David Lynch, bruh.
I've done a lot of director rankings. Tarantino. The Andersons (not Mr. Anderson, but Paul Tomas and Wes). Cronenberg. Nolan (pre-Oppenheimer). The KING OF THE WORLD. The Coen Brothers.
But never David Lynch. Why? Well, I knew I would get around to it. Because David Lynch would always be there! I have a long experience with loving film and television, and Lynch was, in many ways, the Rosebud, the madeleine, to understanding why this love developed. When I went out west a while back, I had to visit where Twin Peaks was shot and the cafe. I normally hate that kind of touristy thing, but this is the one time I made the exception. I had to see these dreamlike visions in reality.
See, the '80s? They were awesome (as I am contractually required to say by Big Wacky WallWalker) but also? Kind of a cultural wasteland in many ways, where the weird went to hide in a TrapperKeeper while conformity reigned like a Yuppie on Wall Street snortin' some lines and unironically loving Wall Street. But David Lynch ... he understood that the weird was always there.
And he was the director that introduced me to the value of weird in film, and then TV. The idea that things can be expressed simply by feeling them, and not expressed in words- look, I do understand that, despite the fact that I express words, so many words. Still, Blue Velvet was the movie that first made me realize that under the staid surfaces I saw all around me was this roiling dark undercurrent. And later, Twin Peaks was the first time that I ever thought of television as something other than a wasteland filled with disposable shows. And, of course, experiencing Lynch first led me to his earlier films (Erasherhead) and made me seek out his work as he continued to make films that didn't always make narrative sense, but would connect on a deeper level- he was interested in truths that couldn't be said, but could be felt.
I miss him, and I miss the idea that he is out there, somewhere, thinking about what he is going to do next, and how to make the thoughts within him convey to the audience through more than just plot and dialogue, but to connect with audiences on a deeper level.
Anyway, Lynch's best stuff, ranked. 'Cuz that's what I do. With words. And rankings.
But to honor him... this time, no rules. Just the feels of what I liked. But it's all good.
11. Dune- It's better than people said at the time, and I still love it, but the technology wasn't there to accomplish this. A beautiful mess with ideas that work that hit the wall of the studio process.
10. Wild At Heart- NIC CAGE!
9. The Straight Story- Playing it straight and with a G rating, Lynch shows that he isn't just a one-trick pony.
8. Inland Empire- Beautiful, but just behind Lost Highway.
7. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me- is it a tv show? A movie? Or a reverie interrupted? Yes.
6. Lost Highway- On first viewing, it didn't connect. On second viewing, it connected too much.
5. Eraserhead- The only film that still visits me in dreams.
4. Twin Peaks- Does peak TV and prestige TV exist without this? Maybe. But Agent Cooper will have to investigate the issue after a damn fine cup of coffee.
3. Twin Peaks: The Return- Maybe not as crazy considering the time as the original, but a masterpiece of surreal television that remains a masterpiece.
2. Mulholland Drive- My favorite late-period Lynch work.
1. Blue Velvet- Disagree? Fine. It's still the best, because it is. Fight me.
Any way, say anything you'd like.
I've done a lot of director rankings. Tarantino. The Andersons (not Mr. Anderson, but Paul Tomas and Wes). Cronenberg. Nolan (pre-Oppenheimer). The KING OF THE WORLD. The Coen Brothers.
But never David Lynch. Why? Well, I knew I would get around to it. Because David Lynch would always be there! I have a long experience with loving film and television, and Lynch was, in many ways, the Rosebud, the madeleine, to understanding why this love developed. When I went out west a while back, I had to visit where Twin Peaks was shot and the cafe. I normally hate that kind of touristy thing, but this is the one time I made the exception. I had to see these dreamlike visions in reality.
See, the '80s? They were awesome (as I am contractually required to say by Big Wacky WallWalker) but also? Kind of a cultural wasteland in many ways, where the weird went to hide in a TrapperKeeper while conformity reigned like a Yuppie on Wall Street snortin' some lines and unironically loving Wall Street. But David Lynch ... he understood that the weird was always there.
And he was the director that introduced me to the value of weird in film, and then TV. The idea that things can be expressed simply by feeling them, and not expressed in words- look, I do understand that, despite the fact that I express words, so many words. Still, Blue Velvet was the movie that first made me realize that under the staid surfaces I saw all around me was this roiling dark undercurrent. And later, Twin Peaks was the first time that I ever thought of television as something other than a wasteland filled with disposable shows. And, of course, experiencing Lynch first led me to his earlier films (Erasherhead) and made me seek out his work as he continued to make films that didn't always make narrative sense, but would connect on a deeper level- he was interested in truths that couldn't be said, but could be felt.
I miss him, and I miss the idea that he is out there, somewhere, thinking about what he is going to do next, and how to make the thoughts within him convey to the audience through more than just plot and dialogue, but to connect with audiences on a deeper level.
Anyway, Lynch's best stuff, ranked. 'Cuz that's what I do. With words. And rankings.
But to honor him... this time, no rules. Just the feels of what I liked. But it's all good.
11. Dune- It's better than people said at the time, and I still love it, but the technology wasn't there to accomplish this. A beautiful mess with ideas that work that hit the wall of the studio process.
10. Wild At Heart- NIC CAGE!
9. The Straight Story- Playing it straight and with a G rating, Lynch shows that he isn't just a one-trick pony.
8. Inland Empire- Beautiful, but just behind Lost Highway.
7. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me- is it a tv show? A movie? Or a reverie interrupted? Yes.
6. Lost Highway- On first viewing, it didn't connect. On second viewing, it connected too much.
5. Eraserhead- The only film that still visits me in dreams.
4. Twin Peaks- Does peak TV and prestige TV exist without this? Maybe. But Agent Cooper will have to investigate the issue after a damn fine cup of coffee.
3. Twin Peaks: The Return- Maybe not as crazy considering the time as the original, but a masterpiece of surreal television that remains a masterpiece.
2. Mulholland Drive- My favorite late-period Lynch work.
1. Blue Velvet- Disagree? Fine. It's still the best, because it is. Fight me.
Any way, say anything you'd like.
