Movie Thread

[CuckTurdginson]

I’ve been told that Dark Tower movie is not an accurate adaptation.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

I think they tried to be "clever" by making it Roland's New Game Plus run.

[Kugelfisch]

I’ve been told that Dark Tower movie is not an accurate adaptation.

By whom? King himself? If so it's likely better than whatever that chomo wrote.

As for general Lynch films my favourite by far is Mulholland Drive. Blue Velvet is amazingly uncomfortable in a way that makes you feel more empathetic with the protagonist than just about any other movie I've ever seen but Mulholland Drive is the best over all and fantastic to watch with people that have no clue about Lynch.

Bonus points if you tell them the clues Lynch provides to look out for. The bed surprise scene is going to catch them so off guard!

[CuckTurdginson]

Its fans usually that say this.

[Rushy]

Inland Empire is the best one if you're looking for surrealism, Fire Walk With me is the best if you're looking for overall greatness and Straight Story is the best if you're looking for pure emotion.

[Kugelfisch]

Of those I've inkw ever seen Fire Walk with Me and it seemed a bit like damage control.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

Straight Story is the best if you're looking for pure emotion.

That movie title is rather problematic and exclusionary for Current Year.

[Lindsay's Liver]

I think it's a mistake to dismiss "The Elephant Man". It's not a journeyman's work at all. It's a David Lynch film. The way he depicts 19th century London is not that far removed from the world of "Eraserhead". It's all decay and grime. It also has Lynch's first great villain. Bytes in that movie is not so much a person as he is a pure distillation of everything that's horrible about the world. I love that movie, but I can't watch it anytime because it makes me cry.

"Eraserhead" is a classic. I only saw it in a theater for the first time a few years ago and the SOUND of it was amazing. There's a constant bed of noise happening underneath nearly the whole thing. Hisses, squeaks, shrieks, industrial sounds. Half of that movie is the sound of it. If you watch "Eraserhead" on a laptop, you might miss that, but in a theater it's enthralling and a lot of work went into it. You can tell.

[Rushy]

I don't dismiss Elephant Man as a film at all, but it is the least Lynchian (and I include Straight Story in that estimation). Aside from the Eraserhead aesthetic partially carrying over (and the dream sequences that open and close the film), it could have been directed by any competent British filmmaker.

Anthony Hopkins giving a very traditional restrained stage performance just isn't what I associate with David's world at all.

[veris leta facies]

Inland Empire is the best one if you're looking for surrealism

I strongly disagree. Hands down the worst Lynch movie, by a mile.

I think it's a mistake to dismiss "The Elephant Man". It's not a journeyman's work at all. It's a David Lynch film. The way he depicts 19th century London is not that far removed from the world of "Eraserhead". It's all decay and grime. It also has Lynch's first great villain. Bytes in that movie is not so much a person as he is a pure distillation of everything that's horrible about the world. I love that movie, but I can't watch it anytime because it makes me cry.

"Eraserhead" is a classic. I only saw it in a theater for the first time a few years ago and the SOUND of it was amazing. There's a constant bed of noise happening underneath nearly the whole thing. Hisses, squeaks, shrieks, industrial sounds. Half of that movie is the sound of it. If you watch "Eraserhead" on a laptop, you might miss that, but in a theater it's enthralling and a lot of work went into it. You can tell.

Perhaps Lynch's directorial work on The Elephant Man wasn't a 100% hired gun situation, but it also wasn't his own passion project. Lynch ended up directing The Elephant Man somewhat by chance, Mel Brooks wanted to produce a film on the subject, and after seeing Eraserhead and liking it, he hired Lynch for the job. That being said, while Lynch was given a finished script, he did modify it and was involved in its finalization. The Elephant Man is somewhat on the borderline of being considered Lynch's auteur work, though his distinctive directorial style is clearly present in the film, like his use of light and shadow and his way of creating dreamlike atmospheres.

You're absolutely right about the sound design in Eraserhead. I haven't seen it in a theater myself, but it's definitely a film that should be watched with proper audio equipment to fully appreciate the experience. The movie is borderline musical (soundcal?). This scene is a great example of how sound design adds extra impact:



Surreal, intense and hilarious. Chef's kiss.