Wild at Heart (Special Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Wild at Heart (Special Edition)
Movie Review: Far from Lynch's best, but very enjoyable
Summary: 4 Stars
Shortly after beginning work on the TV show "Twin Peaks", David Lynch made "Wild at Heart", an adaptation of Barry Gifford's novel. Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern play Sailor and Lula, two lovers who are driving cross-country to escape from Lula's mother, Marietta (played by Diane Ladd, Dern's real-life mother). Marietta goes insane at the thought of any boys going near her daughter, but Sailor Ripley especially, because she suspects that he saw her murder her husband years ago.
Marietta has half the country out looking for Sailor and Lula, including the murderer duo of Reggie (Calvin Lockhart) and Juana (Grace Zabriskie); the bizarre hit-man Bobby Peru (Willem Dafoe), and his partner, the beautiful Perdita Durango (Isabella Rossellini); and Marietta's ex-lover, the murderous Santos (J.E. Freeman). The only sane person searching for the lovers is Johnnie Farragut (Harry Dean Stanton), a level-headed man completely dedicated to Marietta.
David Lynch is famous for his weird movies, which are often incomprehensible during the first viewing. "Wild at Heart" is considerably less weird than Lynch's other movies, but that doesn't mean it isn't weirder than most movies. It also happens to be funny in many scenes. Of course, it can also be disturbing; there are many scenes of violence.
The cast is great. Cage is very funny with his Elvis-style accent. Dafoe is great. Harry Dean Stanton is very fine and quite likable as Johnnie Farragut. Diane Ladd is wonderful as Lula's mother.
Interestingly, there are numerous references to "The Wizard of Oz" in here; what made Lynch think of Oz is anyone's guess. "Twin Peaks" fans will notice many cast members from the show, including Zabriskie, Sherilyn Fenn, and Sheryl Lee.
The film features a very good soundtrack, a combination of country, Angelo Badalamenti's easygoing score and the occasional heavy metal.
All in all, I think "Wild at Heart" is an underrated movie that, while far from Lynch's best, is very enjoyable. It is well-filmed and -directed, and there is a feeling of strength and energy that makes the film even more appealing. Not everyone will enjoy the movie, but I sure as hell did.
Movie Review: WHAT? 1990 Cannes Festival Best Film... not on DVD?
Summary: 4 Stars
I really can't believe this. This is the uncontestable proof that in America, the so-called 'professionals' of cinema don't really know very much about what good cinema means. Of course the movie was a public failure when it was released in theaters in the early 90s, but this movie won the best Prize in Cannes International Film Festival in 1990 and this should be enough for a DVD release... it's now over ten years old and there's still nothing coming. This is very surprising when you know that Lynch's last movies, "The Straight Story" and "Mulholland Drive", soon exist in this format...Of course the story is not very original: a couple of lovers unceasingly pursuited by a bunch of hired, trained, crazy killers. Even if here, the tone and way of storytelling are totally different; we're in a David Lynch movie, filled with bizarre, sordid characters, swimming in a very special, chilling atmosphere, and the soundtrack is everything but heavy and unsurprising. Of course the whole contains a lot of sex and violence, and many uncomfortable scenes, especially the one showing Bobby Peru (great Willem Dafoe) psychologically raping Lula. Of course, there is a happy ending: Sailor is leaving Lula and their son but the Good Witch (played by Sheryl Lee) appears in front of him and advises him to not stay away from love and to return to her, what Sailor does. This happy ending was not in Barry Gifford's novel, finishing with Sailor walking away from Lula. Story told several times before, romance, sex, violence, added happy ending... these are the criterions for an average Hollywood feature film, and "Wild at Heart" contains those criterions, even if the treatment is, of course, different. So what's the reason of so much hate? This is 'the' question. Is this movie 'too much'? Does it go too far? I don't think so.
Movie Review: the greatest auter alive...
