tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post720771607730196904..comments2024-01-21T11:18:54.087-05:00Comments on Lost in the Movies: The Eye of the Duck: A David Lynch retrospective, 1967 - 2013 (part one: the trees)Joel Bockohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-42071838153966824502014-08-12T13:52:03.934-04:002014-08-12T13:52:03.934-04:00"Full of painfully stilted expository dialogu..."Full of painfully stilted expository dialogue, making it all the more ironic that it is one of Lynch's most confusing films despite attempts to spell everything out."<br /><br />Exactly - although, yes, Kyle MacLachlan's hair is pretty remarkable.<br /><br />Don't know if I'd recommend watching the video before you see Twin Peaks, at least up to the killer's reveal. Obviously you know it was Leland, but his identity is revealed in a way you may or may not already know about (depending on if you've read my Twin Peaks descriptions, I guess), but which should probably be experienced as a shock if you don't. I include the whole scene as the climax of my video, as I think it's perhaps the culmination if what Lynch was reaching towards, vis a vis good/evil and his presentation of violence in the first part if his career. Ironically, when I saw the scene for the first time I had the reverse of your experience: I knew why was going to happen (it had been spoiled when I stumbled across the info online) but not who Bob would be.<br /><br />As for shorts, it's probably a good idea to start with the DVD of his (mostly) early shorts which is on Netflix. The most celebrated are probably The Grandmoter and The Cowboy and the Frenchman, which are wildly different and between the two of then capture the two extremes of his surrealism: creepy and dark vs. wacky and affectionate. Of the later ones, Darkened Room seems to get discussed the most - to my mind it's really effectively creepy in that I-have-no-why-I'm-so-creeped-out-but-I-am way. Rabbits and Dumblamd, which are short web series rather than standalone short films, are also pretty memorable and acclaimed.<br /><br />For myself, my favorite shorts are the most aggressively experimental/otherworldly/trancelike ones so I recommend The Amputee, Premonition of an Evil Deed, Rabbits, Darkened Room, and the trampoline & ants episode of Dumbland.<br /><br />And definitely check out Industrial Symphony No. 1. It's a trip, and of course wall-to-wall Julee Cruise.<br />Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-6732578079900283502014-08-12T11:50:42.635-04:002014-08-12T11:50:42.635-04:00Alright, finally saw Dune, and now I'm done wi...Alright, finally saw Dune, and now I'm done with Lynch's feature filmography! But yeah, Dune sucked. Full of painfully stilted expository dialogue, making it all the more ironic that it is one of Lynch's most confusing films despite attempts to spell everything out. Occasionally some interesting visuals, like Kyle MacLachlan's hair, but by and large this was the weakest film from Lynch in that department despite the large budget. <br /><br />Now I know from this post that there is a whole lot of other work Lynch has done, from short films, music videos, commercials, etc.. It's a bit intimidating. What would you recommend as a good starting point, or his best work outside the feature film world period? (excluding Twin Peaks obviously, as that is a beast for another day). In the meantime, I'm off to watch your video on Lynch's films, and will leave my thoughts on that when I get the chance.Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-80218806535270563912014-08-01T08:40:11.858-04:002014-08-01T08:40:11.858-04:00Oh, and when you do check out the blu-ray look for...Oh, and when you do check out the blu-ray look for the new Fire Walk With Me documentary, "Moving Through Time." It offers some great insight into the making of the film, particularly Sheryl Lee's performance; apparently, cast and crew were worried at times that she was approaching a complete breakdown because she had thrown herself so deeply into the role (particularly during the train car sequence). More than ever it seems to me that Inland Empire in particular - in addition to Mulholland Drive - was inspired (subconsciously, if nothing else) by Lynch's experience working with her.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-51383124805242585942014-07-31T18:49:48.397-04:002014-07-31T18:49:48.397-04:00Pretty much agreed with you on Wild at Heart, thou...Pretty much agreed with you on Wild at Heart, though I've warmed up on a bit. The reason it won the Palme d'Or largely the same reason FWWM was booed at Cannes later: viewers were responding to their excitement/exhaustion with Lynch as a pop cultural phenomenon rather than to the work itself.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-51654409929736053842014-07-31T14:37:37.185-04:002014-07-31T14:37:37.185-04:00I'll definitely be consulting this site often ...I'll definitely be consulting this site often when I dive back into Twin Peaks. I plan on going through all the way and not skipping episodes, maybe seeing the legit bad ones will help me appreciate the good ones. For now, I'm in season 4 of Arrested Development, the 'reunion' season so to speak, which might be a bit of a grind to finish. When I get done with that, I might either a) start The Sopranos, which will take up the rest of this year and who knows how much of next, or b) re-visit The Wire, something I've been meaning to do since I originally blew through the series nearly two years ago. If you're wondering, I like to tackle one show at a time, so Twin Peaks will have to wait for those two behemoths to have their shine. I know, it's probably a perfect time to get into Twin Peaks right now, but I think I'll better appreciate the show if I approach it on my own terms. But who knows, the impulse to go in to it might strike me anyway. <br /><br />So, bringing it back to Lynch's films, I saw Eraserhead and Wild at Heart for the first time in the past two nights. Eraserhead lived up to all the hype- beautifully weird, hypnotic in a gruesome sort of way, amazingly paced especially for a debut film. It never falls into the indie film trying to be too abstract guise, as Lynch's visuals, along with the garish sound design, always held my attention in a very direct way. It works as a simple story of a man trudging through a miserable life in miserable conditions, with the birth of his child coming more as an avenue for more misery and confusion than a ray of light. But it also has enough mysterious undercurrents that open up discussion on the character's sexual frustrations and spirituality. As far as it being his best film, I agree that it feels like his most fully realized, and his most praise-worthy from a formal standpoint. But I think it needs a few more viewings before I can elevate it above Mulholland Drive, which remains, for me at least, Lynch's most dazzling combination of visuals, music, mystery, offbeat humor, suspense, sensuality, and a tragic undercurrent.