(Via SlashFilm.com) Does a double feature of Dawn of the Dead with Zack Snyder and Shaun of the Dead with Edgar Wright sound like a good night at out the movies? You bet it does, and we can exclusively announce that’s just the first night of the upcoming, third annual Hero Complex Film Festival presented by the Los Angeles Times. The festival will take place May 18-21 at Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE and the full announcement of the line up and ticket sales takes place at 10 a.m. April 25. Read more after the jump.

In addition to Snyder and Wright, Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead, will be on hand for the Q&A. Wright might also bring a special guest.

There will be around eight films shown over the course of the weekend (there are always surprises), all with special guests, all hosted by the Hero Complex’s own Geoff Boucher. I’ve been to the fest for the past two years (you can read my write ups of 2010 here and 2011 here) and it was fantastic both times. Older movies, yes, but fantastic Q&A’s with the likes of Christopher Nolan, Ridley Scott, Warren Beatty and many more. This year promises more of the same.

Check back tomorrow for the full announcement or head to www.herocomplex.com.

May 18-21
Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live
Hosted by Geoff Boucher, Los Angeles Times

2012 event poster designed by DC Comics co-publisher Jim Lee.

But did you know that you can leave messages and ideas too?

And that your voice could be in the next instalment?

Leave Brandon A Voicemail

Here are the details of how to leave poor Brandon a message. You could be his (ex?) girlfriend, his mother, his publisher or…whatever you like.

Call Brandon Now or dial +44 (0)20 3239 4297

Leave Brandon A Mystery Idea On His Dictaphone

Or how about one of the mysterious ideas that Brandon left on his dictaphone while he was blacked out? Do you literally want to put the thoughts in his head? Can you do a good Brandon voice?

Here’s how…

Call Brandon’s Dictaphone now or dial +44 (0)20 3286 0991

I look forward to your nonsense.

On it was William Finley’s e-mail, the great character actor and the star of one of my favourite movies, Brian De Palma’s ‘Phantom Of The Paradise’.

An audience member gave it to me at one of my Wright Stuff shows and said he was a family friend of the Finleys. He told me that William was a fan of my work and especially loved the ‘Phantom’ references in ‘Scott Pilgrim’. That was great to hear, especially since I screened ‘Phantom’ at my very first Wright Stuff double with Paul Williams back in 2007.

I felt a little odd e-mailing him somewhat out of the blue, but I realised I should write, before I lost the scrap of paper forever in my move.

This was my mail.

From: Edgar Wright
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2012 2:42 PM
Subject: From Edgar Wright

Dear Mister Finley,

A friend of yours gave me your e-mail and said to drop you a line. I trust this is okay.

I am a huge fan, especially of ‘Phantom’ as I am sure you know.

Hope all is well.

Lovely to meet you on here.

Edgar

And the reply just over an hour later.

Subject: Re: From Edgar Wright
Date: 14 April 2012 15:56:40 PDT
To: Edgar Wright

Dearest Edgar,

Susan Finley here, William’s wife. I guess you must have had a very strong
connection to William. He was ill and just died today at 11:00AM.

William was a huge fan of yours and loved the Phantom references in your films.
Especially “Scott Pilgrim.” Our son Dashiell, who is just graduating NYU film and his dad
have been passionate fans since “Shaun of the Dead.”

Wish I could have read him your e-mail.

All the best,
Susan

I was, and remain, speechless and heartbroken.

I first saw William Finley in ‘Phantom Of The Paradise’ when I was 12 on British television. It made an indelible mark on me, not least because of Finley’s amazing twin performance as Winslow Leach and the Phantom. It was one of those unique characterisations that absolutely embodies the spirit of the movie.

As well as ‘Phantom’, Finley was also great in a number of other De Palma films, the cult classic ‘Sisters’, the very underrated ‘The Fury’ and most recently in ‘The Black Dahlia’. I actually clapped with delight when I saw him in the latter.

He also provided (uncredited) the voice of ‘Bobbi’ in De Palma’s masterpiece ‘Dressed To Kill’. Anyone who has seen that movie knows just what a truly great part that was.

