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The Ruth Bernhard series is fascinating! Thank you for introducing the artist to me. I think you framed the concept beautifully with the final line of the introduction and lived up to it with your selection of artists. Wonderful read!

David Lynch films do have a very dream-like quality to them, which is part of his “Lynchian Surrealism.” I think also, as an enthusiastic fan of the novel, “Dune” is just an underrated film in general. I mean, sure, it isn’t great and a bit of a blemish compared to his body of work, but as an adaptation, it was about as faithful as the constraints of film would allow.

“Blue Velvet,” though, is probably my favorite of his films, when all is said and done, and completely understand your dreamy feeling regarding it (and “Eraserhead”). “Rabbits” was on YouTube last time I checked, and there’s a continuation of it explored in his last film, “Inland Empire.” Like all of his work, there’s an incredibly dense and tangible atmosphere in “Rabbits” that is very enjoyable (if unnerving).

I completely agree with this article, and for these reasons David Lynch is my favorite living director. I saw once, I think in the “Lynch” documentary, that much of “Inland Empire” was merely a collection of stuff that he thought would be “cool” to film. I think people forget far too often that, more than anything, film is an art form. People like Georges Méliès and Luis Buñuel did away with the novel and cheap appeal of cinema as mere entertainment at the turn of the 20th century, and over a hundred years later, it seems like people once again need to be reminded.

I do think, however, that approaching the film in an non-interpretive sense is also an intellectual pursuit as much as attempting to discern meaning, just harder for general audiences to appreciate. I wonder though, do you consider the writer/director/cinematographer/etc. to be an authority(authorities) on their own works? If a director said point-blank, “this film was all about x, and thinking about y or z is totally wrong,” would that really make y or z any less correct than x?

Great read, solid writing!

Yeah, American sitcoms really like to have gorgeous set designs, and I think it sort of reminds me of the narrators insomniac need to buy things on the home shopping network. People love to own things, and so they can almost own things vicariously through sitcoms, or at least, reveal in the fictional character’s ownership.

A really good exception to American sitcoms though, and something of an innovator, especially considering its age, is “Malcolm in the Middle.” What a miserable home and depiction of the lower-class, but celebrated for those same reasons.

I really loved the inclusion of Charlie Kelly and his one-room apartment, too! Great article overall.

Your article is very thorough and well-written, but I do not think there is a push for games in general to be more story-driven, other than RPGs.

I think it is important to note that Japanese RPGs and American RPGs did not grow from one another and instead occurred simultaneously and independently of one another in the 1980s. The story element was always more crucial for Japanese RPGs simply because the Japanese language allowed for much more text to be displayed than the English language, meaning that Japanese RPGs had the spare memory to dedicate to more story due to a compact alphabet. Now it seems to be an exact flip, where American RPGs are story driven while Japanese are turning to an emphasis in graphics and attempting to create a cinematic look. I think that Ni no Kuni falls into this trap, attempting to create something more visual than textual.

I laughed when I saw Cecil’s voice as the top spot, but it is difficult to disagree with you. Very cool list and it was fun to reflect on how much I love WTNV and why. You’ve done a great job at making the podcast seem interesting and crucial to first time readers.

I really appreciate your attention to Blade Runner and Dark City (both films I wish more of 21st century audiences would make time for). I think that Cyberpunk more so than any other Science Fiction genre captures the emphasis of examining humanity in the backdrop of futuristic capabilities and that the future doesn’t necessarily mean “better.” Have you ever heard of the Hedonic treadmill? Cyberpunk illustrates perfectly, for me, the concept that humanity just can’t seem to be really satisfied at any point, and will always push for more. Did you consider mentioning Akira? I am glad that you mentioned the oriental influence tied in with Cyberpunk, and Akira is such a perennial film for the genre.

Also, just as a strange after-thought, would you consider Invader Zim an example of Cyberpunk? It’s not film and unrelated to your article, but I can’t help but note the Cyberpunkian tones and appreciate it all the more for them.

Either way, this was a very astute and well-written article.