Cinphomaniac

(NO SPOILERS for plot beyond 2021's Dune: Part One)
Lynchtober on Cinphomaniac continues, but with a twist! With the highly anticipated release of French-Canadian auteur Denis Villeneuve's 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, Dune, having finally arrived, we take a deep dive into that film - using it as the means to comparatively discuss David Lynch's disowned 1984 adaptation of the same novel. Marcus and Dana take on opposing perspectives here - the former having respectfully abstained from viewing Lynch's film but having immersed himself in the novel, while the latter swears by the 84 film, holding it above Denis's 2021 work. Also discussed is Alejandro Jodorowsky's never filmed adaptation, as well as Dune's relationship to films like Lawrence of Arabia and Apocalypse Now - prompting a thorough examining of the Dune universe's relationship to colonialism, imperial military occupation, messianic mythology, capitalism, patriarchy vs. matriarchy, and prophetic religious traditions. For that, and much more, pease enjoy Part Four of Lynchtober!

CONTENT WARNING: The following episode contains frank discussions concerning the trauma resulting from sexual abuse/rape/incest and domestic violence, as well as the complexities of its depictions in Twin Peaks and the complexities of interpreting David Lynch's intentions with, and execution of,  said subject matter.

In Part Three of Cinphomaniac's Lynchtober, Marcus and Dana journey back 30 years to when everything changed for David Lynch - when he, and Mark Frost, through the intercourse between two worlds, brought Laura Palmer onto the screen. Fitting of Lynch, Twin Peaks can often seem impenetrable. Many have obsessively attempted to "explain" its mysteries and make sense of where they came from. Some would say they've even succeeded. Indeed, it can be said. While paying tribute to those who came before, Cinphomaniac will now attempt to do the same. Come hear us in the wind, that blows, through the trees...

5 hours later... MEANWHILE...

Lynchtober on Cinphomaniac continues with Blue Velvet,  David Lynch's 1986 Psychological Thriller and Neo-Noir - some may say "masterpiece" (we don't, but we love it none the less), starring Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern, Isabella Rossellini, and Dennis Hopper. Marcus and Dana talk about that iconic cast, its uniting of Lynch with composer Angelo Badalamenti and vocalist Julee Cruise, the twisted brilliance of Hopper as the meme machine Sandman - Frank Booth, the complexity of tackling the film's relationship to misogyny and consent via both its roots in the Noir genre and the films Freudian explorations of sexual desire and fetish, as well as the writing of the female characters - Dorthy and Sandy, the economic and political history - past and present - that inform how we should understand the post-industrial American small-city, what The Lost Footage warns us about the film that could've been, and the film's long lasting legacy and impact. All that and even more - in Part 2 of Lynchtober!

Cinphomaniac welcomes you to the inaugural episode of Lynchtober!!! To kick things off, Marcus and Dana journey back beyond to David Lynch's feature film debut, 1977's Eraserhead - starring Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Judith Anna Roberts, Laurel Near, Jack Fisk, and Jeanne Bates. We theorize on, interpret upon, and confess awestruck to, the haunting visions, maximalist sound design, high contrast cinematography, and deep psychological pricking of the film, as well its heavy foreshadowing for all things Lynch to come, including the film's full circle second coming by way of 2017's Twin Peaks. We also discuss the history, anthropology, evolutionary biology, and politics of infanticide and postpartum depression, which is at the core of this text.

This time Cinphomaniac tackles Gloria, the 1980 studio genre classic from independent cinema pioneer John Cassavetes, starring his frequent collaborator and partner, Gena Rowlands, in an all-time legendary performance in the titular role. Marcus and Dana discuss the film's status as quintessential piece of "real" New York cinema and what defines "real" New York cinema, as opposed to "Welcome To New York" pop-aganda. They also breakdown the storied filmography of Cassavetes and Rowlands, Cassavetes's debut feature, Shadows, and much more.

From The Archive - May 5th, 2021

If you've never heard of Barbara Loden's Wanda (1970), Cinphomaniac is here this week to correct that. Marcus and Dana throughly dissect this once forgotten masterpiece of early American Independent Cinema - the one and only feature film its mesmerizing star, Barbara Loden, ever would direct in her all too brief life. They discuss Loden's incredibly nuanced and detailed performance as the title character, as well as its level of immense specificity in every other aspect, with its emphasis on naturalism, transgression, power, and class. Also discussed is the rich legacy of the type of complex female driven stories that Wanda would herald, from filmmakers like Andrea Arnold, Jane Campion, and Chloe Zhao, as well as the eye opening TV appearance Loden made to promote the film on The Dick Cavett Show. Don't miss this one!

The Box Office has a new king and his name is Shang-Chi. Once again, Cinphomaniac is here to tell you just how we got here. Marcus and Dana unpack the decision making of Marvel Studios from Iron Man 1 to 3 to the Ancient One to "An Experiment." Before diving into Marvel, however, they visit Criterion's 61 New York Stories and highlight Martin Scorsese's After Hours and Abel Ferrara's King Of New York. Then, after throughly dissecting Shang-Chi, we revisit the Phase 4 slate - thus far and up coming - to check in with all the pieces on the board. Buckle up, this is another Daft Punk Too Long one!!!

On this episode of Cinphomaniac, we discuss the unusual arrival of would-be Summer Blockbusters in August, such as James Gunn's The Suicide Squad and Shawn Levy's Free Guy, starring Ryan Reynolds. With the former, Marcus and Dana explore what a DCEU reboot-quel means, how the film compares to Gunn's Guardians films, whether or not the film's attempts to be surprising fall flat, and if it's even worth discussing its winks towards American Empire in the Global South. With the later, they find a shocking amount of depth and perhaps a very real call to, anti-corporate and anti-capital, collective political action, along with a whole lot of resonance to social philosophy, and just the sheer joys of surface level Big Hollywood Cheese coming back in a big big way thanks to the efforts of Ryan Reynolds and his collaborators.


From The Archive: August 18th, 2021

Marcus says goodbye to all of Evangelion on this Special Bonus edition of Cinphomaniac. He covers just how we got here, what purpose the Rebuild films serve, how they've evolved, where Q/3.0 left off, the long wait, Anno's personal struggles to finish the story, the big and greatly necessary surprises of 3.0+1.0's astonishingly beautiful Act 1, the significance of Kensuke Aida, the second act's avalanche of lore, the metatext explosion of the third act, and it's moving send offs to its characters. Also, Mari, because Mari is important.

MAJOR SPOILERS!!!! For Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) & End Of Evangelion (1997) and minor spoilers for Evangelion 1.0 (2007), 2.0 (2009), and 3.0 (2012). Spoiler Free for Evangelion 3.0+1.0 (2021). In this special bonus episode - the first of two celebrating the international and streaming release of Evangelion 3.0+1.0 (2021) - Marcus explains and recaps the story, themes, and lore of Evangelion to catch you up before we dive into his full review of the latest film and the story's grand finale. Perfect for anyone who's never seen any Evangelion and doesn't mind hearing some spoilers that may ultimately enhance their appreciation of the franchise even if they're only now planning on diving in, as well as those who've spent the last decade forgetting just what the heck happened!!!