Michael Adam Warren's Blog, page 3

Ant Head (2018) New Digital Short by David Lynch

David Lynch introduced the new digital short "Ant Head" at his most recent Festival of Disruption, which just took place, November 13 & 14, 2018. The short is a visualization Lynch conceived of to accompany a couple of songs from his new album he made in collaboration with Angelo Badalamenti titled, "Thought Gang." The songs featured in this video visualization are "Frank 2000" and "Woodcutters from Fiery Ships."
David Lynch has been throwing together this Festival of Disruption for a few years now and they never cease to provide interesting lectures, Q&A's, performances, and creative art pieces. In some ways, it feels like the Maestro is using this venue as a way of bringing avant garde art and the mainstream public together for an unforgettable, culturally enriching experience.

Stephen Colbert Envies Kyle MacLachlan Got to Play Paul Atreides in DUNE (1984)

In a fun interview early this year, Kyle MacLachlan visited the Late Show where host Stephen Colbert reveals that as a young man he desperately wanted the role of Paul Atreides in David Lynch's adaptation of DUNE (1984), which ultimately went to Kyle MacLachlan in his first film role. The two have a fun time reminiscing about some of Kyle's other David Lynch roles, particularly in Blue Velvet (1986). Colbert reveals that many of his friends gave him a hard time for looking so much like Kyle when that film was originally released.

Kyle MacLachlan on His Iconic Characters

GQ magazine features and interviews David Lynch mainstay Kyle MacLachlan about his most iconic film and TV roles over the years, particularly his collaborations with the respected director, and many more. MacLachlan is frank and down-to-earth about his experiences and provides some funny commentary about his career along the way.

Kristine McKenna Interview on David Lynch by LA Times

Kristine McKenna is the co-author of David Lynch's newly published half biography, half memoir Room to Dream (2018), a book I intend to read and review in the near future. Kristine was recently interviewed by Mark Olsen of the LA Times and they shared their entire discussion on a podcast, which I have shared with you below.

Glass (2019) Trailer! Shyamalan's Unbreakable (2000) / Split (2016) Crossover!

M. Night Shyamalan's new movie Glass (2019), the trailer for which is down below, has been literally twenty years in the making. Ever since audiences were tricked into watching a comic book-inspired superhero origin story masquerading as a supernatural thriller with Unbreakable (2000), fans of the film have been hoping for a sequel that would push the premise to its fullest. And funny enough, nearly two decades later, Shyamalan tricked movie audiences again into watching a secret sequel/spinoff of Unbreakable masquerading as a standalone horror film: Split (2016).
Two decades is a long time to make an audience wait for the next adventure of Bruce Willis's superbly acted David Dunn to reach the big screen, but with Hollywood's current obsession with resurrecting old intellectual property, such as Transformers, Star Trek, Star Wars, etc. But while a case can be made that all those other franchises had definitive endings to their respective sagas, Unbreakable (2000) always felt strangely open ended and incomplete.
It was easily the best and most interesting comic book superhero origin story since Richard Donner's Superman (1978), but at the very moment we were primed for the many adventures of David Dunn to begin, nothing happened. The secretive marketing campaign was a little too successful at masking the film's true nature, and as a result, the film has taken several years to really make its rounds on home video and become the treasured classic I always recognized it for being.
I was not alone in my high estimation of Unbreakable (2000), by the way. Nearly a decade ago, screenwriter and film director Quentin Tarantino released a list of his Top 20 favorite films released since he began making films in 1992. He capped the list with Unbreakable, in which he discussed it as a true work of art and a masterpiece of filmmaking. Above is a clip of him discussing the film at the end of his favorites list. Since the first time I saw the film, I have always shared Tarantino's sentiments about how great Unbreakable always was.
It is fair to say I have been excited for Glass (2019) to arrive in theaters for nearly two decades now. And it has to be some kind of minor miracle that David Dunn's war with Elijah Price will rage on again once more at the box office. Tarantino and I are not the only ones excited for this next chapter, either. Check out comedian Patton Oswalt's impassioned plea for an Unbreakable sequel in this video clip a few years back from his visit on Screen Junkies.
Thankfully, Tarantino, Oswalt, and I can now rest assured that Shyamalan's remarkably grounded and realistic superhero universe continues. I wish M. Night the best, because I have been rooting for his comeback for years now. Making Glass (2019) as good as it deserves to be will help ensure Unbreakable (2000) is watched and re-watched and rediscovered for decades to come.

The Dark Knight (2008) 10th Anniversary!

