The Straight Story Review

        Out of the films that David Lynch directed in the 90s, I feel that this is his best in the decade. Now when glancing at the poster or just watching a good five minutes of the film, it doesn’t resemble any Lynch film of the past. No sense of oddity or supernatural, not even a hint of dread that is creeping up in some fashion. In some ways, this is probably his only work where it’s practically normal. He even declared that this film is his most experimental. Either he was trolling the press or maintained his quirky nature to sell the film to his following. 

1. Alvin’s Odyssey 

        Before I begin with my assessment, I want to state that this film and the past one that I’ve talked about are based on actual accounts. Where I failed to mention in my look at Lost Highway is that the gist of the film is about the director’s reactions to the O.J. Simpon trial and aftermath. I want to apologize if you feel that I didn’t give much thought to the film. I’ll say that the film didn’t give me much to talk about even though it has the trademark Lynch weirdness, but I didn’t go and do my diligence to offer some more background on the film.

        With this film, you can say that it strays so far from what David Lynch is known for. Having had a summer marathon of nearly all his films, it’s like a whiplash where you’re expecting some oddity, but the weirder aspect is the mode of transportation that the character uses. The film is loosely based on an actual account that happened in the decade. One of Lynch’s collaborators read about the account via The New York Times. So much so that she and another writer co-wrote the script to which Lynch decided to direct it. 

        We follow Alvin Straight as he lives in Iowa, he gets word from his daughter that his brother had a stroke in Wisconsin. Due to his age and not having a license, Alvin decides to use his mower as his mode of transportation to see his brother. That’s the plot in it’s form, and one would think how would you tell a story with that premise. Somehow, Lynch managed to craft an interesting story about the man and his journey. It’s a road movie for starters, a genre in of itself where the journey is important to the narrative. And one where the characters are changed during the whole process. 

        With this film, we see just who Alvin is. He’s an elderly man who’s living with his daughter Rose. Out of all the cast, Sissy Spacek is the only recognizable name among the ensemble. I feel that it was intentional to hire some nonrecognizable actors as far as making the film more believable. Having someone who’s well known or younger to appeal to a broader demographic would’ve hampered the film and deem it unrealistic for some. And having the film be placed in the Mid-American area like Iowa and Wisconsin is a far cry from the locales that we’ve seen of Lynch’s film. 

        The main highlight of the film is seeing Straight on his odyssey. Seeing him on his mower with his stuff hitched to it is interesting. There’s a moment I like where in the beginning, Alvin is on a farm road and the camera pans up to the sky. When the shot resets back on the road, it’s like he hasn’t moved from where we see the mowers initially. And I say mowers because he rides on two, the remainder is when he’s riding on a John Greene mower. In one way, I feel it’s a commercial to the brand and to the mower since it’s reliable. 

        Alvin’s characterization is one where he is defined by his stubbornness to fulfill his journey. He’s set on his way to go see his brother. Even being invited by a camp formed by a group of cyclists. I like that with a film that is very casual as far as the situation, there are moments where Alvin encounters obstacles on his journey. When the semi-trucks pass him by is when I get nervous. One instance where a car passes him by, and when we hear it swerve. For a moment that he was going to be set back. We just get a glimpse of a woman who’s stark raving mad of what she accidentally ran over. 

        Before I talk about the bigger theme of the film, I must talk about the side characters that we see. In the middle of the journey, Alvin’s mower encounters problems. I like that there’s a group of people that are willing to help him out. I think it captures the small-town selfless service mentality that I think is lacking nowadays. One named Danny goes above and offers him shelter. So much so, to even drive him to where he’s going. Even though the character has a small screen time, it’s the impression and the action that makes the side-character memorable. 

2. Past Regrets

        Aside from seeing the man on his journey, I feel that in one way the film has the theme of regret spread out in the film. In the beginning moments, we see Rose look out of the window and sees a kid with his ball. And moments where we see Alvin conversate with the people that he encounters with his odyssey. The moments indicate that to us that Rose wants something or is fondly remembering a past moment. For a film that is casual as I stated earlier, there’s bits of sadness that’s imbued in it. 

        With Rose, we learn from Alvin that she’s mentally handicapped and had her children taken away from her by the state. The way that Alvin explains it to who he’s talking to just sells it with the conviction that he lost part of his family. It’s heartbreaking I believe and Richard Farnsworth sells the acting part of it. There are other moments where Alvin is speaking to the other people, one is a runaway young woman who’s pregnant. I like the conversation between the two and stress that family is important in the grander scheme. 

