David Lynch is one of the most fascinating directors working today. His films aren’t always good but they are always interesting. He creates nightmarish, surreal landscapes in which plot doesn’t always make sense and which leave themselves up for various interpretations. His career has taken all sorts of strange detours and loops. He’s made very personal, very experimental films; he’s worked on broadcast television; adapted popular science fiction novels; and made several things that were initially only released on his website.
It’s the sort of career that’s ripe for a good documentary. With any luck David Lynch: The Art Life is such a film. With Criterion putting it out, you can expect a very nice presentation, though I must say the extras (a short interview with Lynch, a trailer and a leaflet) leave much to be desired.
Also out this week that looks interesting:
The Piano Teacher (Criterion Collection): Like David Lynch, Michael Haneke is a also a fascinating director. He completely defies expectations. He seems to enjoy messing with viewer’s concepts of how a film should go. It’s as if he’s egging the audience on and then pulling the rug out from under us. The Piano Teacher won the Grand Prix at Cannes and is considered one of his best. It’s about the titular teacher of pianos and her sexual obsession with a student. Or something. One never knows with Haneke what its about. It’s gotten the Criterion treatment though which is always exciting.
Friday Night Lights: The Complete Series: Not-too-expensive set of this highly rated series about a small town and its high school football team. I keep hearing great things about it. Actually started it awhile back and enjoyed it, but got distracted by something else and have yet to return to it.
The Rolling Stones: From the Vault – Sticky Fingers Live at the Fonda Theatre: For a few years now, there’s been a trend for artists to cover one of their albums from start to finish. The Stones did their classic album Sticky Fingers on May 20, 2015 in Hollywood. That’s not a particularly great year for the band, but it has gotta be fun to hear all those cuts in order.
David Gilmour: Live at Pompeii: Forty-five years ago, Pink Floyd performed at the legendary Roman amphitheater without an audience for a live album. Gilmour went back to that historic setting for two-night (and for an actual live audience). He made an album too. Should be cool.
Orgy of the Dead: Vinegar Syndrome has upgraded this super-low-budget nudie cutie that’s claim to fame was that it was written by Ed Wood (but directed by Stephen C. Apostolof, who presumably had a modicum more talent than Mr. Wood). Should be worth a laugh.
47 Meters Down: Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, and Matthew Modine star in this thriller about a couple of sisters trapped in a shark cage at the bottom of the ocean.
