Martin Kelly

(2013-05-21 10:29:57)

Chilling and memorable thriller

Blue Velvet is probably the best example yet of the exploration of thehidden, dark side of seemingly innocent suburban life. As a mysterythriller, which is what the film is at heart, it works brilliantly andgrips like a vice throughout but David Lynch layers the film with otherfacets creating a unique and unforgettable tapestry. Thus we havescenes depicting lurid nightmares and depravity (Frank's assault onDorothy as witnessed by Jeffrey through the slits of her closet,Frank's kidnapping of and assault upon Jeffrey), scenes of banality(Jeffrey and Sandy chatting about beer), humorous scenes (Jeffrey'schicken walk), schmaltzy moments (Jeffrey and Sandy falling for eachother), surreal moments (Dean Stockwell's Ben miming to Roy Orbison's"In Dreams") and moments indicating the humdrum, mechanical nature ofsmall town life (the timber-carrying lorry trundling past the samecrossroads periodically, the repetitive jingle of Lumberton's localradio station). A lot of these scenes seem to have wandered into thefilm from completely different movies, but that's clearly Lynch'sintention with his nuanced approach. I particularly liked theHitchcockian moment when Jeffrey first meets Sandy, with Sandygradually materialising out of the pitch blackness a few seconds afterwe hear her voice. The performances in Blue Velvet are uniformlyimpressive but Dennis Hopper's portrayal of the psychotic Frank isoutstanding and genuinely unnerving - how come he wasn't even nominatedfor the supporting actor Oscar?! Blue Velvet is a film where a grim ordownbeat ending would not have been out of place or unexpected butLynch isn't afraid to give the movie a fairly happy and optimistic one;it's the kind of ending which might not be to everyone's taste but Ithought it worked well. The film is the work of a very talented andimaginative director at the height of his powers.

(2013-05-20 19:48:26)

Get Mullholand Dr. instead

I like Lynch. Dune-good. Wild At Heart-good. Twin Peaks-good. Mullholland Dr.-great. Blue Velvet-BAD. Now most Lynch fans would hate me. They would say i dont know what i'm talking about. Well i dont know why but i almost couldnt finish this film. It was just awful. It was werid and some parts were interesting but in the whole there are other lynch films i would rather watch. I think Mullholland Dr. is his best picture. It requries many viewings in order to figure it out so i would suggest gettin that instead. I do think that this movie is definatley worth a watch. I just think it was one of lynch's poorer films.

sol1218

(2013-05-01 22:27:02)

