David Lynch - Classic or Dud

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dune: classic or dud would be interesting.

amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 08:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I would love to say that David Lynch is a genius, who knows maybe he is, but he's just not for me. I have seen some of his stuff & I know it's meant to be weird & make you think about it, but it's too much. Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, you can keep them both.

Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 09:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Amateurist I watched Dune a couple of years ago (at a Lynch all-nighter in Paris, no less) & I was quite surprised at how much I was LOVING it, at least until the mid-point of the second act or so when it completely disintegrated.

s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 16:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Wait - did David Lynch direct the OG Dune? Or are we talking about the recent redux? If we're talking about the OG I don't see how it could be anything other than KUHLASSICK.

nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Wait - did David Lynch direct the OG Dune?

Most certainly did -- his third film after Eraserhead and The Elephant Man.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 16:43 (twenty-two years ago)

that movie really has some of the best production design ever. ever ever.

s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Factoid: Jodorowsky was originally scheduled to direct Dune, but his projected budget, among other things, prevented him from doing so.

Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 17:47 (twenty-two years ago)

good

jones (actual), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 17:52 (twenty-two years ago)

his fils can be classic or unclassic (straight story) or downright dud (wild at heart) but as a director and a persona he is never anything less than K-k-k-k-klassic!

Did anyone ever see that interview he did for scene by scene - i loved the bit where he's talking about "the eye of the duck" to describe the key scene in his films.

Also i highly recommend the book "Lynch on Lynch" - so much fun!

jed (jed_e_3), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 18:58 (twenty-two years ago)

wild at heart rules!

s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 19:04 (twenty-two years ago)

I watched The Straight Story again recently and realized it might be one of my favorite of his films (as opposed to the first time I watched it, where my reaction could be summed up as such: "WTF?"). It's very touching, and about as involving as a film with so little "action" gets.

nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 19:11 (twenty-two years ago)

i would've liked it if he'd arrived at harry dean stanton's house in the first reel and they spent the rest of the picture hanging out on the porch

jones (actual), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 19:15 (twenty-two years ago)

(same goes for Chris Isaak in Fire Walk with Me)

Herbstmute (Wintermute), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 19:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Mulholland Drive is a great film for Lynch, yanking him out of his US weirdo cult niche and projecting world class ideas onto the world stage. I fail to see how it could stand a chance at BAFTA with Princess Ann on the board however (Oscars and Globes out-of-th-qn i assume).

Umm. This movie is two years old. Why are we speculating on its award chances?

jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 19:40 (twenty-two years ago)


i had heard a rumor that lucas wanted lynch to direct one of the movies in the original trilogy, my guess would be return of the jedi. anyone else heard this? fact/fiction? if lynch had done one they might've been good.

*waiting for backlash*

Dean Gulberry (deangulberry), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 19:49 (twenty-two years ago)

The ewoks would've drank coffee and there would've been creepy sax music.

nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 19:51 (twenty-two years ago)


creepy sex music would've been good too.

Dean Gulberry (deangulberry), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 19:52 (twenty-two years ago)


i'm guessing the effects would've been worse too, if that's possible.

Dean Gulberry (deangulberry), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 19:53 (twenty-two years ago)

yes lynch was supposed to direct return of the jedi, he turned it down and did dune instead.

anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 20:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Man, I might've actually liked a Star Wars movie. Wait, but I didn't like Dune. Oh well. I would've like to see have seen it done, though.

jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 20:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I love love love love Mulholland Drive.

Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 30 October 2003 00:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Mulholland Dve, Elephant Man, Lost Hwy and Eraserhead are all great. Dune was shite (didnt Lynch have his name removed from it on re-release or something tho? Or am I confused). I wasn't a huge fan of Blue Velvet, and I never watched a second of Twin Peaks - I must be the only person in the world my age who hasn't!

Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 30 October 2003 00:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, Lynch had his name removed from Dune. As I mentioned above, I really thing Mulholland Drive was a return for Lynch; I think it's great.

