After missing the 2021 edition due to the complications of the pandemic, modern cinema’s most overt pop director, Edgar WrightA masterful mix of genres and references, music and images, the artist has finally returned to the Sitges Festival (fifteen years after he brought us ‘Arma fatal’) to receive a well-deserved Màquina del Temps.
In this Sitges, he saves ‘Scott Pilgrim’, a movie that features the best things in life for some, including me: comedy, indie rock, kung-fu, and video games.
This mix was already in Brian Lee O’Malley’s comic, but I guess that’s why I was so interested in adapting it. Also, I remember reading it and feeling like my ‘Spaced’ drama. My movies are generally similar to this comic: they mix up a lot of different things. I guess that’s how I make them because I think I always do the last one and should take advantage of it. [ríe].
‘Scott Pilgrim’ always reminded me of ‘Kill Bill’ in his ‘if everything goes well, if it’s cool’ attitude. All genres, any visual and narrative idea.
I first heard of ‘Scott Pilgrim’ at the 2004 screening of ‘Zombies Party’ in Los Angeles. Producers Adam Siegel and Jared LeBoff came to that screening with a copy of the first volume, to which they added a note: “This is your next film. It’s a mix of John Hughes and ‘Kill Bill.” This is indeed an accurate explanation!
Like most of his films, it’s a truly visual comedy that’s not particularly common in today’s cinema. You and Wes Anderson are one of the few to develop this line.
I’ve always loved Wes. On the other hand, I grew up admiring people like Jeunet and Caro, Coens, or Sam Raimi who do comedy with visual expression. It’s quite a difficult thing to do. In the last fifteen years, a style of comedy based more on acting and improvisation than directing has dominated. Something like this doesn’t leave much room for style. But it’s definitely a trend that will pass.
His films seem to have been inspired by songs as well as other movies. Almost fifty fifty percent.
Some songs inspire me while listening to music. For some reason, I always think of music and images together. That’s why when I was younger I was attracted to movies with a lot of music: ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, ‘An American Werewolf in London’ or later ‘Reservoir Dogs’. There is something about this collision that fascinates me. When it comes to ‘baby driver’, all the inspiration came from listening to a song nonstop [‘Bellbottoms’, de Jon Spencer Blues Explosion] and imagine the car chase where you can put a soundtrack.
Is it something you usually do? Write with a song in the loop?
That was certainly the case in ‘Baby Driver’ and ‘Last Night in Soho’. In the first, each scene is adapted into a song. And in the second I started with songs for quite a few ‘set pieces’. In other films, I was more inspired by the general atmosphere. As Simon Pegg and I wrote ‘Welcome to the End of the World’, we were constantly hearing endless playlists of British indie songs from the early ’90s. All to immerse us in the setting of the movie.
When is a full-fledged musical?
If I find the right project, I would love to do it. For example, it bothers me that last year great musicals like Spielberg’s ‘West Side story’ or Léos Carax’s ‘Annette’ come out with Sparks’ songs that aren’t very successful. And in the end you can’t just do what you want, people will see what you know.
If you could choose any band in the world to compose original songs for your musical, which would you choose?
I already had good luck with ‘Scott Pilgrim’, which I managed to get some favorites like Beck, Metric or Cornelius to make songs on this occasion. But that’s a good question. how about the movie [la banda de rock de garaje y psicodelia] King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard?
They’re very productive, so it doesn’t take long to make that music.
Five albums are released every year… And what does it mean to make a soundtrack? It wouldn’t be a problem for them. They would do it in the afternoon!
It looks like his next project will be a new version of ‘Persecuted’. What was wrong with Schwarzenegger?
I cannot comment on it. I just get superstitious when talking about movies that aren’t in production. I learned long ago what happens if you talk about things too soon. So… Just one of many projects under development.