Crystal Blue Persuasion

**SPOILERS** The movie "Blue Velvet" reached cult status soon afterit's release in September 1986 with people both loving the film todeath or ranking it among the worst major, excluding low budget gemslike "Plan Nine from Outer Space", motion pictures ever made.The film does in fact have a number of holes in it's storyline that youcan drive an 18 wheeler rig through with room to spear. There's nothingin the movie that connects or explain, much less solves,the central orcore plot involving a missing human ear and who it belongs to. Weretold by the young man Jeffery Beaumont, Kyle MacLachlan,that found theear that it's possibly the ear of singer Dorothy Vallens, IsabellaRossellini, husband. Were also given to understand that he andDorothy's young son are being held hostage by this whacked out psychogangster Frank Booth, Dennis Hooper.This scenario about Dorothy's young son and her husband goes on formore then half the movie where it's then almost entirely forgotten byeveryone in the film, including Dorothy, until the very last scene!It's after were introduced to the leading characters that the film getsdown to business involving some drug deal that went sour with Booth andhis crooked cop friend Gordon or the Yellow Man, Fred Pickler,using thetown of Lumberton police to rip off the local drug dealers. Yellow Manhimself is then found murdered, somehow being able to stand up on hisfeet with his brains blown out, by a startled Jeffery in Dorothy'sapartment together with another man who's left ear is missing, is thatDorothy's husband? It's never make clear in the film.Eariler we see Jeffery get involved with the "missing ear" case whenhe's informed by Sandy Williams, Laura Dern, that her dad the townschief of detectives Det. John Williams (George Dickerson), who toldJeffery to keep his nose out of the case, that the ear has something todo with singer Dorothy Vallens.Jefffery immediately plays Junior detective by using Sandy as a lookout as he then breaks into Dorothy's apartment in his attempt to solvethe case of the missing ear. Getting caught hiding in the closet byDorothy the unbelievably wimpy Jeffery lets Dorothy have her way withhim forcing Jeffery to undress, while holding a kitchen knife to hisface, and then having him preform sadomasochistic sex on her. All thisgets even weirder when Booth suddenly shows up, with Jeffery againhiding in the closet, who then really works Dorothy over with his ownstrange and unique brand of wild and no holds bar kinky sex. Boothworks himself up into a lather by both raping and beating as well ashumiliating Dorothy as he sticks, what looks like, an oxygen mask onhis face to keep himself from passing out.The film has a number of scenes in it that make absolutely no sense atall with one having Jeffery being kidnapped by Booth and his hoods fordaring to have anything to do with his squeeze Dorothy. Smearing hismouth with an entire lipstick stick Booth kisses and wipes his face onJeffery's and then has him beaten almost to a pulp? There's also Sandywho at first doesn't want to be romantically involved with Jeffery, shehas a study boyfriend already, but then goes bananas when she finds outthat he's having a hot and heavy affair with Dorothy!Jeffery himself comes across so completely clueless in what's going onin the film and his actions are so bizarre that you wonder if he isn'ton the stuff, hard drugs,that Booth is involved with himself. The movieends like it started with the little town of Lumberton coming across asyour average, maybe more then average, middle American community wherethe things that it just experienced are as far away from it as theplanet Pluto. Jeffery who had survived the whole mess is now back to normal with hisnew girlfriend Sandy, not the sexy and hot to trot Dorothy, trying toforget what he just went through in the film. As for Dorothy she's alsoback to normal, with Frank Booth & Co. out of her life. And yes she'salso united with her young son, wearing his favorite propeller beanie,whom she was trying to find, whom Booth held hostage, all throughoutthe movie.

james_Iyak

(2013-05-01 08:33:38)

An amazing film about seeing things up close, won't be forgotten

Written and directed by David Lynch, this is possibly the onlycoming-of-age movie in which sex has the danger and heightenedexcitement of a horror picture. The charged erotic atmosphere makes thefilm something of a trance-out, but Lynch's humour keeps breakingthrough, too. His fantasies may come from his unconscious, but herecognizes them for what they are, and he's tickled by them. The filmis consciously purplish and consciously funny, and the two worktogether in an original, down-home way. The setting is an archetypalsmall, well-kept sleepy city in an indefinite mythic present that feelslike the past, and Kyle MacLachlan is Jeffrey, the clean-cut young manwho's scared of his dirty thoughts (but wants to have them anyway). Hecommutes between the blue lady of the night (Isabella Rossellini, who'sa dream of a freak) and the sunshine girl he loves (Laura Dern). Themovie has so much aural-visual humor and poetry that it's sustaineddespite the wobbly plot and other weaknesses. Lynch skimps oncommercial-movie basics and fouls up on them, too. But his use ofirrational material works the way it's supposed to: at some not fullyconscious level we read his images. With Dennis Hopper, who gives themovie a jolt of horrific energy, and Dean Stockwell, who is a smilingwonder as Ben the sandman.Blue Velvet was not without its flaws, but it certainly is a movie thatshould be discussed, analysed and so fourth after viewing as it is anunforgettable experience and one I shall cherish.

filmjack81

(2013-04-18 02:07:00)

David Lynch's traumatizing neo-noir masterpiece still outshines,

When Blue Velvet was released in cinemas in 1986, it was like a "movieearthquake", causing just as much a stir as Alfred Hitchcock's Psychodid, almost twenty six years before. I'm sure directors throughout thefilm world felt the earth move beneath their feet and couldn't sleepthe night of their first encounter with it back in 1986, and screenstrembled again and again with diminishing aftershocks over the nextdecade as these picture makers attempted to mount their ownexhilarating psychic cataclysms. But twenty-one years later, no one can still perfectly match thetraumatizing combination of horrific, comedic, nourish, aural, andsubliminal effects Lynch rumbled out in this masterpiece -- not evenLynch himself in the fun-filled years that followed before herecombined with himself to invent Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire,his two latest films. The performances are amazing, but the stand-outis clearly Hopper. Who creates a flabbergasting portrait ofunrepentant, irredeemable evil. Rossellini also dazzles the screen, inthe same manner her mother did, but in an entirely different way. KyleMacLachlan and Laura Dern represent pure innocence, and match itperfectly.Even after all these years, nothing has tarnished about Blue Velvet.Nothing. Despite the countless imitators that try to probe disturbingsmall-town life, but fail miserably, Blue Velvet' still holds upperfectly. And how many films can you say that for?

mcg_15

(2013-04-17 09:11:03)

Very weird move, but very unshakable

Blue Velvet, the ultra weird, ultra kinky cult classic, was DavidLynch's comeback vehicle from the "Dune" debacle that almost bankruptedDino De Laurentis and lost major bucks at the BO. This movie did MUCHbetter. Why is this so hard to believe? Well, remember those guys youused to see in every size-able town who would ride around in old Chevysor Buicks, six or seven full, bent on raising hell? Well, this story isabout one callow young fellow's brush with people like that as hepursues the spoor of a mystery that he himself discovered.Jeffrey Beaumont, played by Kyle MacLachlan, after visiting his ailingfather in the hospital, finds a severed ear in a vacant lot andpromptly takes it to the chief of police. The chief of police adds tothe mystery by telling him to stay out of it and let the police handlethe case, so naturally, Jeffrey can't keep away from the whole thingand does his own investigating.To complicate matters, the daughter of the chief, (a very wooden LauraDern,) befriends him and gives him leads as to who may be connected tothe severed ear...whether it's part of a homicide or some gruesometorture method. While investigating all this, Jeffrey manages to meetthe woman the chief's daughter implicated as a possible accessory tothe mystery. He does this by hiding in her closet after masquerading asan exterminator and taking her keys earlier in the day. The woman,Dorothy Valens, is played by Isabella Rossellini, NOT playing the kindof part she usually plays, though her basic innocence still comesthrough in this smarmy role. Anyway, this is how Jeffrey finds outabout Frank Booth, perhaps the SICKEST movie villain you've seen sinceClarence from "Robocop"! Frank, as it turns out, is connected with thecrawling, insidious underworld in little Lumberton, where this alltakes place. Jeffrey, late teen jerk that he is, actually FALLS for theValens character and ends up being her paramour....and....well, it getsREALLY convoluted from here, and to relinquish more might spoil it foryou, but suffice it to say, as I mentioned earlier, that about half thecast of "Dune" is in this movie, (MacLachlan, Jack Nance, Brad Dourifand Dean Stockwell,) and, with the exception of MacLachlan, they playpretty grisly villains, just like in Dune.Foul language reigns in this movie the minute Frank, (Dennis Hopper,)comes into the picture and doesn't stop. Frank's malevolence ispalpable, because you KNOW you know somebody like this somewhere, andno matter what, they're STILL unbelievable.This movie makes "Subway", a movie I recently reviewed, look likeMother Carey's Chickens...David Lynch is one TRULY strange person tohave directed this. The air of sadism is unreal, and the view of smalltown corruption is truly disturbing. We all know there are small townslike this in America, but you STILL have to wonder what motivatedhim....