<br /><br />Now Wild at Heart left me cold, and despite it being entertaining in spurts, it definitely feels like a transitional work, and a pointedly empty one at that. It fascinates me that this film won the Palme d'Or, perhaps people were just excited to see Lynch in a different mode (like they were the following year for the Coen brothers), but I couldn't get with it. The car crash scene you describe came a jolt though, as it felt like the lone instance where the film depicted real violence, as random, uncontrollable and un-stylish, as opposed to the other sensational killings depicted in the film. I can see how this film influenced Fargo and Natural Born Killers as you mention. <br /><br />Now I have one more Lynch feature to go- Dune. I'm dreading it, but this will make Lynch the first director of whom I've seen every feature film of.<br /><br /> Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-26598560847056160492014-07-30T18:57:00.140-04:002014-07-30T18:57:00.140-04:00(revised from deleted comment)
I know what you me...(revised from deleted comment)<br /><br />I know what you mean about The Elephant Man - when I watched it for the first time in about 20 years this spring I was surprised by how clichéd much of the story is (especially given how far it strays from the actual events). And yet I've seen it a few times since then and can basically look past the simplistic elements because I like many things about it so much. Firstly, its simply luminous photography - possibly the most exquisite and gorgeous Lynch film. And the performances, which are superb, even in some of the more stereotypical parts. And while details of the screenplay annoy me the overall structure is impressive - we are led to subtly shift our perspective in a way few films dare. And I love the ending, which I find genuinely moving and a perfect complement to the ending of Fire Walk with Me (I ended up treating it as such in the video essay). But it does descend into formula at times and while many point to it as one of his more "adult" films (I guess on the conceit that surrealism is inherently juvenile) I have to disagree - I think his later movies display a far more complex and sophisticated understanding of human nature and behavior.<br /><br />I just watched "the Missing Pieces" last night - my review will be up Monday, but the short version is that I was amazed at the way it linked the disparate perspectives of Twin Peaks and Fire Walk with Me, which I had begun to consider irreconcilable. Now, suddenly and unexpected, the entire Twin Peaks universe to me feels far more holistic and I feel most interested in Fire Walk with Me as the culmination of a spiritual saga, for the first time since I saw it 5 years ago. In that light, I'd recommend any watch/rewatch in the following order: Twin Peaks the series (you can safely skip ep. 19-23 or even 18-28 if you find yourself struggling/losing interest, although I'd recommend soldiering through for the little character and mythology glimpses sprinkled throughout that very weak post-Laura run). Definitely watch the Lynch-directed finale, possibly the best Peaks episode, even if you skip the second half of the second season or not (up to Leland's reveal is more uneven than season one, but with higher highs - and the reveal itself may be the most powerful work Lynch had done up to that point). After the series, watch the deleted scenes (think of them as a separate entity from the film, closer than the series to Laura but still distanced) and only then give a Fire Walk with Me a third spin. It may take a long while, but I believe this is how viewers will get the most of all the different parts, especially if they've already seen the film.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-37816887579519038362014-07-29T19:35:21.785-04:002014-07-29T19:35:21.785-04:00Oh my bad- misread "a" for "my"...Oh my bad- misread "a" for "my". Mulholland Drive is still my favorite as well, and now Lost Highway is in the number two spot after this re-watch. Fire Walk With Me might actually be my second least favorite Lynch so far, though it still fascinates me and I look forward to reading about the recent re-release of it with the deleted scenes and whatnot. <br /><br />The Elephant Man- well, I saw it about a year ago, and it felt kind of manipulative, perhaps worse. I remember thinking "what's the difference between Lynch and the people who exploited Joseph (/John) Merrick in his day", which is a pretty cynical way of looking at it, as I see now. But I can't help but wonder how many seats were filled by people who had a morbid curiosity to see the diseased man himself.. Ok, I should get off that.. even if Lynch is juicing the sentimentality of a mistreated man with a grotesque and rare disease, I'll grant him that he's at least sincere in portraying him humanely. That doesn't make it a great film though, or any less shallow. I might like the film even less now having seen Lynch pull a legitimate tearjerker with The Straight Story.<br /><br />Or maybe I can only love one black and white lead actor driven character study from 1980 where the main character professes that he's "not an animal"... ;)Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-24816093766538958482014-07-26T14:59:03.515-04:002014-07-26T14:59:03.515-04:00Out of curiosity, what were your further thoughts ...Out of curiosity, what were your further thoughts on The Elephant Man?Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-2723617142587153302014-07-26T12:43:13.549-04:002014-07-26T12:43:13.549-04:00It's definitely not my favorite - traditionall...It's definitely not my favorite - traditionally that's been Mulholland Drive, lately it's clearly Fire Walk With Me - but it may very well be in my top 3. Because it is so purely Lynch, taking all the unsettling, provocative, visceral aspects of his films to the max. But I wasn't very taken with it on first viewing. Five years later & another re-watch, it grew on me more. (Though it also grew in memory - in fact, I can see I ranked it pretty highly for 2006 in the Wonders poll, even though at that point I'd only had a not-very-satisfactory first viewing. In fact the same is true of Fire Walk With Me. I watched it once in 2008 and was really troubled by it but in retrospect it grew and grew in my memory. It ranked in the top 50 of my all-time favorites list, won Best Picture from me in the Wonders poll, and I discussed it numerous times - but I never actually had a second viewing until 2013. That first viewing remains one of the most memorable and distinctive experiences I've ever had watching a movie. I'd still love to see it on the big screen - in fact, see any Lynch on the big screen. The only one I've seen so far was Mulholland Drive in 2012 and I feel like I didn't appreciate the experience as much at the time as I would now.)Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-91469749384173547532014-07-26T11:29:26.020-04:002014-07-26T11:29:26.020-04:00I'll post my whole marathon re-cap on Sam'...I'll post my whole marathon re-cap on Sam's Monday Morning Diary at Wonders in the Dark, so you can see it there if you're interested. <br /><br />I'm a little surprised to hear Inland Empire is your favorite Lynch! It certainly takes his style to the extreme, so I guess if your predisposed to that sort of thing it'll be right up your alley. Two things hindered my appreciation of it I think- one, that I watched it right after The Straight Story, and two, that I watched it in broad daylight.. Lynch works best in the dark, and the only other film of his I've seen during the day (besides The Straight Story) was The Elephant Man, which I wasn't a fan of. <br /><br />A lot of reviews I've read on Inland Empire have taken a physiological reading of the film, which makes sense considering Lynch's sole description of it is as "a woman in trouble". But I think you're right that it more about the dangers of artistic creation and more specifically role playing. I think the most important scene is the first rehearsal for the film where Nikki first commits herself to the character, and then the rehearsal gets interrupted by some unseen "ghost" that some have pointed out to be Susan, the character Nikki plays. None of this is my original thinking, but from what I've gathered it seems like a good starting point to try and unravel the rest of the plot from. I also like your background about Lynch's infatuation with Sheryl Lee/ Laura Palmer, and this knowledge about Lee's devotion to her role under Lynch's direction opens up a lot of interesting angles on IE. I'll have to see if any of this helps my appreciation of the film on a re-watch. Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-38807455839901750152014-07-24T23:25:22.265-04:002014-07-24T23:25:22.265-04:00(continued)
This doesn't mean Lynch embraces...(continued)<br /><br /><br />This doesn't mean Lynch embraces every idea that comes to mind but when something resonates deeply, when he "falls in love" to put it in his own terminology, he goes with the idea and only later figures out how it works. Michael J. Anderson, who played the Man From Another Place in Twin Peaks, relates a story of walking past Lynch's editing suite and overhearing his conversation with Mary Sweeney, his editor and girlfriend for many years, in which he was watching footage and told her to freeze it and after a long pause said, "So THAT's what I meant by that..." Inland Empire just takes this to the extreme.<br /><br />Formally, I know what you mean and I myself often object to the grungey/handheld aesthetic and yet it really works for me in this film as I said in the review. Something about it feels very spotaneous and raw, as if the camera is a scalpel, carving away the familiar layers of everyday life. It's like a home movie camera on acid.<br /><br />Still hoping Bart returns to share his thoughts on that. I'm also looking forward to reading Martha Nochimson's book David Lynch Swerves, which covers his last 4 films in the light of Hinduism's Vedic texts (Lynch is an avid practitioner and promoter of the Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation and has been since the 70s) and also quantum mechanices, which Lynch has an intense amateur interest in apparently. The readings I've read of Inland Empire so far seem to emphasize the centrality of the "battered woman"'s story but on my viewings, Nikki the actress has seemed to be the "real" central consciousness if there is one. <br /><br />The reading that works best for me at the moment is of the film as a metaphor for artistic creation and investment - how an artist loses themselves in their work, with identities and experiences blurring and intermingling like a dream before the work is sent out into the world to touch other lives. It's especially interesting to consider this aspect of the film - and also this aspect in Mulholland Drive - in light of Lynch's work with Sheryl Lee in Fire Walk With Me. Lee has often spoken of really losing herself in that role and of being haunted by nightmares for years in which she and Laura blurred together. She even wrote a "goodbye" diary entry to Laura on the last day of shooting and years later composed a poem to the character she played, addressing her almost as a possessing spirit. Knowing how taken Lynch was with both Lee's screen presence, and the daimonic power of Laura Palmer within the narrative of Twin Peaks, I wonder to what extent this experience played itself out in his later films.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-62381979087911413552014-07-24T23:25:13.770-04:002014-07-24T23:25:13.770-04:00Out of curiosity, what other films did you watch a...Out of curiosity, what other films did you watch as well?<br /><br />The emotional sincerity & quiet compassion of The Straight Story is oft-noted, but I do see it as being of a piece with The Elephant Man and Fire Walk With Me, although it also has a certain warmth neither of those films quite has. I love it - and watched it with my family on a recent visit home (it's one of the few Lynch films I can do that with!).<br /><br />Your description of the lightning scene is a great description of how Lynch works. The scene has thematic and narrative importance, yet we come to that importance only through the aesthetic/formal experience of how he presents it. That's one reason he's such a great director.<br /><br />I've seen Inland Empire three times now, and have begun to think of it as a favorite Lynch. Yet it still is very frustrating! It's the Lynch film I probably feel the most uncertain about, which is in a way a good thing (it maintains an aura of mystery and mystification which I've gotten past with some of the others - and as Lynch himself often says, being lost in the mystery can be a beautiful thing). <br /><br />But I don't really know the answer to your inquiry, which is really the million-dollar question. Is it best to abandon any explanation? Or is it better to seek answers? Can one do both?