Edgar Wright vs Joe Cornish

On Tuesday night I went back to the BFI, where I seem to spend more time than I do in my own house at the moment, to watch two titans of popular culture face each other in an arena of chat. Radio host, movie writer and director (although probably best known as the guy who did this amazing interview with The Incredible Suit) Joe Cornish sat down with TV and movie director and future The Incredible Suit interviewee (if I ever get my way) Edgar Wright to lightly griddle him about his life's work.

Unsurprisingly, it was a tremendous evening. Joe took Edgar from his very first filmmaking efforts with a camera he won on BBC1's Saturday morning Schofest Going Live! through his first feature A Fistful Of Fingers to his current era-defining movie Keith Pilgrim vs The World, as Mrs The Incredible Suit insists on calling it.

While the effortlessly hilarious dialogue between the two was like bathing in liquid giggles with chuckle bubbles, the highlights were the clips Joe had dug out of Edgar's early work. Shorts like Celebrity Fraud, Rolf Harris 2: The Bearded One and Dead Right (available to watch here if you haven't got the Hot Fuzz DVD), which he shot in his late teens, showed the kind of precocious talent that was only ever going to a) result in a genius and b) get him beaten up in the playground.

The big surprise, though, was the chance to see nuggets from A Fistful Of Fingers, Edgar's debut feature shot on 16mm film with a £10,000 budget. Empire readers will have seen in this month's issue that the film has already passed into legend, being harder to get hold of than a greased Jason Statham.

The segment we saw was as snappily edited and packed with visual gags as any of Edgar's later output. Some jokes clearly took ages to set up for the briefest of appearances, demonstrating the patience and tenacity of a man determined to put his vision on the screen.

After we'd seen more clips from Spaced, Shaun, Hot Fuzz and Keith Pilgrim, the floor was opened up for questions. I didn't get a chance to ask Edgar what his favourite colour is because Joe Cornish poo-pooed me in favour of the man next to me. Joe did namecheck The Incredible Suit though so I suppose I'll forgive him.

So thanks to Joe, Edgar and the BFI for a great night, and in the unlikely event that Britain's Hottest Director is reading, get in touch! I've got loads more perceptive questions to ask you, although "What's your favourite colour?" is about as piercingly interrogatory as it gets.

Videbonus: They didn't show this video for Charlotte Hatherley's marvellous earworm 'Bastardo', which Edgar directed, so here it is. See if you recognise anyone in it.

I am so good to you it hurts my toes.



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