Rockmjd23

Elephant Man!

naitram

first-half of Twin Peaks series is the best stuff he's done imo, but filmwise I've been really into Dune lately.

JumpCutz

This is tough. Blue Velvet was my favorite for the longest time, but after watching Mullholland Drive again recently I think that takes the top spot.

Also really love The Elephant Man, Lost Highway, Fire Walk With Me and Eraserhead.

I just picked up Inland Empire, but haven't had a chance to check it out yet.

I've never seen The Straight Story and didn't really like Wild at Heart or Dune (though I probably need to watch them again ).

Supermallet

Blue Velvet is both his best and my favorite.

paradicelost

I just remember watching "Elephant Man" in the fifth grade thinking i was watching a 40 yr old movie(since if it was b&w then it had to be old) in reality it was 6 or 7 years old at the time. I was shocked when i found out in College that he directed it. I think I'm still a bigger fan of "Blue Velvet".

Fist of Doom

INLAND EMPIRE

Though it's misspelled in the poll.

RagingBull80

Gotta go with Eraserhead.

tommyp007

I would have voted for my fave, "Mulholland Drive", but I really think his best is The Elephant Man"

JumpCutz

I understand Blue Velvet being your favorite, it is truly great... but I don't think you can say unequivocally it's his best film.

Supermallet

Sure I can. Watch it again. You'll get it eventually.

Eric D.

Lost Highway followed by Mullholland Dr.

kd5

Dune has been my most watched film of those listed, however the liberties taken with Frank Herbert's story didn't have to be so blatant. The most glaring deviation from the book was the introduction of the devices that the Atreides supposedly created which made the Emperor uncomfortable: those which amplified sound to create a destructive weapon against enemies. Those devices don't exist in the book, or in the miniseries created after this movie. That miniseries (including Children Of Dune) was more faithful to the book, but not as lavishly produced. I fully understand that liberties are taken when converting a book to film, but that was over the top. Still, I voted Dune just the same... -kd5-

islandclaws

It's still Blue Velvet, but lately I'm beginning to wonder if it's really Mulholland Dr.

Mountain Biker

Mulholland Dr.

mario_c

That was a hard choice! I'm vacillating between Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvet...maybe The Elephant Man, and every one of them is brilliant. But the winner for the amazing atmosphere of dread and erotic tension and characters that get into your subconscious and stay there forever...you know it, Blue Velvet.

Arpeggi

1. Mulholland Drive
2. Blue Velvet
3. Wild at Heart
4. Eraserhead
5. The Elephant Man
6. Lost Highway
7. The Straight Story
8. Inland Empire
9. Dune

Goonies85

Hi All,

Finally finished watching the recent Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series, which is almost like one super long David Lynch movies, so thought I might as well participate in this poll...In order:

1. Mulholland Drive - One of the best movies of the 2000s, if not the best. I remember purchasing this the same day that the Coen Brothers's The Man Who Wasn't There came out. I think both of the movies competed at Cannes and might've even shared an award. I watched the Coen Brother movie first and was suitably impressed. I then popped this one in and was glued to the screen during its entire lengthy running times. One of my favorite movies ever. It's almost pointless trying to describe the plot, because even after several viewings, I don't quite get it. Everything clicked for this movie. The score was insanely good. The direction was perfect. The acting was all top-tier (especially the two leading actresses...But even Billy Ray Cyrus was good in the scene he was in). The movie feels like a dream (and sometimes that can backfire on Lynch, because he often describes writing his scripts and more-or-less ignoring logic, but this time everything worked). And it has one of the best "jump-scares" I've ever witnessed. I remember when I watched it for the first time and the volume all of a sudden cranked up and I spilt my drink...Just a perfect movie.
2. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - I held off watching this until I saw the original series (obviously), and like most people, I was a little disappointed at first. Subsequently, I'd rewatched the original series again (I've probably seen it in its entirety around four or five times at this point) and then rewatched the movie and it really grows on you. Lots of people were disappointed in it being a prequel, but I now think that was the perfect choice. And I loved how much Lynch emphasized the horror element, which he obviously wasn't able to do when the show was on television...I feel this is even more attuned to Lynch's vision of the series than the actual TV show, cause he was limited by the censors and whatnot...I also must say this had a few cool cameos, like David Bowie's brief appearance...And Chris Isaak...Hard to say that the movie makes complete sense, but it's pure Lynch...
3. Blue Velvet - Saw this movie when I was too young and it was only after a couple subsequent viewings where I grew to appreciate it...Dennis Hopper gives one of his best performances (which is saying a lot, when the guy was in Easy Rider, River's Edge, and Apocalypse Now, but he nailed Frank Booth. Still disturbing to watch, and the use of a major Roy Orbison song just feels like it was perfectly designed for the movie...
4. Wild At Heart - Another crazy borderline non-sensical movie from Lynch, with some completely wacky performances from Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern...And one of the most unhinged performances ever put on screen from the great Willem Dafoe...Filled with scenes of shocking violence, and evidently influenced by The Wizard of Oz, of all movies, this is a crazy interesting movie...Not something you'll want to watch with grandma, but it is surprisingly romantic whilst still being extremely violent...
5. Lost Highway - This movie has grown and grown on me over time...Bill Pullman is great, as is Patricia Arquette...And it features one of the creepiest cameos I've ever seen in Robert Blake...A totally bizarre movie but as per usual, Lynch manages to make it work...Would love to see Criterion get the rights and release this on Blu-Ray, but I know Shout Factory is already prepping a release...
6. Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series - While there's a ton of filler in this movie, especially the middle episodes, the storyline actually really picks up in the final five or six episodes, and it returns to being what the original series was...There's a ton of plot choices I disagreed with while making my way through the episodes, and I almost gave up at times, but it's well worth it if you can stick through the middling parts...Also features one of the worst ever Michael Cera performances...
7. Dune - Don't have too much to say about this...Visually it is often stunning, but the storyline is just a mess...Obviously it was a troubled production and it shows...Probably should've been two or three movies...It did have a great cast, though...
8. Eraserhead - Not a big fan. I've heard this was one of Kubrick's favorite movies, and apparently it was quite popular on the midnight circuit, but I've never understood the appeal. Just a very gross, not very compelling movie...I'm amazed it took like four years to make this...
9. INLAND EMPIRE - HATED THIS MOVIE. This is one where apparently Lynch started using a digital camera and just went wild and filmed whatever he felt like filming on any given day. I have a hard time believing there was any sort of script for this one. Just horrible the whole way through...And it's like three hours long, which just makes things worse...I'm glad I sat through it once, but I don't intend to do so again...

