Aside from occasional podcast conversations and announcements (including, in both cases, commentary on the passing of David Lynch), my public work came to a near-halt for over two years. The idea was to carve out space to finish work on my three big Twin Peaks projects after years of delays but by maintaining my monthly Patreon commitment, progress on those other fronts continued to drag. On Patreon's top tier, I alternated between exclusives of my own choosing - ranging from transcribed conversations to written reviews to back halves of Twin Peaks Conversations episodes - and a new podcast whose subjects were selected by a handful of participants in patron polls.
Despite wanting to shift my focus even more towards Twin Peaks, the patron exclusives kept me abreast of many contemporary films - including Martin Scorsese's unusual approach to Killers of the Flower Moon and a double feature from the Land of the Rising Sun pairing The Boy and the Heron and Godzilla Minus One - as well as contemporary series like the Alaskan True Detective: Night Country, set in Alaska, and Andor, set in a galaxy far, far away; I also covered many older works like Rob Zombie's controversial Halloween films (alongside an overview of the Michael Myers cinematic universe).
None of those were entries in the Films in Focus podcast, my mainstay during this long withdrawal, but I do want to highlight a particular episode of that series, May 2024 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Films in Focus podcast #3: The Zone of Interest + TWIN PEAKS Character Series advance, which dwells on Jonathan Glazer's profoundly subversive study of Rudolf Höss.
2023
NOVEMBER
After a couple years using the same schedule/update page, time to revise and streamline that approach
DECEMBER
A recent Halloween marathon results in this massive patron-only essay focused on the rebooted film duo from the late zeroes - grungy, ultraviolent, and heartfelt - explored in the context of the larger series and especially the mythos of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode
For five seconds of screentime, the speechless character of Ronette's angel offers much for host Colin and myself to talk about
At long last, following a year's pause, season three concludes with an in-depth exploration of the greatly divided dual finale alongside historical context including (appropriately enough for the summer of The Return) two very different bomb stories - one pointing toward the haunted past, the other a worrisome future
2024
JANUARY
Relatively short but full of compelling tangents, a discussion placing Lynch inside Western geography and mythos, plus some other year-end updates including the past year seen through different generations
I join a panel of guests to break down scenes from the original Twin Peaks series, Fire Walk With Me, The Return, and Mulholland Drive using a variety of formal lenses including sound, cinematography, and editing
During its month of darkness, northern Alaska experiences a mysterious mass death which may have supernatural overtones - resuming my True Detective viewing diary exclusively for patrons, I cover the Jodie Foster-led fourth season episode-by-episode
A busy month includes my first patron poll to choose the first subject of my new podcast, in this case a dazzling Technicolor ballet world romance (other rewards include musings on 2023 through different generations)
FEBRUARY
A decade after randomly picking up a book of Twin Peaks essays and deciding to re-watch the series, I'm still completely immersed in that world
MARCH
Wrapping up the snowy climax of an absorbing TV mystery is the priority for this month
Todd Haynes' bemused, poignant meditation on fame, performance, marriage, and the nature of abuse was the patron pick this month, launching the podcast's focus on contemporary cinema that would continue for most of the year
nothing on the main site for APRIL
(first silent month since 2012 & first time ever during an active period)
A sequel to the earlier analysis of four different scene, this time we're gathered together to focus on a single scene - the final passage of Twin Peaks: The Return Part 18
