Book Review: Lynch on Lynch

Back in the day I used to do some writing for the website Suite101. That place is long gone now but my writing remains.

I mostly did book and film reviews and I'm still proud of a couple of them. Let's take a look:

Lynch on Lynch - David Lynch Discusses Himself

Chris Rodley's collection of interviews with acclaimed director David Lynch is a fascinating peek inside the mind one of cinema's most important filmmakers.

There is no filmmaker working today quite as distinctive as David Lynch. He has created some of the strangest, scariest and most beautiful movies in modern cinema, resulting in a legion of fans dedicated to understanding his work. Analyzing Lynch is no small task, so the best idea is to let him do it himself. Lynch on Lynch, edited by Chris Rodley, is a book-length interview with Lynch that covers the filmmaker's entire career in a candid and sincere fashion.

Rodley structures the book chronologically, following the path of Lynch’s filmography. After two short introductions (one by Rodley for the book’s original printing, another one for this revised edition), the book begins with a section covering Lynch's childhood. From there each subsequent chapter revolves around a film from his career. The book ends with an index listing Lynch's films, shorts, and commercials, along with credits and technical information. Rodley's format for each chapter is a short introduction, followed by a question and answer session focusing on the chapter’s film. For example, the chapter on "Eraserhead" talks about Lynch’s life prior to "Eraserhead," the film’s production, and ending with its release and reaction. Lynch is very open and willing to talk about everything regarding his life and films.

But What Does It Mean?

Well, almost everything. Lynch has always been cagey about deeply analyzing the themes and meanings of his movies, and those looking for interpretations will be very disappointed. Rodley offers some thoughts on the films, but his attempts to probe Lynch into going beneath the films’ surfaces prove fruitless. Lynch usually offers a small, “I don’t want to influence anyone’s opinion,” response, but every once in a while he will completely clam up. When Rodley asks Lynch how he created the hideous baby prop in "Eraserhead," Lynch steadfastly refuses to answer. There’s nothing whimsical or funny about his refusal, as he genuinely seems to believe that revealing how he created the baby will ruin people’s belief in movie.

But even this caginess is fascinating, and the lack of interpretation should not be a problem for most people, as what Lynch does say is informative and enlightening. Throughout the book Lynch reveals his thoughts on growing up, philosophies on life and art, and copious amounts of production information. Lynch’s interpretation of life is one of optimism and wonder, as he really does see the world far differently than the rest of us. In fact, reading Lynch’s own beliefs does in a roundabout way help readers better understand his movies. His belief in the power of dreams in particular will undoubtedly assist readers in further analyzing "Mulholland Drive" and "Eraserhead."

 

Lynch Unfiltered

The best section of the book is on "Twin Peaks," Lynch’s genre-defying and deeply influential TV show. Reading Lynch’s thoughts on television and the production process are fascinating, and the reader can feel his sadness as the show evolves from a huge TV sensation to a hated feature-film adaptation. Indeed, Lynch’s discussion of the "Twin Peaks" movie, "Fire Walk With Me," is some of the best as he’s so forthright on what he tried to do on an emotional level. His disappointment with the film’s negative reaction is heartbreaking.

Especially amusing throughout the book is the back and forth between Rodley and Lynch. Rodley tries his best to draw out as much possible information from Lynch, but Lynch is a crafty one. He has fun dodging Rodley’s more probing queries into the films’ meanings, and seems to delight in surprising Rodley with his real thoughts and beliefs. Those expecting Lynch’s love of coffee, pie, and Americana to be ironic posing will be surprised to see he’s completely sincere in his appreciation. Mel Brooks describes Lynch in the book as “Jimmy Stewart from Mars,” and a more apt comparison is hard to find.

A book like this is hard to critique in some ways as it’s simply a collection of interviews. Thankfully, Chris Rodley has made this critic’s job much easier by producing a volume of fascinating insights from David Lynch. The sheer amount of information revealed is astonishing, and Lynch’s beliefs on a whole range of subjects are illuminating and helpful to any Lynch scholar. While David Lynch may never reveal all of his secrets, this book is the best look into his mind anyone could ever want. His world is both frightening and wonderful and no book on him has done a better job examining it.

Book Review: Anya's Ghost

Back in the day I used to do some writing for the website Suite101. That place is long gone now but my writing remains.

