When they aren't catching up on upcoming 2025 movies, movie lovers are always keen to spend a moment appreciating the medium's past. With each year, Hollywood continues to showcase movie magic and the incredible stars who carry the story, but along with it comes some sad and unexpected goodbyes. Online, fans are taking the time to reminisce about big-hitting stars' last movies, like Jimmy Stewart and Robin Williams, and, more specifically, their fitting and impactful last lines.

The conversation took root in a Reddit post whose OP said they were inspired to create the thread because of Robin Williams’ last major Hollywood role, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, which featured his poignant, comforting closing line. Meanwhile, his actual final film, Boulevard, reveals the heartbreaking duality of the beloved late A-lister’s mental health struggles. Check out the comedian who passed too soon's dual last lines:

• "Smile, my boy. It's sunrise." - Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
• “I drove down a street one night. A street I didn't know. It's the way your life goes sometimes. I'll drive down this one and another. And now, another.” - Robin Williams as Nolan Mack in Boulevard

How fitting were Williams’ last words in that double entry of films? While the sweet family blockbuster’s line was what audiences viewed him as, the adventurous, aimless driving voiceover from the 2014 drama mirrored him off-camera more.

From Robin Williams to An American Tail: Fievel Goes West and another pair of Hollywood royals we go:

• "I don't know what's beyond those hills, but if you ride yonder, head up, eyes steady, heart open, I think one day you'll find that you're the hero you've been looking for.” - Jimmy Stewart as Wylie Burp in An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
• “How do you find your way back in the dark?” - Marilyn Monroe as Roslyn’s in The Misfits:
• "Just head for that big star straight on. The highway's under it. It'll take us right home.” - Clark Gable as Gay in The Misfits

Jimmy Stewart, arguably most well-known for the complex holiday tale It's a Wonderful Life, still managed to deliver a grandiose, hopeful message as an animated dog. Truly on par with George Bailey and the actor behind him, even in an animated sequel.

And as for Gable and Monroe, The Misfits was both of their last movies shot before they passed. The King of Hollywood’s matter-of-fact response to the Blonde Bombshell’s dark and mysterious question is almost too much. The small back and forth eerily suits both of their public personas as a femme fatale and the leading man all too well.

Along with the iconic but crew above, other greats’ parting sentences also hit as close to home as the heartbreakers above. The grouping of the next trio is lighter in their on-screen finales, but the lines themselves are still unexpectedly fitting in ways. The list includes the 007 actor who set the tone for the James Bond franchise, one of the most influential women for TV history and a recently deceased cult-favorite experimental director.

• “May this new century be yours, son, as the old one was mine.” - Sean Connery as Allan Quartermain in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
• "My pleasure!" - David Lynch as John Ford in The Fabelmans
• “I have some sad news. I bit the big one. I've cashed in my chips. I'm dead.” - Betty White as Mrs. Sarah Vanderwhoozie in Trouble (also known as Dog Gone Trouble)

Not nearly as tragic as the ones above (and I didn’t even include the saddest!), but still suits them just as well. Connery’s line is as cool and intelligent as ever, fit for the Dr. No actor. Lynch, as we know, has one hell of a body of work, but also took the time as a director to appear in another director's movie, The Fableman’s. And playing a legendary filmmaker in another filmmaker’s movie and being the wacky but loved filmmaker he is, no notes here.

Then, of course, to close the quick dive into these creative giants, none other than Betty White. Naturally, there are animals involved and an immaculately crafted joke reflecting death. A true comedy queen through and through.

Needless to say, the conversation and unearthing of beloved actors' on-screen last lines go deep. There are plenty more poignant words from top-tier celebs that span from Stewart’s era to Williams’ one and beyond. Just be ready for what you may find!

Not to pat myself (or you) on the back too hard, but if you clicked on this article, then you are a true cinephile. And, do you know how I know that? Because not only do you love watching films, you also enjoy reading about them, and not just about everything heading to theaters in 2025.

Because honestly, do you have any idea how hard it is to get people to read anything these days? Even when it’s a movie based on a book, a lot of people are like, “Nah, I’m good,” when you ask them if they’ve read the source material.

So, the books I’m about to discuss are from a wide range of topics. Because filmmaking is not just directing. It's also a number of other elements as well. So, without further ado, here are 7 great books about the craft of filmmaking.

Room To Dream-David Lynch and Kristine McKenna

We lost David Lynch not too long ago, and it was a pretty big blow. I’ve already written about how there will never be another director like him, but that was concerning his films. However, if you read Room to Dream, which is part memoir, part biography, you’ll also learn that there will never be another human being like David Lynch, either.

Co-written by Kristine McKenna, who handles the biography side, Lynch handles the memoir side, where he comments on things McKenna wrote, and even describes how the things she details about his films aren’t exactly how he remembers them.

Cerebral? Yes. Cheeky? Also yes. It’s also really insightful since he goes into aspects about his films that were left ambiguous.

And, while I’ve always been a fan of his movies, I never really knew much about him outside of his films, so this book reveals that Lynch was more than just his work. He had a personal life, too!

In short, if you love (and miss) David Lynch, then there’s no better book than Room to Dream.

Pick up Room to Dream on Amazon

Lloyd Kaufman: Interviews

From high art to lowbrow. Troma Entertainment co-founder, Lloyd Kaufman, is probably most known for his gross out films like Terror Firmer. However, you might change your feelings about the man once you read Lloyd Kaufman: Interviews, which features op-eds, commentaries, and yes, interviews with the man who brought us The Toxic Avenger (who I’m a huge fan of).

What’s great about this book is that it shows that even schlock is hard work, as Kaufman has made a whole career of shocking and entertaining viewers.

The book goes over Kaufman’s savvy business practices, at points acknowledging that some of Troma’s most shocking films wouldn’t make much money at the box office, but would find their audience on home video.

I also love learning about the importance of branding, as Kaufman goes over how the Troma brand sells itself (Which, I can attest to since I’ll watch anything from Troma–Like Surf Nazis Must Die).

Lloyd Kaufman: Interviews is an excellent book (with a great intro by Mathew Klickstein!) that gets into the business of filmmaking. Plus, Kaufman reveals his 5 favorite Troma movies, so that’s fun!

Pick up Lloyd Kaufman: Interviews on Amazon

All About Me! My Remarkable Life in Show Business-Mel Brooks

Speaking of business, there’s no business like show business, right? And, who better to give you a discussion of the matter than Mel Brooks?

In this lengthy (and fun!) book, Brooks talks about his humble beginnings in Brooklyn, to his time in the Army, to the real meat and potatoes, his time making films.

What’s great is that after talking about meeting his future wife, Anne Bancroft, we get whole chapters on some of his best known movies, such as The Producers, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein.

However, I mostly appreciate the chapters on the later Mel Brooks movies, like Life Stinks, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and Dracula: Dead and Loving It, as Brooks gets into how the entertainment industry changed throughout the years.

So, if you want to read a book about the process of becoming a success in Hollywood, then you can find worse guides than Mel Brooks.

Pick up Mel Brooks: All About Me! On Amazon

Every Frame a Rembrandt: Art and Practice of Cinematography-Andrew Laszlo

I’ve talked a lot about directors, but no movie would be worth watching without cinematography, and Andrew Laszlo’s book, Every Frame a Rembrandt: Art and Practice of Cinematography is one of the finest on the craft.

Going through the five films that he shot, this book goes over a number of things that I never even thought about when it comes to moviemaking, including the perfect lighting.

I also learned that cinematography is not just photography (Color me dim, but I honestly had no idea what cinematography actually was until I read this book).

What I dig most about it though is that it deals with movies that I actually love, with three of them being the Walter Hill movies, The Warriors, Southern Comfort, and Streets of Fire.

There’s also some Q+A sections that leave a little to be desired, but overall, if you want to learn about the craft of cinematography, then you’ve found your book!

Pick up Every Frame a Rembrandt: Art and Practice of Cinematography on Amazon

Purple Fury: Rumbling With the Warriors-Rob Ryder

Speaking of Walter Hill movies, I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up my favorite film of his, The Warriors, which is the quintessential ‘70s movie.

Well, in Purple Fury: Rumbling With the Warriors, we get an in-depth look at the film, but it's not from the director, leading actors, or even the screenwriter. Instead, it's from one of the extras!

The only book I've ever read of this nature, Purple Fury is the true story of a production assistant who became a location scout, and then, by happenstance, found himself actually in the movie as one of the Baseball Furies.

The book goes into the stressful nature of filmmaking, and how everybody plays a part, from the lowliest crew member, all the way up to the director.

It's a wild story, and one you will enjoy if you like hearing what it's like being on the ground floor.

Pick up Purple Fury: Rumbling With the Warriors on Amazon

Stuntman! My Car-Crashing, Plane Jumping, Bone-Breaking, Death-Defying Hollywood Life-Hal Needham

From a man on the ground floor, to a man falling off a building, this next book is one of the most harrowing and exciting ones you will ever read.

Written by quite possibly the greatest stuntman of all time, Hal Needham tells his story of starting off small and making it big in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

I’d seen movies like Smokey and the Bandit, and The Cannonball Run, but I had no idea that the guy who directed those movies also acted as a stunt double for Richard Boone earlier in his career.

Stuntman! Goes in depth when it comes to setting up dangerous scenes, and then pulling them off. It breaks down stunts in meticulous details, and it’s all as thrilling reading it as it must have been performing it.

It’s a book that really makes you feel like the Academy needs to make a category that recognizes stunt people immediately. So, for a thrilling read, check out this book.

Pick up Stuntman!: My Car-Crashing, Plane-Jumping, Bone-Breaking, Death-Defying Hollywood Life on Amazon

Acting In Film: An Actor's Take On Movie Making-Michael Caine

Lastly, I thought I'd close with acting (rather than start with it) and who better to give you tips on the craft than Michael Caine, who always has something interesting to say.

In his book, Acting in Film: An Actors Take On Movie Making, he goes over everything from preparing for a role, what it's like to be in front of the camera, and even what it’s like being a movie star.

What makes this book wonderful though is that you can literally hear Michael Caine's voice while you read it, which is what I'm sure all of his books, both old and new, must be like.

My favorite part of the book is when Caine separates the differences from being a stage actor, to being a film actor, as he gives several instances on how they are such different undertakings.

Honestly, if you have any desire to be an actor (or just love hearing about the craft itself), then I can't recommend this book enough.

Pick up Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making on Amazon

So, those are seven excellent books about the craft of filmmaking that I highly recommend you check out. Which one are you picking up first, Ms./Mr./They Cinephile?

It's not unusual for directors to star in their own movies. Alfred Hitchcock famously made cameos in almost all of his movies and Quentin Tarantino appears in all of his in one way or another. It's rarer for a director to appear in a fellow director's movie. It's hardly unheard of, as we found plenty of interesting examples. So without further ado, here is our list of directors who appeared on other directors' movies.

Steven Spielberg - The Blues Brothers

Before the tragic accident on the set of The Twilight Zone, John Landis and Steven Spielberg were good friends. So good, in fact, that Spielberg showed up in a cameo in the Landis classic The Blues Brothers. Spielberg plays the Cook Country Accessor at the end of the movie who takes payment from Jake and Elwood.

David Lynch - The Fablemans

In a very meta moment, David Lynch plays another great director, John Ford, in Steven Spielberg's The Fablemans. The late Lynch didn't show up in movies often, even his own, so it's a fun moment in a movie by a legend, starring a legend as a legend.

John Landis - Spider-man 2

John Landis has twice done cameos in Sam Rami movies, both times appearing as a doctor, the most famous of which was in Spider-Man 2 where he plays a doctor killed by Doctor Octopus after performing surgery on the villain. It's a super quick moment and one that is easy to miss.

David Fincher - Being John Malkovich

David Fincher has occasionally popped into his own movies, including playing the voice of John Doe on the telephone so as to not give away the surprise later. He also has shown up in other directors' movies, specifically as a puppet expert in Spike Jonze's Being John Malkovich.

Roger Corman - The Silence Of The Lambs

Legendary B-movie director Roger Corman has a habit of showing up in other directors' work. It makes sense as he's a huge hero to many filmmakers who grew up watching his movies. In Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs, Corman plays the FBI director in one scene.

George Lucas - Beverly Hills Cop III

Beverly Hills Cop 3 is a pretty terrible movie, though thankfully the franchise was redeemed decades later with Axel F. Still, there is a pretty funny cameo in the movie when none other than George Lucas pops into the movie as a disgruntled patron of the amusement park that is central to the story.

Tim Burton - Singles

Tim Burton is not a director that shows up on the other side of the camera very often. In fact he has fleetingly few acting roles, but he does appear in Cameron Crowe's Singles. Crowe also has a cameo himself in the film.

Sam Raimi - Miller's Crossing

Sam Raimi is a director with a lot of acting roles on his resume, in his own film and in the movies by friends of his. One such cameo is in Miller's Crossing, a movie by the Coen Brothers. Raimi also has a cameo in another Coen Brothers movie, The Hudsucker Proxy.

Gus Van Sant - The Canyons

Gus Van Sant has a bit more than just a cameo in The Canyons, a movie that flew way under the radar when it was released in 2013, starring Lindsey Lohan. Van Sant plays a psychologist in the movie and has more than a couple lines, unlike many on this list.

Quentin Tarantino - Sleep With Me

Quentin Tarantino is always happy to cast himself in his own movies, but even before he was one of the premiere directors in Hollywood, he was popping up in movies he didn't direct. In Sleep With Me, by director Rory Kelly, which came out a month before Pulp Fiction, Tarantino has a memorable moment as a chatty party guest who breaks down the movie Top Gun in a very unconventional way.

Martin Scorsese - Quiz Show

Martin Scorsese's most famous on screen moment is as a rider in Travis' (Robert De Niro) cab in his own movie, Taxi Driver. He also shows up in Qui Show, directed by Robert Redford.

Tobe Hooper - Sleepwalkers

Tobe Hooper is a horror movie legend for his work directing the slasher classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the 1970s. In 1992 he popped up in a cameo working alongside Stephen King in the adaptation of King's novel Sleepwalkers.

John Waters - Something Wild

Director John Waters has been in many of his own movies, but he occasionally shows up in other movies as well, like Something Wild by director Jonathan Demme in 1986. Waters plays a sketchy car dealer in the movie and is one of the most fun parts of the movie.

Amy Heckerling - Into The Night

1985's Into the Night was John Landis' return to directing after being cleared of manslaughter charges as a result of the on-set tragedy during the filming of The Twilight Zone movie. In the movie, another director, Amy Heckerling, shows up in a cameo as a waitress.

Jonathan Demme - That Thing You Do!

Appropriately Jonathan Demme, who had a number of directors appear in his films, plays a film director in That Thing You Do! It's a brief role, of course, and it is one of the only times the late Demme appeared in another director's film. Into the Night by John Landis being another.

Roger Corman - The Godfather Part II

Roger Corman, one of the most influential directors of all time had a few cameos over his career with one of the most memorable coming in The Godfather II, where he played one of the senators grilling Michael Corlene (Al Pacino) in the Francis Ford Coppola classic.

Spike Jonze - The Game

Before David Fincher returned the favor for Spike Jonze in Being John Malkovich, Jonze appeared in Fincher's The Game, one of the most underrated movies by a big-time director.

Wes Craven - Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back

The late Wes Craven appeared in movies or TV shows as an actor 24 times according to IMDB, though most of his movie appearances were in his own movies. One exception was when he appeared in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back playing a version of himself directing a cartoonish version of Scream.

Frank Oz - Spies Like Us

Frank Oz has appeared as an actor in a bunch of movies, including The Blues Brothers, Trading Places, Knives Out, not to mention all his puppet and voice work over the years. One of his best cameos came in Spies Like Us where he played the proctor of a civil service exam. It's truly a classic and maybe the funniest moment in the movie.

Cameron Crowe - Minority Report

Cameron Crowe has a very brief cameo as a man on riding public transportation in Minority Report by director Steven Spielberg. If you blink - or aren't sure what he looks like - you're sure to miss the moment, but it's there. In fact, another Cameron, Cameron Diaz, is in the background of the same scene.

Robert Downey, Sr. - Boogie Nights

In his day, Robert Downey Sr. was pretty famous. Of course, that fame has been eclipsed by his son, but that doesn't mean he did carry a lot of respect within the industry even late in his life. Like when Paul Thomas Anderson worked him into a cameo in Boogie Nights.

Frank Darabont - King Kong

For many, The Shawshank Redemption is the best movie of the 1990s. It's director, Frank Darabont, doesn't make a cameo in Shawshank or any of his other movies, but he is very briefly in Peter Jackson's King Kong. It's another "blink-and-you-will-miss-it" kind of role.

Lawrence Kasdan - As Good As It Gets

Writer and director Lawrence Kasdan is most famous for writing both Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He's also directed movies like Grand Canyon, The Big Chill, and Silverado. On rare occasions, he's taken acting roles like he did in As Good As It Gets, by director James L. Brooks of Simpsons fame. Kasdan plays a psychologist in the movie.

James Cameron - The Muse

The Muse, directed by Albert Brooks, features a handful of cameos by famous directors including Martin Scorsese and Rob Reiner. In a rare appearance on the other side camera is also director James Cameron, who only has a few acting credits to his name.

Mel Brooks - The Muppet Movie

it's certainly not surprising to see Mel Brooks on the big screen, but it is rare to see in a movie that he didn't write and direct. That's part of what makes his cameo in The Muppet Movie so much fun. The legendary EGOT winner plays the evil Professor Krassman who is working to control the minds of frogs. It's worth noting that despite his delightful performance, it's not one that contributed to his EGOT.

Eli Roth - Inglourious Basterds

Eli Roth is as much an actor as he is a director, though in recent years he's concentrated on the latter. Sure he appears in his own films, but he's also been a collaborator with Quentin Tarantino a couple of times, first in Death Proof and then in a more prominent role in Inglourious Basterds.

Jim Jarmusch - Sling Blade

Director Jim Jarmusch has a unique style as a director and so it makes sense he would appear in a movie with its own unique angle, Sling Blade, by director and actor Billy Bob Thornton. Jarmusch plays the server at a food truck in the movie, serving up French fried potaters.

David Cronenberg - Jason X

David Cronenberg has a long history with the Friday The 13th franchise, having directed an episode of Friday the 13th: The Series in 1988. He shows up in a cameo in Jason X.

John Sayles - Malcolm X

John Sayles has directed some great movies over the years including Eight Men Out and Passion Fish. He's also occasionally done a bit of acting, mostly in cameos like as a memorable FBI agent in Spike Lee's classic Malcolm X.

Werner Herzog - Jack Reacher

German director is never shy about being in front of the camera as he often appears in his own films and occasionally acts in other stuff, like playing a wonderful role on The Mandalorian on Disney Plus. He also makes a great cameo in the Tom Cruise-led Jack Reacher from 2012.

Martin Brest - Fast Times At Ridgemont High

Before Martin Brest hit the big time as a director of such '80s classics as Beverly Hills Cop and the criminally underrated Midnight Run, he scored a small acting role as a coroner in Fast Times At Ridgemont High by director Amy Heckerling.

Orson Welles - The Muppet Movie

Mel Brooks has a fairly substantial role in The Muppet Movie, but he's not the only director to appear in the movie. Hollywood legend Orson Welles also appears in the movie. Welles was a huge fan of Jim Henson and the Muppets and worked with them on more than one occassion as well.

While I talk frequently about directors on this website, there's one I rarely talk about here, and that’s David Lynch.

Now, it’s not that Lynch, who recently passed, was not one of the greatest directors who ever lived. He definitely was. In fact, aside from the great Stanley Kubrick, Lynch might be my all-time favorite director. However, the thing is, when I discuss directors here, it’s usually in comparison to other filmmakers, and, quite simply, there was no other filmmaker like David Lynch.

Sure, other directors have been compared to him, as any time a filmmaker makes a creepy, dreamlike story, it's often considered “Lynchian.” Such is the case for the A24 gem, Under the Silver Lake. Or, one of my favorite Takashi Miike movies, Gozu, which has the Lynchian stamp all over it. That said, no matter how similar other movies might have been to his films, there could still only be one David Lynch, and these projects prove it.

Eraserhead

Trying to explain Eraserhead to somebody who’s never seen a Lynch film before is like trying to explain my carpal tunnel to somebody who has never experienced burning pain shooting up and down their arms. In other words, it’s possible, but you have some work to do.

