The Wizard of Oz Review

        I’m back from my break. Since it’s that time when a new crop of students go back to school, I’ve decided to dive into another literary adaptation. The last time I did this was two years ago, by talking about the films based on Roald Dahl’s works. This time, I’ve decided to watch select Oz films based on the works of L. Frank Baum. Now, there are many films based on the first book, but I’ll only limit my output to the ones that got a theatrical release. I think this one needs no introduction, everyone as far as I’m aware knows about The Wizard of Oz. One can say it’s a timeless film and essential for any cinephile. It’s influence is still being felt to this day nearly 80 odd years later. 

1. Dorothy’s Quest

        This wasn’t the first time that the first story of Oz was adapted onto the screen. During the early years of the 20th Century, there were multiple silent shorts and films that adapted the first book of L. Frank Baum’s Oz series. Even he had a hand with directing the short films, starting a production company named The Oz Film Manufacturing Company. A precursor of when authors took the creative endeavor of adapting their published works. An animated Canadian adaptation is also the first to do a full color presentation, albeit it was done illegally without the consent of Technicolor at the time. 

        I think it’s everyone’s guess that the film is their first exposure to the works of L. Frank Baum. The core series that he’s written spanned 14 books. Even after his passing and when the entire property was taken to public domain, more publications banked on the name of Oz. Right down to the movies and musicals that were to be put into production as the years went by. I bring this up early in this retrospective since there would be many adaptations of the first story and even the events that led to Dorothy’s encounter with Glinda in Munchkinland. 

        In due time we’ll look at them, for now we’ll look at the one that’s practically one of the many films that represent the Golden Age of Hollywood. So, in case you’ve been living under a rock or have no Earthly access to any media, this is the gist of the plot. Dorothy Gale is a farmgirl living in Kansas with her aunt and uncle. A tornado whisks her and her pet Toto to the world of Oz. She travels to the yellow brick road and encounters a motley crew to join her quest to see the mysterious Wizard to take her back home. 

        Pretty simplistic even at that time, but you get hooked with Dorothy’s story. There’s so much to love about this film, and I’ll talk about the main highlight in the next tab. For starters, I love the introduction when we see Dorothy and her plight. The various men that we see her interact represent the things that she struggles with, to be brave, courageous when confronted by the cantankerous Miss Gulch. All that leads to the most famous song in the film, when she sings “Over the Rainbow”. It’s one of those songs where it became a precursor and inevitably ubiquitous in Disney films when the character sings what they want. Hence the nickname for the song type called “I Want” songs. 

        So yeah, as soon as we see Dorothy get transported to the world of Oz, it turns into a fish out of water storyline. Where she’s an alien in an otherwise odd world full of fantastical people inhabiting them. I love how she does get her wish, but it backfires since she has a new problem after inadvertently killing the Wicked Witch of the East. Her sister is also the other highlight in the film. Surprising to note that prior to her portrayal of the Witch of the West, she was a kindergarten teacher. Her personality and action just make her believable as the Wicked Witch. Right down to causing a lot of fear in many young children at the time, I don’t blame them. 

        Back to Dorothy, of the many roles that Judy Garland had starred in. This is the one that many people will immediately point to being the best in her career. For a while, she was the main star for MGM since she had starred in multiple musicals. From this one and Meet Me in St. Louis, she was star in a making since she had the talent to sing and do the choreography to make the musical more pop. I think what sells her performance is that there’s a lot of innocence that is in play. Such as when she’s crying when Professor Marvel tells her that her family misses her. It’s one of those things where she’s a brat but recognizes that she doesn’t mean it when she wants to go back home. 

        I think it’s time I talked about her gang when she journeys the yellow brick road through Oz. I love how when she meets them, they are in a predicament and Dorothy takes it upon herself and the others subsequently to help them out. They all join her and specifically want something to be more than who they are. All of it is supposed to be representative of what Dorothy wants too. If you’re eagle eyed, you’d know that the men she meets in the farm are played by the same who are the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. There’s even a moment of clarity where Dorothy becomes aware that she met them prior to arriving in Oz. 

