A Must For Anyone Inerested In Exploring The Work Of Daivd Lynch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

                                       Like Dorothy Gale, David Lynch was a Midwesterner and wanted something more out of life than there.  He shares that in common with many people, me included, but this film, "David Lynch--The Art Life" shows not only how Lynch artistically evolved, but the sacrifice and loneliness creators must face in their passion for the work they do.

                                          Much footage shows Lynch at work, slapping paint onto paint, or creating the kinds of bizarre images his movies would show, and sticking them on to various projects.  Lynch's skill for building began with his father, who would build unusual contraptions.  They had a fascination to them, suggesting to me that David inherited his talent from his father.

                                          Lynch's talent was honed at the Pennsylvania Academy Of Fine Arts, which he attended for a limited time, and where his developing imagery led to a life in Philadelphia, the gritty side, resulting in short films, and culminating in his first major work, "Eraserhead," with Jack Nance in 1977, the year I graduated from college.

                                           I saw "Eraserhead" in the early eighties, and while the camerawork and imagery impressed me, because of the on-camera murder of the mutant baby, I could never bring myself to see it again.  It was with "Blue Velvet," not covered here, that Lynch and I clicked.

                                           Lynch's life happened to be a genius who took off.  Not all do, and the chronicling of Lynch's early years shows the solitude and uncertainty of the life of any artist.

                                              This 2022 documentary is a must for all David Lynch fans.

                                                It may even begin to have one viewing life in images instead of absolutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, Tonight "Svengoolie" Serves Up A Healthy Dose Of Sadism And Torture, With 1935's "The Raven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                   We have seen it before, and this is a good one!  Though Universal was really pushing the boundaries of the censors with Lugosi torturing Karloff in a torture chamber of his own making.

                                      Lugosi plays a Poe obsessed mad doctor--and yes, a raven figures in the story--who invents a torture chamber and makes a deformed Boris Karloff his lackey in exchange promising to restore his deformed face.

                                        This is one to watch, darlings.  Is there a storm?  Do strangers show up and unleash the secrets of this chamber?  I am not sure, but I am sure enough to tune in, recalling this as one of "Svengoolie's better offerings.  I mean, torture, madness and sadism!!!!!!!!!!!  What more could one want?

                                           Those never having seen it should not miss it.  Baby Gojira and everyone here are excited for a second viewing, especially after last week's disappointing showing of "Man Made Monster."

                                              I look forward to all of us tonight watching "The Raven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                             And try to spot all the Poe references!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              See you at 8PM tonight, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              

 

As The Line In "Blue Velvet" Goes, "It Is A Strange World!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                            This 2022 documentary, which I unfortunately missed in the theater, is dear to my heart, and makes me think David Lynch and I would have gotten on fine.  Because we both share one thing in common--our all-time favorite movie is "The Wizard Of Oz."

                             It did not make me a filmmaker, but it made me the person I am today.  The takeaway from the film is that anyone can say anything about anything.  There are strange interpretations throughout this film, from the symbolism of curtains, which I get, to the connection between "The Wizard Of Oz," Stanley Kubrick's 1957 "Paths Of Glory," "The Shining," and Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now."  I have seen both "The Shining" and "Apocalypse Now," and never in my viewing, for a second, did I give any thought to their association with "The Wizard Of Oz."  It just was not there.

                               The film is divided into six parts--"Wind," narrated by Amy Nicholson, "Membranes," narrated by Rodney Ascher, "Kindred," narrated by John Waters, "Multitudes," narrated by Karyn Kusama, "Judy," narrated by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, and "Dig" is narrated by David Lowery.

                                  This is a must for 'Oz' fans, and I know there are lots out there.  I learned that the choral vocals heard in the opening credits, and when Dorothy steps out of the house In Munchkinland, the tones are different--the first whirling and intense, like the cyclone that will transport Dorothy and Toto, while the Munchkinland vocals are more comforting and soothing These sounds are meant to represent wind.  Th urban myth of someone being murdered on the Yellow Brick Road is explored, but it is just a bird flapping its wings.

                                      And don't forget--the first name of Isabella Rossellini's character in "Blue Velvet" is Dorothy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   Of course, the most fascinating insights come from David Lynch himself., a born and bred mid-Westerner.  He talks about dreams, alternate realities, and how do we know which world we are in.  I had a dream once of being in the Village in the Sixties and going to a nightclub to see Shelley Plimpton perform--a dream I did not want to end-- and then later on, I found myself in some nameless place, or even in front of the Waverly, when it really was the Waverly--and near Waverly Place--singing "Frank Mills."  When I awakened, I wanted so much to return to that dream world, but there is much to occupy me in this. I will say that when I first saw "The Wizard Of Oz," in 1959, I thought Dorothy should have stayed in Oz!  I would have, then!

                                    Lynch makes us question our identities--do we live in the real world of Dorothy, or the brilliantly technicolored world of Oz?  Maybe both, because identities split and merge, as Lynch proves in his 2001 "Mulholland Drive," which I hope to explore on here.  Hons, I was fused between reality and fantasy from the moment I first saw "The Wizard Of Oz. " Which may account for my being something of an eternal child!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    This documentary makes you think and there is much to learn.  Sadly, it reminds us that Lynch is gone, having passed last year.  Someone needs to carry on his legacy.

                                      Could that person be me?????????????

Girls, The Fall Is Coming, And So Is The Return Of The 1950's Coffee Klatch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           Even if your home is not retro decorated like the 1950s, with the weather cooling off, and more activities taking place inside, it is time to bring back the 1950s Coffee Klatch.