Other roles included Marshall Brickman’s underseen and underrated comedy ‘Simon’ with Alan Arkin and also grindhouse epics like Tobe Hooper’s ‘Eaten Alive’ and the bonkers ‘Silent Rage’ (also referred to in ‘Hot Fuzz’).

I always wondered if anyone caught the nods to ‘Phantom Of The Paradise’ in my movies and as heartbroken as I am to realise I will never meet him, I am glad he was the person that did.

My thoughts and love go out to the Finley family and I hope that his son Dashiell gets to work on as many weird and wonderful films as his father.

If you’ve never seen ‘Phantom Of The Paradise’, you can pay no better tribute to the great man by watching it tonight.

Here, from that movie, is William Finley singing ‘Faust’ by Paul Williams.

Rest in peace William Finley. Love live Winslow Leach.

E-mails reprinted with permission of Susan Finley.

So a) watch it and b) help me write the next one.

You can submit prose, sketches, ideas and voicemails that we will incorporate in the second, third and fourth instalments.

Watch it right now. I look forward to collaborating with you.

Edgar Wright, Tommy Lee Edwards, Julian Barratt and David Holmes create ground-breaking Internet Explorer Production

Is it a film? Is it a game? Is it an animated series?

No it’s Brandon Generator: all the above, none of them, and a lot more besides

12 April, 2012: Award-winning director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright and renowned Marvel and Lucasfilm illustrator, Tommy Lee Edwards, are creating an innovative animated story with Internet Explorer called The Random Adventures of Brandon Generator. Narrated by Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh) and with music by David Holmes’ new project ‘Unloved’ (a collaboration between David Holmes, Keefus Green and Jade Vincent) this interactive experience puts you centre stage as you help shape this interactive noir-inspired series.

Visit www.brandongenerator.com and influence the unravelling world of the caffeine-fuelled anti-hero – voiced by Julian Barratt – as the would-be writer tries to break the dam in his head and let ideas flood out.

Combining the very best creative talents and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on the web, this innovative project is a new approach to storytelling. It has been designed to showcase the most stunning, visually rich and immersive experiences possible using IE9 and web standards-based HTML5 technology. It also takes advantage of the unique functionality that Internet Explorer 9 provides. This includes the benefit of hardware accelerated text, video and graphics for smooth performance and the unique pinning and Jump List functionality in IE9 which will provide notifications for new episodes, direct links to social feeds and unlock future exclusive content. As a result, the story will not only be as beautiful as traditional film but also includes interactive elements and multimedia for a richer, more immersive experience.

Brandon Generator offers a more engaging experience than traditional passive viewing by encouraging the audience to shape Brandon’s world. They will be invited to become an extension of Edgar and Tommy’s creative team by suggesting characters, plot, nemeses and even entire scenes. There are also mini challenges that help move the story along and, for the more eagle-eyed, hidden gems and secret ways to interact within each episode.

In Episode One, there are opportunities to leave messages on Brandon’s phone, sketch on his notepad, submit plot and character ideas on his laptop and listen to random messages on his Dictaphone. To experience Brandon Generator in all its glory, it is best viewed using Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) on a PC. By pinning the site to the Windows 7 taskbar, access to exclusive extras, video content and social media connectivity will be unlocked with direct links to the main interactive apps via Jump Lists.

Edgar Wright says, “What interested me about this project was the chance to work with a mystery co-writer. So I created a character who is creatively stuck and continually looks for random interjections to inspire him. Rapidly it becomes clear that the people who can actually help are the people at home visiting the site. I like the idea of the world forming around Brandon and am excited to connect with people at home in a whole new way, creatively. It’s exciting to know that even though there’s an underlying narrative and set pieces in place, much of the plot is up for grabs. Internet Explorer and various other technical elements make the collaboration possible and the fans will make Brandon’s journey even more interesting.”

