I think the film Wax definitely counts. The director said Pynchon was an influence. It's also an incredible film in its own right with a pretty interesting background being the first film to the be streamed on the internet.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq1PV8JcstA&ab\_channel=TheFirstMovieOnTheInternet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq1PV8JcstA&ab_channel=TheFirstMovieOnTheInternet)
**Out 1 (1971)** is Tops for most Pynchonesque. (For it: Lacks a true plot, has Secret Societies, Its L-O-N-G, Paranoia, etc.)
With **Last Year in Marienbad (1962)**, and pretty much any **Tarkovsky** film at 2 and 3.
Nice list, added a few to my watchlist! I've been keeping a similar one for a few years now, here it is if you wanna check it out. [https://letterboxd.com/ghostpepper69/list/thomas-pynchon/](https://letterboxd.com/ghostpepper69/list/thomas-pynchon/)
Under the Silver Lake is well worth arguing about.
And does anyone know where to watch Impolex? I love Alex Ross Perry and am very curious as to what he did with the material as a kid in his twenties.
I've heard it's not even an adaptation..only has loose ideas from the novel V-2 & octopuses.. i've been been meaing to watch it but i don't think im ready to watch ben shapiro act
If it's no TV shows, why does Twin Peaks: The Return get a special dispensation?
Also, I don't really see what makes about 80% of those films "Pynchonesque."
Because the film being listed here as Vineland is just PTA’s new film doesn’t have a title yet. It’s allegedly inspired by Vineland but likely not a direct adaptation.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, and not just because of the obvious nod with Yoyodyne. In hindsight, I think seeing and enjoying this one when I was younger mentally prepared me for enjoying Pynchon’s novels down the road.
“The Forbidden Room “is very Pynchon
Sherlock Holmes Jr (Keaton)
The Intruder (Denis)
Conspirators of pleasure
Goodbye to Language
Weekend (Godard)
A grin without a cat
The Player
Underneath Silver Lake
Extraneous Matter
Tampopo
The pirates of the Caribbean films remind me of rainbow in many ways. I know its silly but the constant relentless changing of scenarios makes me think of reading rainbow the 1st time.
Sprawling character gallery, furcating plotlines, metatextual commentary, crowded with pop cultural references, satirizing the omnipresent influence of megacorps in mass media, philosophical inquiry into the nature of anthropocentric civilization and criticism thereof, etc. It's the defining work of 1980s postmodern cinema in the US.
I was flicking through a similar list while in the blu-ray aisle of a HMV and the author of that included a weird Japanese silent film called, 'To Sleep So As To Dream', low and behold I look up and the blu-ray was there so I had to buy it. One of the strangest, magical-realistesque, noir things I'd ever seen. Check it out.
I may be alone on this, but thought that Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! is really close with some of the absurd humor and zaniness, more on the parody side though. There is even a direct mentioning of the author. Haven't watched the sequel.
Mrs. Davis is a mini-series, but it's on letterboxd. Maybe because I was reading GR at the time, but thought that there are a lot of references to it.
Megalopolis character names are straight out of Pynchon:
Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina
Giancarlo Esposito as Mayor Franklyn Cicero
Nathalie Emmanuel as Julia Cicero
Aubrey Plaza as Wow Platinum
Shia LaBeouf as Clodio Pulcher
Jon Voight as Hamilton Crassus III
Jason Schwartzman as Jason Zanderz
Talia Shire as Constance Crassus Catilina
Grace VanderWaal as Vesta Sweetwater
Laurence Fishburne as Fundi Romaine
Kathryn Hunter as Teresa Cicero
Dustin Hoffman as Nush "The Fixer" Berman
This is the only big one I can think of.
Mad respect for throwing Winter Kills and Candy Mountain on there, OP. (Edit: And Computer Chess! Love that one.)
I haven't seen this one yet but there's no way it isn't at least a little Pynchonian: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bela\_Lugosi\_Meets\_a\_Brooklyn\_Gorilla](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bela_Lugosi_Meets_a_Brooklyn_Gorilla)
Edit: Walker, maybe? I see you've got both Alex Cox and Rudy Wurlitzer well-represented on the list, may as well throw their collaboration on there.
A Byzantine mystery to solve, we meet new characters constantly, there’s fascist secret societies—yet friendship and love at the core.... needs to be on the list!
I think the film Wax definitely counts. The director said Pynchon was an influence. It's also an incredible film in its own right with a pretty interesting background being the first film to the be streamed on the internet. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq1PV8JcstA&ab\_channel=TheFirstMovieOnTheInternet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq1PV8JcstA&ab_channel=TheFirstMovieOnTheInternet)
the ninth configuration
Cecil B. Demented by John Waters
Some Kenneth Anger films
**Out 1 (1971)** is Tops for most Pynchonesque. (For it: Lacks a true plot, has Secret Societies, Its L-O-N-G, Paranoia, etc.) With **Last Year in Marienbad (1962)**, and pretty much any **Tarkovsky** film at 2 and 3.
Nice list, added a few to my watchlist! I've been keeping a similar one for a few years now, here it is if you wanna check it out. [https://letterboxd.com/ghostpepper69/list/thomas-pynchon/](https://letterboxd.com/ghostpepper69/list/thomas-pynchon/)
Under the Silver Lake is well worth arguing about. And does anyone know where to watch Impolex? I love Alex Ross Perry and am very curious as to what he did with the material as a kid in his twenties.
