The Screengrab : dumbland

Video of the Day: David Lynch’s “Shot in the Back of the Head”

Scott Von Doviak — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:30:00 GMT

David Lynch has directed the video for “Shot in the Back of the Head,” a song by his new bestest friend Moby from his upcoming album Wait for Me. In a capitalization-challenged press release, Moby writes, “the creative impetus behind the record was hearing a david lynch speech at bafta, in the uk. david was talking about creativity, and to paraphrase, about how creativity in and of itself, and without market pressures, is fine and good… the first single(if you can call an instrumental with no vocals that we're giving away for free a 'single')is called 'shot in the back of the head', and i'm happy to announce that david lynch has done the video for it. i sent him the music and said, 'please do whatever you want'. so he sat down and drew some animation that is very dark and beautiful. david lynch is my favorite film director, and i'm really happy to have him as the first video director on 'wait for me'.”

Fans of Lynch’s Internet series Dumbland will immediately recognize the animation style, although the mood is decidedly darker. Hit the jump to take a look (and a listen):

DVD Digest for November 18, 2008

Paul Clark — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:00:00 GMT

This week, some of summer’s biggest hits arrive in stores in time for the holiday shopping season, along with a handful of choice classics.

DVD of the week: With all the care Pixar devotes to creating their theatrical releases, it’s amazing that they have any time left for their DVDs. However, Pixar’s DVD editions are almost invariably first-rate, and this week’s release of WALL-E would appear to be no exception. We begin, of course, with the razor-sharp transfer of the movie itself, which comes directly from the digital master, making it arguably crisper than could be found in the theatre. But that’s only the beginning, with two animated shorts (one seen in theatres, the other a DVD original), featurettes on the film’s sound design, visual design, music, character design, and more. Finally, there are a number of features on WALL-E that take viewers into the world of the film, including a documentary about the movie’s robotic cast, and short films about the nefarious “Buy N Large” corporation from its inception to their Earth Exit plan, and beyond. Needless to say, WALL-E is an ideal DVD for kids, but it’s also a must-have even if you don’t have a family to buy for this holiday season.

Other recent releases coming to DVD this week: Ben Stiller’s Hollywood action satire Tropic Thunder (Paramount, also Blu-Ray); America Ferrara, Amber Tamblyn and friends in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (Warner, also Blu-Ray); and a quartet of acclaimed indie films- Werner Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World (Image); the documentary Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson (Magnolia); Harmony Korine’s Mister Lonely (Genius); and Audrey Tautou in Priceless (First Look).

On the classics front, the big release this week is David Lynch: The Lime Green Box Set (Absurda), which includes the new-to-DVD Industrial Symphony No. 1, plus the remastered Eraserhead, a Lynch-approved 5.1-surround version of Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man, Wild at Heart, The Short Films of David Lynch, Dumbland, along with new extras for Elephant Man and Wild at Heart, the Eraserhead soundtrack, and a “Mystery Disc” full of exclusive Lynch goodies. Or if you’re looking for something a little more “classical”, pick up the new Criterion editions of Martin Ritt’s masterful adaptation of the John le Carre novel, The Spy Who Came In From the Cold, or the French swashbuckler Fanfan la Tulipe. Also worth mentioning is the release of Fred Schepisi’s long-unavailable classic of Australian cinema, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (Ryko Distribution).

In a slow week for TV on DVD, the most noteworthy title is Bones Season 3 (Fox).

Finally, this week presents the most definitive argument that Blu-Ray has really arrived, with a plethora of mostly crappy Blu-Ray only releases. The exceptions are Curtis Hanson’s pretty-good Eminem vehicle 8 Mile (Universal) and the Neil Gaiman-scripted Mirrormask (Sony). But other than that, it’s looking pretty dire, with the Martin Lawrence double feature of Blue Streak (Sony) and National Security (Sony), Guy Ritchie’s Revolver (Sony), and Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales (Sony), which if nothing else remains the most definitive cinematic statement about the ongoing war over teen horniness. I’m for decriminalization, by the way.

Is the Internet Ready for David Lynch?

Leonard Pierce — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:15:00 GMT

Recently, the ever-charming auteur David Lynch urged cinephiles who might seek to take advantage of new technologies to "get real" and not even consider watching movies on "a fucking phone". I can dig it, David -- a telephone is not my ideal medium for taking in a movie, either. But then again, neither is a computer, and yet, here you are, announcing that your next big project will be a web series.

That's right: Wired is reporting that, for the first time since Twin Peaks, Lynch is making a regular return to episodic network programming. Only this time out, the network in question is the On Network, a company that specializes in internet broadcasting, and the episodes will be of a new web-only series to be based on his quasi-self-help book, Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness and Creativity. Goodness knows whether compelling television can be made of a book that advises following the teachings of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in order to access your creative side, but if anyone is up to it, I suppose it's Lynch.

In fact, this really won't be Lynch's first foray into web programming. Hardcore fans will no doubt remember Dumbland, his series of crude online short films, and the even more bizarre web-only pseudo-sitcom Rabbits. And, given that the other major directors who have dipped into the world of online video include the likes of Black Snake Moan's Craig Brewer and McG of Charlie's Angels fame, maybe this is a step up for the medium instead of a step down for David Lynch.

David Lynch Calling