TWIN PEAKS CONVERSATIONS bonus podcast w/ Black Rose director Cameron Cloutier + Teresa With a T director Josh Eisenstadt (YouTube & extended PATREON)
Alongside a first-time guest, Cameron returns to my podcast with his own sequel, a fan film aiming to continue Annie Blackburn's tale while rewinding for Blackie O'Reilly's origin story
belated April 2024 Patreon round-up including TWIN PEAKS Character Series advance & Twin Peaks Conversations podcast (w/ revised patron introduction + Lost in Twin Peaks public status update)
Having shared the month's rewards in other posts, I mostly highlight some updates here
Teresa With a T fan film added alongside Black Rose project (TWIN PEAKS CONVERSATIONS update)
As late addition to the conversation with Cameron and Josh Eisenstadt, we discuss Josh's cinematic concept for a Teresa Banks prequel
May 2024 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Films in Focus podcast #3: The Zone of Interest + TWIN PEAKS Character Series advance
One of the most powerful films of the previous or any other year provides - through the family life of an Auschwitz commandant - a deeply upsetting portrait of how casually a genocide was (and still is) conducted
With my public emphasis entirely on Twin Peaks these days, I re-package a side-episode of Lost in Twin Peaks to discuss the content and context of the pilot's "closed ending" featuring BOB, MIKE, and the Red Room
The Impossible Life of Robert Jacoby, 1927/31/40 - 1969/86? • discussion w/ Creamed Corn and the Universe podcast
One of the more obscure yet fascinating characters from The Secret History of Twin Peaks has a chronology which makes absolutely no sense, creating paradoxes which host Colin and I relish digging into
belated June 2024 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Conversation on The Boy and the Heron & Godzilla Minus One w/ Max Clark + TWIN PEAKS Character Series advance
belated July 2024 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Films in Focus podcast #4: Birth + TWIN PEAKS Character Series advance
Jonathan Sanger's unsettling portrait of a grieving widow captivated by a child who claims to be her reincarnated husband offers much to struggle with and thus much to discuss
August 2024 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Conversation on Killers of the Flower Moon w/ Tyler MacDonald
Another guest joins for a print-presented deep dive into a 2023 period piece, in this case Martin Scorsese's story of a Native American community betrayed by greedy infiltrators whose affection may or may not be feigned - which may or may not matter in the end
What happened in Room 315? • group discussion on the opening of Twin Peaks season 2 premiere w/ the "Twin Peaks Grammar" Artists Love Twin Peaks podcast (+ guests John Bernardy, Andrew Cook, Alison Ivy, Tommy Jones, Patrick Mahan & afterwards Brian Liddicoat)
Another panel is assembled for another specific Peaks sequence, in this case kicking off rather than ending a season
September 2024 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Films in Focus podcast #5: Safe + Advance script for Journey Through Twin Peaks narration
Is environmental sickness, modern ennui, psychological distress, or personal weakness responsible for Carol White's acute ennui in Todd Haynes' nineties portrait of the eighties? (Plus, the first glimpse of new Journey Through Twin Peaks in three and a half years...)
Journey Through Twin Peaks update: 10th anniversary & working on chapter 37 now
Incredibly, my longest-ever project has been ongoing for a decade
Gadgets and Symbols in Twin Peaks (and our lives) • group discussion on objects & much more w/ the "Twin Peaks Grammar" Artists Love Twin Peaks podcast (+ guests Colin, Alison Ivy, Heather Jones, Tommy Jones, Steven Miller & Josh Minton)
This podcast takes a more freeform approach to a group discussion this time
TWIN PEAKS CONVERSATIONS bonus podcast w/ John Thorne: the "lost episode" (YouTube & extended PATREON)
A year and a half after recording, I release an episode which looks back on the author's previous book and forward to the one he hadn't yet written at the time
