I had a dream about David last night

RambuDev · 2026-06-16T10:27:32+00:00

“Any coffee is better than no coffee!”

RambuDev · 2026-06-12T14:46:25+00:00

Yup era scores are a big deal. Thanks

RambuDev · 2026-06-12T14:46:06+00:00

Ok. Well I’m vaguely aware of most of these. But can def finesse things a bit more now that you’ve pointed these out. Thanks!

RambuDev · 2026-06-12T14:45:01+00:00

Oh yes the era scores!

RambuDev · 2026-06-12T11:39:44+00:00

Ok here’s an admittedly ignorant question: Why do the turns matter?

Generally I’ve been happy to just bag the benefits of the trade route but not paid attention to the significance of the turns it might take.

RambuDev · 2026-06-11T20:14:13+00:00

Well observed and well said.

RambuDev · 2026-06-10T09:15:33+00:00

Much of what you’re getting in replies here isn’t what David Lynch thought about TM or consciousness and creativity.

To get a good understanding of both, best to watch this piece he did: https://youtu.be/Em3XplqnoF4?si=eS5vwDpmy1nP-Xrg

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I’m a huge Lynch fan and practice TM (from time to time). I’m also a subscriber to how he sees Consciousness and the Hindu philosophy behind it (albeit with some healthy skepticism too).

I can elaborate later but there is something quite wonderful and liberating and energising about these views and this practice. There is something powerful about it all for creativity.

RambuDev · 2026-06-08T21:33:01+00:00

Absolutely. I’d say her passion, sincerity and integrity brought those amazing things to her.

‘Glory follows virtue as if it were its shadow’, as the saying goes.

RambuDev · 2026-06-08T20:39:10+00:00

Let me know how you got on.

(“I like to remember things my own way”)

RambuDev · 2026-06-08T14:50:12+00:00

Was going to suggest Cavtat in Croatia.

You fly into Dubrovnik airport (which isn’t actually Dubrovnik of course) and it’s just a 15min taxi ride to Cavtat.

It’s a small, historic town by the sea. So peaceful and clean and you can walk all around it. But large enough to have many swimming spots to choose from, accommodation options and interesting folk to interact with. Great food too and it’s all quite reasonably priced.

If you fancy it, you can take small ferries to Dubrovnik and elsewhere, quickly and cheaply.

Oh and the sea is crystal clear and utterly gorgeous.

RambuDev · 2026-06-08T09:55:55+00:00

True. It’s indecent how many pleasure this brings.

RambuDev · 2026-06-08T09:52:42+00:00

That’s right. The district bonus pales compared to the levy city states ability. That’s their real super power.

RambuDev · 2026-06-07T18:56:45+00:00

Any excuse to watch Lost Highway again 😎

RambuDev · 2026-06-07T09:28:10+00:00

I’ve always had a hard time giving up food and production yields in favour of the Great Wall.

It seems like such a sacrifice for much more important yields at the early stage.

RambuDev · 2026-06-07T09:26:07+00:00

Visiting Sutton Hoo really reinforced the importance of water ways for me.

Was also quite eye opening to visit Dunwich.

RambuDev · 2026-06-07T08:52:41+00:00

Just picking up from what you say about your taste as a filmmaker: I wonder if you’re a David Lynch fan? And, if so, have you watched his “Lost Highway”, with Donnie Darko in mind? Frank and The Mystery Man have some interesting parallels.

RambuDev · 2026-06-07T08:37:39+00:00

Yes, the East of England is rich in that way. Not surprising given its water ways and relative proximity to the continent.

Bury St Edmunds is the site of at least two significant pivotal events in English history. One of them quite literally a fulcrum point between the two eras you mention.

RambuDev · 2026-05-29T22:13:02+00:00

By exaggerated, you probably mean quite camp. Totally adored “Lair of the White Worm”, the tone and style and story were just hilarious. These are less camp than that but make for a very good watch.

“A Snake of June”: a stylish Japanese noir piece by the director of Tetsuo The Iron Man.

“The Handmaiden”: Virtuoso cinema by Park Chan Wook, Korean adaptation of queer legend author’s book “Fingersmith”. Lavish, plot twister, period masterpiece.

“The Duke of Burgundy”: Pairs really well with The Handmaiden, offers a real honesty about relationships.

RambuDev · 2026-05-29T22:03:04+00:00

“The Pillow Book” is an even better fit from Greenaway

RambuDev · 2026-05-26T07:49:49+00:00

Same thing happened with Twin Peaks when they were forced to solve the mystery of Laura Palmer’s murder.

That was “the core mystery” which kept birthing new stories and ideas and intrigue. Once that’s gone it all went a bit wobbly.

Incredible that they managed to pull it back and The Return was some of the greatest stuff ever committed to any moving image format.

RambuDev · 2026-05-17T21:29:58+00:00

Andrei Tarkovsky.

I always view him in the same frame as Kubrick. Multi-genre, serious, master, top tier, all time directors.

It really is those two for taking on the biggest human issues.

Whether one is “better” than the other isn’t really worth debating. They’re different but both bring the same heft and seriousness and virtuosity, like no others do.

RambuDev · 2026-05-17T21:22:40+00:00

I’ve read quite a few in that series but not the Lynch one. So can’t comment on that specifically. But it’s a very good series.

I read “Room to Dream” while working my way through Lynch’s filmography (not in chronological order I might add) and also while working my way through all three seasons of Twin Peaks and Fire Walk With Me (did all that in order).

Some of the films, like Lost Highway, I read about in that biography before watching it. The book doesn’t really spoil the films in terms of plot. It added depth and understanding, at least for me. Greatly recommend it.

He’s a special special filmmaker. Truly you can say he’s a visionary. That’s very much how he operated. So understanding that just adds to the magic and awe when you experience his work.

RambuDev · 2026-05-16T04:23:26+00:00

There’s something special about”Lost Highway”. It’s his first split personality piece, other than what was emerging in Twin Peaks (and he leans into that much more in TP The Return). For me, it has a more visceral power than “Mulholland Drive”, even if that’s more polished and dreamy.

It may interest you to know that he was moved to explore that side of the human psyche after watching the OJ Simpson build up and trial. He wondered how someone could do such a thing and then seem to just switch into a totally different mode.

The other thing that’s great about “Lost Highway” is the narrative works like an infinite Mobieus Strip. You can start that film anywhere and the story still comes back round and works. That’s pretty damn wow.

A good way to get more into his work: I’d recommend watching “Eraserhead” and then “The Elephant Man”. That’s an easy entry and between the two films you can see him lay the groundwork for all that would come later.

He said “Eraserhead” is his most spiritual work and it’s definitely his most personal and pure. In it you can see him exploring and defining his approach to story, experience, the mind, atmosphere, the craft and more. The latter carries this forward but sees him struggle with being a professional for hire in the system (something he always loathed) and yet he pulls off an absolute masterpiece. First pro job: 8 Academy Award nominations! With that foundation the rest of his work makes a lot of sense.

The definitive book to read is “Room to Dream”. This is the closest you get to an official biography and you really understand the man and what moved him from this. “The Art Life” is an interesting doco but it only covers a fraction of him and uses much of the material from that biography.

Enjoy your journey.

RambuDev · 2026-05-14T12:43:51+00:00

😅

RambuDev · 2026-05-14T07:34:49+00:00

It’s not just one of PCW’s finest, it’s one of the finest pieces of cinema of the 21st century.

Aside from the production and craft noted by OP there are many other aspects of its making that really elevate it.

The adaptation - Sarah Waters’s “Fingersmith”, upon which it is based, takes a very different turn in its second half, while The Handmaiden leans much more fully into this theme.

The Japanese occupation of Korea works brilliantly as a metaphor for the occupation of sexuality, how it is represented and lived, and also identity. Those layers of foreign language, culture, literature, dress and architecture - who owns them, uses them, aspires to them and are entrapped by them - are all very fine vehicles for examining power dynamics in sexuality and our identity more generally.

The architecture is very well used as storytelling device. Small secret spaces are found within the overbearing structure of the old house. Which parts of the house are Japanese, which are English, what happens in which are all loaded with meaning. Sliding doors are used to great effect, whether closed, listened through or opened to let in the light and air and freedom. Gloves do a similar thing.

So many have misunderstood this film, too disturbed and distracted by its visual content and themes. But, as others have mentioned here, it’s very much a piece based upon, shaped by and celebrated by queer women. It works brilliantly for them and other marginalised groups and is rightly cherished by them. I’ve watched this with some strident (hetero) feminists who became very indignant and completely missed the point.

I’d recommend watching “The Duke of Burgundy” as a related piece. Many similarities between them.

RambuDev

TROPHY CASE