Mulholland Drive (2001): I think Mulholland is my favourite Lynch movie, even though it’s tough to pick just one. I had the chance to rewatch it in a full cinema the other day and what struck me first was that this is probably not a movie for a big cinema. Its haunting atmosphere and close ups make for a better experience in a more claustrophobic setting. Beyond this though, it remains a phenomenal movie, magical, fantastical and absolutely playful. The way in which Lynch juggles tone and atmosphere is just a joy to watch, moving from derisive satire to sensual erotica, from linear story to amorphous narrative like it was nothing. Rife with iconic scenes, mind-boggling twists and turns, all underpinned by the inevitable tragedy of Betty’s fate, Mulholland Drive stands tall as an astute estimation of the reality we expect versus the corrupted reality we either embrace, or get destroyed by. 9
Chasing Amy (1997): As your traditional cis white guy growing up in the 90s and 00s, I was struck by the romantic bludgeoning that Kevin Smith’s movie hit me with at the time. Rewatching it today, I still think some of the speeches and characters are great, but it has a terribly uninspired pre-ending, which diminishes it. Naturally, from today’s pov, the movie’s premise is untenable, meaning it wouldn’t be made, in Hollywood more so than in any other place. While there are questionable elements to it, I still felt that Chasing Amy frames a complex situation with characters that have enough authenticity to stand on their own. 7
Chasing Chasing Amy (2023): So this was more of the reason why I rewatched Chasing Amy – Sav Rodgers’s ambition to shoot a documentary about the movie that helped him traverse the dark and ambiguous teenage years. It all started with a TED Talk, about how CA saved his life and this docu is a continuation of said train of thought. It enmeshes interviews with Kevin Smith, Joey Lauren Adams and others, including a group of LGBTQ+ talking heads, with Sav’s own personal journey of love and identity. This works well and the movie manages to catch something that’s unusual – unfiltered frankness, especially from the likes of Adams. This doubles down in contextualizing films within a real world that we often try to detach it from. As for the arguably low-hanging LGBTQ+ critiques, they are ticked off, occasionally nuanced, but it’s clearly difficult to walk the line between reverence and critique. I would have been interested to hear more from people within the community who were 30+ at the time the movie was released and their perception of it at the time, rather than the modern day takes. This leads me to one of the age old questions re: art in general and movies in particular – how to relate to something that’s, from one point of view or another questionable, yet still affects people in all kinds of ways. Regarding CA, the proof is in the pudding. CCA also goes to show that it managed to reach a fundamental truth, about its story, its characters, its words, that rises above everything else, while also telling its own distinctive. 7
The Substance (2024): I’ve finally made my way to this highly acclaimed and much lauded body horror flick that somehow made it into the mainstream. It’s not the most consistently satisfying or entertaining movie, with an interesting concept, but an uninspired screenplay (no matter what Cannes thinks). An ageing film star (Demi Moore) decides to take “the substance”, a miracle treatment that generates a younger version of herself (Margret Qualley). As you would expect, things go south rather quickly, in a predictable, if often visually satisfying manner. The movie brought back memories of Requiem for a Dream, with its uncomfortable vibes doubled by a showy score, bombastic sound mixing and quickfire editing. I liked the aesthetics and I also liked the way director/writer Coralie Fargeat created her timeless retro-future universe. What I didn’t like as much is that the movie is as subtle as playing a concert inside a library, hammering on about the objectification and glorification of youth in general and young women in particular. I don’t think it succeeds in connecting the viewer on a more personal level with its protagonist, but I was kept going by the expectation of what would happen next (or, rather, how it would happen). Fargeat’s Revenge had higher highs, but The Substance is cool for taking ludicrous gore to the Oscars. Or is it less cool because of it? Huh. 7
Goodrich (2024): Michael Keaton holds this not entirely consistent dramedy together, with an endearing performance. He plays the part of a father, whose wife checks into rehab and leaves him with to take care of their two teen-ish children. Being his second batch, he asks for help from the first batch, his adult daughter who also happens to be pregnant. You can imagine the interactions between these generations, which seems like something ripe for exploration. But then you add to this an ailing business as a boutique art gallery, a side plot with befriending a father from school, and it all just becomes too loose to focus on its more intriguing elements. And there are some, but because of said loosening, writer/director Hallie Meyers-Shyer ends up shoehorning them in, rather than letting them grow on the viewer and then unfurl as the film blossoms (ahah, ugh, I suck). 6
tributary stu 