David Lynch

[washing machine]

You know what? I've yet to see Wild at Heart, Inland Empire and The Elephant Man.

[parasolmonster]

You know what? I've yet to see Wild at Heart, Inland Empire and The Elephant Man.

I haven't seen Inland Empire or Wild at Heart yet, but I highly recommend The Elephant Man.

Since my last post I have watched Dune and Blue Velvet. Dune was much better than I expected. It's definitely flawed, but I found it enjoyable. I've also never seen so much exposition in a movie. I felt like I needed to read the book to have a grasp of everything that was going on.

Blue Velvet was great, but it was my least favorite of Lynch's movies thus far. I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly why because I know it's regarded as one of his best. Maybe because it was his least surreal movie?

[washing machine]

I love Blue Velvet, if only because it's the perfect expression of one of Lynch's favorite themes. The seedy underbelly of small towns and what goes on beyond the white picket fence. That image of a pretty bird on the window, perched peacefully with a monstrous beetle in his sharp beak. It's not as surreal as what would come after, but it's the theme that resonates the most with me.

Though I love Mulholland Drive even more. Takes that theme and then really ups the ante with identity and dream logic.

[oasisfan35]

I love Blue Velvet, if only because it's the perfect expression of one of Lynch's favorite themes. The seedy underbelly of small towns and what goes on beyond the white picket fence. That image of a pretty bird on the window, perched peacefully with a monstrous beetle in his sharp beak. It's not as surreal as what would come after, but it's the theme that resonates the most with me.

Though I love Mulholland Drive even more. Takes that theme and then really ups the ante with identity and dream logic.

This is where I feel Lost Highway sits at the fore for myself, Los Angeles is far from a small town though it can be; it was also shot with a lot less freedom than Mulholland if I remember correctly. I'm not voting one over the other objectively but as an audience I feel we grew with Lynch (a well known figure in the medium) as an artist and that is pretty rare.

[epilogue]

Lynch's trajectory from Eraserhead to Twin Peaks: The Return makes all the sense in the world. It's almost inevitable in retrospect. Each subsequent piece as added to and been built upon each previous work. The Return was his magnum opus.

[epilogue]

[epilogue]

I'm strongly considering a full canon watch/re-watch. I've still never seen all of Dune. So, I should start there. But I really want to see all of his work again. Maybe next week I'll start that.

[parasolmonster]

I’m interested to read your thoughts on Dune. It was far better than I expected. Not great, just far better than I expected.

The Nicholas Cage one is next for me (I’m too lazy to look up the title right now). I feel like I have to really space out Lynch’s movies so that I have time to process them. I’ve never watched a director where I feel the need to do that.

[epilogue]

I’m interested to read your thoughts on Dune. It was far better than I expected. Not great, just far better than I expected.

The Nicholas Cage one is next for me (I’m too lazy to look up the title right now). I feel like I have to really space out Lynch’s movies so that I have time to process them. I’ve never watched a director where I feel the need to do that.

Wild at Heart! I adore that film. I can't wait to read your thoughts on it. I hope you find it as heartwarming and romantic yet awful and bone-chilling as I do.

I had to space out my Lynch movies too back when I was first getting into him. I find, as I'm far more familiar with his work, that I don't need to do that as much now.

[epilogue]

Mulholland Drive
Lost Highway
The Elephant Man
Blue Velvet
Wild At Heart
Inland Empire
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Eraserhead
Dune
The Straight Story

[Simple Torture]

If I watch Inland Empire next week, I'll try this.

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[epilogue]

That one scene in Straight Story (you know the one I mean) is one of my favorite all-time Lynch scenes. I hate ranking that movie so low. But something has to be at the bottom. Still a really lovely movie, though. Lynch doesn't make bad films.

[Simple Torture]

Wild at Hear picked up a bit for me in the last 45 minutes. It strangely gave me Dune vibes.

[lennytheweedwhacker]

My mom loves The Straight Story. I can’t imagine her watching two minutes of any other Lynch. Maybe Twin Peaks.

[Simple Torture]

I watched The Straight Story in a seminar my first year of college. I had no idea who David Lynch was at the time; I should probably give it another go.

[parasolmonster]

Twin Peaks: The Return
Fire Walk With Me
Mulholland Drive
Lost Highway
Inland Empire
Eraserhead
Blue Velvet
Wild at Heart
Elephant Man
Straight Story
Dune

Honestly, he’s my favorite director and I don’t think there’s a bad one in the bunch. I even enjoy Dune.

[epilogue]

Twin Peaks: The Return
Fire Walk With Me
Mulholland Drive
Lost Highway
Inland Empire
Eraserhead
Blue Velvet
Wild at Heart
Elephant Man
Straight Story
Dune

Honestly, he’s my favorite director and I don’t think there’s a bad one in the bunch. I even enjoy Dune.

If I'd included The Return in my rankings, it would have been at the top as well.

Lynch is the best.

[parasolmonster]

Twin Peaks: The Return
Fire Walk With Me
Mulholland Drive
Lost Highway
Inland Empire
Eraserhead
Blue Velvet
Wild at Heart
Elephant Man
Straight Story
Dune

Honestly, he’s my favorite director and I don’t think there’s a bad one in the bunch. I even enjoy Dune.

If I'd included The Return in my rankings, it would have been at the top as well.

Lynch is the best.

We just started showing Twin Peaks to my 12 year-old daughter. One of my proudest moments as a dad is that she loves it so far.

I’m gonna have to figure out how to make FWWM suitable for a child though. . . As far as that goes, certain portions of The Return too.

But God I can’t wait to show her Part 8 of The Return. . .

[epilogue]

Part 8 of The Return is the best thing Lynch has ever made.