something. that is true but no one .admits..

Started by NEON MERCURY, October 23, 2003, 07:03:19 PM

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Gold Trumpet

Quote from: godardianI liked The Piano Teacher for the way the form (the direction, the lighting, length of takes, framing, etc) matched the content (Isabelle Huppert's performance) so well, both conjoining to build up that repressed, hermetic, rigorously controlled exterior within which sheer, violent emotion is waiting to force its way out... in any way it can.

Great wording to why I did like The Piano Teacher so much. It had the grounds for exploration on the subject. Blue Velvet, to repeat my main point, was operating a very fine subject under a very dated structure that did little to explore the content at all. It wasn't exploration of a material, but an experiment on an old structure with a very new subject, film-wise. Its fascination lies not in its success as a film, but in the the development of film history and its handling (or as critics of Hitchcock may say: abuse) of subjects. For exploration of material, I definitely side with critics of Hitchcock. He didn't operate for that purpose at all. This movie is just re-visiting some old cliches.

To make a few more final notes, I wasn't out to be just shocked by the material and see if it holds up well in horror film context, its just with exploration and delving into the subject is that I do believe The Piano Teacher was more effective in conveying the feeling of sado maschism in desire and threat to us. This being one of the principle purposes of Blue Velvet.

~rougerum

MacGuffin

Festival honour for David Lynch

Director David Lynch has been given a Lifetime Achievement Award at a European film festival.

A retrospective of his works was shown after he received the award at the Stockholm International Film Festival.

He said the inspiration for his offbeat and often surreal films, such as Blue Velvet and Eraserhead, often came from a single "seed" of an idea.

Fans then met the director before a sell-out screening of eight episodes of cult TV series Twin Peaks on Friday.

"When you fall in love with an idea... it tells you exactly what to do. And all you do is translate it into a different medium," the director said about his film-making.

Internet story

"I like it when people analyse my films. It's a subjective thing, so all interpretations are fine," he said.

The director, whose last film was the dark thriller Mulholland Drive, said he wanted to work on an a serial on the internet, but was still looking for finance.

Lynch also criticised US president George W Bush, saying he was concentrating too much on terrorism when there were other world problems such as poverty. The director is well-known as an advocate for world peace.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

freakerdude

Quote from: taz.i love lynch. he is simply the best. better than all the rest. Better than anyone, anyone I've ever met. I'm stuck on his heart, and hang on every word he says. Tear us apart, baby I would rather be dead. i cannot believe that anybody can hate Wild at Heart. what a beautifully over the top movie.
I feel exactly the same way. Lynch is my favorite and I am addicted to BV, WAH, & MD. Fire WWM and Twin Peaks were freaking great. But I am a weird fucker anyway, which is why I am a freakerdude.

To borrow GDIDM's words........Lynch makes me cream my mental pants.
MC Pee Pants

NEON MERCURY

Quote from: SHAFTRMy criticism for most of Lynch's work is that it has no soul, no feeling.  I think Mulholland Dr & Straight Story are the exceptions.

Although, I guess I have only seen Blue Velvet & Wild at Heart (and the above).  So he is 2/4 in my book.


....i ll try to explain this and give my honest opinion about this w/o the typical fan boy biases...i have never admitied that i am a lynch know-it-all nor can i express myself as eleoquently as Pubrick, JB, godardian, ghostboy, macG, Gold T,  or others....exscpecially P's post in that thread about the classifications of kubrick.....but i can speak it on 'from the gut terms'.....bu tto say that some of lynchs work has no fereling or soul and applying that notion or rationality to Blue Velvet is wrong......and this is why i believe it to be so....

spoilersssssssssss for blue velvet and other sh*t....


