Worst film

[AndyRM]

Also, Lost Highway is Lynch's best film I reckon, it makes Mulholland Drive look almost normal. Though I may be a bit biased because the soundtrack is incredible and I have a bit of a thing for Patricia Arquette.

 

[andyfraser]

You haven't seen Inland Empire then?

Worst
Film
Ever

I love Inland Empire! Best Lynch film since Eraserhead in my opinion. I've watched all 3 hours of it dozens of times, for fun!

Lynch is class, Mulholland Drive is fantastic, it might even be better than that if I knew what it was about.

I put Mulholland Drive just below Lost Highway but just above Wild At Heart. There's not much in it though to be honest.

Both are class directors, but they have done some dreadful stuff.

I submit Inland Empire and Maps to the Stars as evidence.

I haven't seen Maps to the Stars yet (shock, horror!) but see above for my love for Inland Empire.

 

[AndyRM]

I love Inland Empire! Best Lynch film since Eraserhead in my opinion. I've watched all 3 hours of it dozens of times, for fun!

I put Mulholland Drive just below Lost Highway but just above Wild At Heart. There's not much in it though to be honest.

I haven't seen Maps to the Stars yet (shock, horror!) but see above for my love for Inland Empire.

Fair play. I have probably watched Inland Empire 10 times, but it has just never clicked for me. Maybe one day I'll get it, but even for Lynch it just seems stupidly weird and unnecessary.

You'll probably love Maps to the Stars!

 

[andyfraser]

Also, Lost Highway is Lynch's best film I reckon, it makes Mulholland Drive look almost normal. Though I may be a bit biased because the soundtrack is incredible and I have a bit of a thing for Patricia Arquette.

Mulholland Drive was a TV pilot that got turned into a film (either because it was no longer going to be made for TV or because Lynch changed his mind. I don't remember which.) so it makes sense that it's more"normal". I think Lynch is at his best when he's allowed to just go for it which is why I love Eraserhead, Inland Empire, Lost Highway and Blue Velvet.

I should also mention the excellent and beuuuuutiful The Elephant Man.

 

[andyfraser]

Fair play. I have probably watched Inland Empire 10 times, but it has just never clicked for me. Maybe one day I'll get it, but even for Lynch it just seems stupidly weird and unnecessary.

You'll probably love Maps to the Stars!

I wasn't sure about Inland Empire for a few days after watching it* but after it sunk in I had to watch it again, and again, and again.

* It didn't help that I was sat in one of the most uncomfortable cinema seats ever and a very tall bloke with a huge afro was sat in front of me obscuring a quarter of the screen unless I leaned over at a stupid angle. For 3 whole hours! In that seat! At that angle!

 

[andyfraser]

I'll grant Eraserhead maybe the most peculiar film ever, but I'd say it has a touch of genius about it. Very very odd, even by David Lynch standards, and rather disturbing too. God knows what, if anything, it's about. Perhaps influenced by Chien D'Annelou (sp?) and equally meaningless

It won't surprise many to hear that I liked Un Chien Andalou. Eraserhead does feel very similar in places and many, many people have noticed that, but Lynch has said he hadn't seen it when Eraserhead was filmed. I don't know what the truth is.

 

[AndyRM]

Mulholland Drive was a TV pilot that got turned into a film (either because it was no longer going to be made for TV or because Lynch changed his mind. I don't remember which.) so it makes sense that it's more"normal". I think Lynch is at his best when he's allowed to just go for it which is why I love Eraserhead, Inland Empire, Lost Highway and Blue Velvet.

I should also mention the excellent and beuuuuutiful The Elephant Man.

Agreed.

And thank you for reminding me about Blue Velvet. Dennis Hopper was unreal in that. Utterly brutal and yet totally compelling.

I'm going to give Inland Empire another go tonight. I get where Lynch is with most things and find it really frustrating that I haven't connected with this one. Some illicit substances may be required...

 

[AndyRM]

It won't surprise many to hear that I liked Un Chien Andalou. Eraserhead does feel very similar in places and many, many people have noticed that, but Lynch has said he hadn't seen it when Eraserhead was filmed. I don't know what the truth is.

There's no way he hadn't seen it. There are too many similarities, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I've always thought of Eraserhead as a bit of a tribute, a nod to his inspiration if you like.

 

[andyfraser]

Agreed.

And thank you for reminding me about Blue Velvet. Dennis Hopper was unreal in that. Utterly brutal and yet totally compelling.

I'm going to give Inland Empire another go tonight. I get where Lynch is with most things and find it really frustrating that I haven't connected with this one. Some illicit substances may be required...

I felt that Inland Empire started with a similar feel to Eraserhead so that got me in fairly quickly. I love the rabbits sitcom stuff too. It's like Lynch drew on elements from his previous films so there are nods to Lost Highway and Fire Walk With Me in there too.

 

[AndyRM]

I felt that Inland Empire started with a similar feel to Eraserhead so that got me in fairly quickly. I love the rabbits sitcom stuff too. It's like Lynch drew on elements from his previous films so there are nods to Lost Highway and Fire Walk With Me in there too.

I can't disagree with any of that really. I think the issues I'm having with it are completely my own.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Don't forget Twin Peaks while we're Lynchfesting!

Edit: and The a Straight Story, not your typical Lynch, brilliant stuff though.

 

[Large]

Can't see anything wrong with Sharon Stones performance jn Caisino though - totally believable.as the character she's playing

It was diabolically bad!

 

[Bollo]

Stretching the topic slightly, the only film I've ever walked from was Romper Stomper, but not because it was shoot.

Me and Mrs Dr Bollo have always been big cinema goers. When we lived in Birmingham, we were regular faces at the most excellent but now long-closed Triangle cinema.

Romper Stomper was pretty controversial as it was accused of glamourising the far-right, or at least not vilifying them sufficiently strongly. In the UK, I think it only had a limited release across a number of independent cinemas and attracted a lot of protests from anti-fascist groups.

I wasn't fussed, but Mr Dr Bollo wanted to see it. She's of mixed Pakistani/English heritage and has some "fond" memories of growing up in East London in the 70s, so was interested to see how the enemy were portrayed. I had a chat with one of our lab technicians who also worked part time as a projectionist at the cinema. He said that plod had put a car outside on the first night, but nobody from the many far-right groups knocking about Birmingham at the time had turned up, and the local Anti-fascists had only put up a token presence on the opening evening.

To cut the rambling short, we turned up to share the auditorium with a 30 strong local chapter of the British Movement, a particularly nasty grouping that went on to supply much of the membership of Combat 18. They weren't especially pleased to see a mixed race couple. We weren't much pleased to see them. We left.

 

[yello]

I see I've missed the Lynch mob...

Though I'm now confused as to which thread I'm in; best or worst films. David Lynch does that to you!

As much as I like Lynch (so wouldn't put this movies in my worst list), I find them at times wilfully perverse so can't put them in my favourite list either. Straight Story was sweet though, almost a little too so.

Mulholland Drive is probably my fave because it is the most accessible/watchable without too many of those wtf moments. And has one 'oh my my' scene!

 

[Lisat]

Noah with Russell Crowe. What a load of absolute crap. I was praying that they would all drown.

Closely followed by 2012.