belated October 2024 Patreon round-up including TWIN PEAKS Character Series advance & Twin Peaks Conversations podcast
Pushed back by many distractions, I finally round up the past month of rewards
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November 2024 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Films in Focus podcast #6: Trenque Lauquen + TWIN PEAKS Character Series advance
The lengthy odyssey through a provincial Argentine locale incorporates epistolary romance, offscreen creature feature, and existential landscape exploration, riches all the richer for being sprawling yet tightly contained
TWIN PEAKS CONVERSATIONS bonus podcast on Mulholland Drive premieres tonight w/ Devious Dreams author John Thorne (YouTube & extended PATREON)
With his big book written, my guest returns for the twelfth time and one of our longest-ever discussions, hours and hours spent exploring David Lynch's cinematic masterpiece and its relationship to Twin Peaks
December 2024 Patreon round-up - EXCLUSIVE: 2024 American Generations Reflections + TWIN PEAKS Character Series advance & Twin Peaks Conversations podcast
Alongside another character study and other updates, the culture war of this election year is explored through eight generational lenses
JULY
A double review discussion in print form explores two fantastical World War II-set Japanese films from the past year: Hayao Miyazaki's animated swan (or heron) song and a back-to-basics approach to a monster movie classic (which I saw in black and white)
AUGUST
Jonathan Sanger's unsettling portrait of a grieving widow captivated by a child who claims to be her reincarnated husband offers much to struggle with and thus much to discuss
SEPTEMBER
Another guest joins for a print-presented deep dive into a 2023 period piece, in this case Martin Scorsese's story of a Native American community betrayed by greedy infiltrators whose affection may or may not be feigned - which may or may not matter in the end
Another panel is assembled for another specific Peaks sequence, in this case kicking off rather than ending a season
Is environmental sickness, modern ennui, psychological distress, or personal weakness responsible for Carol White's acute ennui in Todd Haynes' nineties portrait of the eighties? (Plus, the first glimpse of new Journey Through Twin Peaks in three and a half years...)
OCTOBER
Incredibly, my longest-ever project has been ongoing for a decade
This podcast takes a more freeform approach to a group discussion this time
NOVEMBER
A year and a half after recording, I release an episode which looks back on the author's previous book and forward to the one he hadn't yet written at the time
Pushed back by many distractions, I finally round up the past month of rewards
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The lengthy odyssey through a provincial Argentine locale incorporates epistolary romance, offscreen creature feature, and existential landscape exploration, riches all the richer for being sprawling yet tightly contained
DECEMBER
With his big book written, my guest returns for the twelfth time and one of our longest-ever discussions, hours and hours spent exploring David Lynch's cinematic masterpiece and its relationship to Twin Peaks
Alongside another character study and other updates, the culture war of this election year is explored through eight generational lenses
2025
JANUARY
Unexpected though not shocking given his declining health, Lynch's death provokes some written reflections and a short solo podcast tribute before...
I join Cameron Cloutier and a panel of other guests to commemorate the late director's work
Economic development and traditional living clash in rural Japan, building toward a crisis
nothing on the main site for FEBRUARY
(second silent month during this period)
MARCH
Finally resuming my episodic coverage as Walter White's operation expands far beyond cooking meth for experienced dealers to sell (plus, I preview all remaining images accompanying a Twin Peaks podcast)
A confused adolescent's coming of age in an English countryside, caught between ancient paganism and the nuclear era
APRIL
What future public projects am I working on behind the scenes of my Patreon output?