        With the conversations that Alvin has with the people he meets, he also harbors some guilt to. We learn that he’s a veteran and he must live with an action that he did by accident. In some way, a viewer can interpret the whole journey that Alvin is doing as a rite of passage. Or some repentance of past mistakes by going through the arduous journey to see his brother. It’s very unorthodox but having Farnsworth portray Alvin as stubborn and repentant makes it more interesting to see if he’ll last to see his brother.

        One more thing is that it’s unfortunate that the actual man didn’t live long to see his story come to life. He passed away just three years before the movie came out in 1999. Even as his trek became an intrigue in the public. He didn’t want to be interviewed by the Late-Night hosts of the time. What’s more honorable is that he didn’t want the fame or the money when he was visiting his brother. So much so, he didn’t get the guaranteed money after his story was about to be adapted to film. 

3. Overall

        The Straight Story is one of the best Lynch films and one of the best films of the 90s, particularly in 1999.

Lost Highway Review

        There’s really no other way to describe David Lynch’s seventh film. Not that it was way too abstract with what was being presented. Or with it being a mish mash of some freaky imagery or the sort. I think this is the one where I was completely lost with what it was trying to get at. Mind you, I typed in notes as I was watching the movie. Although I feel it was a futile since the characters switched and I have no idea as to why. Perhaps supernatural or something that Lynch wasn’t too keen to explain. 

1. Fred and Pete

        Plot wise the first minutes are easy to grasp since we see what’s going on. A saxophonist named Fred gets a mysterious video tape in the front of his door. Both he and his girlfriend Renee watch it and deduce that someone is stalking them, as the footage shows the front of the house. Subsequent tapes reveal more as the interior is shown and their own bedroom. At a party, Fred is confronted by a man who’s face is entirely clean shaven and tells him that he’s at his house. The musician snaps as he kills his girlfriend and is then sentenced to death.

        This is where we switch from perspectives. Instead of following Fred, we now follow a new character named Pete who’s an auto mechanic. And for awhile, I feel sort of lost as to why we switch to a completely different character. Compounding it is that this other woman that he sees looks exactly like Fred’s. Like, his story is getting involved with a shady man and his girlfriend. Pete does some favors for him and he’s rewarded. 

        Now, this isn’t to say that the film falls apart from the story with what’s going on. And I get the feeling that this is supposed to be a about the sexual frustration of the man who feels alienated about not being good enough. Like, we see that both of the men are attracted by the girl’s in their lives, but feel that they are inadequate. Like, Fred is confronted that Renee has been sleeping with other men. And with Pete feeling dejected about his girl but going after another one who’s way more attractive. 

        I think where the lines blur between the characters is that in some interpretation both Fred and Pete are the same person. I can acknowledge that understanding since it’s partially backed up in the beginning of the film. As Fred talks to the local detectives and he explains the situation and why he hates the video recorders. Stating that he likes to remember things his way and wanting to think that it did happen how he initially saw it. More so that in some moments with Pete, we see flashes like lightning strikes that obscure some shots when Pete is in his home or elsewhere. 

        The Mystery Man whose been appearing whenever Fred/Pete are in somewhere specifically is a genuinely freaky person. Just his whole face is uncanny since he doesn’t have any eyebrows and when he meets Fred, he has a smile like a mocking one to him. I feel that he’s supposed to be the personification of death, since he carries a camera on him when we’re in Pete’s point of view. Like, he’s there to be mocking the men that we follow and punctuating it further as he records just how vulnerable they really are. 

        One last thing is the soundtrack that I want to talk about. Lynch must’ve liked the industrial sounding rock music that was pervasive in the 90s. Little did I realize that Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails would help with the soundtrack. It would be years later that he and Atticus Ross would compose and produce other soundtracks for films like The Social Network. Anyways, I like the music that was presented. It felt it was communicating the darkness and anger that we see that Fred/Pete are dealing with. Just refreshing that it wasn’t going for the top songs of the time, but some that fit with the tone and making the most musically inclined Lynch film that I’ve seen. 