So, I’ll do my best for the uninitiated. Eraserhead is about a man with a weird haircut named Henry Spencer (Jack Nance) who lives in an industrial hellscape, and gets his girlfriend pregnant. There’s also a woman with a bubbling face living in his radiator simply named…The Woman in the Radiator. Why is she there? I don’t know, but she’s creepy as hell.

Anyway, the couple have their baby, but it turns out to be a LIZARD CREATURE, and it won’t stop crying!

Did you get all that? No? Well, I didn’t even mention the dinner scene where Spencer cuts into a chicken and it starts squirming and bleeding, or the bizarre dream he has where his head pops off when the Lady in the Radiator sings.

I mean, honestly, what IS this movie? It was Lynch’s first feature-length film, and it's still perplexing audiences, even today.

Which is just one reason why there will never be another David Lynch. A movie like this would have ended most directors' careers, but he made the most surreal independent movie ever, and it endeared him to millions. Who does that? David Lynch, which is why he'll be so incredibly missed.

Dune

Another director I’ve talked about on this site is Denis Villeneuve. And, even though Villeneuve has made several great films, I think it’s safe to say that most people know him best for his two Dune movies.

While I can't take anything from him for making an accessible version of the “unfilmable” Frank Herbert novel, I will say that I admire Lynch’s version a little bit more. That’s only because as somebody who read the book, I feel like his better encapsulates the overall “weirdness” of the novel more than Villeneuve’s adaptation.

Don’t get me wrong. Villeneuve went weird when he had to. However, I think Lynch’s movie packs more punch in condensing this sprawling story into one film.

The story of warring families over the sand planet, Arrakis, our hero, Paul Atreides, might just be the messiah…or not. It’s never made clear. He also falls in love with one of the inhabitants of the planet, drinks some psychedelic water, and rides a sandworm. So, it’s like the book…but maybe not as weird, which is a little surprising, given its director.

But, that’s the thing. Lynch himself didn’t like the movie. In fact, both fans of the novel as well as the director's fans often disapprove of it. That said, only Lynch could make a movie adaptation this weird. Yes, Villeneuve’s Dune is probably “better,” but without Lynch’s bizarre adaptation, would we even have anything to compare it to?

Twin Peaks

Even as a kid I could tell you that Lynch changed television. Twin Peaks was all anybody talked about back in 1990, and even my beloved The Simpsons riffed on the popular show.

It would take me until my 30s to actually watch it for myself, and it’s even better than I could have ever imagined. The story of the murder of a homecoming queen, Twin Peaks is one part mystery, one part horror story, and about a million parts fever dream.

The characters are great, but what’s even more interesting is the town of Twin Peaks itself. The show lasted for two seasons, and by the end of it, you don’t know what to believe…and that’s because Season 2 ended on a cliffhanger.

Thankfully, it returned for a third season on Showtime in 2017, which added even more mysteries, but also tied up some loose ends.

There's also a prequel film called Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, which is about the last few days before Laura Palmer’s death. It didn’t get the best reviews at the time–probably because it has a different tone from the show–but it’s now considered one of Lynch’s best movies.

All of this is to say, for all the people who haven’t watched Lynch’s movies, Twin Peaks, as odd as it is, is probably one of his most accessible projects, which is really saying something since nobody else could make a series as weird as this.

The Straight Story

Not all of Lynch's movies were rated-R. The Elephant Man was PG, and Dune was PG-13.

That said, I'm quite confident that only a director like Lynch could make a hard R movie like Blue Velvet or Lost Highway, and then also a G movie like The Straight Story. And for Disney, no less!

This biographical drama is about a man named Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) who drives his lawn mower across states to see his brother who recently suffered a stroke.

Like the clever title suggests, the story is pretty straightforward. It's just an old dude riding his tractor. However, most of this film's strengths lie in its beautiful scenery and its easy-going pacing.

It may seem like a multitude of directors could have done this movie, could they also have directed Inland Empire, or Wild at Heart?

No. The answer is no. The Straight Story proves that Lynch could tell a, well, straight story. He just didn't feel like it. Except on rare occasions, that is.

Mulholland Drive

Lastly, I want to close on my favorite Lynch movie, Mulholland Drive.

This is one of the scariest movies I've ever seen in my entire life. In fact, it’s so scary that it landed on our list of the 50 best horror movies of all time. Truly chilling stuff.

However, a lot of people will tell you that it is not a horror movie. They'll tell you that it's a thriller/mystery. And, why not? The story concerns an amnesiac (Laura Elena Harring) and a woman seeking to be an actress (Naomi Watts) trying to help regain the amnesiac’s memory.

That said, just like some of the scariest moments I've ever seen were in Twin Peaks, the same could be said about Mulholland Drive, which arguably has the greatest jump scare in cinema history.

This might be why Lynch can never be matched. He can make a highly regarded, and surreal masterpiece like Mulholland Drive, but it can also contain one of the greatest jump scares of all time. Because that was just who Lynch was.

Always enigmatic, constantly engaging, and brilliant in every way. I was just describing Mulholland Drive, but those comments could easily double for David Lynch himself.

The landscape of cinema will never be the same without him.

SPOILER WARNING: The following gives away certain moments from multiple David Lynch movies and makes some attempts at analyzing their deeper meanings. If you have not seen Mulholland Dr., Inland Empire, and Lost Highway, proceed with caution.

Fairly recently, I could only say that I respected the work of David Lynch and its perplexing nature, but not that I was a fan. Yet, after learning Lynch passed away and seeing an incredible outpouring of admiration for him on social media, I felt I should give his work another chance and try to understand his craft for myself. After my inaugural viewing of three essential David Lynch movies collectively referred to as his “L.A. Trilogy,” I cannot quite say I finally understand this artist, but my opinion of him has certainly changed through a cinematic experience that I think I can confidently describe as “Lynchian.”

Mulholland Dr. Is A Rewarding Challenge I Haven't Stopped Thinking About

I started with 2001’s Mulholland Dr. – a movie I would compare to Shutter Island in some ways – and expected it to be more like Blue Velvet. Instead, the story of an aspiring actor (Naomi Watts) helping an amnesiac (Laura Harring) uncover her identity almost drove me more insane than Lynch’s 1977 debut, Eraserhead, did.

I was almost willing to give up on my attempt to find my inner Lynch fan, but the movie would not let me give up; piercing my brain with deeper and deeper thoughts regarding its labyrinth of unsettling imagery and strategically vague context. I still cannot wrap my head around what this modern film noir classic is really about, but the fact that I cannot stop thinking about it convinces me it is a successful exercise in brain-teasing surrealism.

Inland Empire Is A Bewildering Exercise In Critical Thinking

Most David Lynch fans consider Mulholland Dr. to be a breeze when compared to his next and last feature, 2006’s Inland Empire. However, this deeply baffling and, to be frank, ugly-looking, three-hour thriller – to which CinemaBlend gave a glowing review – was just slightly easier to decipher as I was watching it, which could just be because I was anticipating my disorientation this time.

Still, I find this story of an actor (played by Laura Dern) struggling to differentiate her latest role from her real life (the most literal interpretation) to be, thankfully, more overt about connecting its seemingly discombobulated details, which resulted in another ultimately rewarding experience, even if the full quality of that reward is still slightly out of reach for me. Not to mention, for whatever reason, I loved those scenes with the rabbits, and that distorted image of Dern’s face solidifies Inland Empire as Lynch’s scariest movie in my opinion.

Lost Highway Is An Absorbing, Puzzling Trip

I concluded this “Lynch Binge” with what was considered at the time to be his most incomprehensible film (and for good reason, I will say), 1997’s Lost Highway. It begins as a drama about a musician, Fred (played by Bill Pullman), and his rocky marriage to his wife, Renee (played by Patricia Arquette), before it takes some downright insane turns when he is convicted of murdering her.

Unsurprisingly, I was also stuck on the meaning, but later found some cool interpretations on X – most notably that Pete (Balthazar Getty) is an alter ego Fred creates in his mind to cope with murdering Renee (or just his impotence) – that makes more sense than my initial analysis, which was an alien abduction. Overall, I had the most fun trying to piece Lost Highway together as the clues are intriguingly presented and the story thoroughly entertaining.

Finally, through this transformative “Lynch Binge,” I can call myself a David Lynch fan because I realized that his films are not about the destination but the journey and the mystifying emotions that linger long afterward. I am now inspired by the way he challenged his audience with his uncanny aesthetic, feel more conscious about how all art is expressed, and believe I am willing to use my Max subscription to give Eraserhead another chance and maybe even check out 1984’s Dune (even if Lynch disowned it).

I guess it is true what John Merrick said in The Elephant Man about people being afraid of what they don’t understand. While I still cannot honestly say that I understand much of Lynch’s art, I am proud to say I certainly fear it no longer.

Hollywood lost a true legend today, as it was announced that David Lynch had died at the age of 78. The experimental and incredibly creative filmmaker was deeply beloved, and his films and shows have influenced so many over the decades. Now, as we mourn this loss, Steven Spielberg, Kyle MacLachlan, Nicolas Cage and more are posting their tributes to the director and honoring the impact he left on film and television.

Both Steven Spielberg and David Lynch are legendary filmmakers, and the Jaws director admires the Twin Peaks creator greatly. In fact, he cast Lynch as John Ford in The Fabelmans back in 2022. In a statement published Variety, Spielberg noted that role and his relationship with the director, saying:

Like Spielberg, Nicolas Cage honored the late filmmaker with a statement about how brilliant he was. The actor worked with Lynch on the 1990 movie Wild at Heart, and in a statement published by Deadline, he called the director a “singular genius in cinema.” Also referring to Lynch as “one of the greatest artists of this or any time,” Cage explained:

Along with Cage, Kyle MacLachlan shared kind words about his frequent collaborator. Posting a series of images that seemingly span across decades, the actor reflected on his decades-long relationship with Lynch in a long Instagram post. The two worked together on the 1984 underappreciated adaptation of Dune, one of the best movies of the ‘80s, Blue Velvet, and one of the best sci-fi shows ever, Twin Peaks.

To commemorate all of that and what the director meant to him, MacLachlan wrote, in part:

Overall, the outpouring of love for Lynch and his filmography has been immense. He made such a big impact and influenced so many filmmakers, and his legacy will live on forever through his work.

An example of that work is Blue Velvet, which James Gunn posted a photo of as he wrote the following tribute to the Eraserhead director on Instagram:

Iconic director and actor Ron Howard noted his love for Lynch too. The Apollo 13 director specifically mentioned the Mulholland Drive director’s love for experimentation, writing the following in a tribute on X:

Ocean’s Eleven director Steven Soderbergh also paid tribute to Lynch by focusing on his “influential but impossible to imitate” work. In an interview with The AP, he complimented the director’s brilliant mind and filmography, writing:

The tributes aren’t even close to stopping there either. Many actors, performers, directors and more took to social media to share their love for David Lynch while grieving his death. Here are some of them:

• "David Lynch, RIP. At least that’s what the horse wearing a fez just told me* in a dream. (*Backwards and in Swedish)" - Patton Oswalt via X
• "This is a monumental loss. One of the most influential artists of all time. Nobody ever did it like David Lynch and nobody ever will again." -Kat Dennings via Instagram
• "Never been so sad about someone I never met I really loved him" -Colin Jost via Instagram
• "Visionary rebel David Lynch died today. His films changed the way many of us see the world. His lens, his choices, and the groundbreaking way he approached film have left an indelible imprint on this world." -Mayim Bialik via Instagram

Overall, the outpouring of love for David Lynch is immense, and there’s no denying just how big of an impact he left on the world of film, television and those who worked with him and loved his work.

We here at CinemaBlend send our condolences and thoughts to Lynch’s loved ones during this difficult time.

The 2022 The Fabelmans served as a way for Steven Spielberg to tell a semi-autobiographical account (one that was critically well received) of how his love for movies came to be and how his early years of directing went, albeit with the primary characters’ names changed. By the end of this heartfelt and messy masterpiece though, audiences were treated to an almost beat-for-beat recreation of something the filmmaker experienced in real life, with Gabrielle LaBelle’s Sammy Fabelman meeting director John Ford. It turns out that while fellow filmmaker David Lynch almost didn’t accept the role of Ford, Cheetos helped convince him to come aboard. No, seriously!

While Lynch is primarily known for his work behind the camera on movies like The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, occasionally he’s gone in front of the camera to perform roles, like when he played Gordon Cole across the Twin Peaks TV shows and 1992 tie-in movie. However, when Spielberg called Lynch to ask him to play Ford in The Fabelmans, Lynch initially wasn’t keen on portraying the director behind classics like The Grapes of Wrath and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, telling Empire:

Hey, if the man wants to give a platform for other performers to shine on screen while he focuses on crafting theses stories from behind-the-scenes, he has the right to do so! But ultimately when it came to The Fabelmans, David Lynch agreed to play John Ford because he “really liked the scene.” Well, that was at least part of the reason, with Lynch going on to talk about how the key thing that secured his involvement was having a bag of Cheetos in his dressing room. As he explained:

Lynch is obviously someone who can afford as many bags of Cheetos as he once, but as he pointed out, they’re not the healthiest food to be eating. So he avoids keeping them around his home, but when the opportunity came for a major production to supply him with the snack for a brief period of time, he grabbed it. Surely I’m not the only one who finds that extremely relatable, right?

Although David Lynch only had a few minutes of screen time in The Fabelmans, they were quite memorable, with John Ford telling Sammy Fabelman (again, this also really happened to Steven Spielberg) about how he should never frame a shot with the horizon in the middle because it’s “boring as shit,” a sentiment with which Lynch agrees. You can relive that concluding scene in The Fabelmans below:

Those of you who are now wanting to stream The Fabelmans can do so if you have a Paramount+ subscription with the SHOWTIME add-on. Otherwise, consult our 2024 release schedule to learn what movies are coming out next year, and remember that Steven Spielberg’s upcoming work includes directing Bradley Cooper in Bullitt and executive producing a movie about Martin Luther King Jr. that Chris Rock is directing.

Some filmmakers require time to find their voice. They have to make a few simply "ok" features before having the skills required to make their masterpiece. But that's not the case with the directors featured on this list. These folks quickly figured out what they could do with a camera, and they produced magic with their first feature.

It's a terribly hard thing to do, but here are 32 directors who made great films on their very first try.

Orson Welles – Citizen Kane

A lot of incredible films are highlighted on this list, but Citizen Kane is special given that in addition to being Orson Welles’ first feature, it’s considered by many to be the greatest movie all time. The hunt for the meaning behind a publishing titan’s last word is endlessly compelling and a fascinating examination of the soul corruption that comes with a rise to power.

Quentin Tarantino – Reservoir Dogs

Before making modern and instant classics like Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, the legend of Quentin Tarantino began with the phenomenal Reservoir Dogs. The sharp dialogue, the non-linear storytelling, the tense violence and the needle-drop centric soundtrack all instantly confirmed that Tarantino was a talent to watch.

Jordan Peele – Get Out

It came as a shock when comedian Jordan Peele announced that he was shifting to a new phase of his career, as he wanted to pursue his true passion: directing horror movies. It was hard to know what to make of the decision at the time, but Peele has since established himself as one of the industry’s greatest genre filmmakers, and it all started with the stunning Get Out. It’s scary, layered, and the big third act twist never loses its impact.

Spike Jonze – Being John Malkovich

Spike Jonze wasn’t exactly inexperienced when he took the helm of Being John Malkovich as his first feature, as he had established himself as a genius talent in the world of music videos, but that doesn’t take anything away from his accomplishments. It’s a wild, strange, and perfect execution of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s genius and cerebral script, and both the design and cinematography make it unforgettable.

Sidney Lumet – 12 Angry Men

It requires incredible skill to direct a film that almost entirely takes place in a single room and juggles 12 different characters with different perspectives… but there’s a reason why Sidney Lumet is considered one of history’s greatest filmmakers. The basic description of 12 Angry Men doesn’t sound particularly cinematic, but it grips you from the start, and keeps you fascinated throughout – particularly thanks to one of Henry Fonda’s greatest performances.

Joel & Ethan Coen – Blood Simple

Joel and Ethan Coen are masters of crime fiction, and they proved that instantly in the start of their careers as feature filmmakers. Blood Simple is a tense neo-noir that comes with all of the trimmings of the genre – from the chiaroscuro lighting to a brilliant femme fatale turn from Frances McDormand – and M. Emmett Walsh is a force as the relentless Loren Visser.

Rob Reiner – This Is Spinal Tap

Few filmmakers have had runs like what Rob Reiner accomplished in the 1980s/1990s, sequentially making Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery and A Few Good Men, but his genius as a director was first established with 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap: a hilarious rock n’ roll mockumentary widely considered to be one of the greatest comedies of all time.

Sam Raimi – The Evil Dead

In the late 1970s/early 1980s, Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell were college students determined to make their first ever feature, and traveled from Michigan to a dilapidated cabin in Tennessee to make The Evil Dead. The production of the film was an absolute nightmare, but the juice was very much worth the squeeze, as the movie exists as a testament to brilliant imagination, and it is an important classic in the history of the horror genre.

Frank Darabont – The Shawshank Redemption

After writing a brilliant adaptation of Stephen King’s novella “Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption,” Frank Darabont actually took a major pay cut so that Castle Rock Entertainment would allow him to make The Shawshank Redemption his directorial debut. This turned out to be a legendary move that has cemented Darabont in cinematic history, as the movie is one of the most beloved of all time and an antidote to cynicism.

John Singleton - Boyz n The Hood

With his directorial debut, John Singleton captured the perspective of an underrepresented audience on the big screen – crafting a Stand By Me-esque coming-of-age story about life in south central Los Angeles. In one of his earliest roles, Cuba Gooding Jr. demonstrates incredible talent alongside Ice Cube and Morris Chestnut, but it’s Laurence Fishburne’s Furious Styles for which the film will always be remembered.

Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman

Emerald Fennell made quite an impression in 2020 with the debut of Promising Young Woman – a primal scream of a movie that captures the horrors that women experience in our modern world and comes together as a darkly comedic revenge thriller. Carey Mulligan’s performance is wicked, and it sports a finale that leaves the audience breathless and mind-blown.

Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler

Jake Gyllenhaal is unquestionably one of the greatest actors of his generation, and Nightcrawler sees him let off the leash to showcase his phenomenal cinematic presence. Dan Gilroy was an experienced screenwriter prior to making his directorial debut, and one can understand why he wanted to make this movie himself: it’s a vicious, Taxi Driver-esque look at crime scene videography and a stunning and cutting commentary on “if it bleeds, it leads” culture in local journalism.

George A. Romero – Night Of The Living Dead

There aren’t exactly a lot of filmmakers who successfully launched an entire new subgenre with their first feature, but that’s exactly what George A. Romero did with Night Of The Living Dead. The zombie film was a shocking standout upon its original release – featuring a Black actor as its lead and a series of nightmarish scenes of horror – and its genius is no less apparent today.

Rian Johnson – Brick

Long before wowing us with his ensemble-driven Benoit Blanc mysteries Knives Out and Glass Onion, Rian Johnson stunned cinephiles as a first-time director with Brick. It’s a stylized neo-noir that stands out with its high school backdrop and young characters, and it dazzles with unyielding tension, unique dialogue, and a terrific third act reveal.

Tom Hanks – That Thing You Do!

Admit it: even just seeing the title of That Thing You Do! has immediately gotten the eponymous song stuck in your head. But on top of that track being two minutes and 50 seconds of peppy greatness, the film is a fantastic tale about a one hit wonder that pops thanks to Tom Hanks’ excellent direction and a delightful ensemble cast.

David Lynch – Eraserhead

It didn’t take long for David Lynch to tell cinephiles what he is all about. The auteur filmmaker established his nightmarish, cerebral sensibilities from the get-go with Eraserhead – which is a confident work from the first time director and paved the road for further masterpieces like Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks.

Amy Heckerling – Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Amy Heckerling would easily be in the Coming-Of-Age Movie Hall Of Fame if Clueless were the only film on her filmography, but it was 13 years earlier that she made one of the genre’s all-time greatest titles as her directorial debut: Fast Times At Ridgemont High. There is so much to love about this film, from the radical Jeff Spicoli, to the drama of the relationship between Stacy and Mark, to the sounds of The Cars’ “Living In Stereo.”