                             The hostess provides the coffee, along with some cakes and dainties.  Those who desire may bring something of their own making or purchase.

                               For the next several hours, one wears their Fifties finery, gossips frantically with their girls, and, like the song says, "meow about the ups and downs of all their friends."

                                Girls, I cannot wait for the first Coffee Klatch or the season.

                                 And look at the hats in that photograph.  I need a decent millenary right away.

                                Off to Madame Paulette's, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Happy Birthday Today To Amy Adams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   Today Amy turns 52!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Can you believe that darlings?  I never looked that good at 52, and that was 19 years ago.

                                       Amy has not been heard from lately; I wish she would come back and do a movie that would net her another Oscar nomination, so that finally she would get the Oscar she deserves.

                                         I bet Amy is busy raising her daughter, who must be nearing the puberty mark, so oh, boy!!!!!!!!!!  As the saying goes, the only thing worse than being a kid going through puberty is being the parent of a kid going through puberty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       Nevertheless, myself and everyone on here wish Amy the happiest of birthday celebrations.  This is your day, dear, so do whatever you want!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         But, please, in the foreseeable future, Amy win yourself an Oscar!!!!!!!!!!  Yoo deserve it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, It Is Not Too Early To Start Thinking About Fall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, How About Some Hats By Madame Paulette???????????????????????????????

                              The real Madame Paulette, who died in 1984, at the age of 84, having been born in 1900, had her headquarters located at Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, in Paris, France.  However, her legacy lives on; there is a New York location at 230 West 39th Street.

                               Darlings, just look at these fabulous millinery creations.  I would be proud to wear any one of them, and so should you.

                                 Maybe I should think about a trip into the city to visit 230 West 39th Street.

                                Imagine some of these hats going with a gorgeous Schiaparelli!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 So, start thinking about Fall, girls!  It is never too soon.
 

Introducing Gay Film #2--1939's "The Wizard Of Oz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                  Perfect.  What more can be said?

                                 Quite a lot, actually.  During my recent viewing--and I reckon I have seen this film pretty close to my actual age--I found myself asking a question I never asked before.

                                    When Dorothy and the Scarecrow are attacked by the nasty apple trees, are the trees really that way, or was this a spell put on them by the Witch?  Because, just as Dorothy and the Scarecrow approach the area, a slinking Margaret Hamilton (her iconic role) has been hiding behind a tree and tries to distance herself from Judy Garland and Ray Bolger.  I really do think the Witch is seen there, because she did cast a spell on those trees.

                                           That thought had never occurred to me before.

                                           Now, how is this a gay film?  It has always been labeled a children's film, but I disagree. I think it is more adult than realized.  Margaret Hamilton herself said no child should see this before the age of 10, and I agree.

                                               However, I was a very different child.

                                               Back in 1959, my parents were concerned because all I was watching were cartoons.  Nothing with real people.  So, my mother sat me down one afternoon, saying there was a program she wanted me to watch.  It was "The Wizard Of Oz."  Even in black and white, I was transfixed, and I even then noticed how even on our set the Kansas scenes were lit differently than the Oz scenes.

                                                   Who knew that my first movie would become the leitmotif of my life?  But it did.

                                                       At the time, the one I most related to was the Witch.  I loved her costume, flying on a broom, and her spooky castle.  In fact, the morning after my first viewing, to my mother's consternation, I would take my toy broom, fly off the top of one of our love seats, crying, "To the Emerald City, as fast as lightning!"  The whole Judy Garland/"Over The Rainbow" thing did not hit me until sometime after reaching the double digits.

                                                            "The Wizard Of Oz" is the perfect film for a burgeoning gay child, and if any children respond similarly to how I did, they are well on their way.

                                                                First, it is the most dazzling use of Technicolor in film history.  I stand by that statement today, and, darlings, if it is one thing gays respond to it is color.

                                                                 Being different and set apart can lead to loneliness.  Here we have an unfortunate child whose only real companion is her dog Toto, who turns out to be a real hero.  A gay child, more than others, would get the Dorothy-Toto bond.

                                                                     The film is effusively emotional from the start.  I maintain the MGM lion roared louder for the picture than any other MGM film.  Perhaps the lion knew something and was ahead of his time!  It begins with a series of short notes followed by a very intense opening overture.  Then there is the austerity of the Kansas scenes, adults who seem not to care for the child amidst them, who is so yearning for love she concocts a world beyond the rainbow.  No wonder when I first saw the film, I wondered why Dorothy did not just stay in Oz, especially Munchkinland, which is the best designed Hollywood set of all time.  By the time Dorothy gets there, and Glinda appears in that pink dress--oh my God, if you are gay, darlings, you gravitate to that!!!!!!!!!!!! Who wouldn't want to wear that dress?

                                                                      Fear of being an outcast, common to many gays, infuses "The Wizard Of Oz."  Even in Oz, Dorothy still feels an outsider, and a child's fear of loss is clearly felt when Aunt Em appears in the crystal ball, followed by the Witch!

                                                                          Not only is the film a litmus test for gays, but for, shall I say more normal, or straight children, it can be an intense and frightening experience.  They are the ones who should wait longer before seeing it.  When they can appreciate its artistry.

                                                                             "The Wizard Of Oz" is for everyone, but, having lived my life, I maintain it is especially resonant for gay children.  As I can attest.

                                                                                 But in the pantheon of cinema, there never will be anything like it.

                                                                                   How many films can be called perfect?  This one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!