David Lynch has always been the kind of artist you either like, pretend you like, or hate but pretend you don't. Most of it is due to the fact tht even if you DO hate his work you can't deny it's originality and personality. The first of his films I saw was as a kid when a friend of mine snuck of copy of Eraserhead thinking it was gonna be your typical slasher flick...needless to say we were surprised. The Elephant Man was next and is now a staple of many High School classes...but it was not till I was a teen that I was able to see his more famous work.
Their are two standouts and for me Blue Velvet is not one of them. Yeah yeah I know many love it and think it's his best work but I don't buy it...his two best films are Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Wild At Heart.
Wild At Heart pops to the top because so much of Barry Gifford's insane brain was kept with Lynch's screenplay. It's like a fine mixed drink...A Film Noir junkie on one hand and the Art House Hero on the other both doing a viciously nasty turn on the standard American crime movie. Many forget that since the love story is so dominant but it's pure film noir at heart. The story plays out at a pace that keeps scenes from draggin, characters for becoming stale, and a plot that lets you know where it's heading but does what a bad cabbie would and makes you go around the city to get a block ahead...it's hard not to walk away from that and not want to live, breathe, and be it. I was an impressionable lad so I made sure my X-Mas list had the same coat that Nic Cage had in the movie. Was never bold enough to wear it much though. The film has lovingly returned to the home market via a beautiful DVD...so if you havn't seen it....go see it...and if you have...well...go buy it.
Though I put it at #2 this is my favourite, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me serves as the ending/prelude for the TV series...in it questions are answered (no worries I won't ruin any of it) and other are raised but best of all you see the loving detail and debauchary given to the quirky little town that has damn good cherry pie. Where it departs from the series is the mood set by the editing and photography. You have this sense (yet again) noir feel mixed with horror films of the late 70's. Color and shadow become as vital characters as the log lady...not an easy feet to pull off in a film dominated by the exploits of a character that we KNOW dies...so not only are you on edge as to what leads to her demise but you're also waiting for when...a fun ride that ends up casting a long shadow on the whole TV series making the second viewing (again becoming available on DVD) far darker than it was prior to the movie. Many scenes that seem quirky and odd before you see the movie become sinister and perverted along with in a handful of cases...sickening.
How can one not love that?
Any other fans of these films or any other David Lynch movie that care to toss in their 5 cents about em?
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