Disclaimer: Don't expect a series of music reviews from me now. This will be a once in a great while thing. Only if I really have a lot to say about an album. I'm not a music buff like I am with games and movies.
Version I Heard: CD copy of album. Vinyl to be released next month. Don't plan on getting that, though. History: The first mention of this album came up around the end of his Alpocalypse tour. In an interview he referenced he had one more album left on his contract with his current publisher. While some confused this thinking he was saying it would be his last album it couldn't be farther from the truth. He did state it may be the last of his conventional albums. Moving toward singles and EPs in the future since a lot of material can/will be outdated by the time an entire album is completed. Due to this 'aging issue' Al decided to parody the styles, not the songs but styles, of some older acts. Including Cat Stevens and Foo Fighters, while still sticking to modern song parodies like he always does. Of course a lot of curiosity and speculation came up with what he would parody, including the massive hit "Let It Go" from Frozen. Al decided it already got enough attention with youtube parodies so he passed on it. Recording started as early as fall 2012 and as songs/parodies developed eventually completed spring 2014. The album was released on July 15th, a mere couple days before writing this review. So far it has received mostly positive reviews and is currently the #1 selling album on iTunes. During the first week of release Al is also releasing eight music videos connected to this CD. All of which have been big hits so far with five left to release. Personal History: My history with "Weird Al" is extensive. I became a hardcore fan with the release of Running With Scissors in the late 90s. Before then I wasn't listening out of a sheer lack of knowledge he existed. Since then I've collected all his studio albums and most of the compilations including the now rare Al in the Box four disc set. I've seen him in concert seven times with the hopes of getting that to double digits in the coming years. I've seen his movie UHF over one hundred times (not kidding) and can almost quote the movie word for word. And the last info I'll give here and now is I have The Authorized Al. A book published in the 80s that was given to me many years ago. Go on eBay and you'll see it's one of the rarest and most valuable Al items.
Seriously! Go to eBay, Amazon, whatever.
In terms of personal history with Mandatory Fun, I did everything I could to avoid 'spoilers' before picking up the CD. At least 1/3rd of the songs on Alpocalypse were released ahead of time via his digital EP 'Internet Leaks' and it spoiled the fun a bit when I bought the full album. I wanted this one to be 100% fresh from the moment I opened the packaging. Review: That time has finally come again. Every three to four years in recent history "Weird Al" has been releasing new material. Since I first got into his music after Running With Scissors was released this is technically only the fourth time I've picked up his new album day one. None the less it's not how long you've been a fan it's all about how passionate a fan one is. And I have the embodiment of a fan whose been listening since he first released "My Bologna" on Dr Demento's radio show. There was one downside before I put the CD in I haven't experienced since first becoming a fan. Since I've been out of social loops and haven't listened to local radio stations since his last album came out my familiarity with the originals he's parodying was slim. Very slim. In a way I felt like I was picking up one of his much older albums that had parodies of music from way before my time. Not that I was gonna let that get me down. You don't have to know the original to find the parody fun. That's a sign of a good comedic musician. Someone who can make you fall in love with their joke version of the song without knowing the original. Once again Al did it for me because there are some great tracks here without me knowing the originals that well. Now to the people who think all Al does are parodies you clearly don't know what you're talking about. Look at any album he's done and you'll see it's 50/50. Part parody part original material. The songs he chose to parody here include: -Fancy by Iggy Azalea -Royals by Lorde -Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke -Radioactive by Imagine Dragons -Happy by Pharrell -And a medley of popular songs set to polka music like he usually does. Typically I like the parodies more than the original material. In this case, maybe it was the lack of familiarity, maybe it was him stepping up in the originals, but it was a mixed bag this time around between the two. All while only being really familiar with Happy and a few songs in the polka. First track, Handy (parody of Fancy) was fun and catchy. He made it about being good at fixing things up. A predictable approach but Al has a way of knowing how to make it fun. I makes me smile, again without knowing the original material. Then of course there's Tacky (parody of Happy) which will likely be the most popular title of the album. Easy to see why since, like Handy, it's a great and clever track done in a typical Al fashion where you don't need to know the original. Reminds me of when White and Nerdy became far more popular than Ridin' Dirty was ever going to be. And while I did enjoy Word Crimes (parody of Blurred Lines) I've got some irrelevant comments to make about it. Which I'll bring up later on. Now for the originals Al does a different kind of parody. In recent years they haven't been just goofy songs. They've been style parodies. So while he did a song in the style of, for example, Rage Against the Machine on Straight Outta Lynwood, he didn't parody a specific song. On Mandatory Fun he did style parodies of: -Southern Culture on the Skids -Foo Fighters -Crosby, Stills & Nash -Pixies -Cat Stevens -And college football fight songs. These can be both more and less approachable. On one hand you don't have to rely on a specific song. You can let the song take you as is. On the other hand some of these rely on the style for the joke. So if you don't understand why he chose that style or aren't familiar enough with it, it may not work as well. Let's be positive first, we'll get to the negatives later. Some of my favorite tracks came from this section of the CD. I really liked all the originals except Mission Statement (Crosby, Stills & Nash style) but we'll get to that later. Overall I felt the quality and production of his originals stood out. While I don't feel Lame Claim to Fame (Southern Culture on the Skids) or My Own Eyes (Foo Fighters) were exceptionally written lyrics I felt the overall quality of the track's music amplified it to a very enjoyable level. Whereas in the past his originals didn't quite stand up to the parodies music-wise. My absolute favorite of these was Sports Song, done in the style of a college football fight song. He went all out giving it that big band feel. The tune is catchy and the lyrics are fun. Essentially boiling down every college football song into one simple term saying, "We're great and you suck!" This one I enjoy listening to the most despite a couple hiccups here and there. Easily my number one pick. And next time I'm at a sporting event I'll try to sing it at some point. At least the "We're great and you suck!" section. And of course I need to touch on the polka. Or as it's called on the album NOW That's What I Call Polka! Cracking an outdated joke in the process. Al has been making polkas since his second album wherein he uses lyrics from popular music and literally makes them into a polka. He hasn't done it on every album but has for most of his recent ones. Always fun and exciting to see what he does with it and this is no exception. The songs he chose this time around are: -Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus -Pumped Up Kids by Foster the People -Best Song Ever by One Direction -Gangnam Style by Psy -Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen -Scream & Shout by will.i.am -Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye -Timber by Pitbull -Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO -Thrift Shop by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis -Get Lucky by Daft Punk It's really hard to judge the polkas since they're all so similar. And really how can you screw up a polka? He typically uses already established polka tunes along with new ones he writes himself. All he has to do is think of a fun and creative way to integrate the lyrics. While I overall enjoyed this polka I found it to be a step back. Felt a little more like some of his earlier polkas when he was still trying to figure the best way to put them together. The jump from song to song doesn't flow as well as before. Hard to do considering Polka Face on Alpocalypse is without a doubt one of the best polkas he's ever put together. Certainly not a bad polka. Just not quite up to par in my book when compared to the others. If anything it's one of my favorite tracks on this album. And that bit of negativity brings me to my negative thoughts on the album. In the past I've felt when Al parodies a song he should stick as close to the source style as possible. Singing funny lyrics over a popular tune sometimes isn't enough to make it the best it can be. Sometimes I felt he either didn't put enough toward getting the style of the song he was parodying down or he simple wasn't capable. One thing I will say is this album has to be some of his best work with sticking with the source material's style. Sadly I'm learning the monkey paw effect of that wish, though. Take Inactive for example (Radioactive parody.) Imagine Dragons clearly has a unique style that Al had to mimic. However in mimicking that style it made the song not as enjoyable. The (high quality) music accompanying the new lyrics overpower said lyrics to the point of nearly inaudible. If it weren't for the title of the song I may not know it was a song about laziness. I felt I had to work hard to listen for the joke when in comedy songs that shouldn't have to happen. Then there's Mission Statement. A song I just plain didn't care for. Unlike Inactive, Mission Statement could be understood. Only it's a little too slow for a comedy song as it feels like it drags the one joke on way too long. It reminds me of Craigslist from Alpocalypse. I get the style parody of the song, I get the jokes within the song, I just don't like the outcome. A shame because a song about the mission statement of a big corporation set to music is an awesome idea in my head. Lastly there's the issue every hardcore Al fan faces. The mainstream obsessions... While this can be true for any fan of any band or singer this is amplified for Al fans because they're jokes. Every time a new Al CD comes out there's usually one, maybe two songs that hit the radio/mainstreams and becomes something of a hit. Only problem is that then that's the only song anyone seems to know at that time, causing an otherwise obscured artist resurrected every few years to be overplayed. Making even the hardest of hardcore fans annoyed by otherwise great songs. This happened with Amish Paradise, White & Nerdy, and it's bound to happen again here. Originally I thought the big parody would be Tacky (Happy parody) and it may very well be. I feel it's the most recognizable with one of the most mainstream concepts. Harking back to White & Nerdy. Not to mention Tacky is a fun, catchy song that I (currently) enjoy. However since I come from a world of nerds it should come at no surprise the hit (I shockingly didn't expect) is Word Crimes (Blurred Lines parody.) I've seen so many re-posts of that song already on Facebook and considering a lot of the people I know it won't be the last of them. I'm just glad I'm not in college anymore so I don't have to hear obsessions over the song again and again. This isn't a "I don't like it because it's popular" mindset. I did enjoy it the first couple times around. I just clearly didn't see it as the finding of the holy grail many others saw it as. I do think it's a clever, well written song. Still annoyed because of the obsessive reactions some can have. So yes one of my complaints is what people are gonna do with the song like they did with White & Nerdy. Annoy the hell outta me where I won't want to revisit it until the annoyances have died down. My brain works different than most. Really there are more hits than misses. Definitely a worthy addition to Al's discography. Too bad I haven't been as in touch with the music industry the last few years. I feel that hurt my enjoyment to a point. None the less like when I first discovered Al's music from the 80s I didn't know the parodies but still loved and appreciated them. I don't want to rank the songs yet. Music and I have a strange relationship. While I really enjoyed Straight Outta Lynwood at release it has since become one of my least favorite Al CDs, despite having one of my all time favorite all songs on it. More recently I wasn't crazy about Perform This Way (Born This Way parody) from Alpocalypse I now adore it more than most tracks on that CD. So take this review of Mandatory Fun as a first impression. Numerous runs will determine what I really think of it.