Destin Daniel Cretton – Short Term 12

It’s a remarkable thing when a film, a series of images mixed with sound rapidly displayed to show movement, can touch your soul, but that’s something that Destin Daniel Cretton’s powerful directorial debut does – centering on the staff of a residential treatment facility. In retrospect, the ensemble cast in this one is beyond outstanding (including Brie Larson, Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, LaKeith Stanfield, and Stephanie Beatriz), and their talents are on full display.

Patty Jenkins – Monster

Patty Jenkins’ directorial debut, Monster, is far from a fun cinematic experience, and one actually feels compelled to take a shower after watching it, but it’s a riveting work. Charlize Theron delivers what is arguably the best performance of her career and earned her Academy Award.

Josh & Benny Safdie - Good Time

Cinephiles were thrilled to discover the cinematic heart attack that is Josh and Benny Safdie’s Uncut Gems in 2019, but anyone who watched the brothers’ directorial debut was at the very least mentally prepared for the experience. Starring Robert Pattinson, Good Time is a deeply stressful crime film that comes packed with touches of Of Mice And Men, and it leaves a deep impression on whoever watches it.

Darren Aronofsky – Pi

Darren Aronofsky has a gift for making movies that makes you want to curl up in a ball and cry (see: Requiem For A Dream, Black Swan, mother!), and it’s a mode he hasn’t diverted from since making his feature debut with Pi. It’s a stylistic story of obsession and has one of the most upsetting endings of all time.

John Huston - The Maltese Falcon

There are some films that are held up as the true classics of classic film noir, and right alongside Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Bill Wilder’s Double Indemnity and Carol Reed’s The Third Man is John Huston’s phenomenal The Maltese Falcon. Humphrey Bogart’s Sam Spade is an icon of detective fiction, and the twists and turns of the mystery feel as fresh today as ever.

Ari Aster - Hereditary

Ari Aster has quickly become one of the most exciting modern filmmakers making original horror, and that’s in part because audiences are still experiencing nightmares from his directorial debut. A look at both generational trauma and grief, Hereditary is a movie so scary that it would make you feel cold if you were in the middle of the desert, and has more than a few images that end up tattooed on the back of your eyelids as you try to go to sleep at night.

Michael Mann - Thief

Nobody makes crime movies like Michael Mann, and it all started with Thief. It’s a thrilling and captivating look at a talented Chicago criminal who is looking for his way into legitimacy and finds himself fighting forces that try and drag him back into his shady business. The movie features one of James Caan’s best performances, and the talented ensemble includes Jim Belishi, Dennis Farina and Willie Nelson.

Francois Truffaut - The 400 Blows

Valued as an important part of cinema history and the French New Wave, Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows is a powerful coming-of-age story starring Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel, a troubled youth who ends up quitting school and turning to thievery, only to be apprehended and thrown in a juvenile detention center. Truffaut is recognized for having created some of the most beautiful films to ever be produced in France, and it all started here.

Jean Luc Goddard - Breathless

Another evocative title that emerged from the French New Wave, Jean Luc Goddard’s Breathless is a visually stunning work of crime and love, with tremendous cinematic innovation, attitude that bleeds off the screen, and an outstanding performance from star Jean-Paul Belmondo in his breakout role.

Barry Jenkins – Medicine For Melancholy

Barry Jenkins first earned widespread acclaim in 2016 for his film Moonlight (which deservingly won Best Picture at the Academy Awards), but not to be slept on is the debut feature he made eight years earlier: Medicine For Melancholy. Starring Wyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins and set over the course of a single day, it’s a beautiful and emotional romantic drama.

Steven Soderbergh - Sex, Lies, And Videotape

Steven Soderbergh is now recognized as one of the most talented, eclectic filmmakers in cinema, but it all started with Sex, Lies And Videotape – a fascinating romantic drama with brilliant meta levels examining intimacy via camera.

George Miller – Mad Max

Many genre classics have been covered in this list, and now it’s time to dive into one of the greatest action/adventure films of all time. With Mad Max, George Miller takes us to an unnerving not-to-distant future full of violence and chaos, and his unique skills as a filmmaker capturing all that wildness all in camera is what makes this a forever-thrilling experience.

Damien Chazelle – Whiplash

One can read and learn that there is intense competition in performance arts schools, but it’s another thing to live it – and that’s what audiences get to do in Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash. Miles Teller is brilliant as the determined and talented Andrew Neiman, but it’s the Oscar-winning work of J.K. Simmons that makes this outstanding directorial debut exceptional.

Mel Brooks – The Producers

Every legendary cinematic run has to start somewhere, and for Mel Brooks, it was with the brilliance of The Producers. Long before he was shocking with the world with Blazing Saddles and History Of The World Part I, the brilliant comedian unleashed his tale of a Broadway scheme and the insanity of “Springtime For Hitler.”

Jim Abrahams, David Zucker And Jerry Zucker – Airplane!

In the 1980s/1990s, nobody made spoof movies like Jim Abrahams, David Zucker And Jerry Zucker, and they quickly established their special comedic voice with their directorial debut: Airplane! The insane pacing of the jokes and the sheer ridiculousness of everything make this a movie that threatens to choke you with laughter, and there are so, so many quotable lines – many thanks to the deadpan brilliance of Leslie Nielsen.

This list obviously has the potential to grow forever, and it'll be exciting to see who the next big breakout movie directors are. 

Never has a drama been quite as indescribable as Twin Peaks - a murder mystery with a lot more to offer, as well, such as teen romance, adult romance, spiritual possession, and extra-dimensional travel, to name a few prevalent themes. 

Even after more than 30 years since its initial debut on ABC, and a third season on Showtime, so many questions continue to surround the groundbreaking drama from co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost, like what is going on with the original Twin Peaks cast these days? Luckily, that is one question that we can answer and will below, starting with the Golden Globe-winning lead.

Kyle MacLachlan (Special Agent Dale Cooper)

After launching his career by casting him as Paul Atreides in 1984’s Dune, David Lynch made Kyle MacLachlan a TV icon by casting him on Twin Peaks as Dale Cooper - an idiosyncratic FBI agent sent to the titular town to investigate the murder of Laura Palmer. The former Desperate Housewives cast regular will next star in a reboot of the Fletch movies called, Confess, Fletch, with Jon Hamm in the tile role, and in Joe Exotic - a drama based on the events that inspired the Netflix docuseries Tiger King - as Howard Baskin.

Michael Ontkean (Sheriff Harry S. Truman)

The self-described “Dr. Watson” to Coop’s Sherlock Holmes is Twin Peaks sheriff Harry S. Truman, played by Michael Ontkean, who was previously best known for one of the great hockey movies, 1977's Slap Shot, and is one of the few original Twin Peaks cast members to not appear in Season 3. In fact, the Canadian actor’s final onscreen credit is Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces (a feature-length 2014 prequel that consists of deleted scenes from 1992’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me) having retired from acting after appearing in The Descendants in 2011.

Lara Flynn Boyle (Donna Hayward)

Also not appearing in Showtime’s Twin Peaks revival was Lara Flynn Boyle as Laura Palmer’s best friend, Donna Hayward - which is easily the actress’ best known role outside of her Emmy-nominated turn as Helen Gamble on the ABC legal drama The Practice or the villain of 2002’s Men in Black II, Serleena. We last saw her appear in the 2020 crime thriller Death in Texas - her first acting gig in five years since the low-budget comedy Lucky Dog.

James Marshall (James Hurley)

Following Laura Palmer’s death, Donna would develop a romance with her best friend’s secret boyfriend, James Hurley, which is also the best known role for actor James Marshall outside of, perhaps, the classic courtroom drama A Few Good Men as Pfc. Louden Downey, and the boxing film Gladiator opposite Cuba Gooding Jr. in 1992. After he was last seen reprising James on the Twin Peaks revival, Marshall is now in post-production on two TV series: the crime drama Three Knee Deep and the post-apocalyptic epic The Pact.

Mädchen Amick (Shelly Johnson)

One of the prime suspects in Laura Palmer's murder on Twin Peaks was Leo Johnson, the abusive husband of Double R Diner waitress Shelly - played by Mädchen Amick, who would become a bit of a scream queen after the 1992 Stephen King-penned cult favorite Sleepwalkers, and later appearing on American Horror Story in Season 5. Her current claim to fame is playing Alice Cooper in the Riverdale cast, but her feature-length directorial debut, Reminisce is now in post-production.

Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs)

Shelly would indulge in an extra-marital affair with Laura Palmer’s public boyfriend, Bobby Briggs, who would be revealed as Shelly’s (apparently former) husband and a deputy at the Twin Peaks police department when Dana Ashbrook reprised the character in the revival. Since then, he would guest star on hit medical drama The Resident in 2018, starred in the partially-dramatized documentary Framing John DeLorean, and land a recurring role on the Netflix dramedy Insatiable, with his next movie, Please Baby Please, currently in post-production.

Richard Beymer (Benjamin Horne)

The most wealthy and, quite frankly, slimiest citizen of Twin Peaks (at least, initially) is Horne Industries Inc. CEO and Great Northern Hotel owner Benjamin Horne, played by Richard Beymer - star of the original West Side Story in 1961 and hit crime procedural Murder, She Wrote as various characters. The actor and filmmaker would come back for the third Twin Peaks season as a more sympathetic Mr. Horne, which was his most recent acting role and first in nine years.

Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne)

As Benjamin Horne’s daughter, Audrey, we have Sherilyn Fenn, who I kind of felt was given the short end of the stick in the Twin Peaks revival, but I realize now that she was actually pretty busy at the time (having also appeared in the horror film Wish Upon and debuted her recurring role in the S.W.A.T. cast in 2017, for instance). The Emmy nominee remains busy to this, with day five projects in the works - including movies Losing Addison and Silent Life, and TV series The Last Saturday Night and In the Cards.  

Everett McGill (Big Ed Hurley)

James Hurley’s uncle, local mechanic Big Ed, is played by Everett McGill - who has not done any acting (outside of reprising his role for Twin Peaks Season 3) since appearing in an episode of J.A.G. in 1999. That same year, however, the Quest for Fire star reunited with David Lynch (who also cast him as Stilgar in his Dune adaptation) for a small role in his Oscar-nominated, Disney-produced biopic The Straight Story.

Wendy Robie (Nadine Hurley)

Everett McGill would also reunite with Wendy Robie, as her incestuous brother in the underrated 1991 Wes Craven film The People Under the Stairs, after playing both halves of a loveless marriage on Twin Peaks. Since reprising the one-eyed Nadine Hurley (her debut role) on Showtime’s revival, the actress appeared in the 2020 film Dreaming Grand Avenue and will next star in the 2022 family dramedy, Relative.

Harry Goaz (Deputy Andy Brennan)

Harry Goaz also debuted on Twin Peaks as the eccentric Deputy Andy Brennan - the most prevalent and consistent role of his filmography outside of playing another cop on another show about a town plagued by strange events (Sgt. Knight on the cult favorite Eerie, Indiana) and a modest number of films (including Steven Soderbergh’s The Underneath in 1995). After releasing a picture book chronicling his time on the Twin Peaks revival called Ballroom Harry: Volume II in 2020, Goaz would return to the screen in two short films released in 2021 called The Vandal and Shelter Abraxas. 

Kimmy Robertson (Lucy Moran)

Andy shared an on-and-off romance with the even more eccentric sheriff’s department receptionist Lucy Moran - the best known live-action role of prolific voice actress Kimmy Robertson. She has played the titular human character of the animated web series Ollie & Scoops since 2019 and lends her voice to the upcoming sci-fi/comedy Michael & Maria vs. the Multiverse as a police dispatcher, which could be a reference to her Twin Peaks character.

Joan Chen (Josie Packard)

Harry S. Truman shared a romance on Twin Peaks with the widowed Jocelyn “Josie” Packard, played by Joan Chen, who more recently starred alongside Jessica Chastain in the assassin thriller Ava, and appeared in the Netflix original Tigertail in 2020. The Chinese-born actress has two upcoming acting roles in the works (in Kiss, His First and Tonight at Noon) as well as two directorial efforts (English and the Covid-19 inspired Hero). 

Michael Horse (Deputy Chief Tommy “Hawk” Hill)

Deputy Chief Hawk, whose expertise in Native American spiritualism proved a big help in Agent Cooper’s investigation, was played by Michael Horse, who actually made his debut as Tonto in a 1981 reboot of The Lone Ranger. Since returning for Showtime’s Twin Peaks, he appeared on the Netflix western miniseries Godless in 2017, appeared opposite Harrison Ford in 2020’s The Call of the Wild, and has five upcoming credits - including Spirit Water with Twilight cast member Alex Rice.

Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer/Maddy Ferguson)

As the young woman whose murder kicks off the events of Twin Peaks (and also her nearly identical cousin, Maddy Ferguson), we have Sheryl Lee, who, in 2019, played mother to Jessica Biel on Facebook Watch’s Limetown - another series about a strange mystery in a close-knit community, based on a podcast drama. Following her voice role on J.J. Villard’s Fairy Tales for Adult Swim in 2020, Lee will next appear in the short film Down to Nothing and the psychological thriller, The Redeemer

Ray Wise (Leland Palmer)

Laura Palmer’s distraught father, Leland, is played by the illustrious Ray Wise, who recently leant his distinct voice to HBO Max’s podcast drama Batman: The Audio Adventures - one of a few comic book adaptations on his resume and several notable credits of his from 2021 alone, such as Psych 3: This Is Gus on Peacock. Next, he will star in the horror-fantasy The Blue Rose and will reunite with Sherilyn Fenn on the series In the Cards.

Grace Zabriskie (Sarah Palmer)

Leland Palmer’s wife, Sarah, is played by Grace Zabriskie, whom fans of the Seinfeld cast may also recognize as Susan Ross’ mother. In 2021, the actress starred in the strange animated film Cryptozoo and the Bill Burr-led Roku original anthology series Immoral Compass, and is set to play Camille D'Amato in Iron Mike - an upcoming miniseries chronicling the life of former boxer Mike Tyson. 

Peggy Lipton (Norma Jennings)

A Twin Peaks cast member who is no longer with us, but whom I felt obligated to mention, is Peggy Lipton - otherwise known for her four-time Emmy-nominated role as Julie Barnes on The Mod Squad, or as the mother of Rashida Jones. After reprising the role of Norma Jennings - Double R Diner owner and true love of Big Ed - on the Twin Peaks revival, Lipton played Jane Levy’s onscreen mother in the 2017 miniseries, There’s Johnny (a fictionalized behind-the-scenes exploration of The Tonight Show during the 1970s), before passing away two years later after a long battle with cancer at the age of 72.

The Twin Peaks cast would have to say goodbye to some other co-stars over the years, including Eraserhead star Jack Nance (Pete Martell), Warren Frost (Dr. Will Hayward), and Miguel Ferrer (FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield), who actually got to film his scenes for the the revival before he passed in January 2017. The rest continue to carry on the legacy of one of David Lynch’s most celebrated achievements.

Ever since Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic, Dune, came out—to great success, no less—I’ve heard nothing but people saying how Frank Herbert’s classic first novel in the Dune saga finally has a worthy movie to compliment it. Villeneuve’s choice of splitting the book into two separate films was prudent, and it is evinced by the fact that this is a “good” movie, whereas David Lynch’s Dune (1984) is supposedly a “bad” movie.

All I have to say to that is hold the spice, since David Lynch’s version of Dune is not bad at all. While yes, I will admit that it’s not great (and even the director himself wasn’t too pleased with the final product), I still think a lot of people aren’t giving the OG Dune enough credit where credit is due. So, while I don’t think anybody will confuse 1984’s Dune with any of David Lynch’s best films, I still think that there are 5 things that his Dune does better than people give it credit for. And if you fear my opinion, don’t. “Fear is the mind killer.”

Oh, and spoiler warning for a 37-year-old-film.

David Lynch's Dune Truly Embraces The Strangeness of the Story

I read Dune back in high school, and originally saw David Lynch’s film shortly after reading the book, and I kind of hated it. Like, what the hell were these “Weirding Modules”? Those weren’t in the book. Why did Baron Harkonnen look like that? Why were there characters I didn’t recognize in the story that I had just read? In every way, I really didn’t like David Lynch’s interpretation of the novel, and, as strange as the book was, I thought Lynch might have applied a bit too much of his sensibilities to the final product, crafting an oddball Star Wars rip-off of sorts. 

But after re-watching the movie again recently in preparation for the new movie, I now admire just how odd David Lynch’s version actually is. It’s not like Star Wars at all. I mean it is, aesthetically, but not in its storytelling methods. There’s way too much talking and way too little action to actually be confused with Star Wars. It actually reminds me more of the bizarre state of mind the book put me in when it extensively went over the drug-inducing properties of the spice, or when it went into the Mentats. 

David Lynch’s Dune often feels complex and strange, and that’s really how I always pictured the book when I read it all those years ago. Complex and strange. The new movie is probably a closer representation of the grand scope and imagination of the book, but when it comes to the general feeling I got while reading Dune back in high school, David Lynch definitely captured that perfectly.

Patrick Stewart Makes For A Great Gurney Halleck

The casting for 1984’s Dune is pretty stellar across the board, even if the characters don’t even remotely resemble their novelistic counterparts. Like Paul Atreides, played by Twin Peaks’ Kyle MacLachlan, was way too old, as was Feyd-Rautha, played by Sting. But even so, all of the actors and actresses do a great job in their performances, even despite some of the massive info dumping they have to spout off in some of their dialogue to fit in as much of the book as possible (More on that in a few).

But the best casting of all has to be Patrick Stewart as Gurney Halleck, who is played by Josh Brolin in the new picture. Stewart’s Gurney has all the sagacious wisdom and badass toughness of his Captain Jean-Luc Picard a few years earlier than he would have on Star Trek: The Next Generation. In a lot of ways, Patrick Stewart is kind of the best thing about 1984’s Dune, and I just wish his character had more screen time and a more fitting end then he is granted in this good, but flawed, film.

It Includes Key Moments From The Book

Okay, so, here’s where hardcore fans of the book will probably differ with me since I am only a casual Dune fan at best, but the movie does contain most of the key moments that I vividly remember. Yes, there’s probably way too much inner monologuing to try to stuff as much of the narrative into the film as possible. But since this movie is trying its best to tell the entirety of the first novel, many of the biggest moments from the book are in the film, albeit, maybe a little slapdash and rushed.

You have the attempted assassination attempt on Paul, the test of pain, and Paul riding a sandworm. In fact, I would go the length to say that the movie almost expects you to have read the book already to parse out some of the narrative threads that are info dumped along the way. I know the rain at the end of the movie is a problem, and that the third act in general is kind of a mess, but the first two acts are for the most part faithful to the original story, and if you read the book, you’ll see some of those key scenes, ‘80s style.

That Toto Soundtrack Is Spectacular

One thing I really love is when bands handle movie soundtracks. Would the original Highlander (Or Flash Gordon) be as cool if Queen hadn’t handled the music? What about Simon and Garfunkel on The Graduate soundtrack? Would Shaft be such a bad mother (shut your mouth! I’m just talkin’ ‘bout the Shaft soundtrack!) if Isaac Hayes hadn’t worked on the music? I’d say no. And I’d say the same thing about the 1984 Dune soundtrack, which has music performed by Toto.

Now, Toto is a really cool band, but their work on the Dune soundtrack is atmospheric, dense, and perfectly fits the overall mood of the film. It has a futuristic vibe that is also distinctly ‘80s. It also sounds very different from any of the hits you’d hear on the radio from the band. In a lot of ways, it kind of reminds me of Johny Greenwood’s work on some of Paul Thomas Anderson’s pictures in that it’s a completely different sound that just works. I don’t think the movie would be nearly as good as it is without that Toto soundtrack.

It Really Sticks Out In Lynch's Filmography And Makes It More Versatile 

And lastly, this is more if you’re a David Lynch fan, but Dune really sticks out in the famous director’s filmography. And some might say not in a good way. But I really love seeing Dune in his oeuvre. Sure, in a lot of ways, Dune is a swing and a miss. But this is clearly a film by a director who was far outside his comfort zone. In fact, I’d say it sticks out even more than his G-Rated Disney movie, The Straight Story, as Dune is really like nothing else in his catalogue.

And this makes it incredibly special if you ask me. If anything, Dune really showcased that Lynch, who usually just seems like he’s filming his own fever dreams, could attempt something far outside the vein of Eraserhead or even The Elephant Man. Dune is like Stanley Kubrick directing Spartacus, or like Martin Scorsese directing Hugo. 

It’s a sci-fi film, which doesn’t really seem like the kind of genre that David Lynch should be dabbling in, but it still feels Lynchian in its design and bizarre scope. It’s not far-flung David Lynch weird, but it’s weird enough to be unique and really stand out. And it’s because of Lynch’s directorial mindset that it has that odd charm. It’s not a cult film for nothing.

And that’s it. Are you one of 1984 Dune’s supporters? Or are you perfectly happy with sticking with the current film? If you’re in the latter camp, I’d implore you to give 1984’s version a chance. But for news on more recent, 2021 movies, make sure to stop by here often.

After much waiting, the highly anticipated sci-fi adventure Dune has finally arrived in theaters, and on HBO Max. Denis Villenueve's epic had a great opening night and is positioned to do well at the box office. Though the movie is off to a nice start, its positive buzz was far from a sure thing, especially since David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation is considered by fans to be lackluster. Interestingly, Villeneuve doesn't think Lynch would be open to discussing their respective takes on the novel. 

Denis Villeneuve has fielded quite a few questions about the director of the 1984 movie while promoting his own film. And Villeneuve has been relatively diplomatic when referring to the Blue Velvet director and his take on Frank Herbert's classic. This rung true when he recently spoke to NME, as he shared his respect for the director and explained why he doesn’t believe he would be enthusiastic about talking about the film:

The '80s interpretation of Dune was a box office bomb, critically panned, and essentially disowned by its director. It would seem that Denis Villeneuve was totally conscious of his predecessor's feelings towards the film. Villeneuve's comments line up with what we've heard from him before. He previously admitted to being “half satisfied” with the 1984 movie, saying there are things that he really likes and things he is uncomfortable with in it. In the process, he's created something very unique, which could continue in another film.

Dune essentially splits the book in half, and its ending sets up the story's future in an interesting and exciting way. Essentially, this is just the beginning of an epic tale that promises to be deliver on the scale of something like Lord of the Rings. 

Denis Villenuve has been adamant about the film needing a sequel, adding that it can happen relatively quickly whenever its given the green light. The studio seems to have big plans for the franchise and, should it meet box office expectations, plans for a second installment could be put in motion right away.

Hopefully, the director will get the chance to finish things out the ambitious story, as he is more than committed to the task. And if for some reason he doesn't, let's hope that he can at least direct a new James Bond, which would be a dream come true for him. Here's hoping he lands both projects in the future! 

The newest adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune novel is almost upon us, and science fiction fans are pretty much of two different mindsets: either excited for a new take on the classic novel or concerned for how another version of the already beloved 1984 film will turn out. When a Dune superfan is behind the making of the film, though, it’s already off to a promising start. Director Denis Villeneuve explains how he has been a fan since childhood and David Lynch’s original film left him “half-satisfied” and wanting to bring his own version to life on the big screen.

Director and writer for the upcoming Dune reboot Denis Villeneuve grew up with the world building sci-fi novel Dune, and apparently wasn’t blown away with David Lynch’s film version. In an interview with Empire, Villeneuve says that even though he loves Lynch’s work, there are parts of Dune that left him wanting more and that’s why he believed there was plenty of room for another Dune film. Here it is in his own words:

Make no mistake, what David Lynch did with Dune back in the ‘80s was pretty remarkable. The world that Frank Herbert created in his Dune novels is nothing short of amazing, and something that would be very tough to recreate on screen almost 40 years ago. Now that CGI and special effects have allowed for some pretty fantastic things to be shown on the big screen, the world of Dune may be a little more reachable and relatable for those who love the books.

There is also the problematic choice David Lynch made to squeeze the entire 600 pages book of Dune into one film. Denis Villeneuve’s version of Dune will potentially have two parts, the first of which will cover just half of the novel. This allows a lot more of the world and plot to be explored - star Jason Momoa has even expressed that there is definitely a premise for Dune to get the Snyder treatment and be even longer than a typical feature length film.

Denis Villeneuve being a fan of both Dune and David Lynch and still not only seeing areas for improvement for the world of Dune, but also using those improvement ideas to create his own version is probably a pretty good sign for fans just like him. Fans don’t have long to wait to see the first part of Villeneuve’s creation, though, because Dune is set to hit theaters and HBO Max this October 22nd.

Most people would not consider David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive to be a horror movie. But if that’s the case, then why is it scarier than 99.99% of the horror movies that I’ve ever seen? Seriously, besides Hereditary, I can’t think of a single other movie that has unnerved me to the point of having nightmares like David Lynch’s surrealistic masterpiece, Mulholland Drive.

But I think I may have just said the key name—David Lynch. True fans know, but there is no other director like him. I mean, of course, right? He’s one of the only directors who has his own “ian.” You know what I mean. Kubrickian, Spielbergian, and of course, Lynchian. For the latter, it pretty much means any film that employs dreamy, surrealistic imagery with usually off-putting, scary sound effects. And while Lost Highway is probably the most Lynchian movie out there, Mulholland Drive is in my mind his most effective. And scary to boot! That’s why I have five reasons why I consider Mulholland Drive to be a horror movie, and a great one at that.

Oh, and spoilers up ahead.

The "Winkies" Scene Scares Me Every Single Time, No Matter How Many Times I Watch It

When I’m not writing, I teach English. And every year, without fail, I teach suspense and tension when we go over conflict. Well, I always show two specific clips to illustrate suspense at its apex. One is that great scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window where Jimmy Stewart’s character gets caught spying by Raymond Burr’s character. And the other clip is the “Winkies” scene from Mulholland Drive, which, no matter how many times I watch it, still scares me every time.

You know the scene I’m talking about. A man tells his friend about a nightmare he had about somebody hiding behind the diner. The two men leave the diner, and you are literally on the edge of your seat as they keep walking closer and closer to… you’re not sure what. And then, you see him. He appears from behind the wall, and it’s punctuated by that loud, abrupt noise. Let me tell. Even that noise alone gives me chills. My students always scream and tell me that they have goosebumps, and I have goosebumps, too. It’s a jump scare, yeah, but it’s the kind that KEEPS SCARING YOU, which is insane, but that’s how effective that scene is. It draws you in every time.

It Makes Me Feel Like I'm Slowly Going Insane Watching It

You want to know one of my favorite books? Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Yes, most people know McCarthy for No Country For Old Men or The Road, but I much prefer Blood Meridian since it literally made me feel like I was going insane while I was reading it. And that’s how I feel when I watch Mulholland Drive. I slowly feel my sanity dripping away from me as my mind tries to make sense of everything that I’m watching.

And that really bothers me. I love trying to decipher movies, but Mulholland Drive is indecipherable. If you read the plot line for the film, it really shouldn’t be: It’s the story of a woman in a car crash (played by Laura Elena Harring) who becomes an amnesiac. She meets an aspiring actress (played by Naomi Watts), and the two of them try to uncover the amnesiac’s true identity. Okay, simple enough, right? But what about that opening scene where everybody’s dancing to swing music? What’s going on with that cowboy who doesn’t have eyebrows? Why is the Winkies scene even in the movie in the first place?

It’s just stuff like that, which is trademark David Lynch, that makes you feel like you’re going nuts just watching it. And the thing is, unlike Lost Highway, where you can tell it’s just straight subconscious storytelling, Mulholland Drive almost seems like you CAN decipher it. But you can’t. You can only interpret it, which makes it all the more unnerving since you’re trying to make sense of it all, but there’s nothing to make sense of. In the end, it’s meant to be experienced, not necessarily understood.

Naomi Watts And Laura Elena Harring Deliver Oscar-Worthy Performances

Part of the appeal of Mulholland Drive is the overlapping story that’s taking place here. We have Naomi Watts’ character Betty Elms, who is trying to be helpful and get Laura Elena Harring’s character “Rita” to remember her identity. And then we have Diana Selwyn, who is also played by Watts, but is a failed actress who hires a hitman to kill “Camilla”, who is also played by Harring. The thing is, the actresses are convincing in both roles, and their acting is so good that you’re not really sure which of the characters is actually the real one. Or if any of them are the real ones at all.

David Lynch was nominated for Best Director for Mulholland Drive, and that was definitely warranted. But I also think that Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring should have been nominated for being able to play their roles so well that I got utterly and completely lost in their performances. And this unnerved me all the more so, since I wasn’t sure what part of the story I was supposed to believe—The first part? The middle? The last part? Or none of it. Their acting was so good that I’m not sure who to believe.

It Made A Pretty Song Like "Crying" Nightmare Fuel

Roy Orbison’s “Crying” was one of my favorite songs until I watched Mulholland Drive. Now, I’ll always have that scene stuck in my head where Laura Elena Harring’s character, and Naomi Watts’ character, are sitting in Club Silencio watching Rebekah Del Rio belt it out before she collapses and the song continues to play.

I always shiver at that scene since it’s so unsettling. I think it connects to the plot of how Naomi Watts’ character is feeling about what she’s actually done, as this scene happens not too long after they uncover the dead body in their neighbor’s apartment. But I’m not sure, which is why it bugs me so much. Why does Rebekah Del Rio pass out? Why was she not really singing? Questions, questions, questions, and they all follow me into my dreams long after the movie has ended.

There Is No Other Horror Film Like It

Lastly, like I mentioned in the intro, Mulholland Drive is NOT a horror movie, which makes it one of the greatest horror movies of all time because it scares the hell out of you, even though it’s not supposed to. What I mean is, genre-wise, a “surrealist neo-noir mystery film” shouldn’t be tapping into your fear center, but it does, which is why it’s so effective. I can only imagine somebody who wasn’t familiar with David Lynch’s work starting off with Mulholland Drive and trying to make sense of it. Oh, man. What a trip that person must have had.

I kind of want to compare it to that movie you saw as a kid that wasn’t a blatant horror film like A Nightmare on Elm St. or Friday the 13th, but unnerved you all the same, like Return to Oz or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You know, a movie where something just felt off, and you were scared because your young brain didn't know how to process it. Well, Mulholland Drive is that movie that just feels “off”, but for adults, which is even more amazing. As a grown-up, you feel like you’ve seen it all, but then Mulholland Drive comes along and you’re like nope, this is something totally different, and it scares me because it's different. And that’s why it’s so awesome.

But what do you think? Do you consider Mulholland Drive a horror movie? Make your voice heard in the poll below. And for news on the best horror movies or even upcoming horror movies, make sure to stop by here often.

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With the Halloween season upon us, a lot of people will likely watch a bunch of horror movies (as if 2020 wasn’t horrific enough already). Predictably, most people will probably watch your Friday the 13’s and your A Nightmare on Elm St’s. And maybe a few people will even watch more recent horror movies, like Hereditary or It Follows. But you know one movie you should really be watching this Halloween season? Eraserhead. Or really, almost any of the David Lynch movies, because that dude makes some seriously creepy films.

But not all of his movies are terrifying. In fact, one of his films, The Straight Story, is rated G. Another film, The Elephant Man, is an historical drama starring John Hurt about Joseph Merrick. And his most audacious (and probably most maligned) film was the first theatrical adaptation of Dune. But then, you have the rest of his filmography, and the rest is pretty damn terrifying. Unfortunately, it looks like David Lynch won’t be making any more movies, but we thankfully still have these 5 flicks that we could watch every year to get all kinds of creeped out.

Eraserhead (1977)

David Lynch’s first feature length film, which stars Jack Nance, is a nightmarish movie about… well, it’s hard to say. Is it an allegory for the fear of parenthood? A commentary on what industrialization is doing to us? Both of these? Neither of these? It’s safe to safe that David Lynch pretty much solidified what kind of director he wanted to be with his debut film since there’s nothing else like it.

As to why it’s perfect for Halloween, well, it’s the extremely unsettling tone. There’s a mutant baby that sort of just… appears… and Jack Nance’s character, who is named Henry Spencer, and not Eraserhead (though there is a very disquieting scene involving his head being taken to a factory to be made into erasers) must take care of the child since its mother leaves. But the baby won’t stop crying. There’s also a woman in the radiator, and the film itself just leaves you feeling uncomfortable all throughout. As I said earlier, it’s a nightmarish film and one that will follow you long after its over.

Blue Velvet (1986)

Do you want to know what Blue Velvet’s inciting incident is? It's when a college student finds a severed ear on the sidewalk. If that’s not the beginning of a horror movie, then I don’t know what is. Starring long-time Lynch-collaborator, Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Laura Dern, and Dennis Hopper in probably his most insane performance ever, the story is pretty straightforward, but still Lynchian to its core. It’s basically a mystery about a lounge singer and her missing baby, but all the characters that make up the rest of the story are bizarre beyond belief.

This is a perfect Halloween film because it’s so disturbing. Dennis Hopper’s character, Frank Booth, is the craziest of the bunch, huffing some unknown drug (helium?) that pushes him over the edge. But besides that, the abuse Isabella Rossellini’s character endures is hard to stomach, and the overall tone is just eerie. Blueeeeee Velveeeeet.

Lost Highway (1997)

Starring Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, and Robert Blake, Lost Highway is probably David Lynch’s most mysterious film. It’s about a musician (Pullman) who is sent video tapes of himself with his wife in their house. But when his wife is dismembered, he’s accused of her murder. Then it just goes completely off the rails.

Lost Highway is the perfect Halloween film since it’s disorienting in a way that almost makes you feel physically ill. Everything from the music, to the visuals, to the unconventional storytelling is just headache-inducing, but (and I know this doesn’t make any sense) in a good way. And then you have Robert Blake’s eyebrow-less Mystery Man, and… well, it’s just nightmare fuel. Trust me, watch Lost Highway and you will be unnerved.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Starring Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, and Robert Forster, Mulholland Drive was actually my favorite “horror” movie before Hereditary. It’s about (I think) a woman (Watts) who gets in a car accident and then she meets up with a budding actress with amnesia on the way to uncover clues as to what’s really going on. But what’s “really going on,” isn’t quite clear, as most of the movie feels like one really long fever dream.

I put “horror” movie in quotes before since Mulholland Drive is not technically a horror movie at all, but you could have fooled me. Out of all of Lynch’s films, Mulholland Drive is somehow the most disturbing, and also the most surreal. There’s actually a scene in this film that I show to my students every year when I’m teaching suspense that involves a winding trip to the back of a diner that is legit one of the scariest scenes you will ever see. I get chills just thinking about it, and I already know what’s going to happen. Besides that scene, the overall story is just a slow drip into madness, and by the end of it, you’re still uncomfortable since you don’t really get many answers to any of the questions you may have had. This is David Lynch’s masterpiece, and his scariest film, by far.

Inland Empire (2006)

Starring some of Lynch’s favorite actors, like Laura Dern, Justin Theroux, Harry Dean Stanton, as well as Naomi Watts in the voice of a humanoid rabbit (why are you surprised?), Inland Empire, which is unfortunately David Lynch’s last film (as of right now) is about an actress, played by Dern, who becomes fully absorbed in the role of her character to the extent that she actually becomes her. Madness ensues, of course, but it’s Lynchian madness, so it’s a nightmare of personal proportions.

The thing is, if you were to ask me, what is Inland Empire really about, I honestly couldn’t tell you, which is why it’s probably Lynch’s most frustrating film, but also one of his most disturbing. It’s disjointed (the screenplay apparently wasn’t even finished), and it kind of runs around into itself, only to end with women dancing in a room with a lumberjack cutting to the beat. But it’s a great Halloween film since you can get so lost in it. It’s a maze of a movie, and one that is troubling because of its abstract weirdness.

Honestly, I could have put most of Lynch’s films on this list (even Wild at Heart and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me are super creepy). But these 5 are probably the best films to watch around the Halloween season. They don’t exactly say “Boo!” or feature ghosts in the night, but they’re a lot more unsettling and will last with you a whole lot longer.

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Dune director Denis Villeneuve has been hard at work wrapping up his version of the epic science fiction movie based on the novel by Frank Herbert. The original movie didn’t do well upon its release and even Denis Villeneuve has said he was “half-satisfied” with the original when he first saw it.

That’s not to say Denis Villeneuve isn’t a fan of the original movie’s director, David Lynch. He explains that he was excited when he saw the original movie, but seemed to have mixed feelings about it when leaving the theater, per Empire. This may have driven him to eventually want to tackle the project himself. Here’s what he had to say:

This isn’t altogether surprising, and may even be a much more optimistic take on the original Dune. When David Lynch’s Dune released, it failed both critically and at the box office. David Lynch for his part didn’t get the final cut and tried to disown the film, seeing it as a failure. But now the property is finally returning to theaters.

Though Denis Villeneuve has seen David Lynch’s Dune, it’s highly unlikely David Lynch will do the same for Denis Villeneuve. When asked if he had seen any of the new Dune photos, David Lynch said he had zero interest in the new movie because his experience in his film was a heartache.

While Denis Villeneuve has huge respect for David Lynch, it doesn’t sound like he plans on emulating too much of what he did on his version of Dune. In a prior interview Villeneuve said when tackling his project, he wanted to make something that he dreamed of rather than what David Lynch was going for with Dune. Which, all things considered, is probably the best approach.

One difference between Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and the original is the remake is being split into two parts. While the original tried to cram a massive epic into two hours, it looks like Villeneuve’s approach will be to give it breathing room over those two parts. For some movies, this doesn’t play out too well, like The Hobbit trilogy. But, for Dune, it just might work.

Dune fans eager to see the first footage for the film hopefully won’t have to wait much longer. Reportedly, a trailer has already premiered before the Tenet release and should land online very soon. Dune is expected to release on December 18th, 2020. Until then, be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

Hollywood is loaded with iconic directors who have given audiences some of the best entertainment for decades. For that reason, they're often given more work, which always opens them up to giving audiences more to love... or something they may really, really hate. Most of these icons hit far more often than they miss, though even the greatest have that movie where they struck out.

To be completely upfront, there will be some hot takes on this list. Every item on this list is the lowest-rated movie from the mentioned iconic director on Rotten Tomatoes, so blame the critics of the time, not me. With that out of the way, let's run down the list of terrible movies from iconic directors that may or may not deserve a spotlight.

Guillermo Del Toro - Blade 2

Ironically, what many would consider the best Blade movie is also the worst movie made by Guillermo del Toro. Not that Del Toro is ever really given a ton of blame for that; his job was to direct, and he did his best with the script he was given. Unfortunately, even the most foreboding and dark areas fall flat when the movie uses fight scenes with dialogue only to move Blade along to the next fight scene. Thankfully, del Toro would win critics over in the superhero genre with his two Hellboy movies down the road.

David Lynch - Dune

David Lynch had a tremendous task cut out for him in Dune, and by most metrics to this day, he failed. The man who perfectly captured the life of The Elephant Man somehow couldn't find a proper way to adapt Frank Herbert's classic in a way that could be easily understood by its audience. The movie is widely considered a miss for Lynch, and while he's come close with a couple of features, it's the only movie of his considered "rotten" by critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

George Lucas- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

George Lucas' track record is somewhat skewed considering 2/3rds of his directing work is for Star Wars projects, but he did create the franchise after all. Unfortunately, he also gifted the world the most critically panned entry in the franchise, The Phantom Menace. I thought it was fine in my younger years, but a recent re-watch made me question why plans for the trilogy weren't heavily reconsidered after that entry alone. Was the world just so desperate for more Star Wars that they looked past it? Obviously, there were people who knew right out the gate, as many critics were not shy to say this wasn't nearly on the same level as A New Hope.

Martin Scorsese- Boxcar Bertha

When it comes to violent movies that revolve around a world of crime, typically Martin Scorsese is the guy to call. That said, that wasn't known back when he made Boxcar Bertha, which was only his second directorial feature at the time. Hilariously enough, most of the complaints were due to the violence, which was often a criticism Scorsese has gotten for successive films that are now considered masterpieces. Unfortunately, Boxcar Bertha has not been nearly as acclaimed as the rest.

Tim Burton- Dark Shadows

Tim Burton has a knack for putting his own spin on classic stories, even with works that may not initially seem like they could work with his dark charm. Weirdly enough, Dark Shadows seemed like a perfect and relatively sensible fit for Burton, and he had Johnny Depp on board. It should've been a hit, but critics found the premise played out. The jokes fell flat and Burton was criticized for struggling to find a tone throughout the movie. Sometimes the "sure things" in Hollywood just don't work out in execution, and this movie is proof positive of that.

