Enter The Void

For the last installment of our three-part special series on TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN, we have two more interviews: Bill talks with Alex Fulton, author of a widely-read essay arguing the final two episodes are meant to be watched in sync; and Renan has a conversation with writer Alex Pappademas, formerly of Grantland, GQ, SPIN and MTV News, about the the origins of his Twin Peaks fandom, his double reaction as a fan and critic, critical response to the show, analysis of episode 8, and Fire Walk With Me.

Twin Peaks links:

• Twin Peaks: The Return on IMDb
• Twin Peaks: The Return on Wikipedia
• Twin Peaks: The Return on Showtime
• Alex Fulton essay on syncing episodes 17 & 18
• Alex Fulton at The Sync Book
• Alex Fulton's @cryptokubrology on Twitter
• Pappademas on Fire Walk With Me for Grantland
• Pappademas "preview" of then-forthcoming Showtime Peaks
• Vulture on whether Twin Peaks was worth it for Showtime

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We're back with the second installment of our three-part series on TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN! In this episode, former guests Brian Gluckman (The Congress, Oldboy) and Mark Netter (Videodrome, Last Year at Marienbad) return to share their views on David Lynch's Showtime series. With Brian: the idea of television as art, whether or not there should be a season 4, and the possible influence of musicians Richard and Linda Thompson. With Mark: The Return as the summation of Lynch's career, connections to his filmography; and how elements of the new series inform our understanding of both.

Twin Peaks links:

• Twin Peaks: The Return on IMDb
• Twin Peaks: The Return on Wikipedia
• Twin Peaks: The Return on Showtime
• Showtime's David Nevins on The Watch

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Through the first 50+ episodes of its existence, ENTER THE VOID has kept its eye on the feature film. But today the show returns from its customary inter-seasonal hiatus for a very special reason: David Lynch's astonishing TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN is now over, and your hosts couldn't live with themselves if they didn't give it the consideration it deserves. In this first of three special episodes, Renan and Bill share their thoughts and feelings on the show's 18-episode run; offer their half-baked theories on its mind-breaking conclusion; run a mock draft of their favorite things from the show; consider Twin Peaks' revised position relative to other great TV shows; and ruminate on the inventive names of Peaks podcasts.

Twin Peaks links:

• Twin Peaks: The Return on IMDb
• Twin Peaks: The Return on Wikipedia
• Twin Peaks: The Return on Showtime
• Jeff Jensen's lengthy Twin Peaks recap
• Sepinwall + Phipps on Twin Peaks finale
• Matt Zoller Seitz recaps Twin Peaks finale
• MZS on Twin Peaks as 2017's best TV show
• David Lynch interview in Entertainment Weekly

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For the final episode of season 6, Renan and Bill tackle a biggie: it's David Lynch's 2001 masterwork MULHOLLAND DR., which many view as Lynch's greatest movie, and some critics even consider the best film of the young century. In this extra-long episode, your hosts get right down to it and explain how their views on it have evolved over repeat viewings; try to explain how Diane's real world and Betty's dream world are connected; examine a few of Lynch's "10 clues" to the film; recount the film's origins as a pilot for ABC television; admire the performance of Naomi Watts; and ruminate on Mulholland as movie industry commentary. Plus: did you know there is a real Club Silencio?

Film links:

• Mulholland Drive on IMDb
• Mulholland Drive on Wikipedia
• Roger Ebert Mulholland review
• Mulholland-Drive.Net
• Film Crit Hulk on Mulholland
• Vanity Fair on the making of Mulholland
• David Lynch's 10 Clues
• ABC pilot vs. feature film version
• Mulholland ranks #1 in 2000s BBC poll
• Salon tries to explain Mulholland
• Blumhouse tries to explain Mulholland
• Vulture on Mulholland as horror film
• Film School Rejects on Winkie's Diner scene
• The Atlantic on David Lynch's influence
• Nerdwriter on Lynch's audience manipulation
• Tad Friend in New Yorker on ABC development
• Very Bad Wizards podcast on Mulholland
• The real Club Silencio via TripSavvy

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Starring an early career Johnny Depp with a rogue's gallery of great American and British character actors, Jim Jarmusch's 1995 DEAD MAN is one of the coolest, independentest movies around. In this episode, your hosts discuss: the widely divergent critical reactions, the similarly divisive Neil Young soundtrack, the influences of English poet William Blake and surrealist Henri Michaux, and your hosts' differing thoughts on Western films. Plus, the greatness of Tommy Boy.

Film links:

• Dead Man on IMDb
• Dead Man on Wikipedia
• Roger Ebert 1 1/2 star Dead Man review
• Owen Gleiberman C-minus Dead Man review
• Jonathan Rosenbaum in Chicago Reader
• Rosenbaum on Dead Man in Cineaste
• Dead Man in AV Club's New Cult Canon
• Slant on Dead Man
• Film School Rejects on Dead Man
• Greil Marcus loves Dead Man
• AO Scott video essay on Dead Man
• Jarmusch Lincoln Center Dead Man Q&A
• Briana Berg on William Blake and Henri Michaux
• Chinmayi Sharma on William Blake and Dead Man
• Robert Christgau on Neil Young's discography
• Gunfighter Nation by Richard Slotkin

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Jim Henson and Frank Oz's 1982 film THE DARK CRYSTAL is dark, morbid, and yet still ostensibly for kids. Bill and Renan consider this movie's most terrifying elements, other beloved disturbing works intended for audiences of children, and how puppets and CGI characters can fall into the "uncanny valley." Does this movie need a Han Solo? How much can you buy a Henson puppet for? What's the deal with the upcoming Netflix series?

