. This long interview in Mondo 2000 squares up to his claims of wizard-hood and how he updated Brave New World for the 21st century…
https://www.mondo2000.com/2020/10/26/grant-morrison-surveys-the-situation-in-the-age-of-horus/
We found more inspiration in this short call to action from indie creator Ganzeer, who sees parallels between the ‘zine scene and the early days of comics. In short, scruffy kids doing what they wanted at breakneck speed with little in the way of money or adult supervision. Sounds good to us!
https://ganzeer.today/comix-engine-12
As Lockdown 2 bites in, everyone’s looking to see what the new hobby is going to be. What will we bake now we’re all sick of sourdough (the smart money’s on cinnamon whirls, in case you were wondering)? Of course, you could head back to the kitchen. Or why not snag a big torch, a fresnel lens and some ducting and build your own Bat-signal!
https://www.geeksaresexy.net/2020/11/11/how-to-make-an-insanely-powerful-real-life-bat-signal-video/
Finally in our Ninth Art section, we were drawn to this piece on how memes and comics used in the Democratic Republic of Congo are used to poke fun at the restrictive political landscape, and serve as social commentary. It ain’t subtle, but goes to show how comics have become an integral part of our daily lives in ways the early pamphleteers couldn’t have imagined.
Time for some tunes. The old lags in The Cut office speak very fondly of The Tube, Channel Four’s anarchic live music show. It often teetered on the edge of collapse, which was always part of the fun of the thing. But it was intensely influential, and a must-visit for some iconic bands in their early days. Yes, ok, the mention of REM did have us pricking up our ears…
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-tube-best-performances-iggy-smiths-jam-fall-r-e-m/
Moving into the left field, we really enjoyed this history of a near-lost legend of punk—Crass. You may not have heard much of them, but their inky thumbprints are an important part of the iconography of the period, and their angry anarcho-blasts have the power to peel your ears back even today. Crass founder Steve Ignorant is still playing!
https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/crass-discography-list
Staying slightly punky, we had Captain Sensible’s short playlist of garage rock nuggets on high volume this week. The good Captain has been a herald of the forgotten era of clangular jangulation for some time. His new project, Sensible Grey Cells, is a celebration of deranged rock madness, and like everything he does is damned well worth your time!
https://www.clashmusic.com/features/a-journey-into-the-garage-rock-underworld
You may have heard of pirate radio, but what about factory radio? For decades it was a truly underground phenomenon you could only hear if you worked for United Biscuits. It was a tough training ground for some well known DJs and had to cater to an incredibly varied and demanding audience. We kinda want to hear some of it now!
And finally. This remarkable piece in The New Yorker on one sensation we all have in common moves into horror territory in one smooth shift that had everyone in the office who read it gasping. We guarantee you will not finish this piece without a sneaky scratch at some point. It’s not a light read, but absolutely fascinating.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/06/30/the-itch
Exit Music time. A member of the Readership revealed he plays The Song At The End while reading the rest of The Cut, which instantly puts more pressure on us to choose the right tune to sum up the whole shebang THANKS ROB. After the usual level of thought we put into everything else in The Cut (ten seconds), we think this fits the bill.
See you in seven.
November 6, 2020
The Cut
Lockdown 2–Electric Boogaloo! Frankly at this point in proceedings hibernation feels like the best option. If you need us we’ll be in our cave.
However, The Cut continues, if in sliiiightly truncated form this week. Hey, look, some of us have lives too, yeah? We kid. Always lovely to see you. Enjoy the usual hunk of palaver.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
November, as members of The Readership will be well aware, is the month of Nanowrimo. Many of The Cut’s staff are again putting their nose to the grindstone and getting 50,000 words of a first draft down. And yet we can still put a weekly edition of this newsletter down? Goddamn, that’s a professional. With that in mind, we present a history of an invention that democratized the act of writing…
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201028-history-of-the-ballpoint-pen
Owning a Banksy is a dream for most street art fans—one that sadly is out of reach unless you have very deep and very full pockets (or happen to be a bit handy with a forklift). But you can own a Ganksy right damn now for a much smaller chunk of change. The evil geniuses at vole.wtf have fed the work of the pseudonymous street artist into an AI, and the disturbing results are available to buy. It’s a limited edition, and at the time of writing prices start at £123, rising by a quid with every Ganksy sold. Get in there quick!
