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Watching David Lynch's Eraserhead by oneself is a profoundly disturbing and unappealing experience... with crazy stop-motion alien babies and bloody, gyrating roast chickens, it is somewhat like a Tool video without any volume. In fact, watching anything that David Lynch has ever touched is a poor idea unless you have someone you can turn to, with an incredulous and terrified expression, when the going gets weird and the brain twists unpleasantly. And then you can both simultaneously say, "What the fuck??" and laugh nervously, because perhaps one of you gets the convoluted symbolism, but also probably not because David Lynch is a madman. His work is cool but it makes me apprehensive.

Right now I am watching a girl with giant cysts on her cheeks dance on a tiny stage behind a radiator. She smiles needily as she shuffles, smushing mutant sperm under her tap shoes. Alone, it is unpalatable.

And, of course, this film is hailed as 'cinematic genius' which is what everyone says when a movie is either too hideous and awkward or too lengthy to be genuinely enjoyable. In film, art is rarely pleasure. Genius has little replay value.

I am doing that thing where you watch a movie but compulsively and periodically check other open programs and websites on your PC in order to anchor yourself to sanity. I think that in the absence of companionship, nervous fidgeting to survive David Lynch is okay.

[David Lynch] [Eraserhead] [unpleasant movies]

Posted by Chris at 09:53 AM >> Commentations (3)