Sometimes I look through the dollar DVD section in drug stores, gas stations, or in this case, a bait and tackle shop. Most of the crap is crap of course. But sometimes you find little treasures. I flip through and I find this...
...and I couldn't pass it up.
While I have seen the musical remake I would by no means call myself a fan. My familiarity with the story is slim to none not having seen any version of it in years. I can tell you this. The general story is EXACTLY the same as the remake. A flower shop employee comes across a mysterious plant that feeds on humans. Also it talks.
My first point of interest on this was seeing Jack Nicholson is in it. Since the DVD case had no screenshots outside of the front cover I had no idea he was barely in the movie (also the picture on the cover is him much older than he was in this movie.) He's not even billed until after about ten or more people in the opening credits. So of course the picture on the front was to sell the DVD. A common practice for older movies with actors before they were big.
Regardless of if Nicholson has a big or small role I was still curious because of another blurb. I had no idea this was directed by Roger Corman. If you're not familiar with him you may be familiar with some of his other works. Between 1955 and 1990 he directed or co-directed over fifty cheap B-ticket movies. Twenty four of those were made between 55-60. He is now and has been best known for producing equally cheap and cheesy movies. Including recent classics like Death Race 3: Inferno and Sharktopus vs Mermantula. In a way he's like a more successful Ed Wood who didn't have to direct erotic films late in his career (I'm not kidding.)
Now I like Corman. He's cheap fun. I can say there were movies he's made or produced I have enjoyed. He's at the very least good at what he does. But keep in mind movies like the ones he makes are a dime a dozen. Maybe even a penny a dollar. Especially when it comes to his early works he did in the fifties.
Going back to Ed Wood, I actually have a small box set of Ed Wood movies. No joke commentary or bonus features that change the original feature. Just the straight movies as they were shown decades ago. Some are fun and others are unbearable. I have been a fan of 'good bad movies' for a long time. But in a similar way some good old movies haven't aged well, good bad movies have aged even worse. I can't remember the last time I watched that Ed Wood box set and The Little Shop of Horrors has reminded me why.
I can see the appeal that got the movie to cult status. This movie is nuts. Absolutely nuts. There really were very few movies like this back then. Even these days it's hard to find a movie that's as insane as this was the way it was. Among the insanity are a few fun scenes. But that's about it. I can understand why people like this but I am not part of it. I didn't find it as fun or good as people make it out to be. I definitely disagree with the 92% rating on rotten tomatoes. Which means the critics on that website believe The Departed, an academy award winning film that actually stars Jack Nicholson is equally as good.
This is definitely a case where nostalgia and the idea of 'cult status' blind a movie from how bad it really is. I mean, I absolutely love bad movies like Birdemic but I recognize how terrible it is. Also, just because it was made so cheap does it mean I have to judge it by different merits? Yes and no. And I do believe low budget, independent films can rise above the big budget blockbusters, but I didn't feel this was necessarily the case. It has some good ideas but overall I found it to be a letdown considering the history behind it and the status it has reached.
I feel like I just watched the academy awards, being told how good all these movies are. Only to see a select few and find out there were some over-hyped stinkers in there. I probably don't have to tell you this but if you're gonna watch a Shop of Horrors I'd lean toward the music movie from the 80s. Maybe if I was there in the thick of it in the early sixties I'd be more on bored. But I wasn't and I'm surprised I didn't enjoy this more.
History: Technically Lynch's first film not counting the shorts he made years prior. But before this one Lynch had some other intentions.
Originally Lynch wrote a script called 'Gardenback' based on his own painting that is of a man literally with a garden on his back. This short film about adultery would have been approximately 45 minutes. It never worked out. This is where Eraserhead came in, a script based on a daydream Lynch had and influenced Franz Kafka's novella The Metamorphosis and Nikolai Gogol's short story The Nose.
Despite being a feature length film the script was only 20 pages. It's easy to see how it could be so short once one sees how little dialogue is in it. But because of the short script Lynch had trouble getting financial support. So much trouble that the movie literally took years to finish. The movie began filming in 1971 but shows up on IMDB as a 1977 film. Not that it was FILMING the whole time. But in an extreme example there is one transition where when Henry 'Eraserhead' Spencer opens a door. The next shot inside the room a whole year and a half had past in reality.
The film has received mixed reviews over the years. When it first came out some considered it distasteful and unwatchable. But there were just as many that loved it for many reasons. Mostly as a midnight movie offering thrills but not necessarily seen much deeper than that. What's great is many credible filmmakers adore the film claiming it as one of their favorites. My favorite being Stanley Kubrick's adoration for it. He would have his cast and crew watch it among other horror films to get in the mood for making The Shining.
This film is legendary today. A quintessential David Lynch film that has offered lots of mystery and intrigue. I could write an entire post about the history and the theories on this film but those are technically all as obtuse as my opinion. Because David Lynch intentionally doesn't talk about what the movie means so the audience can decide for themselves. That and in an interview he once said no one has ever truly figured out what it all means. At least what Lynch was intending for it to mean.
Personal History: Since this is essential Lynch one would think I've seen this a million times. Hardly the case. This was my second viewing and the last time I saw it was a few years ago.
