Conference bookie::movies

  "Twin Peaks, Fire Walk with Me" is a prequil to David Lynch's TV series which
tells the story of the death of Tressia Banks and Laura Palmer and ties up a
lot of loose ends (not to mention it's heroin) that were not covered on TV. I
really liked this movie a lot, but then I watched the entire series, followed
the Twin Peaks notes file and digested and rehashed the clues over and over
when the series was being run. 

  I feel that they did a really good job explaining just what happened in the
TV program and why, but you really had to be up on the most subtle details of
the TV show and you had to have read "Laura Palmer's Diary" to fully understand
what was going on. Unlike someone else who mentioned in another note that the
ending made no sense, I found myself not only understanding what was going on
but anticipating what was going to happen based on clues I'd seen on TV.

  Also, David Lynch throws a lot of tongue in cheek into his movies, most of
which has nothing to do with the story. If you've seen enough of his work you
can see the campy stuff coming and laugh along then pick up the real story when
it resumes, but people who don't know Lynch seem to roll their eyes around a
lot and get grossed out and disgusted by those parts then have a difficult time
finding their way back into the story. It's not so much a matter of being smart
enough to understand, it's more a matter of knowing all of Lynch's inside
jokes. 

  The story of Twin Peaks is basically a story of good v. evil told from an
eastern point of view where good and evil contend with each other but also can
not exist with out each other any more than the outside of a door can exist
without the inside of a door. 

  Metaphorically good and evil in Twin Peaks are represented by the "White
Lodge" and the "Black Lodge", both of which are inhabited by beings that seem
surrealistic to the viewer. These "lodges" represent gateways into a spiritual
world and for anyone to enter the "White Lodge" they must face the challenges
of the "Black Lodge" overcoming or somehow dealing with it's evil. By
inhabiting people in the real world, spirits from either lodge can touch the
lives of normal people and live off of their joy or sorrow depending on their
orientation. 

  The main focus of the story is how one of these spirits named BOB who
inhabits a man named Leland Palmer, tries to take control of Leland's daughter
Laura Palmer. It is also the story of how Laura faces the invasion from BOB and
deals with the sacrifices she must make to pass the test of the Black Lodge. In
doing so she passes through both lodges and finds that both good and evil are
aspects of her life and in the process she creates the role of "The Prom Queen
from Hell". 

  It is also the story of FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper who faces the same
challenges from the lodges as he investigates the murder of Laura Palmer while
trying to reconcile good and evil into one unified entity. 

  Along the way we greet a menagerie of realistic and surrealistic characters,
some who's purpose is to present clues to the murder, some who's purpose is to
bring the lodges to life and some who are there just for Lynch's campy artistic
expression. 

  No doubt Twin Peaks is an acquired taste and the movie can certainly be
criticized for requiring so much outside knowledge and not standing on it's
own. Also, at times Lynch gets a little sloppy and characters seem to walk
through parts that should have more zing but at other times his images are very
vivid. 

  To say this movie is not for everyone is probably an understatement, but for
those of us who are die hard fans, it was a chance to once again enter a world
where we lived for almost half a year.

  George 

    I too watched all of Twin Peaks when it was on tv, but i found
    Lynch's descent into violence and mysticism, at the expense of
    plot and characterization, too much at times.  He lost his
    dark humor somewhere along the way (it's missing from "Fire Walk
    With Me" as well).
    
    Still, I wanted to see "Fire Walk With Me" with the hope that
    it would remind me why I enjoyed the series.  It did provide
    some explanation and motivation, so in that sense it was
    satisfying, but it continued (and increased) the violence and mystical
    surrealism that put off so many of the fans of the series.
    I would recommend to any fan of Twin Peaks that they see this
    film, but don't see it alone, it's very disturbing.  
    
    Richard
    
    P.S. Good analysis, George (.1)

    
    I saw this movie when it came out and it pretty much bored me.  I lived
    the Twin Peaks series too, but became more disinterested in it with time. 
    It seemed like David Lynch was jerking us for a couple more shows rather
    than just finish up his story.  Certainly he was fishing for some new
    stories to tell, but it wasn't working.  For me, I like some distractions 
    from the main story, but too many and I become disinterested.  
    
    This movie pretty much stayed on course for telling the story behind
    the few days before LP got it, but I felt it was burdened with the task 
    of sewing up details from another story rather than telling it's own from 
    scratch.  Yeah I know, that's the point of the movie.  Still, David Lynch 
    has surprised and delighted before (Blue Velvet & the original Twin Peaks).
    You just never know what to expect from him.  But this time you pretty 
    much get what you expect.  I would have loved to see him go in a different 
    direction than Twin Peaks.  If none of the open questions were answered, 
    fine with me.  It looked like he was going to do it, opening with the 
    other agent (Chris Isaak, I think) driving around and not too connected 
    to the expected plotline, but then FLASH and he was gone and we got down 
    to the business at hand, answering all those questions.  OOOHHH, HO HUM!!!  
    
    I'm not investing anything more in Twin Peaks.  It was a brilliant piece 
    of work and I'm glad I lived it when it happened, but there is too much 
    milking going on here.  I'd like to see David Lynch return to TV with a 
    new mini series that has 5 or 6 installments to tell a story and that's 
    it.  If not, he should make more movies (but no prequels, no sequels).  
    
    John

    "I ... am ... the ... arm!"
    

    Speaking of David Lynch and tv, what was the name of the short-lived
    sitcom he produced last fall, it was set in the 50's in a tv
    studio?  I only saw a couple episodes, but it had potential
    (the second half of the premier episode was riotous, even if
    it owed a lot to "My Favorite Year").
    
    Richard

>    sitcom he produced last fall, it was set in the 50's in a tv
    
    "On the air".  I saw the first ep.

    re -.1
    
    Thanks.
    
    Richard

    
    
    The 2nd half of 'On The Air' was brilliant!!  I was on the FLOOR!!!!
    The sight defect that that sound effects man had... I had to lie down
    after that one.
    
    Cooper possessed by BOB!!!  What was gonna happen?!?  I wanna know!
    WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!
    
    Basil.