YOUR FAVORITE David Lynch films?

[Dave Vicks]

Mulholland Drive.

Blue Velvet.

Wild At Heart

Original Twin Peaks.

Not Dune. Not his fault

 

[Le Panda du Mal]

Dune, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Mulholland Drive. And yes, I know how flawed Dune is but I still think it's a gorgeous and visionary feast.

 

[J-Sun]

The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, and (though not a film, as they were co-created TV) the first 17 episodes of Twin Peaks (though the rest of the original 30 are okay, too).

(I guess I should clarify that I listed the movies in chronological order - it'd be hard to rank them precisely, but Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive would probably be fighting for the top spot.)

 

[paranoid marvin]

Dune is fine - as long as you've read the book. The only movie I can think of that (seemingly) that relies on the movie goer knowing the story before going to watch the film. This seems to have been a deliberate choice. Which is probably why the film bombed at the box office, but then gained a cult following from readers of Frank Herbert.

 

[Le Panda du Mal]

I don’t know, I saw Dune long before I read the book and loved it. And a fair portion of the movie’s haters had read the book.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I don’t know, I saw Dune long before I read the book and loved it. And a fair portion of the movie’s haters had read the book.

Fair enough. From a personal experience, I saw the movie before I even knew of the existence of the book. I was struck by the visuals and the sheer scale of the movie; but I really didn't understand it. I'm not sure that it's actually possible to fully understand the story of the movie without having read the book. Years later, I played the excellent adventure/strategy game, and then the even more awesome pre-C&C RTGS game Battle for Arrakis. After that I was intrigued to read the book, then I went back to the movie and enjoyed even more, because now I knew what was happening and why.

It could be that the original movie did make sense, but that I wasn't watching it attentively enough!

 

[Mon0Zer0]

Other than the weirder one featuring Bunnies on low-quality DV (Inland Empire), I can't think of a Lynch film I haven't enjoyed. My favourite is probably Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Straight Story, Eraserhead or Dune (impossible to pick, though really). Also love Twin Peaks - although I wish he hadn't left in Season 2.

 

[Le Panda du Mal]

For sure I really didn't fully grasp what Dune was about- I enjoyed it for its tone, its visuals, its music. I think the movie is best enjoyed as a tone poem, and its weakest moments are when it tries to be expository.

 

[Rodders]

I thought Lynch's Dune was underrated. An opinion that was reinforced by watching Villeneuve's version recently.

I don't think i have seen any other David Lynch movies.

 

[Le Panda du Mal]

I really like Villeneuve’s film, it had some brilliant touches, but I found the costumes to be mostly dull (the Sardaukar costumes were especially poorly done- though the Sardaukar liturgy was amazing), the sets and ship designs looked like everything was designed by Apple, and the music was forgettable. Lynch’s film is mostly a triumph in all those departments.

 

[J-Sun]

And a fair portion of the movie’s haters had read the book.

Count me in there.

Lynch should have done something like The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch and somebody like David Lean should have done Dune.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Eraserhead (of course) and Season 3, Ep 8 of Twin Peaks. I adore all of Twin Peaks but trying to keep my listicle short.

 

[Guttersnipe]

I think both Blue Velvet and The Elephant Man are amazing. Eraserhead disturbs me too much to watch. I've never been overly impressed with his other stuff.

 

[CupofJoe]

The Straight Story
One of my all-time favourite films. Great acting, great photography, beautiful landscapes and a wonderful story.

 

[Foxbat]

Another fan of The Straight Story here. I actually can’t think of a Lynch movie I don’t like. I still have a soft spot for his Dune, even though I really liked Villeneuve’s.

I think his best ever work is the third series of Twin Peaks (all of Twin Peaks are excellent but the third really stands out for me).

 

[paranoid marvin]

The Straight Story
One of my all-time favourite films. Great acting, great photography, beautiful landscapes and a wonderful story.

Yes, I didn't see it when it originally came out, but I did during lockdown when I'd tired of all the usual movies I'd watch. It was a brilliant piece of movie making.

 

[JunkMonkey]

Mulholland Drive - is for me, by far, his best. (That's the reworked cinema version - I haven't seen the original TV Edit) It is one of my top ten films of all time.
Dune - is a flawed mess but I love it. (And I have seen the TV edit of that and it is indescribably bad.)
Eraserhead - is the one I have probably watched most often - and it gets funnier each time I see it.
Blue Velvet - Not seen it since I saw it in the cinema back on its first release. In my mind plays like a dress rehearsal for Twin Peaks but I may well be wrong.
Straight Story - "Look, I can do proper movies! Stop bugging me."
Wild at Heart - just felt half-hearted. Phoned in. I described it being like a Coen Brothers film directed by Lynch who didn't get it.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - had it's moment but overall had me wondering why he'd bothered ( I guess the money came in handy)
Inland Empire - it felt like he'd lost it. Certainly far too long (3 hours!) which is one of the reasons I've not gone back to rewatch it to see if I was wrong and it is better than I remember.

Never seen Elephant Man or Lost Highway and I baled on Season 3 of Twin Peaks after three episodes.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Dune. Definitely not a mess, though not perfect.

 

[Toby Frost]

I'd go along with Dune, too. I do think it's a mess, but it's visually amazing - far more interesting to look at than the Villeneuve version, if less coherent.

It's been a long time since I saw The Elephant Man but I remember it as a very good, quite straightforward drama.

Blue Velvet, Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive were all good. He's good at a type of unsettling, surreal drama that uses a lot of Americana and doesn't quite turn supernatural. Inland Empire was indulgent nonsense, I thought.

 

[KiraAnn]

From Lynch, I would say Dune, but is Lynch anywhere near being a director whom I seek out?

No.