<br /><br />The thing I'm learning about Lynch, the more I read, is that Inland Empire is just the logical extension of his working methods and thought process. Even with more conventional films, he allows the pieces to accumulate without knowing where they will necessarily lead. Usually the demands of pre-production within the studio system demand that he figure this out beforehand but in Inland Empire he had the luxury of essentially fusing pre-production and production (and perhaps post-production as well). And yet the methodology is essentially the same as, say, Mulholland Drive in which he conceived the first 2/3 without having any clue where they would lead, or Eraserhead, in which the crucial Lady in the Radiator entered the story well into shooting, or Twin Peaks, in which the supernatural element was cobbled together from random inspirations until a coherent and powerful metaphysical underpinning had been assembled from bits and pieces.<br /><br />(continued)Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-12835564365492330702014-07-24T21:14:30.143-04:002014-07-24T21:14:30.143-04:00Ok, so I just got done with my "back from vac...Ok, so I just got done with my "back from vacation movie marathon" and saw some pretty amazing films, several new favorites for sure (as well as some old ones), with The Straight Story and Inland Empire sandwiched in there as the only same-director double feature. The Straight Story emerged as the film I liked more, and it seems to be getting better the more I think/ read about it and consider it in Lynch's oeuvre, while post-viewing research of Inland Empire has yielded little in the way of satisfying conclusions... <br /><br />First of all, The Straight Story was inadvertently the third tear-jerker I watched in a row during this marathon, so perhaps I was softened a bit, but I would have never imagined Lynch could tap into such sincere emotional resonance. Yet of course, the Lynch hallmarks are there, from the shady past of our protagonist (an alcoholic who perhaps wasn't the best father, or brother, or solider) obscuring his surface likability, to the wacky humor (I loved the scene where Alvin buys a grabber, from a guy who clearly didn't want to part from it). And I like what you say about the special meaning of the journey to Alvin, as his way to purge his past sins and prove he still loves his brother. Lynch never forces this at the viewer and it really only came to me in hindsight, though it makes perfect sense. Finally, the shot of Alvin as he sits at home during a thunderstorm is brilliant. It just holds on his face as his daughter talks on the phone in the other room, presumably (I think) receiving the news that Lyle had a stroke. Well I was so transfixed on the shot itself I don't remember the background dialogue. It makes sense, as this is the moment Alvin realizes he has to face his brother and his past, a past that the viewers are unaware of at this point. But the fact that such a dark, slow burning moment occurs in a Disney film is, well, unsettling... <br /><br />Inland Empire was full of these moments, as I soon found out, but with little of the poignancy or sense of deeper meaning. I don't think I've ever been more baffled at a film, and though I expected this, it still came as a cold shock after seeing Lynch's skills shine through in genre mode. The fact that IE was improvised by Lynch and was sort of a hodgepodge of other projects makes me wonder if there's any deeper meaning here at all. Any singular reading/ theory of the film can't account for many scenes and plot threads that obviously seem culled from another filmic universe (the Poles, rabbits, party girls, the girl in the hotel). I'd love to be proven wrong about this, and perhaps in 30 years this film will be revived as a forgotten masterpiece and forbearer to some new form of storytelling in film. <br /><br />As far as getting under my skin, or being a compelling sensory experience (you liken watching the film to flipping through channels, which is a nice way of looking at it), it didn't work nearly as well as Lost Highway or Mulholland Drive for me. Perhaps it's the way it was shot and the technical specs. It makes me appreciate the first half hour of Lost Highway all the more, for its delicate formalism that built a sort of ambient atmosphere. IE is just right in your face with those awkward, shaky close ups and grainy lighting. I had this same problem with Dancer in the Dark, viewed in the same marathon, though Lynch's artistic choice to shoot that way makes more sense than Von Trier's, who is not only making a period film, but one driven by a singular performance that really shines through when the camera relaxes a bit. But I digress. <br /><br />So, since you've seen Inland Empire multiple times, I have to ask- is it worth pursuing meaning in the film? I get the sense that it would just lead to dead ends and make the viewer more frustrated. Or is it better to just fall into the trap, which can sometimes be a good thing but does it really make it a great film then? <br />Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-72554492217776890522014-07-10T18:23:02.033-04:002014-07-10T18:23:02.033-04:00I still haven't seen Barton Fink though I thin...I still haven't seen Barton Fink though I think I'd really like it. It would be interesting if the Coen brothers had influenced Lynch - he often says he doesn't see many movies and their sensibility, despite some overlap, seems very different from his. Yet in a way their cinemas are kindred spirits.<br /><br />Of the final 3 you mention, not sure if I should say anything lest I color your own opinion. So stop reading here if you want to go to them completely fresh! Eraserhead may be Lynch's best movie in terms of directorial control (ironically, since it was his first) - everything in it just feels so right and perfect for the story he wants to tell and mood he wants to create. It's very offputting in a way, but also remarkable. Dune didn't work for me, and Wild at Heart I'm mixed on. It's fun but feels like the only Lynch film in which "he's just being random for randomness' sake!" actually seems to apply. But when I watched it as part of his whole body of work, in its proper chronological spot, I realized how important it is to his filmography and appreciated it more. Still not one of my favorites though.