Physical media… forever?
Last Rites for Lost Films updates and some ephemera.
This was fun to receive in the mail. Shout out to Rewind VHS for making some amazing VHS slicks I can give to bookstores that stock Last Rites… this October. You too can hit them up for authentic-feeling custom jobs and lovingly crafted jolts of nostalgia. They’ve also made some great rewards for my top tier Kickstarter backers.
So, how are things going ahead of the October release? Well, I’m writing to you just as I finish resolving the last of the (and this is true) 13,846 revisions from my editor. I’ve got my headphones in, and I’m listening to the Tara Clerkin Trio, but the TV has been left on next to me in the lounge room, and The Expendables 4 (aka Expend4bles) is now screening softly on 9Gem to nobody. I just wanted you to know that at least part of this book was edited while I was catching glimpses of 50 Cent driving an armoured SWAT vehicle into some nameless goons as “P.I.M.P” plays over the soundtrack. It made me wonder which was the better use of “P.I.M.P.” in a 2023 movie: This or Anatomy of a Fall? I also took a moment to Google the film and apparently Megan Fox won a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress, and I can’t really make out any of her dialogue, but that seems a bit unfair. In fact, as a society, I think we still need to reckon with how we’ve treated Megan Fox.
Anyway, Jason Statham just kicked a knife into Iko Uwais’ throat, and Andy Garcia is here, wearing a beret, playing a character called Agent Ocelot. Secret Metal Gear Solid reference? Damn, do I need to watch this film in full?
Elsewise…
I have officially CLOSED late pledges on the book’s Kickstarter campaign, meaning, for the time being, there is no active way to pre-order your copy ahead of October. That’ll change in a few weeks time, so if you missed out, keep your eyes peeled at simonmiraudo.com…
To sate your appetite, subscribers to the What It Was Like podcast can find my chat with host Julian Morgans about banned and lost films behind the paywall. Check it here. The show offers “weekly conversations with people who have lived through extreme events” and I was grateful to finally be recognised for my bravery as a film critic.
I also encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the Movie Squad podcast I co-host with Tristan Fidler, where we chat with the wonderful Fran Hoepfner of Vulture and Fran Magazine. Fran has provided a generous blurb for Last Rites for Lost Films (read it here), and it was a pleasure to finally meet her (online) to discuss her new and very funny book The Field Guide to Nepo Babies. In the same episode, Tristan and I review John Wilson’s beautiful, hilarious film The History of Concrete, which we were honoured to present at the Revelation Perth International Film Festival, and which echoed so many of the themes of my book that I started to sweatily worry people will think I’m ripping Wilson off. But then again, maybe I shouldn’t flatter myself. Look out for it down the track!
Lastly, I have settled on a theme and title for my third book, and I’ll share that with you in a couple years I guess. Gotta get this one into the world first.
More updates as they arrive. Cheers!