        With everything that the film has going on, I feel that the only thing that didn’t click with me was the dream aspect near the end. Not having read the book, but the first entry in the series was vague to have it where either Oz did exist or a figment of Dorothy’s imagination. With how it’s presented in the film, Oz is just a semblance of Dorothy’s imagination and where she becomes a better person after the tornado took her. Reading further it was a deliberate choice to have Oz be a fantasy since it was to believe that the audiences couldn’t buy the straightforward narrative. While I understand the creative choice, I feel that it could’ve committed to the weird aspect instead of just disavowing it near the end. 

2. Color

        The transition when Dorothy peaks out from the front door to Munchkinland is one of the many highlights of cinema employing color. Having watched it in 4K, it’s just astonishing that it looks good as it did when it came out in 1939. At the time, it was extremely rare to even have color in films. Of the past films that have used color, it was a crude execution that didn’t appear as vibrant as this film. Even silent films used colors, albeit it was just one color in a scene that represented a mood or feeling of what’s going on. 

        For a fantasy story such as this, it needs to have color to be vibrant and to show off the spectrum of what we see. There’s even a reason as to why the slippers that Dorothy wears are ruby instead of the book accurate silver. To show off the technology, MGM decided to use ruby to show off the technicolor feat that was being employed. The studio is the only one where they own that specific detail when it comes to adapting The Wizard of Oz. It wasn’t until when Disney acquired the rights to Baum’s other Oz books that MGM gave them permission to use the ruby slipper detail in their adaptation. 

        As far as how it’s utilized it’s ingenious. We see how Dorothy’s neck of the woods has that sepia tone to it. Practically indicative of where exactly she is and it’s rather drab since the brown color represents the farm area. Then transition to Oz and it’s a cinematographer’s dream to capture that vibrant of color. All the vistas that we see utilize the red and green to show off one area and another in the journey. I feel that the Poppy field and Emerald City is where we see the technicolor in its grand setting.

        One thing that I should mention is that it’s a sin where you have the scenery take over the film. I feel that when showing off the technology that the story must be engaging to make it worthwhile. Generations have come where special effects is the new “Color” for a film when showing off the impressive feats. And what I mean is that it should be complementary to the overall movie, not simply piggybacking a story that’s lacking or not having any interesting characters. It’s something where I describe it as eye candy but for the wrong reasons where it becomes boring instead of interesting. 

3. Legacy

        Still crazy to think that this film is beloved by generations. I mean, the level of merchandising and re-releases is something whereas I mentioned earlier, the film is timeless. Even crazier still is that it’s currently having a residency in Las Vegas. What I mean is that the new attraction called The Sphere is presenting a viewing of the film, with the help of A.I. to cover the venue’s supermassive screen. More so that the success of this film has spawned several imitation films and influences in Broadway and in cinema. 

        Of course, I must mention that the film has a pertinent influence on the LGBT community. Since it’s a musical with very flamboyant portrayals and musical numbers, it made an impact on them. More so that the film’s relatable message made a mark on them as far as having acceptance within a group of people. Right down to have the beloved film be a cult film among the minority. I think it’s extremely rare to have a film that fits the bill with two classes. 

        Lastly, I think my very first exposure to the film was when it was utilized on all movies a disaster film. It was in the film Twister was when I was first exposed to the idea of Wizard of Oz. Most of the minute iconography and names is used in the film. Right down to the flying cow that is shown in the movie and the Tornado probes that is called Dorothy. Even Judy Garland herself made an appearance, as her film A Star is Born is shown on the T.V. in one of the scenes. 

4. Overall

        The Wizard of Oz is a timeless film that is to be beloved by every succeeding generation. 

Inland Empire Review

        It seemed not that long ago in May that I watched Eraserhead. Not knowing what I was going to see with marathoning a season’s worth of films by David Lynch. Of course, I missed out on two films of his that would’ve been a definitive look into the director. Through limited funds and patience, I’ve finally crossed over the bridge with his final feature film. Mind you, while this is the last film he made theatrically speaking, he did other works in other media. Such as delivering the third season to his beloved series Twin Peaks. For his final film, it’s an interesting one in a sense where you feel that it’s taking you down a road that only leads you into another direction. 