A couple of food links now. We loved this Vittles piece on the offerings at local chip shops that really don’t travel. Although we’d be very happy to see some of these snackeroos at our local chippy. Who’s up for a Wigan kebab?
https://vittles.substack.com/p/the-hyper-regional-chippy-traditions
Speaking of regional goodness that’s hard to come by, Vice have a fascinating bit on Tikim, an incredibly influential but rare book on Filipino cuisine that changes hands for hundreds of dollars. That price ticket puts the book out of reach for many of the cooks that could use it the most…
Onto our film section. Back projection was for decades the mainstay of film special effects, until the advent of green and or blue screen ushered in the digital age. Now, in a slightly more advanced form, it’s back as a valid and flexible VFX proposition. It’s not exactly a low-budget option, though. Introducing The Volume…
A good title sequence can take a film to another level. A great title sequence has a life beyond the film. Presenting exhibit A—Trainspotting. Art Of The Title takes an admirably deep dive into the making of this iconic blast of pure cinema.
http://artofthetitle.com/title/trainspotting/
We’d heard that Rutger Hauer’s moving speech at the end of Blade Runner was improvised. But there are more big moments in SF and fantasy cinema that we were surprised to learn were made up on the spot. Hey Malkovich, think fast!
https://whatculture.com/film/10-iconic-sci-fi-movie-moments-that-were-totally-improvised
The Situation will be informing our fictional landscape for years to come, as we come to terms with the reality of an apocalypse that is very different to the one we imagined. We enjoyed this look from The Slipper at how comics have told pandemic stories over the years.
https://the-slipper.blogspot.com/2020/07/viral-comics.html?m=1
And finally. Exit Music. Presented without further comment.
See you in seven.
The Cut
Lockdown 2–Electric Boogaloo! Frankly at this point in proceedings hibernation feels like the best option. If you need us we’ll be in our cave.
However, The Cut continues, if in sliiiightly truncated form this week. Hey, look, some of us have lives too, yeah? We kid. Always lovely to see you. Enjoy the usual hunk of palaver.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
November, as members of The Readership will be well aware, is the month of Nanowrimo. Many of The Cut’s staff are again putting their nose to the grindstone and getting 50,000 words of a first draft down. And yet we can still put a weekly edition of this newsletter down? Goddamn, that’s a professional. With that in mind, we present a history of an invention that democratized the act of writing…
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201028-history-of-the-ballpoint-pen
Owning a Banksy is a dream for most street art fans—one that sadly is out of reach unless you have very deep and very full pockets (or happen to be a bit handy with a forklift). But you can own a Ganksy right damn now for a much smaller chunk of change. The evil geniuses at vole.wtf have fed the work of the pseudonymous street artist into an AI, and the disturbing results are available to buy. It’s a limited edition, and at the time of writing prices start at £123, rising by a quid with every Ganksy sold. Get in there quick!
A couple of food links now. We loved this Vittles piece on the offerings at local chip shops that really don’t travel. Although we’d be very happy to see some of these snackeroos at our local chippy. Who’s up for a Wigan kebab?
https://vittles.substack.com/p/the-hyper-regional-chippy-traditions
Speaking of regional goodness that’s hard to come by, Vice have a fascinating bit on Tikim, an incredibly influential but rare book on Filipino cuisine that changes hands for hundreds of dollars. That price ticket puts the book out of reach for many of the cooks that could use it the most…
Onto our film section. Back projection was for decades the mainstay of film special effects, until the advent of green and or blue screen ushered in the digital age. Now, in a slightly more advanced form, it’s back as a valid and flexible VFX proposition. It’s not exactly a low-budget option, though. Introducing The Volume…
A good title sequence can take a film to another level. A great title sequence has a life beyond the film. Presenting exhibit A—Trainspotting. Art Of The Title takes an admirably deep dive into the making of this iconic blast of pure cinema.
