THE MYSTERY AS SOLVED IS STILL A MYSTERY

TWIN PEAKS-THE ENTIRE MYSTERY+

With a much trumpeted, late in the game, return to the strange environs of the fabled world of Twin Peaks, Washington at an apparent stand still between chief architect David Lynch and new host network Showtime, I see no better reason to pay a quick revisit to the original, legendary series and its most recent home video rebirth. So, while Lynch threatens to turn his back on a proposed 9 part, 25 years on update with whomever still remains above ground from the cast, the fine cats at Paramount have, in recent months, sought to grace us all with something undeniably attractive called 'Twin Peaks:The Entire Mystery'. This enticing, all Blu Ray box set (10 discs in total) collects together the complete (to date) run through of the quirky highs and murky (and often nightmarish) lows of Lynch and conceptual partner Mark ('Hill Street Blues') Frost's intricately fabricated slice of life in the extreme upper Pacific Northwest.

We are presented with all of the 29 parts of the under two season long run of the once stratospherically hip prime time melodrama that first introduced the pop culture universe to Special Agent Dale (Kyle MacLachlan) Cooper, his eternally disembodied assistant Diane (represented only ever by a tiny cassette recorder), Cooper's philosophy on the value of a damn fine cup of java and how this agent (and his assorted peers) would come to play a crucial role in aiding the wonderfully apart from conventional Twin Peaks locals in finding a solution to the shocking murder of their girl most beloved, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). Also stuffed inside the set's elaborately designed packaging is the highly polarizing 'prequel' feature film follow up, 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me'. With this separately concocted film, David Lynch set to the task of fleshing out the explicit particulars that led a seemingly innocuous 'good girl' like Mrs. Palmer down the path of rank deprivation that was to ultimately
place her in harm's way in the very worst fashion. The film also swapped out certain characters from the series (for various reasons) and introduced new key players into the T.P. mythos, including Special Agents Chet Desmond (singer Chris Issak) and Sam Stanley (a pre-24 Kiefer Sutherland) and greatly made use of the content freedoms an MPAA sanctioned R rating granted.

The legacy of 'Twin Peaks' as a whole, from inauguration to this point today, is one of swift rise and fall in the critically fickle context of the public eye with the (at the time) ill advised prequel landing D.O.A. in theaters in late summer 1992. Yet, as a born to be 'Cult Classic' is wont to do, 'Twin Peaks' refused to lay down and die a quiet death. The whole thing gave rise to clubs, conventions (one of which is spotlighted within the set's special features, more on that stuff in a bit) and fervent campaigns to unearth unseen materials (primarily from 'Fire Walk With Me') that were said to hold more overall worth then your average 'Deleted Scenes' supplement. The fan love pushed the saga on forward, spawning several home video releases (VHS and DVD) before arriving at this most rewarding confection I am blathering on about here.

Now, the basic storyline should prove familiar to many who've dabbled at all in the realm of David Lynch or cult screen curiosities in general. If not, here goes; one foggy morning, the body of town princess Laura Palmer is discovered washed ashore and wrapped in plastic by gentle old Pete Martell (played by 'EraserHead' lead man Jack Nance) which in turn sets off a chain of twisty events entwining the citizens of Twin Peaks with the All American Powerhouse known as the F.B.I. Thus the arrival of the relentlessly chipper Agent Cooper to the base of operations of one Sheriff Harry S. Truman (Michael Ontkean) and his stable of goofy but dedicated cronies. These none too battle tested, bumpkin type police officials turn out to be just the kind of support group our golden boy Cooper was greatly hoping for. The bulk of the first portion of the series details the convoluted specifics of the homicide investigation with growing supernatural influence transpiring
across the stomping grounds of a passing carnival of strange and unique personas who love, fight, frustrate and continually work to confound expectations as the inevitable (if sadly premature) network mandated reveal of Laura's killer looms on the horizon.

Once the murderer is given a proper face though, things begin to fracture and the narrative starts to veer all over the damn place. Sure, a new plot device/villain is slotted in as a long standing rival of Cooper's, one Windom Earle (Kenneth Welsh), arrives deep into the second season to dole out the sadistic head games, but the ensuing episodes became a great deal more, well, episodic. Apparently this was somewhere around the time both Lynch and Frost were becoming immersed in new big screen projects ('Wild At Heart' and 'Storyville' respectively) so it was all largely left up to the hands of various writers and a wild assortment of directors (among them, Tim 'River's Edge' Hunter and Diane Keaton, doing her very best odd duck Lynch impression) to carry the load, and the results truly did vary. A sudden succession of guest star bits were added to help maintain some semblance of a creative spark (most of note, future X-Files heartthrob, David Duchovny, as an

 F.B.I. Agent dressed up in slick feminine attire) but regardless of all this tireless overexursion, the series had clearly lost a major chunk of its mojo and several plot points came off as irrefutably forced (such as a beauty pageant sub-plot) and accordingly, the public interest waned. Pity, as the project as a whole comes across a bit like a small screen masterwork left incomplete (the final episode does provide a fitting cliffhanger). So perhaps the rumblings of a rekindling of that Twin Peaks fire should not seem so surprising, even this many moons on.