(2013-04-09 21:43:01)

Blue Velvet

This hallucinogenic mystery-thriller from cult director Lynch explores the twisted underside of small-town American life, fusing noirish elements of mood and atmosphere with a classic Hitchcockian whodunit. Lynch's imprint is everywhere, including MacLachlan's deliberately trancelike acting, Rossellini's melodramatic distress, and Hopper's over-the-top turn as the angry, liquid-ether-huffing sadist who has a strange and violently sexual hold on Dorothy. Even the music--the Bobby Vinton song and Angelo Badalamenti's eerie score--completes the director's disquieting effect. Filmed in gorgeous Technicolor, "Blue Velvet" is a lurid parable about innocence and evil film that mystery/noir fans will find irresistible. (Also check out Dean Stockwell's sublime, campy turn as one of Frank's odd-ball colleagues!)

(2013-04-09 11:37:08)

She Wore Bluuuuue Velvet

This is one of my fave rave films of all time. Its probably in my top fivelist of greatest films ever made. I saw this in my teens after driving inmy copper 1967 Mustang back in 1986 and hearing a radio advertisement aboutit on the radio. The voice over lady said critics were saying about BlueVelvet "you've never seen anything like it before". And they wereright...This has some of the most beautiful and surprisingly simple images I haveever seen. The skillful way you aren't sure at first if the film is set inthe 1980's or the 1950's, the way we see images of bugs at the beginning andJeffrey later disguises himself as "the bugman" or bug exterminator to findout more about a mysterious woman in his hometown of Lumberton, USA. Andthe way the villian's name is Booth and the mysterious woman lives onLincoln street. The main character's last name is Beaumont as well. Sameas the dad on Leave It To Beaver. That adds an extra special dark touch toLynch's showing of seemingly wholesome middle America'sunderbelly.You get the idea of the many layers of this film. This is a piece ofcelluloid you could talk about with your friends for hours, if you have anyfriends. I don't, but that's neither here nor there nor blue nor square, yadig?Anyways, see Blue Velvet as soon as humanly possible. The weirdest thing ofall about David Lynch and is his movies is that he considers himself aconservative. He loves Reagan, America, etc. That makes him and his workall the more weird I guess.

(2013-04-06 04:13:18)

American Surrealism

In my opinion this is Dennis Hopper's best performance ever. Great film. Some senstive viewers might get offended by Isabella Rossellini's nude scene or the voyeurism/rape/torture/murder undertones.

pokoi_72

(2013-04-05 13:13:50)

excellent, classic

this film caught my attention last year when i studied it in a filmcourse, and a lot of people had devoted, warmed opinions of the film,so i became eager to check it out. somehow, it erased itself from mymemory until i caught it in the DVD store a few weeks back, at such alow price, i decided to pick it up and try it out. by the end, i wasabsolutely mesmerized. it was a haunting experience, i was completelyexhausted by the end. but a good feeling of exhaustion. it's certainlya very wrenching film, not something i can see people being saddenedby, but is certainly very emotionally compelling. the performances areamazing. i've seen a lot of criticism on kyle maclachlans part, for hisso-called 'wooden' performance - however, this is his character. woodenand cartoon-like. this is how jeffrey beaumont would act if he existed.maclachlan was playing the character perfectly. dennis hopper andisabella rossellini were the real standouts, mr. hopper's terrifying,bizarre performance is an absolute standout.a film not to be missed!

trryancy

(2013-03-27 23:00:45)

