Category Archives: Film Noire

Robert Stark interviews Montgomery Markland about his movie Malibu Road

1960's, 1970's, 1990's, acting, aesthetics, Aldous Huxley, Alfred Hitchcock, Alice in Wonderland, American Culture, Ancient Greece, Architecture, Art, Banking, Beatniks, Beverly Hills, Buddhism, California, capitalism, Carl Jung, censorship, Cinema, conformity, Conservatives, Conspiracy Theories, Consumerism, coronavirus, Corporations, counterculture, Culture, David Lynch, Despair, dreams, Drugs, Economics, Enter The Void, Film, Film Noire, Gaspar Noe, Hinduism, History, Hollywood, horror films, Hunter S. Thompson , Literature, Los Angeles, Malibu, Malibu Road, Matthew Pegas, Media, Mid-Century Modern, Montgomery Markland, Mulholland Drive, Mythology, Philip K. Dick, Philosophy, Photography, Political Correctness, Politics, Prostitution, Psychology, relationships, Religion, Sexuality, spirituality, Surrealism, Terence Mckenna, Texas, Tiki, Timothy Leary, Travel, Twin Peaks, Vice, Video Games, William S. Burroughs, Zoomers

Robert Stark and Matt Pegas speak with filmmaker, Montgomery Markland, about his film Malibu Road, which he both directed and starred in. Malibu Road is available to watch for free on Tubi, and for purchase on Apple TV and Amazon. While the pandemic delayed Malibu Road’s theatrical release, Montgomery has further plans for multipicture deals.

“Fast living Los Angelenos are targeted by the Central Intelligence Agency during Operation Midnight Climax, part of MKUltra. The experience takes a turn for the deadly during New Year’s Eve 1960 and now a professor, a starlet and the workers at a hotel with a questionable reputation must rediscover reality or be trapped in an endless cycle of sex, drugs and murder in ‘paradise.'”

–Malibu Road (2021) IMDb 

Montgomery Markland has an idiosyncratic resume. Originally from Dallas, Montgomery was a state and local reporter in Austin, worked in the Texas state legislature on policy, was  then a producer, president, and CCO at a number of video game companies, before working in Hollywood. Follow Montgomery on Twitter.

Topics:

Applying videogame design principles to Cinema
The Meisner acting technique
MKUltra connections to university professors and Hollywood (eg. Irvin Keshner)
Timothy Leary’s prediction that video games had the potential to recreate psychedelic trips
The History of the Albatross Hotel in Malibu and connections to Old Hollywood
Cinemaphotographic techniques used to capture the psychedelic aesthetic
Distorting reality in stories as representations of dreams (eg. traumnovelle), and influences from David Lynch
Influence from soap operas, telenovelas, and 90s Cinemax
The set design, recreating the aesthetics of the 60s and 70s
Influences from Jungian archetypes, as well as Ancient Greek, Hindu, and Buddhist mythology (eg. Timothy Leary on the Tibetan Book of the Dead)
Hunter S. Thompson
Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo
Malibu Road’s filming locations, including Malibu State Park and Will Rogers State Historic Park
The politicization of entertainment, and why overtly political conservative media fails
Reasons to be optimistic about opportunities in entertainment via niche markets
The Banking crisis, Economic Death Spiral, and narratives of collapse

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, novel Vaporfornia, and subscribe to his Substack.

Robert Stark interviews BLAUERGEIST! about Aesthetics

1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, aesthetics, Archeofuturism, Architecture, arcology, Art, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Beverly Hills, BLAUERGEIST!, Blue Velvet, Brutalism, California, Californication, capitalism, Cinema, Cities, comedy, Culture, Curb Your Enthusiasm, David Lynch, Disneyland, Film, Film Noire, Hellraiser, Historic Preservation, History, Hollywood, horror, horror films, humor, Instagram, Jacob's Ladder, John C. Portman Jr, Larry David, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Malls, Matt Pegan, Matthew Pegas, Mid-Century Modern, Mulholland Drive, Neoliberalism, Neon, New Retro Wave, New York, Oregon, Photography, Political Correctness, Portland, Retro Futurism, San Francisco, Science Fiction, South Africa, Southbound, Steampunk, Surrealism, technology, Traditionalism, Travel, Twin Peaks, Urbanism, Zoning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matt Pegan talk to Portland based blogger BLAUERGEIST! about architecture, interior design, art, and cinema. Check out BLAUERGEIST! on Twitter, his podcast Ellroy Boys, and new web magazine Apocalypse Confidential.

