Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me – (1992)

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Directed by David Lynch

Written by David Lynch, Robert Engels, and Mark Frost

Starring Sheryl Lee as Laura Palmer, Moira Kelly as Donna Hayward, Ray Wise as Leland Palmer, Frank Silva as BOB, Grace Zabriskie as Sarah Palmer, David Lynch as Gordon Cole, David Bowie as Philip Jeffries, Michael J. Anderson as Man from Another Place (The Arm), and Kyle MacLachlan as Dale Cooper

I’m not the kind of person who generally seeks out weird movies. I like genre films. I like sci-fi and fantasy quite a bit. Yet, there’s always been a barrier between me and the more “experimental” side of cinema. This barrier doesn’t necessarily exist between me and the more weird and surreal parts of television series, as I can always hope that the show (or shows) will explain itself (or themselves) in the hopes of drawing in new viewers and satisfying existing viewers. I can often enjoy the weirdness of shows like Legion or even the first couple seasons of Twin Peaks because I know that some sort of closure or explanation will eventually come. This option doesn’t really exist in “weird” films. Unless it’s a giant, Marvel-style franchise, the weirder parts won’t always be explained or justified. They are just there. And now, in this week’s film, the weird aspects of television and film collide, creating an experience from which I’m still reeling. This is Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me serves as a prequel/supplement to the 1990’s television series of the same name. The series, which is so, so good by the way, (WATCH IT NOW, LIKE RIGHT NOW) follows the murder investigation of Laura Palmer, the homecoming queen of a small Washington town called Twin Peaks. As the investigation, led by the immensely entertaining FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (played by Kyle MacLachlan – a goshdarned national treasure), continues, the town of Twin Peaks and its secrets are revealed. We learn the dark personal connections that make Twin Peaks so complicated, as well as the surreal supernatural underbelly that further exacerbates these complications.

Fire Walk With Me seeks to further flesh out the actual events leading up to Laura Palmer’s murder, which isn’t solved until halfway through the second season of the original series. Thus, much of the events and plot of Fire Walk With Me fall into major spoiler territory for those who haven’t seen the show.

The film opens with the murder of Teresa Banks, a prostitute who is killed in very similar way to Laura Palmer, although a year prior. FBI chief Gordon Cole (David Lynch) sends two agents (Chris Isaak and Kiefer Sutherland) to investigate the murder. One of the agents mysteriously disappears while on the case, and thus Agent Dale Cooper takes over. In a seemingly connected event, Cole and Cooper are visited by a different up-to-now missing FBI agent (played by David Bowie, sporting an obviously fake southern accent) who cryptically speaks of someone named Judy and a demonic meeting in a room above a convenience store just before he vanishes again. We see this meeting as well, featuring characters BOB, the Arm, and Mrs. Chalfont from the series. They still speak in their strange backwards way, muttering sentences that seem like non-sequiturs. Dale, upon reflecting upon all these happenings, senses that he will work on a similar, related case in the near future.

