#twin peaks s2 e22

[architectureforsuicides]

Twin Peaks. S2/E22: “Beyond Life and Death″ (David Lynch, 1991) Reinig Bridge / Snoqualmie Valley Trail - Reinig Bridge Snoqualmie, Washington (USA) Bridge over the Snoqualmie river Type: truss bridge.

[whatyearisthis]

Twin Peaks (S2/E22: Beyond Life and Death)

[lifejustgotawkward]

365 Day Movie Challenge (2017) - #147: Wild at Heart (1990) - dir. David Lynch

I watched a double bill of Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart a few weeks ago, another key piece in the puzzle as I prepared myself for the return of “Twin Peaks.” Experiencing Blue Velvet was great, but Wild at Heart was a letdown. Adapted from a Barry Gifford novel, Lynch depicts the Bonnie & Clyde-like odyssey of Sailor Ripley (Nicolas Cage) and Lula Fortune (Laura Dern), lovers who are on the run from Lula’s frightening mother, Marietta (Diane Ladd). It’s mostly entertaining to watch but disappointingly lacking in substance. Sure, Nic Cage brings a certain charm to a character which is essentially one big, strange Elvis impression, and Laura Dern attacks her sexy, sassy role with gusto (a bit of a fun shock after watching her play such a good girl in Blue Velvet), but the film has way too many supporting players and most of them get a pittance of screen time.

The sheer number of performers is dizzying: Willem Dafoe (playing a creep like only he can – and with messed-up teeth to match), J.E. Freeman, Crispin Glover, Calvin Lockhart, Isabella Rossellini, Harry Dean Stanton (what a treasure), Grace Zabriskie (frighteningly entertaining... or entertainingly frightening?), Sherilyn Fenn, Marvin Kaplan, William Morgan Sheppard, David Patrick Kelly, John Lurie, Jack Nance (his cameo appearance is my favorite scene in the film), Frances Bay (what a treat to see her play a foulmouthed madam!), Sheryl Lee and Ed Wright (I immediately recognized him as “Dell Mibbler,” the doddering old bank clerk from “Twin Peaks” S2 E22). Most of these actors’ characters appear only briefly, however, and so there is a constant feeling of dissatisfaction from David Lynch not getting more mileage out of potentially more thrilling portrayals.

My biggest frustration comes from the fact that  Diane Ladd received a  Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role as Marietta Fortune. While the performance is memorable, particularly when she smears lipstick all over her face during a full freak-out panic, Marietta pretty much disappears during the second half of the movie while Sailor and Lula continue on their wacky adventures in the desert. Wild at Heart doesn’t skimp on weirdness, but the boldest move would have been to cut some of the subplots and give more of a platform to one of Lynch’s strongest female characters. I’m not sorry that I watched Wild at Heart, but the whole never lived up to the parts.