Oh man, when two cineastes decide to have a conversation watch out! It is hard to contain the purest of enthusiasm for movies that erupts when you put me on Skype with my friend Jon Spira! You might remember that from episode 157, when he joined me to discuss his documentary Elstree 1976, which you can click on that link to purchase. It’s also available in Netflix, I feel obliged to mention.
Anyway, a few days back I noticed that Jon wrote an article for Huffington Post called “The Death of DVD will Haunt Us”, the content of which you can probably guess, but it’s worth a read. I shared it on my Facebook page and it started a great conversation and over 100 shares. For us film geeks, this topic is a sensitive one, it seems. Through that Facebook thread, I learned that Jon had written a new book that he was currently selling on Kickstarter called Videosyncratic, which is named after the pair of video stores (or shop, in the UK vernacular) he used to own in Oxford. The book is a memoir all about how the video shop has been firmly rooted in who he has become as a person. I read the entire book in one sitting and loved it. Even if someone’s tastes are not in complete accordance with Jon’s, I think every horror, exploitation, or cult film fan has experienced the outcast phenomenon that their love for movies has created, and the sanctuary we all felt when we used to go to the video stores as kids. Every one of you will appreciate the wit and humor in this book. Some parts are laugh out loud hilarious, and even touching.