http://artofthetitle.com/title/trainspotting/
We’d heard that Rutger Hauer’s moving speech at the end of Blade Runner was improvised. But there are more big moments in SF and fantasy cinema that we were surprised to learn were made up on the spot. Hey Malkovich, think fast!
https://whatculture.com/film/10-iconic-sci-fi-movie-moments-that-were-totally-improvised
The Situation will be informing our fictional landscape for years to come, as we come to terms with the reality of an apocalypse that is very different to the one we imagined. We enjoyed this look from The Slipper at how comics have told pandemic stories over the years.
https://the-slipper.blogspot.com/2020/07/viral-comics.html?m=1
And finally. Exit Music. Presented without further comment.
See you in seven.
The Cut
Lockdown 2–Electric Boogaloo! Frankly at this point in proceedings hibernation feels like the best option. If you need us we’ll be in our cave.
However, The Cut continues, if in sliiiightly truncated form this week. Hey, look, some of us have lives too, yeah? We kid. Always lovely to see you. Enjoy the usual hunk of palaver.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
November, as members of The Readership will be well aware, is the month of Nanowrimo. Many of The Cut’s staff are again putting their nose to the grindstone and getting 50,000 words of a first draft down. And yet we can still put a weekly edition of this newsletter down? Goddamn, that’s a professional. With that in mind, we present a history of an invention that democratized the act of writing…
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201028-history-of-the-ballpoint-pen
Owning a Banksy is a dream for most street art fans—one that sadly is out of reach unless you have very deep and very full pockets (or happen to be a bit handy with a forklift). But you can own a Ganksy right damn now for a much smaller chunk of change. The evil geniuses at vole.wtf have fed the work of the pseudonymous street artist into an AI, and the disturbing results are available to buy. It’s a limited edition, and at the time of writing prices start at £123, rising by a quid with every Ganksy sold. Get in there quick!
A couple of food links now. We loved this Vittles piece on the offerings at local chip shops that really don’t travel. Although we’d be very happy to see some of these snackeroos at our local chippy. Who’s up for a Wigan kebab?
https://vittles.substack.com/p/the-hyper-regional-chippy-traditions
Speaking of regional goodness that’s hard to come by, Vice have a fascinating bit on Tikim, an incredibly influential but rare book on Filipino cuisine that changes hands for hundreds of dollars. That price ticket puts the book out of reach for many of the cooks that could use it the most…
Onto our film section. Back projection was for decades the mainstay of film special effects, until the advent of green and or blue screen ushered in the digital age. Now, in a slightly more advanced form, it’s back as a valid and flexible VFX proposition. It’s not exactly a low-budget option, though. Introducing The Volume…
A good title sequence can take a film to another level. A great title sequence has a life beyond the film. Presenting exhibit A—Trainspotting. Art Of The Title takes an admirably deep dive into the making of this iconic blast of pure cinema.
http://artofthetitle.com/title/trainspotting/
We’d heard that Rutger Hauer’s moving speech at the end of Blade Runner was improvised. But there are more big moments in SF and fantasy cinema that we were surprised to learn were made up on the spot. Hey Malkovich, think fast!
https://whatculture.com/film/10-iconic-sci-fi-movie-moments-that-were-totally-improvised
The Situation will be informing our fictional landscape for years to come, as we come to terms with the reality of an apocalypse that is very different to the one we imagined. We enjoyed this look from The Slipper at how comics have told pandemic stories over the years.
https://the-slipper.blogspot.com/2020/07/viral-comics.html?m=1
And finally. Exit Music. Presented without further comment.
See you in seven.
The Cut
Lockdown 2–Electric Boogaloo! Frankly at this point in proceedings hibernation feels like the best option. If you need us we’ll be in our cave.