Review: I must have typed this intro from at least five or more different angles to get the ball rolling. All of which were unsuccessful. All because I don't know where to begin in talking about this classic experimental horror film. At less than ninety minutes you'd think it'd be pretty easy to talk about as opposed to my second feature in this double feature, Inland Empire, with double the length at three hours. But Eraserhead is such a mystery from the beginning it's hard to think where to begin. Not to mention I feel dang near everything I'll say will add nothing to the thirty seven (THIRTY SEVEN?!... sorry) years it's been in the wild, examined by everyone. At least this review will be my perspective. At least I've got that. May not be too different from other (for all I know) but since it's something interpretive it's unique regardless of what I say. Disclaimer, this movie gets weird. Intentionally weird. No David Lynch isn't being weird for weird sake. He always has a reason for presenting his stories the way he does. Like Kubrick he has a method to his madness. This is something to keep in mind right from the start since the opening is unashamed of showing it's true colors without wait. Something I applaud it for. While Lynch could have gone the safer route by making his first feature something easy to sell, he went for something that said who he was. That's ballsy, especially when the budget was so tight it literally took years to complete. I mean there's the Kevin Smith route of tight budget but this goes way beyond that. Smith may have slept at the convenience store from time to time while shooting. Whereas Lynch at one point had to live in the apartment and slept in the bed used in this movie for about a year when filming was in limbo. To get things rolling I I'd like to talk about the genre first. I find it odd this is considered a horror movie. It doesn't exactly have a traditional horror plot, at least on the surface. There's no vengeful spirit or evil monster. There's no haunted house. There's no real obvious sense of horror in the movie outside the horrific themes and events that happen. Obviously a horror movie is meant to scare or unsettle the viewer. Well there's plenty of that in here. But I've seen a lot of movies with similar unsettling moments or themes and I wouldn't consider them horror. Some are drama, sci-fi, animated. Not strictly classified as not horror. Seems like calling it a horror movie gives a false impression of what the viewer will see... well, actually... it will? It won't? If you watched it I think you'd understand why I'm having trouble placing the genre. Heck, I think it transcends genre where it doesn't have a clear picture of what it really is. And I think the horror label was put there to give it a reference point. I would say it's more of an experimental film but good luck selling that to the public. People don't like knowing their movie is going to be weird. The masses like safe things. Not necessarily the same stuff, just safe stuff. Which is likely why your college friends liked Tree of Life but your parents didn't. Not like I'm speaking from personal experience or anything... am I? Another thing to keep in mind is this is David Lynch. A man who definitely doesn't care what the public thinks of his work. He should count his lucky stars he's had such mass appeal. Not many artists of his style can do that. Say what you will about him. He's a brilliant artist and his features started here with this beauty. Despite that it still blows my mind how this made it into the mainstreams and put Lynch on the map like it did. Mostly because I know how most are with their movies and it certainly isn't this. Good thing all the credible names saw his talent. Cause this movie is truly one of a kind. How about the most obvious aspect. The visual style. For a movie made forty years ago on such a tight budget and over such a long period of time... this movie looks fucking amazing. I don't know if black and white was intentional (B&W film is cheaper) but I wouldn't have it any other way. For the same reasons I watch The Shining ONLY on VHS. The visuals that come from the setbacks of limited technology make it a better experience. It also helped that on my most recent viewing I watched it on laserdisc instead of a pristine DVD or Blu-Ray. In the long run I know I won't treat this movie the same as The Shining in viewing for two reasons. First, I have seen it on DVD and it's still engrossing (of course) I just like the worn, old look more. And second, my laserdisc is Japanese so I had to watch around Japanese subtitles I can't turn off (still a good collector's item). Not that I was staring at Japanese the whole movie. This is not a dialogue heavy flick. And that is something I love in movies! When a story can carry itself without having to literally tell us what's going on. It relies on the viewers intelligence to figure it out instead of Eraserhead repeating or over-explaining lines over and over. The whole story is intentionally abstract. Maybe I'm just used to how Lynch tells his stories but for the most part I can tell what's going on. No I don't know what it all means in Lynch's head but I know what's going on. Another thing I loved visually speaking were the special effects. It's hard to believe they can look this good while being done so cheap. David Lynch has this knack of making things look other-worldly and this is seen right from the start in the abstract opening sequence. That and the effect used to create the baby were top notch. And best of all for me was the theatre. Cause it doesn't look like any old theatre they dressed up. No, this looks like a theatre from another dimension with little to no elements of unintentional cheapness. It looks the way I feel Lynch wanted it to look. Very few filmmakers can achieve such a presence and aura on such a small budget. In a way the visuals and visual effects remind me a lot of his short, The Grandmother, which I talked about in part 1 of this retrospective. There's really very little I don't like about this film. In part because I don't like being too critical of independent pieces like this because I know they were restricted. So for me to look at a filmmakers early work with an overly critical eye when there were things they couldn't control, whether it was budget, timing, whatever, it's like looking at the crayon drawing a four year old did and telling them how much they suck. When in fact they still have a lot to learn and they're just doing their best with the talents they have. With that said there were issues here. Very few... but yeah they're there. For one there's some things Lynch does in a lot of his 'Lynch'iest of movies. A couple of which are dragging things out or bringing up totally irrelevant material in the middle of a scene. While this isn't as heavy here as it is in others it is still definitely present. Some scenes will just drag on and on for no real reason, leaving you begging for more progression quicker, and for reasons I can't seem to understand. Granted that's what helps make this movie a feature. If everything went faster paced then it would likely be a short film. But even at 89 minutes there's slight wiggle room to cut something here, cut something there. In the end there are scenes and moments that make this shorter length feature feel longer than it really is. Ironically I don't mind long sequences that show 'Eraserhead' walking through the streets or doing meaningless tasks. It's more like sequences at the dinner table early on when they're all sitting, staring at each other or sharing small talk that bugs me. Hard to explain. The other complaint I have is also ironic. That it is maybe a little too abstract. I get the artistic approach. I get wanting to tell the story the way you want it to be told. But was it his intention for no one to ever figure it out? If so then he succeeded. There are parts that are so abstract and out there that it is frustrating. Things that are so natural in Lynch's head only. No one else's. Something I find a bit disappointing. Even though I'm a fan of keeping things unique and artsy I am not a fan of making things sooooooo abstract that literally no one can figure it out. Heck, if all you ever watched was Eraserhead and none of Lynch's other works, or never knew anything about Lynch's personality or characteristics then it'd be even tougher than it already is. But those complaints are also the reason why this isn't for everyone. If that's all I took away from this movie without complaint of how nonsensical it is generally speaking (just the most abstract sections), or how it's really dark and even quite disgusting at many points, then that says a lot about my tastes. Still this is without a doubt one of Lynch's best films. On one hand it's a shame he partially blew his load on his first crack at a feature. On the other if you know how good some of his other movies are then you'll know the level this one reaches without even seeing it. It's bizarre, daring, intelligent, and a lot of other words that describe some of the best and most controversial films ever made. But what does it all mean?... (Safe to say there will be spoilers.) Asking that question is asking a lot. This is what I took from it. One of the most obvious aspects presented in this film is a common one by Lynch. Something he used as early as his previously mentioned short, The Grandmother, and would be used again in many of his films like Blue Velvet. Lynch has this fascination with exposing what really goes on behind the picket fences of a seemingly normal neighborhood. Granted this world doesn't have such a pretty outer surface but it still approaches 'life at home.' This comes into play with 'Eraserhead' and his girlfriend. Early in the film we're treated to a bizarre home visit with time at the dinner table and everything. Then his girlfriend freaks out, takes him aside and reveals that she's pregnant and they have to get married. With the worst poker face imaginable he accepts. Something that quickly shows it's true colors when the baby is born. The baby is one of the biggest themes of the story. A metaphor used in the writing and in the visuals. At least it's definitely a metaphor when two normal-ish looking people birth something that looks like this...
Between the intense ugliness of the baby and his wife's clear hatred of their situation I'd say this is one of the more obvious themes. The theme that either Lynch hates the idea of, or is trying to commentate on the difficulties of parenthood and marriage. How babies are usually seen as beautiful creatures. But at home they're far more difficult to deal with. They no longer are seen as beautiful because of the stress they cause your life. Same with marriage. Usually seen as beautiful. Once it gets down to the nitty gritty it isn't so beautiful. At least that's how I interpret it.
And really the entire movie is about the grass being greener on the other side. 'Eraserhead' while married with a child has an affair with the woman across the hall from him. A woman way out of his league so I don't know how that happened. Then he's constantly fantasizing about this woman singing in a theatre. Why she has gigantic cheeks I'm yet to figure out. Still the way she's presented is like some ironic image of beauty or something.
The movie ends with him winding up with this girl. Which is weird because she essentially lives in the radiator. So overall for a movie presented so unlike anything else it has a common theme. A strange sort of perception of love and desire. Again it's hard to say if that's even close since Lynch won't talk about it. Also I thought of these things naturally without doing any research about the meaning. I didn't want to be thrown by other people's thoughts. I wanted my own that came organically.
