At his best, he is the greatest director working today. Example: Mulholland Drive.

At his worst, he’s just terrible. Example: Wild at Heart.

by Anonymous

reply 35

February 18, 2023 7:27 PM

I loved Wild at Heart, I thought it was a wonderful road movie! I don't get the hate for the film on DL at all.

My favorite Lynch is Mulholland Drive, which is firmly the best movie of the 21st century.

by Anonymous

reply 1

October 26, 2021 6:16 PM

I liked Wild At Heart also.

His worst was Eraserhead.

by Anonymous

reply 2

October 26, 2021 6:18 PM

I would agree some of his films are huge messes, and i would count "Wild at Heart" and "inland Empire" among them.

When he's at his best though, he's phenomenal. "Eraserhead," "The Elephant Man," "Blue Velvet" the pilot for "Twin peaks," and "Mulholland Drive" (and to a lesser extent "Lost highway") are all some of the best things directed by an American in the last fifty years.

by Anonymous

reply 3

October 26, 2021 6:19 PM

I'm still torn about whether the Twin Peaks reboot was early onset or the most brazen fuck you in history to both audiences and the industry. Whichever, what a load of garbage.

by Anonymous

reply 4

October 26, 2021 6:26 PM

I still don’t understand Mulholland Drive.

by Anonymous

reply 5

October 26, 2021 6:44 PM

Wild at Heart was fucking great! I still listen to the soundtrack.

by Anonymous

reply 7

October 26, 2021 7:24 PM

I loved Eraserhead when it first came out and have been puzzled by later generations finding it repulsive or boring. But then I've hated every subsequent Lynch production I've seen since, including "Twin Peaks" and "Blue Velvet."

by Anonymous

reply 8

October 26, 2021 7:27 PM

I love David Lynch....but after 1 1/2 episodes of the second Twin Peaks I gave up....violence, horrors, and nightmares I didn't want to look at.

by Anonymous

reply 9

October 26, 2021 7:47 PM

His work is not my cup of tea.

by Anonymous

reply 10

October 26, 2021 7:51 PM

David Lynch has talent. His output is uneven.

by Anonymous

reply 11

October 26, 2021 7:55 PM

I just revisited Lost Highway tonight—Criterion released it on 4K and I bought it this week. I hadn’t seen it in years. Still as good (and weird) as I remembered. Some of the earlier scenes are pure nightmare material. Patricia Arquette is the highlight of that film, though Bill Pullman and Balthazar Getty are also good (but more eye candy for me than anything else). Why Lynch cast the abysmal Natasha Gregson Wagner in it is beyond me (nothing personal, she’s just a plain bad actress), but it’s a minor pitfall all things considered.

I frankly have never seen a David Lynch film I didn’t think was utterly fascinating for one reason or another. The Elephant Man is completely heartbreaking, and one of his most accessible films by far. I enjoy Eraserhead for what it is; I think Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive are probably his best films though. Lost Highway is a close third. Inland Empire is a fucking narrative wreck, but it’s also possibly the most nightmarish thing I’ve ever seen. I am surprised that Laura Dern has worked with him so much given how gentle her personality seems to be—the woman doesn’t seem to have an ounce of darkness in her, but she somehow fits into these extremely fucked up movies. Her softness works to the advantage of the films I suppose, but it’s hard for me to imagine her making movies with a character like him. I remember reading once that on the set of Wild at Heart, Lynch dared her to take a drag of a handful of lit cigarettes at once. Dern, a nonsmoker (not that it really matters at that volume) for some reason agreed to try this, and she instantly lost consciousness.

by Anonymous

reply 12

October 14, 2022 5:57 AM

Mulholland Drive is a head scratcher the first couple of times you see it, but upon repeat viewings, there is a narrative that emerges. I watched it stoned once by myself when I was in college, and everything about it really clicked for me. This was one of my few positive experiences smoking pot.

by Anonymous

reply 13

October 14, 2022 6:01 AM

In dreams I walk with you.

by Anonymous

reply 14

October 14, 2022 6:08 AM

I watched Blue Velvet last night. I hadn't seen it in over 30 years. It's still a very strong film, though I was surprised it has more of a conventional, linear plot than I remembered. The Criterion looks amazing so I definitely want to pick up the 4Ks of Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive.

