Festival Circuit 2022

[Omensetter]

I imagine having Phoenix in his cast will buttress his chances at playing in Competition. In terms of Americans, I'd just be happy if Kelly Reichardt—arguably the best working director who plays the big three to have never cracked Cannes Competition—makes the cut. Given last year's retrospective in France and the love of First Cow, I'd be shocked if she misses.

Otherwise, the great hope is for Cronenberg's return (that surely has to be a lock), Östlund (which I think may actually be a lock), Marcello, and something from a director I didn't know I needed.

I can see another typical French shake-up—last year's expanded line-up allowed Fremaux to cycle in Hansen-Løve and Ducornau while still retaining Dumont, Ozon, and Corsini, but I hope Desplechin makes the cut.

[therewillbeblus]

IFF Boston Spring Festival lineup announced

A lot of stuff from Sundance, including a few of DarkImbecile's favorites, but I'm most excited for the new Peter Strickland

[DarkImbecile]

To twbb’s point: Resurrection won’t be getting a release until August, and it’s my favorite of the year so far, so check it out if you’re up for something intense and surprising!

Also very excited for the Strickland and the newly retitled Claire Denis film…

[Cremildo]

Cannes: a surprise David Lynch film might be announced next week

[Never Cursed]

That critic said in the replies that it wasn't Lynch. Does a Sam Levinson critical resurgence await?

[Cremildo]

That critic said in the replies that it wasn't Lynch. Does a Sam Levinson critical resurgence await?

Aftab also tweeted "Or are the owls are not what they seem?" when someone brought that up. Ruimy claims to have contacted him; Aftab said he didn't confirm or deny it was Lynch; he just wanted to keep the guesses coming.

[therewillbeblus]

I don't have Twitter, so I trust those who do to decide whether there was actually nuance in his response, but if Ruimy is a reputable voice, I'm leaning towards Lynch. I just don't see who else it could be, except for Soderbergh, who is pretty upfront about his projects and cites the works of his that he's editing in his annual log

[yoloswegmaster]

Speaking of David's, a festival programmer/film critic has seen the new Cronenberg and had this to say:

I cannot say more obviously but if people thought Crash (one of my fave movies evah!) was divise back in 1996, this is going to create way more chaos and controversy for sure.

He also said that Cronenberg is a genius for casting Lea Seydoux, and that she is "too bonkers and radical" to even contend for the Cannes Best Actress award.

[therewillbeblus]

To go back, Kaleem Aftab's submitted top ten for the BFI included Blue Velvet along with a few other films by American directors who don't exactly have a reputable TV series. The assumption that people doubt it even exists is the clear giveaway to me- Wisteria/Unrecorded Night is the only project I can think of that is a widely publicized mystery. I'd take the Vegas odds on Lynch.

[yoloswegmaster]

The same programmer who talked about the Cronenberg film has also confirmed that Kaleem Aftab's tweet is 100% true and will be a feature-length film. I'm now wondering if it is for Wisteria/Unrecorded Night, as it was said that Wisteria was going to consist of 13 "mini-movies" that totaled 25 hours in total. Maybe they will be screening the first episode only or Lynch has decided to make it a feature-length film only?

[Cde.]

The project seemed to fall apart with the pandemic, so perhaps it was impractical for an old smoker to get a TV project on that scale insured or safely made at that point in time, and a contained feature film was the only option if Lynch wanted to return to filmmaking.

[Finch]

I hope it's Lynch. Gah, is it April 14 yet?

[ianungstad]

If it's Lynch and playing at Cannes, then Netflix is no longer involved?

With the recent announcements by Janus for Inland Empire and Lost Highway, I wonder if the new Lynch (if true) is going to be the second film for their new contemporary distribution arm Sideshow after Drive My Car.

[DarkImbecile]

Variety:

Most surprisingly, according to two well-informed sources, there will even be a David Lynch feature film which has been completely off the radar and stars Laura Dern — either as a cameo or a supporting role — along with some other Lynch regulars.

[Finch]

^ Carrie Page movie with Sheryl Lee in the lead, please...! [-o<

[MitchPerrywinkle]

^ Carrie Page movie with Sheryl Lee in the lead, please...! [-o<

Second this. Plus it would be a wonderfully redemptive way to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of FWWM's disastrous premiere at Cannes.

[Finch]

Oh man, now we're talking. I'm still annoyed at the miserable slobs in 1992 misreading that film so badly and punishing it for not being the film they wanted it to be. I'm also convinced that on top of people being tired of Twin Peaks in general by then, there was lingering resentment from some quarters for Lynch winning for Wild at Heart in 1990 (I'm admittedly also of the opinion that WAH is his weakest movie especially since he had creative freedom and final cut on it, unlike on Dune).