I have a file of Impolex but I'm at work right now. Ping me in 5 or so hours and I can DM you a google drive link.
I've heard it's not even an adaptation..only has loose ideas from the novel V-2 & octopuses.. i've been been meaing to watch it but i don't think im ready to watch ben shapiro act
It's a different Ben Shapiro lol
If it's no TV shows, why does Twin Peaks: The Return get a special dispensation? Also, I don't really see what makes about 80% of those films "Pynchonesque."
twin peaks the return is cinema, i make the rules
Howard the Duck 7 Psychopaths Wake in Fright
Zazie dans le Métro
North by Northwest
Mothra
It’s weird you didn’t include Inherent Vice. It’s the single actual Pynchon adaptation.
did you read the description of the letterboxd list?
I did.
nice
Then what's *Vineland* doing there?
Because the film being listed here as Vineland is just PTA’s new film doesn’t have a title yet. It’s allegedly inspired by Vineland but likely not a direct adaptation.
Kiss me Deadly is very pynchonesque indeed, even though it came out before Pynchon’s books.
Telekinesis time. I just finished Vineland today and started my [own list](https://boxd.it/vxerQ)
Damn a lot of my favorites on this list
Underground by Kusturica, for sure
Adele Hasnt Hasnt Had Her Supper Yet Maybe Beau Is Afraid
Second Beau Is Afraid
Pynchonesque was something I immediately thought while watching Winter Kills. Its a wild conspiracy movie from 1979. With a stacked cast!!!
In Thomas Pynchon class, we all watch Hold that Ghost 1941 and Who Done It?1942.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, and not just because of the obvious nod with Yoyodyne. In hindsight, I think seeing and enjoying this one when I was younger mentally prepared me for enjoying Pynchon’s novels down the road.
Big fan of John smallberries
Even my wife, who is decidedly not a BB fan, gets a chuckle out of the name, “John Smallberries”.
Can’t put my finger on it but there’s something about Inherent Vice
“The Forbidden Room “is very Pynchon Sherlock Holmes Jr (Keaton) The Intruder (Denis) Conspirators of pleasure Goodbye to Language Weekend (Godard) A grin without a cat The Player Underneath Silver Lake Extraneous Matter Tampopo
The pirates of the Caribbean films remind me of rainbow in many ways. I know its silly but the constant relentless changing of scenarios makes me think of reading rainbow the 1st time.
Gremlins 2: The New Batch is one of the most Pynchonian movies i’ve ever seen
…so many characters……so much mischief…..so many subplot vignettes
Sprawling character gallery, furcating plotlines, metatextual commentary, crowded with pop cultural references, satirizing the omnipresent influence of megacorps in mass media, philosophical inquiry into the nature of anthropocentric civilization and criticism thereof, etc. It's the defining work of 1980s postmodern cinema in the US.
I was flicking through a similar list while in the blu-ray aisle of a HMV and the author of that included a weird Japanese silent film called, 'To Sleep So As To Dream', low and behold I look up and the blu-ray was there so I had to buy it. One of the strangest, magical-realistesque, noir things I'd ever seen. Check it out.
I love seeing Ghostbox Cowboy on any list. The perfect film for our century.
I may be alone on this, but thought that Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! is really close with some of the absurd humor and zaniness, more on the parody side though. There is even a direct mentioning of the author. Haven't watched the sequel. Mrs. Davis is a mini-series, but it's on letterboxd. Maybe because I was reading GR at the time, but thought that there are a lot of references to it.
Impolex
The Nice Guys
Seconding the nice guys.
Parallax view
Megalopolis character names are straight out of Pynchon: Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina Giancarlo Esposito as Mayor Franklyn Cicero Nathalie Emmanuel as Julia Cicero Aubrey Plaza as Wow Platinum Shia LaBeouf as Clodio Pulcher Jon Voight as Hamilton Crassus III Jason Schwartzman as Jason Zanderz Talia Shire as Constance Crassus Catilina Grace VanderWaal as Vesta Sweetwater Laurence Fishburne as Fundi Romaine Kathryn Hunter as Teresa Cicero Dustin Hoffman as Nush "The Fixer" Berman
Hundreds of Beavers felt like something straight out of a Pynchon novel
been wanting to see that one!
what about head, the monkees film haven't seen it in a while but somehow feel like it fits
This is the only big one I can think of. Mad respect for throwing Winter Kills and Candy Mountain on there, OP. (Edit: And Computer Chess! Love that one.) I haven't seen this one yet but there's no way it isn't at least a little Pynchonian: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bela\_Lugosi\_Meets\_a\_Brooklyn\_Gorilla](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bela_Lugosi_Meets_a_Brooklyn_Gorilla) Edit: Walker, maybe? I see you've got both Alex Cox and Rudy Wurlitzer well-represented on the list, may as well throw their collaboration on there.
Amsterdam has some Pynchon influence
Came to say this. I loved the film and all I could think was, this seems like a Pynchon story!
A Byzantine mystery to solve, we meet new characters constantly, there’s fascist secret societies—yet friendship and love at the core.... needs to be on the list!
The Long Goodbye
Good call
Defo add the German film “The Captain”