Gutted. RIP David Lynch.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

The Criterion Channel has made David Lynch: The Art Life free to view, no account needed.

[Johnny Stickman Way Out Hep Cat Find all posts View Profile Close Johnny Stickman]

I think it's impossible to be an aspiring artist without a love for Lynch. Watching Eraserhead at age 15 was an important experience for me. He played huge role in my love for art and film, and I assume the same for many others out there. I popped in Blue Velvet after the I read the news. I was awestruck (hadn't seen for a spell) by how darkly funny it is, but also moved by how beautiful it is at the same time. I'll admit that I'm sentimental, and the scene between Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern, where they profess their love was really touching. That's what impressed me about that film, just the combination of dark humor, striking imagery, frightening shots of Dorothy Vallen's apartment, etc.

I think I might check out The Straight Story next. I haven't seen that one.

[Derrick King Waterfall Puncher Find all posts View Profile Close Derrick King]

The Criterion Channel has made David Lynch: The Art Life free to view, no account needed.

here is a link to the film

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

Okay, I may be over bawling like a small child at this news. That was a apparently more of an emotional impact than I thought it was.

I watched Fire Walk With Me this weekend, again that Q2 Fanedit with the Missing Pieces added back in, and enjoyed every second of it. Whether or not Lynch wanted those scenes on the cutting room floor or trimmed for length, I love that we have an almost feature length film of more Lynch/Twin Peaks craziness to wade around in.

I'm thinking Blue Velvet and Elephant Man this week.

The Art Life that was mentioned is a wonderful film if you haven't seen it, and though The Straight Story doesn't dazzle me like his other films, it's still quite good.

It's funny to me now that WILD AT HEART, a film I LOVED when it came out is now a film I can not stand to watch. Laura Dern just ruins everything about it for me.

Gonna be another bunch of years before I attempt INLAND EMPIRE again. With respect to David's artistic vision.....ick.

[JoeS Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoeS]

The remarkable outpouring of emotion in the cinema world to the passing of DAVID LYNCH has been extraordinary. He was the kind of idiosyncratic visionary that made him a singular figure.

Reflecting on Lynch the past couple of days, one thing struck me: David Lynch made “only” ten feature films. TEN – over a five decade career. Unlike prolific contemporaries like Spielberg and Scorsese, Lynch was more along the lines of Kubrick (thirteen films) and Malick (he's working on his tenth). Of course, in addition to the full length films, Lynch also did TV series, shorts and a variety of art projects. His personality itself was an 'art project'. Still, it's the ten features – and Twin Peaks – which defined him to general audiences. Quality over Quantity.

ERASERHEAD was an extended AFI student film. Incredibly, that got him the opportunity to direct a mainstream bio-pic, THE ELEPHANT MAN, that was nominated for major Oscars, including two for himself (all hail Mel Brooks and his company for seeing his talent). His controversial Dino De Laurentiis DUNE followed. Still, that film got him a chance to make the movie for DeLaurentiis which truly defined his career – BLUE VELVET.

WILD AT HEART, Twin Peaks (and FIRE WALK WITH ME), LOST HIGHWAY, MULHOLLAND DRIVE and INLAND EMPIRE all followed in the path that BLUE VELVET trailed (this is not to deny that his first three films exhibited many similar traits). Each unique, yet all loosely in the Lynch universe. The one exception is the quirky THE STRAIGHT STORY – which seemed almost subversively more 'Lynchian” for being so, well, Straight!

Much more has been - and will be – written about Lynch and his work. Mere words can't capture it nearly as well as his images.

R.I.P.

[Dom D Spoon! Find all posts View Profile Close Dom D]

Some helpful pirate uploaded Lynch's Masterclass to YouTube if anyone wants to have a look. I think anyone who purchased that class looking for filmmaking tips probably came away disappointed as I think Lynch's processes are really only going to be useful to him. For those looking for an insight into the man and his view of what he calls The Art Life it is an interesting, if long, watch.

[Mark Tolch Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mark Tolch]

That's awesome, I wanted to see that.

[Matt H. Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt H.]

This week's episode of The Movies That Made Me is a glorious 2+ hour tribute to Lynch. First, Joe and Josh talk about him for 40 minutes and then a series of guests for the remainder.

[agent999 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close agent999]

Directors are so anodyne nowadays, it really is a wrench to lose a true original. Not many left.

[Randy G Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Randy G]

My favourites remain The Elephant Man and Muholland Drive. The Return is one of the best things made for tv ever. RIP.