I have no idea why this film has been touted as a masterpiece

...and it isn't because I don't get or appreciate surrealism or becauseI missed the element of satire. I 'got it' alright. I just don't wantit.The story begins when naive college boy finds a human ear in agrown-over abandoned lot near his father's home, puts it in a bag, andtakes it to the police station, where his discovery is greeted with adiffident, "Yup, that's a human ear alright." A conversation with thetown sheriff's teenage daughter reveals that it might have something todo with a mysterious and glamorous lounge singer. So Jeffrey does whatanyone would do- break into her apartment and spy on her, of course.And finding him hiding in her closet, listening to her phoneconversations and watch her undress, the lounge singer, Dorothy, doeswhat any woman would do under the circumstances- give him oral sex, ofcourse! It practically goes without saying! The two of them embark on alopsided affair that never fully blossoms, while Jeffrey woos sweetteenage Sandy on the side. Meanwhile, wrapped up in unstable Dorothy'ssexual psychodrama, Jeffrey plays some cross between detective andknight and shining armor to a damsel in distress, and revels inDorothy's co-dependent clinging, all the while knowing that this affaircould get him killed.Dorothy's lover/stalker/tormentor is a ragingly nuts, repulsivelyperverted mafia a-hole named Frank, in the most disgustingly creepyrole in Dennis Hopper's proud legacy of playing scary, nutbag freaks.Frank's infantile-yet-violent, jack rabbit dry-humping perversion, notto mention his obliviousness to how obnoxious and repugnant it is, isenough to make you never want to have sex again. Yet, Frank and Dorothyare both quite obviously insane- what's Jeffrey's excuse for hisbizarre, irrational choices? The fact that he is apparently sane andfairly intelligent makes it all the more annoying. Every singlecharacter in the film is so annoying to me that I want to smack 'emupside the head, but the two women in the story are just plain pitiful.Sandy and Dorothy are sort of a Betty and Veronica/rose white-rose redcase. Dorothy is an older, glamorous, beautiful brunette, while Sandyis a younger, pretty, virginal blonde. Sandy is the least stupid andirritating character in the beginning, but I lost patience with herafter she immediately forgave Jeffrey for his affair with Dorothy withvery little explanation or effort from Jeffrey, then continually pinsthe blame on herself for "dragging him into this" when the situation isquite the opposite. Sandy puts herself in harm's way for Jeffrey eventhough he has lied to her, and at the close of the film is in thekitchen happily making him lunch while he lounges around in the backyard. For his part, Jeffrey just seems like a melodramatic sap who's"in love" with whoever's there at the moment. You really can't tell ifhis feelings for either Dorothy or Sandy have any depth to them.What really works my nerves, though, is the woefully corny dialog, withabsurdly over-earnest lines like, "Why is there so much trouble in theworld?!?!" and "You're my special friend!" Not to mention, "I lookedfor you in the closet last night." Granted, all these lines are kindafunny, but are they supposed to be? And who's the joke on, thecharacters or the viewer. Either way, if it weren't for my roommatebeing there to mock it with me, I would have turned this movie offabout 15 minutes into it.How movies like this gain backing, let alone a cult following, I'llnever know. But when it comes to satirizing suburbia, though, give meJohn Waters any day.

MF210

(2013-03-27 17:15:43)

The First Time: Mediocre. The Second Time: A Masterpiece.

My Rating: **** out of ****. The first time I saw Blue Velvet, I did not like it. I considered the filmto be interesting at times but flat most of the time. However, I decided togive it another try. WOW. I was blown away by the film. It interested me butit also had a gripping energy that is rare in many films. It is a film ofmany strengths and theres no doubt in my mind that it is a masterpiece.Blue Velvet's acting is definitely a strength. I am not a fan of KyleMachlachlan but he is undoubtedly perfect for this role. The same thing forLaura Dern and there is definitely chemistry between them. IsabellaRossellini is plagued as an actress, she is the daughter of Ingrid Bergman,one of the greatest actresses that ever lived. That is one hell of an act.Rossellini will definitely not live up to that. However, she must be givenalot of credit for this role. She is perfect here, this is not an easycharacter to grasp but she does it. She took a chance with this role, notonly appearing nude but I bet some actresses would be disgusted with thischaracter. Not Rossellini who does it perfectly and though she wont live upto her mother, this role is no minor entry to her resume and her motherwould be proud. As perfect as Machlachlan, Dern, and Rossellini are, Dennis Hopper is thestandout. He portrays the character like it is, a ruthless villain. Like,with Rossellini's character this charcter may disgust some actors. Hopperplays the character like he is meant to be. In doing so, he creates one ofthe best villains ever on film. David Lynch's films have always been visually fascinating, Blue Velvet is noexception. The opening shots that represent the American Dream arebeautiful. The film is loaded with dark atmosphere thats very appropriatefor this film. Blue Velvet is called "The Most Talked About Film Of The Decade", its decadewas the 80s. Theres no wondering why, Blue Velvet was ahead of its time thenand it has a very dramatic effect on the viewer. Some of the film's subjectmatter is not pretty nor is it meant to be. There are unattractive scenes inthis film that are highly effective, but might disturb a viewer but thenagain thats the point. Blue Velvet is not a perfect film, though it is close. The one part I find alittle odd is Sandy (Laura Dern) talking about her dream. It makes aconnection to one of the last images of the film but it comes off on thelines of preachy, well maybe not preachy but something like it. However,thats a minor complaint about a Masterpiece. Its not for everybody, but forpeople who understand this film you will be amazed.