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-46519196124417148402014-07-10T09:36:57.390-04:002014-07-10T09:36:57.390-04:00The film I kept thinking of as I was watching Lost...The film I kept thinking of as I was watching Lost Highway was the Coen brother's Barton Fink- have you seen it? It seems like a big influence on Lynch, particularly Mulholland Drive which also concerns a Hollywood outsider coming to town trying to make it big, and other Lynchian qualities I won't spoil in case you haven't seen it. It's tie in with Lost Highway is its ambiguous portrayal of male anxiety and paranoia. I'd also like to hear Bart's thoughts on that film if he's seen it. <br /><br />After The Straight Story and Inland Empire, the only Lynch films left for me to see will be Eraserhead, Wild at Heart and Dune. And after I catch up with those, I will check out your video project on all of Lynch's films.Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-55348782041878973972014-07-10T00:13:19.824-04:002014-07-10T00:13:19.824-04:00A lot of Twin Peaks fans do like Fire Walk With Me...A lot of Twin Peaks fans do like Fire Walk With Me, to be fair, though many of them came around to it eventually rather than right away. But it increasingly seems to me that Peaks fans are far less inclined to like Fire Walk With Me than avant-garde, horror fans or even just general movie buffs. Though I was very impressed by the movie on first viewing - and actually troubled more by its connections to the series than its disconnections - that may be in part because I already liked Lynch and tend to prefer films to TV shows. For fans coming from the dark but alluring series, which (except in the crucial sequence revealing Laura's killer) tends to keep the ugliness of Laura's situation at an arm's length, the film felt like a slap in the face. <br /><br />As for the show, I always tell people give it three episodes to hook you. The pilot is extremely well-done but a bit more restrained than the rest of the series, and the first regular episode is well-done - with at least one brilliant moment - but relatively conventional. It's the second regular episode (i.e. the third) which tells viewers if Twin Peaks is for them or not. That was the episode that completely hooked me, personally (though I wasn't able to see the pilot the first time I began the series).<br /><br />Lost Highway...you may enjoy reading my earlier essay as well, linked up at the end of this one. It was my initial reaction after seeing the film, which through me for a loop same as everyone else. At the time though I think I just embraced it as an aesthetic object more than a sensible narrative. But, like Bart - and you it seems, I do think it's the story of someone who murdered his wife and is in denial. It's the details of his denial - and which parts are denial and which (if anything) are reality that still tends to confuse me!<br /><br />The Straight Story and Inland Empire...wow, that would make a hell of a double feature! They may be Lynch's two most different movies though they both feel fully "Lynchian" to me (more so than Dune and maybe even The Elephant Man). Inland Empire takes the confusion of Lost Highway and ups it to the nth degree. Knowing what's "real", what's fantasy or dream becomes almost impossible; honestly, I'm not sure Lynch himself knows. I'll be really interested to hear your reaction to that (and still waiting for Bart's; hopefully he returns to share it). Though narrative threads have emerged for me on repeat viewings, I still can't say for sure what's happening at any given point. The trick is to just go for the ride, as in a dream, and not necessarily try to make sense of what's going on though Lynch makes this mindset difficult at times (something I tried to get at with my above review). The Straight Story, on the other hand, has a completely comprehensible surface but contains great depths. I've come to love both movies.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-59615578969867851942014-07-09T20:40:53.491-04:002014-07-09T20:40:53.491-04:00It's definitely a fascinating film, and the ri...It's definitely a fascinating film, and the rift it creates between critics is especially interesting to me. The fact that fans of the show still haven't come around to it surprises me, I mean, it has grown in critical stature over the years despite carrying along its initial detractors. Slant Magazine named it one of the best films of the 90s, which might be a bit dubious, but eye-raising nonetheless. I can see fans of the show hating the first half hour of the film though...As far as seeing the show, I will definitely get to it sometime in the future, perhaps just all out immersing myself in it via bingeing and reading your episode guide + Laura's diary and tons of other reading material. Having seen the first episode, I feel as if I have to be in the right frame of mind to really appreciate it, like a lot of Lynch's filmography. If not it could be a real grind. But so far I've enjoyed digging through his films, and last night I watched Lost Highway again...<br /><br />Well, I understand the film better now than after one viewing, but that's not to say I understand it well at all! Reading through the above conversation has helped in my approach to the film. It's cryptic, not meant to be taken at face value, but it's also kind of a tease, with plenty of genre tropes/accessible elements colliding in a nonsensical way. That's how I felt after seeing Mulholland Drive for the first time, which made for an incredible sensory experience from one scene to another but didn't make much sense to me on a logic level when all the scenes are added up. Lost Highway is even more of a mindfuck, though it's still a hell of a ride..<br /><br />The first 30 minutes are great, layering up tension until we get glimpses of the actual crime itself. There's so much bizarre humor in this film, my favorite being the either incompetent or uninterested detectives who investigate the videotapes of Fred's home, and Dick Laurent's GTA style takedown of the tailgater is also hard to forget. And the film is certainly not short of memorable imagery, from the laconic close ups of various sexual acts (and the accompanying off putting soundtrack) to Pete's foray down an, erm, disorienting hallway..<br /><br />But while the plot of MD makes sense to me in hindsight, the plot of Highway doesn't really add up.. I understand that it's a psychological study of a paranoid wife killer who indulges in a fantasy life after being locked up. And I definitely appreciate the less than linear way Lynch approaches probing his protagonist's mind. But some of Bart's (from this thread) explanation (or attempts at explaining) the plot have got me more confused than the film itself. Like this-<br /><br />"His first fantasy begins with the words: "Dick Laurent is dead" while the second fantasy ends with this. The intriguing problem is of course that Fred is on different sides of the door in his fantasies when these words are spoken. So, the second segment cannot have preceded the first and yet...we KNOW this segment is the same as the first, because we hear the police sirens in the first segment. It seems logical that it preceded the first segment and yet...it cannot have."