American Film Artist: July 31, 2014

Wes Anderson

David Lynch

1) On Thursday (7/31), we will have our Final Exam. It will contain 50 multiple-choice questions and will be given during the last hour or so of class.

2) Be sure to bring a pink scantron and your correct student ID number with you.

3) After class on Thursday, I will be unavailable until the Fall semester starts. If there is an issue to address, it will have to wait until then.

4)  There is a very, very high bar for you to be allowed to make up the Final Exam. You will have to document your reason, and it will have to be something very serious like illness or a court appearance. (Pulling another shift at work or picking up your grandmother at the airport won't cut it.) Again, any fix will have to wait until the Fall term. Basically, be at that exam unless it is impossible.

5) Final Exam tip: A poster on a wall (in Mullholland Drive) that features actress Rita Hayworth is a key to one question.



 

American Film Artist: Letter to Lynch

David Lynch

Dear David Lynch,

This summer I taught a course about your work, which was offered to students at the University of Central Florida through the School of Visual Arts and Design. There were 50-60 students in this class, most of them in their twenties, some of them film majors, some not.

I gave them an optional assignment to write a short note to you containing a question or comment about your work. I explained that I would write a letter to you including some of those questions and comments. Almost everyone responded.

Most of the students expressed great admiration for your work. Many asked about your sources of inspiration. There were also many inquiries about whether you are planning to make another film and, if so, what it would be about.

Of all your films, Eraserhead received the strongest response in these notes.

“It's one of the most memorable films I have ever seen,” wrote a student named Maelynn Perez. “I don't just remember the visuals and sound, but my horror.” Another student, Asa Gentry wrote, “Eraserhead got under my skin. For days after viewing it, I reassessed my life choices and considered changing my major. It reads to me as a testament to all the things we can't control in life and the ways in which we try.”

Here are some of the questions my students asked in their notes:

“Do you want your audience to discover or fully understand the symbolism in your films?” (from Spencer Card)

“I noticed that you have a strong fascination for 1950s culture...Knowing that you were raised under the influence of the decade, what aspect of that culture do you admire the most?” (Paul)

“How would you change Dune, given the chance? I loved it, BTW.” (Kevin Morris)

“How do you know where to place the camera?” (Alex Mierisch)

“What appealed to you about pursuing The Straight Story, considering that the plot was drastically different from the high-tension films you previously created?” (Karli Windischmann)

“Is there a dream film project you would like to make?” (Wade Burkett)

“Are you interested in the interpretations/theories that fans come up with, with regard to the plots of your films? Would you prefer that they accept them at face value or do you enjoy the discussion?” (Alexandra Christman)

I'd like to add that we had extraordinarily spirited and, I think, insightful discussions after your films.

I know you are busy, but even a word from you would mean a lot to my students.

Jay Boyar

American Film Artist for July 29

Fantastic Mr. Fox

1) Test 5 will be on July 29. Be sure to bring a pink scantron and your student ID number.
2) Also, we'll be watching Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes Anderson's animated feature.
3) I'm still having phone issues. If you need to reach me by phone for the rest of the semester, call me at 321.316.4351. But email is probably more reliable.
4) Tip for Test 5: There is neither a canteen nor a flask in The Darjeeling Limited.

American Film Artist for 7/22/14

Gwyneth Paltrow in The Royal Tenenbaums

1) Test 4 will be on 7/22. Bring a pink scantron and your student ID number, as usual.

2) We'll be watching The Royal Tenenbaums, my person favorite Wes Anderson movie, plus a clip from The Life Aquatic.

3) Tip for Test 4: Remind yourself of the "distancing devices" that David Lynch uses in the clip we watched from his Inland Empire. (Dark and fuzzy imagery is one of those devices, BTW.)

4) Your notes to David Lynch are fascinating! One of many good questions: A student who loves Dune wants to know what Lynch would change about it if he had the chance.

 

American Film Artist for 7/17/14

Rushmore

1) I hope you're thinking about what question or comment you'd like to include in my letter to David Lynch. We'll work on this on 7/17.

2) We'll be looking at Rushmore on 7/17. It's Wes Anderson's second feature -- and his first that fully seems like a "Wes Anderson" movie to me.

3) To answer a question that came up in class, Bottle Rocket (the feature-length version)
was mostly filmed in Texas, but not in Austin. It was in the Hillsboro area, which is about an hour from Dallas. Post-production was done in the Hollywood area, probably Brentwood.

American Film Artist for 7/15/14

Wilson brothers in Bottle Rocket

1) Our third test will be on July 15. Please bring a pink scantron with you. Also, if you haven't already found out your student ID number, please find it out for the test.

2) Test tip for blog readers: There will be a question on the test about the scene in Mulholland Drive with the hit man and the vacuum cleaner.

3) On July 15, we will also see Wes Anderson's first feature film, Bottle Rocket.

4) Schedule change: Our review for the final exam will be on July 24, not July 29. Also, it won't be a traditional review. It'll be more like a series of tips on how to study for the exam.

American Film Artist for 7/10/14

Mulholland Drive

1) On 7/10, we'll be watching Mulholland Drive, considered by many to be David Lynch's masterwork. It's a long movie (147 minutes) so you might want to hit the washroom before class.

2) If you missed the test on Tuesday (7/8) and want to take a makeup, you need to contact me to make arrangements right away.

3) As always, a really great discussion after the film on Tuesday. One of the best things about that discussion is our discovery that although The Straight Story is a G-rated film, it is, like much of Lynch's work, about the pain and horror that lie just beneath the surface.

American Film Artist for 7/8/14

The Straight Story

1) For those who asked to see the "Log Lady Introduction" to Twin Peaks, I have not forgotten your request. We will get to it eventually.

2) Our second test will be on 7/8. Again, 10 multiple-choice questions. Be sure to bring a pink scantron.

3) Also on 7/8, we'll watch David Lynch's G-rated movie, The Straight Story.

4) Looking ahead, on 7/10 we'll watch Mulholland Drive, considered by many to be Lynch's great masterpiece.

American Film Artist for 7/3/14

Once again, I'm sorry, sorry, sorry about my mistake that prevented us from having the first test on Tuesday. As I said in class, I'll give that test near the start of class on Thursday (7/3). It will be exactly the same test I would have given on Tuesday.

Our second test will, as scheduled, be on Tuesday, July 8 -- unless I make another idiotic mistake. (I hope I sound sorry enough. I really am.) Remember to bring a pink scantron.