I also only touched the surface. If I talked about everything then it'd take all day. Especially the one scene that makes reference to 'Eraserhead' having an eraser for a head. A sequence where his decapitated head is found in an alley and stolen by a young boy. That boy takes the head to a pencil factory. In there a piece of his skull is removes and put into a machine. A machine that produces erasers. What the hell that means I still don't know since I've only seen this movie twice. Something I may be able to figure out in multiple viewings.
I really wish I had more to say. Especially since the next review goes a lot longer. But since I've only seen this a couple times I just haven't spent as much time thinking about it, getting more of an idea of what it all means. Maybe eventually I'll do a retrospective. What with Criterion finally announcing their re-release of this in September I can't think of a better way to revisit again and again and again. In the end I have more history and more to say of Inland Empire. So sit back and enjoy that.
But first I'll leave you with Brad Pitt dressed up as Eraserhead.
Review 2: Inland Empire
Version I Watched: Widescreen DVD.
History: Not originally conceived as a feature film. It started out as a series of shorts David Lynch was shooting that weren't meant to be connected in any way. As he kept filming them he realized there was a connection between them and started formulating a full length feature around the original concepts he made in said shorts. So while there are rumors Lynch started shooting without a script, that's just a misunderstanding. He had different intentions, and those intentions became something bigger. However he did start production with this bigger concept without a completed script. So there is some truth to the rumor. The film took two and a half years to complete. In this time Lynch was going through some major changes. It was his first feature since Mulholland Dr in 2001. Instead of using traditional methods he shot this movie entirely on standard definition digital video using a Sony DSR-PD150. A camera that would have only costs a couple thousand bucks (estimate) when it first came out, making this movie done with a unique vision and low budget. This also established in his mind he won't use traditional film ever again. That it's all digital video now. The film was released in limited markets and made way through many film festivals. It didn't make a lot in box office money but it didn't need to. I couldn't locate a budget or total cost overall but looking at it anyone can tell it was done on the cheap. Besides it's an art film so Lynch would have made it even if it didn't make any money. Thankfully the critics saw his vision as worthy. He received very high praise for his work. He even won a few awards at festivals as did the star of the film, Laura Dern.
Personal History: I have quite the history with this one. This movie is number one in my book for movies I traveled the furthest to see. I was on summer vacation following my freshman year of college. Mere months earlier I was seeing many Lynch movies for the first time. At the time Inland Empire was touring seemingly independently to theatres. Sadly I missed it when it hit my home from college home but it was playing in Chicago for one night only. So I called up a friend who would be down with this kind of movie. He brought his roommate and we strolled down the 3 hour drive to Chicago. We saw it in a screening room organized by a film club at the University of Chicago. So not only was it the furthest traveled for any one movie, but it was a unique experience since it wasn't in a normal theatre. Since then I've seen this one more than most, if not being my most watched Lynch film. More repeats than Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, or Eraserhead, the movie I just gushed about a few paragraphs ago.
Review: Inland Empire is strangely a bit easier for me to talk about than Eraserhead. For one I've seen it more, and for another I think it's easier to understand as a whole despite being filled mostly with mind-fuck sequences where you're not sure what's going on the first time through. Lastly, at a whopping three hours it's got a lot more to talk about than speculating on a few key scenes. Maybe I should get that out of the way first. The length. I mentioned in the last review that Eraserhead was Lynch unbound. He wasn't being told what to do by a studio or feeling pressure to please a certain audience like most filmmakers. Also it was independent so he was able to do whatever he wanted within the restraints of the movie's budget. It paid off really well. Especially since the movie is still being speculated on almost four decades later. Inland Empire has a similar feel. It feels very independent of anyone's rules except for Lynch's. He's saying what he needs to say in the way he wants to say it. In this case he clearly has a lot to say because the three hours he gives us is filled to the brim with material. So much is going on all at once you won't even know how to process it all. But since so much is going on it keeps you excited if you're finding yourself interested in what he's giving you. With that said this is a love it or hate it movie. It's so out there I doubt there's anyone who will say, "meh, it was okay." Instead it'll be considered a masterpiece or a waste of time. Like post-modern art you either get it or don't get it. And while I'd like to think I get it, it's hard to get entirely. It has a level of abstract dang near as high as Eraserhead. If not higher in some spots. When I first heard about this I was reminded of another Lynch movie. Mulholland Dr. They both deal with Hollywood actresses losing their sanity. But the big difference here is Mulholland Dr started as a TV show that quickly became a movie when the show didn't work out. Matter of fact, you can easily tell when it stops being a show and becomes hardcore Lynch. It's right around the time everything goes dream-like and reminiscent of the weirder episodes of Twin Peaks. The reason I say THAT is the big difference is because of the approach taken right from the start. Since Mulholland Dr had a TV approach at first there needed to be a setup to many episodes with lots of material. If it was a crazy mind-fuck like the last third then that's asking for trouble as no TV station would pick it up. So most of it plays it safe (for a Lynch movie) while the last third goes balls to the wall crazy cause this will be the only story these characters tell so things have to wrap up quickly. The polar opposite is true for Inland Empire. Yet strangely it wasn't meant to be a feature from the start. Lynch was making a bunch of shorts using the modern invention of cheap digital video (more on the visual style in a couple paragraphs) but he started to notice how these seemingly unrelated scenes were connected. So he made it into a feature... little piece of trivia in case you didn't read the history section. Still it's funny to think how the first two acts of Mulholland Dr make mainstream, coherent sense (for the most part) whereas only the first third or so of Inland Empire has that. Then again the first few scenes give a preview of what's to come.
Like this.
This is where one of my favorite scenes comes in (which is revisited throughout and briefly at the end) and was based on Lynch's own web-series. The scene is set like the image above. A dark sitcom set is occupied by three rabbits wearing people clothes and acting like people. There is laughter from the "studio audience" making an obvious joke/satire to TV sitcoms. It's kinda funny (if not a cheap, overdone joke) but also bizarre. As the movie's ominous score is reverberating beneath the satire. A score that is... and I think this is the best way I can describe it to the mainstream readers... is like the booming bass from the score for Inception but darker, quieter, and done before Inception. If you want to watch an example of this you can see it on youtube. That's one of the first of many moments where symbolism takes place of literal actions and traditional storytelling. It's because of scenes like this that the movie can be seen as very confusing. As the movie plays out and with repeat viewings there are moments where it's easy to see how scenes fit with the others. Only it's hard to tell what's real, what isn't, what's the present, the past, the future maybe?... and so forth. Sometimes it'll change while staying in the same scene. Just when you thought you knew what was going on it'll jump to something completely different. Giving a twist to the scene. Like a scene when Laura Dern's character thinks she's talking one on one with Justin Theroux's character. She comments how it sounds like a scene from the movie they're making. Then we hear Jeremy Irons yell "Cut!" Making it an early example of her losing sight of what's real and what isn't. There is something I'm afraid I have to admit about this movie. The first couple times I couldn't quite figure out what was going on. Even on my second or third viewing I was enjoying it, but not fully understanding it. One example of this is when it jumps from the first to the second act. The transition is jarring as it feels like our lead (Laura Dern) is transported from one life to another. One second she's famous, working on a new movie. She's got a beautiful home complete with a servant and everything. Suddenly she's in a run down home on what looks like the wrong side of L.A. married to some loser. Within these scenes there's no clear, direct reference to the movie or nothing. Which makes a person wonder if it's part of the movie within the movie or something else. That doesn't entirely make sense because it's got a different vibe than the scenes earlier of the movie within the movie. Still there's a slight hint that maybe that's the case. I guess that's why there's repeat viewings for movies like this. More on that later. Matter of fact A LOT more on that stuff later. I think not seeing this movie for a while gave me new insight on it's purpose and what it's all about. One of the purposes of this 'Then v Now' retrospective was to see how much Lynch has changed and experimented over the years. This comparison is definitely a better comparison than part 1 since these are both very hardcore Lynch but in different ways. With that said let's talk visuals. As I (think I) mentioned in part 1 this was a major, transitional period for Lynch. After discovering how much ass digital video can kick (not to mention easier to use, cheaper, blah blah blah) Lynch converted completely to the other side. Telling the world he'll only ever use digital. Going to far as to say "Film is dead." So like I mentioned in the history section Lynch used a whole new type of camera for his work. A cheaper, smaller, standard definition digital camera for this movie. Even if you're not a film nut like I am you will definitely notice the difference. I hate to say it like this but the movie definitely has a 'cheaper' look to it. Like the production quality was