April 2025 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Breaking Bad season 2 viewing diary (second part) + Advanced narration audio (& bonus still image) for Journey Through Twin Peaks
Walter rises while much around him falls in the dynamic back half of season two - and I also share some more written work for my decade-plus video project
2000 Posts on Lost in the Movies
MAY
Nine years after the first thousand, I mark another milestone
May 2025 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Films in Focus podcast #9: Eve's Bayou
Kasi Lemmon's earthy melodrama, with more than a touch of magic, explores troubled family dynamics in a remote, close-knit early sixties Southern community
Filling gaps in my otherwise thorough Star Wars coverage, I finally catch up with the two most recent - but half-decade-old - features, one clumsily wrapping up the sequel trilogy while another develops a major character's origin story
July 2025 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Films in Focus podcast #10: Anora
TWIN PEAKS CONVERSATIONS bonus podcast premieres tonight w/ David Lynch's American Dreamscape author Mike Miley (YouTube & extended PATREON)
Imaginatively linking Lynch's work to various books and musical movements, Miley's analysis leads to a great discussion of everything from the teen tragedy ballad to the illustrative approach of Maurice Sendak
August 2025 Patreon round-up including Advanced Script for Journey Through Twin Peaks narration & Twin Peaks Conversations podcast
The Lynch/Americana theme continues as I preview my own writing on that subject, among other patron rewards
belated September 2025 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Films in Focus podcast #11: Compliance + TWIN PEAKS Character Series advance
Harrowing and maddening in its depiction of instinctive obedience to authority (even imposter authority), Compliance depicts the true story of a fast food restaurant convulsed by a prank caller - meanwhile, I preview the first of my Peaks character entries to crack the top ten
belated October 2025 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Conversation on Andor w/ Riley MacDonald + Advanced Script for Mirrors of Kane narration
Historically grounded and politically sophisticated, both seasons of Tony Gilroy's prequel series to Rogue One - itself a prequel to Star Wars - are the subject of a lengthy exchange with a return guest from my podcast on The Lighthouse; in this case the discussion is transcribed rather than presented in audio form (meanwhile, I preview my first work on the Citizen Kane series in four years)
November 2025 Patreon round-up: EXCLUSIVE - Films in Focus podcast #12: The Damned + Advanced Script for Mirrors of Kane narration (w/ Majority Report call-in opposing Chris Pappas)
Nazis battle aristocrats for political and economic power in the early days of Hitler's rise, depicted by Luchino Visconti in all its intrigue and decadence - plus, one of the more political of my Kane subjects is previewed and I share a call I made to a podcast on a current political subject
TWIN PEAKS CONVERSATIONS bonus podcast premieres tonight on Jane Austen's 250th birthday w/ Manners & Madness hosts Maya Adkins & Christian Cabrera (YouTube & extended PATREON)
The Regency era novelist and late twentieth-century filmmaker make an unusual but compelling pair in my discussion with podcasters who dive deeply into both bodies of work
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December 2025 Patreon round-up: 2025 American Generations Reflections + Advanced Script for Mirrors of Kane narration & Twin Peaks Conversations podcast
The year ends, and with it the practice of my monthly Patreon round-ups (from now on, seasonal updates on public works-in-progress will also include links to several months' Patreon rewards) - we close with my third write-up on 2020s politics and culture seen through a generational lens
JULY
The most recent Best Picture is selected as my latest topic by patrons, spurring a lengthy exploration of onscreen relationship dynamics, continuity of theme with Sean Baker's earlier The Florida Project, and the film's (emphasis on film) stylish texture
AUGUST
Imaginatively linking Lynch's work to various books and musical movements, Miley's analysis leads to a great discussion of everything from the teen tragedy ballad to the illustrative approach of Maurice Sendak
The Lynch/Americana theme continues as I preview my own writing on that subject, among other patron rewards
nothing on the main site for SEPTEMBER
(third silent month during this period)
OCTOBER
Harrowing and maddening in its depiction of instinctive obedience to authority (even imposter authority), Compliance depicts the true story of a fast food restaurant convulsed by a prank caller - meanwhile, I preview the first of my Peaks character entries to crack the top ten
NOVEMBER
Historically grounded and politically sophisticated, both seasons of Tony Gilroy's prequel series to Rogue One - itself a prequel to Star Wars - are the subject of a lengthy exchange with a return guest from my podcast on The Lighthouse; in this case the discussion is transcribed rather than presented in audio form (meanwhile, I preview my first work on the Citizen Kane series in four years)
Nazis battle aristocrats for political and economic power in the early days of Hitler's rise, depicted by Luchino Visconti in all its intrigue and decadence - plus, one of the more political of my Kane subjects is previewed and I share a call I made to a podcast on a current political subject
DECEMBER
The Regency era novelist and late twentieth-century filmmaker make an unusual but compelling pair in my discussion with podcasters who dive deeply into both bodies of work
The year ends, and with it the practice of my monthly Patreon round-ups (from now on, seasonal updates on public works-in-progress will also include links to several months' Patreon rewards) - we close with my third write-up on 2020s politics and culture seen through a generational lens
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