Topics:

The #BathistGang: love of 80s bathroom aesthetics
20th Century interior design genres
80s malls, Robert and Matt’s LA N O S T A L G I A  Mall series, the Breezewood meme, The Canal Walk Mall in Cape Town, and value of Interior Urbanism
Retrofuturism, trends in nostalgia, and Theme Park Urbanism
Eco Brutalism and the Interior Garden Aesthetic
Artists Patrick Nagel, Jim Buckels, and Daniel Merriam, and various sci-fi illustrators
Political symbolism in aesthetics
Aesthetics in cinema: directors Dario Argento and Peter Greenaway, and 80s films Year of the Dragon and Scarface
Horror films 3615 code Père Noël, Child’s Play, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Jacob’s Ladder, Hellraiser: Inferno, Southbound, and Silent Hill: Revelation
The work of David Lynch and the Lynchian Aesthetic
Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, novel Journey to Vapor Island, and in production documentary The Gospel of Gibson.

Robert Stark interviews filmmaker Éva Gárdos about her film Budapest Noir

acting, aesthetics, Architecture, Art, Budapest Noir, Cinema, Culture, Éva Gárdos, Film, Film Noire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark talks to filmmaker Éva Gárdos about her new film Budapest Noir.

Topics:

The historical setting of the film in 1936, just prior to Hungary turning fascist
The sense of what was about to happen and people not seeing what was going to happen to them
Éva’s experience as an editor
The costume and set design
The city as a character
The novel Budapest Noir and where it differs from the film
Location scouting
The set design for the Bauhaus mansion and significance of that architectural genre
The Film Noir genre and murder mystery angle
Selecting actors, and theater background of Hungarian actors
Éva’s film An American Rhapsody starring Nastassja Kinski and Scarlett Johansson
The American release for Budapest Noir planned for January of 2020

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark interviews Filmmaker Steve De Jarnatt

1980's, 80's music, aesthetics, Brandon Adamson, Cherry 2000, Cinema, Culture, Film, Film Noire, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Miracle Mile, Sexuality, Steve De Jarnatt, Synthwave, The Cold War

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Brandon Adamson talk to filmmaker Steve De Jarnatt. Steve is best known for the film Miracle Mile.

Topics:

Plan for a website dedicated to Miracle Mile and Steve’s other films
How Steve was offered a fortune not to direct Miracle Mile
Proposal for the Miracle Mile script as “Twilight Zone the Movie” which Steve turned down
The 80’s aesthetic and revived interest in surreal 80’s visuals
The Tangerine Dream Soundtrack
The production of Miracle Mile, including blocking off Wilshire Blvd
The Miracle Mile neighborhood in LA
Why Steve thinks the likelihood of nuclear apocalypse is greater today
Why Cherry 2000 is very topical now
Whether there will be remakes of the films
Available on Kinolorber with the updated versions of the films

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Checkout Robert Stark’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, Stark Truth TV, and novel Journey to Vapor Island




The Starkian Lynch

 Angelo Badalamenti, 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, 80's music, aesthetics, Alt Center, American Culture, Archeofuturism, Architecture, arcology, Aristocratic Individualism, Art, Art Deco, Blue Velvet, Californication, capitalism, Cinema, Cities, Class, Country Music, Culture, David Lynch, Depravity, Disneyland, Donald Trump, Dune, Economics, Erotized Rage, Fashion, Film, Film Noire, Hollywood, Homosexuality, humor, Jasun Horsley, Journey to Vapor Island, Kyle MacLachlan, Las Vegas, Leisure Suit Larry, Los Angeles, Madeline Zima, Marquis de Sade, Matthew Pegas, meditation, Mental illness, Mid-Century Modern, Morality, Mulholland Drive, Music, Mythology, Neon, Occultism, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Religion, Retro Futurism, Science Fiction, Sexuality, Steampunk, Suburbia, Surrealism, Synthwave, Twin Peaks, Urbanism, Utopia, Vaporwave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and Matthew Pegas discuss the work of David Lynch and the parallels between the “Lynchian” and “Starkian.” Matthew Pegas blogs at Alt of Center | Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit of Beauty.