“This project combines all of my favourite things about working in film, games, animation and comics,” adds Tommy Lee Edwards. “It’s an ambitious idea to get so much input from fans and tell a story this way; I’m thrilled to be involved, especially working alongside Edgar. Bringing Brandon Generator to life with a filmmaker I hold in such high regard is an honour. A crazy challenging one, but an exciting treat for me.”

Gabby Hegerty, Internet Explorer UK says, “We always wanted to create something truly unique which brings together the best of the creative world and pushes the boundaries of IE9 and HTML5 with all the unique features of pinning, JumpLists and hardware acceleration to create an immersive and visually stunning experience to inspire our users. Edgar and Tommy have thrown themselves into the project and explored the limits of what is currently possible. From the start, we knew that one of the toughest things would be bringing together a dream team with the creative and technical skills necessary to pull off such an ambitious project. Edgar has fantastic experience in crossing the boundaries between film, graphics and animation in his films, and Tommy Lee has a history of creating stunning illustrations across film, games and animation. Both are a perfect fit.”

To watch Episode One and get involved, visit www.brandongenerator.com. There will be four episodes in total between April and June. Use Internet Explorer 9 and pin to your taskbar for the best experience and exclusive updates and content.

Find out more about the project by following Internet Explorer on Facebook.com/InternetExplorerUK and Twitter.com/IE_UK and Brandon Generator on Facebook.com/BrandonGenerator and Twitter.com/Brandon_gen.

They are also showing the movie at midnight on Friday & Saturday so head on down.

Send Cambridge my love.

Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 6:00 PM

Presented by Harmonix and The Brattle!

SCOTT PILGRIM tickets $6.75–$9.75

SCOTT PILGRIM also screens Friday, April 6 & Saturday, April 7 at Midnight

dir. Edgar Wright w/Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, Mark Webber, Ellen Wong, Johnny Simmons, Jason Schwartzman [112 min] SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD is an exhilarating pop-culture extravaganza and mash-up of geek-culture influences that creates a coming-of-age story for the 21st century. Scott (Cera) is a bass-playing slacker who is smitten when he catches a glimpse of Ramona Flowers, the ultimate manic-pixiedream- girl. Unfortunately for Scott, Romana has a cadre of evil exes that Scott must defeat in video-game-style combat to win her affections. SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD also screens Fri, April 6 & Sat, April 7 at midnight!

Followed by Rock Band Night at 9:00 pm

A combo ticket for ROCK BAND NIGHT & SCOTT PILGRIM together is $15 gen pub / $13 members & students. Admission to RBN only $7. No passes.

Join us for a night of rock and roll fun with the makers of the fantastic ROCK BAND video game. Form your own band or fly solo and enter for a chance to compete live on stage in front of a panel of special guest judges from the gaming world. This event is a prequel of sorts to the absurdly popular PAX East Convention which begins on April 6. Come early and get your innerrocker pumped with a screening of the ultimate geek’n’roll film, SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD!

A online comic of sorts, written by me, illustrated by the very talented Tommy Lee Edwards, narrated by the one and only Julian Barratt and featuring a new and hypnotic score by the amazing David Holmes.

So, is it a comic? An animation? A little movie? Yes, to all three.

What’s it going to be like? Well that, is rather up to you…

Tommy Lee Edwards, the renowned illustrator for Marvel and Lucasfilm has joined forces with Edgar Wright, award-winning director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, to create a world first innovative animated story with Internet Explorer called Brandon Generator. The Mighty Boosh and Nathan Barley star Julian Barratt is narrating the story and there is music by David Holmes new project ‘Unloved’ (a collaboration between David Holmes, Keefus Green and Jade Vincent).

Each episode will call on fans to crowd source specific elements of the story, allowing you to help shape this interactive noir-inspired series.

The story, has been developed exclusively in HTML5 to showcase the stunning visual experiences possible in modern web browsers and unique functionality of Internet Explorer; with Pinning used to provide access to exclusive extras and Jump Lists providing direct links to apps and crowd-sourcing options.

To watch the teaser click here brandongenerator.com and find out how you can influence the unraveling world of our caffeine-fuelled anti-hero. To optimise your experience download IE9.

To follow further updates or if you wish to tweet on the story you can check out the hashtag #BrandonGenerator.

Teaser

I said yes.

See you in Tallahassee this Friday.

Two Nights Done Wright with Director Edgar Wright

March 29 + 30 | Fri + Sat
Edgar Wright is coming to the SLC!

Director/writer/producer Edgar Wright will be introducing his film, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World on Friday, March 30th and will do a Q&A and discussion between two of his films, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz on Saturday, March 31st.

Each film is free for FSU students with a valid FSU ID, and $5 for the general public. It’s first-come, first-serve for these big events, so make sure you get to the theater early! We will not be selling tickets prior to the evening of the event.

For more information about Edgar Wright, visit IMDB or his Official Website

For further information check out FSU’s site here.

And those of you who are coming to my triple bill of events , will be able to buy this really quite awesome poster by Kevin Tong. Isn’t it something?

Those good people at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema have kindly asked me to come an open their new church of cinema. I said yes.

I have always had a great time in Austin and with any Alamo screening I’ve done; be it ‘Shaun’, ‘Fuzz’, ‘Spaced’, ‘Scott Pilgrim’ and ‘Attack The Block’.

So join me for an epic triple bill at the new Alamo on Slaughter Lane. See you very soon, TX.

Who is the man behind the world’s first and best rom-zom-com?  Who is the man who made a movie with a plotline centered around 1991’s Point Break?  Who is the man who made the best movie adaptation of a Canadian graphic novel ever?  Why, the charmingly English Edgar Wright of course!

We’ve been working with Edgar on the best possible programming to showcase his dynamic filmography and we’ve come up with fantastical weekend of movies to honor the grand opening of our brand new Slaughter Lane location. Wright has been to all of the other Austin Alamo locations over the years for special events and just to hang out and enjoy a local brew and pizza pie along with a flick.  So he wanted to come down and help us break in the new digs with style over our opening weekend!

Wright sets the bar and sets it high for witty dialogue, hilarious pop culture references and above all entertainment.  Every frame of every thing Wright’s touched is filled to the brim with great joy and even greater fun.  The man is as much of a manic film fan as we are here at the Alamo and we are so thrilled to welcome him back to the Lone Star state to show off our new killer-plant themed location in South Austin!

Edgar Wright will be appearing LIVE at the following special events at our newest Alamo Drafthouse location:

Friday March 23rd- SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD Dinner Party with Edgar Wright
SOLD OUT! Friday March 23rd- SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD with Edgar Wright

SOLD OUT! Saturday, March 24th- SHAUN OF THE DEAD Quote-along with Edgar Wright
SOLD OUT! Saturday, March 24th- HOT FUZZ with Edgar Wright

Tickets for all these events will go on sale tomorrow, March 15th.

Either way, enjoy this new illustration from the heart of Sandford. I’m not sure what my favourite element is. Danny’s expression? Tiny Bille Whitelaw? Lurch’s blue plaster?

[Via The Great Showdowns]

Amazing stuff. And here are the previous illustrations for ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs The World’…

[Via The Great Showdowns]

…and ‘Shaun Of The Dead’.

[Via The Great Showdowns]

Visit The Great Showdowns by Scott C.

But here’s a twist. Josh from AMC Century City is saying that Guillermo Del Toro’s monster mash ‘Pacific Rim’ is his all time favourite movie a good 14 months before it’s actual release!

I commend Josh for this and admire his optimism and positivity. Get him two tickets to the premiere. He should be rewarded for this movie faith.

I may even take after Josh and start wearing a badge saying, “Edgar | Favorite Movie | Prometheus”.

Here’s four of the five sketches from @Serafinowicz‘s 6music show, all in one place.

Keep it here. Easy.

Week 2:

Week 3:

Week 4.1: Including a shout out to me at 1.15: “Hold tight E-Ball”.

Week 4.2:

“Sometimes I think that all that I need is a pizza box, a Playstation controller and some beats. And that’s me. I’m good bruv.”

Sublime.

Believe.

