THE MOVIE

Sometimes, things don't mean anything. The DVD case for David Lynch's newest film INLAND EMPIRE is aggressively nonsensical. Extreme close-ups of lamps decorate the 2 discs. Beneath the title, the box quotes an unknown source saying, "'A woman in trouble'" it’s the only insight into the film offered on the DVD case. It's placed like a pull quote, and acts as a tagline, but it doesn't really mean anything—at least, not in any linear fashion.

But then, Lynch is a man who openly admits that most of Mulholand Drive came to him in about one hour. At this point, his movies don't mean anything. They are light and sound. They flirt with narrative but never embrace the concept, and freed from the shackles of film (which, for those who don’t know, is a rather arduous medium on all accounts) Lynch has made a movie that feels almost stream of consciousness.

But to simply pretend that Lynch’s movie is nothing more than an odd collection of seemingly connected scenes is to undercut his satirical bend. Almost all of Lynch’s films are satires. Blue Velvet, a noir that completely inverts the genre through the use of over statement. Mulholand Drive, also plays with the noir genre, but encapsulates this into an extremely meta Chinese puzzle box by setting the entire affair in the life of a Hollywood actress.  The show-within-a-show in Twin Peaks that seemed to predict the future of the “real” characters. While Lynch refuses to say anything overt with his films, he obviously isn’t just talking.

INLAND EMPIRE is perhaps his most startling statement on the nature of humanity yet. The film, which follows Laura Dern playing a typically shallow Hollywood starlet who signs on to a movie with a mysterious past, plays heavily on the idea of predestination and the inevitability of fate. Is Dern becoming the character she is playing in the movie-within-the-movie or has she always been this woman? Is Dern perhaps doomed like Sisyphus before her to forever be an actress, perpetually trying to reach the peak of her career, (self actualization, in effect, through denying her own self in favor of a fictitious version thereof), but forever doomed to fail because of her own character flaws and lusts for the venial?

This is Lynch so there are no answers, of course.

Many films featuring dream sequences are far too lucid, not INLAND EMPIRE. In fact, this film, more than any other I have ever seen, feels like a dream itself. Sequences are hard to grasp and then seem to fade away once they end. Even upon multiple viewings, things stay mysterious. There are emotional connections, but things come in and out of focus. Ideas come into one’s mind, but then fall apart before they can be discussed. The only other film that has ever had this effect on me would be Brunel’s The Exterminating Angel. It’s entirely enrapturing and more than a bit awe inspiring.

But the movie is not without its’ faults. For the first 20 minutes, it is almost unwatchable. The picture quality is home video grade, and it’s very grating to watch. But once the movie begins to flow, the bland colors give way to bizarre and fascinating textures. Lych’s painting roots show through here. He finds delicate and beautiful ways to stretch the medium of video. Sure, it’s no replacement for film, but is film a good facsimile for the written word? Apparently Lynch is the only man in Hollywood who “gets” that video need not imitate film. It’s like water color’s imitating pastels. It won’t work. But that doesn’t make one better than the other. Each artist need only find the medium that suits him or her best. And for Lynch, digital is working wonders.

THE DVD

This two disc set is one of Lynch’s best releases yet. Lynch oversaw the transfer (as he does on all of his DVDs) to make sure the colors and tones are accurately represented. This set, much like the recent Twin Peeks season 2 release, looks incredibly clear, almost HD quality at points. The sound too is impeccable.

The first disc contains only the (almost 3 hour-long) Feature and a detailed video calibration instruction set. Use the calibration feature. The film is very subtly detailed. What’s more, it’s a sort of fun little feature that gives insight into why some things look so much better on the big screen than they do on DVD.

Do note however that, like all of Lynch’s films, there are no chapter stops on the disc, so if you have to stop it, make sure you take note of how far in you are.

The second disc includes copious extras. There is almost 80 minutes of deleted scenes (cleverly called, “More things that happened”). I’m talking Dogma Special Edition numbers here. If you reintegrated it into the film, the movie would run the better part of 5 hours. Is it self indulgent? Yes. Is it masturbatory? Maybe. Is it worthwhile, if you’re a fan? Absolutely. This DVD will be of great use to film students and Richard Kelly types for years to come. So much is cut from this movie that it could be an entire second feature. Unfortunately, like the feature, there are no scene stops here, and so it can be hard to watch at times. Look for the scene with a woman yelling that “In America we use dollars! Not, Euros or whatever.”   

These aren’t throw-away’s either. They are of equivalent quality to the film. That said, many people hated this movie. I’m not amongst them, so I found these scenes to be fascinating.

The DVD lists 190 minute running time and it makes good use of it.

There are 3 evocative trailers, each about a minute long.

There is a 7 minute long photo montage full of key moments from the film. It’s a good tool for your computer. Capture a few images and make a desktop or something.

“Ballerina” is a 12 minute short subject about a young woman dancing cross fading with what appears to be out of focus clouds. The score is the best part of this. The minimalist music accompaniment is absolutely beautiful. Lynch is experimenting with his medium. Occasionally the images are breathtaking, but this short is more of an oddity than it is a fully formed concept. The murky shadows at the end, however, show that digital is a perfect medium for German Expressionism style filming.

Oddly, the disc also includes another short film…one on cooking Quinoa. Lynch seems to believe this is a metaphor for creating art, choosing ingredients and the amount to include of each. It’s a bit reminiscent of Robert Rodriguez’s “10 minute cooking school” segments, only twice as long, in black and white and much more artsy. Honestly, I would love to see a cooking show starring Lynch. He could use “shiny” as his slogan where others use, “BAM!” Lynch tells some stories along the way as the film is done in real time. The imagery is fascinating to watch. The stark, blacks and whites look splendid on Lynch’s aging face. And his cigarette smoke is entrancing as it wafts through the air.

But it all sort of feels like Lynch is just publishing his home movies.

Finally, there is a half hour documentary called “Lynch 2.” I love the sound of Lynch’s voice. I love his mannerisms. He is so weird, so totally oddball. It’s great fun to watch him, especially when he is upset. For all others, this is a waste of time. That said, I don’t know how many outside of the hardcore will even make it through the feature.

This DVD is easily one of the best I have encountered. There are so many special features, not one of which is the typical “our film is so great” making of. The DVD is about as weird as the film, and if it had chapter stops in the deleted scenes, it might be perfect. As it stands, it is not. However, the “value added material” (the original name for bonus features) is of unusual value. This DVD is an absolute must for fans of the film, and a worthy addition to the collection of any true film enthusiast. Even those who might not like the feature.

THE FILM: 8.9/10

THE DVD: 9.5/10

Just know what you’re getting into.

Post Script: I’m a bored and lonely guy. Please, send me hate mail, fan letters, pictures of your new kittens. Entertain me!