And Kyle McLachlan's ass -- what a thing of beauty. I find the scenes between him and Isabella Rossellini to be both erotic and suspenseful.

I still remember Roger Ebert's review of Blue Velvet. He loathed it and pretty much went all MARY! on it.

by Anonymous

reply 15

February 18, 2023 3:40 AM

R13 care to explain what the fuck was going on in that movie then?

by Anonymous

reply 16

February 18, 2023 3:44 AM

R15 His review of that film was so genuinely patronizing towards Isabella. He basically tried to make her out to be an exploited child for doing the battered nude scene, rather than the adult artist she was.

Wait, did Ebert invent modern Twitter film “criticism?” This is how they all talk now!

by Anonymous

reply 17

February 18, 2023 3:47 AM

“Everything’s dark”

by Anonymous

reply 18

February 18, 2023 3:52 AM

Mulholland Drive is a masterpiece. Elephant Man was depressing and using Adagio for Strings made it more so.

by Anonymous

reply 20

February 18, 2023 4:15 AM

Wild At Heart had this...

So it's obviously a masterpiece.

Offsite Link

by Anonymous

reply 21

February 18, 2023 4:19 AM

Fuck the Wild at Heart haters. That’s a great David Lynch film, my favorite. One name: Marietta to the fucking Fortune! Diane Ladd understood the assignment.

by Anonymous

reply 22

February 18, 2023 4:25 AM

I will never forget Elephant Man. I was shocked and moved by that movie. Its a beautiful movie.

by Anonymous

reply 25

February 18, 2023 4:32 AM

I will forever love Mulholland Drive for introducing me to this song

Offsite Link

by Anonymous

reply 26

February 18, 2023 6:25 AM

I hated "Wild at Heart" and "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me"

I love "Blue Velvet," "Mulholland Drive," and "Twin Peaks" the original series (until Laura's murderer was discovered in the best episode of the whole series, where Maddy gets killed).

I love "Dune" but only because it's so awful.

I have mixed feelings about "The Elephant Man," "Inland Empire," "Lost Highway," and "The Straight Story."

by Anonymous

reply 27

February 18, 2023 7:14 AM

Has anybody seen The Red House from 1947? It made me think of all the best things I like about Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet. The idyllic American suburbia that looks entirely normal on the surface but all the deep dark secrets underneath. Edward G. Robinson Plays a leland palmer type.

Offsite Link

by Anonymous

reply 28

February 18, 2023 7:17 AM

[quote] At his worst, he’s just terrible.

He was 'worst and 'terrible' for the last 30 years.

by Anonymous

reply 29

February 18, 2023 7:18 AM

The great: The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, , Lost Highway, The Straight Story & Mulholland Drive.

The bad: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

Everything else is in between.

by Anonymous

reply 30

February 18, 2023 7:30 AM

The wikipedia article explains the various interpretations of "Mulholland Drive", R16.

by Anonymous

reply 31

February 18, 2023 7:59 AM

Well, he's certainly not the greatest director working today because he's not working.

And, pushing 80.

by Anonymous

reply 32

February 18, 2023 8:35 AM

I think Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is brilliant. Sheryl Lee and Ray Wise gave excellent performances.

by Anonymous

reply 33

February 18, 2023 8:47 AM

Twin Peaks: The Return stuff was just cancerous. I’d rather watch the Fire Walk With Me outtakes.

by Anonymous

reply 34

February 18, 2023 7:23 PM

[quote]I still don’t understand Mulholland Drive.

Me too! (That’s a hint, BTW.)

by Anonymous

reply 35

February 18, 2023 7:27 PM