I wonder what a lot of people on here feel about Lynch on the whole, as an artist, since the end of Twin Peaks? Fire Walk with Me was a curiosity in many ways. As the start of further films, as intended, it would have been great, but as it stands its still an oddity. This is solely because Twin Peaks was a real masterpiece, the perfect realisation of Lynch's surreal yet humane and honest take on people coupled with an interesting storyline. In my view, the best and most fascinating parts of INLAND EMPIRE are the Polish parts, which I would presume were originally intended as an internet-only serial called AXXON N...

Maybe I am wrong to think that? What do others think? It seems highly significant that in a recent interview Lynch is evasive as usual but does admit that if Twin Peaks could be resurrected it would be through the Internet, a la AXXON A. Anyone can look at the Polish-filmed parts of INLAND EMPIRE and see a huge similarity to parts of TWIN PEAKS, surely? That's why those parts of the film are the most interesting.

As brilliant as Laura Dern is, I'm not sure I can take 2 or more hours of her on screen as a sole dramatic entity.

If Lynch wanted to reassign himself to a fascinating and evocative artistic avenue surely he would head Twin Peaks-way, towards that Empire? He admits as much in recent interviews, even if he is posting the possibility merely as an unlikely one.

Shame that's the way it is because INLAND EMPIRE is a doubly annoying film because some parts are SO good and other parts are, well, just Laura Dern screaming and stuff! More story perhaps?

If he wasn't so wrapped up in the Transcendental Meditation shebang wouldn't he pay more attention to his artistic output, which is afterall more important right (?) - and look back on his artistic highpoints (TP primarily) and think of a return to that rich source of inspiration?
 
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I wonder what a lot of people on here feel about Lynch on the whole, as an artist, since the end of Twin Peaks? Fire Walk with Me was a curiosity in many ways. As the start of further films, as intended, it would have been great, but as it stands its still an oddity. This is solely because Twin Peaks was a real masterpiece, the perfect realisation of Lynch's surreal yet humane and honest take on people coupled with an interesting storyline. In my view, the best and most fascinating parts of INLAND EMPIRE are the Polish parts, which I would presume were originally intended as an internet-only serial called AXXON N...

Maybe I am wrong to think that? What do others think? It seems highly significant that in a recent interview Lynch is evasive as usual but does admit that if Twin Peaks could be resurrected it would be through the Internet, a la AXXON A. Anyone can look at the Polish-filmed parts of INLAND EMPIRE and see a huge similarity to parts of TWIN PEAKS, surely? That's why those parts of the film are the most interesting.

As brilliant as Laura Dern is, I'm not sure I can take 2 or more hours of her on screen as a sole dramatic entity.

If Lynch wanted to reassign himself to a fascinating and evocative artistic avenue surely he would head Twin Peaks-way, towards that Empire? He admits as much in recent interviews, even if he is posting the possibility merely as an unlikely one.

Shame that's the way it is because INLAND EMPIRE is a doubly annoying film because some parts are SO good and other parts are, well, just Laura Dern screaming and stuff! More story perhaps?

If he wasn't so wrapped up in the Transcendental Meditation shebang wouldn't he pay more attention to his artistic output, which is afterall more important right (?) - and look back on his artistic highpoints (TP primarily) and think of a return to that rich source of inspiration?

(Jordan edited so post is viewable)

Meh.  I don't have a lot to add to this except to share that I have been coming to the conclusion in the past little while here that what really makes Twin Peaks a good show is the stuff that OTHER contributors gave to it.  Lynch is good with set pieces and staging things, but his dialogue has always been pretty shikey.  Now, that sometimes works really well for him (Frank Booth, for example), but we can't only ever have two dimensional clownishly bizarre characters continue to hold meaning for us film after film.  Something's gotta give.

So to say that Twin Peaks was an artistic high point for him is of course pretty accurate, but really... how much did he have to do with the narrative arc of the story other than the original concepts?  There is no arguing that his directing is some of the very best... but not all of TP is the mood.  Much of it is the tight, clever storytelling that can be found in about 80% of the show, and he clearly had little to do with that.

