Cinema Retro London correspondent Mark Mawston recently caught up with director John Landis to discuss his classic horror film.
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Friday
26th June 09 was a sad day for many as they woke up to the news of
Michael Jackson’s untimely passing. Although tributes were many and were
omnipresent on TV and radio, the image that seemed to represent the high point
in the singer’s career and resonate with fans and general public alike was his epic
‘Thriller’ video. Probably the most famous and influential music video ever,
the landmark film was directed by the incomparable John Landis. On the day of Jackson’s
death, Landis was in London to attend the Curzon Soho’s ‘Midnight Movies’
tribute to him with a rare screening of An
American Werewolf In London. As usual, the Curzon staff had made a splendid
effort, this time creating a theme at the cinema’s bar around the Slaughtered
Lamb pub which features in the film, as well as dressing as having characters
from the film on hand, too. Â The ticket-holding
attendees again showed that an Englishman (or woman) never need to be asked
twice to dress up, as several of the films most memorable creations seemed to
be present and correct. There was even a fully blown lycanthrope that appeared
to be stalking the aisles and dancing to the house band in the foyer as the ‘Nightmare
Demon’ in full trench coat (on one of the warmest nights of recent years) prowled the bar looking for
American tourists with backpacks (see Mike Strick’s sitejust to see how much
goes into the creation of these monsterpieces).
John Landis and fiends raise a glass to the legacy of American Werewolf. (Photo: Mark Mawston. All rights reserved)
As
the band played, Landis signed a limited amount of copies of the new book
detailing his career, which includes essays on such cinematic gems as Animal House, Kentucky Fried Movie, The Blues
Brothers, Trading Places, the
hugely underrated Into the Night and
the aforementioned ‘Thriller’. Kim Newman was on hand to ask the questions in
his own inimitable manner, and we were also graced by the presence of John’s
wife Deborah and the ever-glamorous Jenny Agutter, who was the female lead in American Werewolf. One of the high
points on the night for this writer occurred when Agutter turned up to the
strains of ‘Moondance’ by Van Morrison, still looking as though she had just
slipped out of the nurse’s costume that many hold so close to their heart. Despite
John Landis’ enormous success as a director,  it’s wonderful to see that he is still a fan
boy at heart. He was just as enthused about my story in Cinema
Retro #14 regarding clearing Ray Harryhausen’s garage as he was about answering
the questions about movies he’d made. Â
Of
course, it was the stories behind his wonderful films that we were all
interested in and it was a fascinating experience delving into the Landis
treasure trove of iconic cinematic moments. He confirmed that it felt surreal
to be sitting in The Curzon which borders Piccadilly in the heart of London
where the famous finale to American
Werewolf in London had taken place (Ironically, the musical of Michael Jackson’s
‘Thriller’ plays a few doors down). He said he had very fond memories of the
area, especially the sequence from the film that was shot in a nearby cinema in
which the decomposing Jack visits his friend David as the wonderful parody of a
British 70’s porn movie plays (it’s title See
You Next Wednesday is a trademark of  Landis which appears in most of his films).
Landis told me, “I spent a great deal of time at that cinema when I was over
here as one of the fourteen or so writers on The Spy Who Loved Me. I would disappear and head for that cinema as
they showed a lot of Tex Avery cartoons, which I’m a big fan of. Cubby thought
I was insane!†Â
Cinema Retro recently received a copy of the new digest-sized comic book Star Babes, a glorious throw-back to the counter-culture comics of the 1960s - and it even features a tribute to Raquel Welch. Here's the official press release.
Independent creator Mike Fisher of Goofa Man Productions has produced a
brand new independent book that takes a look at those charismatic
curvaceous creatures from the cosmos... STAR BABES in "3-D Pete's Star
Babe Invasion Special!"!
From “Devil Girl from Mars†to Jane
Fonda as “Barbarella,†Star Babes have been a part of our pop culture
consciousness for decades. Fisher — and his cartoon buddy, 3-D Pete —
takes a look at some of the more noteworthy Star Babes from television
and movies.
In a recent interview, Fisher said, “In these trying
times, our nation can’t afford to ignore voluptuous women from the
stars in skimpy outfits.†“And another thing,†Fisher went on to
rant, “I know that we’re all moving to pixels and away from comics
printed with ink on paper, but that’s just the way I wanted to do it!â€
“Sure,
I invested a lot of time and money in a dying medium,†Fisher whined.
 “WAAAHHH!,† he cried, as he ran up the stairs in tears.
Fisher
produces cartoons for “Animation Magazine†as well as web sites such as
strangehorizons.com. He was a contributor to Starlog magazine for over
20 years.
In addition, he is a producer of award-winning
independent short animations. His short animations have shown at film
festivals across the country. Many have shown at the San Diego
Comic-Con Short Film Festival.
For more information about Mike and his work, please go to www.goofaman.com
If you have any questions for Mike, please contact him at fivefish@satx.rr.com.
“3-D Pete’s Star Babe Invasion Special!†is a 24-page digest-sized book with a full-color cover and a fabulous full-color center spread of a Star Babe on vacation... in a BIKINI! Aren’t we naughty? If you’d like a copy, send $5 to:
Star Babe Invasion 510 Enchanted Way San Antonio, Texas 78260
London's Daily Mirror says that Brad Pitt has arrived in Old Blighty to begin filming scenes for director Guy Ritchie's new Sherlock Holmes film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. However, Us magazine disputes this and cites a studio source as categorically denying that Pitt has anything to do with the film. Click here for more.