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I like you, Red.
This just reinforces my fondness for you.
Lynch is a genius. He's a remarkable film-maker and a unique spirit. A true artist. There has never been another film-maker that has been able to physcially, emotionally, and psycologically affect me the way he does. INLAND EMPIRE is the apex of this...
I absolutely adored this movie. Something about the sound, the ambiance throughout. So many times, I am wooed by Lynch's silence - or use of silence. IE is the opposite. There's never a quiet moment. There is some sort of noise - music, dialogue, white noise, background life, etc - happing underneath all 3.5 hours of this thing. It's haunting. The story is perhaps not completely original and unique, but Lynch's take on it cerainly is. It's brave. It's visionary.
Lynch is the bravest artist in Hollywood. He's never afraid to just to where his instinct and vision take him. He's a pioneer and an innovator. I can't say enough good things about this guy.
The film itself just blows my mind. He keeps getting more interesting for me. MULHOLLAND DRIVE is probably still my favorite because of the balance it strikes. The beauty vs the horror. The dream vs the reality. The humor vs the horror. The genuine, true love vs the violent, abusive hate. It's pretty and incredibly difficult to watch at the same time. And that movie is terrifying.... That said, I had high hopes for IE, but a few of my friends were very underwhelmed with the finished product.
I bought IE - sight unseen - once it hit DVD. I waited for a night that the wife was away at work. I popped in the movie, turned off the lights (and the world) and lost myself for three + hours. My initial reaction was that it was a griddier, seedier, harder MD. Some very obvious Lynchian themes. Images we're all used to. But there's something else, isn't there? Like, right under the surface. Something brand new, scratching, peeling...
The choice to go digital is remarkable and really allows access to Lynch's world like I've never imagined. Laura Dern should have not only won an Oscar for her performance, but maybe should have been made Queen of the World for a week or two. She blows this movie wide open. A lesser performer and the movie treads that edge of alienation. A lesser writer/director and the movie falls into the deep trench of self-agrandizing masterbation (see Pink Floyd's THE WALL).
The movie wouldn't let go of me for weeks. The images still haunt me from time to time. Like all of Lynch's films (except maybe STRAIGHT STORY) there are moments that scare the soul out of me. That man understands madenss and fear (as well as beauty and love) better than any artist working today. The movie is scary. And what makes it even scarier (you hit the nail right on the head here) is that it's very sexy. It's so odd to be attracted to fear in this way. It's not arrousing, necessarily - though that's there too in pieces - it's more like a seduction of the unknown. An outside culling. A warm breeze that smells of childhood hidden deep within a very dark cavern that has no bottom, and no lighted entrance. Brilliant film. Well worth the running time. I recommend it to all.
Obvioulsy, I loved the movie. I loved your review. And any time you want to chat about Lynch, just hit me up. I'm always in the mood.
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