Peter Jackson - The Lovely Bones

Peter Jackson is known for a lot of things, but paranormal thrillers aren't really his bag. Sure, Frodo did turn invisible a handful of times in The Lord Of The Rings, but even in the context of all he'd done before this movie, The Lovely Bones was a pretty out-there film for Jackson. Of course, that was part of the point, as Jackson went on the record saying he enjoyed doing something that wasn't a large-scale epic for once. Three years later he was doing The Hobbit, though it's worth noting he wasn't the first choice.

Steven Spielberg - Hook

Hook is a beloved classic by many, but that was not how it was received by critics. This movie got a thorough thrashing for being an ill-begotten story of Peter Pan and was hated by critics so much that its aggregate Rotten Tomatoes score is a measly 28%. The movie was called unimaginative, the effects were not well integrated, and the overall story was garbled down by too many Hollywood ideals. Perhaps the biggest criticism was that it had such a great premise, but did so little to further adapt or bring in elements from the original story.

Ridley Scott - A Good Year

Similar to what I touched on earlier with Peter Jackson, there are things iconic directors are known for, and things they aren't. When you think of Ridley Scott, I highly doubt you think of romantic comedies. Scott has a wide range of movies he can make a hit, and with Russell Crowe as the lead in A Good Year, it stood to reason he could do it again. This time it just didn't happen, as the end result was seen as a soulless romantic comedy that went on a little too long. It's not necessarily bad, but certainly not one anyone needs to make time for.

David Fincher - Alien 3

The final entry is the most perhaps fitting, because not even David Fincher will defend Alien 3. The third installment in the Alien franchise already had a lot to live up to with the first two movies, which was directed by two other directing icons, Ridley Scott and James Cameron. Unfortunately, Fincher's film wasn't considered nearly as exciting or bold as the prior two films, though it has gathered its share of fans over the years. Still, when even Fincher himself disowns it, it's hard not to side with the crowd who thinks this sequel just wasn't up to par.

Spike Lee - She Hate Me

She Hate Me has all the ingredients for a great film. It's a challenging script from Spike Lee and Michael Genet, it has a dynamite cast that includes Anthony Mackie, in one of his earliest roles, and Kerry Washington in the lead roles, and, of course, is directed by Lee, one of the most acclaimed directors of the last 30+ years. The movie misses though, weighted down by the heavy message it tries to make while also trying to be a comedy. 

Barry Levinson - Sphere

After the huge success of Jurassic Park in 1993, Hollywood was clamoring to adapt other Michael Crichton novels. The mid and late '90s were chock full of adaptions like The 13th Warrior, Congo, Rising Sun, and Disclosure. Right in that mix was Barry Levinson's adaptation of Sphere and while the book was fantastic, the movie just falls flat, perhaps because people staring at mysterious orb for most of a movie isn't all that exciting. 

Sam Raimi - For Love Of The Game

Director Sam Raimi has a remarkable hit record, with only a couple movies rating below 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest being the Kevin Costner baseball movie For Love Of The Game. If you love Costner and baseball, it's actually a decent movie, but it isn't Raimi's best, that's for sure. 

Francis Ford Coppola - Jack

Francis Ford Coppola had a run in the 1970s that is almost unprecedented in Hollywood with The Godfather movies, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now. He found success in the 1980s too, with movies like The Outsiders and Tucker: A Man and His Dream. Then there is 1996's Jack. All you can ask is, "What were Coppola and Robin Williams thinking?"

Penny Marshall - Renaissance Man

The late Penny Marshall is a Hollywood icon for many reasons. Renaissance Man is not one of them. If you've never seen it (which wouldn't be surprising) think of it like Dead Poet's Society crossed with Pauly Shore's In The Army Now, and just as unfunny as the latter. Danny DeVito plays a guy who loves quoting Shakespeare and finds himself teaching army recruits how to read. That's all you need to know, really, there is no reason to ever watch it. 

Oliver Stone - Alexander

Oliver Stone knows how to tell a war story. His Vietnam films Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July rank among the best war movies of all time. His telling of the ancient battle of Alexander the Great in Alexander is as good. The original release was a hot mess and while he has improved it with a couple of subsequent director's cuts, it still doesn't hold a candle to his other films. 

Ivan Reitman - Father's Day

The late Ivan Reitman has always been hit-or-miss with critics. Even some of his most popular movies, like Twins, were poorly reviewed. His worst movie though, based on both audience and critics' scores. is Father's Day starring Billy Crystal and Robin Williams as two men trying to find their former lovers' son to determine which man is the father. It's... not funny, nor is it heartfelt. It's just a miss. 

Amy Heckerling - Night At The Roxbury

Clueless and Fast Times At Ridgemont High are two of the most beloved teen comedies of all time, both define two generations. For director Amy Heckerling they are high water marks in her career. On the other side of those is Night At The Roxbury. Though it’s her lowest-ranked movie on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s not the worst movie based on SNL characters, so it could be worse. 

Kathryn Bigelow - The Weight of Water

Oscar-winner Katheryn Bigelow is pretty picky about the movies she chooses to direct, and most of the time, she nails it, like The Hurt Locker, Point Break, and Zero Dark Thirty. Occasionally she misses, like The Weight Of Water. Though it’s nowhere near the worst movie on this list, it’s still the worst of her movies according to the critics on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The Coen Brothers - The Ladykillers

When your worst-reviewed movie on Rotten Tomatoes is still 54%, you’re doing pretty well. For the Coen Brothers, The Ladykillers is a very rare example of a miss, as they have 13 movies north of 80%. I’m a fan of The Ladykillers and I think it’s vastly underrated, but sticking with the rules, it’s the one of this list. I’d have Hail! Caesar at the bottom, however. 

Danny Boyle - The Beach

Before Alex Garland became an acclaimed director of movies like 2024’s Civil War, he was a novelist. He wrote The Beach in the ‘90s and captivated a generation of would-be adventure travelers. Combine that with the talents of the great director Danny Boyle and star Leonardo DiCaprio and you’d think there was no way the movie would be bad. The Beach isn’t terrible, but it’s not Boyle’s best work by far. It just misses the sense of adventure the novel has. 

Alfonso Cuarón - Great Expectations

Alfonso Cuarón takes his time when making a movie, and while Great Expectations is no exception, it falls short of the lofty expectations we have of the director. Sure, it’s based on a classic novel (though a modern retelling of the Dickens book) and it has a great cast, but it just misses. It’s certainly not up to his usual standards. 

Alex & Emma - Rob Reiner

Some of the best rom-coms of all time have been directed by Rob Reiner. Alex & Emma, starring Luke Wilson and Kate Hudson is not one of them. It’s a rare miss from the This is Spinal Tap director, with a brutal 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

M. Night Shyamalan - The Last Airbender

M. Night Shyamalan has never really been a critical darling, but his fans always stick up for him, with one exception: The Last Airbender. The movie, based on the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise, is despised by critics and fans alike, especially fans of the source material. 

Eagle Vs. Shark - Taika Waititi

As debut movies go, Taika Waititi’s Eagle Vs. Shark isn’t that bad. The director’s now-legendary humor is very evident, but it’s clearly a low-budget first outing for Waititi. It’s excusable, given what would come later. What is less excusable is the miss he had with Thor: Love & Thunder, but it’s still better ranked than this one, for some reason. If given the choice between the two, pick Eagle Vs. Shark.

James Cameron - Piranha II: The Spawning

Okay, so this one really isn’t fair. The worst movie that the great James Cameron directed is a B-movie called Piranha II: The Spawning. From the title alone, you know it’s going to be bad. There isn’t much redeemable about it, except that it got Cameron’s foot in the door in Hollywood and his next movie, The Terminator has a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, so you can ignore the 5% this one got. 

Ron Howard - Inferno

Did you know that Ron Howard and Tom Hanks teamed up for three movies based on the books of Dan Brown? You probably remember The Da Vinci Code and you might have even seen Angels & Demons but there is a third, terrible installment in the franchise called Inferno. CinemaBlend called Howard’s direction “slow, ponderous and dull,” which is not what you explicit from the Hollywood legend. 

Robert Altman - Beyond Therapy

Throughout his career, director Robert Altman had some serious highs, like The Player and MASH, but he also had some pretty low lows, and none were lower than Beyond Therapy in 1987. It came at a low point overall in the legendary director’s career, a time that also included similarly poorly reviewed movies like Popeye and O.C. and Stiggs.

Ivan Reitman - Beverly Hills Cop III

This one is a little unfair, because Ivan Reitman and Eddie Murphy have both made worse movies, but it likely suffers from coming on the heals of two previous Beverly Hills Cop movies that are, without a doubt, superior to this sequel. 

Elia Kazan - The Arrangement

There is no doubt of Elia Kazan’s place in Hollywood history. Considered one of the most influential directors of all time, fans of his can also boast that his movies launched the careers of actors like Marlon Brando and James Dean. However, not every movie he made was a classic and while The Arrangement has been somewhat re-evaluated in recent years, it still holds a dismal 15% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Brian De Palma - The Bonfire Of The Vanities

Tom Wolfe has only had a couple of books adapted into movies. The first, The Right Stuff is one of the best movies about The Cold War. The second, The Bonfire of the Vanities, directed by Brian De Palma, is… not very good. In fact, it’s pretty brutal. It tries hard to hit all the cultural critiques that Wolfe laid out in his novel, but it just doesn’t get the point across nearly as well. It’s a clunky mess. 

Richard Linklater - Bad News Bears

When he sticks with his own original stories and writes his own screenplays, Richard Linklater is a master. Movies like Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, and Boyhood are iconic. The Bad News Bears is also iconic, just not the remake Linklater directed in 2005. The original is far, far better. 

Gus Van Sant - Even Cowgirls Get The Blues

For Gen X, the combination of Gus Van Sant and novelist Tom Robbins was an enticing prospect. Sadly, the movie adaptation of Robbins’ classic Even Cowgirls Get The Blues is simply a disappointment, a very rare miss for Van Sant, especially at that point in his career coming off the back-to-back masterpieces Drugstore Cowboy and My Own Private Idaho. 

The following story has been sponsored by Dust Nuggets, which is available right now on Amazon Prime.

There’s no doubt that David Lynch is considered one of the more interesting directors of the last five decades. Over the course of his career Lynch has directed a number of films that have been hailed for their non-linear storytelling, surreal imagery and insidious sound design. Not to mention the television hit Twin Peaks that aired its last episodes in 2017. So, in order to celebrate the director, we're partnering with the people behind Dust Nuggets, a wild new movie available on Amazon Prime that seeks to take its cue from experimental filmmakers like Lynch.

Although his creations may be polarizing at times there is little doubt that David Lynch is a true master of film craft. As such, he’s directed some of the most unique movies to ever hit the big screen. Unfortunately, the famous director has no plans to make another full length feature. This week I went back to take a look at his filmography, and yes I even rewatched Dune 1984, to rank the top five films by David Lynch. So, check out Dust Nuggets, which is available here, and then check out any of these David Lynch classics you may not have seen before.

5. Lost Highway (1997)

The first entrant to this list is pure Lynch. There’s the non-linear story telling, insane sound work and surreal visuals. Lost Highway is about Los Angeles musician Fred Madison, played by Bill Pullman, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend. What sounds like a relatively simple plot quickly devolves into Lynchian madness.

It’s the first film in his LA Trilogy, which also includes Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire, and dials up the crazy to 100. The real star of Lost Highway is the incredible soundtrack. Lynch collaborated with Trent Reznor and Marilyn Manson, the latter of whom makes an appearance in the film, for the music. Forewarning though, this isn’t one of those movies you would watch with your parents. There’s no less than five graphic sex scenes and a generous amount of nudity.

4. The Elephant Man (1980)

The Elephant Man is a surprisingly tender film from David Lynch. His follow up to 1977’s Eraserhead is based on the true story of John Merrick, played by John Hurt, a man who suffers from severe deformities in Victorian England. After being discovered at a freak show he is rescued by Dr. Frederick Treves, played by Anthony Hopkins.

Recognized for the incredible prosthetics provided by Christopher Tucker, The Elephant Man was a critical smash hit. The film was nominated for 8 Academy Awards and led to the creation of the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. It’s one of the few Lynch movies that can be watched with the whole family and has a genuinely heartfelt message. Lynch even managed to sneak his signature surrealism into The Elephant Man and it's one of the strongest scenes of the period drama.

3. Eraserhead (1977)

So now that we’ve discussed the wholesome Elephant Man, let’s do a complete 180 and talk about Lynch’s first feature film Eraserhead. It’s a black and white body horror flick (emphasis on the horror) about Henry Spencer, played by Jack Nance, and his struggle with fatherhood, isolation and the rampant industrialization that surrounds him.

It’s not the feel good story of The Elephant Man. However, it’s still a wonderfully fun horror romp. The set design and practicals are legendary. This outlandish film was initially met with little fanfare but grew into a cult icon through the midnight movie circuit. Eraserhead has stood the test of time as an influential visual and sonic experience.

2. Blue Velvet (1986)

Starring Twin Peaks icon and long-time Lynch collaborator Kyle Maclachlan, Blue Velvet takes a look at the seedy underbelly of picturesque suburbia. Jeffrey Beaumont, played by Maclachlan, stumbles upon a severed ear and then embroils himself in a city wide mystery. Blue Velvet also stars a completely unhinged Dennis Hopper.

His performance alone is one of the most insane on screen acts I’ve ever seen. It’s worth watching Blue Velvet for Hopper’s antics alone. Outside of his deranged shouting (If you don’t like Pabst Blue Ribbon you will after this) Lynch’s script and sets are sublime.

There’s groovy tunes and bizarre transitions that are signature Lynch. The nice thing about Blue Velvet is that it’s a pretty straight narrative compared to his other films, while still doubling down on the controversial subject matter Lynch loves to explore.

1. Mulholland Drive (2001)

Mulholland Drive is without a doubt David Lynch’s feature masterpiece. Lynch originally planned for the film to be a TV series but after the pilot failed to be picked up he transitioned the project to a feature film.

Starring Naomi Watts, Justin Theroux and Laura Harring, Mullholland Drive is a blending of three different stories played by the aforementioned cast. Betty, played by Naomi Watts, arrives in LA seeking stardom only to find the amnesic Rita, played by Laura Harring. Together they try to solve the mystery of Rita’s identity while Adam Kesher, played by Justin Theroux, struggles to reign in his personal life and film at the behest of a mysterious mob organization

This film is 100% Grade A insanity. Lynch masterfully commands a perpetual sense of dread and paranoia while leaving breadcrumbs of clues throughout Mulholland Drive. The final reveal is a perfect fit that just highlights the excellent script and foreshadowing found throughout.

The beauty of it? The interpretation is up to you. Lynch is historically tight lipped about his own interpretations and wants the viewer to decipher the story how they see best. Plus, it features one of the best cameos in movie history.

While we are here I think it's worth mentioning that I think these are the five best Lynch films. However, he has a few more features that didn't make this list and one in particular deserves an honorable mention. The Dune remake is slated for December and it's absolutely worth your time to check out Lynch's Dune 1984. Even though he won't be seeing the new movie himself due to the nightmare production of his version there's still bits and pieces of Dune 1984 that are really great, including some epic sandworm riding.

At the end of this year, Denis Villeneuve’s next movie, Dune, finally arrives in theaters. This will mark the second time that Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel has been adapted for the big screen, the first time being under the helm of David Lynch in 1984, with a cast that included Kyle MacLachlan, Brad Dourif, Linda Hunt and Patrick Stewart, among many others.

However, just because David Lynch has already dipped his toes in the Dune pool doesn’t mean he plans on seeing this new offering. When recently asked if he’d seen any of the recently-released photos from Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, Lynch responded that he has “zero interest” in the new movie. When asked why, the filmmaker responded:

So David Lynch’s apathy for Dune isn’t because he doesn’t like Denis Villeneuve or anything along those lines. Far from it, as he also clarified to THR that he’s not interested in seeing any other person’s interpretation of Dune. Lynch is just altogether done with this corner of science fiction because he doesn’t look back on how his movie turned out fondly.

Had David Lynch’s fully realized version of Dune been released to the masses, it would have been close to three hours long. However, during the postproduction process, the movie was trimmed to a little over two hours, with these edits including certain plot points being simplified or removed altogether, and voiceover narration being thrown in. While there is a longer version of Lynch’s Dune that aired on TV and has been called Dune: Extended Edition on DVD, Lynch does not approve of this version of the movie, to the point that he had his named removed from the credits.

So clearly David Lynch does not consider Dune to be one of the bright points of his career, and he’d rather just completely separate himself from the property rather than see what someone else can do with Frank Herbert’s original story. I guess that means Lynch hasn’t checked out the Dune miniseries from 2000 either.

While that’s one less ticket sold for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, considering the man’s filmmaking track record so far, including with fellow sci-fi movies Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, you can bet there are plenty of folks who are interested to see how he adapts this literary material. Villeneuve has also said it has been his dream to adapt Dune, so obviously this story means a lot to him.

One big difference between Denis Villeneuve’s take on Dune compared to David Lynch’s is that Villeneuve plans to adapt the original novel over two movies rather than just one, although a Dune sequel hasn’t officially gotten the green light just yet. There’s also a Dune prequel spinoff series in the works for HBO Max called Dune: The Sisterhood, and Villeneuve will direct the pilot.

As far as the other talent attached to the new Dune movie, along Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts working on the script with Denis Villeneuve, the cast includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Stellan Skarsgård, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem, among others. The project began filming on March 18, 2019 in Hungary, and principal photography wrapped up the following July.

Dune is still set for a December 18 release, though if it ends up being pushed back like so many other movies have been lately, we here at CinemaBlend will let you know.

What a world we live in. One day you can just wake up and there's Netflix waiting for you with a 17-minute black-and-white film by David Lynch, starring David Lynch as a detective who interrogates a tough-talking monkey named Jack, who may have committed murder.

I don't know what else to say, other than WTF? But also, thank you, David Lynch. And happy birthday?

Apparently What Did Jack Do? was filmed in 2016 and premiered overseas back in 2017. It was just released on Netflix today -- Monday, January 20, 2020 -- aka David Lynch's own 74th birthday. The synopsis is simple:

David Lynch is that detective. He also wrote, directed, and edited the short film. "Jack Cruz" is credited as the monkey, but it's not clear who is actually doing the voice. At one point, Jack -- in a suit -- starts singing (badly) like it's a grainy old-school musical. What Did Jack Do? should probably not be watched sober, but it should be watched by David Lynch fans, since this kind of surreal story is his niche. "Odd" is a term he gets a lot.

David Lynch's most recent credited work is the short film Ant Head in 2018, but he also brought back Twin Peaks for Showtime in 2017. Two seasons of Twin Peaks are now on Netflix (maybe don't watch the second one), with David Lynch once again posing a question -- in that case, Who killed Laura Palmer?

I hope What Did Jack Do? isn't just a birthday tease but previews more of his movies coming to Netflix. Why not Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Mulholland Drive, or at least Dune, since 2020 will bring a new star-studded adaptation from Denis Villeneuve? I'm sure Netflix users would love to re-watch David Lynch's movie with Kyle MacLachlan to compare.

David Lynch got himself trending on his birthday for this gift to fans, and the Internet appreciated it:

Not that David Lynch cares what the Internet thinks of his movies. Watch What Did Jack Do? here on Netflix. Keep up with all of Netflix's 2020 premiere and return dates with our handy schedule. Here's a look at everything heading to big screen this year.

Kyle MacLachlan played Paul Atreides in the 1984 movie Dune, directed by David Lynch. It's now a cult classic, but it was a massive flop at the box office, making roughly $31 million off a reported production budget over $40 million. Now director Denis Villeneuve is working on a Dune reboot, putting together an incredible A-list cast for the film's release in 2020. What does MacLachlan think about this latest attempt to adapt Frank Herbert's novel for the big screen? Here's what he said:

Yes, as Kyle MacLachlan told AM to DM, Dune is a story that doesn't have to be told in one film. Denis Villeneuve has already said he plans to make multiple films. Last year, Frank Herbert's son Brian said he had just received a draft of the Dune screenplay for the first movie, which covers about half of the novel.

Timothée Chalamet was the first star to be named for the 2020 movie, and he'll be playing Paul Atreides. Kyle MacLachlan said "He'll be great," and had this classic quip when asked if he had any advice for the young star when playing Paul:

He knew not everyone would get that reference, but Dune fans enjoyed it.

