Review of Inland Empire (2006) by Lee B — 01 Mar 2009

I have to admit, I love Lynch but he is very hit or miss. I watched about 40 minutes of this before I literally had to go back because I thought I missed something. I know his movies can be purposely disjointed, but I still felt like I was missing something. This is, as always, a heavy atmosphere movie, but maybe it was the tight facial shots of his purposely small digital work on this movie that was somehow what started to lose me. It is a great elbow-to-the-ribs that the movie?s title appears out of light projection. But the throwing in of the song and dance seems forced like the Baretta parts of Lost Highway.

The melding at the end was very interesting and a saving grace for the movie. The two dance routines were nice and I wish the first was longer and the second ? how could anyone not love Sinnerman. Who wants to see a David Lynch musical?

Since I am listening to the Bedlam CD from Mars Volta and just referenced musicals, I?ll say Lynch is like Mars Volta. Scattered in lyrics and message and rhythm but heavy on mood and feeling. It works sometimes (Wild at Heart, Blue Velvet, Mulholland, Stright Story doesn?t count; or for Mars Volta, De-Loused and Bedlam) but misses just as often (Lost Highway, Twin Peaks, this; Amputechture and Francis for Mars).