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Du rififi chez les hommes (1955)
One of the greats
This film is a masterclass example of suspense and tying up all the ends in a film.
It is unpredicable, cruel and funny at the same time. It uses some symbolism usually with objects (like reaching for a toy gun) and foreshadowing in a fine manner and the filmmaking itself is impressive even in today's standards. It is well paced, all the characters makes sense for the story, well written in general.
8/10
Monster House (2006)
It's good
This is a movie from my childhood that I saw again recently. It is a tight written story about a couple of kids who discovers a monster house.
It features some old tropes for example: an old weird man who steals the toys that happens to cross his lawn, stupid cops and oblivious adults.
But it also features some foreshadowing and really ties all its ends together.
With some minor character inconsistencies and outdated 3D artstyle it still holds up as an excellent entry for the horror genre for kids.
It deals with serious themes like: growing up, isolation, bulllying and grief which are all common in the horror genre but well adapted for kids.
All in all, it is a solid film 7/10
Easy Rider (1969)
This film is a real piece of history
This film is among the first in a long wave of films that present a critical and somewhat pessimistic view of the american lifestyle and society after 1969 and into the 70s.
We follow two people who by illegal means are following the american dream
(Get a load of cash and just live) it shows other ideas that come from the american dream which is live of the land and be free.
It also show why the american dream really is just an illusion; the man who married his catholic wife and lived of the land in his own farm was once a young man who dreamed about california and the young citykids who left their city life to live of the land tried to grow crops in the sand and were starving in the winte, some of the smalltown folk were really never free.
And they all live of the land which indians are buried beneath because once it was their american dream.
The film has a lot of foreshadowing which feels appropiate, because we always want to feel positive and keep dreaming despite the warnings and omens of life. It is written in a great and unpredictable way despite the foreshadowing.
The perfomances and directing is good but at times quite trippy which I understand is not for everyone but the film is still a strong viewing anyway for those who aren't. I want to talk about the foreshadowing and the symbolism but I think it will spoil the experince, I didn't realise what it was about at first and tha's what made it more loveable to me.
8/10
Blue Velvet (1986)
Weird noire in a good way
Blue Velvet is a mystery film that gives an honest shot at showing how strange this world really is. It is a solid noir style thriller but with a nice Lynchian touch.
I think it's packed with symbolism that I'm too dumb to understand, but it might be about life and death itself. For example; a bird eating a bug, flowers, sex and violence. It could also be about self harm; the need for abuse, the oxygen mask or the constant beer drinking or maybe it's about listening; birds singing, severed ear, rumors in a small town, police radios.
I wasn't entirely satisfied with how everything turned out because I wanted to know more about motivations and such but maybe that interferes with the randomness of the real world that it might want to represent.
But all in all it is a good film. Worth mentioning: Dennis Hopper's acting was brilliant and frightening.
A must watch if you like David Lynch.
7/10
Wild at Heart (1990)
A corny 90s Bonnie and Clyde
This film is very violent and raunchy in a corny 90s way. It kinda feels like David Lynch was going through a phase when he made this one, it has no lack of weirdness though, so that's always something you can expect from him.
The perfomrances are very overacted which I think is part of its charm, I don't find it as intriguing to look for hidden meanings or symbolism in this film so I'm not going to mention any. I can't imagine anyone saying this is the best Lynch film but it's an interesting watch if you happen to stubble upon it.
If you strip away the premise of the hitmen and neurotic mothers you will essentially find that at its core this film is about a couple running away from something that might seperate them. (Bonnie and Clyde?)
With a side of trauma as a secondary theme.
A 6/10 from me.
Creep (2014)
Probably the best found footage out there.
It's super simple, super effective and super creepy. It is everything a found footage film really should be.
The two people who made this film made did an excellent job.
You really feel a sort of realness to it, only with a couple of odd things in the story that didn't make sense to me.
Without telling too much, it is a film about not everything being as it seems and it also keeps you guessing till the end
Dune (1984)
Fun to watch
It is obvious that this film was somewhat over-ambitious, I haven't read the book so I am sure there is more to the story but I feel here that it was cramped.
The monolouges were pretty interesting because it felt as if you are watching segments of a book. The special effects are quite dated but some of the set design and acting holds up and the soundtrack especially the last 30 seconds of the "Big Battle" score is really memorable and epic.
Far from David Lynch's best but worth a view (even if it's just once)
The Elephant Man (1980)
Beautiful and sad
The Elephant Man is a beautiful film about several things: the two very distinct human characteristcs; compassion and cruelty, aswell as the curiousity that is John Merrick.
It is a tale based on the life of the actual person Joseph Merrick with some dramatic changes to his life story. It may be a David Lynch film but the storytelling is very classic, similar to other stories of the genre like Beauty and the Beast or the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
We follow the heavily deformed man John Merrick who everybody seems to treat as a monster or rather an animal until he is helped by the doctor Frederick Treves. Frederick sees the humanity in John and also discovers that behind all those tumors (and makeup) is an actually very sensitive and intelligent man.
So what did I think? Despite it's lack of Lynchian mind trips it is still very well made with excellent photography and great acting from both leads. It is almost impossible to not like the compassionate doctor or the sensitive John Merrick.
I'm sure the film contains many secrets but the ones that were easy enough for me to spot was the symbolic significance of the cathedral model that John builds which may be a reference to The Hunchback of Notre Dame or that John is simply Jesus as hinted at in the ending phrase "nothing will die" and there are quite a few similarities between those two stories as well.
A lesser obvoius symbol is that elephants are usually said to be wise and intelligent which John Merrick also is.
You can still tell that David Lynch directed this movie without the help from imdb or the credits, there are a few weird mind fog trip things going on just to a fitting degree and in appropriate places. The film also keeps you at the edge of your seat to the very end because you are always waiting for terrible things to happen to John and you really don't want it to.
in other words I recommend you watch it.
//Johannes T
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Worth seeing
It's not a film for everyone, for obvious reasons..
But it is a film everyone should consider watching. It's very graphic and raw and well made, that's what makes it so good at delivering its message.
The film ends with a question, "Who the real cannibals are?"
I think it's referring to cannibalism as a way to take something from someone for your own benefit or amusement.
It can be literally eating people, causing harm and suffering to get good footage or using that footage despite it's moral contradictions.
It's a film about journalistic integrity, difference between civilizations and similarities in the nature of man.