Cut to Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), the dead girl we first see wrapped in plastic in the opening minutes of the television series. She’s alive, for now, but she isn’t well. Laura’s been haunted for the last few years by a figure named BOB, who has been torturing and molesting her on a frequent basis. All this trauma has led Laura to turn to drugs, prostitution, and work to distract herself. She’s cheating on her jock boyfriend with a kind-hearted greaser, and she’s working as a prostitute for two different pimps. There’s a wealth of information about Laura’s personal life that we learn throughout the first season of the show that isn’t even in the movie, all the while indicating that Laura’s doing a lot to take her mind of the constant trauma she’s enduring. Laura can tell that BOB has an endgame. BOB wants to possess Laura, not only as a victim, but as a host. As we later learn in the series, BOB is a demonic entity that possesses a host, with the goal of causing them and others pain and sorrow. Pain and sorrow (or Garmonbozia, as its called) is a source of fuel to BOB and spirits like him, manifesting itself as creamed corn. BOB can tell that Laura is a perfect new vessel for him, and decides that he’d like to make her his own sooner than later. Laura realizes very soon after that the current host for BOB is her father, Leland Palmer (Ray Wise). BOB’s been riding around in Leland’s body for years now, and he’s just about ready to get off. Thus, Laura and Leland’s relationship gets incredibly tense, as Laura can’t accept that it’s her father who’s been abusing her, and Leland can’t accept the terrible things BOB’s done through him (including, we learn, murdering Teresa Banks, who just so happened to be working for the same pimp as Laura). All this culminates in the event that starts the series. Leland abducts Laura and Ronette (a classmate and fellow prostitute) from an orgy, dragging them to an abandoned train car. There, an injured Ronette manages to escape, but Laura is caught in a final confrontation with BOB. Laura denies BOB her body, and BOB forces Leland to kill her, thus setting the stage for the series pilot. Finally, we see both Laura and Dale Cooper in “The Red Room”, a limbo/purgatory-esque zone of the Black Lodge, a realm we learn from the series to be a dimension of pure evil and darkness. (We learn why Cooper is there in the series.) In the Room, we see Laura comforted by Cooper and an angel. Upon realizing she is finally safe from BOB, Laura begins to cry and laugh with joy.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is a movie distinct from any others. Its surreal imagery and mythology will test and befuddle both Twin Peaks fans and newcomers alike. All this is due to the director, a man who prides himself in creating surreal worlds. He’s a purveyor of the unexplainable. I’m talking about David Lynch. Lynch and partner Mark Frost were the main creative forces behind the Twin Peaks series, and it’s clear that Lynch got to run wild and free with the film. There’s a wealth of symbolism, sequences, and creative choices that are hard to explain or justify without first acknowledging that the likely came straight from Lynch’s mind. Yet, everything is artfully done, giving the story a real sense of depth and emotion, even when you have no idea what’s going on. Compared to Lynch’s other films, Fire Walk With Me is a much more human and emotionally affecting story, regardless of the often bewildering and disturbing imagery. A lot of the credit for this can go to the actors. Sheryl Lee turns in an amazing performance as Laura, showing mental and emotional gymnastics her character must undergo on a daily basis. She’s incredible to watch. She’s fine one second, then something flips and she beings screaming and crying bloody murder. Kyle MacLachlan, although not given nearly enough screen time, still manages to capture the idiosyncrasies and charm that endeared Dale Cooper to so many TV viewers. Special mention should also be given to Moira Kelly as Donna Hayward. Kelly took over the role from Lara Flynn Boyle, and somehow did it even better. Kelly’s Donna has a tangible emotional connection to Laura that wasn’t really there with Boyle.

Any critiques I had with this film are simply technical, and, knowing Lynch, they are all intended. The sound mixing in his movie is tiresome, often drowning the important dialogue in ambience or sound effects. Watching each second of this film must be an active process for the viewer in order to come to some sort of clarity. That being said, I feel as if I must watch it again to understand it further. Who knows, perhaps after that I may need to see it once more, or even many more times. All this fits in the style and world of Twin Peaks. While the show (and the movie) feature a mystery that needs to be solved, the bigger mystery of what the show (and the movie) are about must be solved by us, the viewers.

(DEFINITELY WATCH THE FIRST 2 SEASONS BEFORE WATCHING THIS MOVIE)

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Thunderpants – (2002)

Directed by Peter Hewitt

Written by Peter Hewitt and Phil Hughes

Starring Bruce Cook as Patrick, Rupert Grint as Alan, Simon Callow as Sir John Osgood, Paul Giamatti as Johnson J. Johnson, Ned Beatty as General Sheppard, and Stephen Fry as Sir Anthony Silk.

I know, I’m a week behind. In my defense, I was on a college choir tour and I didn’t have time to watch a movie, let alone write about one. Then, like a gift from God himself, I find a true gem the very day I get back. Some friends and I were planning on watching David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (coming soon to this here blog) but due to unforeseen circumstances we instead experienced this piece of cinema history. A movie so remarkable and groundbreaking that it deserves its place in the annals of not only film history, but history itself. I’m, of course, talking about the 2002 masterpiece that is Thunderpants.

Thunderpants tells the story of Patrick Smash (played by the then-and-still-unknown Bruce Cook), a young British lad seemingly cursed with chronic, superhuman flatulence. This kid farts, a lot. So much so that his father leaves the family and his mother turns to alcoholism. (You know, for kids!) Patrick is ostracized at school by classmate and teacher alike, except for his best friend, Alan, a child genius with no sense of smell. Alan is played by a fresh-off-the-set-of-the-first-Harry-Potter Rupert Grint, but with curly hair and glasses. Together, Alan and Patrick seek a practical use for Patrick’s unique problem. Alan develops a flying machine powered by Patrick’s gas, drawing the attention of an opera singer (Simon Callow), who recruits Patrick to fart a specific high note that he can’t quite reach, and the US Special Forces, who need Alan’s genius intellect to help rescue some astronauts in trouble.