2. Vibes and Story

        When discussing David Lynch, it’s really one thing where I don’t want to be too hard on him with how he made his films. Of course, he made a career with going against the mainstream mold of making commercially accepting films for the masses. His whole filmography practically has a cult following with dedicated fans that like the avant-garde nature to them. Like, his films sync up with the people that don’t want to go with what everyone else is doing. And I like some of his films where there’s at least an understanding of what’s going on. 

        With this film, I feel that it’s one of the problems that I have with it. How I would try to explain what didn’t work with me is that I feel that it’s leaning more towards the vibe of the film instead of telling a compelling story. I would want to at least understand the characters that we’re following instead of following a what’s going on that is seemingly trippy or just off putting. Perhaps it’s a problem with me and I should at least appreciate what’s going on and not think too hard of it. 

        I feel that it shouldn’t be the way to approach a movie. Having to rely on just what the tone and what the overall feeling is shouldn’t be an outlier to cover up a potentially messy film. I would have liked the film had it been more engaging and be more impactful with what it was doing with the two protagonists. Just the vagueness of how it’s presented and without any potential need to look it up to understand it, I feel that it’s the rare weaker films of David Lynch. Now, there can be subtlety with the execution, but I believe that it’s amplified where it can be a turn off to some. 

3. Overall

        Lost Highway is one of the weaker films of the director, only essential if you want to marathon the whole filmography. 

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me Review

        You’ve probably guessed once again that I skipped over another David Lynch film. You can already say that this whole initiative isn’t doing the late director any favors as I accidentally skipped over two of his movies. I want to apologize for the slight hiccup, although this isn’t something where I wasn’t expecting from the beginning. I was unaware that both films would be out of print and unavailable to rent digitally or stream. Compounding it, is that I have a limited amount of funds to hunt down a used copy on eBay. Rest assured that I will cover the two films, but I strongly advocate that all movies should be available to stream by any means. 

1. Twin Peaks

        We’ve already covered partially David Lynch’s work. It’s always interesting to see the progression of the director to see the highs and lows of his career. Little did I know that he also had a hand in television. From the start of the decade, Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost created the show Twin Peaks for ABC. A detective story that, keeping in line with what David Lynch is known for, is a surreal detective story about finding a killer who murdered a young woman in a sleepy town known as Twin Peaks. 

        The show was a critical darling and was a record breaker in terms of how many people watched the show. The unfortunate part is that the show in its initial run only had two seasons. Due to pressure from the channel wanting to reveal the mystery killer and Lynch’s insistence of his vision caused the show to be cancelled. Albeit that was one of the key reasons, there were more due to the quirky nature of the show and how it was completely unorthodox to the casual viewer who were turned off by the many Lynch motifs. I personally haven’t seen the show but will talk about the film just on its merits. 

        It would be years after the fact that the show would return through Showtime. The third season dubbed “The Return” continued the storyline of finding the killer and expanding its scope from just a mystery. To say that the show didn’t influence any new show isn’t true since there were others that were inspired by the weirdness of the program. You have shows like The X-Files and True Detective that were inspired by Twin Peaks and owe the show some credit to having an unorthodox narrative approach. Usually, I’d talk about this info in the Legacy tab, but I’ve decided to get everyone up to speed with what the show is all about and its impact on television.

        The movie on the other hand, is a prequel of events that led up to the first episode of the show. And I was surprised to read that the film was met derisively by critics and even some fans of the show. Digging deeper, a lot of people thought that the movie would be a continuation after Season 2. Immediately, the content that the movie presented was such a turn off that some had felt that it was way too ambitious of a project and that it would’ve just been left alone. I’ll admit that I was lost since the quirky nature of the director weirded me out, but I see this film as a steppingstone to the series. 

2. Laura Palmer’s Demise

        So yeah, the premise of the show is that we follow FBI Agent Cooper as he investigates the death of Laura Palmer and it’s links to the town of Twin Peaks. The film is what we see prior to Cooper’s involvement as we see the life of Laura before her death. Just prior to that, we see a preceding storyline that follows two other Agents investigating a death. I felt that we get a small dose of the supernatural element as both Agents gradually disappear from their investigation. I felt that the beginning section was kind of pointless since the whole story is supposed to be about the girl in question.  

        We see Laura as she’s the seemingly typical girl in Twin Peaks as she goes to school and meeting up with her friend. What is surprising is that she breaks that stereotypical mold as she snorts drugs and is a prostitute. Not to mention that she gets abused by this demonic manifestation named BOB. Stick with me here, I know that this is weird but that’s only because it is David Lynch we’re talking about. What I will say that this is a continuation of sorts from Lynch’s Blue Velvet as he highlights the muck under the seemingly normal. 

