INLAND EMPIRE

[nobody]

Has anyone here seen this film? Want to discuss it?

I think it was bold of Lynch to use that same deranged classical music that Kubrick put to brilliant use in The Shining. It's so recognizable and yet it fits the mood of INLAND EMPIRE perfectly.

The film fucks me up big time. I can't really get through it without necessarily descending into the same madness as Laura Dern's character and all her manifestations or whatever.

I don't understand the movie although I have tons of theories. The thing I find the most interesting is that Lynch is, or says he is not, a drug user. I find this tremendously positive and influential, especially considering that most people would be extremely surprised to know it. Lynch is into meditation and non-dual philosophy.



To start off the discussion : INLAND EMPIRE means 'empire of the mind'.

[nobody]

Also I should add that this film is masterful on many levels and is worth your time and patience. This is the pinnacle of Lynch's career and it's a film that will receive its rightful adoration one day ...

http://xixax.com/halfborn/ - analysis of INLAND EMPIRE

[nobody]

    Visitor #1: Is there a murder in your film?
    Nikki Grace: Ah, no. That's not part of the story.
    Visitor #1: No. I think you are wrong about that.
    Nikki Grace: No.
    Visitor #1: Brutal f * c k i n g murder!

[nobody]

TO tell you the truth, this film is so good that it instills fear in me. I am afraid to watch this film. I've seen all the notorious horror films that are supposed to be frightening but they are nothing compared to INLAND EMPIRE. This is a film about awakening.

[punkinhead]

i've heard great things about this film, wanna see it. my exposure to Lynch is very small: Blue Velvet (Loved Dennis Hopper's performace), parts of Dune, and Mullholland Drive.


Actually just bought the extended cut of Dune two days ago.

[nobody]

i've heard great things about this film, wanna see it. my exposure to Lynch is very small: Blue Velvet (Loved Dennis Hopper's performace), parts of Dune, and Mullholland Drive.


Actually just bought the extended cut of Dune two days ago.

Have you seen Eraserhead? INLAND EMPIRE is closer to that than his other films, I'd say, and yet it's entirely unique. In the same sense that Mulholland Drive focuses on the plights of women or a woman, so does IE.

Really, it's Lynch at his most bizarre and yet masterful. The film may feel torturous to watch or disorienting. You may want to escape. All part of the plan. He pulls you in. If you acquire IE I suggest the following context for watching it and getting the most out of it (although it requires several viewings to even begin grasping) : late at night around midnight or a few hours earlier if you can't stay up until 3am on nay night ; in complete darkness, no lights or even dull lamps should be left on, likewise no glaring electronics ; should be viewed on the biggest and best screen you have, preferably not a tiny laptop screen ; should be heard through the best sound system you have as Lynch's soundtracks are always great and in IE many of the more darkly atmospheric pieces of music were composed and created by him himself and are best appreciated at a compelling volume on good speakers, it really will make a huge difference ; watch it sober (although I've seen it while on various drugs its most effectively disorienting qualities shine more when you're sober ; and last but not least, NO INTERRUPTIONS!!! Pee before you turn it on and keep an empty water bottle next to you if you're a guy, and get any drinks or snacks ready so you don't get up and miss things. If you really have to get up and walk away, like if your house is burning or you're being robbed, pause the film first.

A note about the digital camera style : Lynch is generally better known for being a great visual artist and films like Eraserhead have a distinctive filmy quality to them. With IE, David dumped the big cameras and all that work and filmed the entire thing on some sort of handheld device. Some people feel it doesn't work, some think it does. I am of both opinions at different times. Sometimes I wonder whether the film could've become an instant classic had it been filmed on something more than a handheld digicam but the capabilities of the handheld make for some compelling scenes and very realistic scenes.

If you enjoyed the mindfuck aspect of Mulholland Drive then INLAND EMPIRE will appeal to you - although, beware, it's much less commercial and very dark.

I hope you enjoy it , feel free to bump this thread whenever you get round to seeing it (this post goes out to everyone else, too)!

[phirnis]

Have yet to check out Inland Empire. I'm somewhat of an occasional admirer of Lynch's. While I did enjoy Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and The Straight Story, I thought Lost Highway hasn't aged particularly well and Mullholland Drive has never been among my personal favourites. I do like Jeremy Irons very much, however, and so I'm definitely going to give this one a try.

[nobody]

Have yet to check out Inland Empire. I'm somewhat of an occasional admirer of Lynch's. While I did enjoy Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and The Straight Story, I thought Lost Highway hasn't aged particularly well and Mullholland Drive has never been among my personal favourites. I do like Jeremy Irons very much, however, and so I'm definitely going to give this one a try.

Jeremy doesn't play a huge role but he does it well. I have a hard time seeing him in films after seeing him in the remake or re-adaption of Lolita. He captured that role so much better than James Mason, IMO (although, to be fair, Kubrick's film is more like a dark comedy so the roles are somewhat different). However, the actress playing Lo was way too old for the part. It would've been more shocking had she been but two years younger. Although I guess she made up for it by capturing the personality type perfectly.

[phirnis]

He somehow managed to capture the very essence of Humbert's deeply melancholic nature in a manner that seemed completely effortless to me. Also, he definitely had the looks of the ageing bon vivant, which really added to the movie's authenticity. To me, it's much closer to Nabokov's original vision than what Kubrick made of it.