Wednesday Wonders 27

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

With the news that the reboot of Buffy will NOT now be going ahead (apparently because the main exec at Hulu had never seen the original and "didn't get it"), it might be time to revisit the original greatest-TV-show-of-all-time. A lot of words have been spilled in praising this show, so I'm not going to add to them. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. If you've never seen it, you should stop reading immediately and start watching. If you saw some of it but didn't get what all the fuss was about, unsubscribe right now - we have nothing to talk about.

This is also an excellent excuse to re-present my friend Joseph Brett's meticulously excellent claymation rendition of the Season 3 opening credit sequence:

2. There is no Antimemetics Division by Qntm

A friend recommended this book to me, saying "You'll be kicking yourself that you didn't write it. And then you'll start to wonder if maybe you did, but you've forgotten." That is the vibe. Not since House of Leaves has something so completely blown my mind. If you like what we do over at Pleasant Green, or if you're a Nigel Kneale fan, or you devoured Warren Ellis's Global Frequency (he hasn't read the book yet, and may resent the comparison) then grab a copy immediately.

3. The Ipcress File

Len Deighton, author of The Ipcress File, and many more, died yesterday. So I'm putting the movie of The Ipcress File in today's missive. Michael Caine and Guy Doleman are perfect (Doleman's character was a major touchstone for Mister Bartholomew in the first Aldrich Kemp series), Sidney J Furie's direction is immaculate (see the video below), and John Barry's score is one of the best movie soundtracks ever.

If you haven't seen this movie, rush to rectify that. If you have, watch it again.

Spies Like Us: Harry Palmer, the Everyday Hero of ‘The Ipcress File’ at 60 • Cinephilia & Beyond

By Tim Pelan The Ipcress File, both film adaptation by director Sidney J. Furie and producer Harry Saltzman, and the original debut novel by author Len Deighton, has come to be known as the prime example of “anti-Bond,” eschewing the glamorous world of Ian Fleming’s globe-trotting, high life loving gentleman spy, James Bond,

Cinephilia & Beyondcinephiliabeyond

4. Austrian Audio headphones

Do you know how to get great sound without spending a fortune? Shun wireless. Halfway decent wireless headphone cost the Earth, but it turns out it's not the quality you're paying for, so much as the wireless. Austrian Audio are a great company with a range of astonishing products, but the X15 headphones are a game changer. If you can stand a dangling cable, these things deliver excellent sound for £89.99. Pair them with a dedicated music player, rather than a phone, and you're in for a treat.

Hi-X15 - Austrian Audio

Austrian Audio

5. Ken Adam

I've been watching a lot of early Bond films recently, and marvelling once again at the work of Production Designer Ken Adam. Alongside the key Bond films (Dr No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker), Adam's work also leaps out in Dr Strangelove, The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Barry Lyndon, Adams Family Values and The Madness of King George

And, to bring us back to Len Deighton, here's Ken Adam talking about his work on The Ipcress File: