James Giles
Bio
Writer, confessed geek and pop culture enthusiast, loves film, TV and video games. Blogged and written for various websites on all the above.
Stories (28/0)
Review - David Lynch: The Art Life (2017)
"It makes me uncomfortable to talk about meanings and things. It's better not to know so much about what things mean. Because the meaning, it's a very personal thing, and the meaning for me is different than the meaning for somebody else."
By James Giles6 years ago in Geeks
Twin Peaks 2017: The Birth of an American Nightmare
"It was a fantastic decade in a lot of ways ... there was something in the air that is not there any more at all...It was a really hopeful time... You got the feeling you could do anything. The future was bright. Little did we know we were for a disastrous future."
By James Giles6 years ago in Geeks
Twin Peaks 2017: Part 7 - There's a Body Alright
For fans who have felt The Return has been too slow in driving the plot, has strayed a bit too far from the tone and narrative style of the first two seasons, then "Part 7" must have provided a huge sense of relief for them; "There's A Body Alright" did more to evoke the original Twin Peaks and move the story along than any episode yet. I've spoken plenty about embracing the evolution of Twin Peaks, it's bigger scope, it's deliberate pacing and it's advancements in visual storytelling, but I'll be the first to admit I thoroughly appreciated the warm hug of nostalgia this episode gave us.
By James Giles6 years ago in Geeks
Twin Peaks 2017: The Gifted and The Damned
Twin Peaks: The Return Parts 5&6, titled 'Case Files' and 'Don't Die' respectively, continue the trend of using a variety of digital techniques to enhance the visual storytelling; here I'll be taking a look at a few specific scenes and what they say about the world of Twin Peaks.
By James Giles6 years ago in Geeks
Twin Peaks 2017: MIKE and the Magician Theory
In a show that is built on the intrigue of mysteries, the nature of MIKE and his significance in Twin Peaks has long been one of its most confounding. Is he a spirit of some kind, like BOB? How is he connected to The Man from Another Place, who is referred to as The Arm? Why do they sometimes appear together, but sometimes separately? What are his motivations - his actions don't obviously help or hinder Cooper (or Laura)? Could trying to understand his true nature be key to other Twin Peaks mysteries, such as the doppelgangers?
By James Giles6 years ago in Geeks
Twin Peaks 2017: The Magic of Twin Peaks Special Effects
"The storytelling remains the same, but the tools for doing it have changed. The first two seasons were shot on film. This time we shot digitally. So I used all the available technical means possible to bring my ideas to life."
By James Giles6 years ago in Geeks
Twin Peaks 2017: Wild Mass Guessing
SPOILERS - PARTS 1-4 I wrote in an article just before the debut of Twin Peaks: The Return that it was essentially impossible to predict what may happen, due to the nature of the show, and given we're only 4 episodes in; I also pointed out that, irregardless of accuracy, it is still damn fun to speculate. This is something most Peaks fans clearly know in their hearts, based on the sheer volume of interesting theories that have arisen about what things may mean, who might yet arrive and in what role, and where the story may go.
By James Giles6 years ago in Geeks
Twin Peaks 2017: The Evolution of Twin Peaks
***POSSIBLE SPOILERS - PARTS 1 to 4*** There has been an almighty wave of reactions online to the revival of Twin Peaks, spanning the spectrum of emotional responses, from amazement, bewilderment, excitement, annoyance, boredom and outright contempt. Personally, having seen all 4 parts, I was blown away; from the opening moments I was mesmerised by the vivid imagery, contemplative pacing and the mysterious, dangerous mood that seemed to permeate every scene. The lack of cosy nostalgia was impressively bold, almost nothing feeling like a 'comfortable' reminder of the original, despite the return of familiar faces and allusions to plot beats of the season one Pilot. The wider scope of the story became immediately apparent, as new characters arrived (and left...) in as yet unconnected plots unfolding in New York, South Dakota and the Black Lodge itself. To me this feels like a natural evolution of Twin Peaks; the first two seasons featured the town as a microcosm of America, so it seems fitting that Peaks is now a smaller part in exploring similar themes on a much grander scale.
By James Giles6 years ago in Geeks
Twin Peaks: What Might We See In Season 3?
Ostensibly it seems like a futile idea to try and predict what might happen in the new season of Twin Peaks; Lynch's works have gotten ever more oblique and incomprehensible, in presentation and narrative, with age, and for a guy who's debut film was Eraserhead that is saying an awful lot. But even still, I know that many Peaks fans such as myself, in the 26 year gap between seasons, will have found it almost irresistible to ponder on what may happen come May 21st. So to that end, here are some of the possibilities that I have considered.
By James Giles6 years ago in Geeks
Twin Peaks: In Memoriam II
Warren Frost (June 5th, 1925 to Feb 17th, 2017) Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and raised in the Bronx and East Junction, Vermont, Frost joined the Navy at the tender age of 17 and served aboard the USS Borum during the Normandy landings in World War II. At 21, he enrolled to Middlebury College, Vermont, as an English major, where he would meet his true love and wife of 68 years Virginia Calhoun; they had 3 children, actress Lindsay Frost, writer Scott Frost and Twin Peaks writer/director and co-creator Mark Frost. He spent much of his early career behind the scenes in TV and theatre, including a three year run as floor director and stage manager for The Philco Playhouse, one of most respected dramatic shows of TV's Golden Age, working with legends including Sidney Lumet and John Frankenheimer. A move to Minneapolis saw Frost gain his Ph.D in Theatre Arts and begin a 20 year run of teaching at the University of Minnesota, and directing local productions (over 25) in the Twin Cities.
By James Giles6 years ago in Geeks
Twin Peaks: In Memoriam
Miguel Ferrer (Feb 7th, 1955 to Jan 19th, 2017) The oldest son of Academy Award winning actor Jose Ferrer and singer Rosemary Clooney, and cousin to George Clooney, Miguel was born in Santa Monica and raised in a creatively talented family in Hollywood, California. Although his early interest was in music, Ferrer moved into acting in the 80's, and made guest appearances in many popular TV shows, such as Magnum P.I. and Hill Street Blues. Ferrer's big break was arguably as cocky and ambitious executive Bob Morton, in Paul Verhoeven's 1987 classic black comedy sci-fi Robocop, alongside other 'Peaks alumni Ray Wise and Dan O'Herlihy. In 1990 Ferrer played FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield in Twin Peaks, to critical acclaim and fan adoration; Albert's sarcastic quips and cynical exterior belied a sensitive, humanistic nature which endeared him to many. Whilst he only featured in 8 of the 30 episodes, Albert quickly cemented himself as a fan favourite and his monologue to Sheriff Truman stands out as one of Peaks' best character moments.
By James Giles6 years ago in Geeks
Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 - What I'm Hoping of Marvel's Latest
Marvel's latest galactic adventure hit UK screens on 28th April 2017, but I personally won't be seeing it for a good week or two - a social anxiety about crowded cinemas keeps me at a certain distance from blockbuster releases. But make no mistake, I am excited about the Guardians 2, not least because the original was such an unexpected joy, but also because it introduced some and hinted at other elements of the Marvel's wider Cosmic Universe. I was introduced to it as kid reading my first Fantastic Four annual, which featured Galactus, The Silver Surfer and The Watcher, all iconic Cosmic figures in Marvel; I was blown away by the idea of characters with motives and purposes, not just above the heroes, but bigger than Earth and our cosmos.
By James Giles6 years ago in Geeks
