Surveillance

I went to the 16th Annual David Lynch Twin Peaks Film Festival last night. It was largely a disappointment.

The high point was a three or four-minute short by David Lynch, presenting the film festival and welcoming the audience. It used his classic technique of shooting the scene with the actors playing the scene and saying the lines backwards (in this case, Lynch himself was the only actor), and then playing the film backwards (by turning the backwards, backwards, you get a frontwards). Inevitably this gives an extremely off-kilter quality to the scene.

The central feature of the festival was originally supposed to be one of Lynch's classics - The Elephant Man, Eraserhead, et al. Unfortunately, the producers decided to screen Lynch's daughter's new film, Surveillance. Jennifer Lynch has made one prior movie, 15 years ago, called Boxing Helena, which was poorly received. Surveillance is likely to follow suit. Although it was billed as a "psychological thriller", it was really little more than a slasher film. The production design and the cinematography were fine and Bill Pullman was fine, but the "twist" could be seen so far in advance that it might as well have been no twist at all and J. Lynch failed to take the film's genre into new territory.

Anyway, apparently the film has been picked up for distribution, but it is largely junk and should be avoided unless you are a junkie of the slasher or psychological thriller genres. I think I will have to see Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight this weekend, just to get Surveillance out from under my nails.

There were a number of Lynch acting alumni at the screening, including the short receptionist with the high voice from Twin Peaks. The people watching was great. I think my "favorite" was the guy from the AARP set across the aisle - a string of actually funny jokes in the film: silent as the sphinx; some totally unfunny, uncomfortable string of dialogue: the guy is in stitches. At the end of the show, I made sure he and I left the theater by separate exits.

What I'm listening to:

In the mood for New Wave? I am. Put an ear to my "Talking Heads" radio station on Pandora.

Live-Photo Blog

I've added a new app to my phone, so I can now take pictures and immediately upload them to this page --------------------->

If a Cloverfield monster attacks the city, it might get interesting.

Iraq's Milkshake

How apropos that I would make this post on the same day as the one below.

This is probably not surprising to anyone. It may not even be bad. But, it is something of which everyone should be aware.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/world/middleeast/19iraq.html?scp=1&sq=oil+companies+Iraq&st=nyt

Happy Birthday, PTA

Today is Paul Thomas Anderson's birthday. He is 38, which is amazing to me in light of the fact he has been nominated for either best screenplay or best director for three out of four of his films. That is young to have so many masterpieces behind you.

In honor, a favorite clip, which I probably have no legal right to post here:

Gerontius

Found a couple of pictures of the boat I used to race on when I was going to UH. It has been sold to a new owner since I was on board, but it is still moored at the Hawaii Yacht Club.

3 years

As of last night, I have been out of law school for three years. It is an anniversary of special significance because it marks the date I have been out of law school for longer than I was "in" law school. I think I have almost recovered.

I miss almost nothing about it. I do not miss my $12-per-week food budget. I do not miss living in my 250 square-foot basement apartment. I do occasionally miss walking to Pearl Street to get Starbucks, being able to see great live music on any given night and a couple of the friends I made.

Jaime made me my favorite meal last night to celebrate: a 10 oz. tri tip, skin-on garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus and some Cotes du Rhone. As good a way as any I know to mark the occasion.