Still need to see The Straight Story and The Elephant Man, among others...

Finisher

These two seem to reach a nirvana, really a shame he went too far with Inland and then basically retired outside of TP revival.

Blue Velvet, Elephant Man and Eraserhead are all masterworks but I think I'd take Mulholland over any.

melasnus

I have a hard time scoring fav movies.
Due to his eccentricities and unique imagination, Lynch is especially difficult.

In no particular order:
Mulholland Drive --- The first half is damn near perfect, the 2nd is weird as hell = one of his best.
Wild At Heart --- A strange and wacky tale that is surprisingly deep during the final act.
Blue Velvet --- Atmosphere + Creepiness = Nightmarish Brilliance only DL could come up with.
Dune --- A novel that can't work within a single film given an honest shot by someone who has the balls to even try. Incredibly imaginative production design produced unforgettable visuals.
Eraserhead --- One of the most bizarre movies ever made. Either a masterpiece or masturbation...I don't know which.
Lost Highway --- Another one from Lynch's aberrant mind. No doubt about it...it's a unwonted trip.

The rest I haven't seen...maybe I will, maybe I won't.

stvn1974

Blue Velvet
Eraserhead
Twin Peaks
Mulholland Dr
Lost Highway
Twin Peaks: A Limited Series
Wild At Heart
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
INLAND EMPIRE
The Elephant Man
The Straight Story
Dune

I enjoy each of his films and his short films are also each really good. My favorite director and I put Blue Velvet at number one but it is also my fifth favorite film of all time behind Blade Runner, Brazil, Apocalypse Now and Taxi Driver.

Troy Stiffler

The new Twin Peaks season was great. The horror elements ("got a light?") were like dessert. Loved everything about it. If it wasn't 18 hours, I'd probably revisit it again and again.

Mulholland Drive is his most cohesive, satisfying film. Though I remember the confusion surrounding it for months (or maybe years) after it was released. Though the puzzles would have been solved opening day if released now, the internet wasn't so informative back then.

melasnus

Originally conceived as a television pilot, a large portion of the film was shot in 1999 with Lynch's plan to keep it open-ended for a potential series. After viewing Lynch's version, however, television executives rejected it. Lynch then provided an ending to the project, making it a feature film. The half-pilot, half-feature result, along with Lynch's characteristic style, has left the general meaning of the film's events open to interpretation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulholland_Drive_(film)

Dan

Ten years after this thread started, and it's still a tie between Lost Highway and Mulholland Dr. for me. LH has been criminally under-represented in HD.
My wife and I have been revisiting all of Lynch's films. Just watched Wild at Heart this week. That one doesn't hold up very well for me honestly, while seeing BV and Dune again has the opposite outcome. They're both better than I remembered.

Goonies85

There's a Region-Free Blu-Ray of Lost Highway, in some David Lynch boxset which I believe is German...It's better than nothing at this point...The picture and sound aren't amazing, but it is in HD...I think the same boxset comes with Inland Empire and Mulholland Drive...I really only bought it for Lost Highway...I still assume eventually Lost Highway will be released by Criterion...

Dan

I have an Australian BD of Lost Highway. I think it's the same encode as the German disc. The film deserves better.