I mostly did book and film reviews and I'm still proud of a couple of them. Let's take a look:

Anya's Ghost - A Coming of Age Ghost Story

Growing up is hard to do, especially when someone feels like he or she doesn’t fit in. That’s the problem facing Anya Borzakovskaya in Vera Brosgol’s terrific debut graphic novel, "Anya’s Ghost." Brosgol, a talented comic and animation artist, skillfully blends a coming of age tale with a classic ghost story, creating a wonderful portrait of teenage life and the struggle for a sense of self identity.

Anya isn’t happy. She has trouble in school, can’t talk to a boy she has a crush on, and is slightly ashamed of her Russian heritage. But mostly she feels like an outsider with no one to call a true friend. After stumbling down an abandoned well one day, Anya discovers the skeletal remains of a person, and a ghost attached to those remains. The ghost, Emily, is delighted to find someone to talk to after years of isolation in the well, and takes a great interest in Anya. Anya is reluctant at first, but soon the two become friends, and Emily begins to devote her time to improving Anya’s social standing. Anya's grades improve, she’s more confident, and that cute boy Sean has taken a shine to her.

However, Anya soon learns there’s a price to be paid for her upward social mobility and assimilation, and Emily’s growing obsession with Anya’s life is a little bit creepy. The secret of Emily’s past is soon revealed, and Anya’s life will never be the same.

The Trials of Anya

The beauty of "Anya’s Ghost" is how well Brosgol captures the pain of growing up. Anya’s angst will feel all too familiar to many readers as she attempts to find her own sense of identity in high school. High school is in fact the perfect setting for a story such as this as it is a holding place for different kinds of people, all trying to create the best self-image for themselves. Some just do it better than others.

What helps Anya’s Ghost rise above the glut of young adult novels is its subtext of identity, particularly cultural identity. Initially Anya is ashamed of her Russian heritage, and insists her last name is the generic “Brown,” rather than Borzakovskaya, to a school administrator. She also tries to ignore the nerdy but kind Dima, a recent Russian immigrant and reminder of her own cultural heritage. Anya’s mom later laments that Anya hasn’t attended her Russian church in weeks.

Anya is a character who wants to ignore her background so she can assimilate into the popular crowd. Her goal throughout the novel in essence is to replace Sean’s girlfriend with herself. Emily gleefully abets Anya in her quest and constantly encourages Anya to push herself farther and farther. But near the story’s third act Anya realizes the consequences of her actions and what her denial could do to her life. She discovers Sean’s current girlfriend isn’t some dumb bimbo and Sean might not be the boy of her dreams.

 

Anya’s cultural anxiety is a great new spin on the tired “be yourself” maxim. She learns throughout the book that she can’t divorce herself from her background, as it informs so much of who she is. But she also comes to realize that she doesn’t have to be a slave to it either, and the book ends with Anya a little wiser and ready to move on with her life.

Ghostly Images

One definite highlight of the book is Brosgol’s art style. All the characters are drawn in a very round, appealing manner, with big expressive eyes and thick and thin lines. The characters both feel like classic cartoon characters (think 1940s comic strips), while still retaining a modern edge. Compared to the incredibly detailed designs of super hero comics and magna, Brosgol’s style is real breath of fresh air. Emily’s design in particular is very good as her swooping curves and pupil-less eyes create a nice ethereal look, as compared to Anya, who is more realistically drawn. The book’s limited purple-tone color palette is also quite striking and perfectly fits the story’s somber and reflective mood.

Brosgol served as a storyboard artist on the stop-motion feature, "Coraline," and the experience served her well as the staging in "Anya’s Ghost" is both very cinematic and very clear. At no point during the book will the reader ever be confused by the layout as Brosgol has a keen understanding of visual storytelling. Indeed there are a number of sequences in the book where Brosgol completely eschews dialogue, creating wordless scenes that accomplish an incredible amount of emotion and depth.

That depth is all the more remarkable considering "Anya’s Ghost" is Vera Brosgols’s first graphic novel, and hopefully not her last. Her story of teenage angst and cultural identity is a powerful one, and something any reader could appreciate and enjoy. While not every reader had a ghost as best friend during high school, the story’s emotional truth resonates well beyond the supernatural trappings.

For more of Vera Brosgol's artwork, check out her website Verabee.