much lower. Technically it was but that's more so because it was independent and not for lack of effort. Still I can't decide if I like the way this movie looks. Having used cameras like this one I know how easy and convenient they are for shooting. They also can have an unsatisfactory look to them. Sometimes feeling more like home videos than a full blown movie. Something especially seen when using it steadicam style. Many times the image will look blurred or unclear. If he's moving the camera around following someone or a situation, depending on the lighting it may leave a slight blur of a shadow behind them. Again things you may notice in a home video but shouldn't notice in a feature. Also when there's focus on someone/something in the distance it can feel like a person who wears glasses dropped their glasses. Of course these complaints are petty as we don't need to have everything be the pristine beauties that modern cinema tries to deliver over and over. In a way I like the visual style because it's unique (but that may be it.) If anything it's ballsy to make not just a feature but a whopping 3 hour arthouse film using this method. One thing to have a bizarre script. Adding this visual style could easily alienate even more people. Or inspire since Lynch used what is technically an affordable camera. That's where the beauty of the visuals come in. Once again Lynch takes something cheap and makes it look incredible. When he's not too busy doing EXTREEEEEEME closeups of the actors (seriously, and this kind of camera picks up sweat really easily, can be gross to look at) he's using simple camera tricks to do things one would think is impossible with this kind of camera. Some scenes just look absolutely fantastic right from the start of the movie. Heck one of the first shots is one of my favorites. It's a closeup of a needle on a record player in black and white with a flashing light flickering, then focusing in. Very artistic and done in a simple way. Lynch used flashlights (of all things) in multiple scenes and it works shockingly well. Another shot is something I can hardly explain. Has to be seen to be understood. Just watch the trailer here and I think you'll catch on to what I'm referencing. Going beyond shots in the trailer the whole movie definitely looks better as it goes. You know you have a problem when one of your transitional shots reminds you of something anyone can put together in iMovie on a Mac. Thankfully that only happens once or twice. Everything else you grow used to with few major reminders of the 'cheapness' of the movie. That's because the immersion into the story is top notch if you're into this sort of thing. I'm hesitant to say "Spoiler Alert." Seeing as the narrative is in many ways even more all over the place than Eraserhead I don't feel I'll be spoiling much unless I flat out tell you everything that happens and how it plays out in the end. But if I do feel I'm coming across a twist or turn in the story that I feel is worth experiencing on your own, I'll warn you. I don't know about you. I think movies about making movies can be hard to make when it comes to widespread appeal. Sure we all love seeing how the magic is made. It's just that I've seen way too many movies about making movies where they're so engrossed in the business itself you'd almost have to be in the business to get it. Take the DeNiro movie What Just Happened. I watched it after hearing lots of great reviews. What I got was essentially something I could boil down to rich white producer with problems. It had little for me to connect with or enjoy. Even the plot elements of dealing with censors and how a movie should end, something one would think I'd be all over, was more annoying than anything else. So when a movie about making a movie can do something engaging I'm all over it. I like the magic of movie making. Going behind the scenes can be fun! Obviously with this being an independent Lynch film I knew it wouldn't go the traditional or 'you have to be one of us to get it' perspectives. If anything Lynch approached a common theme with a unique perspective. Also it's more about living inside the head of a woman going crazy, or living another life, or something else......... And that's my cue to get into the meat and potatoes of the story. I know I said it's tough to spoil this movie. But if you want to see it raw and interpret it yourself you may want to look away for a little bit. I'm gonna dive deep into select sections, trying to interpret some of the things that happen.
THIS IS WHERE POTENTIAL SPOILERS START!
So it goes a little something like this. Aspiring actress lands a role in a big movie. The director is a big deal and her co-star is known for fucking. As production starts the stars find out from the director the movie is cursed. The last time anyone tried to make it, there was murder and it never finished (not revisited as much as you'd hope but it is present.) As production continues Laura Dern's character finds herself deeply immersed in the story, her character, and in bed with her co-star. Fiction and reality start to blur, and this is where things get weird. As things get worse and worse she gets more and more tense and afraid (and that's a lot of 'ands.') In this escape from her situation she seems to find herself transported to another world and another life. At least that's how I was interpreting it. Explaining how it got to this moment contextually is tough so I'll summarize. There's a scene where Dern is running through the movie's studio set eventually running through the front door of what looks like the front of a house. Suddenly as she's looking out the front window it fades from a dark studio to a front yard in the middle of the day. And this is what I was referring to when I said it plain and clearly changes from the first to second act. Without going scene by scene I'm gonna try to interpret how the rest of the movie plays out. I have a few ideas that would be obvious: 1. This is part of the movie within the movie but she doesn't realize it. 2. Many of the remaining scenes are flashbacks to before she got rich and acted. 3. All in her head. Everything. 4. She's still in some bizarre version of the present. 5. All of the above. First and foremost it's possible it's all still part of the movie within the movie. Easy to see since she was 'transported' when she ran into a particular set piece. Explain how this happens is about as difficult to explain as the physical transformations that happen in Lost Highway. All you need to know is that by the second act she is in what feels like a totally different world. A world where she finds herself with another man as if that's just how life is. No attention brought to it which would show it's part of the movie world. Then of course there's the scene much later on when she runs into Justin Theroux's character's home asking if he loves her. Of course while his... 'wife'... is there to hear it causing trouble, wherein he tells her to leave. Of course suggesting it's the movie because of the way he carries himself. That and he's married whereas in the real world he's not (as far as we can tell.) Also since Dern is technically involved in an affair of some kind in both the real and movie world it makes sense when she's in a room of slutty women all asking her what her experiences with 'him' were like. These also are some of the reasons why it's possible this is all in her head or even in the real world. Since Theroux's character is of higher class and status in the movie within the movie it's possible seeing herself in such a low place with such a loser husband is her way of perceiving her own character. Someone who desperately wants something better than what she has. And this could easily translate in her real life. Her actual husband has little to no screen time. The screen time he does have isn't exactly the most flattering either. Lastly, of course, those slutty girls could be (most likely) talking about Theroux's real life within the movie character. Seeing as he sleeps around anyway. Lastly there's the idea a lot of these scenes take place somewhere, somehow in the past. At least some of the scenes. Got this mostly from the scenes with her husband in the dumpy house. The piece of crap I imagined could have been a man she was married to before finding fame in Hollywood. A life she left behind with a violent path. Especially since throughout the second half of the movie it cuts to her telling stories to a mysterious man about these violent acts she did out of anger and/or self-defense. All in all it's easily a combination of all those ideas I feel. Seeing as one theory is shot down by another's equally reasonable reasoning. And there's no way it could be just one. If anything I'd say the least likely scenario is that a lot of these scenes take place in the past. The 'all in your head' or 'it's really part of the movie' is the most present. Especially towards the end when Dern is stabbed in the stomach on the streets of Hollywood. She stumbles, vomits blood, and dies right there on the street. Camera pulls back and it reveals a crew with cameras, making it obvious that scene was part of the movie (so she's not dead.) But how does it fit in? What about the other scenes? It's all very confusing but equally engaging, even fun to try and figure all this out. Because there are so many directions of interpretation this piece can go I won't talk about it further. If I do it'll fall down a deeeeeeeep rabbit hold that will take a long time to get out of. Like with Eraserhead I've only really touched the surface of what this movie is all about. Remember this is a whopping three hours long. Long for what is essentially a modern experimental film. So with that...
POTENTIAL SPOILERS END HERE!
It should come at no surprise to you that this is my favorite Lynch movie. It has everything Lynch has to offer. All his unique perspectives and styles he brings to film. His innovative ideas. Even his hit and miss sense of humor (one of the few downsides of this movie.) Since I've already gone on longer than when I was talking about Eraserhead I'll put a plug to it soon.
But ultimately how does this 'Now' compare to the 'Then?' Something I have yet to really touch on in this review? Well... I think this is leaps and bounds better than Eraserhead. Don't get me wrong, I still think Eraserhead is a classic and a fine example of how even the youngest and most ignorant filmmakers can make brilliant pieces of work. But Inland Empire is like Lynch's Swan Song. It's accumulative of everything he's made up til now. I really can't think of a better film to go out on. Seeing as this is the last feature film he's made with no sign of another coming for all we know this is his final film. If that's the case... I'm satisfied. Between Eraserhead, jump ahead to Blue Velvet, catch some Twin Peaks, and so forth, ending here, it's good. No, more than that. It's brilliant. It's a masterpiece of post-modern art-like film that I will continue to watch again and again as long as I have a working disc.