>on the surface of the film[blue velvet] it seems like simply this: jefferey[the kyle mac character] goes home to visit his father who had a stroke and is in the hospital, he then discovers an ear and brings it to a law enforment official that he knows, this leads him to the relationship w/ both    dorothy valens[issabella] and sandy[laura dern]....and to frank[hopper], sh*t happens and at the end bad guy dies and good previals........underneath that surface the film is read as 'what goes on underneath the surface of anytown, USA"......thats a simple idea that lynch is putting onscreen......no 'trick' narrative like mulholland , eraserhead, lost highway......the film follows a concrete narative.....another thing that you need to know about lych is that he is a painter before a filmaker and what i have learned is that he 'paint's the mis-e-scene[or whatever that typical film school word is]...and that IS WHERE HIS SOUL, FEELING, LOVE [insert other synonomous adjectives here _________ ], that is what makes lynch LYNCH or lynchian......he uses the same themes or characteristics in his film like mistaken identity, women in crisis, beneath the surfaces[LOOK CLOSER..should be blue velvet s tagline] and also he uses a character behind the 'scenes' pf sh*t..[like the cowboy in mulholland, the robert blake character in LH, the lil midget in FWWM, the bum behind winkies, the guy controlling the levers in eraserhead and frank in blue velvet, so, he recycles same themes or characters,,and there are others that either i am not smart enough to figure out or i am just forgetting.....but the way he creates mood, senese, feeling in his films is astonishing.......you leave his films feeling like someone phucked your brain and thats something......to  give you an example of this we will use a film that is 'souless' or devoid of feeling..like blue velvet......the fisrt ten or so minutes are incredible where the blue curtian and titles then the shot of the guy on the fire truck [notice the lenses are fuzzy and reflect a 'warmth'] and then the closeup of the ground then the zooming in underneth the 'surface' to reveal the uglyness represented by  [in the curreent scene those ants and beetles and sh*t and not in the scene the ugliness is frank].....but the way these beginning scenes develope along with lynch s masterstroke of spound usage is incredible.....[eraserhead established his talent w/ noise and sound]....he is a badass at this stuff.....another scene that   proves my point is thje scne with ben[ stockwell] who could be another one of lynchs trademark characters....but anyway to not watch that scene from beggining until the end [when frank screams lets fuck i ll fuck anything that movesd]....besides being flat out hilarous is also a brilliant piece of filmaking.... you got ben complete with make up and singing into a light bulb and his crazy friends [one of them plays with a snake ] and the two fat girls next to a puppewt in the background, ..there is a whole lot of sh*t goingn on in that scene that amazing and unique.....but i  believe that its filled with feeling its all from lynch s imagination and to say that blue velvet is w/o feeling or souls i just don t get it....he obviously cares about his  films  and is finding new and inovating ways to advance cinema....[there is a reason why kubrick gives lynch and eraserhead props....B/C LYNCH IS A PHUCKING AMAZING FILMAKER AND IT DOESN T TAKE MUCH TO REALIZE THIS]....basically w/o trying to repeat myself which i know i already have i msaying that lynch s soul of feeling comes through his use of sounds, the bizarre, and his 'painting' of the mis-en-scene....it takes made talent to do what he does......i should nt have to defend this film....it speaks for itself ...fill buffs knwo  the importance of this film....

>some visual evidence:


-above the surface[notice the typical white picket fence and the roses]


-beneath the surface
..this is the films poitn [what lurks beneath a beautiful surface]..and there are other ways to read into it ..that sanother cool thing about lynch-muli meanings


-leading up to this scene and during this part is another point i want to make about lycnh..this is arousing but yet disturbing ..the way the dual sexual feelings that lynch creates is brillaint.......


-this whole rape scne had me just about covering my eyes..its very disturbing but yet the scene is tastefully done..and creates absurd but yet harrrowing moods......[the blue velvet stuffed into her mouth is a nice touch]


-this speaks for itself.............gorgeous.........



-the ben scene as i described earlier..[that look on nances face ..hahahaha]


-this character is one of the best film villians of al time..when you think of bad guy this will rank hiogh up on any list....just like a certain guy from the film in your avatar......what makes is so awesome is that frank is both scary as hell and funny as sh*t......hes got lines like 'henikne fuck that sh*t ..pabst blue ribbon'....if you can t laugh at that then you goit problems......and then the fact that lych has him inhaling gases and spouting 'daddy wants to fuck!'..his whole character is just brillaint..oh, and rossellini looks hot from that side view.......


-:kiss: ...nice touch


-here is a good example of what i m saying..when this scene starts it pans all around these characters and to reveal this setup.that you see now..then man in yellow then twitches and knock of over a light [another lych motif-'flickering lights']...........but  i cannot do justice in wordfs to to describe this that well but it takes souls and feeling to create something like this..........maybe you might just not 'get it'.....i love the added touch w/ the blue velvet stuck in dorothy valens husbands mouth.......and who the dead guy is standing straight up.........odd and  disturbing yet extreamly artistic..which sums up the soul and feeling of lynch s films.....
lycnh does stylized violence and grotesque very well...........like the [haed meets corner of glass table in lost highway].........


............the end..........

