| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| TarTar |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 08:39:41
I finally watched the David Lynch movie Wild At Heart. As I sat there watching the film unfold, I found it repulsive and unredeeming. I couldn't figure out why any of the actors would have wanted to appear in the film after looking at the script (with the exception of Cage since he's a douchebag of an actor, except for Adaptation and Raising Arizona).
Even more puzzling was why Lynch would want to make the film. I've never seen him create such a vulgar, visceral and vacuous world. Sure, all three of those v's have played roles in his films before, but they usually played off each other in a way that would make none of them stand out so much. All three are at the forefront here, especially vacuous, since it all seems to mean nothing but not in a cool, mysterious way but more just an annoying, offensive way.
Spoilers
Then, way into the film, Willem Dafoe's head gets blown off in a cartoonish manner. Moments later, we see two men who took shotgun blasts in the chest at close range crawling around on the floor looking for a hand one of them lost, talking about how it could be reattached and be good as new. Then we see a dog running off with it? What the fuck? Suddenly it dawned on me that this was a satire of the anti-hero couple on the run (Bonnie and Clyde, Badlands), and all the excess sex, profanity, and blood had some camp value intended. Still... it wasn't obvious enough for me. It wasn't like it was an early Peter Jackson film. It's Lynch. I expect more.
I wasn't surprised by the overly happy ending. I know how Lynch likes to often leave the audience feeling good in the end. The ending had that fairy tale quality to it. I actually thought it was pretty funnny, how those thugs knocked Cage down and he then had a vision of the Good Witch. Then he came to and apologize to the thugs for callng them homosexuals and went running back to Laura Dern and ran atop cars in the traffic to get to her and then sang her love me tender. It was the most campy AND sincere part of the film. I dunno. Hard to say what I think. Now that I'm writing about it, it seems important. But it was just so hard to watch at times. Willem Dafoe was great though his character was so rotten. A lot of good performances. Jeez...
Inna zany combination of Wayne's Pet Youngin'! |
| 23 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| vilainde |
Posted - 10/20/2012 : 00:50:52
26 posts about Wild At Heart and not a single mention of Harry Dean Stanton. sigh...
I love WAH. Last time I saw it was on a plane, and I kept wondering 1) why would the company (Air France) offer such a violent movie in its selection, and 2) what would the passengers behind me think when they'd see my screen. I had an aisle seat so I guess 4-5 people could see Laura Dern naked and Dafoe's head being blown off.
Denis
Obsidiana Bijoux |
| trobrianders |
Posted - 10/19/2012 : 23:42:01
Was Herzog On Herzog published after Bad Lieutenant? Probably before, right? Pity. Herzog talking about Cage would make for great reading. Herzog must have heard Cage talk some loony shit. He must have felt like he was looking at something under a microscope. Cage was good in it though.
_______________
Ed is the hoo hoo |
| danjersey |
Posted - 10/19/2012 : 18:14:17
Uh Oh"
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| shineoftheever |
Posted - 10/19/2012 : 16:47:43
quote:
Originally posted by Daisy Girl
wild at heart is a cool movie.. and like other lynch flicks it was very groundbreaking. nicholas cage is a great actor... even that stupid film where he played a guy that was an investment broker that he woke up one day and his whole life was changed-- married, kids, working at a car reparir or used car shop, he did a great job acting.
Family Man - i liked that one too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PJddmfesaA&feature=watch_response_rev
Wild at Heart was great. Willem Defoe is always great. Nicolas and Willem together can't be anything but great, even in a Lynch film...
The waxworks were an immensely eloquent dissertation on the wonderful ordinariness of mankind. |
| peter radiator |
Posted - 10/22/2004 : 10:04:37
quote:
Originally posted by TarTar
I gave him props for Adaptation in my first post. It doesn't negate all the awful, overacted performances he's given.
PUT... THE BUNNY... DOWN.
~ Peter Radiator
"Real music is out there and real people are making it." ~ Webb Wilder |
| Daisy Girl |
Posted - 10/22/2004 : 07:34:38
wild at heart is a cool movie.. and like other lynch flicks it was very groundbreaking. nicholas cage is a great actor... even that stupid film where he played a guy that was an investment broker that he woke up one day and his whole life was changed-- married, kids, working at a car reparir or used car shop, he did a great job acting. |
| floop |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 22:35:14
i bet most actors would kill to be in a David Lynch film
ist es möglich für ein quesadilla skrotum zu lecken? beim sprechen der quesadillas von LBF, ja. ja in der tatheheheheheheehehee! |
| broken part |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 22:18:11
For all Lynch movies (except Mulholloand Drive) I read the script before watching it. With WAH I haven't got to ordering the DVD yet. But at least from this perspective I could say that I don't find it so impossible to understand why actors signed up to it - it read essentially like a love story. The vulgar bits didn't stand out so much on paper. I guess I'll have to watch it to get uncomfortable and that's what I want from a Lynch movie. |
| Jason |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 19:28:12
quote:
Originally posted by darragh
Does anyone know what music that is playing in the scene with Rosselini coming out of her little shack-thing in the desert?
I haven't seen the movie in a long time, but I do have the soundtrack album. That music might be an original Angelo Badalamenti piece. There's a very cool track called "Perdita" on it that might be what you're thinking of. All of the soundtrack albums for David Lynch movies are great, with the exception of LOST HIGHWAY (Nine Inch Nails, Manson, Pumpkins). |
| Newo |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 13:18:21
Haven´t seen Adaptation yet, but am willing to concede he´s improved since 1987.
--
Jódete, tío,
Que se joda tu hermana,
Que se joda tu hermano,
Que se joda tu madre,
Que se joda tu tía,
¡Porque soy policia!