<br /><br />Huh, what? The sad thing is that this is probably the most clear explanation of the actual events of the film, but it hurts my head to think about. Still, the overall premise of the film, which I believe is Fred's insecurities about not being able to please his wife, make it compelling enough to just run with it when it gets too meta. <br /><br />When I get back from vacation I'll be watching The Straight Story and Inland Empire, both for the first time.Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-77610126824167501132014-07-06T16:53:43.361-04:002014-07-06T16:53:43.361-04:00(continued)
A couple other things to clarify/off...(continued)<br /><br /><br />A couple other things to clarify/offer different perspectives on both Laura's character and the Twin Peaks universe...when you've watched season two, my Gone Fishin' round-up offers a lot of great insight into the series' decline and Lynch's growing fascination with Laura's character. I'd also recommend reading or at least perusing The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, by Jennifer Lynch especially if you feel somewhat estranged from the character. It goes even further than Fire Walk With Me in exploring her mind and expressing her torment, which sometimes makes for tough but compelling reading. It's a quick read (I read it in a few hours one night) an the full text can be easily found online if your library doesn't carry a copy. I consider the book to be a crucial but often overlooked step in the evolution of her character and the changing tone of the show.<br /><br />As for the grim inevitability of the ending, I'm still not sure how I feel about the end of the movie which feels so fatalistic. I've read that after shooting the scene as scripted (in which there's no ring and Laura simply demands her father kill her) Lynch realized she deserved a more empowering climax and he edited in te ring motif to give her a positive action. This theory (which is speculation rather than documented fact) as well as some other readings of the film which envision Laura's arc as more proactive, are expounded in the latter part of the Gone Fishin' round-up. I'd say I'm still developing my take on the film's ending.<br /><br />At the end of the day Fire Walk with Me will always be somewhat messy - it was intended to be part of a series of Twin Peaks films as well as attempting to straddle dual roles as a fulfillment of the series' plot lines and a reinvention of its tone and mythology. But the messiness is part of why I love it and can't sop thinking about it - a neater film might be more admirable in a way but also less raw. Ultimately I think there are two kinds of great movies: the perfect, in which every element is just marvelously executed in a harmonious, Apollonian fashion; and the powerful, in which the passion of creation is so overwhelming that things may come out jumbled or uneven but pulsating with emotion, a kind of Dionysian fury. I think Fire Walk with Me is the latter type of film (Blue Velvet, despite some goofy plot details, feels much like the former). It feels like the film nearest and dearest to Lynch's heart as the beating it took only adds to the pathos.Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-30831723384261022972014-07-06T16:53:10.740-04:002014-07-06T16:53:10.740-04:00The question of whether or not it's better to ...The question of whether or not it's better to see FIre Walk With Me after Twin Peaks is an interesting one. Most people would immediately say it's best to watch the how first, and even that it's impossible to appreciate the movie otherwise but I have strong doubts. For one thing I've noticed that most of the people who really hate the film, or at least strongly dislike it, are fans of the show. And te reasons they usually give for their disappointment have to do with it not being like the series. So I think people who really fall in love with the series have a tendency to resent the film for being so different. Likewise, having set up who Laura Palmer was in their mind, many feel seeing her spoils the mystery. Obviously I disagree - strongly - but it's something I've noticed a lot lately.<br /><br />I've grown to like the first part more too and ended up focusing one of my entries in the conversation with Tony entirely on the Deer Meadow and Black Lodge elements, things that I found distracting or even offensive on first viewing. One of the things I like about he movie is that it can be appreciated from so many different angles.<br /><br />I would definitely encourage you to seek out season two at this point - at least to the part where Leland is revealed as the killer (the following two episodes are decent, and the finale is a stone-cold classic but the twelve episodes in between range from really underwhelming to mildly compelling). It will probably add to your appreciation of Fire Walk with Me and of Lynch in general. While the first season is more consistently entertaining, and the subplots feel better-integrated into the whole, the first part of season two is more fully Lynchian and as the surrealism and intrigue gets ramped up, the show reaches new heights - though there are more weak spots, the best moments are more terrifying or moody than anything that's come before.<br /><br />(Continued)Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-12576050461368577282014-07-06T13:03:30.656-04:002014-07-06T13:03:30.656-04:00Ah, that quote kinda clears it up.. Like I said, I...Ah, that quote kinda clears it up.. Like I said, I might just need to see more of his work to better understand his humor, like the second season of Twin Peaks (which might make the humor in Blue Velvet feel more genuine in hindsight). <br /><br />Speaking of Twin Peaks, I re-watched Fire Walk With Me the other night, and, like my first viewing of it, was in a daze for the majority of its run time. Even the first half hour or so, which seemed so throwaway the first time around, was bizarrely compelling. I was in for a jolt when the actual theme from Twin Peaks starting playing, having forgotten that this was a prequel to that show... And once the story of Laura Palmer took off, I started to get the feeling I was in the dark concerning her character. Lynch's quotes about her make me feel like this was the conclusion to the Twin Peaks myth, his final goodbye to the fictional character he fell in love with, a re-creation of her suffering that only fans of the show (or, at least people who saw the show) can truly appreciate. That's not to say the movie panders to the show's fans, or is a cash grab, but having missed out on the town's obsession of Laura after her death, her life in the film feels somewhat opaque. As the film drew closer to its inevitable conclusion, her character felt harder for me to stay interested in, as horrible as that sounds. Perhaps it's because she has no chance against the evil forces Lynch throws her way, or everything is so abstracted by Lynch that I simply couldn't follow it. I understand the basic premise, and it is a hard thing to watch unfold, but I certainly felt kept at arms length. Hopefully I'll have more to discuss about Lost Highway, which is the next one coming in. Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-67263495731104513482014-07-03T20:46:39.495-04:002014-07-03T20:46:39.495-04:00"so as I watch and in some cases re-watch his..."so as I watch and in some cases re-watch his films I will consult this post and leave my own two cents"<br /><br />Great idea & I look forward to your reactions.<br /><br />Blue Velvet has always been a tough film for me to suss out, much tougher than the more overtly challenging films for some reason. Watching it as part of a chronological retro reminded me that Lynch was working out a lot of his themes and stylistic quirks for the first time. I often feel like I'm expecting more from it, maybe based on what's coming.<br /><br />The absurdity you note is interesting because this is one of the screenplays Lynch wrote completely by himself and most people don't consider him much of a "plot mechanic" (if that's an actual term). Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire are his other solo efforts (Wild at Heart grants him sole credit, but it is based on someone else's novel). Blue Velvet is obviously the most clear and straightforward of these, but it still has that element of cheerful nonsense hinting that Lynch is more interested in A and B individually then in getting from A to B.<br /><br />With the tonal shifts - obviously Lynch is conscious of the contrast but I think he's fully-invested in some of the seemingly "corny" moments. He has an interesting quote about parodying soap operas which I think speaks to his sensibility: "Soap operas to me should not be camp. These are very real characters (that) feel and do what they do with all their heart. Camp is not only not creative, it is putting yourself above something else that has already been done and poking fun at it. To me that is a lower kind of humor."<br /><br />Which is interesting because there often seem to be intentionally campy elements in Lynch's work, especially in Blue Velvet and the first season of Twin Peaks. But I think, in a way, it comes from a different place than much camp. (I was listening to director commentary on Twin Peaks today and one of the episode writers or directors noted that Lynch nixed the "Invitation to Love" soap-within-a-soap parody from Twin Peaks because it seemed too on-the-nose and mocking.<br /><br />The question of when Lynch is serious and when - or if ever - he's putting us on is a fascinating one and something that I think played a big role in Twin Peaks' eventual derailment.<br />Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-86927777290967810232014-07-03T12:48:06.865-04:002014-07-03T12:48:06.865-04:00(2/2) You note that the good natured humor in the ...(2/2) You note that the good natured humor in the film, much of which takes place in the first half (from Jeffery's playful encounter with a blind co-worker to his flirting with Sandy) was genuine, not meant to be ironic or with a dark overtone hanging over it. I'm not sure if I agree completely, since this light hearted stuff creates almost too stark a contrast to the more vulgar humor (that comes entirely from Frank and his boys) for me to buy that Lynch was being genuine. I tend to view it more as a parody of the old fashioned melodrama, maybe an homage, I suppose Lynch can have his cake and eat it too. Maybe I have to watch more of his short films or other projects to get a better idea of his humor.<br /><br />I had not considered Detective Williams to be corrupt like his partner was, but that's a very interesting theory. That makes his withholding of information about the case from Jeffery seem more sinister and not professional protocol, and his telling Jeffery "easy does it" when Jeffery sees his corrupt partner arrive sounds like a threat to Jeffery, not a well-intentioned warning. You're right that this film probably has the most straightforward characters in any Lynch film, but they are still far from clear cut, and it's very tempting to apply Mulholland Drive/Lost Highway levels of investigation to the mix...<br />Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-86374625412577028532014-07-03T12:47:25.397-04:002014-07-03T12:47:25.397-04:00Wow... that is probably the most comprehensive thi...Wow... that is probably the most comprehensive thing I've ever seen on Lynch. I haven't read through everything yet, but this has inspired a mini Lynch retrospective myself, so as I watch and in some cases re-watch his films I will consult this post and leave my own two cents. I also look forward to reading the conversation going in this thread, as Lynch seems to inspire the most passionate yet concurrently different reactions from his fans amongst his films. That it's about Lost Highway (at least at first) is great for me, because I had no idea what to make of the film on first viewing and am predicting an upcoming re-viewing won't clear up much. And though I haven't dipped my toe in his non feature length work, this post might inspire me to do so...