Sean (Sean), Thursday, 30 October 2003 01:21 (twenty-two years ago)

He had his name removed from the TV version, which did include a lot of extra footage that fanboy me appreciated (and which fleshed out the story a hell of a lot more readily). It was, however, a poor edit in technical terms, most notably with a complete hijacking of the musical score that made no sense.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 30 October 2003 01:22 (twenty-two years ago)

only removed from the extended-for-TV version?

crosspost

RJG (RJG), Thursday, 30 October 2003 01:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Dune is one of my favorite movies ever. Makes perfect sense if you read the book (and don't anybody come back with "it should stand on it's own" bs, etc.)

Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 30 October 2003 01:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Makes perfect sense if you read the book

Yeah, quite right. I read the book a year before the movie came out so my timing was perfect there...

Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 30 October 2003 01:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Btw, Amazon describes the TV version as being 'shorter'.

Sean (Sean), Thursday, 30 October 2003 01:29 (twenty-two years ago)

!?! Amazon is wrong.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 30 October 2003 01:29 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, I have both versions on DVD.

although, N. has had my copy of the cinema one for nearly a year, now.

RJG (RJG), Thursday, 30 October 2003 01:32 (twenty-two years ago)

It's now on my Netfilx queue since I haven't seen it in years. (and what are they doing recommending Cher Live to me?? Just because I rented The Eyes of Laura Mars?)

Sean (Sean), Thursday, 30 October 2003 01:36 (twenty-two years ago)

the recent TV Dune was unwatchable.

Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 30 October 2003 01:38 (twenty-two years ago)

you know the best bit of dune is when alicia witt sez "and how can this be? for he is the kwizzach hadarach!" and inexplicably pulls her bottom lip all the way across the side of her face on the 'be' or 'is', i forget which

cremaster's opulent mythboredom reminded me a lot of dune

prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 30 October 2003 08:23 (twenty-two years ago)

cremaster 2 most indebted, obv

prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 30 October 2003 08:24 (twenty-two years ago)

but not to dune

prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 30 October 2003 08:24 (twenty-two years ago)

to other suburban lynch

prima fassy (bob), Thursday, 30 October 2003 08:25 (twenty-two years ago)

that movie really has some of the best production design ever. ever ever.

absolutely. it's funny how the production design seems to be the central concern of the film for much of its length, but unlike other well-appointed films, the design is actually so rich it actually sustains interest.

this movie redeems dino dilaurentis's reputation from all the europudding he's made. (well, this movie and "blue velvet.")

the last half hour is a mess, yes, but it's compelling for being so incomprehensible. the ending, if you haven't read the book, is just quizzical--all the more so for being so terrifically bombastic and theatrical.

amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 30 October 2003 11:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I really like everything I've seen by David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Dune, Twin Peaks season one), except, oddly enough, for Eraserhead, wherein I was so creeped out by the bile-spitting preemie (I was watching it alone at night) that I couldn't watch the rest of it. I hadn't read Dune when I saw the movie (and still haven't actually), and was totally baffled but still enjoyed it, mainly due to design, special effects, and Kyle McLachlan.

NA (Nick A.), Thursday, 30 October 2003 12:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I used to have some sort of movie-tie-in picture book of Dune when I was a kid. Imagine, if you will, some poor hack writer trying to distill the plot to a few short paragraphs per half and hour. Completely incomprehensible. I used to sit there and make up my own plot to the pictures.

FWWM, like Dune, does have a lot of extra footage still sitting there. As a fan of fractured, difficult art I'm not too bothered about seeing it restored. Pretty much all the series cast shot scenes.

Lynskey (Lynskey), Thursday, 30 October 2003 13:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Taking on Dune was a crazy idea and the (heavily edited) film is riddled with flaws. Nonetheless it is a work of beauty, perhaps all the more loveable for it's faults. The heart plug scene is unforgettable cinema, Sting is absurd, the voice overs wonderfully bizarre, the visualisation of Frank H's ideas meticulous and inventive... I think it's a brilliant, sprawling mash up of a movie, amazing to look at and absolutely crammed with diverting details.

Err, Lynch incidentally is brain-crushingly classic.