Que se jodas, currante,
Que se joda tu perro,
Que se joda tu hijo,
Que se joda tu amante,
No me pidas razónes,
Soy el Hombre ¡cojones! |
| floop |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 11:53:15
i love RAISING CANE. underrated DePalma film.
i guess he's doing a movie about the black dahlia murder next. seems up his alley
ist es möglich für ein quesadilla skrotum zu lecken? beim sprechen der quesadillas von LBF, ja. ja in der tatheheheheheheehehee! |
| TarTar |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 11:50:11
Yeah, like Raising Cain or something. Really, the twin brother IS an alter-ego, though in the movie he is supposed to be real. But the twin brother represents the side of Charlie Kaufman that just wants to write the Hollywood script that the masses want, that is guaranteed a hit, and the twin brother also represents what he wants to be, someone who can talk to people, get women, etc.
Inna zany combination of Wayne's Pet Youngin'! |
| Chris Knight |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 11:45:33
It's been a while since I've seen Wild At Heart. Guess my general impression was, 'yeah, pretty good, though not a masterpiece like Blue Velvet.' I kinda liked the slight parallel between the endings of WAH and Fire Walk With Me - Sheryl Lee playing an angel in the former and encountering one in the latter.
Coincidentally, I saw Adaptation for the first time last night. Was mighty impressed by Nick Cage's dual performance - for a good portion of the movie I was half-convinced that the more self-assured twin was an alter-ego/split-personality. |
| darragh |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 10:26:06
I saw WAH recently and I though it was hilarious, especially the scene where the head gets shot off with the tights still on it.
I have NO IDEA what most of the film means/represents. "buffalo hunting? What the FUCK does that mean?"
Does anyone know what music that is playing in the scene with Rosselini coming out of her little shack-thing in the desert? |
| TarTar |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 10:21:38
I gave him props for Adaptation in my first post. It doesn't negate all the awful, overacted performances he's given. The overacting worked for the character in Raising Arizona, and I think it worked for certain parts of Wild At Heart... maybe. I still need to think about it. Then, in Adaptation, he finally gave a very balanced performance. It was amazing. People say to me they think it would have been better if someone else had been in it, but I think he was great in that role. I'm glad it was Cage, I can't imagine the movie with anyone else in that role(s).
Inna zany combination of Wayne's Pet Youngin'! |
| TarTar |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 10:18:36
I don't think it helped that it was Cage performing the violence. It just seemed ridiculously stupid yet so brutal and sudden that it really made it difficult for me to get into the film. I'm getting into it more now that I'm talking and thinking about it than I was while I was watching it.
Inna zany combination of Wayne's Pet Youngin'! |
| floop |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 10:17:17
i think all Cage bashing goes out the window after ADAPTATION. that guy should have won an award for that
ist es möglich für ein quesadilla skrotum zu lecken? beim sprechen der quesadillas von LBF, ja. ja in der tatheheheheheheehehee! |
| TarTar |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 10:14:56
Well, weird and uncomfortable by Lynch standards.
Inna zany combination of Wayne's Pet Youngin'! |
| Newo |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 10:14:49
I saw it when I was about 15 and remember liking it, though given the age a lot of gruesome films might´ve appealed to me. I agree with Cage not being up to much, read an interview with him after he made Raising Arizona (Coen Bros treat their scripts like theatre pieces, improv not encouraged) and he said They´re new to filmmaking, they´ll learn not to disrupt an actors´ flow. Ha!
--
Jódete, tío,
Que se joda tu hermana,
Que se joda tu hermano,
Que se joda tu madre,
Que se joda tu tía,
¡Porque soy policia!
Que se jodas, currante,
Que se joda tu perro,
Que se joda tu hijo,
Que se joda tu amante,
No me pidas razónes,
Soy el Hombre ¡cojones! |
| floop |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 10:14:15
quote:
Originally posted by TarTar
It sets a weird, uncomfortable tone for the movie.
weird and uncomfortable are what i expect and hope to see form a David Lynch film.
ist es möglich für ein quesadilla skrotum zu lecken? beim sprechen der quesadillas von LBF, ja. ja in der tatheheheheheheehehee! |
| TarTar |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 10:11:57
Yeah. It's starting to sink in just how funny the movie was. I would say the second half is much funnier than the first half. That opening scene where Cage kills that guy with his bare hands with the metal music playing is just so jarring since it's 30 seconds into the movie and we don't know the characters at all yet. It sets a weird, uncomfortable tone for the movie.
Isabella Rossalini or however it's spelled, her character is named Perdita Durango. There is a movie called Perdita Durango (aka Dance With the Devil) starring Rosie Perez. I got a kick out of it when I saw it. It also has Aimee Graham, Heather Graham's younger sister. Actually, it's rather similar to Wild At Heart. Dark humor, lots of sex and violence. Hell, both movies were based off books written by the same guy.
Inna zany combination of Wayne's Pet Youngin'! |
| floop |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 10:03:17
i think it's his funniest film.
"it's a snakeskin jacket. to me symbolizes my individuality and belief in personal freedom"
ist es möglich für ein quesadilla skrotum zu lecken? beim sprechen der quesadillas von LBF, ja. ja in der tatheheheheheheehehee! |
| darwin |
Posted - 10/21/2004 : 09:10:54
Birdy is another good Nicholas Cage movie (and Valley Girl in 80s teenager kind of way). Also Red Rocks I think was called was pretty good. I haven't seen Leaving Las Vegas.
It's been so long since I saw Wild at Heart that I can't add anything substantial. I do remember being grossed out in parts and enjoying Nicholas Cage. |