This here super-duper box set has so much to share beyond just the series and its companion film. Apart from providing all of the eccentric Twin Peaks tale in a pristine HD transfer there is a boat load of nuggets from archival and more current sources that work to break the phenomena of the thing down in 'in depth' measures. Cast and crew members help to, somewhat, enlighten upon the steps it took to make a bit of prime time television history care a collection of new and older interviews and on set asides. Most triumphantly, the long lusted after 'Fire Walk With Me' cut footage portion (arranged here by Lynch himself as a 90 minute segment meant to stand on its own) is not likely to elect much in the way of disappointment. Many key ideas and supporting characters receive expanded screen time, including odd bits pertaining to David Bowie's enigmatic agent Phillip Jeffries and a whole bunch more footage of the prophetic dwarf (Michael J. Anderson) who dwells in that, mostly red, 'other place'.

Still further elements that never made it anywhere near the final release cut of 'Fire Walk With Me' finally have their day too; Sheriff Truman, his stoic, Native American deputy Hawk (Michael Horse) and the impossibly dense lovebirds Andy (Harry Goaz) Brennan and Lucy the receptionist (Kimmy Robertson) are on hand as they all originally had filmed cameos, as did Pete Martell and the lovely Josie Packard (Joan Chen). The resolution of the whole damn thing (perhaps the entire Twin Peaks universe in total) may have originally held a more cosmic, time melding agenda then viewers were previously aware of, according to a few revealing sequences on display here. Yes, the wait for this missing stuff is finally over, and the rewards do measure up.

Elsewhere in the set, David Lynch enacts his own fond (albeit expectedly eccentric) memories of the project in features both semi-vintage and brand new in which he picks his own cranium as well as those of several key cast members (Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Grace Zabriskie and others) from the program both in and out of character. There are also plenty of old school promo spots, photo stills of anything from on set action to long obscured trading cards of the show and both the domestic and international (stand alone and slightly longer) versions of the pilot episode that set it all in motion.

Yeah, not much has been left behind, this beast is very concise. Recommended to anyone adventurous enough to hold a fair opinion of David Lynch or this series in the first place.

killpeoplenamedrichard@yahoo.com 

THE FEARSOME AND THE FEARLESS.

(As published in the October 2014 issue of Wisconsin's own The Scene)

Following an unexpected yet invigorating sabbatical this past summer, your oh-so-humble favorite local movie rambler hath returned to saturate you once more with knowledge and helpful suggestions concerning most things cinematic that might never even make it to a theater near you. Being as it is growing close to 'All Hallows Eve' and things like neighborhood zombie walks are soon to become all the rage, it seems like a swell idea to take this month's article in a might darker, more dementia riddled direction. Shall we?


I. The Fine Art of Murder.

So, how's this strike you for a truly daunting kind of subject matter with which to found a non-fiction film on and around; the calculated reenacting of a series of ruthless, government sanctioned executions utilizing the full (and fully enthusiastic) participation of several of the pivotal perpetrators themselves? Well, 'The Act of Killing' just so happens to be the kind of film to result from such a bold and (very) risky undertaking. This picture, the impressive end product of director Joshua Oppenheimer's (assisted by Christine Cynn and some entity listed as 'Anonymous') reported 8 year or so immersion into the given material and corresponding geographic locales, takes on a smattering of Indonesian paramilitary folks (active and retired) and sets them to the deeply unsettling (one would assume) task of play acting in present time their cruel yet effective actions from a time well in the past. You see, back in the middle of the 1960s, said soldiers set out to relentlessly rid their beloved stomping grounds of any and all traces of communist misbehavior (suspected as well as proven) by virtue of unapologetic extermination of any recognized offenders.

Due to the protracted development period his project demanded, Oppenheimer got to know many of his players to a deep extent (most of note, the front and center duo of Anwar Congo and Herman Kato). In so doing, he was exposed to, among many other traits, a startling adoration of movies and their potential power over a collected audience (many of these cats used to scalp admission tickets at area bijous as youths). In light of this significant revelation of character, the filmmaker ushered in the further requirement that his subjects' reenactings be staged with a layer of direct big screen influence. Thus, Anwar and co. get to planning and fleshing out a surreal succession of mini-movie styled skits, all centered around the core factor of factual killings that were once as far removed from a fond movie going memory as legitimately conceivable.

The fair bulk of the picture delves well into these truly elaborate and often colorfully startling microcosms of damaged personal performance 'art' giving the viewer a wholly contradictory palette of images and ideas with which to digest and analyze to the best of their ability, which is no simple assignment. One absorbs both the creative, dare I say, glee with which these 'skits' are born and also the rather horrific method that pervades the carrying out of the separate acts of detrimental violence that stick close to the facts as kept alive in the now aging assassin's minds. The scope of these differing parts is sometimes notable, the torching and ransacking of a village, for quick example, employs multiple wailing extras and pyrotechnics while a tense rooftop strangulation only requires some handy wire and a solo assistant to get the (ugly) job done correct.