[therewillbeblus]

I mean, I'll raise my hand as someone who loathed FWWM during my first watch in college, and I had seen and was a huge fan of Twin Peaks by then (it's also worth noting that everyone I watched it with were Peaks fans and also hated it at the time). It's totally understandable that by and large audiences would be put off by the film- it's asking you to meet it on a very specific wavelength (one, I might add, Lynch had not crafted even for his devoted followers by then- this is arguably the first of his inverted-narrative films that would continue for the remainder of his career minus-The Straight Story, and I'm not including Eraserhead since that film is an experimental film that still follows a linear narrative - so, like Lost Highway, this needed time to fester). Cannes audiences aren't exactly merciful rope-givers, and if you consider that the audience wasn't entirely made up cult Peaks acolytes - the only people who are going to 'get' this film at all - well, it's quite uncharitable to call anyone a "miserable slob" who "misread" this film! I mean, everyone I knew who saw it 15 years ago did, and we were explicitly the target demographic! For what it's worth, I love the film now, but it took a while to acclimate to its strengths. We should probably give that Cannes audience a fraction of the slack we wish they gave a film that demanded something unprecedented from its viewers, especially when we're comparing to the (I agree, worst Lynch) Wild at Heart!

[Finch]

Disclosure: I did not love FWWM at the time but I also did not loathe it. I think I was somewhat able to get what Lynch was aiming for at the time but yes, it took me a while also to acclimatise to it and my miserable slob comment should have included myself to some degree. I'll also say that I'm completely aware of the film's multiple minor flaws compared to, say, Eraserhead and Mulholland Drive, but I find FWWM more interesting to think about than MD because it's rougher around the edges, and when FWWM hits its stride, it hits me much more emotionally than Mulholland Drive (aside from finding Betty a really annoying character, no fault of Watts' though). Anyhow, hopefully we'll be able to rejoice at the news of a new Lynch FEATURE (!!!) on Thursday, and hopefully Lynch found space for Laura Elena Harring in it. There are also rumours of Lara Flynn Boyle returning into the fold, and ever since I saw a photo of Isabelle Huppert with Lynch, I've been dreaming of the two of them collaborating!

[Never Cursed]

Spiciest disclosure: I think FWWM would be perfect if you restored all the deleted scenes, then cut out Chris Isaak (which I say as someone whose first watch of the film was of a 210-minute fan-edit with everything in its proper place). The individual Deer Meadow scenes are hilarious, but gosh do I think the section as a whole adds up to very little, to the point where I think it would be better as an inferred negative space.

[therewillbeblus]

I'd be surprised if all the bad blood with Lara Flynn Boyle were forfeited, unless maybe she took up transcendental meditation and saw the light!

And while I totally understand why FWWM would play better and be "perfect" in some sort of cohesive fashion without that first act, Chris Isaak's scenes are my favorite in the film. The movie is of course about living with acute trauma anchored by Lee's excellent performance, rendering the rest superfluous, but as much as I love that narrative bulk, I'll freely admit that every time Isaak disappears I long for a two hour film just showing his journey instead. There's a whole story of Chet Desmond floating around in Lynch's dreams that we're being deprived of (Crazy Twin Peaks Theory #1039: the 1992 Cannes audience collectively yearned for more Chris Isaak, and lampooned the film for arbitrary false "reasons," unbeknownst-to-them authentically rooted in an unconscious united drive for more of that initial quirky detective tale)

[MitchPerrywinkle]

I was definitely at a loss the first time I saw FWWM, and it's a film I don't think works entirely as a standalone feature (it's too bound up in the mythos of the series, which retrospectively makes it worth seeing rather than its longstanding status as a disposable entry would lead some of the series fans to believe). But its perhaps the Lynch that is most rewarding on repeat viewings, and there's a very strong case to be made that the final twenty minutes are the best passages of Lynch's entire career (for my money it's one of the most emotionally harrowing things I've ever seen in any movie).

Spiciest disclosure: I think FWWM would be perfect if you restored all the deleted scenes, then cut out Chris Isaak (which I say as someone whose first watch of the film was of a 210-minute fan-edit with everything in its proper place). The individual Deer Meadow scenes are hilarious, but gosh do I think the section as a whole adds up to very little, to the point where I think it would be better as an inferred negative space.

I would keep the Deer Meadow material for everyone but Chris Isaak (Sutherland is such an oddball standout that it's really a shame he wasn't incorporated into The Return, and Harry Dean Stanton's Carl is one of the best characters of the franchise), though I think his character would make for a great excuse to return for a fourth season. The bits with Bowie do help provide some modicum of clarity, as well as what would have been the funniest line in the movie. But I do think Lynch was wise to cut out most of the material with the secondary characters, particularly in that final stretch when we're squarely placed alongside Laura in the pit of her despair. That sequence in the Hayward home should've stayed, though. It's a thing of quietly tragic beauty.

[senseabove]

Lynch in EW: "I have no new film coming out. That's a total rumor. So there you are. It is not happening. I don't have a project. I have nothing at Cannes."

[DarkImbecile]

This is the part of the interview when I usually ask people what they're working on next, but I was excited to see news yesterday that you have a new film coming out?

[Laughs] I have no new film coming out. That's a total rumor. So there you are. It is not happening. I don't have a project. I have nothing at Cannes. It's unfortunate. It got built up that people thought, "Oh, that'd be nice." But there is something new, but it's not mine. I don't know whose it is. They say there's something new at Cannes, and they don't say whose it is, and some people thought it was my film, but it's not. So we'll wait and see, and see whose it is.

Is there anything else you're currently working on?

I'm working on painting and sculpture each day. And I've been working on Lost Highway color-correcting and timing.

So there is a mystery film, it’s just not his?

[swo17]

How dare he not secretly have made a film