Topics:

Intro: The Northern Lights – Falling (feat. Lucy Black)
Lynch’s Politics: Admired Ronald Reagan and supported The Natural Law Party
Lynch Endorsed Bernie Sanders and later proclaimed that ‘Trump Could Go Down as One of the Greatest Presidents’
Lynch as an Alt Centrist
Lynch’s interest in Transcendental Meditation which taps into one’s sub-conscience
Lynch as a lone Aristocratic Radical in Hollywood
How capitalism creates faux cultural elites
Lynch’s entry to Hollywood via connections through Mel Brooks which solidified his role in Elephant Man
Lynch’s cinematographic basis as a visual artist and the theme of Neonationalism
The Lynchian aesthetic vs. the Starkian aesthetic and defining what is “Lynchian” and “Starkian”
Lynch and Stark’s self indulgences in their work
Lynch’s interest in Retro aesthetics: Film Noir, animated neon, Mid-Century Modern, and 80’s Vaporwave
Lynch’s affinity for small town Americana and the theme of a dark underbelly to small town life
How the first Twin Peaks portrays a romanticized image of the town, while the new one portrays a more realistic image
The Great Northern as a model for creating aesthetically pleasing suburbs that implement the romanticized image of the small town
Lynch should design a theme park or Las Vegas casino
The soundtrack of Twin Peaks includes a wide variety of genres ranging from 80’s Synth, Old Western, Film Noir Jazz, and 50’s Rock
How the fusion of genres makes it somewhat vague as to when it takes place
Ben Horne as an Old School capitalist who does things that are ethically wrong  yet is rooted in his community
The Black Lodge: it’s symbolism and aesthetics
The philosophy that fear is the opposite of love rather than hate
Mulholland Drive: the themes of Hollywood power and paranoia due to insecurities
Dune: the aesthetics of Dune are more important than the plot
Retro Futurism in Dune: Middle Eastern Archeofuturism, Steampunk, and 80’s aesthetics
Blue Velvet: Sadistic male figures, eroticized rage, and establishing hierarchy through sexual dominance
“Lynchian” themes and references to Twin Peaks in Robert Stark’s novel Journey to Vapor Island

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings and his novel Journey to Vapor Island




Robert Stark talks to Director Jared Shumate about his film Last Night Out

1980's, 80's music, acting, aesthetics, Blue Velvet, Cinema, comedy, Culture, David Lynch, Film, Film Noire, horror, horror films, J.G. Michael, Jared Shumate, Last Night Out, Music, Neon, New Retro Wave, North Carolina, Stranger Things, Synthwave, Theatre, Twin Peaks, Wes Craven

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host J.G. Michael talk to filmmaker Jared C. Shumate about his upcoming horror comedy film Last Night Out which is set to be released on Halloween and will be  available to view online. Check out the Facebook page for Last Night Out, the Official Trailer, and the poster which is available on the Facebook page.

Topics:

Intro: Jerry Galeries’s In For A Long Night which is used for the film and trailer
The basic plot
The horror genre
Dark Comedy with some slapstick thrown in
Jared’s influences ranging from Wes Craven’s Scream to Scooby-doo to David Lynch
The 80’s theme, the New Retrowave genre, and how the music influenced the film
The filming location in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the abandoned lingerie factory, and the surreal atmosphere of forest and ghost towns in North Carolina
The special effects
The actors and characters including a group of teens and two drifters
The plan for a feature length version which might introduce a supernatural element
Jared’s short thriller, The Ramifications
Jared’s Film Noire set in 1946, The Picture Room
Jared’s screenplay, “Otto” which is based on the true story of the outlaw Otto Wood

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!