Today is July 18, 2018, the tenth anniversary of the theatrical release of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008). Not only was this film ridiculously well-received by audiences at the box office, but even the film critics who typically disliked superhero films were stunned into silence at this powerful cinematic tour de'force. Below is a great New Rockstars YouTube video commemorating the film's 10th Anniversary and analyzing some of the movie's subtly brilliant moments that are easy to miss.
The Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator shows the film with the remarkably high 94% approval rating in both the critic and audience categories, a feat almost unheard of in film history, let alone for the release of a major studio tentpole Summer blockbuster. But then The Dark Knight (2008) actually seemed to reveal a big problem with the Academy Awards that year, since it was snubbed from even being nominated Best Picture. Non-coincidentally, viewership of the Oscars has declined ever since.
However, when The Dark Knight arrived in theaters, I was in college, taking Summer classes. But I had pre-planned and preordered my tickets months in advance and I drove out with family over 45 minutes to the nearest true IMAX screen and we watched one of the earliest showings. And I was completely overwhelmed and stunned. This was a meticulously shot film emphasizing character, plot, and philosophical ideas to a degree rarely attempted in literature, let alone in cinema.
The visuals, sound design, directing, and acting were so much more than I could have expected, too. It was a breath of fresh air in a Hollywood that had become stale with bland, inoffensive, and mediocre blockbusters. As a struggling student, I did not have a lot of spending money, but I sacrificed and I ended up re-watching the film on that magnificent IMAX screen a total of five times--the most I could have done, at the time.
And just to gauge the difference, I went to a normal theatrical venue for the film once, also. So I ended up seeing The Dark Knight (2008) six times in the theater. And honestly, if I had had the time and resources at the time to do it, I would have watched the film several more times in the IMAX format. It was truly spectacular in every sense of that word. I was in awe of it as a piece of popular entertainment and as a true work of art.
Let's talk a little bit about the film that preceded it, though. The first film in Nolan's trilogy, Batman Begins (2005) had decent success in its theatrical run three years earlier, it really did not hit its stride until its DVD and Blu-Ray release had had time to make the rounds on home video. Once there, the film truly skyrocketed in popularity as the best live-action iteration of Batman yet. Not only was Batman back, but it was better than ever.

So hype was already building to a fever pitch in the months preceding its release, when the news hit that Heath Ledger tragically died of an apparent prescription drug interaction while he was fighting off a strong bout of pneumonia during a break from filming his next film, Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009).
It felt so senseless and devastating to lose one of the best actors of the up-and-coming generation to something so small and innocuous. It hit society as a whole in a similar way to James Dean's early tragic death decades earlier. And it left everyone mourning for the many incredible things and roles Heath had yet to do in life.
A lot of people were planning on watching the film in part to honor Heath Ledger's legacy and see if all the buzz about his final complete film performance could possibly be true. And to the credit of Ledger, if anything, he undersold and overdelivered when it came to that performance as The Joker. In fact, Heath was so good that it is likely all other villain performances from now on will be compared to it as the new gold standard in the field.
So in spite of all the major hype going into the release, The Dark Knight (2008) still somehow managed to exceed everyone's expectations. And that is nothing less than a minor miracle. If it is not already clear to you yet, The Dark Knight (2008) has earned every bit of love and respect it gained over the past decade. So while the other films of 2008 are occasionally re-watched and mildly appreciated now and then, The Dark Knight is the kind of film that just grows stronger and more popular as the years go by. And it will likely remain that way as The Dark Knight ever surpasses its competition as not just one the best superhero films ever made, but one of the best movies ever made. Period.

Lo-Fi Physicality of Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) - Spontification

As part of our ongoing series to spotlight excellent David Lynch-related video essays online, here is one from the YouTube channel Alternating Line . In this video essay, included below, we explore the deliberately simple special effects David Lynch employs in Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) and contrast it with the more sophisticated special effects he occasionally drops in. What is he communicating with this dichotomy?

Kimmy Robertson and Harry Goaz Q&A

Few things better symbolize the magic of Twin Peaks (1990-91) than the tumultuous romance of Sheriff's Receptionist Lucy and Deputy Andy, brought to life by the completely unique Kimmy Robertson and Harry Goaz. I was fortunate enough to get to know Kimmy a little bit in real life a number of years ago and she is a truly remarkable person and every bit as kind-hearted and spiritual as the character she plays. And as she points out, she travels to as many Twin Peaks fan festivals and events as she can. And as you will see in the video below, she is a delight to talk to about any topic.