Alex K (Alex K), Thursday, 30 October 2003 13:08 (twenty-two years ago)

i'd love to see at least some of the fwwm stuff restored or at least assembled if it can't be edited in. the full script was wonderous (I'm sure it's still around on the web somewhere). FWWM gets a bad rap, it's a zany circus of a film with some excellent scenes (the Pink Room nightclub scene, the final shots in the black lodge, the entire opening sequence with Chris Isaak and Keifer).

anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Thursday, 30 October 2003 17:55 (twenty-two years ago)

I used to have some sort of movie-tie-in picture book of Dune when I was a kid. Imagine, if you will, some poor hack writer trying to distill the plot to a few short paragraphs per half and hour. Completely incomprehensible

There's a much better book out there if you can find it at all -- The Making of Dune by Ed Naha. He was hired to essentially hang around on site during the entire length of filming and write a book about it all and did a fantastic job, I thought. While essentially uncritical about the final product itself, it actually doesn't talk about that so much as just the filming itself. Also laden with tons of photos.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 30 October 2003 18:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Classic for pretty much everything he's made.

Here's ten, in order of "classicness":

1. Mulholland Drive
2. Eraserhead
3. Blue Velvet
4. Wild at Heart
5. Elephant Man
6. Twin Peaks
7. The Straight Story
8. Dune
9. Fire Walk with Me
10. Lost Highway

David A. (Davant), Thursday, 30 October 2003 23:49 (twenty-two years ago)

i read the full script for FWWM and thought it was dumbly literal, and was mostly glad it had been chopped to bits for the final product.

amateurist (amateurist), Friday, 31 October 2003 10:45 (twenty-two years ago)

The order in which i like them - not much to do with "classicsness" - wild at heart is the only one i actively dislike so it's not on there.

1. Mulholland Drive
2. Blue Velvet
3. Eraserhead
4. Elephant Man
5. Lost Highway
6. Fire Walk with Me
7. Twin Peaks
8. Dune
9.The Straight Story

jed (jed_e_3), Friday, 31 October 2003 11:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Umm. This movie is two years old. Why are we speculating on its award chances?

sorry, jaymc, my aside has troubled you, AND i used the wrong tense in one sentence!
and it revived a discussion, how about that ?
but huh ?, you haven't commented on Princess Anne and the BAFTAs, which was what i was getting at. Or anything else beyond the semantics of said paragraph. What do YOU THINK ?

george gosset (gegoss), Friday, 31 October 2003 16:53 (twenty-two years ago)

eleven months pass...
Wild At Heart is fantastic - reading the book might help if you don't get the movie

I'm not sure I'll ever get round reading the book so could somebody please summarize what it adds to the movie?

Baaderonixxx le Jeune (Fabfunk), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

words

amateur!!st, Tuesday, 26 October 2004 16:35 (twenty-one years ago)

If George Gosset cares a year later, I apologize for being snarky. I thought maybe you didn't realize that Mulholland Drive wouldn't be eligible for a BAFTA in 2003, since it came out in 2001 (maybe 2002 in the UK, I'm not sure).

jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 16:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Region 1 Wild at Heart DVD is finally coming in December!

Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 16:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Hilarious pic. As someone noted, Atlas Shrugged is the most creased spine.

From the personal library of David Lynch pic.twitter.com/nFSKukPoec

— Lee (@leeartr) May 29, 2025

xyzzzz__, Friday, 30 May 2025 09:27 (five months ago)

Zibaldone is just sending me...

xyzzzz__, Friday, 30 May 2025 09:28 (five months ago)

A fitting post from an old friend after Lynch passed:

David Lynch-related story from last year. It's not a serious anecdote and it's a little embarrassing but... here goes. On July 8 I was in Los Angeles and drove to the Bill Pullman residence from LOST HIGHWAY (the first photo). The house, which belonged to Lynch, is not immediately recognizable -- in the movie Lynch frames it in a way to hide certain architectural details, like the triangles at the top. And there's some disrepair. The house right next door to this one also belonged to Lynch and at the time was used as his office or primary residence from what I gather. Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone emerge from this other house and leave a rocking chair on the curb. I called my friend Kyle; we came back half an hour later and put the (obviously discarded) chair into the trunk of my friend Felipe's car. We thought this chair could have belonged to David Lynch-- why not take it as a souvenir? Later we showed the image (the second photo) to a friend of ours who worked for a time with Lynch, in his house, and she confirmed, "That's his chair!!" Are you sure? "100%." Is this reliable information? I still don't know. But I want to believe it. Today the chair claims a spot on Kyle's patio in Echo Park. And when I come over, I sit in it.