Summary: 4 Stars
wild at heart...hmmm...never been my favorite david lynch film but it is probably the easiest way into his world,for those who don't know what to expect...lynch is my favorite director,I like the way the man thinks and communicates his ideas through film(instead of endless stupid dialogue that weighs down the medium,he concentrates on all that surrounds him,as a person...)I digress...wild at heart is violent,erotic and wait for it...it has many ACTION sequences (not at all part of his attitude to film ,but here it is...this version of the dvd is fantastic,and it completes my lynch catalogue(so far anyway..)and i am glad i never bought a crappy copy(of which there are many)because this is beautiful...its good for first time lynchers as it has a fairly linear story and the "never explained mysteries" (in ALL lynch's films) are woven in such a rich tapestry,that unless you look for it,it could be completely unaddressed by the average film-goer...share it with your friends and watch closely,because you might just miss the point...incidently it was nic.cage's first roll as something other than a comedy or an arthouse role,and,in parts, shows,(not in a good way)
I don't know if my obsession with lynch makes it easier to watch but it is the most mainstream film he's ever done!,not including"twin peaks"(i'm not sure if thats a good thing)its also the only one of his films that doesn't take two hours to explain and has enough violence in it to satisfy the less academic veiwers(and mystery for the more intuitive...)basically, if you are loking to explore david lynch's world
START HERE,IF YOU HATE THAT,TRY "THE ELEPHANT MAN",A TRUE CLASSIC,IF YOU DONT MIND WEIRD AND LONG FOR A COMPLICATED FILM,TRY "BLUE VELVET"
DESERT FLOWER
Movie Review: In A Word: Outrageous!
Summary: 4 Stars
Yes, "outrageous" might be the best adjective to describe this sick-but-fascinating David Lynch film, maybe his sickest, although I've never seen Eraserhead.
The most interesting feature of this strange movie, I think, was the weird characters, one after the other. Make that ultra-weird.....and the strangest of them all is "Bobby Peru," played by Willem Dafoe. In all my years of movie watching, I think "Bobby Peru" still has to rank in the top five of the creepiest characters. He is so outrageously disgusting and perverted you just have to laugh out loud at him.
This wild and entertaining film sometimes makes me shake my head in disgust that I own it, and at other times makes me just laugh out loud at the absurdity of it. You really have to have a dark sense of humor to appreciate much of it. I do, to some degree....enough to keep viewing this.
Nicholas Cage is particularly fun to watch and provides most of the laughs. Laura Dern is also convincing as a trailer-trash-type. If you want a clue on why Dern would play such a sleazy role, check out her real-life mom in this film, Diane Ladd, who plays her mother in the movie. It looks like Mom passed on her wholesome values.
As with some other Lynch films, the music is outstanding: just a great soundtrack. I bought the CD to this a year after first seeing the movie, and I've always enjoyed it. And, another Lynch trait that certainly is here is the excellent visual style, which is enhanced by the widescreen DVD.
So, if you are looking for an outrageous two hours and you aren't easily shocked or offended, this would be a film to consider.
Movie Review: Dear Tom Keogh,
Summary: 4 Stars
Wild at Heart is, indeed, a film with some startling images. Any David Lynch fan will tell you that you should expect no less from him. In this film, Lynch is showing a subtle form of humor, he is referencing the Wizard of Oz (I'll not dare say "remake," he is rewriting it in his own fashion), and he is creating film as art in his typical fashion. You see, you actually have to pay attention to Lynch's movies in order to fully understand them. You likely have to watch them more than once to get his points. That's all part of the fun. If you bother to pay attention to the details of the movie, then you will understand that his thoughts are not all over the place at all, but are telling you a story, in Lynchian fashion. He doesn't take you by the little hand and lead you through a smarmy Hollywood film about life and love then whisk you off to a nice, rosy conclusion with a sunset and cutesy music. Don't expect the point to Wild at Heart to come easily. If that is what you want, may I suggest "Dumb and Dumber." David Lynch combines film with art and Wild at Heart is no exception. If you want a movie to present a simple story line and to conclude with a pretty red bow, then skip this one. But if you want to watch an outstanding David Lynch movie, then Wild at Heart will not disappoint. This is a fantastic movie.