It was just announced that Dune will open in theaters -- including IMAX and 3D -- on November 20, 2020. Considering the early interest in the film, and the talent that has been attracted so far, I'm guessing other films will want to stay away from that release date.

Denis Villeneuve's growing Dune cast is said to include Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides; Rebecca Ferguson as Jessica Atreides; Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto; Zendaya as Chani; Javier Bardem as Stilgar; Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck; Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban; Stellan Skarsgård as Vladimir Harkonnen; Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Mohiam; and Jason Momoa recently announced to be in talks to play Duncan Idaho.

There are so many stars in this cast, they could slip Kyle MacLachlan in for a cameo and it might take fans several viewings to even notice.

Denis Villeneuve has said his Dune will be very different from David Lynch's 1984 version. He also said his goal was to make two Dune films, "maybe more." According to Variety, production is expected to start this spring in Budapest and Jordan.

More Dune casting updates may be coming before filming begins. Keep up with everything we know on that front, and bookmark our 2019 movie release date calendar to stay up to date on everything opening in theaters this year.

David Lynch has recently been busy over at Showtime making new episodes of Twin Peaks (with hopefully more to come!), however, he is still well-known as a filmmaker and talks out about the movies and other media from time to time. The director, writer and producer recently spoke out at the Festival of Disruption in New York to talk about not needing to justify himself to anyone, even a new generation who takes to social media and writes about their thoughts instantaneously---and often, not so kindly. He said:

David Lynch feels so strongly about social media that he didn't allow video recordings of his talk at the Festival of Disruption (via Rolling Stone), but he did talk about his feelings regarding instant responses to works of art, especially films. He doesn't seem to feel the need to justify himself or his decision-making process when creating a new movie project.

However, he also mentioned that the reason he feels that way about not taking in a movie and just throwing your thoughts out there right after you've seen it is because every screening of a movie is different. Still, while he has some strong thoughts about criticizing movies, he also said he isn't trying to invalidate those feelings.

David Lynch hasn't been putting together many big screen endeavors of late, but he is still active in Hollywood, and he's not the only director to have strong feelings about how film criticism has been exacerbated by the ability users and critics alike have to transmit their thoughts out into the universe without much thought or effort. Director Eli Roth even made a movie about people overreacting on social media, so it's definitely a germane topic in Tinseltown. James Cameron previously has also said that he's not a fan of Twitter, and doesn't even have a Facebook account. He joins actors like Nic Cage, who aren't big fans of the social media experience. Movies often live or die by their opening weekend box office, and word of mouth on social media arguably plays a role in that; so, the stakes are definitely high for everyone.

As science fiction literature, Frank Herbert's Dune remains a cherished classic, but as a movie adaptation, it's a more mixed affair. Released in 1984 and featuring actors like Kyle MacLachlan and Patrick Stewart, David Lynch's Dune was met with mostly negative reviews, but in the decades since has gathered a cult following. Now director Denis Villeneuve is turning his attention to filming a Dune reboot for a new generation, but don't expect this version to take any cues from what Lynch created more than three decades ago. That's because Villeneuve is hoping to give audiences a Dune movie that's more in line with what he envisioned in his younger years. Villeneuve said the following:

To say that David Lynch's Dune was weird wouldn't be saying much, as most of the director's movies and other projects rest comfortably in bizarre territory. Nevertheless, while this adaptation does have its share of fans, the point of a good reboot is to stand effectively on its own while staying relatively faithful to the primary source material. So just like how director Andres Muschietti looked to Stephen King's original IT novel for his theatrical adaptation of the horror tale rather than the 1990 Tim Curry-led miniseries, Denis Villeneuve will be turning to Frank Herbert's original 1965 novel as his main source of inspiration for the reboot. He continued in his interview with Yahoo:

Although David Lynch's Dune remains the most prominent adaptation of this story, it isn't the only time Dune been translated into live action. Back in 2000, the then-Sci-Fi Channel released the Frank Herbert's Dune miniseries, which was followed in 2003 by Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, which melded the Dune Messiah and Children of Dune novels into one narrative. Although these miniseries were met with positive reception, because Denis Villeneuve is on a critical hot streak thanks to Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, his Dune reboot will ideally be something that can be enjoyed by longtime Dune fans and casual moviegoers, as well as potentially overtake the David Lynch movie as the definitive adaptation of this story.

The Dune reboot doesn't have a release date yet, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for that information and other updates. Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 is still playing in theaters, and check out our 2018 premiere guide to see what other cinematic offerings next year will bring.

The long-awaited return of Twin Peaks has come and gone, and viewers are still trying to figure out just what it was they were watching for 18 episodes. The ending certainly didn't pull any punches and it's up for debate whether or not the ending was a cliffhanger or not. Regardless, people are already talking about a potential new season of the show. There doesn't seem to be much serious talk about it at the moment, and David Lynch isn't quite sure what's in store. If there will be a fourth season, we shouldn't expect it to get here anytime soon. According to Lynch...

People have been wondering about the future of Twin Peaks for some time now and were likely hoping that the finale of Season 3 would fill in some blanks. In true David Lynch fashion, Twin Peaks didn't feel like answering any questions, so what are the chances that it'll be coming back? Lynch, who infamously never answers questions about his work, doesn't seem to know yet. While supporting his "Small Stories" exhibition at the Belgrade Cultural Center in Serbia, Lynch appeared via Skype and told the audience (via Danas) that if a new season were to happen, it would be quite a few years before it would premiere. After all, it took him four and a half years to just do the one season.

As to whether or not another season should or should not happen is up for debate. There's definitely an argument to made that Season 3 said all that was needed to be said and there's no need for a new season. On the other hand, people have no less than one million questions about everything that happened (or didn't happen). Even Kyle MacLachlan doesn't get what happened! However, I doubt a new season of Twin Peaks would deliver those answers. If anything, it'll just create even more questions with no answers.

Twin Peaks: The Return was a major topic of conversation within the film community throughout its whole run, so one can understand if Showtime is considering another season. Twin Peaks was good business for Showtime. The series was its most-watched new show ever and it drove up subscriber numbers. Supposedly, there haven't been any conversations about a new season, but the question is still floating in the air like a weird BOB cloud.

We don't know what the future has in store for Twin Peaks, but stick with CinemaBlend and we'll let you know new information as soon as it's available. In the meantime, there's still lots of good TV on the way, so stay in touch with our fall season guide.

For over 25 years, Twin Peaks has been a show that has polarized TV viewers, but David Lynch & Co. somehow upped the ante exponentially with Showtime's revival series, which left audiences reeling from the far-flung mysteries and unanswered questions. But as it turns out, it wasn't just those outside the madness that took issue with the show's return. Actress and musician Julee Cruise, who sang the memorable theme song and performed at the show's Roadhouse, took to social media to brutally slam both Twin Peaks and Lynch.

Now, if you only paid attention to that post itself and moved on with your life, it looks like Julee Cruise was just throwing some general shade at Twin Peaks during the night of its two-episode finale, probably after watching herself in "Part 17," in which she was seen performing the"Falling" theme. But one need not go very far into that post's comments to stumble across some far more inflammatory thoughts and comments. (Many of them contain typos as well, which is attributed to her doing all of her responses on her phone, but one can assume that her self-reported anger may have played a part.)

For instance, after one fan made a speculative mention about Julee Cruise returning for another potential Twin Peaks seasons, she responded with "Never!" Elsewhere, she gave a David Lynch-specific burn by saying "I Will Never Work for The Emperor Again, thank God!" When another fan said that he/she didn't need a TV show to appreciate Cruise's music, Cruise responded by saying she hadn't signed up for that, or any of "the whole nightmare, 28yrs of it." And she had lots of things to say whenever fans commented on how short the "Falling" performance was, especially in comparison to the season's other big musical moments, which served as many episodes' final scenes. Cruise called Lynch out for intentionally doing that to "slap me in the face."

Now, before anyone thinks that Julee Cruise's rage was all about a scene being shortened in editing, that wasn't the case, as the actress alleges she'd changed her phone number and email address, implying that she didn't want to even be part of the casting process when the revival was announced. Cruise also claimed that she has been treated very unkindly where Twin Peaks was concerned over the years, but especially during the production for The Return. And while many of her comments were free from degrading insults, she called out producer Sabrina Sutherland several times, usually alongside Lynch's name, and here was arguably the most salty response she put out there:

Hopefully Julee Cruise can find some peace now that Twin Peaks is once again out of her life, although it's likely people will be talking about her performance for as long as their talking about the revival. Unfortunately for a particular subset of the fanbase that went gaga for the revival, there aren't any more episodes of Twin Peaks on the way, so we'll have to just let the mysteries figure themselves out in our heads. You can still watch all 18 episodes on Showtime's streaming service, though.

And in case you need more new and returning shows to catch up with in the coming months, head to our fall premiere schedule. You don't need to pass through any red curtains to do so, either.

Head-scratching spoilers are below for the two final episodes of Twin Peaks' big finale on Showtime, so don't read on if you haven't yet watched.

When Twin Peaks' revival was initially announced, there's just about zero chance that fans could have predicted we'd go 16 episodes before getting a coffee-tinged taste of the real Dale Cooper in his present-day form. But Kyle MacLachlan's beloved FBI agent finally made his first big breakthrough into the real world in "Part 16," and it was a damn fine return. The finale -- actually just the 17th and 18th installments put together -- brought his story to an end in a way that only David Lynch and Mark Frost could conceive: a maddeningly confusing, yet still possibly hopeful, one. Depending on your point of view, of course.

"Part 17" largely took place within the Twin Peaks Sheriff's Department, as Evil Cooper made his big arrival, and despite things initially looking like they might go his way, the real Dale Cooper alerted his presence to Sheriff Truman, and the cell phone-understanding Lucy was the laudable hero in this situation. After she put a bullet into Evil Cooper, those old-timey creepsters showed up and rubbed blood all over his until that weird-ass BOB orb appeared, which thankfully occurred after Real Cooper showed up. The green-handed Freddie, who'd already saved Andy (and possibly that annoying mimic-lover) from a possible gunshot wound from former deputy Chad, ended up punching the BOB blob into a shattered oblivion. All good, right? Of course not. (How many shows could inspire a paragraph like that, seriously?)

After the always-whimpering and eyeless Naido revealed herself to be the "real" Diane -- since the one we'd previously been introduced to was a double -- Cooper retrieved the Lodge key from Truman and took a trip with Gordon and Diane, warning them not to follow him into his old hotel room as he made an attempt to change both the past and the future. With some Red Room-adjacent help from Phillip Jefferies-as-smoke-oozing-kettle-thing, viewers got to re-experience that Fire Walk with Me scene between James Hurley and Laura Palmer, which Real Cooper (of the present day) is seen watching from the trees.

Everything got super-bonkers here, as Cooper made his presence known and altered the past by apparently stopping Laura from meeting her deadly fate, although not necessarily diverting her into a super-safe fate or anything. We see her wrapped-up body disappear from the waterfront where it was found back in 1989. But when Cooper is attempting to lead Sheryl Lee-in-a-wig out of the forest -- something that Red Room-bound Leland Palmer would have seriously appreciated -- she is suddenly pulled out of that existence with electronic crackles and an ear-piercing scream.

The finale really upped the oddness factor, as well as the "car traveling down a dark road" factor, as the past and present and other-world collided in intriguing ways. Cooper was on his way to Odessa, Texas in what appeared to be an alternate reality sparked by the aforementioned electronic crackles, and he once again reunited with Diane to check into a motel for a last sexual huzzah. It seemed as if Twin Peaks was going to give us a reprisal of the very first Blue Rose case (especially after we all saw Diane's double hanging around), but they only had sex, and Cooper woke up to a note to "Richard" from a "Linda," who apologized for having to leave. It's definitely worth noting that "Richard and Linda" were mentioned to Cooper by the Fireman/Giant back in the premiere, and that Richard Horne was Audrey's evil dipshit son, although I'm not quite sure yet how that added up with everything else.

We then arrived in Odessa, where a greatly detached Cooper manhandled two cowboy-bros harassing a waitress at the diner named Judy's. (Tying things back to Gordon's confession to Albert in "Part 17" that Major Briggs told him and Cooper about the extremely negative entity "Jowday" which then had its name changed to "Judy" over time.) Cooper soon came face to face with present-day Laura Palmer, who actually did survive in this timeline, and is currently experiencing life as a diner waitress named Carrie Page, someone who clearly has little need to hide dead bodies. The two of them then traveled to the Palmer household in Twin Peaks, where they discovered that this was not the home of Sarah Palmer, and clearly hadn't been for a while, and possibly hadn't ever been.

Clearly disturbed, Cooper accepts this information, but soon lets his over-arching confusion become known by asking that all-important question in this time-flopping universe: "What year is this?" And it's then that Laura/Carrie has another memory jolt from her former/alternate life, and she belts out a scream that sounds exactly like the one we heard when she disappeared from the forest. The light-filled house before them went completely dark, and the scene suddenly cut to black. And then, over a slow-moving shot of Red Room Laura whispering into Red Room Cooper's ear, the credits rolled. Meaning Twin Peaks is over, and I (along with plenty of other viewers) am likely still miles away from finding out what the hell most of it actually means.

So we're now left with a number of questions comparable to the ones we had before the season started. Was that actually Real Cooper that came out of the Black Lodge following Evil Cooper's immolation, and who awkwardly put handguns inside a fryer with a vague warning to others about the bullets heating up therein? (He did accept and drink from a cup of coffee, but was that real proof?) Why was Diane so enthused about looking up at the ceiling while she and cooper had sex? Were Laura and Cooper actually being followed? What year was it when Cooper and Laura/Carrie met? Would taking Laura back to her old house have done something special beyond just cementing her acceptance of her troublesome teen years, even after she'd seemingly copped to it when sleep-talking on the drive? Also, who was Laura asking about when Cooper showed up, saying "Did you find him?"

If you'll notice, those are just the questions tied to what we perceived to be Real Dale Cooper, and don't even incorporate the plethora of other topics that went unexplained in Twin Peaks' return. What in the alt-reality fuck was happening with Sherilyn Fenn's Audrey during her brief scenes, which were seemingly revealed to be in her mind? How would Gordon and Cooper have tracked down "Judy" back in the day? Who were all those people in The Roadhouse over the weeks, and who the hell were they all talking about? Why was James Hurley...well, that kind of wraps up that question in a nutshell. With all the former characters that got brought up, sometimes through death and sometimes through re-used footage (as it went with Joan Chen's Susie Packard), why didn't we get any word of Donna? Was the jailed Johnny Horne's emotional trauma somehow related to Dougie's ordeal, since all he was to be able to do was repeat things? I could literally go on and on and on.

But hey, at least the Jones family got to have a happy ending, with a new version of Dougie Jones arriving after being conjured up thanks to a gold bead and a lock of hair. Make us proud, Sonny Jim.

With no more episodes of Twin Peaks coming to Showtime at any point in the near future, barring an extremely surprising announcement from David Lynch or the network, we're left to wait for the upcoming release of the book Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier to get any new info about everything that went down. Until then, check out all the other new and returning series hitting the small screen soon with our fall TV schedule.

There's no question that Twin Peaks was a widely successful series during its original run, not only inspiring a legion of great shows but arguably spearheading the must-watch-TV movement in a pre-social media age. Despite that acclaim, the show isn't without its faults, as most of Season 2 is -- well, it stinks. Despite having some of the straight-up weirdest moments of the series, Season 2 just doesn't hold up against Season 1. David Lynch, co-mastermind of Twin Peaks, agrees with that much and he's not afraid to share his opinion on the matter.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! I don't think the people in the back heard that. What'd he say?

HE SAID IT SUCKED!

That quote comes from TV Line, who asked David Lynch if there was an aspect of the original series that he was most proud of. While Lynch was pretty happy with the pilot (you might think it's lame for the first episode to be the favorite, but the Twin Peaks pilot is seriously good), he, maybe unnecessarily, added that the second season sucked! Season 2 is certainly not without its bright spots -- it has some weird/great episodes -- it is not nearly as solid as Season 1. Season 1 surely had the benefit of being much shorter, but there are a number of reasons why Season 2 didn't live up to the unbelievable hype following the Season 1 finale cliffhanger.

For the record, David Lynch didn't have that much to do with Season 2. He was involved in some of the earlier episodes but then had to drop off due to directing a movie (some say he also left because his motivation wasn't in it anymore), only coming back to direct the last episode. So, that at least partly contributes to the season's scattered focus.

As for another reason why Season 2 isn't so hot, you can mostly attribute it to the show wrapping up its central murder mystery about half way through. America was obsessed with finding out Laura Palmer's killer, and when they did, there wasn't enough there to keep them coming back. They tried to introduce a new killer into the mix with ties to Agent Cooper's backstory, but it failed to fill the void in a meaningful way. Plus, it has some filler storylines that weren't very satisfying at all (looking at you, James!).

With David Lynch involved with all 18 episodes of Twin Peaks' return, let's hope that the new event series will match the hype of Season 1 more than Season 2. Twin Peaks returns this weekend (!) on Sunday, May 21, at 9 p.m. EST on Showtime. For everything on the revival, here's what we know so far.

David Lynch was a filmmaking luminary that stretched the capabilities of the medium through his unconventional and uncompromising visuals and storytelling techniques. But while David Lynch is thankfully alive and well, the reason I am referring to him in the past tense is because the Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive director has revealed that he will never make another film again. David Lynch recently made this declaration, explaining that there's simply no room for him in the current cinematic landscape. In fact, David Lynch went so far as to remark,

After making the above revelation to the Sydney Morning Herald, David Lynch was then asked straight out if Inland Empire was his last ever feature film, to which he emphatically responded, "Yes it is." But while it is obviously very depressing to learn of David Lynch's cinematic retirement, it has actually been apparent for quite a while that he was probably never going to make another film ever again. First of all, David Lynch's last film, Inland Empire, was released all the way back in 2006. Before then he'd overseen Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Dune, Blue Velvet, Wild At Heart, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk Me With Me, Lost Highway, The Straight Story and Mulholland Drive between 1977 and 2001, which is quite a prolific rate considering how meticulous and detailed his films could be.

But those of you mourning the loss of David Lynch to the cinematic community can take solace in the fact that the legendary director is still hard at work on the small-screen. In fact, David Lynch most recently completed production on new episodes of Twin Peaks, a series which previously aired on ABC between 1990 and 1991 and will be heading to Showtime this time around. David Lynch has directed all eight episodes of the show, while he has also co-written each of them with Mark Frost, too.

David Lynch's decision to forget about the hassle of trying to get his films made within the confines of a Hollywood that's only interested in making blockbusters and sequels, and instead move to television is yet further proof of the growing influence and power of the small-screen. Many hugely talented big-screen directors have been lured over to television in recent years, and the likes of Danny Boyle, the Coen Brothers, and Martin Scorsese each currently have projects in development, all of which just underlines how difficult it is for even the world's best to currently get their films made.

Of course, most viewers would love to see the work of directors like David Lynch and the above up on the big-screen in all of their cinematic glory. But clearly television executives are providing them with a freedom that those in control of studios don't want or at least feel able to give up, which is why so many have migrated to cable and streaming platforms. While it's not ideal, at least we're still getting to see their visions, though. Something that you'll be able to do once Twin Peaks returns on May 21 on Showtime.

After 25 years, Twin Peaks is back! The cult classic show that stands above all other cult classics is returning for an 18-part revival on Showtime. We saw plenty of pictures of returning cast members recently, but still almost next to nothing is known about the anticipated come back. Legendary auteur David Lynch sure as hell isn't giving anything away, and even his actors don't fully understand what everyone is doing! Here's how Lynch directed his actors while keeping the art of the mystery alive.

Twin Peaks has never been your everyday show, frequently dabbling in demons, alternate dimensions, and really delicious pie. Due to the mystery nature of the show, spoilers are a pretty big no-no, and it makes so much sense that not even the actors of the revival were clued into the whole story. An illuminating Twin Peaks profile for GQ covered all things David Lynch and his upcoming revival, during which he shared this broken-story approach to informing his actors.

Newcomers to Twin Peaks like Jim Belushi, Michael Cera, Robert Forster, Sky Ferreira, and Naomi Watts were hand-delivered scripts with the pages blacked out, and they only found out where they were meant to be filming just before it happened. From there, Lynch would mostly direct with simple notes, only giving people what they need to be able to perform the scene. Belushi, for example, got extensive notes on how his character likes his coffee, while Watts was told to "go out there and ya grab 'em by the balls and ya just chew 'em out" during an action scene against big guys. As Lynch says, he gives them what they need.