1. The Rabbit Hole 

        This isn’t the first time that I have watched Inland Empire. Late last year was when I watched the film as my local film club was presenting it. I will admit that it’s embarrassing on my end to leave the movie around the 30-minute mark. No film should be left, and I always try to soldier on and ignore my gluteus maximus’ muscle to leave. With that one, it wasn’t because the movie is awful or had bits of unpleasantness to it. More so with how it looked, the overall sense of plot and just where it was going made me want to position my feet slowly into walking mode. 

        Just now is when I finally got the courage to watch it once more and take it all in. I had the luxury of inviting a friend to sit down and watch along with me and let me tell you. The movie is anything but conventional in a story-sense. And it’s one of those things where you have to actually pay attention since there’s multiple callbacks to prior scenes and subtle references that are brought up as the film goes along. To describe the film’s plot is a challenge in and of itself. I will be willing to sit down and listen to anyone succinctly describe the plot. I’d buy them a case of beer if anyone is up to it. 

        To my knowledge, I’ll try to at least describe just the point to the plot. It’s three hours and it’s not a slog in a least bit. Just one of those where it becomes interesting since it’s a very unconventional film that has a flow to it where you have no idea where it’s going to go. So we follow this actress Nikki, she’s given a part to be in a film where it hasn’t been finished in its country of origin. With the role, she goes into the character deep alongside her co-actor. From there, well it’s kind of complicated. 

        This is both the film’s biggest highlight and the detriment. We see Laura Dern’s actor go through this imagined version of method acting where she becomes the character. And by that, it’s like she’s transported to this other plane of existence where it’s transcending time and space. It’s a David Lynch film alright. It’s a highlight since we see her act out her parts where she is her main character and the character in the film. The caveat is we don’t know which is which. There’s never a discerning look in the film where we see the film and the movie being shot. Compounding it is how the film looks when viewing it. 

        Right from the start, we see that the film was shot in a basic Sony camcorder. Prior films was when Lynch would shoot his movies with film stock, this is experimental in a sense where he can shoot how he wants without the limit of the reels. At the time, it sort of turned me off since it has that amateur look to it. You can see the shadows of someone holding the camera in some instances. Judge me for being conceited since I didn’t give this film a shot initially, I think it works since it would’ve been too easy to tell which Nikki is acting and when she’s in the other plane. 

        For as unsettling as the film is, I feel that with the story being presented it makes it feel uneasy to approach it. Like, it’s a fine line between being a thriller, psychological horror to an acid trip. All of it weaves and flows as we’re following Laura Dern’s character descending into madness since the script that she’s acting in is cursed. I was for it, until it stopped making sense. It is one of those films that Lynch was making that has vibes written all over it. Take it from me, I like to have stories being told from A to B. This one is one of those rare films where you must watch multiple times to get it. 

        With vibes being a source of contention for me, I feel that the film is a very esoteric art film. Where plot and story is established, but as soon as the weird starts to kick off. The former is immediately tossed out the window and stomped repeatedly on the concrete sidewalk. Most of the highlights as I mentioned is watching the crazy being amped up. I’ll give it that as well since it got me interested with Nikki and how she was going to be affected by the curse and get herself out of it. I’m glad that there’s not a villain in a traditional sense but this malevolent force that is causing the weirdness to happen. A callback from Twin Peaks, and many other references to past works that Lynch managed to get in this one. 

        With everything that I’ve typed down, you can assume that I don’t like weird, or just not vibing to the movie as originally intended. Be it as it may, I feel that I can appreciate the director for being unconventional with his approach. Like, I don’t want to turn my brain off to just “get” the film. I feel better knowing that my time is invested with watching a character overcome something than just going with the abstract imagery. What excels with me is when Lynch does his motifs subtly. When he has total reign where he is a maestro is when he loses me. This is the one film where any Lynch aficionado would spent their life deciphering the inner meaning of it. 

2. David Lynch

        Eight films is what it took to not personally talk about the director. Sure, I talked about his past, inspirations and method to his madness. Having watched a good chunk of his films made me appreciate him more as an artist. He went to do what he wanted with no studio head breathing down on him. To me, he’s the inspiration for any filmmaker that has the talent to be an artist and a filmmaker. He did paintings prior to picking up the camera and directing. He’s unconventional, but only when people see out of context clips of him in any interview or video. 