https://scontent-ord5-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/473793754_10105273183525227_6825115061228255433_n.jpg?stp=cp6_dst-jpg_tt6&_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=bslHRTHUE0MQ7kNvwH1yLUq&_nc_oc=AdmSpz7mw8qBHJ7uIJVMjyL7O3PTpYpcUxtXt3r5o9WGUN29eoB9MiCKtS6cjLEQcfg&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-3.xx&_nc_gid=OF7mQLff_r_ljOQQjFK3fQ&oh=00_AfLOLt6j2RJ8aFgQZiqteo7mCOa3Wx_Xi214bHJoDgQDrA&oe=683F686F

Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 May 2025 13:25 (five months ago)

We used to have an identical chair. My wife used it for rocking and nursing our baby.

Cow_Art, Friday, 30 May 2025 14:00 (five months ago)

ugh mandles

hungover beet poo (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 30 May 2025 14:08 (five months ago)

(that's not my friend, fwiw)

Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 May 2025 14:32 (five months ago)

I didn’t realize Lynch had such in an interest in LBJ. That could’ve been an interesting biopic if he wanted to make it.

birdistheword, Friday, 30 May 2025 16:37 (five months ago)

I knew I sensed the work of Henry Rollins in Lynch's films

fluffy tufts university (f. hazel), Friday, 30 May 2025 16:47 (five months ago)

he also had Behold A Pale Horse by Bill Cooper, the conspiracy theory book linked to anti government militias sometimes

StanM, Friday, 30 May 2025 16:48 (five months ago)

Henry Rollins told some great stories on his podcast about working with Lynch on Lost Highway

whimsical skeedaddler (Moodles), Friday, 30 May 2025 17:08 (five months ago)

Yeah, they traded a lot of music, much to Rollins and Lynch's delight. (They were mutual fans.)

Also gave some insight into how someone like Lynch can feasibly make movies - they may get name stars but they have very tight budgets.

birdistheword, Friday, 30 May 2025 17:53 (five months ago)

three months pass...

His compound's up for sale - $15 million asking price.

I hope the buyer preserves his workshop, at least in a way that can allow it to be recreated if they have no interest in keeping it intact and in use. Wouldn't be unprecedented - in the last few years, I was stunned to see Martin Scorsese's original family home's living room reconstructed from the original furniture (which he preserved) and a recreation of Hal Willner's studio at the NYPL.

birdistheword, Saturday, 13 September 2025 19:22 (two months ago)

(Willner's studio was also put together from his actual belongings, of which there were MANY since it was his working studio until his untimely death from COVID.)

birdistheword, Saturday, 13 September 2025 19:23 (two months ago)

Yeah they should turn it into a museum.

imperial frfr (Steve Shasta), Saturday, 13 September 2025 19:24 (two months ago)

Link to the Zillow listing for pics, etc.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7017-Senalda-Rd-Los-Angeles-CA-90068/20803620_zpid/

nickn, Saturday, 13 September 2025 22:35 (two months ago)

Am I wrong in thinking that's a low listing price?

Western® with Bacon Flavor, Sunday, 14 September 2025 02:26 (two months ago)

I can contribute 5k to the ilx crowdfund

H.P, Sunday, 14 September 2025 02:28 (two months ago)

We failed to buy the silverdome let’s not make the same mistake twice

Its big ball chunky time (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Sunday, 14 September 2025 02:37 (two months ago)

Michael Jordan's former mansion sold for less than $10 million after languishing on the market for a long time. Given the location (and as part of that, the cost of upkeep and insurance) for Lynch's compound, I think $15 million may be a bit optimistic.

birdistheword, Sunday, 14 September 2025 02:51 (two months ago)

Yeah, take out the "Lynch" factor and this is a very optimistic price.

nickn, Sunday, 14 September 2025 02:58 (two months ago)

Am I wrong in thinking that's a low listing price?

― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Saturday, September 13, 2025 7:26 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

as someone on the market to buy in LA now, though at a tiny fraction of that sticker price, $1364/sqft is pretty high. obviously with the amenities and history I understand why it’s a bit inflated

brony james (k3vin k.), Sunday, 14 September 2025 04:02 (two months ago)

but the market is really bad for sellers right now. If it closes any time soon I doubt they’ll get the asking price

brony james (k3vin k.), Sunday, 14 September 2025 04:03 (two months ago)

yeah, i was going off memory of an old friend trying to sell their Washington Heights place some 5-6 years back and forgot about market changes/wildfires/etc.

Western® with Bacon Flavor, Sunday, 14 September 2025 04:11 (two months ago)

It looked like a lot of cement rooms (and per the description more bathrooms than bedrooms) - I kind of wonder if it was more suitable to turn it into a school or some kind of arts center or artist studios rather than to use it as another home.

birdistheword, Sunday, 14 September 2025 04:42 (two months ago)

It's 3 separate houses, with some outbuildings. I wonder if it'll be divided back into 3 properties and re-sold individually.

nickn, Sunday, 14 September 2025 04:43 (two months ago)

Even though this seems high from a real estate perspective, I was just looking back over his estate sale, and every last item was bid up massively over the expected price, which makes me think $15M is totally reasonable or possibly way less than what it will end up selling for.

whimsical skeedaddler (Moodles), Sunday, 14 September 2025 17:43 (two months ago)

Market is bad for sellers across the board, or just LA? Last I saw something like 30% of all house sales are cash, which is insane. Everyone I know that recently sold in Chicago sold at or over asking in just a day or two.

Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 14 September 2025 17:56 (two months ago)

think it’s across the board. had read that sellers vastly outnumber buyers to a degree that hasn’t been seen in a while. and if you’re on Redfin a lot it’s pretty obvious — houses/condos on the market for months, closing price frequently below asking etc

brony james (k3vin k.), Sunday, 14 September 2025 18:13 (two months ago)

I think I must just live in a particularly heated market.

Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 14 September 2025 18:40 (two months ago)

We sold our house in LA at list price in June in about 3 1/2 weeks, and everyone I tell that to is shocked.

omar little, Sunday, 14 September 2025 19:35 (two months ago)

15 million is a lot for that, I think as far as the location goes it’s iconic in a Lynch sense but it’s not necessarily the most sought after area either. Not just bc these days people are more likely to reflect on the possibility of a fire sweeping through the hills, but also it’s just not the best use of 15 million if you’re lucky enough to have it. Being Hollywood adjacent is not the lure that a lot of people might imagine it to be, not in 2025 anyway.

omar little, Sunday, 14 September 2025 19:40 (two months ago)

The fact that it's a "compound" with 3 houses may give a "sum is worth more than the parts" aspect to some buyers, but a famous ex-owner doesn't give that much of a boost.

With estate sale auction items you can put them on the wall/bookshelf/counter/music room without upending your life by moving.

nickn, Sunday, 14 September 2025 19:44 (two months ago)

Apparently the main building was designed by Lloyd Wright. Son of Frank Lloyd Wright. Which raises the question of whether Frank Lloyd Wright's grandson was just called Wright. But alas no, he was Eric Lloyd Wright.

There's a bunch of photos of the place from when Lynch was alive, and they seem to have tarted it up since he's left. In particular the exterior doesn't look great when it's damp:
https://www.reddit.com/r/davidlynch/comments/11g9dkx/david_lynchs_la/

The screening and editing rooms are interesting. I wonder if they still have the equipment, or if it was auctioned off? It raises the question of whether he used the screening room to have final say on the picture quality of his films, or if it was just for fun. It's a pretty substantial room:
https://i.redd.it/snxgjakgtrof1.png

Ashley Pomeroy, Sunday, 14 September 2025 20:02 (two months ago)

There's a bunch of photos of the place from when Lynch was alive, and they seem to have tarted it up since he's left. In particular the exterior doesn't look great when it's damp:

I'm not a structural engineer or anything, but is it a cause for concern over the long run when water reveals so many cracks in the cement?

birdistheword, Sunday, 14 September 2025 20:18 (two months ago)

Nm, found this: https://www.a1concrete.com/concrete-repair-learning-center/concrete-crack-types

birdistheword, Sunday, 14 September 2025 20:21 (two months ago)

three weeks pass...

Police arrested an asshole believed responsible for the Palisades fire. Besides the mass destruction he caused, one of my first reactions was "this is the asshole that killed David Lynch." Granted, Lynch had a serious health problem, but regardless, fuck this guy.

birdistheword, Wednesday, 8 October 2025 21:41 (one month ago)


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