The Filmic 5: Special YouTube Edition Vol. 2

Your Weekly Film Superlatives By Critic and Film Scholar Jack Hanley

I. We Remember David Lynch

David Lynch was, perhaps, our greatest singular surrealist alchemist- a smirking conjurer of terrible beauty and dreamlike dread in equal measure. From the industrial wailing of ERASERHEAD to the uncanny suburban Americana horror of TWIN PEAKS, his experiential contributions forever changed the cinematic landscape like some celluloid séance where nightmares dared dance with nostalgia.

We remember you, David, as you do your final walk through the red curtains. Enjoy this short tribute from our friends at Turner Classic Movies and introduce someone to David's uncanny cannon this week in tribute.

"What a great time to be alive...if you love the theater of the absurd."- David Lynch

II. Why Theaters Matter: A Short By Patrick Willems

I simply adore the niche film geekery of fellow cinephile Patrick Willems- while he mostly engages in deep-dive, long form essays, I loved this brief reminder of WHY theaters STILL MATTER. See you all out there in the dark!

III. Video Essay I Am Loving This Week

Our friends at Little White Lies always have something exciting and insightful to say about film theory...I've been haunted by this lovely little essay on the convention of "ghosts" as metaphor in our modern cinematic landscape and how films such as PAST LIVES, PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, and ALL OF US STRANGERS employ it to subvert classic horror tropes to tell unconventional, distinctly modern "ghost stories".

IV. And Speaking Of IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE...

Three Reasons. Streaming now on Max, Hulu, and Criterion. Thank me later.

V. Film Class 1o1: The Blacklist Explained

Seemed appropriate.

Jack Hanley is a Boulder-based film scholar, podcaster, and critic. He is a programmer with the Chicago Underground Film Festival and Boulder International Film Festival. He is one-half of Blindspotting: A Film Discovery Podcast and Flicker with Jack and Scott on YouTube. Find him at Kinophilia on Medium and at HanleyOnFilm.com