The Twin Peaks revival will include 18 episodes, each one directed by David Lynch himself. The revival is said to have been conceived as one long movie, and will feature an absolutely massive cast of people. As far as returning cast members go, almost all of them are back including, Kyle MacLachlan (Agent Dale Cooper), Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne), Madchen Amick (Shelly Johnson), Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs), James Marshall (James Hurley), Peggy Lipton (Norma Jennings), Everett McGill (Ed Hurley), Wendy Robie (Nadine Hurley), and Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer). As for the plot, your guess is as good as ours.

Twin Peaks returns on May 21 on Showtime, with the premiere kicking off at . If you'd like to more about the show, here's What We Know So Far about the revival. To learn more about all the upcoming shows of the season, check out our midseason and summer premiere schedules!

With 2016 holding out for another couple of weeks, we still aren't living in a year that will give us a new season of Twin Peaks, though we've been used to that ever since it first got cancelled. 2017 will bring fervent audiences back to the mysterious and absurd small town, however, and co-creator David Lynch himself is at the center of a bonkers new teaser that is sure to work up your appetite. For the show's return, sure, but also for yummy fried dough.

Yes! That isn't just David Lynch sitting there, folks. (I mean, it is, but you know.) This is our first big look at a returning character in the part, as Lynch will indeed be reprising the role of Gordon Cole, who was the FBI's Regional Bureau Chief in the original series. In true Lynchian fashion, this is a mildly subversive re-introduction to the character; Gordon was most notable for having a hearing problem, which made him speak very loudly at all times, often with hilarious results. But here, he's got his mouth full of doughnut the entire time, so he isn't speaking. And he's not even chewing loudly. I guess we should be glad he's not sitting inside a Starbucks for the promo.

TV ads have changed immensely in the 25 years since Twin Peaks was first around, and it's good to see that David Lynch is keeping up with the Surreal Joneses in that respect. At this point, without a release date set in stone, fans are at the mercy of David Lynch and Showtime when it comes to seeing actual footage from the show. But I don't mind an endless stream of mini-teasers if they're going to be as left field as this.

I guess calling this a teaser is bordering on wrong, since it isn't really teasing anything. Unless the whole season is about Gordon's dessert time. I'm not against it.

That said, it would be nice to get some concrete facts about where the story is headed for the plethora of returning characters, as well as all of the new folks. (Seriously, this cast is massive.) We know it'll be something of a straightforward continuation - as much as Lynchian reality allows, anyway - and there are a lot of questions that need to be answered about where that Season 2 finale left things off for Dale Cooper and everyone else. But mostly Dale, because duh.

Twin Peaks, which was meant to feature a return cameo from David Bowie, will be back for its limited series run on Showtime in 2017, although finding a more specific date than that will be a tad more difficult. (Find out more about the new season, including that gigantic cast, right here.) If only Gordon would yell it to someone so we could overhear it. In any case, head to our midseason premiere schedule to see everything you'll be able to watch before Agent Dale Cooper returns to our lives.

One of the most beloved and influential TV series of the past 30 years, Twin Peaks was both a ratings hit and a future cult classic all at the same time, and co-creator David Lynch has rarely been more on point than he was during the show's run. (Well, "Half of the show's run," is what a lot of people say, but I'm a shameless apologist for the second half of Season 2.) In one of the wildest decisions ever made, Showtime got behind a limited revival of the surreal murder mystery, and what follows is everything we know about it. Put on a big pot of coffee or two and read on.

When Will The Twin Peaks Revival Air?

Currently, neither showtime nor David Lynch (nor any other mysterious entities) have revealed just when Twin Peaks will make its official return to our televisions, but it's coming in 2017. It should surprise no one that the very first answer on this feature is a mystery; It's been two years since the revival was first teased to be heading to Showtime, though the rumors go back further in the past. 2016 was the original release window for the limited-run series, but it took a little longer than expected for everything to start coming together. It began filming in September of 2015, which seems like enough time to having something ready to go in 2016, but it was announced at the beginning of the year that viewers would have to wait until "sometime in 2017" to see what people are up to in the quirky northwestern town.

What Have We Seen From The Twin Peaks Revival?

Considering production for the next season of Twin Peaks is currently in progress - at least, that's what I have to assume, since we haven't heard 400 back-and-forth stories about filming being interrupted and continuously delayed - there's no telling when audiences will get to experience a full-length trailer chock full of unsettling images and gloomy music. But even though it wasn't anything extensive, the show did put out a teaser when production started, and you can watch that below.

Not much to it, but it really doesn't take much when Angelo Badalamenti's theme is playing in the background. It's powerful enough to lull one into slumber, only to suddenly then fill the dreamscape with abstractions and absurdities. Will Twin Peaks still have the same population all this time later? We can't wait to find out.

What Will The Twin Peaks Revival Be About?

Only nine episodes were originally planned for the return of Twin Peaks, but after the dust from the budgetary problems had settled and agreements were made, it was announced that audiences will get a full 18 episodes from the upcoming season/iteration. Does that mean we won't get more later? Not at all, but let's not count our cherries before they're pied.

Even in this era of spoilers and leaks, David Lynch's cloak of mystery is as strong as ever, and nobody really knows what to expect from Twin Peaks as far as significant details are concerned. It was previously announced that the new season will be a full-on continuation of the original series, and will pick up 25 years after Season 2 came to a cliffhanger close with Agent Dale Cooper exiting the Black Lodge as his evil shadow self. The long-awaited book by co-creator and producer Mark Frost will finally come out this year, so perhaps that will clue fans in on what's been up with our favorite characters. Both the ones who speak normally and the ones who have it all backwards.

What Actors/Characters Will Return For The Twin Peaks Revival?

After 25 years, it wouldn't have been unexpected had David Lynch and Mark Foster been forced to desert the majority of the original series' characters, but this show and the follow-up film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me have remained a big part of the cast and crew's hearts, and many have talked about returning to this universe for years. In fact, far more actors are returning than you might imagine, and they're topped off by that most damn fine Kyle MacLachlan, who will reprise the iconic role of FBI Agent Dale Cooper, whose mind, body and soul are no doubt still intertwined with the town of Twin Peaks.

So who else can we expect to find? Well, first we'll start with Cooper's partners in crimesolving.

Everything should be pretty stocked up on the federal law enforcement side of things, assuming everyone is still tethered to their former occupations, which I realize isn't a rational assumption. David Duchovny's transgender FBI agent Denise Bryson will be back, as will the excellent Miguel Ferrer's rough around all the edges forensics expert Albert Rosenfield. And David Lynch's half-deaf Gordon Cole will also get involved. I SAID GORDON COLE WILL BE BACK!

As far as the local PD goes, a few familiar faces and pairs of handcuffs will be on hand to figure out whatever the hell is going wrong this time around. (I don't know that anyone ever really figured out BOB, but you know what I mean.) The courageous and genuine Andy Brennan will bring the "aw shucks" to Twin Peaks again, and he'll be joined in some capacity by his former-and-maybe-present lover Lucy Moran, played by Kimmy Robertson, and Michael Horse's Native American Deputy Tommy "Hawk" Hill (who probably isn't a deputy anymore).

Yes, the always fantastic Ray Wise will once again play Leland Palmer, the son of a bitch murderer that kept everyone guessing for so long. When we last saw him alive, he was being guided by the evil entity BOB and smashed his head into the door of his interrogation room, later dying after remembering his heinous sins. As well, we can expect to see Sheryl Lee reprising the role of Laura Palmer, and Grace Zabriskie as matriarch Sarah Palmer. How Leland and Laura will get used even though their characters have been dead for over two decades, I have no idea. But in David Lynch we trust...that there will be dream sequences. And Maddy Fergusons.

The Hayward family, meanwhile, will be represented by Warren Frost's Doctor William and Alicia Witt's youngest sister Gersten. Two of the three Briggs will be there in the form of Dana Ashbrook's rebellion-embracing Bobby and his mother Betty, played by Charlotte Stewart. Bobby's one-time lover Shelly Johnson, played by Mädchen Amick, will also be there, but her husband Leo (who banged Laura Palmer) won't. Cue whatever kind of music that inspires something more sexual than the theme.

Obviously there will be more Twin Peaks locals appearing beyond just those families. Sherilyn Fenn will return to the role of problem-causer Audrey Horne, and she'll be joined by her temper-torn mom Sylvia (Jan D'Arcy), her business-and-more-minded father Ben (Richard Beymer) and her uncle Jerry (David Patrick Kelly). Lots of Jennings and Hurleys will be around, including Double-R Diner owner Norma (Peggy Lipton), Big Ed's Gas Farm owner Big Ed (Everett McGill), the curtain-loving Nadine (Wendy Robie) and everyone's lover James (James Marshall). Other standouts to look out for are Harry Dean Stanton's trailer park owner Carl Rodd, Julee Cruise's Roadhouse Singer, Carel Struycken as The Giant, Walter Olkewicz's Canadian drug-runner Jacques Renault, Al Strobel's One-Armed Man Mike (formerly Phillip Gerard maybe), and Gary Hershberger's champion wrestler Mike Nelson.

Catherine E. Coulson, better known as the Log Lady, died in 2015, but it was later confirmed that she filmed scenes for the revival prior to her death; it's only assumed and deeply hoped for that they will make the final cut. Below you'll find a list of the rest of cast and characters from the Twin Peaks universe that will return.

Will others sign up in the future? We can only Hawk. Er, hope.

What Actors/Characters Won't Return For The Twin Peaks Revival?

Not all great things are perfect from end to end, and there are some big absences that will definitely hit hard when Twin Peaks returns. 25 years is a long time, and a lot of things can and did change in that span. Hopefully David Lynch and Mark Frost will find ways to reference the characters even if they're not around in live-action.

First, let's start with the saddest group, the actors who have passed away. As seen in picture above (and countless nightmares), BOB made a big impact on Twin Peaks, in large part thanks to actor Frank Silva's manic expressions, but someone else will have to put forth the evil, as Silva died in 1995. Other passings include Jane Greer (Vivian Smythe Niles), Tony Jay (Dougie Milford), John Boylan (Mayor Dwayne Milford), Frances Bay (Mrs. Tremond/Chalfont), Don S. Davis (Major Garland Briggs), Dan O'Herlihy (Andrew Packard) and the great Jack Nance as Pete Martell. David Bowie was set to reprise his role as Phillip Jeffries before his death ruined that beautiful possibility.

Second, let's go with the biggest and most frustrating omissions. There will apparently be no Donna Hayward at all, as Lara Flynn Boyle has remained steadfast in her decision not to return to this world, and Fire Walk with Me's Moira Kelly isn't a part of it at this point. The other mill folks are also pretty much out of the picture, too, with Joan Chen's Josie Packard noticeably absent (and possibly still trapped inside a drawer handle), along with Piper Laurie's Catherine Martell. Michael J. Anderson's Man from Another Place won't be messing with anyone's minds, Eric Da Re's Leo Johnson won't be being a dickhead with tarantula fears, Heather Graham's Annie Blackburn won't be winning Cooper's heart and Chris Mulkey's Hank Jennings won't be stinking up the place. Argh!

Unfortunately, Michael Ontkean retired from acting some years back, so he won't be reprising the role of Sheriff Harry S. Truman. However, esteemed actor Robert Forster signed on to take over the role. Not only is this a solid substitution, but it makes a certain amount of karmic sense, as Forster was originally picked by Lynch and Frost to take the role, though he had to turn it down due to other priorities.

What New Actors Are Joining The Twin Peaks Revival?

When a show comes back after years of being off the air, it's completely expected for new characters to be a part of the line-up. But usually it's no more than a half-dozen or so. Twin Peaks, on the other hand, has roughly the same number of additional cast members as there are leather jackets in James' closet. Okay, so there aren't THAT many, but there are well over 150, and they cover all manner of entertainment ground. Sadly, though, none of their roles have been disclosed at this point.

As seen above, Michael Cera will be part of the ensemble, forever showing his interest in picking diverse projects that usually involve weird comedy. And just as Cera used to be known for TV, there are other TV vets on the list, including Jim Belushi, Charlene Yi, Ethan Suplee, Jeremy Davies, Love Boat's Lauren Tewes and more.

Then we have a handful of actors that are familiar with being involved with David Lynch's magical productions. Laura Dern, who should have been a major part of Twin Peaks from the beginning, thankfully made the trip this time. Producer and co-creator Mark Frost will make an appearance, as will Naomi Watts and Scott Coffey, among others.

And then there are just the other random names that are on this cast list. Other funny people like David Koechner and Brett Gelman are there. Musicians like Trent Reznor and Eddie Vedder are involved. Plus MMA fighter Michael Bisping. And there are still a bazillion big names to go, like Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ernie Hudson, Ashley Judd, Balthazar Getty, Tim Roth, Robert Knepper and more. Below you'll find a full list of Twin Peaks' new arrivals.

That's one hell of a lot of people, and I bet all of them will be worth at least one big head-scratch when they're introduced. Such is the Twin Peaks way.

Where Can I Watch The First Two Seasons Of Twin Peaks?

There are thankfully lots of ways to watch everything that currently exists of Twin Peaks. Both seasons are currently available to stream on Netflix, on Hulu, on Amazon Prime, on CBS All Access and possibly others. As well, fans who haven't done so already would be wise to pick up the stocked Blu-ray set that came out a couple of years ago, as it has all kinds of supplemental material that streaming services can't gift us with. Take that, digital media! If you dare, you can try and borrow the DVDs or Blu-rays from the Black Lodge's library, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Keep checking back for more updates and stay connected to CinemaBlend through our Facebook and Twitter pages to stay up to date with not only Twin Peaks news, but all the latest that the entertainment world has to offer. For all the shows that you'll be able to watch while you wait for Twin Peaks to get here, check out our fall premiere schedule.

2016 is going to be a magical year for television, as Showtime will be bringing Twin Peaks back to audiences for another batch of new episodes. Unfortunately, one very familiar face in that universe will be missing, as Catherine E. Coulson, who played the beloved Log Lady, passed away on Monday, September 28. She was 71 years old.

Coulson’s death, which occurred on Monday morning, was confirmed by her agent Mary Dangerfield. It was the result of cancer, although the specific details have not been disclosed.

Director David Lynch, with whom Coulson had worked with on several different projects, expressed his grief in a statement, according to Variety

Coulson was born in Ashland, Oregon on October 22, 1943, and her rise to cult fame began in the 1970s when she met Lynch and, after appearing in his short film The Amputee, worked with him in a behind-the-scenes capacity on his nightmarish first film, the 1977 classic Eraserhead. From 1968 to 1976, she was married to Eraserhead actor Jack Nance, who went on to play Pete Martell in Twin Peaks. (She later married Marc Sirinsky, and the couple had a child, Zoey, in 1987.)

Because the enigmatic Lynch had a vision of Coulson holding a log at some point, he eventually decided to create the Log Lady character, whose real name is Margaret Lanterman, for Twin Peaks in 1990. She only appeared in a handful of Season 1 episodes, but showed up much more over the course of Season 2, later reprising the role for the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me in 1992. She was set to take on the role once more for the upcoming Twin Peaks revival series. Take a peek at her in action in segments filmed for the DVD sets in the video below.

Outside of Lynch’s world, Coulson worked on the crew of films such as The Toolbox Murders and Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, and was most recently seen onscreen in a Season 2 episode of Portlandia and in Gary Lundgren’s 2013 drama Redwood Highway. She complimented her work on TV and films with a lengthy career on the stage, taking part in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for many years.

We hear at CinemaBlend are sending our thoughts and condolences to Coulson’s family and friends in their time of mourning. Twin Peaks just won't be the same.

Well Twin Peaks fans, that was a close call. When reports circulated a while back that there was a dispute between David Lynch and Showtime, and the driving force behind the series had left the new episodes, we all got bummed. But today we can rejoice, as the maverick filmmaker has rejoined the fray, and we’re getting even more episodes than we originally thought.

Lynch took to Twitter to make the announcement just a little while ago, writing:

Co-creator Mark Frost sent out the exact same message at the exact same time, just in case anyone missed it:

While Lynch reportedly parted ways with Showtime over budget fights with the cable network, everyone was still hopeful any issues would ultimately be resolved. After all, it wouldn’t be Twin Peaks without Lynch’s signature strangeness involved. And now, after a bunch of nervous hand wringing and fretting on the part of fans, it has come to pass. We don’t know the specifics, but we don’t really care, as just having Lynch back on board is enough to fill us with hope, albeit a weird, foreboding, Twin Peaks style hope.

And not only is Lynch once again going to direct all of the episodes, which he wrote with Frost, there are going to even more than the originally announced nine. Showtime president David Nivens released a statement that said:

You have to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the schism between Lynch and the network had something to do with him wanting more time. That’s just speculation, but it’s something to chew on while your drinking your damn fine cup of coffee. New episodes of Twin Peaks hit Showtime in 2016.

The new episodes aren't a remake or reboot, but are direct descendents of the original run. Set in the present day, they pick up 25 years after the end of season two (2016 marks the 25 annivesary of the 1991 cancellation), with the community still reeling from Laura Palmer's shocking death, which kicked off the whole shebang. Kyle MacLachlan is coming back to reprise his role as Dale Cooper, apparenlty still searching for answers, and before we get to the new episodes, Frost wrote a tie-in book called The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks, which will shed some light on what the characters have been up to over the last quarter century. We can't wait.

If you come up with a thousand different ways to describe filmmaker David Lynch, you’re going to arrive at “intentionally cryptic” well before you get to “straightforward.” And so it goes with the highly anticipated return of Twin Peaks, which Lynch has suddenly become more hesitant to speak about with certainty. So is this a legitimate step backwards for the mystery revival or just Lynch not wanting to talk about Twin Peaks for once in his life?

Lynch recently made an appearance at the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, Australia to promote his predictably strange exhibit “Between Two Worlds,” and a Q&A panel of course turned to what is arguably the director’s most beloved project. (Or half-beloved, for those who like to crap on Twin Peaks’ second season.) And according to Welcome To Twin Peaks, he claimed that “there are complications” and that he’s “not sure” if it’s all definitely happening or not. Here’s how he put it to the Australian program “The Mix.”

That hardly sounds like the answer of a guy who is filled with major doubts and anxieties, although it’s rather strange that he even opened up about the show’s return in the first place, rather than just dodging the inquiries and focusing on his art. When Showtime announced that the show was coming back for at least one nine-episode season, both Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost were totally game to talk about continuing the story of this surreal town. Lynch himself spread the word that Kyle MacLachlan would be coming back as Special Agent Dale Cooper.

Luckily, not everyone is on the same side as Lynch on the issue, and an unnamed source (presumably from Showtime?) told EW that this is all fluff.

That sounds about right, and fits in with Lynch’s past mysteriousness. I mean, the guy hasn’t put a film out in nine years, so we’re probably all just rusty when it comes to handling his comments with the proper amount of wariness. That gum we like still hasn’t come back in style yet, and it needs to, dammit, along with David Duchovny’s DEA agent Denise.

Until we get more confirmations or more random denials, we’re just going to sit back and watch all of the existing Twin Peaks on Blu-ray. Perhaps backwards and with 3D glasses on, to see if that changes anything.

Hopefully you are sitting down with some coffee that’s black as midnight on a moonless night. You’ll need it to process the information we are about to share with you. Twin Peaks is officially returning back to television. New episodes of the drama are headed to Showtime in 2016. To celebrate the return of the cult favorite, Showtime released a brand new teaser for Twin Peaks 2.0, which should get you into an early 90s frame of mind.

The teaser gives us a glimpse at Laura Palmer, whose murder was the catalyst that kicked off Twin Peaks back in 1990. We also learn that Twin Peaks won’t be a reboot. Instead, we’ll be returning to the Washington town 25 years later. This morning, Showtime also announced that Twin Peaks will be a limited event series, and that David Lynch and Mark Frost are bringing the show back to the small screen together. Lynch is set to direct every episode of the event series, and Lynch and Frost will also write the episodes together.

