MisterWhiplash
Three half-hour episodes were produced, two from David Lynch as director and Barry Gifford as writer, one from some random guy, James Signorelli, I never heard of (though, according to IMDb, directed an Elvira movie, and surprisingly helmed Easy Money), each set in a hotel room in a particular year in time: The first segment, Tricks, set in 1969, is a story of a man (Harry Dean Stanton) right about to get some from a stoned prostitute, who gets visited at that moment by an old white-bearded friend with some dark past history. The acting is good all around, particularly from Stanton during a monologue about his first sexual encounter. But it also doesn't really lead much anywhere, even through touches of Lynch's usual twists (the appearance of the 'friend', the final twist that does cleverly wrap around old relationship ties). It also tries to be funny, and it isn't, which makes it a little awkward when the subtle wit doesn't work. (7/10) The second segment, Getting Rid of Robby, set in 1992, is like some slightly sleazier, less witty episode of Sex and the City (if you can imagine that), with very lame would-be-clever dialog, and the only redeeming aspect being Griffin Dunne playing a man who's breaking up with a woman who usually 'takes care' of him when he comes by during business trips. Not sure why it was here, even if Badalamenti puts in a groovy jazz song over material that isn't worth it; it's not necessarily a horrible short, but it has no real entertainment value except for people who can't distinguish fake-feminist-trash from quality product, and it is a significant drop in comparison to the other two shorts. (5/10) Blackout, 1937- Probably the closest that Lynch has come to doing full-on Bergman, via Gifford's script, by ding very simply shot but emotionally complex character studying. Crispin Glover plays a small-town guy who stays in the same hotel room from the other two shorts with his love, played by Alicia Witt, who's sort of slow and affected mind-wise, but has a lot to say about Chinese fish and seeing things like their future children. Witt has a look like the classic Bergman actresses, and the dialog even goes further than Bergman, maybe back to Ibsen, in capturing the tense but always powerfully human tradition of characters who are disconnected from one another, but wanting to be close as possible, through revelations in behavior and stark details. Glover, in a rare instance, plays a guy who is the straight character (straight as possible anyway). In the Barry Lyndon-esquire candle-lit lighting, Lynch makes this all so spare that it seems like the farthest thing removed from an quagmire like Inland Empire. But in its own way, Lynch is experimenting just as much in getting inside the nature of a character's psychology, and it's refreshing to see him let the actors find their own beats in the performances. (9/10)
david_mitchell4
I just have a question. I do not know if this is the movie that I saw one time on TV, and I loved it but I am not sure if this is it, and the synopsis doesn't clear it up for me. I know that it shows the lives of the people in the hotel room through decades, but is there a story line with a soldier who comes home from war and you are led to believe that his wife is having an affair with his best friend? If you could just post a message and let me know that would be great And if this is not the movie, if anyone knows what the movie is that I am talking about it would be greatly appreciated if you could let me know.
dolcry
I just read the other review that is posted for this film. I agree that the second episode is fairly terrible, but I would like to add that David Lynch did not write or have involvement with that one. The first episode is quite amazing, but it's the third one that I personally like. It's intelligent and it's got some of the best acting I've ever seen. Crispin Glover is amazing in the episode, and I think it's unfortunate that both him and Lynch didn't receive critical acclaim for being a part of such an amazing project. The third episode is not accessible to everyone, but I urge everyone to at least see the first one.
Goredog
This is the worst David Lynch directed film or TV series in existence. There are three different episodes to this horrific video, all revolving around the same hotel room. The three different episodes are set in different times, spanning from the 1940's to the 1990's. Harry Dean Stanton stars in the first and probably the best out of the three. This episode is the strongest of the three, with all the usual twists and turns that you have come to expect out of David Lynch. But the next episode is a horrible hybrid of a day soap opera and any theatre-bound 90's mainstream dark-humored film that we have grown accustom to loathe. Halfway through the last episode I decided enough was enough and ejected the tape while condemning this god-awful movie to Haiti. I hated this film and my favorite film is Blue Velvet. Go figure.
