The Lynch Ledger
The Lynch Ledger-Entry Ten: Inland Empire (2006)
And, here we are. Ten features, ten entries on the film work of David Lynch. Will he ever direct another? Only time will, I suppose–but it will most likely be a minimum of a decade, between his last official release (this month’s subject) and his next. With the announcement of David mounting a new “Twin […]
The Lynch Ledger-Entry Nine: Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Here we are finally…the masterpiece. So many arguments I’ve endured, so much anger towards the film from the unconvinced–the polarization remains strong 13 years on. You should say to yourself, “with this much heat created by a film, there must be something there, right?”. And there is something there–so much. I find that most of […]
The Lynch Ledger-Entry Eight: The Straight Story (1999)
David Lynch threw quite a few people for a loop fifteen years ago, with his non-fiction adaptation “The Straight Story”. I count myself amongst that company. Mr. Lynch was coming off a roughly decade-and-a-half run that ushered in “Blue Velvet”, “Wild at Heart”, “Lost Highway”, the “Twin Peaks” television series, and its motion picture prequel […]
The Lynch Ledger-Entry Seven: Lost Highway (1997)
It should come as no surprise, to any of my regular readers, that I am a fervent fan and follower, of the work of David Lynch. That being said, I was somewhat unprepared by just how knocked out I was by this latest viewing of 1997’s “Lost Highway”. Every time I see it, the puzzle […]
The Lynch Ledger-Entry Six: Twin Peaks-Fire Walk with Me (1992)
The television series, “Twin Peaks”, premiered in April of 1990, and became a mini-phenomenon. “Who killed Laura Palmer?” never quite reached the frenzy of “Who Shot J.R.?”(from “Dallas”, a decade earlier), but it was pretty palpable, all the same. Even so, I didn’t jump on board with “Twin Peaks”, until it was rebroadcast that summer. […]
The Lynch Ledger-Entry Four: Blue Velvet (1986)
Still THE ONE, for so many, and in such a variety of ways. This was Lynch’s true “coming out” party as an artistic master. “Eraserhead” was just a warm-up. “The Elephant Man” provided mainstream acceptance. “Dune” was the ambitious misfire. But with “Blue Velvet”, David Lynch had arrived. For some, he would never surpass it(for […]
The Lynch Ledger-Entry Three: Dune (1984)
Fyi, to my current Lynch Ledger fans: I re-watched 1984’s “Dune” almost a full month ago(right at the beginning of May), and I’ve been contemplating ever since just how to cover it. Two things: I want to be fair to the film, and try to avoid bias as much as possible. Plus, I wish to […]
The Lynch Ledger-Entry Two: The Elephant Man (1980)
Say what you will about Mel Brooks, but he can certainly recognize a great artist. Why Brooks, you might ask? Well, as a producer, it was the production company Brooksfilms that gave two of the last quarter of the 20th century’s finest directors some creative breathing room, by supporting them with an iconic 1980s’ film […]
The Lynch Ledger-Entry One: Eraserhead (1977)
I’ve been pondering this series for a while, and I guess it’s time to get started now that all the Oscar hub-bub has finally died down. And with only 10 films total to his canon, this monthly “ledger” will wrap up by December—just in time for when the next Oscar season gets truly rolling. Choosing to […]
Reviewed by Mark Leonard 