        The man is complex since he interprets things that only he could. No one could interpret what Eraserhead means without knowing that it’s about parenthood, and how it’s possibly about his moment becoming a father. I say possibly because he was not one to indulge any interviewer or anyone about what his films mean when someone is trying to understand it. There’s ways to go about it, but only Lynch is the one that can be cheeky enough to get away with it. Any other director can make films that are generally weird as his but aren’t talent enough to utilize everything to be weird. 

        With his interpretations in his films, the key thing that I think is important is seeing the muck/grime underneath the supposed clean thing. Meaning that, while everything looks nice and dandy from the outside. There’s something that is the true face of the subject in his films. I’ve only noticed it in his films like Blue Velvet and afterwards. I feel that he was pushing the envelope to make people uncomfortable by showing the true face of something that is not what they think is representative of the status quo. He’s an artist alright, and it’s always bold to go against the grain that has become the MO for any filmmaker to just have a career. 

3. Legacy

        So what else can be said about this film and it’s director? To me, I remember the very first time that I was exposed to him. It was in the Steven Spielberg film The Fabelmans where he portrayed John Ford in the final moments of the movie. Just when his face appeared is when I heard chattering in the audience asking if it was him. From there, I saw a montage of his behind the scenes and other interviews which gave me an unconventional look to him. I guess you can say that I was ignorant since I didn’t sat down and watch his films earlier. 

        His death surprised me, and I felt it was an obligation to at least dedicate a season’s worth of his films to expose to anyone who is interested or to get an idea of who the man was. While I bungled it, I didn’t anticipate my personal life affecting my viewing schedule. Rest assured that I will finish out his remaining two films. I feel that for any film buff or anyone that is interested in the medium and want to experiment, this is the director that delivers on such the endeavor. New filmmakers should embrace his approach but be smart and disciplined on how to balance between the normal and the absurd. 

4. Overall

        Inland Empire is one of the most divisive films that I’ve seen. For Lynch fans, it’s one of the essential viewings to marathon. 

Mulholland Drive Review

        I think of all the David Lynch film’s I’ve seen so far in this summer, Mulholland Drive might be up there as my favorite of the director. And it seems to be that way with a consortium of critics when compiling a list of the greatest films of the 2000s. Out of all the ranked lists that I’ve read has this and Blue Velvet as the top tier films of the director. Little did I know that this is the middle film of the so called “LA Trilogy” of films where David Lynch shot Lost Highway, this one and Inland Empire. I love this film so let’s get down to it. 

1. Betty and Rita

        Just before we talk about the film, I wasn’t aware that Mulholland Dr. was initially pitched as a TV show. Much like Twin Peaks, it was supposed to be another Lynchian mystery with a woman with amnesia set in Hollywood. I’d assume that Lynch wouldn’t want to do another show after going through what happened with Twin Peaks. Inevitably, he shot the initial pilot of the show but it wasn’t picked up by the network. Reading from the sources, it can be inferred that the whole movie was supposed to be stretched had it been a show. 

        With that, we follow an unnamed woman who is in a limo. A car crash occurs where she escapes from the wreckage and goes into the streets of Los Angeles. She hides in an apartment as she tries to hide from someone. Meanwhile, we follow an up-and-coming actress named Betty as she arrives and has a positive attitude over her potential outlooks. It reminds me a lot of the first A Star Is Born as Naomi Watts character has that mentality. From there, she meets the woman in her apartment who goes by the name “Rita”. 

        Much like Blue Velvet before, Betty takes it upon herself to help “Rita” identify who she really is and why she was involved in a crash. I really like the overall story and chemistry between the two women. Betty is a very active character in terms of figuring out the mystery involving Rita. So much so that she uses it as an excuse to explore Hollywood since she’s attempting to land some auditions. That’s not to say that Rita is a blank slate and is just there. Far from the truth, she’s as interested in figuring out who she is. 