Agent10

(2013-03-14 15:08:41)

Wicked take on small-town America

Back in the days when David Lynch's movies used to be coherent, this film proves to be one of the most powerful in a long line of odd and strange films. I felt all of the actors were exceptional in this film, reflecting the power and evil in Dennis Hopper's character. I can't see anyone else in this role, and Hopper proved once again he is the go-to guy when it comes to portraying a lunatic. Lynch's cinematography and artistic endeavors fit in so perfectly with each other, the film reeks of noir and suspense. An excellent film to watch for any first time Lynch watchers.

AHost

(2013-03-14 03:27:00)

In My Opinion....the best film of the 80s.....UNDERRATED TO THE MAX!!

David Lynch is one of our most brilliant and eccentric directors andhas had this distinction for over 25 years. While he has had some veryquestionable films on his resume like Wild at Heart, Dune, and LostHighway; he has had some jewels as well like The Elephant Man,Mulholland Dr., and The Straight Story. I say that Twin Peaks is hisgreatest achievement of any sort but if we are just talking his moviesthen BLUE VELVET is his ultimate crown-jewel.This film, while very profane and off-the-wall, was also very smart,witty, original, and gripping! The acting was very good as well:Isabella Rosselini should have been nominated and WON the Oscar forthis....it was a tour-de-force for playing someone who has to please amadman in such horrible ways in order to keep her son and husbandalive. Kyle MacLachlan and deserved nominations but no wins as they areboth great but still not as great as their other two co-stars.The best performance in this movie is Dennis Hopper as one of the mostsadistic and bizarre villains ever to hit the screen, Frank Booth. Hewas suspected to get nominated for this role and had the critics awardsand a Golden Globe nod to back him up BUT he also had the movieHOOSIERS out that year and he got nominated for it probably becausethat role was more friendly and somewhat normal....at least he wasnominated though albeit for the wrong role.This is easily, IMO, the best film of the 80s and I will choose it overRaging Bull any day!! SUPERB!!

(2013-02-13 09:24:21)

An Adult Fable

Funny, dark, and disturbing, this film is actually an adult fable masquerading as an avant garde art-house film. The film's protagonist, played by Kyle MacLachlan, encounters not only the darkness lying beneath the facade of his small town, but also within himself.Beautifully shot and choreographed, the film will astound and amaze. Although it's one of my favorite films, it is by no means for everyone -- graphic scenes of sexuality and violence abound.Isabella Rosellini and Dennis Hopper are wonderfully cast and Laura Dern plays her role to perfection. Blue Velvet is probably one of the most unique films you'll ever see.

holden_16

(2013-02-13 05:18:31)

