Fuzz Buzz

Bunked off from work early-ish (4.20) so that I could get to the NFT for a preview of "Hot Fuzz", which was very good, if not the comic masterpiece that some of the online reviews have suggested.

Although the film sends up, and ends up as, a Tony Scott/Michael Bay actioner, some of the underlying influences seemed to me to be a bit more televisual. The plot, the locale, and a lot of the acting, are all straight out of

The Avengers

circa 67/68. Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall, as the unreconstructed CID department, look as if they are both hoping to feature in

Life on Mars

before the second series ends (an impression re-inforced by the use of T-Rex's "Solid Gold Easy Action" on the soundtrack). And there's a little of bit

The Goodies'

"Bunfight at the OK Tea-Rooms" in there too.

There are some beautifully staged, almost subliminal, visual gags (look out for the establishing shot of PC Kevin Eldon, with a whiteboard behind him). There is some oddly-judged graphic prosthetic violence, which is the only time that I felt the film-makers were playing to the established fan-base gallery.

Reclaiming the Fens

A routine sub visit from the Random House rep. yesterday was made much more interesting when she turned a page of the April catalogue to reveal that Vintage are re-issuing three of Edmund Crispin's backlist that month, apparently because a) they've had huge success with Margery Allingham and b) they asked booksellers which Golden Age detective they'd most like to see back in print.

I was able to tell the rep more about the joys of Gervase Fen than I expect she wanted to know ("Is Oxford on your patch? You must get these subbed in there"), but she was nevertheless impressed enough with my enthusiasm to ask if there was anybody else who I thought should be back in print. The Nicholas Blake/Nigel Strangeways books only occurred to me after she'd gone.