The first round of voting for the 2012 Jameson Empire Awards is now complete. We’ve sifted through the virtual sacks of entries and assembled the shortlist of finalists who will be waiting with baited breath on the night itself. It’s not over yet, though. With the gold in sight there’s still time to cast your vote and see your pick of the year’s films and filmmakers lauded on Awards night. Let the final round of voting commence!

• Best Male Newcomer / John Boyega (Moses)
• Best Comedy / Attack The Block
• Best Horror / Attack The Block
• Best British Film / Attack The Block

Voting ends on Friday March 12 2012.

[Via Empire Online]

So if you’re around in the area, do check it out.

Spectacle: The Music Video

Saturday March 3, 2012
6:00PM – Artists dinner and cocktails
8PM – Opening night party with live music performance by Dan Deacon

RSVP Essential

Contemporary Arts Center
44 East Sixth St.
Cincinnati, OH

Follow Flux on Twitter (@helloflux) for event updates and other news.

Opening party info on Museum website:
http://contemporaryartscenter.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=198

Facebook event for the opening:
https://www.facebook.com/events/326300114088667/

“Blue Song” by Mint Royale

Watch one of my favourite clips from the movie ‘HEAD’ and say so long to Mr Jones.

RIP Davy.

You might also recall the video had no actual ending. Well now it does!

Thanks to Relm again for this amazing mash up and expertly edited video. It played on Friday in front the New Beverly’s midnight screening of the movie.

Follow Mike Relm here / mikerelm.tumblr.com / twitter.com/mikerelm / facebook.com/mikerelm

Download the full track here. (http://www.mixcrate.com/mix/35026/Scott-Pilgrim-vs-Ludacris)

I was saddened to hear in the news that Twickenham Film Studios might be closing. The nearly 100 year old British studio is the home to such classics as ‘Help’, ‘A Hard Days Night’, ‘Alfie’, ‘The Italian Job’, ‘Repulsion’ and also my beloved desert island movie, ‘An American Werewolf In London’.

But not only that, it was the studio where we shot the very first series of ‘Spaced’. So the original interior for 23 Meteor Street was shot in Twickenham in 1999. In fact the last scene of that series we shot there was the zombie dream sequence from episode 1.3 – ‘Art’.

It’s very sad if this cannot be reversed. I loved shooting there and indeed returned for some scenes in ‘Hot Fuzz’ in 2006. I hope something can be done. It’s a great place to work and has British cinema in its bones.

From the BBC;

Twickenham film studios set to close

Twickenham Film Studios, recently used for The Iron Lady and My Week with Marilyn, has gone into administration.

The renowned studio, which was due to celebrate its centenary next year, will be wound down between now and June.

Gerald Krasner, who is handling the administration, said the the business had lost money over the past three years.

“I doubt it will be retained as a film studio,” he said. Half of the 17 employees have already left.

The remainder are working their notice, Mr Krasner added.

“We are selling it on,” he told the BBC News website. “Everyone will then be paid in full.”

[Via BBC News]

This very scene from ‘An American Werewolf In London’ was shot in Twickenham. One of my favourite scenes of all time.

Set on the site of a former ice-rink, St.Margaret’s Studios was set up in 1913 by Dr. Ralph Jupp.

At the time of construction it was the largest studio in the UK, and its first release was entitled “The House of Temperley”. By 1929 the studio was owned by Julius Hagen and Leslie Hiscott and was renamed Twickenham Film Studios. One of the first titles from the new company was “Call of the Sea”, and a steady roster of films followed from there.

Classic films such as Sherlock Holmes’ The Missing Rembrandt made in the 30′s, and in the 60′s, the Beatles films, Help and A Hard Day’s Night, Roman Polanski’s Repulsion and ground breaking films such as Alfie, and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning were all shot on Twickenham’s stages.

More recently, War Horse and Horrid Henry: The Movie have been made at Twickenham Film Studios. In the field of television, series ranging from Poirot to Horrible Histories have headed up a wide-ranging array of drama, comedy and children’s programmes.

[Via Twickenham Film Studios]