Movie Review: Bye Bye Birdie

Back in the day I used to do some writing for the website Suite101. That place is long gone now but my writing remains.

I mostly did book and film reviews and I'm still proud of a couple of them. Let's take a look:

Bye Bye Birdie- Teenage Angst, Ann-Margret Style

There's no doubt about it, "Bye Bye Birdie (1963)" is a very dated movie. The script is corny, the jokes are labored and it expects us to believe that Paul Lynde could ever father a child. But "Bye Bye Birdie" has still managed to remain a classic, and that is because of Ann-Margret's remarkable performance as a teenage girl desperate to become a woman.

"Bye Bye Birdie," an adaptation of the hit Broadway musical of the same name, begins with the drafting of Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson), an Elvis Presley type, into the army. A struggling songwriter, Albert Patterson (Dick Van Dye), and his girlfriend, Rosie Deleon (Janet Leigh), cook up a scheme to have Birdie appear on "The Ed Sullivan Show" just before he leaves and perform a song Albert wrote, "One Last Kiss," while kissing a randomly-selected, adoring fan. Perfect! What could go wrong?

Albert, Rosie, and Birdie's entourage arrive in the town of Sweet Apple, Ohio to meet the lucky fan, Kim McAfee (Ann-Margret), who is thrilled beyond words to receive a kiss from Birdie, and her boyfriend, Hugo (Bobby Rydell), who isn't as thrilled as she is. Later, at a rehearsal for the show, Birdie kisses Kim, causing her to faint, and igniting Hugo's anger. Kim insists the staged kiss means nothing, but does it? Will Birdie come between the two high school sweethearts?

Bye Bye Childhood

As you can see from the brief synopsis, "Bye Bye Birdie" has a ridiculous premise. And that's not even taking into account Janet Leigh's dance number with the Shriners, or the painfully unfunny jabs at Soviet-era Russians. But despite all of that, "Bye Bye Birdie" is still a fondly remembered movie, and its constant revivals on Broadway indicate that its appeal hasn't waned. This enduring popularity can be traced back to Ann-Margret's character, Kim, whose arc, or character growth throughout the story, is the real center of the film.

In her opening musical number, “How Lovely to be a Woman,” Kim sings about her blossoming from an awkward fifteen-year-old girl to a mature and confident sixteen-year-old woman. Throughout the song she continually celebrates what's changed about her and all the things she can't wait to do. The song, and indeed her character arc in the film, is about one teenager's eager sexual maturity from a child to an adult. Kim begins the film ready to take the plunge into womanhood. The arrival of Conrad Birdie into town, and the jealousy of her boyfriend, gives her license to test out her new-found sexual desires.

Kim and Hugo's spat is essentially about this issue; Hugo can't accept Kim's burgeoning womanhood, and she's not going to wait for him to get it. The song "A Lot of Livin’ to Do" is a perfect example. Kim's section in the number is drenched with pure, sexual longing, as she so wants to be perceived as a woman by her boyfriend and by everyone at the club, and her flirtation with the men demonstrates what she perceives to be sexual maturity.

 Growing Up is Hard to Do

Unfortunately for Kim, Birdie is something with a cad, and she later reunites with Hugo, wiser and with a new sense of real maturity. The best evidence of this are the film's opening book ends. In the opening, Kim sings "'Bye Bye Birdie" in a shrill, excitable manner. She is all energy and passion, and desperately wishes she could help Birdie say goodbye. But in the ending reprise, Kim gladly says goodbye and good riddance, and her voice is much more confident and mature. Birdie's no longer important to her identity as a young woman.

This character arc, Kim's growth from an eager girl to a mature young adult, is why the film version of "Bye Bye Birdie" still resonates after all these years. Ann-Margret plays Kim with such sincerity and honesty that it genuinely takes the viewer by surprise. All the corny show-biz jokes and cliches are almost a perfect counterpoint to Kim's story. That's not to say Kim's arc is a shockingly realistic take on teenage sexual development (most people aren't lucky enough to meet a pop star when they're young) but it feels right. Ann-Margret's performance captures that confusion that marks young teenagers’ lives, (they’re not children but not quite adults yet, either), and skillfully plays it for both laughs and drama.

There are many other elements to Bye Bye Birdie, from the music, to the script, to the choreography, but Ann-Margret’s character and performance remain the film’s heart and soul, and the reason why the film still remains a classic.