It's been a long, weird winter here in the Northeast USA and it can be so hard to find inspiration when you're stuck inside. My creative juices get flowing with fresh air, the sights and sounds of nature, from laying down in the sunshine and thinking about nothing. Until I'm thinking about something. But in those times when you just can't seem to find things to inspire you (like the middle of March), turn to one of the most accessible art form of the past century: movies.
I've always loved movies, and like so many others have used them as a way to escape the drudgeries of daily life. But it wasn't until recently that I have turned to them as inspiration for my art, and I am consistently amazed how much I can gleam from them. Ahead are 10 of my favorite films to turn to when I'm feeling stuck, although the list keeps growing and growing.
Alejandro Jodorowsky's Holy Mountain, 1973 (ABKCO Films)
Holy Mountain
Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1973 surreal masterpiece is filled with religious and occult iconography, socio-political troubles still present in today's society, and is downright beautiful. Disclaimer: it has a good amount of disturbing scenes, and a helluva lot of nudity. So probably not the best if you've got young kids around (although I fully support normalizing full frontal nudity, it's the blood-soaked scenes of torture, war and sex acts I warn against). That said, the film is a visually stunning sprint through the strangest art gallery you can imagine, and sure to (at least temporarily) rewire your creative brain.
David Lynch's Dune, 1984 (Universal Pictures)
Dune (1984) Listen, if you're a fan of the book, stop right here: this adaptation's going to get you too worked up. Or don't - keep reading and watch the movie, we could all use a good blood-boiling moment once in a while. If you've watched other David Lynch movies (Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks) you should know what you're getting into: visually striking films with weird pacing and extraordinarily outrageous characters. the 1984 version of Dune is no different. And while it strays vastly from the book, it does an amazing job of visual storytelling and the production design alone will have your creative tendrils tingling.
Spellbound
Alfred Hitchcock feat Salvador Dali, a match made in surrealist heaven. As one of the first films to use psychoanalysis as a plot mechanism, Hitchcock knew that the only man who could help him portray dreams in real life was the master surrealist himself. Every scene of this nearly two hour film has nods to our subconscious mind, and nods to Dali's signature style. It reminds me that my chosen medium can change, morph, and evolve given the right opportunities and tools. Below, the photo this film inspired in me for my series Cinema Tarot.
Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, 1988 (Warner Bros)
Most, Not All, Tim Burton Flicks
Listen, they can't all be winners, but boy are they entertaining. Burton's films are so often about misunderstood, un-seen or slightly off-kilter characters who have a curious conundrum ahead of them. Much like most artists facing the prospect of creating in a slump, or rut, or block, whatever you want to call it. And of course the way these characters get through these challenges is always wildly entertaining, humorous (laughter is in fact the best medicine, ya?) and feature sets, costumes, and makeup that could inspire the dead to write a sonnet.
Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, 1958 (Paramount Pictures)
Vertigo
There's a theme here, if you haven't figured it out: films verging on surreal, featuring fever dreams and artistic sequences. There are so many to choose from, and yet Vertigo is still one of my top choices. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen this film. I know the score by heart. I dream of the stair chase sequence in real life. And I, unlike Jimmy Stewart's character Scottie, am not traumatized to the point of experiencing vertigo even standing on a step stool. But more than the dream sequences, deeply saturated colors and incredible costume design, this film portrays an incredible spectrum of human experiences. Trauma, love, revenge, jealousy, madness, obsession, fear, class differences, and so on. It's hard to tear my attention away from this film, and no matter how many times I've seen it, I find new inspiration in it with every rewatch.
Spike Lee's MALCOM X, 1992 (Warner Brothers)
MALCOM X
I'm sad to say I just recently saw this Spike Lee Joint for the first time recently, on the anniversary of Malcom X's assassination. I watched with rapt attention: I couldn't stop watching. And when it was over I felt so many things -- anger for not being taught this vital piece of American history, sadness for the man's family and the nation, blown away by Spike Lee's massive talent, and inspired. I was inspired to watch more Spike Lee joints, I was inspired to learn more about Malcom X and his impact, inspired to look at the world through a different lens, and inspired by the story of a man who changed. Who took the time to listen to a different point of view, and find meaning in it. And fuck if I wasn't inspired to change up my camera angles to view my subjects differently. I can only aspire to be as inventive and clever as Spike Lee in the way he sees the world.
Pedro Almodovar's The Skin I Live In, 2011 (Warner Bros)
The Skin I Live In
As an artist, I often question my own ability to create something new and inventive. I wonder if my images are too disturbing. I get lost wondering what people see in my art and if they will own a part of me if they own a piece of my work. And while on the surface Pedro Almodovar's The Skin I Live In isn't about an artist, it is about the act of creation, the power of the artist, and the cost of greatness. I'm not going to try to give you a plot summary, this film is so complex it would be a waste of space. The visuals and performances alone (Antonio Banderas frightens and stuns as scientist, god figure, and antagonist) are worth spending time in this world, but the questions provoked after watching is the real reward of this film.
Spike Jonze's Being John Malcovich, 1999 (USA Pictures)
Being John Malcovich
Everyone knows the sayings, "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence," and "try to walk a mile in their shoes," which automatically get a massive eye roll because of course no one actually knows what the lives of other people are like. Except Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), the titular character in this mind fuck of a Charlie Kaufman / Spike Jonze flick. Because he found a literal door into Malcovich's mind. Jonze is amazing at these types of meta, psychological explorations that make you mildly horny and simultaneously slimy feeling. But this is arguably his masterpiece, not only because he was able to cast Malcovich as himself (and about 100 versions of himself), but because every minute of these two hours you will not stop wondering "what the fuck am I watching?". And what better way to get your own creativity flowing than watching something that makes you feel wrong in all the right ways?
Julie Taymor's Frida, 2001 (Miramax)
Frida
Yes, I know, another surreal film. But it's Frida-freaking-Kahlo played by Salma Hayek. It's beautiful, erotic, and somehow manages to validate and erase my imposter syndrome at the same time. It's long and a bit slow moving, but it does an amazing job of reminding me to dust myself off and keep making. Because if Frida, whose body was split in half in a bus accident, can emerge from the shadow of her über talented husband Diego Rivera and create masterpieces, I can wake up early and try to make something that's in my head real. And it's an absolute delight to watch some of Frida's most famous pieces come to life, if nothing else.
Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968 (MGM)
2001: A Space Odyssey
What would this list BE without at least one Stanley Kubrick film? 2001: A Space Odyssey is a classic for a reason -- it transports viewers through time and space and questions the very existence we have come to know and love. Do I totally understand the film? Heck, no. But do I still watch it and immediately hit my sketch book or note book? Yes. Especially in 2023 with our obsession with AI tricks, this film will give you pause the next time you say "Hey, Alexa," and also the next time you're at the zoo looking at Gorillas. But the real reason this film is on this list is because its pacing allows your mind to wander. It's not so fast paced that your brain struggles to keep up. No, its sweeping shots and long stretches of silence gives your brain a chance to reset. Which, in this author's humble opinion, is paramount to getting out of creative slumps. Consider it like sitting in front of Monet's Water Lillies for two hours. Ok, maybe it's a bit more stressful than that but in essence it does the same thing. And once your mind comes back into focus you're likely to re-enter the waking world to an incredibly complex and beautiful scene. Which in itself is inspiring.
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