However, The Cut continues, if in sliiiightly truncated form this week. Hey, look, some of us have lives too, yeah? We kid. Always lovely to see you. Enjoy the usual hunk of palaver.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
November, as members of The Readership will be well aware, is the month of Nanowrimo. Many of The Cut’s staff are again putting their nose to the grindstone and getting 50,000 words of a first draft down. And yet we can still put a weekly edition of this newsletter down? Goddamn, that’s a professional. With that in mind, we present a history of an invention that democratized the act of writing…
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201028-history-of-the-ballpoint-pen
Owning a Banksy is a dream for most street art fans—one that sadly is out of reach unless you have very deep and very full pockets (or happen to be a bit handy with a forklift). But you can own a Ganksy right damn now for a much smaller chunk of change. The evil geniuses at vole.wtf have fed the work of the pseudonymous street artist into an AI, and the disturbing results are available to buy. It’s a limited edition, and at the time of writing prices start at £123, rising by a quid with every Ganksy sold. Get in there quick!
A couple of food links now. We loved this Vittles piece on the offerings at local chip shops that really don’t travel. Although we’d be very happy to see some of these snackeroos at our local chippy. Who’s up for a Wigan kebab?
https://vittles.substack.com/p/the-hyper-regional-chippy-traditions
Speaking of regional goodness that’s hard to come by, Vice have a fascinating bit on Tikim, an incredibly influential but rare book on Filipino cuisine that changes hands for hundreds of dollars. That price ticket puts the book out of reach for many of the cooks that could use it the most…
Onto our film section. Back projection was for decades the mainstay of film special effects, until the advent of green and or blue screen ushered in the digital age. Now, in a slightly more advanced form, it’s back as a valid and flexible VFX proposition. It’s not exactly a low-budget option, though. Introducing The Volume…
A good title sequence can take a film to another level. A great title sequence has a life beyond the film. Presenting exhibit A—Trainspotting. Art Of The Title takes an admirably deep dive into the making of this iconic blast of pure cinema.
http://artofthetitle.com/title/trainspotting/
We’d heard that Rutger Hauer’s moving speech at the end of Blade Runner was improvised. But there are more big moments in SF and fantasy cinema that we were surprised to learn were made up on the spot. Hey Malkovich, think fast!
https://whatculture.com/film/10-iconic-sci-fi-movie-moments-that-were-totally-improvised
The Situation will be informing our fictional landscape for years to come, as we come to terms with the reality of an apocalypse that is very different to the one we imagined. We enjoyed this look from The Slipper at how comics have told pandemic stories over the years.
https://the-slipper.blogspot.com/2020/07/viral-comics.html?m=1
And finally. Exit Music. Presented without further comment.
See you in seven.
The Cut
Lockdown 2–Electric Boogaloo! Frankly at this point in proceedings hibernation feels like the best option. If you need us we’ll be in our cave.
However, The Cut continues, if in sliiiightly truncated form this week. Hey, look, some of us have lives too, yeah? We kid. Always lovely to see you. Enjoy the usual hunk of palaver.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
November, as members of The Readership will be well aware, is the month of Nanowrimo. Many of The Cut’s staff are again putting their nose to the grindstone and getting 50,000 words of a first draft down. And yet we can still put a weekly edition of this newsletter down? Goddamn, that’s a professional. With that in mind, we present a history of an invention that democratized the act of writing…
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201028-history-of-the-ballpoint-pen
Owning a Banksy is a dream for most street art fans—one that sadly is out of reach unless you have very deep and very full pockets (or happen to be a bit handy with a forklift). But you can own a Ganksy right damn now for a much smaller chunk of change. The evil geniuses at vole.wtf have fed the work of the pseudonymous street artist into an AI, and the disturbing results are available to buy. It’s a limited edition, and at the time of writing prices start at £123, rising by a quid with every Ganksy sold. Get in there quick!