        With this film, we see that Laura isn’t a good person but is doing all these things because of what’s been going on with her. This film is a character story but one where we see the events that are leading up to her demise. It’s one thing to make a prequel be engaging is that it must really sell the characters that we’re following. Like, for anyone who watches a prequel of an existing series, it’s a thing where seeing the prequel end and where the initial storyline picks up has to feel earned. 

        Aside from everything that Laura is doing as far as her vices, what I really like about her whole character is that she's has some goodness in the inside where she doesn't want anyone to follow in her footsteps. There's one moment that I like where she and some associates are at a bar. Laura's friend Donna follows her and immediately copies what she's doing. Being abused and having her drink spiked, makes Laura want to leave with her. I especially love it when she tells Donna to not follow in her footsteps. It's like she's dealing with this internal trauma and doesn't want her friend to be a part of it.  

        One example I can think of on how not to do a prequel is the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Where that storyline details the fall of the Jedi and the rise of Darth Vader. What makes those movies not work is that the characters aren’t engaging and the tragic fall of one Jedi feels rushed more than anything. Although the animated series kind of rectifies the mistakes of the trilogy, I feel that it’s more of a band aid covering an open wound. This film makes everything that we see engaging where we get to see Laura prior to her death.

        My apologies, so yeah my point is that seeing Laura do these actions and the malevolent force terrorizing her makes her demise more tragic since she’s not an active character where she can’t change her fate. It gives us a clear idea of who she was and making her death tragic as we see that Agent Cooper is connected to her supernaturally speaking. I’ll elaborate more on that motif, but making a good prequel must make the characters engaging to make the initial series more engaging. 

3. Red Room and the Surreal

        It wouldn’t be a David Lynch movie had he not included any recurring motif of the unnatural and weird. This is probably the first instance of Lynch going full throttle with the surreal since there is an evil manifestation that kills Laura and another woman named Teresa. I feel that with how it’s handled is keeping in line with the show, because with how quirky the first two seasons are. This movie is like an opposite where we see a mean spirited approach to the surreal. All of it is horrifying to Laura as she doesn’t know what this manifestation wants and why it’s targeting her. 

        There’s many interpretations as to what the Red Room is and the inhabitants are there for, but I like to think that the Red Room is sort of like a purgatory place where we see that Agent Cooper has some sense of supernatural. I also like the touch of having him looking at Laura in the end. Although, for the other stuff that is presented, I find it weird that the film has moments where there’s actual subtitles of what people are saying. Due to loud noises or the characters seemingly speaking backwards. 

        I feel that this is probably the most David Lynch thing that I’ve seen where he gets to unleash his whole creativity. While it can be confusing watching it and feeling hot when we see the abuse taking place. I will give Lynch credit that this isn’t like the show where it’s the exact same thing, but a completely different experience where we see the flipside of what made the show great. Whether intentional or not, I feel that it’s one of those rare prequels where it sets up the former show perfectly with what’s about to happen. 

4. Overall

        Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is one of David Lynch’s best and one where it’s clearly made for his fans of the show. 

Blue Velvet Review

        After the failure that was Dune, it was a miracle that David Lynch managed to bounce back with his next feature. While his obligation to make another supposed sequel to the book was canned, he still had one feature left with producer Dino De Laurentiis. And you’d believe that he finally received total control over the project. A far cry when the prior movie was taken away from him during the production process. David Lynch’s fourth film Blue Velvet is often considered his best work overall and the one where it laid the groundwork for his rebound. 

1. The Severed Ear 

        If there’s one thing to take away from the opening minutes is that the film is vibrant. We see the clear blue skies, white fences and roses blooming in what appears to be a representation of post-war America. All that though is a front for the muck that lays underneath the grass. I love how the montage is like a sense of normalcy until we see a poor man suffer a heart attack. Then zoom in inside the lawn to see various insects amid the dirt. 

        Kyle Machlachan comes back in the film and this is probably his best character role that he portrays so far. Starring as Jeffrey who comes back from school to visit his parents and to help run his father’s business. As he’s walking around his neighborhood, he stumbles upon a severed ear which prompts him to get the police involved. Little does he know, he’ll be caught in a conspiracy involving a lounge singer. While I’ll elaborate on Jeffrey’s arc in the next tab, this is probably the only normal David Lynch film I’ve seen so far. 

