I had some pretty lofty movie-watching goals for Spring Break, only to immediately catch Norovirus. I ended up mostly sticking to content surrounding some of my favorite artists this past week. I’ve been pretty creatively inspired lately, and watching media made by artists who are important to me – whether comedians, musicians and, of course, filmmakers – has helped me stay inspired through my illness.
Everybody's Live with John Mulaney
I’ve been obsessed with John Mulaney’s work since middle school, and his new talk show is no exception. Each week, Mulaney assembles a panel of celebrities to discuss a topic of his choice — ranging from cruise ships to funeral planning — along with one expert. This panel then takes live calls from viewers who want to share their experiences and ask for advice. Everybody’s Live is an ode to the classic variety shows Mulaney grew up watching and it’s pretty fantastic to witness. The show verges into the surreal at times with its pre-recorded, fake commercials, and the scripted segments are wonderfully strange, seemingly designed just to make Mulaney himself laugh. Last week’s episode, featuring one of my favorite filmmakers and people, John Waters, felt specifically designed for me. On his podcast, Conan O’Brien discussed how refreshing it is to see comedy that doesn’t have “a point” and isn’t trying to start a cultural conversation. I completely agree, Everybody’s Live is detached from the current moment in a way that’s incredibly refreshing. I love it and spent my recovery watching and rewatching the episodes that have already aired.
Perfume Genius
One of my favorite artists, Perfume Genius, released a new album just before break started, so I spent a lot of time revisiting interviews and performances. I loved this interview about the new album with “Vera On Track.” I find Mike Hadreas endlessly fascinating and listening to him talk about the process of making music really helps me think about whatever creative projects I’m working on. The album and surrounding interviews explore aging and the relationship between art and mental health. Hadreas also includes a lot of references to film, in both his interviews and in his work. A couple of his latest music videos, including “It’s A Mirror,” contain references to Teorema, one of my favorite films of all time. I spent a good portion of my break watching anything related to Perfume Genius I could find, and reminding myself how much I love his work. He’s one of those artists where I’m caught between wanting to recommend his music to everyone because it’s so great, and wanting to gatekeep him so ticket prices stay low; in the end, I usually end up recommending “It’s A Mirror” to everyone.
Pier Paolo Pasolini - Agnès Varda - New York - 1967
This is my ultimate comfort film and one I revisit multiple times a year. The entire film is four minutes of Pier Paolo Pasolini (director of aforementioned Teorema and my favorite writer of all time) walking the streets of New York, filmed by Agnès Varda with a 16mm camera. This may sound like the most pretentious choice imaginable, but those who know me know how much I love Pasolini, and this film grants the rare opportunity to hear the filmmaker (who died in 1975) share his thoughts on filmmaking, writing and more. I love hearing how my favorite artists think about the world and am always particularly fascinated by hearing filmmakers talk about how they view their own work.
Twin Peaks
I’m not a huge television watcher, but Twin Peaks is incredibly special to me. While I’m home for breaks, I’ve been rewatching the show with my brother. I love rewatching my favorite movies and series through the eyes of someone who’s never seen them, and the first season of Twin Peaks is endlessly rewatchable, the perfect mix of small town shenanigans and impending dread. Anyone who has discussed David Lynch’s work with me knows my frustration with people who watch his filmography trying to figure out what it “means” instead of just letting themselves feel the emotions Lynch is trying to convey. For me, Twin Peaks is the perfect starting place for “feeling” your way through Lynch’s work — when you let go of trying to figure out who killed Laura Palmer and what the show “means,” you’re in for a completely transformative experience.
My week off didn’t go exactly as planned, but these great watches got me through my virus.
Nicholas York is a sophomore in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He can be reached at nay22@cornell.edu.