Nine episodes will be produced for the limited engagement series, which doesn’t seem like a ton of episodes. Honestly, though, it’s probably a good thing, as we all know what happened to Twin Peaks when ABC gave the show a full 22-episode order during Season 2. In addition to the new episodes, Showtime has also landed the rights to air all 30 episodes of Twin Peaks that were produced in the early nineties. Those will air before the new event series hits the schedule. Today's announcement follows CBS’ (which also owns Showtime) Blu-ray release of Twin Peaks: The Full Mystery, which came out this summer. It also comes just after Frost and Lynch took to social media over the weekend to release a set of mysterious tweets alluding to more Twin Peaks.

After Lynch and Frost both mentioned, “that gum you like is going to come back in style,” I think many Twin Peaks fans expected some sort of announcement related to the series, but I, for one, certainly didn’t expect brand new episodes set 25 years later. Rumors related to new episodes of the series have popped up before and never panned out. That’s why Showtime’s official pick-up is such a huge deal for fans.

The year 2016 is quite some time away, still. It’s entirely possibly we could see two more seasons of Game of Thrones, for instance, before Twin Peaks becomes a reality, once more. We also don’t know if the new version of Twin Peaks will feature many of the same cast members. It’s definitely true that not everyone will be able to return to the series. Jack Nance, Don S. Davis and many other actors who were a part of the original series have passed away, and others have moved on to different projects. We don’t even know if Twin Peaks will remotely resemble the town we knew and were a bit frightened of in the nineties. There are a lot of details that still need to be fleshed out, but due to Frost and Lynch’s excellent coordination, it seems like there is already a plan in motion. We just have to wait patiently for that plan to pan out into new episodes of the series.

We’ll keep you posted as new details related to Showtime’s Twin Peaks project emerge.

Director David Lynch is known for being a cryptic genius, and he’s just figured out the best way to set the Internet on fire: post a tweet with quite possibly the most ominous quote from his cult mystery series Twin Peaks. What’s even more mysterious? His Twin Peaks co-creator/producer Mark Frost posted the exact same tweet at the exact same time. There are few coincidences in the world of David Lynch, and I can hardly assume that this is one. Take a look.

And here’s the identical tweet Mark Frost posted.

Spoiler alert for those of you who never watched the series all the way through. The quote “That gum you like is going to come back in style,” is the catalyst for solving the murder of Laura Palmer, as Agent Dale Cooper heard it in his dreams in the Red Room, which you can see below.

The quote's importance was known during the ninth episode of Twin Peaks’ Season 2, as Cooper was able to use it to identify the host of BOB’s dastardly spirit, which was Leland Palmer, Laura's father. As the series became even wackier and less ratings-friendly once Laura’s murder was solved, that makes this quote one of the most important in the series. So having Lynch and Frost both using it, along with “#damnfindcoffee,” almost necessarily means something big is coming to the town of Twin Peaks. It's been in the cards for a while now.

But what could it be? Ask your local log lady and let me know, would you?

While the broadening world of streaming has no doubt turned many away from hoarding Blu-rays and DVDs, I’m of the belief that physical media will never die, and it’s stellar sets like this that enforce my stance. Fans of David Lynch‘s cult mystery series Twin Peaks are finally getting their long-awaited day in the high-definition sun, as the massive Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery 10-disc Blu-ray set will fire walk into stores on July 29, and it is definitely the most definitive collection we’ll ever get our hands on. At least until Lynch, who personally oversaw this set’s creation, and co-creator Mark Frost finally agree to make a completely disparate third season.

Airing for two seasons on ABC from 1990-1991, Twin Peaks unleashed upon the world the strangest town in America, mostly through the death of teenager Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee); things did manage to get even weirder once that storyline was completed, but it wasn’t quite the same show. In any case, all 30 episodes are obviously included in full 1080p with 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.

But the real kicker here is the Blu-ray debut of Lynch’s 1992 prequel feature Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, which will be accompanied by almost 90 hi-def minutes of never-before-seen deleted and alternate scenes. Twin Peaks fans have been clamoring for those lost scenes ever since their existence became public knowledge. (The footage’s public release was petitioned, people!) And there are a BOB-load more exclusive features in this set as well. But first, take a (twin) peek at some of that deleted footage in the clip below.

While it doesn’t look like there will be a supercut of Fire Walk With Me incorporating the extra footage, you just know one will pop up online in the days following this release. Other film extras include the all-new retrospective “Moving Through Time: Fire Walk With Me Memories,” a new photo gallery, and archival interviews.

The series itself is the focus of a ton of new features as well, to go along with some of the stuff that appeared on previous releases, such as both the televised and longer international cuts of the pilot. “A Slice of Lynch: Uncut” is a conversation between the director, actor Kyle “Dale Cooper” MacLachlan and Madchen “Shelly Johnson” Amick, a feature called “Between Two Worlds,” and a ten-part extra called “Atmospherics” that focuses on the show’s most recognizable features, such as coffee, owls and pie. There are also brand new deleted scenes and outtakes. OUTTAKES! Hopefully we’ll get to see MacLachlan mess up and call it “Damn fern coffee.”

You can pre-order the set on Amazon here and soon relive one of the most original shows that TV has ever had to offer, even after all the attempts to copycat the Lynchian vibe. Remember Happy Town? Me either, mostly.

Now grab your favorite log and pore over a full rundown of the features that Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery is bringing to the table.

Trent Reznor may have gotten famous as the lead singer of Nine Inch Nails, but over the past few years, he’s worked on a whole lot of other music-related endeavors. He contributed songs to the side project How To Destroy Angels. He worked with Atticus Finch to create music for several David Fincher films, even winning an Academy Award for The Social Network. Over the past few months, however, the 48-year-old musician has been gearing up to return to his roots with NIN, and earlier this month, the first evidence of that rekindling effort was released. Entitled “Came Back Haunted”, the band’s first single in years dropped earlier this month, and fortunately for fans, it came with a music video for the brand new track, at least if they can deal with shaky horror camera angles.

The video is so shaky that Epilepsy Action has marked it as being a trigger for potential seizures in people suffering from Epilepsy. So, if you are a sufferer, you may want to think twice before watching the video. If you aren’t prone to medical problems, the video is certainly worth a watch. Directed by Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive mastermind David Lynch, the video takes fans through the world’s creepiest ballet dance and cartoonish lightning storms.

NIN features an ever-revolving group of stage musicians, along with Reznor on the creative end. Because of this, it’s fitting that Reznor also takes front and center during the video during some of “Came Back Haunted’s” shakiest moments. I can’t say that this is the coolest thing that Lynch has ever put together, but it's still pretty cool and creepy at the same time.

“Came Back Haunted” is the very first single off of Nine Inch Nails’ latest called Hesitation Marks. The album won’t drop until September 13, but until then fans can content themselves with catching the above video, as well as the NIN tour that’s already on the road and will continue during the summer and fall months. Additionally, you can pre-order the album over at iTunes.

It’s been a long time coming. Reznor seemed to be busy with other projects when, back in February, the man confirmed he had solidified a new Nine Inch Nails lineup and was working on music with Adrian Belew. Half a year later, a new album has been announced and fans have already gotten a taste of what they will get.

Take a look at other One Track Sunday videos, here.

Blue Velvet isn't just one of the classic movies of the 80s, one of the best movies David Lynch ever made and one of the most unsettling things you'll ever see, it's also a gorgeous movie, filmed in rich color that accentuates all the truly surreal stuff going on in that small town of Lumberton, North Carolina. So thank God that the movie is finally coming out on Blu-Ray this week, not just with all the beautiful cinematography in full high-definition, but a bunch of bonus features to take you behind the scenes of the production.

As a preview of what you can expect on the Blu-Ray, which hits shelves tomorrow, check out this exclusive clip from the bonus features, in which Isabella Rossellini and the late Dennis Hopper discuss their experience shooting the film's rape scene. Turns out, it might have been as unsettling for them as it is for us to watch.

Isabella Rossellini is always a wonderfully frank interview, but it really is something to hear her talking about Dennis Hopper looking directly into her vagina and then laughing it off. I hope what comes right after this clip is David Lynch explaining, in his flat Midwestern accent, why this was absolutely the only way to shoot the scene, or that poor Kyle MacLachlan was somehow similarly put through the wringer. Hopefully there's much more where this came from, in addition to some new exclusive to Blu-Ray features, which include over 50 minutes of previously lost scenes and outtakes from other scenes. Even without any bonus features, though, Blue Velvet is obviously a must-own on Blu-Ray. Pick up your copy tomorrow.

If there was one catalogue blurb that grabbed attention at this year's Festival it was a collaboration between America and Europe's two most unique film-makers. The prospect of a film produced by David Lynch and written and directed by Werner Herzog should be enough to spark some kind of interest in any film fan, be it for or against the idea. As an end result, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done is, perhaps predictably, a bizarre, sometimes intriguing and often impenetrable exercise, possibly designed to counter suggestions that, after Rescue Dawn and Bad Lieutenant Herzog had “gone mainstream”. On this evidence he hasn't, but you have to wonder if maybe he should.

On paper it all sounds so simple: a couple of detectives are called to a murder scene where the killer, Brad McCullum, has holed himself up in a neighbouring house, claiming to have hostages. One of the detectives interviews friends and family of the man to try and understand why he has seemingly snapped. In flashback we are gradually shown, what appears to be, his gradual mental breakdown. It's also based on a true story. But in the hands of Herzog, we are given a surreal, odd and downright testing interpretation of events.

The opening scenes show promise, with the ever watchable and criminally underused Willem Dafoe as the detective trying to piece together what happened. It’s when we start to move in to flashback that things take a turn for the weird and we end up batting around in Herzog's cheese-dream oddness instead. Michael Shannon brings a wild-eyed intensity to McCullum matched by Lynch regular Grace Zabriskie as his smothering mother. The rest of the cast make less of an impression but ably support the main players, even as you find it hard to believe them happily accepting McCullum's increasingly erratic and violent behaviour.

Herzog has clearly aimed to try and make his own “David Lynch” movie here. All the prerequisites are present; oddball characters, mannered acting, unconventional shots and omnipresent minimalist scoring. The result is just as confusing and off-the-wall as any typical Lynch movie you may have seen, only without the American's dark & disturbing streak that he brings to his own more surreal works. The problem, ironically, is also the same as many of Lynch's own projects. It's clear the director knows what he wants and understands why he's doing, but these men's brains seem to work at such unique wavelengths, it becomes hard for the average viewer to engage with such deliberately obtuse material.

This is the kind of movie many hyperbole-rich self-styled “cineastes” will no doubt hail as some sort of triumph. But you have to wonder whether they truly mean it and understand the material in front of them or are just trying to maintain their “art-house” credibility.

For more coverage from the Edinburgh International Film Festival click here.

Welcome back to FlixWorthy, your weekly guide to Netflix streaming. Sorry we skipped a week, but yours truly was off gallivanting around Austin to help Josh cover SXSW. We're back one again, bringing you a handful of new or notable selections from Netflix's streaming catalogue. Some will be classics, some will be little-seen gems, some will be shows you might have missed, and some...some will be crap so awful they simply have to be seen to be believed. Here's what's FlixWorthy this week, kids.

Angels & Demons

(2009, Rated PG-13, 146 min.)

I've managed to avoid all things Dan Brown, whether on the page or on the screen. Sure, when The Da Vinci Code came out, I was curious -- mainly about what the hell was going on with Tom Hanks' hair. But not curious enough to sit through a film nearly everyone I know who saw it described as tedious and plodding. If the reviews are to be believed, Angels & Demons is better than its predecessor, if only slightly. It's actually based on an earlier Brown book than Da Vinci Code, but it yet again pits Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon against arcane mysteries involving the Catholic church. This time around, he's called in to figure out who's snuffing cardinals. He soon uncovers a plot by those pesky Illuminati, who aim to wipe Vatican City off the map. It certainly didn't lack for box office, but if you're one of the few who didn't see it and you'd still like to, this is the way to go.

Double-Feature It With...

The Interpreter

(2005, Rated PG-13, 129 min.)

I'm all about thrillers starring unlikely action heroes. Why should the cops who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time have all the fun? Let's pair Hanks' Harvard symbologist with Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman), a U.N. interpreter who, you guessed it, finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and hears something she shouldn't. She's put under the care of a Secret Service agent (Sean Penn) tasked with preventing the assassination plot she unwittingly overheard. Kidman certainly has better hair than Hanks, and let's face it: director Sydney Pollack > director Ron Howard any way you slice it.

Raising Arizona

(1987, Rated PG-13, 94 min.)

I'm still recovering from the aggressive oddity of Nic Cage's performance as Big Daddy in Kick-Ass. Maybe it shouldn't have caught me by surprise, though: Cage's best moments have always been when he was playing weird, and there's weird to spare in this classic early Coen Bros. outing. While getting his mugshot taken, small-time crook Herbert "Hi" McDunnough falls for policewoman Ed (Holly Hunter), and the two eventually hook up once Hi is released from prison. After learning that Ed is infertile, they conjure up an ill-conceived plan to kidnap the infant son of local furniture kingpin Nathan Arizona. That simple plan becomes a lot less simple once two of Hi's criminal buddies (John Goodman and William Forsythe) enter the picture, and soon things have exploded into a complicated snarl of stolen diapers, bank robberies, and big bounty hunters named Smalls (Randall "Tex" Cobb). Raising Arizona is one the Coen Bros.' funniest movies, chockablock with dialogue my friends and I still quote to this day: "Son, you got a panty on your head."

Double-Feature It With...

The Big Lebowski

(1987, Rated PG, 107 min., HD)

Speaking of quotable, does it get any more quotable than The Big Lebowski? I contend that it does not. The Coens combine crime, humor, and idiots like nobody else, and pairing Lebowski with Raising Arizona? It'll really bring the room together.

Dune

(1984, Rated PG-13, 136 min.)

Dune. Arakis. Desert planet. David Lynch's big-screen version of Frank Herbert's science fiction classic may not be the most faithful, but it has earned a cult following over the years. Is it actually a good movie? I'd have to lean toward "no," but it is visually stunning and has its share of memorable moments. It's been years since I've actually seen the film, but I'm surprised how many elements from the movie have stuck with me. That portentous opening narration. The first appearance of the gargantuan sand worms. The Guild Navigator in its cage of spice gas. Those kick-ass Weirding Modules. And, of course, an oiled up Sting strutting about in what my friend Jason described as an "art deco codpiece." The Sci-Fi Channel's 2000 miniseries version may have been more faithful, but it didn't make nearly the lasting impression on pop culture that Lynch's version did. With another big-screen attempt at cracking Herbert's brick of a book due sometime in the next few years, this is a perfect time to revisit Arakis. After all, a beginning is a very delicate time.

Double-Feature It With:

Inland Empire

(2006, Rated R, 172 min.)

Why not pair some early Lynch with something more recent? Inland is Lynch playing in his own sandbox rather than Frank Herbert's (worms and all), so expect more surreality and head-fuckery. Laura Dern plays a married actress having an affair with a co-star (Justin Theroux). This is Lynch, though, so it gets weirder. Soon the line between the fiction of the movie they're shooting and the reality they're supposedly living begins to blur. Your enjoyment of the film will probably depend largely on whether Lynch's earlier films, such as Lost Highway or Mulholland Drive, blew your mind or just pissed you off.

Pee Wee's Big Adventure

(1985, Rated PG, 90 min., HD)

I'll be honest, I don't remember much about Pee Wee's Big Adventure. But what I do remember is this. If you look in my therapist's files, you'll find plenty of references to Large Marge, mixed in with phrases like "recurrent night terrors" and "continuing trauma." Along with the boat ride from Willy Wonka, the Wheelers from Return to Oz, and the lady getting turned into a robot in Superman III, Pee Wee's encounter with Marge ranks amongst the most pants-wetting of my cinematic childhood memories. If you're too young to know what any of that means, just trust me: you're missing out by growing up in a sanitized environment sorely lacking in family films designed to ensure that you don't sleep for weeks thereafter. CGI ain't got nothing on Large Marge. Queue it up and watch hyperactive man-child Pee Wee (Paul Reubens, back before that unfortunate episode of public onanism) set out on a cross-country adventure to find his beloved stolen bicycle.

Double-Feature It With:

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

(1971, Rated G, 100 min., HD)

All due respect to Johnny Depp, but the Wonka mold was officially broken with Gene Wilder's performance. Wilder's Wonka is genuinely disturbing, playfully condescending one minute and bordering on homicidal insanity the next. Never is that better exemplified than during the ferry ride, a glorious and mind-altering scene that would never, ever, ever make it to screen these days. I mean, seriously, would you leave your children with this man?

The Stoning of Soraya M.

(2008, Rated R, 116 min., HD)

I haven't seen The Stoning of Soraya M. yet, but after reading Nick Venable rave about it, I might just have to. Based on real events chronicled in a book by journalist Freidoune Sahebjam, Stoning follows a reporter who becomes stranded in an Iranian village and is approached by a local woman with a horrific story to tell. Her niece, Soraya (Mozhan Marno), was stoned to death by the townsfolk after being falsely accused of adultery by her husband, who wanted a divorce so he could take a new 14-year-old wife. Clearly a contender for the feel-good movie of the decade. Pair it with Leaving Las Vegas and you'll likely conclude the evening with a shotgun in your mouth.

Double-Feature It With:

The Shawshank Redemption

(1994, Rated R, 142 min.)

Don't even watch the whole movie. Just skip to the ending. If you make it through Stoning's bleak subject matter, you'll need two things: a hug and exposure to arguably the most uplifting movie finale in history.

To read the FlixWorthy archives, click here!

Who turns down an offer to direct a Star Wars movie straight from George Lucas himself? David Lynch does. The man responsible for films like The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks and Eraserhead not only decided to take a pass on directing Return of the Jedi, he adamantly refused.

Lynch tells of when Lucas approached him with the offer, which Lynch had “next door to zero interest” in doing. Still, Lynch met with Lucas. Meeting with Lucas isn’t as simple as picking up the phone and choosing a place to chat. He had to go to a building where he was given a special credit card, key and map. He was flown to the location after which Lynch admits he started to develop a headache. Then, Lucas introduced Lynch to the Wookiees and Lynch jokes, “Now, this headache is getting, you know, getting stronger.” When Lynch declined Lucas’ offer, he suggested that Lucas himself direct the film to which Lucas explained he doesn’t love directing.

The piece on Return of the Jedi is only a small portion of the interview posted on FORA.tv. You can check out the entire thing below or, if you’d rather just skip to the Star Wars section, go to the 7:18 mark.

A few years ago I went to see David Lynch give a speech at a nearby college. I knew he was there to talk about transcendental meditation, the practice that has pretty much consumed his work in the last decade and has kept us from getting another masterpiece after Mulholland Drive (sorry, Inland Empire). We were all hoping that he'd manage to slip in some discussion of the Log Lady or snakeskin jackets during the speech, but Lynch was pretty determined to stick to the meditation status quo. Disappointed doesn't really begin to describe it.

I feel exactly the same way reading Vulture's interview with Lynch, in which he says his next film will be a documentary about Maharishi Mahesh yogi, which he says straight up "won't be a so-called David Lynch film." Then again, he promises "It’ll hold a lot of abstractions," which sounds about as David Lynch as it gets.

I've really enjoyed following David Lynch on Twitter-- every time he asks us followers what we did with our weekends, I feel like he really cares-- and anxiously await the return of his daily weather reports. But while I love the man for doing exactly what he wants to do, when he wants to do it, I want him to do something for me too-- make another movie that, good or bad, is probably gonna blow my mind. It seems we're all going to have to wait a bit longer for that to happen, unless you find meditation particularly mind-blowing.

We told you back in July about a rumored new Twin Peaks box set. Now it’s almost here and it looks to be quite amazing as Twin Peaks goes Gold.

The Twin Peaks Definitive Gold Box Edition hits stores on October 30th and features all 29 episodes remastered and restored, as well as an alternate pilot episode, “Greetings from Twin Peaks” postcards, interviews with the cast, crew, and creator, and more.

Most exciting for fans of the show is a selection of never-before-seen deleted scenes, offering additional information on characters and the storyline. Like all things Twin Peaks, the inclusion of this deleted material was approved by David Lynch. There’s also segments from star Kyle MacLachlin’s Saturday Night Live appearance, spoofing the series, music videos, photo galleries, and original promotional spots. Wow, that’s a lot.

Personally, I never got into Twin Peaks and its erratic release on DVD kept me disinterested from seeing what all the fuss was about. Now that I can get it all in one place, I very well might pick this up and make my first trip to Twin Peaks.