Do I recommend it? You bet I do. I don't even need the additional disclaimer of 'this isn't for everyone.' If you've come this far you know that by now.
Sorry if I didn't dive deep enough into the film itself. I know my review danced around it a little bit. But just trust me on this one. Go see it yourself and you'll understand why it was so hard for me to find a good way to talk about it without going on forever. It's a beautiful, haunting piece that has to be seen to be believed.
And now take a listen to the best song from the soundtrack. Polish Poem, sung by Chrysta Bell.
"Wait! So Tom Hanks and Halle Berry and everyone else are... the same people throughout time? And... wait... if everything is connected then...? Huh? What about the birthmark? Are those people all... Huh?"
That's all for today. Join us every Saturday for more movie recommendations from our fuzzy friend.
Don't forget that Clover gladly takes recommendations. Her aim is to please you, the reader.
Version I Watched: Only mainstream version available. The 2005 DVD release (per the copyright on the back of the DVD case). I'm sure these shorts have been released elsewhere but this is the most common place to find them... on an uncommon DVD released almost ten years ago.
History: These all have a ton of history. The six films below range from the late 60s when Lynch was still an art student, all the way up to the 90s well after he became an established filmmaker. Since they were all made at very different times under very different circumstances from one another I'll go more into their individual history in the review section.
Personal History: I've seen these shorts once before. When they were still available to stream on Netflix Instant Watch. That was about three, four years ago so I only remember so much of these.
Review: The short films of famous filmmakers, whether a funded project or something fun they did in their backyard as a kid, is an excellent way of looking into the mind of your favorites. These are things I wish were more widely available. Sadly the interest isn't there for most people. It's a niche interest. And unless you're getting distributed by The Criterion Collection it's likely those shorts won't be released, even as special features in a more popular movie. Thankfully David Lynch made some of his shorts available. Sure this DVD (and a couple others) were only available for a brief time but at least he put them out there. And really who better than Lynch? He's so out there as is. So imagine what he is like when he's not being told what he can and cannot do by a studio (despite having already bizarre films). Well this is a prime example of Lynch truly unchained where his only restriction is money or context, which you'll better understand in the sections below. Let's get to it!
Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times) - Having been produced in 1967 makes this Lynch's first film period, full length or short. Although more an art project than anything else once you know the story behind it. This animated short was put together over the course of a semester while attending the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. This one minute film showing six men getting sick (six times) would play on a loop over a black painting. It wound up costing $200. A seemingly small amount but that was back in the 60s and Lynch said it was a "completely unreasonable" amount. Considering how simplistic everything is in the film it is surprising it would cost that much. Since this is supposed to be displayed at an art exhibit I feel it works better that way. Not that I don't like or don't appreciate what Lynch was doing. It would just be much better viewed that way considering that's where it was intended to be seen. That way you can choose to watch them get sick one time or a hundred times. Just like how you can stare at a painting for a few seconds or a couple hours. Watching it at home on the couch makes for a long minute. Once you've seen them get sick the first time you've literally seen it all already. I will say I dig the design. It's the earliest available example of Lynch's art style on film and animation style. Very dark, very cool. Also at the time he was utilizing an animation style similar to what Terry Gilliam would do with Monty Python. Except a lot more fucked up. Animation that would be enhanced in his next two shorts, The Alphabet and The Grandmother. Not much to say on this one. I really have little reason to go back and watch it multiple times. Not unless I want to rig my DVD player to loop and have it play at a party for hours on end. And watch as all my guests leave.
The Alphabet - After premiering Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times) Lynch was approached by a classmate who wanted something like that project for his home. He gave Lynch $1000 to make a whole new project. Almost exactly half of that money was spent on buying a camera. After working on a new short that would be 1/3rd live action and 2/3rd animation literally at the same time in the same image. After working on it for two months he went to get the film developed only to find out all his work was a giant blur on film, making it all a waste of time essentially. After being inspired by his then wife's (Peggy Lentz) niece he went to work on a new project using the remaining money from the original $1000. What came out of it was The Alphabet. A combination of live action and animation but in a different way than he originally intended. A couple sentences ago I mentioned Lynch was inspired by his then wife's niece. While she was visiting her relatives her niece had a nightmare and was reciting the alphabet in a horrifying way. The Alphabet is exactly that but goes deeper by interpreting what the nightmare was like for the niece, or at least Lynch giving his take on the whole thing. So he got his wife to star in the video as the person having the nightmare and finished up this four minute short. And the short is exactly what you'd expect it to be. The animation that plays throughout the first half is very dream-like and things jump to the nightmare level pretty quickly as well. The woman having the nightmare chanting the alphabet isn't as creepy as you'd expect but creepy none the less. Really the charm is how he presents the alphabet first in the animation, then with the woman laying in different poses in bed. Many of which are unnatural or unsettling. Finish it off with her waking up vomiting blood.
Not a bad early work. Certainly an upgrade over Six Men Getting Sick (which happens six times if you didn't know by now). It does of course bring wonder to what his original idea would have been. But this short led immediately to his next short. Something that is far superior than most of the other shorts on this list.
The Grandmother - Going in the tradition one film creating the next, The Grandmother was made because of the creation of The Alphabet. Shortly after finishing The Alphabet Lynch was recommended to apply at AFI (American Film Institute) so he could get a grant to make more films. So he applied and eventually was accepted being awarded with a $5000 grant to make his next short. The film would eventually cost $7200 but that's not terribly important to the story. The film succeeded with the institute (winning multiple awards at festivals) so well that Lynch was recommended to apply to AFI's Center for Advanced Film Studies. He and Alan Splet (the short's sound designer) would eventually be accepted. This is the first of his shorts that have a clear, ongoing narrative. The plot surrounds a young boy who lives in a mentally and physically abusive home. Fed up with how his parents treat him he grows a grandmother who will be kind and loving to him. And of course it's bleak so bad shit happens in no time. By the way, you read that right. The boy grows a grandmother. It's established right from the start in this world that birth happens like plants growing from the ground. We're treated to an animation of the parents growing underground, eventually popping up out of the ground using live action. Once they're both grown they get together and their son is grown. However, said son is able to grow the grandmother somehow through this special seed he finds in a sack of seeds. But to do it secretly he pours a mound of dirt onto one of their beds, plants the seed, and treats it like any other plant. A bizarre method but consistent in the world and pretty imaginative as it makes sense. The Grandmother is easily one of the highest quality films Lynch put together in his early days. Something I'll be sure to mention in my eventual Eraserhead review (teaser) is that he has a knack of making things look insanely good on such a cheap budget. He is able to take his vision and make it a reality and this is a prime example of that. The biggest element that brought me in was his use of color. Lynch did a faux black and white presentation by dressing all (but one) of his characters in black, white, or a combination, then made their skin as pale as possible per the screenshot above. Only using actual black and white film in areas he's unable to control all color like in the outdoor scenes. But then he incorporates color in a vibrant way. Like how the boy has a problem wetting the bed. Instead of a faint yellow it's a bright orange to counteract against the black and white. And my favorite use of color is how the doors and walls indoors are so black you can't make out the walls. It's like they're in some empty void in another dimension. While not my favorite of the bunch I'd say this is the most satisfying. It's got depth in just about every aspect. It's engaging and unsettling. Especially when Lynch uses stop motion animation with real people, or when he does still shots but with the actors holding still and not a snapshot. Subtle, little things that make up something great. Highly recommend this short to Lynch fans looking to see where he came from.