SHAFTR

I'll never doubt Lynch's filmmaking ability.  He's incredible with visuals and even with his use of sound.  I doubt his ability to tell a story, consistently.  My fav Lynch film is Straight Story, and he didn't write that.  Next comes Mulholland Dr which I like but not that much for the story.  I think the story is pretty flat but Watts puts so much life in her character that I can forgive it.  Wild at Heart didn't do it for me.  It was too campy, and I think it's an embarassment.  Sure it's fun but Lynch could do better.  Blue Velvet, visuals are great but the story is just so whacked out that I didn't care about anyone in the film; I just wanted it to end.  Nor did I feel emotionally moved or intellectually moved in anyway.  Now, I do need to see his other films...as you can see he's 2/4 for me.  I don't hate Lynch or his films, I'm just not a fan.  Neon, thanks for the attempt to sell me on Blue Velvet...but I just don't like it.  I'm more than willing to see his other films, so give me your suggestion on the next film to watch (on DVD).
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"

modage

Quote from: SHAFTRdon't hate Lynch or his films, I'm just not a fan.  Neon, thanks for the attempt to sell me on Blue Velvet...but I just don't like it.  I'm more than willing to see his other films, so give me your suggestion on the next film to watch (on DVD).
this was my exact situation.  i thought blue velvet was okay/weird, wild at heart was terrible, mullholland was good but overrated, but i was WRONG!  please, seek out Twin Peaks and make it easy one yourself.  after devouring that you will look at his movies totally differently, even the ones you'd already seen.
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

MacGuffin

Quote from: SHAFTRI'm more than willing to see his other films, so give me your suggestion on the next film to watch (on DVD).

Based on how you like his visuals, but not his own stories/scripts, watch Elephant Man next.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

cron

I've come to the conclution that you either feel his films or you don't . As simple and undebatable as that.
context, context, context.

NEON MERCURY

Quote from: SHAFTRI'll never doubt Lynch's filmmaking ability. He's incredible with visuals and even with his use of sound.
>cool...thanks for reading my post...and your praise of lynch s visual and sound is basically what i was trying to say is his passion, soul, and feeling for his filmmaking..

Quote from: SHAFTRI doubt his ability to tell a story, consistently.  My fav Lynch film is Straight Story, and he didn't write that.  Next comes Mulholland Dr which I like but not that much for the story.  I think the story is pretty flat but Watts puts so much life in her character that I can forgive it.
> i see your point on this trust me..it hurts me to say this but your right in a way...in blue velevet, mulholland dr, and ill even toss in wild at heart..the main story is not all that unque ..but what sets him aprt is how he may take a story [however conventional it may be] and put the lynch stamp on it it..........through his brilliant use of sound and visuals he creates works of art......but as for story i believe lost highway is a great story also..its rivaling mulholland for my fav lynch.......[i just want the dvd..i though the region one was suppose to come oput first quarter 2004??]....


Quote from: SHAFTRWild at Heart didn't do it for me.  It was too campy, and I think it's an embarassment.
>this is a tricky film for people......some lynch fans like cowboykurtis hate it..but love lynch......its different  from the rest of his catalogue.......i just watch it as a fun 'road film'....but it doesn have its moments of genius..[car crash scene w/ fenn]...i can see why  people don t get into it..but it enjoyed it..

Quote from: SHAFTRI don't hate Lynch or his films, I'm just not a fan.  Neon, thanks for the attempt to sell me on Blue Velvet...but I just don't like it.  I'm more than willing to see his other films, so give me your suggestion on the next film to watch (on DVD).
>here is a list his feature films and my suggestions
1. eraserhead- you could get this on his website for $50 for me, im in Heaven..bu tfor you i would try to borrow someones copy of at least find someway to watch it..........but his dvd is a flawless transfer......gorgeous sh*t....

2. dune-uh, you might want to avoid this one...........but there is a regoin one dvd out there for you..

3. the elephant man....nice dvd .......this is as great film..lynch w/o the twisted narative.....

4. lost highway- no regoin one dvd, bu tthere might be dvds from overseas available but be careful of what you get.......for me i have this on a widescreen vhs.......strill in good conidtion............[you must see this film any way you can]..

5. twin peaks :FWWM......this is a gresat alternate way to  getting into lynch...you might want to net flix or whatever season one tv series which artisan has a beautiful region one season set...[i think mod-age could vouch for that].........but you could get into the tv series..then watch FWWM(fire walk with me)........which is on dvd......that a different way.......

i think that sit as for lynch films you havent seen and my opinions........hope this helps..........

** i will say  this though i might be fighting a loss cause..b/c  sometimes w/ people you either get his films or you think thery are trash.....its always one extreme to another........

SHAFTR

Quote from: NEON MERCURY
** i will say  this though i might be fighting a loss cause..b/c  sometimes w/ people you either get his films or you think thery are trash.....its always one extreme to another........

hey, try defending Kevin Smith.  You are lucky, Lynch is much easier to defend.
"Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that i'll probably regret soon"