Separated from Alan, Patrick joins the opera singer on a concert tour of Europe, secretly farting a high note that impresses the Opera SInger’s audiences. It isn’t until the Opera Singer’s rival catches on to the secret that things take a turn for worse. A stage accident kills the Opera Singer’s rival, and the blame is placed squarely on our gaseous hero. Patrick is put on trial, and eventually gets the death penalty. (You know, for kids!) Mere seconds before he’s dispatched by a firing squad, the US Special Forces swoops in to save him, led by Agent Johnson, played by a severely miscast, early-career Paul Giamatti. Turns out, Alan’s plan for rescuing the astronauts is directly contingent on Patrick’s gifts. That’s right boys and girls, Patrick’s farts power the rescue rocket. Reunited with his best friend, and given a purpose, Patrick pilots/fuels the rocket, rescuing the astronauts while living his dream of being one.

This is a real movie. Money was paid to tell this story. Very little money was paid by people wanting to see it. Thunderpants is a weird paradox. On one hand, it’s a kind of charming, somewhat unique approach. The production design is similar to that of Pushing Daisies or Penelope. It seems like a fairytale, and thus fairytale rules apply. The universe of the movie kind of works, aside from the weird death penalty plot turn. On the other hand, this movie seems like a blatant play at the early 2000’s whimsical toilet-humor family comedy. It’s trying so hard to be something like Spy Kids or Master of Disguise something else of that ilk to really stand on its own. It’s just another one of that kind of movie that just didn’t make it, albeit with a more ridiculous premise.

There’s not much to say about any of the creative or technical aspects here. The writing is unpredictable, albeit incredibly cheesy. Most of the performances are obnoxiously over the top, especially Rupert Grint’s. He puts on a nerdy-because-I-know-big-words affectation, coupled with an accent that isn’t quite British but is indistinguishable from anything else.   Everything, and I mean everything, in this movie is green. The sets are green. The food is green. The costumes are green. It’s the laziest way of setting your movie in a world not exactly like our own. None of the jokes are quite as funny as just the random sequence of events you could generously call plot. If I were making a video laying out the funniest parts, I’d have a lot more to show you.

All that said, I can’t say that I don’t recommend it. It isn’t a so-bad-it’s-good movie like The Room, but it isn’t as obnoxiously unwatchable as Master of Disguise. If anything, it’s a fun movie to riff on, MST3K-style. Furthermore, it’d make an excellent double feature with the 1997 Harlan Williams comedy Rocketman.  More reviews coming, I promise I’ll catch up.

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The Adventures of Robin Hood – (1938)

Errol Flynn as Robin Hood

Directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley
Written by Norman Reilly Raine and Seton I. Miller

Starring Errol Flynn as Robin Hood, Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian, Basil Rathbone as Guy of Gisborne, Alan Hale as Little John, and Claude Rains as Prince John

Synopsis: Under the guise of paying the ransom for his captured brother King Richard, Prince John taxes the Saxons, all the while using the money to buy the loyalty of the Normans, who will help John secure the throne for himself. Sir Robin of Locksley, a Saxon nobleman in Nottingham, opposes Prince John’s tyranny and usurpation, and leads an insurrection, putting him on a collision course with Prince John and his right-hand man, Sir Guy of Gisborne. Meanwhile, Maid Marian, ward of the King and Gisborne’s betrothed, has fallen in love with Robin and tries to help his cause from within the castle walls.

I signed up for Filmstruck in early September 2018, and I can’t say I used it much. Don’t get me wrong, I thought the concept was genius, and if I had more time and money, I would’ve utilized it a lot more. A month or two after I signed up, I cancelled my subscription. As a student, I couldn’t really go on as a paying subscriber without actually having the time to use the service. A few weeks later, Filmstruck announced its closing, and I realized my mistake. This was a thing that doesn’t really come along everyday: a streaming service for classic and foreign movies. I could’ve used it for a project like this. Instead, I just used it a couple times to watch Singin’ In The Rain and Time Bandits, and then I forgot about it until it started burning a hole in my checking account. Alas, you don’t see the good until it’s gone. Some consolation came in the following months. The first came when Criterion announced their streaming service, which I jumped on immediately. The second, more pertinent consolation came when Filmstruck sent out a parting gift to its subscribers. They gave us five digital downloads: Casablanca, A Star is Born (1954), Singin’ In The Rain, King Kong, and lastly: The Adventures of Robin Hood.