The Amputee - Produced when Eraserhead was in financial limbo (something you'll learn about soon enough, teaser 2). The AFI was testing out two different black and white video stocks before they bought a bulk set of one or the other. Lynch asked Frederick Elmse, who was in charge of testing, if it mattered what they shot on the stock and if he could do the testing. The result was a single shot short in two versions. One lasting approx five minutes and the other in four minutes. It wound up being about a woman with two amputated legs writing a letter while a nurse tends to the stumps. Saying which is version is better isn't that significant. Both are pretty well put together and have enough positives and negatives to say 'that one' over the other. For example, the first one has better acting and a better frame rate that is a little closer to film than household camcorder. But it also isn't as clear and when her leg starts gushing blood at the end it's hard to tell exactly what's going on. Version two has a somewhat clearer picture meaning it's easier to tell what's going on. However I didn't like the frame-rate and I felt it was a shot after they did it a few times because I felt Lynch (who plays the nurse) wasn't acting as well, as if to rush through it. So if I had to pick I'd say the first one that comes up on the DVD. While not a significant entry in the Lynch catalogue I felt it had depth overall. Obviously this woman has some troubles in her life as we can hear through the voiceover of her reading her letter aloud. Something you may miss if you're paying more attention to the medical work on the stumps. Which you will be because again this looks great for being done on the cheap. Not only that it show the character of the woman. She's so obviously numb to pain because of all the physical and emotional pain she's gone through that she barely notices when she starts bleeding all over the place... if at all. Interesting piece overall, but nothing to write home about. And knowing the history that it was done damn near for the sake of doing it I can't help but feel that lowers the significance of it as well.
The Cowboy & The Frenchman - Without a doubt the odd duck of the bunch. A little like The Amputee this one came about out of sheer chance. Lynch was approached to make a short for a short lived French TV series, 'The French as Seen By...' who hired notable directors to make films about the French from their perspective. Initially Lynch didn't have any good ideas so he turned it down. Only to later accept it within the same day after coming up with the idea of incorporating two stereotypes into one. This is the odd duck of this bunch because of the style and approach. Instead of being deep, dark, and abstract. It's a slapsticky wacky comedy that makes fun of cowboy and French stereotypes. For example, when the cowboys first round up the Frenchman they found wandering in the fields they investigate his bag. He has nothing but wine, baguettes, a model of the Eiffel Tower, and other cliche French items. Not to mention his accent is outrageous and he comes off as quite a coward. Whereas the cowboys are everything you'd expect from stuff like Rawhide or whatever. And their women-folk all look and sing like they're at the Grand Ole Opry. While I get what Lynch was going for here I can't say I care for it too much. Even though it's less than thirty minutes it drags quite a bit. The jokes can and some are funny but just don't work in the way he presents them nor the length he makes the short. Especially in the second half when it turns into a nighttime country concert around a firepit where they all get drunk and bond. It's not all bad. I like a lot of the ideas and the stereotypes are done so absurdly over the top they wind up being funny more often than not. A shame it couldn't have been something better. Something more than what it is. Also I found the level of French stereotypes underused whereas the tone was very cowboy heavy. Understandable considering the setting. But for a show called 'The French as Seen By...' don't you think more could have been done to focus on the French?
Lumiere: Premonition Following an Evil Deed - This is my favorite of the whole bunch! It also has the simplest history and shortest length of any of these other films in the DVD. In the mid-90s the film industry was hitting it's 100th birthday. Forty-one directors from around the world were invited to make short films using the original Cinematograph camera invented by the Lumiere brothers in the 1890s. There were three rules to these shorts: The film can't be more than fifty-five seconds, no synchronized sound is allowed, and there can be no more than three takes (likely because of the limited film available to use with the camera). These films were edited in-camera making the whole process very primitive and challenging. Yet Lynch knocks it out of the park with his installment. The fifty-five second short can be described easily but raises many questions of course. It starts with two policemen jumping a fence to investigate what looks like a dead body. Couple cuts later we're in what looks like an alien science lab with a woman in a large tube being experimented on. Next thing you know the film ends leaving you wanting so much more. It ends so quickly you can't believe it. Which is where one of my favorite elements of this short, short, short film comes in. Since the first time I saw this I felt it was akin to a nightmare. You remember very little. Most of it is random images that have loose connections. Then suddenly... it's gone. No explanation. Nothing. You're left with those few moments wondering what it was all about. You're curious. You're even tormented by what it all means. And let me tell you, there are very few stories, films, whatever that dig deep into what terrifies me. Whether in story, imagery, etc. This is one that almost literally feels like a nightmare I once had. It scares me but brings me so much joy at the same time. A not so great transfer can be found on youtube. Just ignore the last two seconds when David Lynch starts talking all of a sudden. Please ignore that. Obviously not supposed to be there. You can watch it here. All these shorts are fantastic in their own way. I don't think this would disappoint fans of Lynch or anyone interested in something more experimental. At first they may seen meaningless or, dare I say, random? But there's more to it than what's on the surface. Something Lynch does so great. While it's hard to recommend to non-Lynch fans I'd say it's VERY easy to recommend to fans. Then again that may vary as well. Depends if you like him for Eraserhead or Elephant Man. The bizarre or his mainstream. Even if you're a fan of Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet I can't guarantee you'd be all over this. This is Lynch without any restrictions (in a way). The closest comparison would be his last feature film Inland Empire (which I'll be talking about soon).
Review 2: Dumbland
Version I Watched: I know these shorts are available online. But I have the 2005 (again per the case's copyright) DVD. Lynch was going through quite a change in many respect and I guess releasing his obscure stuff around that time was part of it. It is when he went hardcore digital/online.
History: A series of animated shorts written, directed, drawn, and every character voiced by David Lynch himself. Originally released on Lynch's website in 2002 and a few years later on DVD. That's basically it. Comes off mostly as a fun Sunday afternoon project for Lynch to be honest.
Personal History: I've watched every episode of this very short lived web series many times. Mostly on youtube before picking up the official DVD. Safe to say I enjoy it.
Review: I absolutely love animation. And while the beautiful works of Ghibli, Disney, and other filmmakers are great there is a very special place in my heard for the crude. And I don't mean crude as in gross humor (ironically they have crude humor, though). I mean poorly drawn, very low tech and low budget animation. Whether done unintentionally or intentionally like with Dumbland. It's one of the reasons I like first season South Park so much more than later seasons. The crude nature of it's design adds to the style and humor, making it a unique experience. Anyone with a team of hundreds can make the same beautifully animated piece over and over again. Just look at Dreamworks, no disrespect. But only one person can make Dumbland. Cause even if you tried to be crude in the same way as Lynch was it would turn out differently. This isn't exactly the 'Now' comparison I'd like to use against Lynch's older shorts but it's what I have easiest access to. I'm yet to see a lot of his other online stuff. Something that will likely wait until I get my hands on Dynamic:1, the 'best of' for his online shorts. Eight episodes of Dumbland were produced and released. The runtime of the entire "series" is roughly thirty minutes.
The Neighbor - While not my favorite episode it is one that hits the nail on the head with the concept Lynch was going for. It's short, simple, hilarious, and of course absurd per Lynch's approach. The entire short is just a couple minutes but it tells everything we need to know about our lead character. He (Randy) is admiring his neighbor's shed. The neighbor walks up and they small talk about the shed. The neighbor reveals he has a false arm. They're interrupted by a passing helicopter. Randy responds by cursing at it while flipping it off. Once it leaves he says to his neighbor "I hear you fuck ducks." A duck comes out of the shed and the neighbor says, "I am a one-armed duck-fucker." Roll credits. This episode makes me laugh out loud. This is also a prime example of Lynch's odd pacing working out for the better. The long pauses in-between each and every sentence makes the next or previous one that much funnier. Like during the first few sentences when they go back and forth with Randy starts by saying, "I like that shed" Pause. Neighbor says, "That's my shed." Then out of nowhere after another pause, "I KNOW IT'S YOUR FUCKING SHED!" Pause. I'm laughing just thinking about it. But there's not a lot to say without going into detail bit by bit. It's so perfectly crafted in it's short length that sets up what the rest of the episodes will be like. I really have nothing to complain about. I like every second of it. Go to youtube and at the very least watch this episode. Like I said, it's not my favorite episode but it is one of the most well put together from the concept standpoint, and an absurd humor standpoint.
