Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

David Lynch has died

variety.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

371–380 of 391 posts

Re: David Lynch has died

#371

Post by ascagnel_ »

itsmemattchung wrote: post #346
crispyambulance wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Elephant Man is perhaps the most approachable. Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt are at the apex of their acting careers in this film. After that Mullholland Drive is absolutely brilliant and has that unforgettable masterpiece diner scene: https://youtu.be/UozhOo0Dt4o?si=GedzAdMh0KIXoHz4

Okay. not knowing anything about this film, not ever hearing or seeing it, I just clicked on that diner scene and holy f*ck, that was terrifying. and thank you :)

It's a jump scare that works incredibly well, yet it's shot in slow-motion and lit to full daylight, two things anathema to jump scares.

Re: David Lynch has died

#372

Post by ascagnel_ »

monophonica wrote: post #258
scoofy wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eraserhead is borderline unwatchable. I love David Lynch, sort of, but without telling people that they're about to sit down and watch an hour-and-a-half of what is effectively an unwatchable piece of avant-garde cinema, then they're not going to be able to appreciate it. There is nothing worse than getting excited to see a famous director's debut film, thinking you're going to have a good time, and then getting Eras…

If someone is not into art films, to not start with Twin Peaks is absolutely insane to me. First two seasons of Twin Peaks are his masterpiece IMO and his most watchable. Those are some of the best characters of any film/tv show ever. From there I would go to Lost Highway next for a stronger dose of the more out there stuff.

Just start with the pilot first -- as it is, the US pilot is basically a feature-length film (it runs 1h25m), and features enough of Lynch's trademark juxtaposition of horrible and mundane, and piles on the warmth and love for his characters that set his works apart. The European cut of the pilot adds a few minutes to the end and originally aired as a TV movie, and may be worth it if you're not otherwise hooked by the show, since it features a definitive ending as well as the first appearance of the show's trademark "red room" (footage from the sequence was included in a later episode in the US).

For me, the second step would either be The Elephant Man or Mulholland Dr. -- many of his works tackle very dark subject matter and include sexualized violence that can be downright disturbing to watch, but those two omit those elements. The Straight Story is much lighter, but largely lacks the surrealism Lynch is known for.

Re: David Lynch has died

#373

Post by ruthmarx »

MisterTea wrote: post #253
ruthmarx wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's at least a third watching one of Kyle MacLachlan's characters walking around with brain damage. I liked the season after a rewatch but the Dougie stuff is still tedious.

The Dougie stuff was silly fun. Cherry pie

It wasn't particularly entertaining and was well overdone.

Re: David Lynch has died

#374

Post by ascagnel_ »

havblue wrote: post #155
PittleyDunkin wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it interesting how much Ebert hated that movie. I'm not sure how I feel about it myself, tbh, but I am certain I don't have his conviction to state it clearly and unambiguously. The film certainly made me feel things no other movie has.

I think if you're giving original opinions about movies it guarantees that you're going to be on the wrong side of history eventually. His reviews aren't any less interesting even when you disagree with him.

I think Ebert didn't grasp what Lynch was going for with the Dorothy character, because I don't think anyone else in Hollywood was thinking like Lynch at the time.

Blue Velvet challenges you as a viewer to look at the abuse Dorothy suffers and to be a witness -- and that's hard to do as a viewer because it is ugly. Ebert did what a lot of people did and attempted to defend Isabella Rossellini, who had signed on to the movie knowing full well what would be required.

Lynch made two other movies in that same "the audience needs to bear witness and empathize" theme (Fire Walk With Me, Lost Highway) before Ebert caught on with Mulholland Dr.

Re: David Lynch has died

#375

Post by staticman2 »

wdbbdw wrote: post #227
Vetch wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm also ashamed to say I've also never seen any of his movies and TV series but this still hits hard because of his influence on some my most cherished fictional properties. These are Alan Wake/Control, Silent Hill 1&2, Returnal and Disco Elysium. Actually, his influence on how surrealist fiction is presented throughout all media cannot be understated. I was surprised to read even the original Zelda has him as an in…

I think it was less the original Zelda than it was Link's Awakening that had the Lynch influence, specifically influence by Twin Peaks https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/12/feature_how_david_...

There's no possibility Lynch inspired the original Zelda.

The original Zelda was released way before Lynch's Twin Peaks, which was a hit in Japan, was even in production. The look of the protagonist of Zelda was inspired by Disney's Peter Pan. The pig villain was inspired by a pig man in Journey to the West.

Re: David Lynch has died

#376

Post by geophile »

WorldMaker wrote: post #243
geophile wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gentle intro: Rabbits, on youtube.

Also on YouTube: "David Lynch Cooks Quinoa". It's a short film that is both nothing like his films/TV and everything like his films/TV. It's that "cooking podcast" or "recipe blog" that's a meandering journey through life and maybe has some bon mots about living, but also includes a recipe because it does. Like watching a beloved elderly relative do something normal in the kitchen, but also moody and in black and whi…

How does it compare to the salad preparation scene in Eraserhead?

Re: David Lynch has died

#377

Post by 4ggr0 »

wellthisisgreat wrote: post #368
4ggr0 wrote: post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i tried watching Twin Peaks but my GenZ attention-hungy brain got really bored during the first episode. maybe i should give it another shot... it's not like i'm not used to watching long movies and i would call myself some form of cinephile, but for some reason Twin Peaks felt unbelievably slow.

Twin peaks is incredible and Agent Cooper is a kind of a role model haha, never seen any other character like him

maybe i should give it another shot...i'll at least finish the first episode :)

Re: David Lynch has died

#378

Post by Sateeshm »

mtalantikite wrote: post #141
sk11001 wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have never seen a single one of his movies but I love watching interviews with him, he had an amazing presence and so much energy.

I'd personally say try Mulholland Drive first.

I'd say twin peaks season 1 and first half of season 2 are Lynch's most accessible work

Re: David Lynch has died

#380

Post by dang »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #116
dang wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok, we'll use that above, since it has so much more information. (Submitted url was https://www.facebook.com/davidlynchofficial/posts/it-is-with... .) Another relevant link people may want to look at: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/david-ly... Looks like NYT haven't published their full obituary yet.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42730000 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/movies/david-lynch-dead.h... https://archive.today/NAhZi

At the bottom of the last link it says "a full obituary will be published soon". But it seems they've done so now: https://archive.ph/vyxDJ.
Post reply on HN