Film links:

• The Dark Crystal on IMDb
• The Dark Crystal on Wikipedia
• Official Dark Crystal page
• Excerpts from Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History
• Vincent Canby Dark Crystal review in the NYT
• Interview with puppet designer Brian Froud
• The Dark Crystal vs. Labyrinth in Consequence of Sound
• Analysis of The Dark Crystal in Ruthless Reviews
• Film School Rejects revisits The Dark Crystal
• Details on The Dark Crystal Netflix series
• Details on The Dark Crystal comic book
• Details on The Dark Crystal "original cut" fanedit
• Dark Crystal Netflix series teaser
• Dark Crystal trivia in Mental Floss

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As the first film of a director who only made a half-dozen films in 50 years, 1971's THX 1138 might be an obscure discovery. But as it happens, it's the directorial debut of merchandising tie-in billionaire George Lucas, and it's just weird enough to merit analysis by your loyal hosts. Today Bill and Renan ask: is THX more like Nineteen Eighty-Four or Brave New World? is it visionary, derivative, or a combination of both? where did George Lucas find so many bald people? can we actually compare Lucas to Harmony Korine? and, is it possible THX is actually a film improved by its CGI special edition?

Film links:

• THX 1138 on IMDb
• THX 1138 on Wikipedia
• THX 1138 official Lucasfilm site
• Roger Ebert THX 1138 review
• THX 1138 references in Star Wars
• Comparison of THX 1138 versions on YouTube
• THX 1138 making-of documentary on YouTube
• Electronic Labyrinth – THX 1138 4EB on YouTube

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This week your hosts consider Harmony Korine's infamous 1997 low-budget freak fest GUMMO, a hillbilly elegy of cat-killing, glue-sniffing, eyebrow-shaving and, most memorably, chair-wrestling. Loved and hated by critics, admired by one co-host as a nihilistic suburban teenager and previously avoided by the other, Korine's directorial debut is tough to get one's head around—but they try! Also addressed: Korine's career trajectory, his comic pastiche of a novel, and his legendary appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Film links:

• Gummo at IMDb
• Gummo at Wikipedia
• Gummo at Metacritic
• Gummo official website
• Korine interview in Filmmaker Magazine
• Korine interview in Vertigo
• Korine interview with IndieWire
• Gummo review in AV Club
• Art Threat revisits Gummo
• 366 Weird Movies on Gummo
• Film School Rejects on Gummo
• Little White Lies on what's great about Gummo
• Janet Maslin calls Gummo "worst film of the year"
• Lost and Othered Children in Contemporary Cinema
• Korine appearance on Letterman #1
• Korine appearance on Letterman #2
• Korine appearance on Letterman #3
• Why Korine was banned from Letterman
• Rich Hill documentary official website
• A Crack-Up at the Race Riots official website

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Good news: this week Bill and Renan talk about Shane Carruth's 2013 transcendent sci-fi romance UPSTREAM COLOR! Bad news: now they're all out of Shane Carruth films. Famously directed, written, starring, scored and edited by Carruth himself, UC is much different than his cult debut Primer—an ETV selection in season 1—a more ethereal, impressionistic, and even mature film. Questions your hosts attempt to answer in this episode: how much does the look and feel of this film owe to Terrence Malick?; we know what the movie is about, but what does it mean?; do we like it or not how willing Carruth is to explain anything about the film that he can?; how does UC contribute to the representation of pigs in Western culture?; how good is Amy Seimetz in this, huh?; and, will Shane Carruth ever have an actual movie career?

Film links:

• Upstream Color on IMDb
• Upstream Color on Wikipedia
• IndieWire interview with Shane Carruth
• Slant review of Upstream Color
• Richard Brody UC review in The New Yorker
• Death and Taxes on Upstream Color
• Wired on Upstream Color
• io9: "Shane Carruth explains the ending of UC"
• Grantland gets drunk with Shane Carruth
• TV Tropes on the "Imagine Spot"
• Charles Farrell on Floyd Mayweather for Deadspin
• The Outline: "Did Humans Evolve from Pigs?"
• "Pigs for UC" by erbp on Vimeo
• Enter The Void Podcast S1E2: PRIMER

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Shinya Tsukamoto's 1989 short feature TETSUO: THE IRON MAN borrows from Lynch's Eraserhead and Cronenberg's Videodrome—both films discussed in ETV's second season —and creates something entirely its own. Clocking in at a slender 67 minutes and blessedly shot in B&W to maximize gore while minimizing your hosts covering their eyes, Tetsuo is a cyberpunk-meets-splatterpunk anime come to life. Also discussed in this episode: Tsukamoto's encounters with Tarantino and Scorsese; comparisons to Evil Dead and Robert Mapplethorpe; a long digression on Japan's anxieties and its perpetually aging population; plus, could it possibly have influenced the Playstation 2 classic Katamari Damacy?

Film links:

• Tetsuo: The Iron Man on IMDb
• Tetsuo: The Iron Man on Wikipedia
• Offscreen on Tetsuo
• 366 Weird Movies on Tetsuo
• Bleeding Cool on Tetsuo
• Washington Post review of Tetsuo
• Pixilation on Wikipedia
• Interview with Shinya Tsukamoto
• Dogs and Demons by Alex Kerr
• "Sexual Hysteria in Japan" at Blumhouse
• Hikikomori on Wikipedia
• Tetsuo and homosexuality
• The Phantom of Regular Size on YouTube
• Ninja Turtles cartoon transporter
• Katamari Damacy on Wikipedia

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