        One may think that she’s a complicit or a femme fatale for some gangsters. Well, more to the story is that there’s a director named Adam who’s being hounded by a group of mobsters to hire a specific actress. I felt that their inclusion to the plot didn’t really connect to what’s going on with the two women. Specifically, when in one moment where we see Adam directing that he and Betty lock eyes for a few moments. To infer to us that they have an attraction or something peculiar. 

        I don’t know if talking about one aspect of the film would be beneficial or what. I feel that if I don’t, I wouldn’t do the film justice. With the level of Lynchian aspects it was kept to a minimum, until near the end of the film. That’s when the movie probably has the best example of the “it was all a dream” trope. And what I mean by that is there’s an object that Rita initially has until Betty takes it to observe it. When she opens it makes the movie from ten to an 11. Just the whole twist where the character dynamics is switched along with the situations makes the whole film interesting in a story. 

        I feel that this is the perfect way to do a Lynchian approach without it being too vague or abstract that would be detrimental to the overall film. It’s often time said the subtle way is the right way since it’s apparent that the story is taken to a new angle. Almost everything makes sense with the subplot involving the director and when two characters are at a diner. That specific scene was weird since they’re both talking about a dream and of a mysterious monster that scares one of them. Lo and behold when it shows up just behind the restaurant is when of the men falls in total shock. 

2. Hollywood

        The more I think about it, I feel that the film is sort of like a spiritual successor to an old Film Noir movie called Sunset Boulevard. I talked about that one many moons ago, albeit it’s one of my favorite films if you were going to ask me. Most of them deal with the cutthroat nature that is the Hollywood system. With the old film, it has it where the system throws away old stars and continually uses by the number stories. Familiar as it is, the film was the first to both call out and lampoon the system that isn’t for everyone. 

        With Mulholland Dr., it’s clear that it uses another street name but goes about the whole Hollywood angle in a unique way. For one thing, I feel that it’s totally on par with how Lynch is creative with this approach. I feel that Adam the director is a sort of stand in for Lynch when being confronted to pick specific actors instead of the ones that have become regulars or beloved to him. More so that he’s aware of the inner workings of the whole thing that the representation is where the restaurant monster pops in. It’s the muck or the actual representation of how a struggling actor/actress tries to succeed in Hollywood. 

        One scene specifically is probably my favorite in the whole film. Both Betty and Rita go to this club called Club Silencio. The duo see a performance, but one where the whole acting/singing of it is fake. Since the sound has been recorded prior and to only see the real-life singer Rebekah Del Rio lip-synch to the song. Part of it feels real since, it is her voice being projected as she’s “singing”. There are even moments where we see the duo be closer and more emphasis placed on Betty. I don’t know if Rebekah falling was planned, but it makes me interested in seeing her performance more. Little did I know that she passed away, but her performance is easily one of the best parts in the film. 

3. Overall

        Mulholland Drive is one of David Lynch’s best films and one of the best films of the 2000s. 

The Straight Story Review

        Out of the films that David Lynch directed in the 90s, I feel that this is his best in the decade. Now when glancing at the poster or just watching a good five minutes of the film, it doesn’t resemble any Lynch film of the past. No sense of oddity or supernatural, not even a hint of dread that is creeping up in some fashion. In some ways, this is probably his only work where it’s practically normal. He even declared that this film is his most experimental. Either he was trolling the press or maintained his quirky nature to sell the film to his following. 

1. Alvin’s Odyssey 

        Before I begin with my assessment, I want to state that this film and the past one that I’ve talked about are based/inspired on actual accounts. Where I failed to mention in my look at Lost Highway is that the gist of the film is about the director’s reactions to the O.J. Simpon trial and aftermath. I want to apologize if you feel that I didn’t give much thought to the film. I’ll say that the film didn’t give me much to talk about even though it has the trademark Lynch weirdness, but I didn’t go and do my diligence to offer some more background on the film.

        With this film, you can say that it strays so far from what David Lynch is known for. Having had a summer marathon of nearly all his films, it’s like a whiplash where you’re expecting some oddity, but the weirder aspect is the mode of transportation that the character uses. The film is loosely based on an actual account that happened in the decade. One of Lynch’s collaborators read about the account via The New York Times. So much so that she and another writer co-wrote the script to which Lynch decided to direct it. 