        What I mean by that is that we get a sense of normalcy during daylight. Everything is sort of like a clash between the 80s and the 50s. Like the year that it takes place isn’t important, but it’s perhaps supposed to be an idealistic realm of what is supposed to be a normal town in the country. And I feel that’s what the town of Lumberton is to be signifying. Everything is normal until the sun goes down then it’s a new animal. 

        Watching the movie, it reminded me a lot of the classic film noir movies of the past. In case you forgot or don’t know what that means, it’s a type of movie where there’s a detective involved and of course a beautiful woman that’s either in on the crime or partly responsible of it. With how Blue Velvet handles it, I feel that this film is mostly along the lines of neo-noir. Still retaining the elements but of course in color and is contemporary with the time it’s taking place. I mean it’s very vibrant in some instances, but it’s a façade. 

        As for David Lynch’s motifs, I feel that his moments or “Lynchian” moments aren’t too artsy or abstract in a sense where you have no clue what’s going on. This movie isn’t an art film in the least but a very straightforward movie where you can understand what’s happening. The only abstract moments that appear is when we see a candlelight being flickered or snuffed. Perhaps to symbolize Jeffrey getting into something or something. 

2. Jeffrey 

        MacLachlan’s role as Jeffrey is a complete 180 in comparison to his portrayal of Paul Atreides. He is what you call an active protagonist in the film. Where his own action and curiosity get the story rolling and not the other way around. And I feel that it’s a better way to have this story being told when he gets interested about the ear that he finds. Just his approach gets his wonder growth as he’s told by the local detective that it’s a continuing case on one of the criminals. More so, he befriends the detective’s daughter Sally. 

        This is Laura Dern’s first Lynch movie and she would become another regular to the director in the next film. One would assume that she would be the femme fatale in the story, she appears from the dark when meeting Jeffrey for the first time. She’s innocent and is aware of the investigation that is taking place. So much so that she helps Jeffrey with his endeavor to figure out the mystery and I like her character since I think she’s supposed to be his anchor when he tries to delve deep into danger. 

        The real femme fatale in the feature is when we finally see the lounge singer Dorothy Vallens. She sings the song that happens to be the title of the movie and is also part of the conspiracy. I love how the introduction to her is played out when we follow Jeffrey. Since he wants to do his own investigation, we see how he sneaks into her apartment and it gets the better of him when she finds him. One would think that she’d be the killer but is only been abused by the actual bad guy in this story. 

        It's crazy to think that this movie was the comeback for actor Dennis Hopper. My first exposure to him was when he portrayed the villain in the Keanu Reeves film Speed. And it turns out that a good chunk of his career was that he got typecasted as the mentally disturbed/villain in some instances. Hopper portrays Frank as the main criminal who abuses Dorothy and is the head of the conspiracy involving the ear. He seems kind of hokey with his performance, but he can easily switch from being that to serious. 

        Any moment involving him must include the breathing mask that is pumping in some stimulant to his mouth. Initially, Lynch decided to use Helium as the gas for Frank to breathe in. I couldn’t imagine seeing and hearing Frank’s voice being squeakier maybe would have brought the film to a hilarious halt. Apparently, it was Dennis Hopper who convinced him to change that gas to an unknown stimulant but I think it works since I wouldn’t take Frank’s character seriously if he sounded like a deranged chipmunk when he appears. I’ll credit Hopper for putting more thought into the character since he was an experienced drug abuser. 

3. Legacy

        Like anything Lynch has made at that time, there was a divide between the critics who couldn’t unanimously agree on what they saw. Some praised the movie as a return to form and for Lynch’s subtext about the seemingly normal American life. The other half disliked the film due to the graphic nature of it, when it’s probably the most tame of how it handled any abuse at the time. As time passed, there’s been a better appreciation for the film and to many claiming or dubbing it as one of Lynch’s best. 

I feel that with the story involving the mystery would inevitably lay the foundation of Lynch’s subsequent work. Just after his next feature, Lynch would go into the television route when he would develop the show Twin Peaks for ABC. That one would inevitably star Kyle MacLachlan as the main detective. The show did become a hit and has a spinoff that David Lynch directed that became the prelude to the series. 

4. Overall

        Blue Velvet is one of David Lynch’s best and one of the best films of the 80s.