The progression and fervor between the crafting and full realization of the mocked up killings also works to stress the growing impact on the performers in a variety of fashions as they are coming to terms anew with their past transgressions as they are pulled into the present and placed under the microscope of the camera eye.

'The Act of Killing exists as an almost purely nominal viewing experience, one that swiftly defies easy comparison amongst other documentaries covering similar dark thematic territory. From its opening imagery, graceful dancers emerging from the mouth of a gigantic structure designed like a fish and easily moving across a long plank to the nodding approval of fat man Herman Kato adorned in vivid blue drag queen attire (cross dressing proves to be a reoccurring fashion choice for this dude), the film hypnotizes and transports us into this otherwise impenetrable kingdom of fever dreamish ultra madness. 

Tales of war crimes are often of the 'Human generated horror leads to apprehension and repremendation (i.e. Proper Trial) followed by the subsequent healing process for the surviving victims or their descendants. Not so much this time out (though Oppenheimer has since put together an opposing viewpoint sequel of sorts, The Look of Silence, which gives one family a chance to address the murder of their sibling during the above mentioned chaos), here the villains have grown to become respected national heroes. Victorious saviors over the communist plague, the enjoy unparalleled freedom and often brag up even the lowliest aspects of their abhorrent behaviours (beware the one arrogant thug who waxes fondness over the 'heavenly' benefits of sexually degrading random young females, yuck!). 'The Act of Killing' sets out to try to crack the pokerfaced surface of this posse's infamous yet never disowned history and with the aid of this highly unique approach to revisiting some of the events in question, hopefully expresses to the world and better still, the men themselves, the extent of their wrong doing. Does this tactic at all work? You'll have to witness the film your own self to obtain the answer.

'The Act of Killing' is currently available in both DVD and BLU RAY formats from a place called Drafthouse Films and it features two separate cuts of the picture, the standard 122 minute theatrical issue and a more involved 166 minute Director's variation. There is, of course, bonus features to be had like featurettes, deleted scenes and audion commentary with the director and documentary hall of famer Werner ('Grizzly Man, 'Into the Abyss') Herzog who (along with esteemed filmmaking peer Errol Morris) became one of the chief cheerleaders of this film and helped to push it into the festival circuit and such. The whole mind boggling adventure can be found here, drafthousefilms.com/film/the-act-of-killing. Check into it.

II. Bonus Stuff.

'Willow Creek' (darkskyfilms.com)

This here sho' ain't the Bobcat Goldthwait you ever saw screech out a nerve wracking stand up routine nor call the behind the scenes shots on such black comedic epics as 'Shakes the Clown', 'World's Greatest Dad' (which features one of poor Robin Williams' finest latter day performances) and 'God Bless America'. Instead we are gifted still another Found Footage scenario involving naive young peeps venturing into an all-together unforgiving, unknown environment. This time it's all centered around the Big Foot mythos and one head strong believer (Bryce Johnson) and his reckless yearning to gather actual video evidence of the beast and prove it all factual for once and for final. This leads our hero and his less than convinced gal pal (Alexie Gilmore) to the darkest camping spot imaginable and....well, no spoilers here. Just accept the fact that Ol' Bobby has aimed for something quite separate from the rest of his resume and I suppose you're left with a very adequate riff on the basic outline of 'The Blair Witch Project', albeit with far more stable camera work and scares that emanate from real beasts in the darkness and not mean, ill tempered spirits. Not a complete waste of 80 minutes, but nothing poised to break ground either. Includes the expected commentary by folks involved, one deleted scene and a short on set piece.

'Death Spa' (mpihomevideo.com)
Prime sliced 80s schlock 'til you drop cheese, resurrected in fitting home video fashion. An All-American, high end fitness joint is all the aerobic rage until strange fatalities start to pile up. Seems the deceased spouse of this happenin' club's owner is out to haunt the spot into bankruptcy by picking off much of its' sexy, style conscious (when not fully naked) clientele. Real simplistic premise is established as a handy way to enact one goofy yet fairly inventive kill shot after another while the cardboard cast milk out much of the average run time searching for a way to wrap it all up cheaply and get out alive. Along with like minded flotsam like 'Killer Workout' (you know you recall that one as well) this little creeper stands as the perfect time capsule of an era when it was chic to be fit and the Jane Fonda workout regimen ruled the day.

Loaded with cut rate gore, bare and sweaty skin and thespians who understand how to react accordingly (including 'Dawn of the Dead' alum Ken Foree), this new DVD/BLU RAY combo release displays the film in what is likely the finest quality it will ever see. The bonus stuff is predictable but fun (commentary, retrospective doc short) and the film itself is not without its' considerable camp merits. Prefect fodder for the horror goon who still longs for the small scale, mom & pop local video rental store way of movie watching.

Thanks for humoring me, you can write me (if the urge somehow strikes you) at killpeoplenamedrichard@yahoo.com