The only Robin Hood films I had seen prior to The Adventures of Robin Hood were the Disney animated feature, Prince of Thieves, and Men in Tights. I had a decent handle on the story of Robin Hood. Robin Hood is an outlaw in medieval England who steals from the rich to give to the poor. I believed it was an overall simple story allowing for filmmakers to bring their own spin to it. Disney made it a kid-friendly cartoon. The Kevin Costner-starring Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was an average-but-entertaining 90’s action movie. Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men in Tights was a spoof on what I assumed the 1938 Errol Flynn version was about, while also making fun of the self-seriousness of Prince of Thieves, so much so that Cary Elwes’ Flynn-like Robin Hood breaks the fourth wall multiple times to directly call out Kevin Costner and his terrible British accent. So, when the time came to watch the Errol Flynn classic, I thought I knew what was coming. Boy, was I wrong. I was expecting a cheesy swashbuckler, and while I did get that, I also got a really entertaining political thriller. Aside from greed, I don’t think I’ve seen much justification given in other versions for the taxation Prince john levies on the innocents of Nottingham. Here, it’s under the guise of paying King Richard’s ransom, although it is secretly used to buy support for John’s usurpation. I found this to be an interesting take on the story. Thus, Robin’s crusade isn’t necessarily about how the rich should look after the poor (an approach to the story that might not have fared well a few years later during the Red Scare). Robin stands against the corruption of Prince John’s rule, and against John’s illegitimate claim to the throne. The taxation of the poor for John’s own political gain is unjust, and that is Robin’s catalyst. Robin’s selflessness is a direct foil for Prince John’s greed. This theme is made most clear when Robin’s Merry Men capture Gisborne, the Sheriff, and Marian in Sherwood Forest. The Merry Men prepare a feast for all: themselves, the poor, and for their captured enemies. Following the feast, Marian and Robin discuss Robin’s goals, and Robin states this motivation.

“It’s injustice I hate, not the Normans.” – Robin Hood

Perhaps the biggest thing that struck me about this film was the use of technicolor. This might be movie heresy, but I firmly believe this movie deserves more praise for how it looks in technicolor than The Wizard of Oz. Robin’s greens are a bright, vibrant hue, and I knew which Merry Man Will Scarlett was before anyone said his name just by the bright red cap and tunic he wore. Another element of the film that quite impressed me was the writing. It isn’t Shakespeare, mind you, but I found quite a bit of it to be charming and entertaining, with a couple distinct instances of some really clever banter. The exchange between Robin, Prince John, Gisborne, and Marian in the banquet hall is one of the most entertaining cinematic conversations I’ve seen in a long time.

“Why, you speak treason!”- Maid Marian. “Fluently” – Robin Hood

Of course, the dialogue would be useless with actors to speak it. Errol Flynn is Robin Hood, an exemplar of heroism and charm. Flynn is likable from the moment his face rides into screen to the moment he and Marian leave the castle together at the end of the movie. Basil Rathbone is the perfect sinister nobleman as Gisborne, his seething resentment towards Robin evident in every shot. Olivia de Havilland isn’t given a lot to do as Maid Marian, but her chemistry with Flynn is palpable. When I read later that they did several films together, I wasn’t surprised. The Merry Men aren’t given a lot to do either. Sure, there are short scenes highlighting Little John, Much the Miller’s son, and Friar Tuck, but none really live up to the legend upon which they’re based. Lastly, Claude Rains is pitch-perfect as Price John. He preens like a peacock in every scene, gaining some unseen pleasure from watching Robin and Gisborne go at it. He’s simultaneously slimy and likable, and, although I’m still not sure why, I was glad to see him still alive as the movie closes. (Sidenote: Claude Rains and Jared Harris look so much alike to me that I almost believe in reincarnation.)

I really liked this movie. It’s not my favorite, but I think it is my favorite version of Robin Hood. It presents a Robin Hood with clear motivations, a couple villains that are incredibly fun to watch, and a visual spectacle that doesn’t get enough praise.

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The Adventure Begins…

My name is Zach, and I’m a film buff. I think I have been ever since my mom popped a VHS of Toy Story into the family VCR when I was a little kid. From there, my fascination with film grew. I’m currently studying digital media and theatre as an undergrad, and I’m planning on studying Film postgrad.

Despite my years of watching and learning about movies, I’ve found that my cinematic repertoire is still kind of lacking. There’s a lot I haven’t seen and there’s a lot I’ve got to learn. So, I’ve resolved to watch one movie I haven’t seen before each week in 2019. These movies will range from cinematic classics that I haven’t gotten to yet, titles from my own watchlist, or even suggestions from you! (Feel free to suggest movies in the comments!) After I watch a movie, I’ll write about it on here, giving my review and reflections on it.

Here’s a list of some of my favorite movies, just to give you a view of what my tastes are like:

  • Inside Llewyn Davis
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
  • Jurassic Park
  • Singin’ in the Rain
  • The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
  • Toy Story
  • No Country for Old Men
  • Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
  • Whiplash

And here’s a few titles I’m hoping to cover during this project:

  • The Tree of Life
  • Rashomon
  • I’m Not There
  • Children of Men
  • Vertigo
  • Stalker
  • Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
  • Network

So, come with me, won’t you, as I begin this grand adventure?

Follow me on twitter: @WeAreZach17
On Letterboxd: dirksenz