Robert Stark interviews Musician Jody Coombes of Star Noir

1980's, 80's music, Absolute Valentine, aesthetics, Art, Asia, Asian Culture, automation, Basic Income, Blade Runner, California, Cinema, Cities, Comic Books, Culture, Cyberpunk, Depeche Mode, Dystopia, England, Film, Film Noire, Florian Renner, FM-84, Futurism, History, Hong Kong, horror, horror films, Industrial Music, J.G. Michael, Japan, Japanese Culture, Jody Coombes, John Carpenter, Las Vegas, Leisure Suit Larry, London, Music, Neon, New Retro Wave, Perturbator, Photography, Psychology, Retro Futurism, Sam Kevorkian, Science Fiction, Star Noir, Stranger Things, Synthwave, The Summoner, Transhumanism, Travel, Vaporwave, Video Games, Wilderness, William Gibson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, Sam Kevorkian, and J.G. Michael talk to Illustrator, Photographer, Video Game Designer, and Musician Jody Coombes. Check out his music under the label Star Noir on Facebook and bandcamp, and his photography and illustrations on Flickr.

Topic:

Working on video games including Call of Duty and Need for Speed
Cyberpunk games such as Shadowrun and Beneath a Steel Sky
The New Retro Wave and Darkwave genres
The  Cyberpunk genre
How To Make Synthwave Retrowave with Timecop 1983 in FL Studio
The visual component in making Synth music
Jody’s first EP Psycho City
Jody’s first-ever gig in London at the Retro Future Fest
Jody’s illustrations and 80’s Retro-Futurist aesthetics
80’s Action and Horror films
80’s Video Game Arcades; London Trocadero
The new series Stranger Things and the film Drive
Jody’s photography of locations including the UK, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Nova Scotia
Sinofuturism
“Design is not art….. Design is an exercise in psychology”
Robert Stark’s Paintings which fuse Retro Futurist genres
Transhumanism, Automation, and the Basic Income
The Pilot project “Lost Future” about a man who lost his future
Upcoming projects and performances

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!




Robert Stark talks to Director Richard Wolstencroft about The New Twin Peaks

 Angelo Badalamenti, 1950's, 1980's, aesthetics, Aleister Crowley, Blue Velvet, Canada, Cinema, Conspiracy Theories, Count Isidor Fosco, Crime, Culture, David Lynch, Film, Film Noire, Hollywood, horror, humor, J.G. Michael, Kyle MacLachlan, meditation, Mulholland Drive, Occultism, Philosophy, Pilleater, Psychology, Religion, Richard Wolstencroft, Sexuality, Surrealism, Twin Peaks, Vaporwave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, J.G. Michael, and Count Isidor Fosco are joined with filmmaker Richard Wolstencroft live from the Black Lodge to talk about the new Twin Peaks series and how it compares to the original.

Topics:

Intro: The Northern Lights – Falling (feat. Lucy Black)
The Black Lodge and it’s theological and occult symbolism
The 80’s quality of the original Twin Peaks, the 50’s nostalgia theme, and David Lynch’s interest in fusing genres
Lynch’s emphasis on visual aesthetics in his films
How Twin Peaks was inspired by the Film Noire Laura (1944)
How the new series makes references to other Lynch films such as Blue Velvet
Contrasting the portrayal of the town Twin Peaks in the new series to the original; Richard’s visit to the town of North Bend, Washington where the show is filmed
Lynch’s portrayal of small towns; the idealism of small towns vs. the critique that there is a dark underbelly to small town America
Demonic possession vs. symbolism of the monster within
Cooper’s Doppelgänger, Agent Cooper becoming Dougie Jones who has lost his memory, and whether he will come back
The theme of powerful entities trying too tap into the Black Lodge and how that will become the main narrative
The theme of “Sex Magic”
The film Mulholland Drive and how it was originally intended to be a sequel to Twin Peaks about Audrey Horne
Lynch’s political views and his interest in Transcendental Meditation
How Twin Peaks touches on a variety of themes including culture, politics, the subconscious, sex, psychology, philosophy, mythology, and religion
Kyle MacLachlan and David Lynch as FBI Agents
The prediction that Cooper will return to Twin Peaks and end up in the White Lodge at the end
The role of the side characters in the new series such as Dr. Jacoby, Ben Horne, and Shelly

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Check Out Robert Stark’s Paintings!