        We follow Alvin Straight as he lives in Iowa, he gets word from his daughter that his brother had a stroke in Wisconsin. Due to his age and not having a license, Alvin decides to use his mower as his mode of transportation to see his brother. That’s the plot in it’s form, and one would think how would you tell a story with that premise. Somehow, Lynch managed to craft an interesting story about the man and his journey. It’s a road movie for starters, a genre in of itself where the journey is important to the narrative. And one where the characters are changed during the whole process. 

        With this film, we see just who Alvin is. He’s an elderly man who’s living with his daughter Rose. Out of all the cast, Sissy Spacek is the only recognizable name among the ensemble. I feel that it was intentional to hire some nonrecognizable actors as far as making the film more believable. Having someone who’s well known or younger to appeal to a broader demographic would’ve hampered the film and deem it unrealistic for some. And having the film be placed in the Mid-American area like Iowa and Wisconsin is a far cry from the locales that we’ve seen of Lynch’s film. 

        The main highlight of the film is seeing Straight on his odyssey. Seeing him on his mower with his stuff hitched to it is interesting. There’s a moment I like where in the beginning, Alvin is on a farm road and the camera pans up to the sky. When the shot resets back on the road, it’s like he hasn’t moved from where we see the mowers initially. And I say mowers because he rides on two, the remainder is when he’s riding on a John Deere mower. In one way, I feel it’s a commercial to the brand and to the mower since it’s reliable. 

        Alvin’s characterization is one where he is defined by his stubbornness to fulfill his journey. He’s set on his way to go see his brother. Even being invited by a camp formed by a group of cyclists. I like that with a film that is very casual as far as the situation, there are moments where Alvin encounters obstacles on his journey. When the semi-trucks pass him by is when I get nervous. One instance where a car passes him by, and when we hear it swerve. For a moment that he was going to be set back. We just get a glimpse of a woman who’s stark raving mad of what she accidentally ran over. 

        Before I talk about the bigger theme of the film, I must talk about the side characters that we see. In the middle of the journey, Alvin’s mower encounters problems. I like that there’s a group of people that are willing to help him out. I think it captures the small-town selfless service mentality that I think is lacking nowadays. One named Danny goes above and offers him shelter. So much so, to even drive him to where he’s going. Even though the character has a small screen time, it’s the impression and the action that makes the side-character memorable. 

2. Past Regrets

        Aside from seeing the man on his journey, I feel that in one way the film has the theme of regret spread out in the film. In the beginning moments, we see Rose look out of the window and sees a kid with his ball. And moments where we see Alvin conversate with the people that he encounters with his odyssey. The moments indicate that to us that Rose wants something or is fondly remembering a past moment. For a film that is casual as I stated earlier, there’s bits of sadness that’s imbued in it. 

        With Rose, we learn from Alvin that she’s mentally handicapped and had her children taken away from her by the state. The way that Alvin explains it to who he’s talking to just sells it with the conviction that he lost part of his family. It’s heartbreaking I believe and Richard Farnsworth sells the acting part of it. There are other moments where Alvin is speaking to the other people, one is a runaway young woman who’s pregnant. I like the conversation between the two and stress that family is important in the grander scheme. 

        With the conversations that Alvin has with the people he meets, he also harbors some guilt to. We learn that he’s a veteran and he must live with an action that he did by accident. In some way, a viewer can interpret the whole journey that Alvin is doing as a rite of passage. Or some repentance of past mistakes by going through the arduous journey to see his brother. It’s very unorthodox but having Farnsworth portray Alvin as stubborn and repentant makes it more interesting to see if he’ll last to see his brother.

        One more thing is that it’s unfortunate that the actual man didn’t live long to see his story come to life. He passed away just three years before the movie came out in 1999. Even as his trek became an intrigue in the public. He didn’t want to be interviewed by the Late-Night hosts of the time. What’s more honorable is that he didn’t want the fame or the money when he was visiting his brother. So much so, he didn’t get the guaranteed money after his story was about to be adapted to film. 

3. Overall

        The Straight Story is one of the best Lynch films and one of the best films of the 90s, particularly in 1999.