<br /><br />For now though, I'd like to talk about Blue Velvet, which I watched for the second time last night. I'm not sure if I wasn't paying attention closely enough the first time around or I was just going along with the plot without asking many questions (it had been instilled in me that this was one of the straightforward Lynch films), but on this viewing the entire thing seemed absurd and almost inconsequential. First of all, the plot is, at times, inept from both a storytelling and logic perspective. Why Jeffery decides to pretend to be a bug exterminator to sneak into Dorothy's apartment, and why Sandy goes along with it, is bizarre in the first place. Then he conveniently finds the key to the place in the kitchen! Maybe I missed a line of dialogue where Sandy says she knows where the key is (because she seems to know quite a bit about this Dorothy character from eavesdropping on her father) but even still, it's a pretty big stretch. Thankfully Lynch never plays the plot straightforward, and instead builds an atmosphere of absurdity that keeps the audience engaged. Despite any contrivances (the toilet flush blocking out the honking car horn is another) every scene that takes place in Dorothy's apartment is genuinely suspenseful. <br /><br />The lack of character establishment is also great, and a typical Lynch thing. When Sandy tells Jeffery that she's not sure if he's a pervert or a detective, and he responds that it's for him to know and her to find out, I get the feeling he is talking to the audience as well. His reaction to finding the severed ear is also strangely muted, how he didn't freak out at the thing is beyond me. And yes, he does hit Dorothy while they are having sex and manipulates both Dorothy and Sandy in the long run. So, I guess what I'm getting at is that he's not your typical innocent suburban wannabe sleuth, and I was half expecting an overt shift in character in the second half a la Mulholland Drive that revealed his darker nature. Hell, I even floated the theory that the whole thing is his sick fantasy when a shot of him waking up in his bed directly follows the first episode with Dorothy in the apartment. You say that a lot of hints about Jeffery's character were left on the cutting room floor? Very interesting, it could have been a whole different film if Lynch pushed that angle any further. (1/2)<br />Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-43751653745939569002014-06-29T11:04:46.717-04:002014-06-29T11:04:46.717-04:00More great comments, Bart - I love what you're...More great comments, Bart - I love what you're bringing to this conversation.<br /><br />Re: Camilla, I was just going to ask you if you thought "Camilla Rhodes" was a real person or just a manifestation of a part of Diane, so I'm glad you addressed it. Who do you mean by "Carol" though? I don't remember a "Carol" in the film.<br /><br />As for the video essay, it's actually last week's post, the third entry in David Lynch Month. It's called "Take This Baby and Deliver It to Death" which is a paraphrase from The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer written by Jennifer Lynch. Here's the direct link: http://thedancingimage.blogspot.com/2014/06/take-this-baby-and-deliver-it-to-death.html<br /><br />Also, under that post there are some cross-posted comments from IMDb which also address Lynch's treatment of sex and abuse. Beginning with Wild at Heart (or, as I put it in the above retro, even earlier in The Cowboy & the Frenchman) Lynch begins to allow a more positive portrayal of sex into his films. Increasingly the idea is that sex itself is not necessarily tainted, but that abuse taints one's perception of it, and of everything else.<br /><br />There's also a very intresting discussion featured in my Gone Fishin' round-up of a couple weeks ago - it's the very last excerpt chronologically (it occurred just in time for inclusion). It's between a couple authors/therapists/teachers regarding the film Fire Walk With Me and their perception of how it deals with abuse from many angles. Although Lynch of course doesn't practice or partake in psychoanalysis, there are some fascinating psychoanalytic correspondences in the film, particularly with the observations of Ferenczi, who was a pupil of Freud before being disowned (weren't they all eventually?). That conversation can be found in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvlaoTDEJ2Y<br /><br />So much fascinating stuff to explore! It's neverending...Joel Bockohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238338958380683893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610074516299275060.post-67052353358458739642014-06-29T06:07:47.538-04:002014-06-29T06:07:47.538-04:00The references to sexual abuse in MD are numerous,...The references to sexual abuse in MD are numerous, but I'd like to point out a view. We have the painting of Beatrice Cenci and her background; the enactment of this abuse at Adam's house ("Gene Clean"); the rehearsal scene; the shaking at Club Silencio; the way the Cowboy treats Adam; Diane having lesbian affairs; the pink paint over the jewelry etc. I don't think this is the place to expand on each element, but to me it is obvious sexual abuse is at the heart of the movie.<br /><br />The way Diane deals with Camilla Rhodes in her fantasy I find realy fascinating. I believe Camilla Rhodes realy did exist and that she indeed manipulated Diane in reality just like we see Camilla do in her fantasy. I view the movie as working gradually towards reality. This means that the dream is the farthest away from reality (and even this dream is split into two) and the second segment is also largely fantasy, but it comes closer and closer to reality. So Diane tries to suppress the memory of Camilla Rhodes, the one who is responsible for Diane's failing in Hollywood (or so Diane imagines it, because I believe in reality it was due to her own vulnerabillity and naive simplicity). In order to do so Diane splits this memory up: one level consists of the image while the other level takes care of the name. In doing so Diane concentrates on one level on the image and on the other level on the name so that she looses focus of these elements on the contrary levels. On the level of repressing the image we see the blonde Camilla Rhodes (in her dream) as well as Carol. The image is indeed Betty-like, but her name is conform reality. The image of Carol is a step closer to the real Camilla Rhodes and her name also indicates this relation: the letters in the name Carol constitute the initials of the name Camilla Rhodes. <br /><br />On the level of repressing the name of Camilla Rhodes we see that the image is closer to reality, because Rita and Camilla are played by Laura Harring, who represents also the real Camilla Rhodes. The name of Camilla Rhodes is succesfully repressed, because Rita initially doesn't know who she is. She has no name at all. So we see the following pattern: no name - Rita - Camilla - Camilla Rhodes. This illustrates the progress of the movie towards reality perfectly. <br /><br />Right now I will be checking your previous posts since you mentioned you treated the abuse as a major theme in the work of Lynch. I believe this is indeed a driving force in his work and since this theme is so personal and up close I believe this is what makes his movies so poignant and in your face.<br />Erniesamnoreply@blogger.com