Robert Stark talks to Jay Dyer about Esoteric Twin Peaks

1950's, aesthetics, Aleister Crowley, Blue Velvet, Conspiracy Theories, Crime, Culture, David Bowie, David Lynch, dreams, Film, Film Noire, Gender, Hollywood, horror, horror films, humor, Jay Dyer, Kyle MacLachlan, Music, Mythology, Occultism, Pilleater, Psychology, Religion, Salvador Dali, Serial Killers, Sexuality, Surrealism, Twin Peaks, Vaporwave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Jay Dyer about the Esoteric Symbolism behind David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and the new series on Showtime. Jay writes film reviews at Jay’s Analysis and is the author of Jay Dyer’s Esoteric Hollywood

Topics:

Intro Song: The Northern Lights – Falling (feat. Lucy Black)
‎Jay’s article An Esoteric Guide to Twin Peaks
The New Twin Peaks series and how it compares to the original
The prequel film Fire Walk With Me (1992) which reveals the murder mystery aspect of the plot
Twin Peaks’ transition from a Soap Opera parody to a Dark Comedy and then a Surreal Horror
David Lynch’s success in giving clues and keeping the audience in mystery and suspense
Film Noire, the 1950’s theme, and David Lynch’s interest in fusing eras and genres
Themes of dreams and the subconscious
Surrealist influences and David Lynch’s documentary Surrealist Cinema
The role of organized crime in the series
Themes of Conspiracy Theories and the Deep State
Co-creator Mark Frost’s book The Secret History of Twin Peaks
Themes of Occultism
References to Tibetan Buddhism and Native America Mythology
Super Natural Themes; The evil and benign spirits and Killer Bob’s possession of people’s bodies to commit murder
The Black Lodge, the White Lodge, and Glastonbury Grove which is the portal
The aesthetics and symbolism of the “Red Room” and whether it is the Black Lodge or a portal between the worlds
Cooper’s evil version(doppelgänger); Cooper’s escape from the Black Lodge in the new series
How the series is more about Agent Dale Cooper’s journey to the Black Loge then the murder mystery of Laura Palmer
Jay’s expectations for the new series


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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!




Robert Stark and Richard Wolstencroft discuss The Film Dark City

1990's, aesthetics, Akira, Alex Proyas, alienation, Architecture, Art, Art Deco, Australia, Cinema, Cities, Count Isidor Fosco, Culture, Dark City, David Lynch, Dystopia, Edward Hopper, Film, Film Noire, Ghost in a Shell, Hollywood, horror, horror films, Jennifer Connelly, Metropolis, Mid-Century Modern, Mythology, Nihilism, Philosophy, Pilleater, Plato, Psychology, Retro Futurism, Richard Wolstencroft, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Surrealism, The Matrix, Utopia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark, co-host Pilleater, and Count Isidor Fosco, talk to filmmaker Richard Wolstencroft about the film Dark City(1998) directed by Alex Proyas.

Topics:

Australian director Alex Proyas, his background in Punk, and his style
Proyas’s films The Crow, Gods of Egypt, and Knowing
Proyas rebelling against the conformity of Hollywood Cinema
Comparisons to the Matrix which came out a year later and the theme of a meta reality
The setting of the City in a Space Ship disconnected from earth, the theme of parallel universes, and comparisons to the Truman Show
The role of “the Others” in the film; the metaphor for powerful people who manipulate reality from behind the scenes
How the others switch peoples memories and give them false memories; comparisons to Ghost in a Shell
The Gothic and Neo Noire Genres
The aesthetics of the film; Decopunk, Metropolis, Edward Hopper, and other influences
The irony of dystopian films is that they often succeed in creating utopian aesthetics
The films success in building upon the sense of mystery
The theme of man becoming a “God Like” figure restructuring society as a utopia
Plato’s allegory of the Cave and the Ship of Theseus
The symbolism of Shell Beach
The directors cut vs. the theatrical cut

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This show is brought to you by Robert Stark’s Paintings!