My favorite film of all time... beautiful and nightmarish

"Blue Velvet" is a take on film noir with typical Lynch weirdness,unique atmosphere and breathtaking cinematic work. Although I did notappreciate it on my first viewing, I came to love it, and now it's oneof my favorite films of all time. Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan)comes home from college to visit his sick and bed-ridden father who hada tragic accident. Having made a startling discovery (to be more exact,a human ear lying in the grass), out of sheer boredom and driven bypassion for adventure Jeffrey decides to proceed with this mystery andgets involved with a beautiful, seductive night-club singer DorothyVallens (Isabella Rossellini) living in a shabby apartment building,which is somewhat incongruous to the sleepy, picturesque suburbanparadise of Lumberton.Dorothy, a queer mixture, of "damsel in distress" and "femme fatale",is in a middle of a life and death situation involving her husband andson. She is subjected to sexual abuse and other forms of violence by apsychopathic man named Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) and his dementedassociates. Jeffrey's further investigation reveals that one of thepolice detectives is also involved in the criminal activities of thegang, and that means that he will have to deal with these people usinghis own resources. He confides in Sandy, a good-natured and sweetblonde, whose father is a hard-working and honest policeman. Sandy isobviously fascinated by Jeffrey's recklessness, but her level-headednature prevents her from becoming his full-time accomplice and ditchingher boy-friend, at least, not until later on.Stylistically, Blue Velvet is a precursor to Lynch's notoriouscollaboration with Mark Frost - the cult classic TV series "TwinPeaks". These creations share a lot of elements including the smallseemingly sleepy town setting, a dangerously attractive brunette,oldies often played under disturbing circumstances, dreamy angel-likesingers (remember Julie Cruise in Twin Peaks), flame and even thefamous red curtains. Although "Blue Velvet" is an erotic thrillerwithout any supernatural context, somehow you expect the Dwarf to popup and start dancing at any time... although no dwarf appears, itmanages to get just as weird as Twin Peaks.The blue velvet is a leitmotif of the film. "Blue Velvet" is a songthat Dorothy has to perform in a club every night looking straight inthe eyes of her tormentors. Dorothy also wears a blue velvet gown athome, and Frank has a fetish for blue velvet using it in his pervertedsexual games. Blue velvet is a symbol of mystery, obsession and hiddenpassions lurking beneath the exterior of men.Lynch uses different colors for the scenes taking place in the normalworld of American suburbia versus Dorothy's apartment or Ben's house.Lumbertown is depicted as idyllic joyful place with bright yellowtulips against the white fence and bright green grass. Everythinginvolving Dorothy or the criminals is shot either in the darkness orunnaturally striking colors. The director makes an interestingapplication of the contrast between the two women in protagonist'slife. Dangerous and seductive Dorothy is a voluptuous brunette wearingblue or red gowns, whereas Sandy is a slender blonde, your typicalAmerican next door cheerleader.Kyle MacLahlan is adorable and gives an incredibly convincingperformance. His love-making scenes with Rossellini are tasteful,beautiful and disturbing at the same time. Rosselini was quiteadequate, especially if we take into account the complexity of thecharacter, but I couldn't get rid of this thought in the back of myhead that Sherilyn Fenn would have been much more memorable. Perhaps, Iam irreparably spoiled by Twin Peaks... However, Rossellini's wasLynch's favorite at the time, so we can understand being a little bitbiased here. Dennis Hopper is way over the top as Frank Booth, yetstill turns in an amazing performance, being psychotic, violent andpitiful at the same time. His every appearance on the screen is a anavalanche of emotions, swear-words and craziness. He is a dangerous manand Jeffrey who stepped in his way knows that the only way for him tostay alive is to eliminate Frank.Lynch decided to end this flick on a joyful note. Everything goes backto normal in Lumberton, Jeffrey and Sandy will probably go on to have along and wholesome life together with children on the way. Dorothy ishugging her son in the final moments of the movie, and the robin as thesymbol of good is devouring the bug just as in Sandy's dream. However,despite the obviously happy ending and triumph of the good over theevil, the final scenes have such a dream-like and surreal quality thatone cannot help suspecting that something bad is doomed to happenagain. With Lynch you never know for sure... a controversial classic,not to be missed.

sohighsofly

(2013-02-10 12:16:01)

Linear Lynch at his best

This is an excellent movie. It is also one of Lynch's most linearfilms, that doesn't make it simple, however. This film is just plainamazing. Dennis Hopper's performance as Frank Booth is wonderful, alongwith Isabella Rossellini and Kyle MacLachlan who also star in thissick, twisted story viewed through the artistic eye of director, DavidLynch...the story progresses into one of the strangest endings ever onfilm. As a portrait of madness, it ranks above something like SILENCEOF THE LAMBS, for its principal madman is far more mundane and far lesseasy to understand than any clinically-described serial killer. DavidLynch proved, with this film, that he is one of the world's best moviemakers. Frank Booth is probably the greatest and coolest "bad guy" inany crime-drama film. Definitely worth your time.