The Treadmill - Even though this series is far from traditional, I'd say The Treadmill has one of the more traditional cartoon plots. Granted it only lasts for a small portion of it. Randy forces his wife off the treadmill because her exercising is annoying him. After she runs off in her usual (as you will see in later episodes) frantic state Randy tries to stop the machine first by stepping on it (flung through the wall) and then with a sledgehammer (flung through the wall again). Hence the traditional cartoon plot. I can see this sort of thing happening in a Looney Tunes cartoon minus the spouse abuse (which would depend on the era it came from). It has increasing levels of insane ideas to achieve what is otherwise a simple goal. Everything flies off the rails after the sledgehammer, though. He is flung into the backyard through their wall and the sledgehammer is stuck up his ass. He tries to get it out by pulling but it does not work. So he farts it out. The rest of the episode has no purpose and he never stops the treadmill. He does, however, punch a travelling salesman in the face. Done in a cartoonishly hilarious way. Not a noteworthy episode. I'd say it was more experimenting. Especially since the other episodes have a clear plot or meaning. This one has about three different scenarios all in one, none of which have any real payoff other than silly jokes. And isn't that what we're here for?
The Doctor - THIS is my favorite episode. Again having a somewhat classical type of plot where things progressively get worse and worse, more and more cartoony as time goes on in the episode. Here Randy finds a broken lamp on the flood. After yelling at the family, asking, "Who broke the fucking LAAAAMP?!" he tries to fix it himself. In an act of incredible stupidity he sticks his finger right in the socket while it's plugged in, getting electrocuted. His doctor makes a house call and what follows is a series of examinations of "does this hurt?" Starting with gentle taps, moving to pokes and slams in the head with a mallot, and going so far as to stabbing Randy in the head with a knife. Maybe the reason I love this one so much is because of the structure. It's totally silly in a way that works. Heck, while the first episode is one hundred percent solid in my book, I'd almost introduce someone with this. Even though the end is somewhat dark when Randy viciously beats the doctor after the doctor stabs him in the head. All to a soundtrack that reminded me of the battle music from the Dreamcast game Illbleed. An absolutely, positively fantastic episode none the less. If you don't see any of the rest check out the first episode. But if you're on the fence I'd say take a look at this one after it.
A Friend Visits - A simple episode to explain. It's about Randy's friend visiting. A beer drinking, cowboy-esque kind of guy who sits and talks with Randy about killing, gutting, and eating different kinds of animals in the wild. It's one of those Lynch-isms where they sit there making small comments between long pauses which makes it feel like it's longer than it really is. Not a fan of the episode itself. Now the intro... Kinda like The Treadmill, A Friend Visits has a couple different plot points. The intro scene is way better and way funnier than the actual episode. Randy comes running out into the backyard pissed off. His wife just installed a new clothesline. One of those old ones that are square shaped with one rod in the middle. Randy jerks it around trying to remove it while yelling at her, screaming, "What if I came out at night to take a shit?! I'd cut my fucking head off!" Eventually he breaks it loose and throws it into the street causing a car accident. Between the squeaking noises from the clothesline, Randy's insults, his wife's screaming, and the eventual car crash it is all over the top but in a hilarious way. Like Lynch prefaced with these shorts, we laugh because they're so absurd. And this intro is definitely absurd. So crazy that it makes you laugh. Especially his reasoning for not wanting it!
Get the Stick - Now there's a difference between over the top and going too far. And I'll explain it with this... When the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie came out on DVD there was a bonus disc with an alternate cut of the movie. It was at least 1/3rd different, contained a lot of unfinished animation, and of course had plenty of unused jokes and bits. One bit involved Carl being brainwashed. One of the many things he was forced to do was drop his pants and shove a broomstick up his ass, with the tip poking up at the top of his head like it's about to pop out. It was an unnecessarily gross and unimaginative bit in an otherwise fucked up movie so I'm not really making my case here I guess. What I'm trying to say is I'm glad it was cut because it was just too crude for crude sake. Get the Stick has a similar approach and it's the reason I don't like the episode. A man randomly breaks through their fence with a stick caught in his mouth. Randy violently and forcefully tries to remove the stick in many weird ways. All while his son is repeatedly screaming, "Get the stick! Get the stick!" It starts with jerking the stick around and ends with it being pulled out through the man's eye socket after his eyes popped out. I'm not grossed out by intense violence. But this was gross for the sake of being gross and the episode stopped being funny when it went to such an intense level. One of the weakest entries for being a weak joke stretched out way too long to a level that was unnecessary, even for this series.
My Teeth are Bleeding - Despite being a series full of absurdities for the sake of being absurd it's easy to tell when Lynch is commentating on something. Here I'm not sure if he's trying to do that or is making an attempt at a goofy joke that pays off in a similar way as The Aristocrats joke. Randy is sitting in his chair watching wrestling on TV. His wife is sitting, twitching and freaking out as she's been every episode before and every episode following. His son is jumping on a trampoline right there in the living room. There's noise of traffic outside and overall Randy's sitting in a circle of contained noise and pandemonium. While the noise and pandemonium doesn't really get worse it feels like it does as the episode progresses. It keeps cutting back to his blank stare as he wanders his eyes around the room. Eventually there's drive by shootings outside and other violence on the road. Then things get worse inside when both his son's and wife's teeth start bleeding, spraying blood all over the place. Hence the title. This whole time Randy sits staring blankly. The episode ends with him getting slightly annoyed by a fly buzzing in his face. This really is a journey joke. Meaning the journey to get to the punchline is way better than the actual punchline. Hence The Aristocrats. It does crack me up seeing all the insanity around him with him sitting still like he is either A) Not in control or B) too numb to care. And that's where the commentary comes in. Feels like Lynch is commentating that there's so much commotion and insanity around us that we're numb to the obvious, while only bothered by the petty bullshit like a fly buzzing in our face. That or it's a silly joke and nothing else. I'd like to think the first concept, but the second one makes me smile so I'm gonna go with that and not let the episode bother me thinking it's about something more.
Uncle Bob - Should have known family would come into the picture eventually. In today's episode Randy and family are treated to a visit from uncle Bob (not pictured) and his... wife? I think? (Pictured above, the stocky, man-like woman). Randy's wife and their... relative... are going out shopping or something while uncle Bob stays behind with Randy and son. Uncle Bob is a parody of that old relative you have that has socially uncomfortable health issues but you don't want to say anything about it. The entire episode uncle Bob is breathing heavily, making disgusting noises, and twitching. Randy and son can't help but stare wondering what's wrong with him. Among the noises and obvious issues uncle Bob slugs Randy in the face a couple times. The third time Randy punches back, in which Bob's... wife?... comes out of nowhere screaming "I saw that!" and punches Randy into next Wednesday. A fine episode with a similar concept of the rest. When I rewatched it for this I tried to take the position of Randy or the kid instead of an outside observer. I've definitely been in that position where I was awkwardly around someone with clear issues, but not knowing how to show it. So that added some hilarity. Having that connection in a way. Still it doesn't outshine the other episodes. I'd certainly watch it over Get the Stick.
Ants - And now we come to the end. Even though the total length of all these episodes are thirty minutes, believe it or not the concept starts to wear thin by this point. Which is a shame because I feel objectively this is a pretty great episode and a nice one to end on. Randy is trying to get rid of an ant infestation in his house. He points the ant killer spray the wrong direction, hitting himself in the face. He then trips, hallucinating the ants singing and dancing about how much of an asshole Randy is. This pisses him off so he tries to stamp out as many as he can in a fit of rage. He fails when he climbs up the wall and falls from the ceiling onto his head. The episode ends with Randy in a body cast. A trail of ants crawl up into the cast with no way to stop them. Karma is a bitch. The music is nothing extraordinary. It's all very basic with variations of insults. Definitely a nice change of pace from what we've seen the last twenty-something minutes. But like I said it doesn't take long for the episode to wear thin. Seeing as this series has a concept like most jokes, if it goes on too long it stops being funny, this episode should almost be watched separately so you can get the full effect. Trust me! It's still a good episode!
I don't think you need to be a Lynch fan to get into these. It helps immensely. But even if you've simply got a fucked up sense of humor I think you'd enjoy it. It's only thirty minutes so you're not diving into a new, long running franchise. I'm not telling you to hang on a season or two so you can see it 'when it gets good.' This is over and done with quickly so I'd say give it a shot. If anything it'll be more approachable than his other shorts, or even some of his movies, if you're not a fan of his (actively or apathetically). But just like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, it's an acquired taste that you should probably not watch one after another if you want it to stay funny.
Part 2 of this 'Then v Now' retrospective coming relatively soon...
