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Getting to the Heart of America in David Lynch's The Straight Story
Lynch's 1999 film reminds us that everyone’s beliefs come from somewhere, and it’s worth trying to find out what that somewhere is.
Lynch's 1999 film reminds us that everyone’s beliefs come from somewhere, and it’s worth trying to find out what that somewhere is.
Kasi Lemmons on white Americans; Halina Dyrschka on Hilma af Klint; Recommended books on racism; Wisdom of James Baldwin; Lesli Linka Glatter on David Lynch.
Reviews from Sundance of three films that played in the festival's Premieres section.
What our TV critic would nominate for Emmys for the 2017-18 season.
A look at how Laura Dern became one of the most adventurous actresses working today.
A review of the first four hours of David Lynch's "Twin Peaks: The Return".
A celebration of director David Lynch's filmography in anticipation of an upcoming retrospective at the IFC Center in New York.
"Twin Peaks" returns; Is Cancellation Bear unbearable?; Richard Kelly on "Gone Girl"; MZS on "American Horror Show"; Remembering Geoffrey Holder.
Three new network dramas premiere in the next two weeks and two of them are actually worth a look.
Seven women writers talk about their problems with "male feminism"; Wikipedia blocks U.S. senate for "vandalism" of Edward Snowden's page; Millikin professor killed family 46 years ago, and now we're finding out; what it's like to have your movie taken away from you by Harvey Weinstein; David Edelstein on 'The Spectacular Now'; Matt Damon on the state of modern Hollywood; David Lynch on "Twin Peaks"
The professor is about to supply his answers. Not the answers, his answers, and the prof is Dennis Cozzalio, Senior Quizmaster of Professor Kingsfield's Hair-Raising, Bar-Raising Holiday Movie Quiz at the always enlightening and delightful Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule.
It's been up since Christmas Eve, but first I was sick and then I got snowed in and then my dog ate my homework. So, I just got around to posting my answers yesterday. Get over there before the bell rings. Not that Prof. Cozzalio wouldn't let you turn yours in late, even if he fills out the questionnaire himself first.
UPDATE: The professor's answers are in!
Here are a few of my responses, which you'll find way down in the comments. I didn't read over anybody else's shoulder, though!
8) Are most movies too long?
Yes, and 20 years ago they seemed too long because they were too short. Perfect example: Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America." Anybody who had to sit through the 139-minute US release will tell you it was way, WAY longer than the 229-minute version.
9) Favorite performance by an actor portraying a real-life politician.
Phillip Baker Hall as Richard M. Nixon in Altman's "Secret Honor."
4) Favorite actor/character from "Twin Peaks."
Agent Albert Rosenfield (Miguel Ferrer). My hero. (Incidentally, there would be no "House" without this character.)
I never got tired of Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and I loved any scene with Sarah and/or Leland Palmer (Grace Zabriskie, Ray Wise).
12) Why would you ever want or need to see a movie more than once?
Werner Herzog is a regular. One time I met a man in a cowboy hat on Main Street and he was Jimmy Stewart. I saw Andre Tarkovsky and Richard Widmark exchange shots on the Sheridan Opera House stage (though not on the same night). Krzysztof Zanussi translated forTarkovsky and showed his miraculous "Imperativ." Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern strolled around town, hand-in hand, wearing matching seafoam green outfits and white shoes the year of "Blue Velvet." I was greeted heartily by Crispin Glover, who momentarily mistook me for director Tim Hunter ("River's Edge," "Tex"). I bowed down and kissed Hannah Schygulla's hand....
Continued below, after jump...
PARK CITY, Utah--"Northfork" is about a Montana town that is buried forever beneath a lake, and about the agents who clear out the residents, and the angels who come to console those who linger behind. But that does not evoke it, it only describes it.
PARK CITY, Utah At the midpoint of this year's Sundance Film Festival, no great blinding vision has dazzled audiences. The festival seems mostly mid-range, skewed toward safe, quirky comedies and lacking the discoveries of years past such as "In the Company of Men" or "American Movie."
If you want to understand David Lynch, maybe the place to start is with his paintings. He paints in a style he describes as "bad primitive art," and says that one of his paintings works if you feel the desire to sink your teeth into it.