Lynch oughtta do more stuff like that WAH collaboration with Barry Gifford and Elephant Man.  I know he wants artistic control, but some of his best work does happen when he's constrained.  And I really believe that constraint is part of what makes art and invention really something to be noticed.  All the freedom in the world to create art becomes a little bourgeoise after awhile!  OH FLAME ME!  :)

I totally agree with you geoffr111, especially about the tight narrative of Twin Peaks. When it became too self indulgent in series two and began trading solely on atmosphere people stopped watching.

Having said that, INLAND EMPIRE is a wondrous film and it's in my DL all-time top three after Fire Walk With Me and Mulholland Drive. I thought Laura Dern was godly and she held my attention effortlessly from start to finish (no mean feat). I'm beginning to suspect I'm in the minority but I think it's fantastic and I'm glad it was made. I agree that too much control makes people self-indulgent and art pompous but it's a credit to DL that he's motivated only by creative freedom and not big budgets or financial gain. I realise the DL.com shipping costs undermine the strength of my argument here but I'm clinging to the vain hope that DL has never posted anything in his life and has fallen foul of some larcenous lackey who's creaming off a big fat profit from the excessive shipping charges. It's almost enchanting that creative types think it costs $90.00 to send a DVD from the US to the UK. I say almost...  

I don't want DL to return to Twin Peaks. That bird (an owl perhaps?) has flown. I adore Twin Peaks but it's been far too long and I don't want a botched follow-up sans half the cast to destroy its legacy and I definately don't want it continued via grainy little 50mb internet downloads. That's too horrible for words.

That god damn trailer's more popular than Uncle's Day in a whorehouse!

Erm well, I don't totally agree. Whatever order of filming, I liked the Polish parts of IE the best. I felt some of Laura Dern's scenes, however brilliantly acted and directed etc, were just way too long. There were some unbelievably long scenes of just the living room of her house that just seemed dull to me, anyway.

Of course I respect others' opinions. But Lynch is open pretty much to anything. You've got to admit there were some stylistically very similar scenes in IE to Twin Peaks, moreso than any film he's done since - for example -

- the scene in Poland where the Lost Girl is screaming and the light is flashing with lipstick smeared on her face, very similar to Laura Palmer's murder (or Maddy's)

- the Rabbits scenes remind me of the Red Room - the Rabbits also transform into the elder men around the table - similar to the Waiter transforming into the Giant of vice versa

- the old men around the table at the seance with the Lost Girl reminds me of the meeting above the convenience store in TP

- Laura Dern moving slowly toward the camera under a spotlight is very similar to the one in TP of BOB slowly approaching the camera (both are very scary!)

- the meeting in the woods has obvious Twin Peaks overtones - note also the bit where he throws the cup of (possibly) coffee down in anger

- there's a shot of Laura Dern with the camera under her, with her long hair hanging down over the camera, very similar to the shot in FIRE WALK WITH ME of Sheryl Lee in the traincar scene.

You could say these points are just hallmarks of Lynch and his style and I'm not saying he sat down and thought of TP reminiscene bits to shove in his film like a self-referential thing!

If Lynch were to go down any Twin Peaks avenue I would say that it shouldn't even be called 'Twin Peaks' but could just go on 'in that world' as such.

I think that Fire Walk with Me is fantastic, despite the fact that the narrative is disjointed and it gets close to incoherence. I see Lost Highway as the best work Lynch has done. It succeeds on the ground level, as a story, and the "strange" parts are incredible. That was the last movie he did that was supposed to be a movie. Mullholland Drive was a TV pilot, and Inland Empire was cobbled together from stuff he made for the internet. Although I like MD, I think it's origins are too transparent, it never quite feels like a movie. If anything, it reminds me of the European ending for the TP pilot. I didn't like Inland Empire as a whole, I hate that he abandoned film, it looks bad. Plus, the story is completely incoherent, and there aren't enough good "strange" scenes to make it interesting. It's too long and plodding.

I guess I wish he would make a movie just to make a movie, and not just turn some other project into a movie.  

I liked IE a lot, but I can also agree with this sentiment...