Science Fiction Legend Harlan Ellison Passes Away

Harlan Ellison passed away on June 27, 2018, five days ago. When I first heard on Twitter, I felt shattered. It is not like I personally knew him, but from the interviews and documentaries I have seen of him, I almost feel like I did. He was a man who lived a full life, doing what he loved, and was constantly fighting against the injustices of humankind. He fought for people to respect Science Fiction as a legitimate art form and he certainly helped contribute more than his fair share of great work to help prove he was correct.
It took me a number of days to just absorb the news of his death before I could attempt to sit down to write about Harlan Ellison's life. He was an instrumental figure in my adolescence that helped inspire me to pursue my dreams to write Science Fiction and Fantasy. When I first learned about Harlan Ellison, it was because of his involvement with the remarkable science fiction epic for television Babylon 5 (1993-98).The series creator J. Michael Straczysnki was a good friend of Harlan Ellison and from what I understand of their relationship, Ellison was instrumental as a creative consultant on the show. Ellison helped Straczynski to develop the show and keep it on track, while avoiding the pitfalls that beset most other science fiction on television. And partly as a result of their friendly conversations and collaboration, Babylon 5 achieved things no other science fiction TV series had dreamed of accomplishing before.
It took a little while to really discover the greatness for Babylon 5 for myself as a young man, but when I understood how thoroughly groundbreaking and intelligent the show was, I was a huge fan and practically lived in that story universe for years thereafter. I avidly read all the newsgroup posts of series creator Straczynski's open-ended Q&A with his fans. He was reditting with us before that was even a thing!
Well, studying Straczynski long enough ultimately helped point me to explore the work and career of his outspoken buddy Harlan Ellison. And these were two authors with whom I could finally feel at home. Their passion for science fiction was like mine. And their intelligent approach to the genre was pure inspiration to me. These were men who I felt comfortable looking up to as authorial role models and I devoured up as many of their words as I could get my hands on.
And then when YouTube grew into a virtual depository of nearly all media, I ate up as many videos, documentaries, and interviews with them as I could find. I laughed at Harlan's acerbic wit as he wrestled with his interlocutors and put them on notice that he was not going to be a pushover. He could get irritated with stupidity and mock it when he saw it.
From what everyone said about working with him, Harlan Ellison could be a real pain in the neck to deal with at times, but ultimately he was worth the trouble and did some incredible work. But when Gene Roddenberry rewrote parts of his teleplay for the beloved Star Trek (1966-69) episode "City on the Edge of Forever," he did not take it lying down and very publicly feuded with the series creator.
When a young James Cameron borrowed different plot elements and twists from Harlan Ellison's Star Trek and Outer Limits episodes, Ellison sued the production until he received a reasonable settlement and a screen credit for acting as the inspiration for the film's story. He was fierce and zealous in protecting his work and he helped show the way for other writers, too, so they would not be exploited and cheated.
And among the many admirable traits Harlan Ellison had was his completely unapologetic approach to living life by his own terms, and not according to what everyone else in the world thought he should do. His unflappable willpower to remain himself always, in spite of the consequences, was something I found particularly inspiring.
In fact, he bucked popular opinion at the time David Lynch's movie adaptation hit the screen of the classic Frank Herbert novel DUNE (1984). He saw through the film's flaws and recognized it as a glorious cinematic achievement. This was one of many sentiments I strongly shared with Harlan Ellison, which was comforting to hear for me when I had often encountered a lot hate for the film from many other science fiction readers.
One thing that consoles me right now is the fact that Harlan Ellison was a prolific writer and there are still many of his works fiction I have yet to read. We all have many opportunities to get to know him and appreciate him better through reading his large body of work. And for that, I am very grateful. And to some degree, these works of art he left behind for us help make him immortal.
Also, I love the fact that there are likely even more science fiction and literary roundtable debates with him and interviews and documentaries about him spread across the decades of his adult life that I have yet to discover on YouTube, so I can still find more him sharing his unique and fascinating point of view.
Let us end our thoughtful reverie on Harlan Ellison with his own words on the greater meaning of being a writer: "It is not merely enough to love literature if one wishes to spend one's life as a writer. It is a dangerous undertaking on the most primitive level. For, it seems to me, the act of writing with serious intent involves enormous personal risk. It entails the ongoing courage for self-discovery. It means one will walk forever on the tightrope, with each new step presenting the possibility of learning a truth about oneself that is too terrible to bear."

Matthew Lillard Discusses His Experience on Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)

I have been a fan of Matthew Lillard since his unforgettable supporting role as "Cereal Killer" in Hackers (1995) and he later cemented his place in my all-time hall of fame of actors with his surprising twist performance in Scream (1996) and his irascibly charming Shaggy in Scooby Doo (2002). So when the full cast list for Twin Peaks: The Return was released back in 2016, I was happy to find his name among the rest of the 200+ people acting in the revival. In the video clip below, he shares some of his pride and frustration working on this role in a very secret production.
I am sure his inclusion in the series came as a surprise to most others, but I felt he was a perfect fit with the style and tone of the original Twin Peaks (1990-91). Strangely, many in Hollywood just typecast him as a "stoner teen" and unfairly relegated him to little more than real-life friend Freddie Prinze, Jr.'s movie sidekick in Wing Commander (1999), She's All That (1999), and the Scooby Doo movies. In fact, after Scooby Doo in 2002, it might be fair to say his acting career stalled, forcing Lillard into a low-profile era. And I hope his great performance on Twin Peaks finally gets him the attention and diversity of roles he has been patiently waiting for and richly deserves.