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Blackmail, Murder & Mayhem

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Blue Velvet

Blue Velvet

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not classic
Review: I felt it's a movie of some quality, but definitely didn't think it's "one of the best movies." I also didn't agree this film's main intention was to show us that beneath every normal and happy surface, there always lies a dark side most of us cannot see or even are unwilling to see. Or if this was really the intention of this film, I would say it's not quite successful.

First off, I didn't see the town was portrayed as a normal peaceful town in the movie to begin with. We saw an old man hit by some sudden disease (presumably stroke) only a few minutes into the movie. Then not much later we saw Jeffrey (the male lead character) pick up a severed human ear. Well, I really couldn't sense that this town was beautiful or peaceful even at the beginning of the movie.

The later part of the story involving Jeffrey investigating into the matter revealed what's supposed to be the dark side of the civilized society. But while Dennis Hopper's performance as the villain was excellent and Rossellini was convincing as the poor victim, in the story the dark side wasn't really that dark.... After all, it's not beyond an ordinary person's imagination. It's quite disturbing all right, but I couldn't really be shocked or unsettled by it.

Some scenes of the film were clever, well-crafted and funny, however: The twisted hose and the stroke-struck old man; The ugly bugs beneath the grass; The oxygen-mask-wearing Frank raping the helpless Dorothy; Frank's buddy Ben singing "Sand-colored clown", etc. etc. Also, some other scenes are weird and fun to watch.

But I don't think the superb acting (except Laura Dern's...) and some outstanding scenes were nearly enough to warrant the high regards so many reviewers bestowed on the movie. Maybe had I watched this movie in 1980's, I would be much more impressed. But I think this movie failed the test of time. To a viewer of the 2000's, while such true classics as "Clockwork Orange" or "Graduate" still bring awe, "Blue Velvet" is little more than mediocre.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Isabella Rossellini: Not Beautiful...just Sexy!
Review: Very suspensful, well filmed and just a great film altogether. It has some pretty disturbing imagery and Dennis Hopper is pretty damn insane as usual, but he adds everything to this film. If you agree with what I am saying then I highly HIGHLY recommend Red Rock West. Another very cool thriller with Hopper and Nicholas Cage. Enjoy!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good..Bad.. Ugly...
Review: This film, in my opinon will entertain you. But to put it up there with some of my other four and five star film's would be wrong.
The story line is pretty good, the acting did for the most part, carry the film for as good as it was written.
I do think that the director tried to accomplish too much in too many area's.
If they had just stuck with the story line and amplified that, it may of done better with the general public as well.
But, as I said, it will keep your interest, and you should enjoy it for what it is... " A good movie".. not a great or an awesome movie...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great movie in need of more features!
Review: This is a great movie! I recommend it to anyone not afraid of seeing something different. However, I must plead with the filmmakers to release another DVD with more features. Commentary, interviews, deleted scenes, anything! This is one of those movies that lives on in the imagination long after you see it, and I am dying to here a real commentary by David Lynch about what it means to him.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Great film, wretched DVD.
Review: I'll keep this short: although this is one of my favorite movies, the DVD is absolutely wretched. The image transfer quality just plain sucks. I've watched this on a HDTV set with progressive scan inputs, and it looks like trash. Colors are washed out, there are artifacts galore, and so on. Guess they couldn't be bothered to find a decent print or do a proper transfer, which is a crying shame.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The first time Lynch made a typical Lynch-movie
Review: With eraserhead, the elephant man, and failed sci-fi epic Dune behind him, Lynch finally became what we associate him with today. In this movie he capture the unsecurity, hidden strangeness and illusionary safeness of "Any Town USA". It's a meeting of surreal, almost kafka-like labyrint fantasy and fifties-styled small town noir.
The evil gangster leader (played by Dennis Hopper) bares smultarity with later Lynch monsters, for exampel BOB in twin peaks, and the mafia boss in Lost Highway.

It's a thriller seen from the perspective of the naiv voyaeur. A thriller that does'nt give either psychological, political or social explenetaions, but rather scares us with it's total silence.
When the movie is over, we can't really find out if the story is over. It ends where it begins, happy and colourful. But the little happy bird singing in the last scene is actually a mecanic toy.
Where do we go from now?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Lush Greens and Perversity
Review: David Lynch's at once quirky and psychotic film making style is perfectly suited for the innocence vs. corruption dynamic that is this movie's theme. This is often considered Lynch's masterpiece and despite its undeniable weirdness, is mostly praised by critics, with the glaring ommission of Roger Ebert, who dismissed it on a strange moral ground. He found the mix of abused, naked women and jokey satire offensive. Rumor has it that Lynch wanted to film this in black and white at first, which, in my opinion, would have been a terrible mistake and obscured the light-dark parallel. Lynch's use of color is well done, and pleases the eye. Maltin was right about the necessity of seeing this in a widescreen format as well -- it really comes through in the spacious apartment scenes. The performance of Dennis Hopper in this film is outstanding, ludicrous, and hillarious (depending on your sense of humor). Oxygen-toting, obscenity-spewing Frank Booth gave me newfound respect for an actor that I found just irritating in the past. Great film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Dennis Hopper is great!!!!!
Review: This is simply the best movie David Lynch has ever directed, and Laura Dern, Kyle Mac Lachlan, Dennis Hopper and Isabella Rosellini (Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rosellini's daughter) play their parts as good as one can presume they were able to.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best films of all time
Review: David lynch's Blue velvet is a cinematic masterpiece the photography by Frederick Elmes is simply amazing. The DVD is not bad either good sound and picture and thats all you need for this film. I am very surprized this film didn't get a NC-17 rating it should of but thats the Mpaa. for ya. I recommend this film to everyone who likes disturbing films. Warning: This film contains strong sex scens,rape scens,and strong violence and language.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: lynch's best! a dark masterpiece of modern horror
Review: David Lynch's provocative film, BLUE VELVET, is a dark masterpiece of post-modern art. For what does all art aspire to do? I would claim, to tear away our illusions of the world in which we live; To strip away the false façade and reveal to us that which we do not want to see, but that we know is there. Lynch does this by attacking a small town and removing the idyllic surface and showing us all the murk that boils beneath. My favourite shot in the film is of a bed of roses, where Lynch has added (through his brilliant use of audio) a surreal, distorted noise that sounds like a thousand insects creeping and crawling. Dennis hopper stars as the embodiment of evil, Jack Booth, who's truly one of the most psychotic persons to ever appear on film. He has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Kyle Maclachlan's characters sums it all up by asking, "why are there people like Frank?" But there's also beauty in this film. Isabella Rossilini standing on stage singing the title song, BLUE VELVET, is a wonderful image. Lynch isn't just preoccupied with tearing away at everything. Once in a while he seems prepared to start building things up again from scratch; Certainly there's hope somewhere. BLUE VELVET is easily one of the most important contemporary American films. It's a must see for any one interested in film (not having seen BLUE VELVET for a film buff is like an art student not having seen Picasso's painting of the Spanish civil war).


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