A couple of food links now. We loved this Vittles piece on the offerings at local chip shops that really don’t travel. Although we’d be very happy to see some of these snackeroos at our local chippy. Who’s up for a Wigan kebab?
https://vittles.substack.com/p/the-hyper-regional-chippy-traditions
Speaking of regional goodness that’s hard to come by, Vice have a fascinating bit on Tikim, an incredibly influential but rare book on Filipino cuisine that changes hands for hundreds of dollars. That price ticket puts the book out of reach for many of the cooks that could use it the most…
Onto our film section. Back projection was for decades the mainstay of film special effects, until the advent of green and or blue screen ushered in the digital age. Now, in a slightly more advanced form, it’s back as a valid and flexible VFX proposition. It’s not exactly a low-budget option, though. Introducing The Volume…
A good title sequence can take a film to another level. A great title sequence has a life beyond the film. Presenting exhibit A—Trainspotting. Art Of The Title takes an admirably deep dive into the making of this iconic blast of pure cinema.
http://artofthetitle.com/title/trainspotting/
We’d heard that Rutger Hauer’s moving speech at the end of Blade Runner was improvised. But there are more big moments in SF and fantasy cinema that we were surprised to learn were made up on the spot. Hey Malkovich, think fast!
https://whatculture.com/film/10-iconic-sci-fi-movie-moments-that-were-totally-improvised
The Situation will be informing our fictional landscape for years to come, as we come to terms with the reality of an apocalypse that is very different to the one we imagined. We enjoyed this look from The Slipper at how comics have told pandemic stories over the years.
https://the-slipper.blogspot.com/2020/07/viral-comics.html?m=1
And finally. Exit Music. Presented without further comment.
See you in seven.
The Cut
Lockdown 2–Electric Boogaloo! Frankly at this point in proceedings hibernation feels like the best option. If you need us we’ll be in our cave.
However, The Cut continues, if in sliiiightly truncated form this week. Hey, look, some of us have lives too, yeah? We kid. Always lovely to see you. Enjoy the usual hunk of palaver.
Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.
November, as members of The Readership will be well aware, is the month of Nanowrimo. Many of The Cut’s staff are again putting their nose to the grindstone and getting 50,000 words of a first draft down. And yet we can still put a weekly edition of this newsletter down? Goddamn, that’s a professional. With that in mind, we present a history of an invention that democratized the act of writing…
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201028-history-of-the-ballpoint-pen
Owning a Banksy is a dream for most street art fans—one that sadly is out of reach unless you have very deep and very full pockets (or happen to be a bit handy with a forklift). But you can own a Ganksy right damn now for a much smaller chunk of change. The evil geniuses at vole.wtf have fed the work of the pseudonymous street artist into an AI, and the disturbing results are available to buy. It’s a limited edition, and at the time of writing prices start at £123, rising by a quid with every Ganksy sold. Get in there quick!
A couple of food links now. We loved this Vittles piece on the offerings at local chip shops that really don’t travel. Although we’d be very happy to see some of these snackeroos at our local chippy. Who’s up for a Wigan kebab?
https://vittles.substack.com/p/the-hyper-regional-chippy-traditions
Speaking of regional goodness that’s hard to come by, Vice have a fascinating bit on Tikim, an incredibly influential but rare book on Filipino cuisine that changes hands for hundreds of dollars. That price ticket puts the book out of reach for many of the cooks that could use it the most…
Onto our film section. Back projection was for decades the mainstay of film special effects, until the advent of green and or blue screen ushered in the digital age. Now, in a slightly more advanced form, it’s back as a valid and flexible VFX proposition. It’s not exactly a low-budget option, though. Introducing The Volume…
A good title sequence can take a film to another level. A great title sequence has a life beyond the film. Presenting exhibit A—Trainspotting. Art Of The Title takes an admirably deep dive into the making of this iconic blast of pure cinema.
http://artofthetitle.com/title/trainspotting/
We’d heard that Rutger Hauer’s moving speech at the end of Blade Runner was improvised. But there are more big moments in SF and fantasy cinema that we were surprised to learn were made up on the spot. Hey Malkovich, think fast!
https://whatculture.com/film/10-iconic-sci-fi-movie-moments-that-were-totally-improvised
The Situation will be informing our fictional landscape for years to come, as we come to terms with the reality of an apocalypse that is very different to the one we imagined. We enjoyed this look from The Slipper at how comics have told pandemic stories over the years.
https://the-slipper.blogspot.com/2020/07/viral-comics.html?m=1
And finally. Exit Music. Presented without further comment.
See you in seven.
