Vintage Geek - This Was No Book Accident!
Brody may be Chief, but there’s only one Marshall Julius. The BBC Oxford film critic tells us about his passion for cinema, collecting and Jaws. He’s also been collecting trivia and questions for his new book, Vintage Geek.
The book feature a host of pop-culture questions, as a super-fan Jaws absolutely included.
So, we caught up with Marshall and asked him a few questions of our own.
How did you become a film critic?
"When you're obsessed with films, can write a little, but have no practical skills or real-world savvy, there's really nothing else you can be. As with all things, you just keep trying until you wear an employer down. The secret to longevity in the business is accepting you'll never make a living wage."
Any advice for anyone wanting to be a film critic?
"Find a paying job and be a film critic on the side. See everything. Overthink. Write a lot."
What do you think makes a good film critic?
"Interesting insights, personality, writing chops. Don't bang on about the plot. Don't spoil things. Be relatable and entertaining."
Any special questions? Author Marshall Julius with copies of his latest book.
When did you first see Jaws?
"I'm fairly certain I saw it, along with 23.25 million other people, when it premiered on British TV on October 8, 1981 - the third highest viewing in ITV history!"
What are your memories of first seeing the film?
"Of being instantly then utterly gripped by it. Of just loving the characters, the score, the shark... Of feeling, afterwards, like I'd seen a rare, perfect thing, and then afterwards, as I'd recorded it, immediately watching it again."
Where does Jaws rank in terms of the all-time greats of cinema?
"For my money, it ties with 1933's King Kong as the greatest monster movie of all time. In terms of its place among cinema's all-time greats, it's comfortably in the top twenty."
What makes Jaws so damn good?
"Magic, I think. And fate. Maybe Spielberg made a deal with the Devil. Because everything works, and works together, perfectly. Had it been an easier shoot, a quicker shoot, Spielberg might not have been forced to be so creative, the crew and the cast might not have bonded so well... And what if Gottlieb had been more respectful of Benchley's novel, and not fixed everything that sucked about it? And what if Spielberg hadn't crossed paths with Williams? Any number of decisions or twists of fate could have sunk this movie, but nothing did. It was just meant to be one of this world's few perfect things."
Favourite scene, line, character?
"Quint's USS Indianapolis monologue; 'My husband tells me you're in sharks.'; Brody, because he's us."
What do you think of the sequels?
"Two's fun, but not something I watch very often. Three I quite liked, at least when I first saw it at the cinema, because of the 3-D, but it's not very good. Revenge is trash."
You seem to be big on collectibles - what’s your favourite Jaws collectible?
"My worn out, well read and absolutely beloved first printing paperback of The Jaws Log by Carl Gottlieb. Written before the film became a phenomenon. Just honest and authentic and it makes you feel like you were with the crew every step of the way."
Your late mum was big on film as well. Did she influence your love of film and introduce you to Jaws?
"Yes, her love of film was infectious. She had boundless enthusiasm for it and absolutely, that was the making of me. She was open-minded, gave everything a chance, and loved everything that deserved to be loved. Jaws included. It was my brothers, though, who introduced me to it. They're older than me, and got to see it at the cinema when it was first released."
What can fans expect from Vintage Geek?
"A proper challenge, for starters. While casual fans should be able to answer a fair few questions, this is a book that rewards deep-down love and lifelong obsession! Knowing all the answers isn’t really that important though. You can read this book, if you like, as a trivia primer. A fun, detailed guide to geeky knowledge that covers everything from Roger Moore’s Bond and Tom Baker’s Doctor to classic Star Wars and early Simpsons. It covers a lot of ground! It’s also deeply nostalgic, with personal introductions to each chapter that I hope evoke fond memories from older readers and paints a vivid yet warm and fuzzy picture for younger ones."
How did the idea for the book came about?
"I turned 50 this year. When I was younger, pre-Internet, you couldn’t just look up everything. There was value in knowing stuff. And though I’ve never been good at remembering important, real-world information, I have this insane capacity for remembering facts about films and tv shows, comic books and videogames: all the things in life, I’d say, that are actually important. Because of that, I’ve always loved being quizzed, and enjoy quizzing too. This book is something I’d wanted to write for years and years. Because, although we call this sort of information trivia, to me it’s not really trivial at all. It’s all very meaningful and important and evocative and I wanted to get it down, and share it, and have fun with it."
What’s your favourite question in the book?
"My favourite questions are the ones that lead to extended, in-depth answers. I can't resist - not do I ever try - leading readers down deep and winding trivia rabbit roles. Like, there's a question in my Fifties' Sci-Fi Cinema chapter that leads to a brisk history of the phrase, 'Klaatu barada nikto'. They're my favourites!"
How can people get their hands on a copy of your jawsome quiz book?
Most easily from Amazon - see below!
You can pick up a copy of Vintage Geek below!
Photo and art credit to Steve Casino