Jon

(2013-02-10 01:35:34)

David Lynch's masterpiece

This is the movie that really put David Lynch on the map as a rather offbeatdirector, even though Eraserhead had been made over a decade before. Thesetting is a very unusual one; even though it was set present-day, the townseemed more like a throwback to the McCarthy/Rockwell era and seemed moremidwestern than southern even though the movie was made in North Carolina.The "good guys" in the film come across as rather bland and trite with somevery banal dialogue thrown in ("yes that's a human ear all right" or "Idon't know if you're a detective or pervert"). Dennis Hopper seems to behaving the time of his life with his role in this one as a seething S&Maddict who sniffs some unidentified inhalant attached to his waist whenaroused and has an unusual fetish for blue velvet robes and not to mentionhis taste for cheap American beer as opposed to more expensive European ones(I am of course referring to the scene when he asks Jeffrey what kind ofbeer he likes). Anyway, the photography and sets are all beautiful in acreepy sort of way. David Lynch's movies that followed this one were prettyunpleasant, with the exception of "The Straight Story". I loved the castingof this movie at the time it came out, having the main character in Dune inhis first "Earth setting" movie and Brad Dourif (Billy Bibbit in One FlewOver the Cuckoo's Nest) and Jack Nance (Eraserhead) in cameos as DennisHoppers buddies.

rather_chilly_post

(2013-02-08 10:02:33)

Film Feast

There are great films. I think that Psycho is a great film, i thinkthat Fear and Loathing is a great film, similarly Being There, TheGodfather, Rear Window. There are few occasions when you watch a filmand realise what you are watching is'nt just great, it is momentous. Itis though you have been born privileged, you've died and gone toWindsor. Shocking films, i believe, can often have this effect. Perhapsit is my age, but the horror and crookedness of such films make themmomentous moments, like watching Alien as a twelve year old. BlueVelvet is much more than this. It is a film-and i apologise for thecliché-you can watch again and again. I have never seen any other DavidLynch films, to be brutally honest i have not watched many filmsreally. What he has created is so incredible, you can try and dissectit like a classic novel and work out why he did this there and what thelighting is for here. It uses the medium of film as it should be, it isnot a play on a flat screen, it is just genius (i apologise yet againfor my bad writing). People who won't like this film, i believe, arethose people who don't understand films, or those people who think theyknow so much about films that they ridicule it as being obscure forobscure's sake. There are messages behind it but i can not be botheredto list my opinions of what they might be here. As a spectacle, as afilm, Blue Velvet is the most exceptional film i have ever seen. Thecolour of it, the lighting, the voices, the music, the ending.... Andit's got that fella from Quantum Leap singing into a stage light,brilliant!

tclurp

(2013-02-08 03:03:21)

Intriguing, but often sickening thriller

I can see why many people consider Blue Velvet to be a masterpiece.Likewise, I can see why many dispute this status and dislike the filmimmensely. I am caught somewhere in between. The film is a beautiful,almost dreamlike quality, although it features extreme sexual violenceand many scenes are misogynistic toward Isabella Rossellini. The performances are amazing, however. Dennis Hopper was exceptional,the always good Kyle MacLachlan turned in a fine performance, andIsabella Rossellini was amazing. Unlike the performances, the film wasa mixed bag.Overall, the film was done very well. The cinematography is beautiful,and watching it on DVD is a splendid experience. Yet, the violence isdefinitely a put-off and comes off as being distasteful at times. Watchat your own risk.