Give them the attention they deserve, and Edgar Wright‘s movies, TV shows, and music videos will start to exhaust with allusions to the culture from which they spring. These are not necessarily name-drops of the typical “geek” variety, but allusions in narrative, structure, and visual expression that evince a creative brain cycling through item after item.
So, yes, it will hardly surprise anybody that Wright has seen a lot, yet I’m still intrigued by a chronologically ordered, 1,000-title MUBI list he co-created with user Sam DiSalle. For being free of comments about any choices, this proves all the more intriguing in how it must stand alone. Sunset Blvd. and Notorious, sure, but Glen or Glenda? Could I make a connection between Ed Wood‘s camp classic and, say, Scott Pilgrim? (Don’t answer that.) The bonus, as opposed to ten- or twenty-title collections: you’ll probably never see everything here, and everything here is at least a bit intriguing.
At some point during the seven-and-a-half-month wait for Baby Driver, take a moment to watch a few items highlighting the electricity and preciseness of Wright’s work, cinema and otherwise. In the latter sense, I refer to his music videos — including this, which may be the starting point for his next feature — that have been highlighted (along with “music moments” from his films) in a video compilation; be sure to look in its description for a list of featured items. (I also wonder if the uploader’s username is a joke or authentic.) Also included are two videos about foreshadowing and visual echoes in The World’s End — some of which are obvious, some of which connect to his earlier work in very valuable ways. Either way, it’s fun.
Have a look below: