• A Slice of Lynch
• Northwest Passage: Creating The Pilot
• Freshly Squeezed: Creating Season 1
• Where We're From: Creating The Music
• Into The Night: Creating Season 2
• Saturday Night Live Featuring Kyle MacLachlan (Monologue and Twin Peaks Sketch)
• Return To Twin Peaks
• Interactive Map (8 Pods)
• "Falling" Music Video
• Georgia Coffee Commercials (5 Spots)
• Image Galleries
  The Richard Beymer Gallery
  • Unit Photography
  • Twin Peaks Trading Cards
• TV spots
  • Premiere Spots (8 Spots)
  • There's No Place Like Home Spot
  • 1-900 Promo Ad
  • T-Shirt Ad
  • Holiday Greeting
  • Patriot Greeting

Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA, VIA.B), a global entertainment company that produces and distributes filmed entertainment through the Paramount Motion Picture Group. PHE is responsible for the worldwide sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS, PBS and Hasbro and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment.

July 30, 2007

More details on Twin Peaks Series DVD

Comic-Con this past week included a panel discussion featuring sneak peaks of new dvds for 2007. One of the featured presenters was Charles de Lauzirika, who's producing the upcoming Twin Peaks: The Complete Series box set (as well as the new mega-Blade Runner set). He gave our first hint of what to expect from the set, and it looks like a winner. In addition to the first and second seasons of the series, the set will also include both versions of the pilot, the TV cut and the "movie" version that was released on VHS and laserdisc. As far as extras go, included are deleted scenes and new interviews with the cast (including Lynch!) as well as other new extras. Looks like Paramount knew if they were going to get people to buy the series again they'd have to come up with something good to convince people to spring for it. No word yet on an official release date, but that October date we mentioned before is still the likely canidate.

June 18, 2007

Twin Peaks Full Series DVD

TVShowsOnDVD.com is reporting that on October 30 of this year, Paramount will re-release the entire series of Twin Peaks in one boxset, including the pilot. This matches what our sources have been saying. Expect a release of the same set in the R2 European countries where Paramount has the rights to the series on October 31. No word yet on if there will be any new extras in the set, but usually Paramount throws in a few new things when they put out their full series sets. Here's the initial cover art, which I'm sure will change by the time the set is officially announced:

May 1, 2007

Inland Empire DVD Announced

Okay, back to the real news after last month's April Fool's joke. This is no joke, Inland Empire has an official dvd release date in region 1: August 14, 2007. The suggested retail price is $29.95. Extras include:
LYNCH 2 (BEHIND THE SCENES OF INLAND EMPIRE WITH DAVID LYNCH)
TALKS WITH LAURA DERN AND DAVID LYNCH MORE THINGS THAT HAPPENED (ADDITIONAL CHARACTER EXPERIENCES)
THEATRICAL TRAILERS (3)
STILLS GALLERY (73 PHOTOS)
DAVID LYNCH COOKS QUINOA

April 1, 2007

New Lynch Film Announcement

David Lynch to direct "My Little Pony"
Los Angeles, CA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- April 1, 2007
David Lynch will be directing a live-action film based on "My Little Pony." The "Eraserhead" and "Inland Empire" director will direct the feature for DreamWorks, with Steven Spielberg serving in an executive producer role. A script has been written for the My Little Pony adaptation by oscar winner Akiva Goldsman, which will be released next summer.
"My Little Pony" was a pop culture phenomenon in the 1980s which originated as a product line of colorful toy ponies marketed to young girls, and is produced by Hasbro. The toys later spawned several cartoons and even an oscar winning 1986 animated film.
"With the current successful film comebacks of 'The Transformers' and the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' it seemed natural to explore other hot 80's toy properties, said Hugh Jass, President of Production at DreamWorks. "After viewing Lynch's current film, 'Inland Empire,' it was obvious to us that he was the natural person to bring My Little Pony to the big screen. With Lynch attached to the film, we're certain he'll bring in the same masses that made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and his own Inland Empire, box office blockbusters, as well as tap into his core family-friendly audience."
"We're thrilled to have entered into an agreement with the very talented and accomplished David Lynch," said Mike Rotch, President of Hasbro's U.S. toys group. "My Little Pony is a natural for the big screen, and David has the track record and skill to bring to life a My Little Pony movie that will be action-packed and fun for audiences of all ages. The My Little Pony franchise has been successful in many entertainment arenas and we are thrilled to give millions of fans an extraordinary experience that's never been done in the history of the brand."
The "My Little Pony" movie is expected to be CGI heavy with lots of visual effects. Voice actors for the main ponies have already been cast, including Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster and Dame Judi Dench. Multi-award winning and critically acclaimed actress Tori Spelling will play the main human role. Production on the DreamWorks film will begin this summer.










And in case you haven't figured it out after reading all that, April Fools!

March 21, 2007

Freddie Francis Passes Away

Freddie Francis, Lynch's cinematographer on The Straight Story, The Elephant Man and Dune, has passes away at 89. Here's a pretty good article from The Guardian:
Freddie Francis
Double Oscar-winning cinematographer whose elegant films were in sharp contrast to the horror movies he directed
Sheila Whitaker
Wednesday March 21, 2007
The Guardian
The American film critic Pauline Kael wrote: "I don't know where this cinematographer Freddie Francis sprang from. You may recall that in the last year just about every time a British movie is something to look at, it turns out to be his."
That was at a time when British cinema was once again bursting upon an unsuspecting world, and Francis, who has died, aged 89, following complications after a stroke, was photographing - in black and white - such films as Joseph Losey's Time Without Pity (1957), Jack Clayton's Room at the Top (1958) and The Innocents (1961), Jack Cardiff's Sons and Lovers (1960), for which he received an Oscar, and Karel Reisz's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960).
Francis was born in Islington, north London, and studied engineering at technical school. But realising that the chances of building bridges was minimal, he pursued his interests in photography and cinema, and got himself apprenticed to stills photographer Louis Prothero, for whom he set up lighting and carried 10in x 8in cameras. Through a friend of his father, he then got a job as a clapper boy at Elstree studios, graduating to loader and focus puller, and later camera assistant at Gaumont-British.
During the second world war, he was assigned to the army film unit, and on demobilisation became a camera operator at Denham studios, working on such films as Powell and Pressburger's The Small Back Room (1949) and Gone to Earth (1950). He returned to Elstree in the same capacity and his films there included John Huston's Moulin Rouge (1952) and Beat The Devil (1953). In 1954 he worked on René Clement's Knave of Hearts and Bernard Bernhardt's Beau Brummel, and in 1956 became director of photography for the first time on A Hill in Korea, Michael Caine's debut movie.
After The Innocents, Francis turned to direction, partly because he wanted to direct and partly, he said, because as a cinematographer if one wasn't constantly working one didn't earn enough - and he didn't want to have to work with directors for whom he had no regard. Aside from Karel Reisz's Night Must Fall in 1964, Francis did not return to cinematography until 1980.
In 1962 he directed Two and Two Make Six, an innocuous little comedy ("I decided to do a film with a script I didn't much like. Stupidly, I thought that I could make a good movie anyway. But, of course, you can't"). This was followed by some uncredited scenes in The Day of the Triffids, including special effects, and then The Brain (1963), the first of his titles shot in two-language versions (English and German).
The first movie in which Francis exhibited his undoubted directing talent was the Hammer horror, Paranoiac (1962), whose success brought him more projects from Hammer Studios, and later Amicus, which he took up to build his reputation. Unfortunately, in doing so he became typecast as a horror director, a genre for which he said he had no particular affinity; he never even watched horror films. Francis's technique was probably the equal of the great horror director, Terence Fisher, who was working at Hammer at the same time, but his output was inconsistent, ranging from the very good to the execrable, and he never quite got under the skin of the stories and characters.
Some of the films, such as The Evil of Frankenstein (1964), were unsuccessful at every level, but Nightmare (1963) and Dr Terror's House of Horrors (1964) saw Francis more nearly on form, as did The Skull and The Psychopath (both 1965), Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), Tales from the Crypt (1971), The Creeping Flesh (1972) - notable for one of Peter Cushing's best performances - and The Ghoul (1975), which was produced by Francis's son, Kevin. He also occasionally wrote and directed under the pseudonym of Ken Barnett.
Francis attributed much of his success - probably rightly - to the fact that "[most of the films that I do] are 99% visual ... these so-called psychological thrillers depend on the ability to tell one's stories with the camera." He considered The Skull was one of his best. But there were also some disastrous productions; indeed, his last films did not get a proper release at all. As a result, aside from The Doctor and the Devils (1985), Francis returned full time to his first love, cinematography, shooting, in stunning black and white, David Lynch's The Elephant Man (1980).
He re-established his reputation with Karel Reisz's The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Edward Zwick's Glory (1989), for which he won his second Oscar, Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear (1991), and Lynch's The Straight Story (1999). He also shot two television movies, The Executioner's Song (1982) and David Mamet's A Life in the Theatre (1993).
Francis's achievements as a director, variable as they were, did not go unnoticed by his peers: Scorsese is quoted as saying that he wanted him to photograph Cape Fear because "the main thing was Freddie's understanding of the concept of the gothic atmosphere ... He understands the obligatory scene of a young maiden with a candle walking down a long hall towards a door. 'Don't go in that door!' you yell, and she goes in! Every time, she goes in! So I say to him, 'This has to look like The Hall,' and he understands that."
One has only to look at, for instance, The Ghoul to see what Scorsese meant. Francis's desire to shoot the film came from his memory of the atmosphere of the original 1962 version. "Anybody can photograph a film - you can just put lights on and make an exposure. I want the challenge of creating an atmosphere and the right frame for the director." Other admirers of his directing emphasise the way in which he was able to transcend essentially silly material. In the late 1960s, he also directed some TV series, including episodes of The Saint and Man in a Suitcase. He had hoped to direct a biopic based on the life of Edgar Allan Poe, but it was aborted after the screenwriter, whose original project it was, refused to allow any changes.
As a photographer, Francis considered he had three mentors - the great cameraman Freddie Young, John Huston and Michael Powell. His career involved a relatively high degree of black and white filming; to some extent, his reputation was founded on it, and he once said he really didn't know anything about colour. "I still photograph things in black and white, but the fact that it's colour stock means they come out in colour. I know that sounds rather facetious ... but I prefer to think in terms of light and shade than in colour."
He saw his role as cameraman as of being one of service to a director: in his young days, he said, he heard too many cameramen tell directors they could not produce the effect that was wanted: Francis always produced whatever was required, only warning the director that it might take a little longer.
He rarely discussed the look of films with directors, since he tried to work only with colleagues who were on his wavelength; as he put it, he would read a script and it would already be photographed in his mind.
In later years, he felt that the lenses became too sharp - "all the magic is gone today" - and he hated special effects. Asked in a Guardian interview in 1995 how he learned his craft, he replied, "By doing it".
He is survived by his second wife, Pamela, whom he married in 1963, their children Gareth and Suzanna, and by Kevin, the son of his first marriage, to Gladys Dorrell, which was dissolved in 1961.
· Frederick William Francis, cinematographer and film director, born December 22 1917; died March 17 2007

DVDFile Reviews Twin Peaks Season 2 DVD

DVDFile has reviewed the new R1 Season 2 dvd, including some details on the extra features. You can read the review here.

December 20, 2006

Twin Peaks Season 2 US DVD Official

Well, after years of waiting, it's finally happening. Paramount has officially announced the release of season 2 of Twin Peaks here in the US. Mark your calanders, April 10, 2007 is the big day. Unlike in Europe, the second season will be released in one set instead of two.

December 3, 2006

Official Inland Empire Website Up

The Official website for Inland Empire is finally up and running. The site includes all the dates and locations for the showings scheduled so far. Right now it appears to be in very limited one time showings release. Due to Lynch distributing it himself, don't look for a regular theatrical release. At best there will be a very, very limited one.

Inland Empire Rolling Stone Review

Rolling Stone had reviewed Inland Empire. You can read the review here.

More Twin Peaks Season 2 DVD Rumors

Tvshowsondvd.com has an update to its early information about the release date of season 2 here in the US:
There still hasn't been a formal announcement for season 2 of Twin Peaks coming to DVD, but we've received some information that backs up our previous news item that the set would be released in April. Our new source says the set will be released on April 10, 2007. Hopefully we get studio confirmation about this soon.

November 24, 2006

Twin Peaks Season 2 DVD in the US

From tvshowsondvd.com: We hope all of our USA readers had a Happy Thanksgiving yesterday! Before you start your "Black Friday" shopping (or after, if you got an earlier start than I did today), we have the rest of that cornucopia stuffed full of rumors about TV series that are new to DVD on Paramount/ CBS's 2007 slate. We'll wrap this up with one that's not "new to DVD", though...but it IS "new to Paramount": Twin Peaks.
After the "11/21" release date we heard about earlier this year had fallen through, we held off reporting on many of the other rumors floating around the 'net, because it's just too touchy a subject for most of our readers. We get e-mails all the time from readers, telling us about the European release dates and cover art that's been seen on various sites (don't forget, we ignore these because we stick to North America DVDs only). We've also seen some rumors that the long-awaited second season set will be out in the May/June timeframe. That's not entirely accurate, according to our best sources.
According to our sources, which supposedly got the info directly from the studio, Twin Peaks - Season 2will be available on DVD in April, 2007
Please remember, though, that this should still be treated as a rumor, and that no formal announcement has come from the studio. Everything's subject to change, so take it with a grain of salt until it becomes official. Stay tuned, and we'll let you know when and if that happens!

Inland Empire Release Dates

Inland Empire will receive a limited relase on December 15 in the US. We're still working on a theater list and hope to have it by that weekend.

June 21, 2006

Possible Date for Twin Peaks Season 2 DVD

Tvshowsondvd.com is reporting a rumored date of November 21 for the second season of Twin Peaks on DVD here in the US. This is far from confirmed though, so take it with a grain of salt. We'll probably see an official announcement towards the end of summer if this timeframe holds true.

June 15, 2006

Twin Peaks Season 2 DVD News

More rumors abound confirming what's been speculated for a while now, that Paramount is going to release Season 2 of Twin Peaks (finally!) this fall. The latest article comes from an Australian site, Moviehole.net:
“Twin Peaks: Season Two” has finally been confirmed for DVD – years after it was originally scheduled for release. Yep, seems David Lynch has finished scrubbing the negative (Lynch wanted the print to look pristine before it got a DVD release, apparently), Paramount has rounded up some nice extras for it, and the plastic company has come through with some nifty packaging. So, it’s a go. The DVD – ‘Twin Peaks: Season Two – Special Edition’ – will be released in Australia on Thursday 2nd November, from Paramount. (They’ll also be releasing ‘Twin Peaks: The Complete Collection’, which includes both Season 1 and Season 2, the same day). No word yet on the extras, but since its called a ‘Special Edition’, we’re guessing Paramount has slapped some stuff together for it. I assume the DVD will be out in most territories around the same time, if not a little earlier."

Amazon.com Podcast with Lynch

Amazon.com has a podcast with David Lynch on their Amazon Wire. As of the date of the podcast Lynch mentions he hadn't done the 5.1 mix and color timing for Twin Peaks season 2 yet.

Business Week Lynch Interview

Business Week has a brief interview with Lynch in which he discusses meditation and film. Thanks to Justin Hibbard for the link.

Videos from the David Lynch Weekend

The website for the David Lynch Weekend at the Maharishi University has videos posted of various events Lynch has spoken at all over the country. You can view them here.

Something Blue Parody

The trend of fake movie trailers continues and this time Blue Velvet gets the treatment in a parody called Something Blue. It's not as good as the Shining spoof that started it all, but still moderately amusing. Thanks to all the people too numerous to list who sent in the link.

January 24, 2006

More Inland Empire News

Cineuropa.org has an update on the latest with Inland Empire. According to the article, Lynch is back in Poland for filming, and the film is still scheduled to premiere at Cannes. Thanks to b/a for the link. Here's the full text:
Shooting – Pologne
Lynch at Lódz
David Lynch arrived in Poland to complete filming on Inland Empire, his new film whose screenplay is still shrouded in secret. The title does not give much away – referring to the four neighbourhoods of Los Angeles close to the Californian desert. "It’s the story of a woman in deep trouble. The story also has a hidden mystery, that’s all I will say on the subject," declared David Lynch with regard to his film.
The first visit by Lynch to Poland was in 2000 when the director was invited to the Camerimage festival at Lódz. His fascination since then for this town, headquarters of the famous film school, brought him back two years later. That’s when the project began – in a little bedroom painted green, the first images were taken.
Many Polish actors are in the cast, notably Karolina Gruszka, Krzysztof Majchrzak, Leon Niemczyk, Piotr Andrzejewski. But the main roles are taken by Laura Dern, Justin Theroux, Jeremy Irons, Harry Dean Santon.
This time the crew is filming in the Lódz hotels and in Manufaktura, former factories transformed into a modern commercial-cultural complex.
Production on Inland Empire was not officially announced until the last Cannes festival, by Studio Canal – one of the co-producers of the film. The Polish end of the production is being handled by Marek Zydowicz, director of the Camerimage festival, in coopération with Fundacja Tumult.
The film’s première is scheduled for the next Cannes festival. In Poland, the film will probably come out in the autumn, and Kino Swiat will be the distributor.

First Look at the New Dune DVD.

The duneinfo.com website has a first look at the new Dune Extended Edition region 1 dvd. As you can see by the listing of extras, Lynch had no involvement with the production of the disc. Unfortunately it looks like the new Extended Edition is just the god-awful TV version remastered in the proper aspect ratio.

January 20, 2006

Happy Birthday David Lynch!

David Lynch turns 60 today.

Lynch night in Winnipeg

Tonight, the Pyramid at 176 Fort St. in Winnipeg will be having "a musical multi-media event celebrating the 60th birthday of film-maker david lynch" Lynch Character costumes are encouraged. Prizes, live skits, indie film, damn good cherry pie and coffee plus musical performances by Zublotnicks, Querkus, Smallgirl, Slattern, Unravelled Broken Orchestra, Cake Builder and Vav Jungle.

Dune DVD in The Observer

This Sunday's edition of the Observer in the UK will include a free DVD of Lynch's Dune.

Inland Empire Still Shooting

For those who've been asking when Lynch's new film, "Inland Empire" will be released, Lynch is still filming scenes for it. It probably won't be done in time for Cannes this year, though that's still a few months away so anything's possible.

January 7, 2006

First Photos from Inland Empire!

The Canal+ website has a video clip which features some stills from Inland Empire.







Thanks to Dam and Sebastien for the captures.

Official Press Release for new Dune DVD

Thanks to Mark at duneinfo.com for passing along the release. I don't know why it says the aspect ratio is 1.85:1 when Dune is 2.35:1. I'm contactin them for clarifaction on that point.

DUNE EXTENDED EDITION
Street Date: January 31, 2006
Price: $27.98 SRP
Overview: Finally available for the first time on DVD: the EXTENDED edition of DUNE, from acclaimed director David Lynch and starring Sting and Kyle MacLachlan. Delve deeper into the film, with nearly an hour of extra footage that will help you more thoroughly explore the story, characters and dialogue. Released in highly collectible packaging, the DVD will include 2 versions of the film as well as a wealth of never before seen footage, documentaries and original artwork and illustrations. This DEFINITIVE release which includes both the extended and theatrical version will be a must-own for all fans.
Synopsis: Dazzling special effects, unforgettable images and powerful performances highlight David Lynch’s stunning film version of Frank Herbert's classic science fiction epic about an intergalactic warrior’s messianic rise. Starring Kyle MacLachlan, José Ferrer, Max von Sydow, Oscar winner Linda Hunt and Sting, DUNE is the ultimate adventure experience that goes beyond the imagination.

Lynch's Dune not on Blue-ray

Just to clairfy, the version of Dune that's been announced for release on HD Blue-ray disc in May is not Lynch's version, but rather the Sci-fi channel version. Didn't want anyone to get their hopes up.

December 7, 2005

Eraserhead and Short Films get wide DVD release Jan. 10, 2006

Fangoria.com is reporting that Subversive Cinema is now the distributor for Lynch's Short Films and Eraserhead DVDs. You can still get them from dl.com, but this also means you'll be able to find them in stores as well. The disc content themselves will be the same, but you won't get the booklets or the larger boxes. Both have a suggested retail price of $29.95. Thanks to mariony for the link.

Lost Highway DVD review

Unfortunately we still don't have a R1 DVD of Lost Highway, and given Robert Blake being found guilty in his civil trail who knows when we will. But for those with region free/pal conversion dvd players, Lost Highway is available on DVD in several countries. DVDBeaver took a look at the new French disc and compared it to one of the older versions out there. You can read their write up here.

November 15, 2005

Lost Highway Added To Castro Theatre Fest

Lost Highway has been added to the schedule for the Lynch Film Festival at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. It runs at midnight on December 10, after Wild At Heart. Thanks fo William Mendoza for the update.

Lynch Talk Online

Lynch's October 1 talk and Q and A from the Cutler Majestic Theatre at Emerson College is online at the foundation website. You can view it here. Apparently it will be available on dvd in the future.

October 28, 2005

Lynch DVD Interviews Online

Can't make it to one of Lynch's talks to pick up one of the spiffy DVDs they're giving away? No need to worry, Lynchnet has your back. You can now view the Lynch portions of the DVD online. The video is divided into seven segments: Meditation, Creativity, Ideas, Enlightenment, Education, Peace and John Hagelin. Thanks to Defunct for passing along the DVD.

More Lynch Audio Interviews

We also have some new audio interviews with Lynch this week from the Maharishi's University. First up Lynch discusses Creativity. Next is a BBC interview with Lynch on Consciousness and World Peace. And lastly a clip from Lynch's talk at American University on TM and Peace. Thanks to Dam for passing along the original link to the clips.

Lynch Film Festival In San Francisco

The Castro Theatre in San Francisco will be screening a David Lynch Film Series December 9-11. It's a pretty full line up, so if you want to see Lynch's films on the big screen, this is one of the best opportunities there is. Thanks to Amy for the info. The schedule is as follows:
December 9 7:00 p.m. - Mulholland Drive
December 9 9:40 p.m. - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
December 10 2:15 p.m. - Blue Velvet
December 10 4:30 p.m. - Wild At Heart
December 10 7:00 p.m. - Blue Velvet
December 10 9:15 p.m. - Wild At Heart
December 11 2:00 p.m. - The Elephant Man
December 11 4:20 p.m. - Dune
December 11 7:00 p.m. - The Elephant Man
December 11 9:20 p.m. - Dune

Lynch Mention in Entertainment Weekly

The October 21 issue of Entertainment Weekly had a short blurb on Lynch and his TM talks:
Mahatma Lynch
"If you have a golf-ball-size consciousness, when you read a book you'll have a golf-ball-size understanding. But if you can expand that ball, then you read with more understanding," director David Lynch recently told a group of NYU students. Since September, he's been touring East Coast campuses touting meditation-based curricula (he goes west in November). A transcendental meditator for 32 years, he hopes to raise $7 billion to endow seven universities of world peace. Said Lynch: "[Meditation] turns up our light. And like a lightbulb, we can enjoy the inner peace but also spread it—that's the key to world peace." Yes, he was serious.

Hopper on Blue Velvet

The September 23 issue of Entertainment Weekly featured a short article on Dennis Hopper. In a sidebar blurb, he reflected on Blue Velvet:
"I was advised by my manager at the time not to do [David Lynch's] Blue Velvet," says Hopper. "He thought there were no redeeming qualities to the character. I said, 'Well, there's one redeeming quality and that's that everybody who's interested in film will have to see this movie.'"

October 14, 2005

Dates for Lynch's West Coast Tour Announced

The west coast dates and locations for Lynch's "Consciousness, Creativity and the Brain" tour have been announced. Tickets are free for all talks, but they've filled up quickly so if you plan on going we suggest getting their very early. Here are the dates:

Thursday, November 3 • 7:30 PM
University of Southern California
Bovard Auditorium
Los Angeles, CA

Friday, November 4 • 7:30 PM
University of California at San Diego
Price Center Theater
La Jolla, CA

Saturday, November 5 • 7:30 PM
University of California at Irvine
Crystal Cove Auditorium
Orange County, CA

Sunday, November 6 • 7:30 PM
University of California at Berkeley
Wheeler Auditorium
Berkeley, CA

Monday, November 7 • 7:30 PM
University of Washington
130 Kane Hall
Seattle, WA

Tuesday, November 8 • 7:30 PM
University of Oregon
Columbia 150
Eugene, OR

October 4, 2005

New Release Date For Dune Extended Edition

September 28, 2005

Lynch Talk Webcast

The davidlynchfoundation.org site says there will be a webcast of Lynch's talk at Emerson College on October 1. There aren't any more details on the site, but I assume there will be a link to it there when the time comes. The talk is at 7:30 p.m., eastern time I assume.

September 26, 2005

Industrial Symphony #1 May Get a DVD Release With Lost Highway

MK2 in France will be releasing a brand new remastered R2 two DVD set of Lost Highway on November 23. The details have not been confirmed yet, but sources say one of the included extras may indeed be Industrial Symphony #1! This would mark the first official DVD release of this concert anywhere in the world. Other tenative extras are a 15 minute making of, interviews with Barry Gifford, David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti, and the theatrical trailer. Lost Highway itself will be presented in a transfer taken from a new high definition master with both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 audio. Again, these details are only tenative, nothing official has been announced yet. So don't get your hopes up yet. But even without IS1, the specs of the new disc are pretty impressive.

David Lynch Speaking Tour

Lynch is going on a short speaking tour, the topic of which being "Consciousness, Creativity and the Brain." Details are as follows:
SEPTEMBER 28 - UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 7:00 PM, Harrison Auditorium, free and open to the public. Sponsored by SPEC Film, SPEC Connaissance, Fox Leadership, and Cinema Studies. For more information, please call 215-898-6533.
SEPTEMBER 30, YALE UNIVERSITY - New Haven, Conn. September 30, 7:30 pm. Yale University's Battell Chapel (corner of Elm and College streets), free and open to the public. Info 203-937-9002
OCTOBER 1 - BOSTON - Boston, Mass. October 1, 7:30 pm, Cutler Majestic Theater, 219 Tremont St.—one block from the Wang Center— heart of theater district lecture is free but tickets are required— colleges will be distributing the tickets, as well as the Coolidge corner theater for tickets contact David Rottenberg (508) 653-3820 or Andrea York 508-775-9775
OCTOBER 2 - RHODE ISLAND - Providence, R.I. Sunday, October 2, 7:30 pm Brown University, Salomon Hall 101 on campus green, free and open to the public. info - 401-528-1033
Thanks to Lee Leffler for the info!

David Lynch Foundation Website Online

The official website for the David Lynch Foundation is up and running. This is his foundation devoted to promoting Consciousness-Based education (i.e. meditation).

Lynch Denies New Cooper Movies Rumor

In the chat room on his website, Lynch denied he's making new telemovies featuring Kyle MacLachlan's Dale Cooper character from Twin Peaks:
Sk8AleX1 [12:24 AM PST]: Can you please tell me if the rumors are true that you might make mini movies based on Agent Cooper?
DAVIDLYNCH [12:25 AM PST]: THE RUMORS ARE NOT TRUE

Justin Theroux on Inland Empire

The August 23 Village Voice featured an interview with Justin Theroux where he discusses, amongst other things, Inland Empire. You can read the entire article here. Here's the relevant section:
He's much more enthusiastic about Inland Empire, though the Lynch process apparently isn't any less baffling the second time around. "You're so used to directors who have a clear idea what they want, but with David, you have to be flexible enough to just trust him—and it's more fun, it frees you up from all that actor bullshit baggage." As for details, Theroux says, "David's playing his cards typically close to his chest." He reveals that the movie contains "some completely bizarre sex scenes," but adds, "I couldn't possibly tell you what the film's about, and at this point, I don't know that he could. It's become sort of a pastime—Laura [Dern] and I sit around on set trying to figure out what's going on.
"I do know that something David really liked about Mulholland Drive was that it had this previous life as a TV show—he equates it to doing a painting that's shelved, someone gives you money to finish it and says, here's three more feet of canvas. With this one he's just giving us scenes—and me, Laura, and Jeremy [Irons] have to justify and make sense of whatever that is. Sometimes someone will show up on set you didn't even know was in the movie. Julia Ormond showed up two weeks ago and David hands me a scene where she's my wife! I'm like, I wish I'd known that! But in a weird way you're glad you didn't."

Another Lynch Interview on TM

The Rhino Online Magazine has an interview with Lynch, covering mostly meditation related topics. You can read it here. Thanks to Matt Slotkin for the link.

Ernie Niles Passes Away

James Booth, who played Ernie Niles in Season Two of Twin Peaks, passed away back in August. Here's the obituary from the BBC:
Zulu actor James Booth dies at 77 Veteran British actor James Booth, star of Zulu, has died at the age of 77. Born in Croydon, Surrey, in 1927, the Rada-trained actor began his career on the stage at London's Old Vic theatre before being cast in the 1964 classic.
But his portrayal of Private Henry Hook as a thieving drunk would later inspire a campaign to restore the reputation of the Victoria Cross-winning soldier.
Booth divided his time between America and the UK, achieving success in later life in the cult US TV show Twin Peaks.
His role in Twin Peaks, as ex-convict Ernie Niles, followed appearances in Minder and Bergerac and a recurring role in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.
Earlier this year he filmed a small role as a 'grumpy old man' in Keeping Mum, a comedy starring Rowan Atkinson and Dame Maggie Smith.
Leading light
According to his widow Paula, with whom he had two sons and two daughters, he passed away peacefully at his Essex home on 11 August.
Born David Geeves-Booth, the former soldier trained at Rada with Albert Finney, Richard Harris and Peter O'Toole.
He subsequently became a leading light at Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop at Stratford East, in London, where he played the lead in the Lionel Bart musical Fings Ain't Wot They Used To Be.
His other films credits include Sparrers Can't Sing alongside Barbara Windsor and The Trials of Oscar Wilde with Peter Finch.
Thanks to John Gruber for the article.

August 16, 2005

Inland Empire Update

Dark Horizons has a brief report from the set of Lynch's new film, Inland Empire. Here it is:
"Inland Empire" Eyewitness Report
Posted: Tuesday August 16th, 2005 2:12pm
Source: Dark Horizons
Author: Garth Franklin
'ME' just completed two days as a featured extra on the new film, "Inland Empire" directed by David Lynch and starring Harry Dean Stanton, Laura Dern and newcomer Terryn Westbrook. Here's his full report:
"The film has been filming since 2003, at which time my sister-in-law was an extra. Having taken off time from work to have a baby, she only did the couple of days In Dec '03 when Lynch shot for several days just out of LA (most of the film was shot in Poland) and did no more. When the opportunity arose for extras again - she declined, but I decided to look into it. What do you know? I got two days work.
I didn't get the script, we were only given a BREAKDOWN of our scene, and that's all. Lynch said very LITTLE to us on both days. The DP was more sociable, and the casting director was lovely. What I can gather is that it's a Twin Peaks-like mystery about a woman that dissapears near the San Gab mountains.
We did auditorium scenes - crowd, typical red-robed curtains behind lounge act - which went over three days, though I was only available for two. The task was to basically sit, in awe, of the performance in stage - played, comically - though I'm assuming my smile will be overshadowed by my look of awe. Not that you'll see my in the finished cut, I'm row P - right-back, near entrance. It's a REALLY dark theatre (though not theatre, just a set near San Gabriel mountains here) too.
We do hear music BUT it's not coming from the singer's mouth. She lip-synches, and I believe they fix it all later - - - or something. I didn't recognize the singer/actress. An older man was there directing ? her music.
The film was shot on Digital Video, so I imagine it's going to look VERY cool. It's an experimental film for Lynch, so it is hard to say how it will go (and at one stage I believe it was going to be made for DavidLynch.com only), but it will be interesting to see the finished product - no less.
Laura Dern was on the set on the second day, I think she's going to be playing a role in the film too - maybe even a starring one? - and Kyle MacLachlan (barely recognizable, because of his SILVER hair!) turned up too late afternoon on the Thursday.
The DP, who I'd met at lunch on the Wed and talked to a group of us (he was GREAT!) said David and Kyle are thinking about doing some "Dale Cooper" telemovies - the dude he played on TV. Nothing to do with Twin Peaks, I guess, just that character."
Thanks to 'M'
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news05/050816c.php

Another Inland Empire Article from Cinematical.com

Cannes 2005: David Lynch Gives Up On Celluloid
Posted May 13, 2005, 3:03 PM ET by Karina Longworth
Filed under: Cannes, Festival Reports, Casting, Independent
More details on David Lynch's next project are filtering across the Atlantic from Cannes. According to Variety, INLAND EMPIRE - the director insists the title be related in all-caps, though won't yet explain why - will star Laura Dern (who worked with Lynch on arguably his two best films, Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart), Harry Dean Stanton, Jeremy Irons and Justin Theroux. Lynch has apparently been surreptitiously shooting the film on digital video for two years; he's shot in Poland with local actors and is now moving the production to Los Angeles. And, guess what? Lynch can't get over how much he loves DV.
"For me, there's no way back to film. I'm done with it," he told Variety. "I love abstraction. Film is a beautiful medium, but it's very slow and you don't get a chance to try a lot of different things. With DV, you get those chances. And in post-production, if you can think it, you can do it."
The change in media has completely altered Lynch's way of working (as it's wont to do). He says that Laura Dern has responded especially well to the differed demands of digital, and he even embraces the "bad" look of video. "Some would say it looks bad. But it reminds me of early 35mm, that didn't have that tight grain. When you have a poor image, there's lots more room to dream."

Blue Velvet and Dune get UMD release

Sanctuary Visual Entertainment will release both Blue Velvet and Dune on UMD for Playstation Portable (PSP) in the UK. Both titles release on October 3 with a suggest retail price of £14.99. More details available here

New R2 UK Fire Walk With Me DVD release

Cinema Club released a new dvd of Fire Walk With Me on August 8 in the UK. The disc is pretty much a direct port of the French R2 version released earlier this year. The specs are as follows:
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
English DD5.1 & DTS 5.1 Surround
Who? (Actor Clips)
Electronic Press Kit (20mins)
40 Page Booklet
More details available here

May 12, 2005

More on the New Lynch Film

Todays' Variety has an article on Lynch's new film:

Lynch invades an 'Empire'
Digital pic details a mystery
By ADAM DAWTREY

David Lynch is making a new movie with StudioCanal. In fact, he's already been shooting it under the radar for two years. Titled "INLAND EMPIRE" (in capitals, though Lynch doesn't explain why), it stars Laura Dern, along with Justin Theroux, Harry Dean Stanton, Jeremy Irons and a host of others Lynch won't specify.
In fact, there's still very little the enigmatic Lynch is comfortable to reveal about the movie.
"It's about a woman in trouble, and it's a mystery, and that's about all I want to say about it," he comments diffidently.
The title refers to the bleak residential area on the edge of the desert near L.A. -- the antithesis of the tony locale of his last movie "Mulholland Drive."
Lynch has shot much of his latest film in Poland with local actors, after making friends with the organizers of the Camerimage festival in Lodz. He's now back shooting in and around Los Angeles.
Even at this relatively advanced stage of production, Lynch is cagey about when it will be finished. But it's understood that StudioCanal is aiming for a world preem at Cannes next year.
"Making a film is a beautiful mystery," Lynch says. "You go deep into the wood, and you don't want to come out of that wood, but the time is coming very soon when I will have to."
Lynch has financed the production to date from his own resources, with his wife and longtime artistic collaborator Mary Sweeney producing. The budget is unknown.
StudioCanal, which financed "Mulholland Drive" and "The Straight Story," has come aboard "INLAND EMPIRE" to handle worldwide sales.

Digital convert
What Lynch will reveal -- and indeed, waxes lyrical about -- is the fact that he's shooting the movie on digital video.
"I started working in DV for my Web site, and I fell in love with the medium. It's unbelievable, the freedom and the incredible different possibilities it affords, in shooting and in post-production."
"For me, there's no way back to film. I'm done with it," Lynch says. "I love abstraction. Film is a beautiful medium, but it's very slow and you don't get a chance to try a lot of different things. With DV, you get those chances. And in post-production, if you can think it, you can do it."
DV has clearly given Lynch the freedom from having to clarify his intentions -- to financiers, or even to himself -- before he starts shooting.
"The explaining of things in words is always a huge problem," he confesses.
He characterizes the DV production process as a journey of "huge exploration" to discover what his film will be.
"I'm writing as I go," he says. "I believe in the unity of things. When you have one part, and then a second part that doesn't relate to that first part, it's very curious to find that they do relate after all. It's a most beautiful thing."
He also believes that it produces a different kind of performances from actors. "When you run out of film, you have to stop and reload, and during that time the heat sometimes goes off. But with this medium you can keep that heat, and it builds, and it's beautiful to see."
He says that Dern, in particular, has benefited from this freedom. "She's the most incredible actress. Some people get roles and do their thing, but some have a lot more inside and don't usually get the chance to show it."
As for the quality of the DV image, Lynch says, "It looks different. Some would say it looks bad. But it reminds me of early 35mm, that didn't have that tight grain. When you have a poor image, there's lots more room to dream."
"But I've done tests transferring DV to film, and there are all kinds of controls to dial in the look you want."

May 11, 2005

New Lynch Film - Inland Empire!!!

No word yet if this is the same film Jeremy Irons mentioned he was working on a script for with Lynch, or how this relates to the "The Green Room in Lodz" project Lynch shot some footage for in Poland. Though on his daily report at dl.com Lynch mentions he's been working on Inland Empire already for over two years and that some of the things on the site will have a bearing on the film.
From the Hollywood Repoter:

"Lynch's 'Empire' building backed by StudioCanal
By Charles Masters
CANNES -- French sales and distribution company StudioCanal is backing the upcoming project from David Lynch titled "Inland Empire," sources in Cannes confirmed Wednesday.
StudioCanal, a division of Vivendi Universal's French pay TV company Canal Plus, declined to talk about the project, which it has been trying to keep top secret. Even posters for the film on the Croisette and around the Cannes market have been covered until a grand unveiling scheduled for Thursday. StudioCanal is expected to handle world sales on the title, with its French distribution company Mars Films handling theatrical in France. It is unclear whether any cast is attached to "Inland Empire." Buyers already looking at the project say details remain hazy, in typical Lynch fashion. "It's about a film within a film. There's nothing to see, there's no script," one top international buyer said.
"But when have you ever seen a David Lynch script in advance?" said another, implying that this did not affect the project's attractiveness.
StudioCanal financed Lynch's movies "The Straight Story" and "Mulholland Drive," both of which unspooled In Competition at Cannes, with Lynch picking up the best director prize for the latter."

US Dune DVD in July, French Dune DVD in June?

Some retailers such as Amazon.com had a July release date listed for the new SE DVD of Lynch's Dune here in the US. However, that date has now been removed from Amazon's page. Will we see a release of Dune in July here in the US? It's anyone's guess right now, but as of today no official release date for the new DVD has been set. If the disc does come out in July, it's a safe bet that Lynch probably didn't have anything to do with it
However, a new SE DVD of Dune is being released in France on June 7. The three disc French set contains:
DVD 1:
The theatrical version from a new high definition master
DVD 2:
The film in its version for television (version disavowed by Lynch) with 55 minutes added
DVD 3:
Book with the novel: the impossible adaptation:
- detailed comparison of the novel and film by Olivier Delcroix, journalist
- report on the abandoned project Moebius-Jodorowski
- notes on various projects
Turning:
- making of
- gallery photographs of turning (24)
David Lynch:
- interview of time on turning
- catalogue of films and biography
Cut scenes:
- photographs with accompanying notes of 5 cut scenes
- interview of a journalist in connection with the version disowned by Lynch
- infos on the various assemblies of film
Promotion:
- trailers
- 12 captioned posters
- gallery of derived products
Documentary on the sound restoration of film with extract before and after

Twin Peaks Season Two DVD delayed until 2006

Dugpa.com is reporting that the Season Two dvds of Twin Peaks are being delayed until next year to allow time for Paramount to work with Lynch on producing the best discs possible. While it's a minor bummer that we have to wait longer, Lynch supervised transfers and his involvement are well worth the wait in my mind.

March 30, 2005

Lynch denies he's working on Director's Cut of Dune

In the chat room at davidlynch.com, Lynch was asked a couple of questions about the new Dune dvd, and the reports from digitalbits about a new Director's Cut. He seemed to deny any such thing was happening. Here's the exact statement from the chat:
"SkAteAleX1 [7:37 PM PST]: David you have to give me some news on if the rumors are true about the Dune dvd ;).
DAVIDLYNCH [7:38 PM PST]: I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT DUNE SK8
cinemalover [7:38 PM PST]: There were rumors again David - that you were doing a directors cut of Dune
DAVIDLYNCH [7:39 PM PST]: I HAVE HEARD THOSE RUMORS BUT NOT FOR A LONG TIME"
John Neff also weighed in on the issue on the LynchNet discussion board:
"I can only say what I saw. A couple of years ago, I asked David if he would ever go back into that world of 'Dune' and make it what he wanted if he had the chance, and he emphatically said no. He felt that by surrendering final cut, he made fatal compromises from day one. Of course one never knows, and I am no longer there, but with what I have seen and heard, I would find it difficult to believe he would go back there."
So either someone at Universal is misspeaking, or Lynch is trying to keep things a secret. Odds are it's the former, but you never know.

March 29, 2005

Lynch the Reason for the Dune DVD delay?

Digitalbits.com seems to think so:
"Oh man... have we got some GREAT news for you Dune fans today! We've done some digging with our sources at Universal, and we've learned the real reason behind their delay of the Dune: Extended Edition (previously announced for 5/10, but then pulled "indefinitely" with no explanation given). Those of you who are familiar with the film know that there's a longer version that's been shown on TV, credited to director Alan Smithee (a pseudonym used by directors when they want to distance themselves from a project for whatever reason). Well get this... after years of saying he would never revisit Dune, at the 11th hour director David Lynch decided that he wanted to be involved in the new DVD after all. Which means that when it's eventually released, not only is the DVD going to include the original theatrical version of the film... it will include a brand new "director's extended cut" edited by Lynch himself! No kidding."
I'd take this news with a grain of salt until something official is announced. But given Lynch's softening of his stance on home video in recent years, it's certainly believeable, especially if it means getting to put his own stamp on an extended cut of Dune instead of the awful TV version being released.

March 15, 2005

Dune DVD Delayed

Universal has delayed the new R1 Dune: Extended Edition dvd until further notice. No word on the reasons why. The HD-DVD release is still on track for the first quarter of 2006.

February 3, 2005

More on the new Dune DVD

The Digital Bits website has posted more information on the upcoming Dune R1 DVD relase from Universal:
"The Dune: Extended Edition will be released in a metal snap case (SRP $27.98). 2 versions of the film will be included... a 137-minute theatrical version, and the 177-minute extended edition. BOTH will be available in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen (which would mark the first time the extended edition was available in widescreen). The theatrical edition will feature both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 audio, while the extended edition will be Dolby Digital 5.1 only. Extras will include never before seen "behind-the-scenes" footage, documentaries on the special effects, visual design and costumes, deleted scenes, original photographs and artwork from the set (newly resurrected from personal collections) and more."

Twin Peaks Season 2 gets new DVD transfers

Dugpa.com is reporting that Paramount will indeed be giving season 2 of Twin Peaks brand new transfers for it's worldwide dvd release. Rockin' good news! Keep in mind though that the soonest we'd see Season 2 on dvd here in the states is October due to rights issues.

Blue Velvet and the Bar Exam

Reader Dean Lilac sent in this amusing copy of a review question for the national portion of the bar exam, which mentions Blue Velvet. Makes you wonder if Roger Ebert isn't writing these questions.

February 2, 2005

Dune Special Edition DVD Announced

On May 10, Universal Home Video will release a new Special Edition dvd of Lynch's Dune. No word on the exact extras yet, but the set will contain both the theatrical cut and the extended TV version that Lynch disowned. More details as they become available.

Lynch article in Sun-Times

The Chicago Sun-Times recently featured an article on Lynch and his interest in transcendental meditation. You can read the article here. Thanks to Anastasia for the article.

January 20, 2005

Happy Birthday David Lynch!

David Lynch turns 59 today. We here at Lynchnet would like to offer our best birthday wishes to the man who inspired this site!

January 13, 2005

Lynch on Lynch book updated

Faber and Faber is releasing an updated version Chris Rodley's "Lynch on Lynch" book. It will be available in the UK in February and in France and the US in March. You can pre-order the updated book from amazon.com here. From the publisher's website:
"Now fully updated, Lynch on Lynch describes the career of a cinematic genius who has continued to astonish filmgoers with the lovely and life-affirming The Straight Story and the luxurious dread of the Academy Award-nominated Mulholland Drive.
David Lynch erupted onto the cinema landscape with Eraserhead, establishing himself as one of the most original, imaginative, and truly personal directors at work in contemporary film. He is a surrealist, in the tradition of the great Spanish director Luis Bunuel. Over the course of a career that includes such films as The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Lost Highway, and the seminal TV series Twin Peaks, Lynch has remained true to an artistic vision of innocence lost or adrift in the direst states of darkness and confusion. Nobody else sees the world quite as David Lynch does. Once seen, his films are never forgotten, nor does the world about us seem quite as it did before.
In this definitive career-length interview book, Lynch speaks openly about the full breadth of his creative work, which encompasses not only movies but also a lifelong commitment to painting, a continuing exploration of photography, extensive work in television, and musical collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti and singer Julee Cruise."
Thanks to Wmmvrrvrrmm for the tip.

January 12, 2005

Twin Peaks Season 2 extras being worked on

The ever resourceful tvshowsondvd.com website is reporting that Lancelot Narayan had been hired to produce the extras for the Season 2 Twin Peaks dvd set. In an online discussion at the IMDB about another dvd release he's worked on, Narayan stated "I'm currently pulling my hair out working on the Extras for Season 2 of 'Twin Peaks'. If it's at all possible, 'Peaks' fans are more exacting than Trekers! I really want everybody that buys it when it comes out to be happy. In the end, you can only do your best."

January 7, 2005

Dune in first batch of HD-DVD releases

Universal, Paramount and Warner Brothers have announced the first titles to be released towards the end of this year in the new HD-DVD format. Among the list of Universal's titles is Lynch's version of Dune. Since this means a new high-def transfer will have been done, the odds are pretty good a new standard dvd version of Dune will also be released sometime this year. Dune makes the second Lynch film to be released in a consumer HD format (Mulholland Drive on D-VHS being the first). The full list of Universal's titles can be found here, Warner Brother's here and Paramount's here.

Twin Peaks Season 2 on track for March dvd release - in r2

We've received more reports from parts of Europe that seem to confirm the current plan is for most of region 2 to get Twin Peaks Season 2 on dvd in March. That's the current timetable at this point, though no listings have shown up yet at any overseas online retailers, so I wouldn't be surprised if this timeframe got pushed back a month or so. Dugpa.com is reporting that there are no plans to do new restored transfers for the discs as Artisan did. If you want to try to convince Paramount otherwise, the best way is to contact Paramount directly via snail mail:

Paramount Home Entertainment Germany GmbH
Stützeläckerweg 12-14
60489 Frankfurt am Main

Paramount Home Entertainment NL
Ampèreweg 13
3442 AB Woerden
0348-466900

Paramount Home Entertainment UK Ltd
45 Beadon Road
Hammersmith
London
W6 0EG

Paramount Studios
5555 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90038

Eraserhead added to National Film Archive

The National Film Registry has announced their annual list of films . The release describes Eraserhead as "A visually stunning portrayal of a man facing fatherhood in a nightmarish industrial world, David Lynch's first feature-length film introduced American audiences to his unique, surrealistic style of sparse dialogue, unsettling characters, horrific imagery and a paradoxically abstract narrative. Eraserhead secured Lynch's place as a hero for fans craving unorthodox filmmaking." Librarian of Congress James H. Billington chose this year's selections after evaluating nearly 1,000 titles nominated by the public and conducting intensive discussions with the Library's Motion Picture division staff and the distinguished members and alternates of his advisory group, the National Film Preservation Board. The board also advises the Librarian on national film preservation policy. "The films we choose are not necessarily the 'best' American films ever made or the most famous, but they are films that continue to have cultural, historical or aesthetic significance -- and in many cases represent countless other films also deserving of recognition," Billington observed. "The selection of a film, I stress, is not an endorsement of its ideology or content, but rather a recognition of the film's importance to American film and cultural history and to history in general. The Registry stands among the finest summations of American cinema's wondrous first century." The 400 films in the National Film Registry represent a stunning range of American filmmaking - including Hollywood features, documentaries, avant-garde and amateur productions, films of regional interest, ethnic, animated and short film subjects -- all deserving recognition, preservation and access by future generations.

December 6, 2004

Is MGM's new Wild At Heart DVD censored?

Yes and no. Details here.

Twin Peaks Season 2 on DVD in March?

We've had several reports from Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands that Season 2 of Twin Peaks will be released in those countries on March 1, 2005. Apparently the packaging of the Season 1 sets in Holland now have a sticker on them announcing the release of Season 2 in March. And the Swedish online dvd site, gvg.se, has a listing for the dvd streeting on March 1. No other European dvd sites have any information about a new release though. But the first signs are popping up that something is on the way, at least in parts of Europe. Keep in mind that Paramount doesn't get the rights to Twin Peaks in the US back until September, so we won't see it here in America anytime before then. More details when they become available. Thanks to Niklas Pettersson and Ash for the information.

Contest winners announced

Congratulations to the winners of LynchNet's Wild At Heart dvd giveaway. Answers to the contest questions and a list of winners can be found here.

Lynch continues peace crusade

Film Director Lynch, US Peace Government to Establish University in Moscow MosNews
The foundation of the film director David Lynch and the US Peace Government organization are planning to open a Peace University in Moscow.
In an interview to ITAR-TASS news agency, Lynch said that the university plans to open within a year. The organization plans also to open similar universities in St. Petersburg and Rostov-on-Don in South Russia.
The US Peace Government was established on July 4, 2003 to bring prevention-oriented, problem-free administration to the U.S. Its mission is to prevent social violence, terrorism and war, and to promote peace and harmony throughout the world, its website says.
“Moscow is a very interesting, open city but it is prone to negative tendencies,” Lynch was quoted by the agency as saying. “A Peace University is necessary for it. It is important to try all means in the fight against crimes, terrorism or wars. We propose to do it with the help of group meditation.”
Lynch said he will be among the professors to give lectures in the university. The first university will be opened in Washington D.C. in roughly 6 months. The organization also plans to open further universities in the Middle East, India and Pakistan.
The universities will have tuition fees for its peaceful education, about $2,500 per year for Moscow. “The time for education depends on the personal traits of character and talent,” Lynch said.
Thanks to Anastasia for the article.

New Twin Peaks shirt

Mark Steensland has a new shirt design that turns the wearer into the windshield of Agent Chet Desmond's car. You can view and order it here. I haven't ordered one myself so I can't speak of the quality, just passing along the information for those interested.

November 24, 2004

Wild At Heart dvd review and giveaway contest

Our review of MGM's new Wild At Heart dvd is up. It's a pretty good disc. We also have five copies to giveaway. You can view the contest details here.

November 7, 2004

Wild At Heart dvd

Only one month now till the release of Wild At Heart on dvd here in the US.
Special Features:
Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of Wild at Heart Featurette
Dell's Lunch Counter interative interviews
Sailor & Lula Image Gallery
Specific Spontaneity: Focus on David Lynch Featurette
David Lynch - On The DVD Featurette
Original Theatrical Trailer
You can get more details at MGM's site for the dvd here.
Here's another look at the cover art, as well as some press images:

French Fire Walk With Me dvd update

The FWWM Deleted Scenes Fight website is reporting that MK2 will be releasing a single disc only version of FWWM in December, and is still negoitating with Lynch to complete the deleted scenes for a two disc dvd release in 2005. So nows the time to let them know how much you want to see the deleted scenes and that you'll buy the dvd set. You can email MK2 at editions@mk2.com. Be sure to be polite, and let them know that you're willing to buy the set with the deleted scenes. Remember, if they don't think there's enough interest, they won't want to spend the money on completing the scenes.

October 28, 2004

New Lynch Film in the Works?

There have been several Polish media articles about a new film Lynch is working on entitled "The Green Room in Lodz" ("Zielony pokój w Lodzi"). It was originally a short film for davidlynch.com staring Polish actors Karolina Gruszka and Krzysztof Majchrzak. Apparently Lynch liked the way it turned out so much that he is now filming more scenes here in America staring Laura Dern. So far Lynch is being tight-lipped about any details. More news when it becomes available.
In addition, the October 28 issue of Australia's Herald Sun newspaper features an interview with actor Kick Gurry (Garage Days, Buffalo Soldiers) where, amongst other things, he mentions he's going to be in a new David Lynch film. No other details are given, so it's hard to say if this is really another new film, the Lodz film, or a web short. So don't take this as a confirmation of a new Lynch film either, but it's certainly a positive sign.

October 12, 2004

Hey, why's it taking so fucking long for the full site to be back up?

I get an email like this about every day (though usually more polite). So here's the latest on the full site: I'm still working on it. But it's getting closer. I hope to get to do a lot more work on things over the holidays as well, so my goal is to have the full site back up in 2005, just in time for Lynchnet's 10 year anniversary (man, I feel old now). So to those who keep asking, please be patient. Good things come to those who wait. :) And of course I'll still keep updating the news page when there's info to post, plus the LynchNet discussion board is always open.

October 6, 2004

Twin Peaks Season 2 DVD update

It's almost the end of 2004 and the big question everyone is asking is, what's up with Season Two of Twin Peaks on dvd? Well, here's the latest. Our sources within Paramount say it's almost a sure thing that you'll see Season Two, as well as a re-release of Season One with the Pilot included, released by Paramount as soon as the rights revert back to them around September 2005. The current rights holder, Lion's Gate (formally Artisan) has no plans to further exploit Twin Peaks or any of it's Spelling Entertainment titles due to the short time frame they have before the rights are lost. So it's all up to Paramount now. Our sources also tell us that part of the reason for the delay of Season Two in other international regions is to have one big release worldwide around the same time in every country, US included. So for you folks overseas, you're also being affected by the rights issue here in the US. The other, though somewhat lesser reason for the delay is to allow more time to work on bonus features. But Paramount is committed to TV on dvd in a big way, and is eager to exploit all the Spelling holdings once they get the rights back, Twin Peaks and Beverly Hills 90210 being the first two they are planning on releasing. Keep in mind that none of this constitutes an official announcment, so these plans are always subject to change. But it looks like there's a good chance we'll finally get to see Season Two on dvd in 2005.

No deleted scenes on French Fire Walk With Me dvd

Sadly, dugpa.com is reporting that mk2 has decided to pass on including the deleted scenes on their new Fire Walk With Me dvd. They put the blame on Lynch, though the cost involved in completing the scenes certainly played no small part in it. You can read the full press at dugpa.com.

Lynch discussion at Denver International Film Festival

The price is kind of steep, but for anyone in the Denver area, the Denver International Film Festival will be having a discussion on Lynch on October 24. Keep in mind that Lynch himself has nothing to do with this nor will he be there.

	David Lynch and the Creative Process [LYNCH]   360 min, Color
	Ever since the release of his feature-length directorial debut, Eraserhead, David Lynch has built a reputation as one of the most original, thought-provoking voices of contemporary American cinema. His visual language and unusual handling of narrative continues to fascinate, perplex and sometimes frustrate even the most sophisticated of audiences.. Join filmmaker and Denver Screenwriting Center director Alexandre O. Philippe on a journey to discover how non-linear thinkers like Lynch handle the creative process, learn to trust their instincts, and somehow manage to leave us with profound, resonant and oddly fulfilling cinematic experiences.. With a special focus on Eraserhead, Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive, Philippe will first decode Lynch's narratives and deconstruct his creative process to tackle larger, more elusive questions. Where does he get his inspiration~~~ How do we stimulate our imagination to create personal, unique, meaningful worlds~~~ At what point should we stop trusting our instincts and start relying on structure~~~ A must for all film buffs, screenwriters, filmmakers and creative thinkers.
	Screening Schedule  Date Time Venue Tickets   Sun, Oct 24 10:00 am Tivoli 320B $90.00

Wild At Heart DVD almost here

We're just two months away from the release of Wild At Heart on dvd. You can pre-order the dvd from amazon.com. Here's a recap of the specs: Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Dell's Lunch Counter: all-new extended interviews with Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, David Lynch, Willem Dafoe, Diane Ladd, and Sheryl Lee
"Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of Wild at Heart": new 30-minute documentary
"Specific Spontaneity: Focus on David Lynch": cast and crew comment on working with Lynch
"David Lynch: On the DVD": Lynch provides insight on the film's transfer to DVD
Original EPK featurette: seven-minute promotional featurette with David Lynch
Sailor & Lula image gallery: 65 behind-the-scenes photos, animated with music
Original theatrical trailer, TV spots

Naomi Watts interviews Laura Dern

The August issue of Inverview Magazine has an interview with Laura Dern conducted by Naomi Watts. Amongst other things they discuss working with Lynch. Check it out here.

Lynch at Peace Conference

Unfortunately this article didn't get notice till after the conference, but it still has some interesting quotes from Lynch:

Details WHAT: Creating Peace Day WHEN: Sunday WHERE: Maharishi University of Management campus, Fairfield CONTACT: www.creatingpeace.mum.edu or to register, or call (641) 919-1898

David Lynch's peace mission

Film director David Lynch, known for such films as "The Elephant Man" and "Mulholland Drive," will be in Fairfield this weekend. SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER

Film director David Lynch is among the leaders in science, art, and politics who will gather this weekend to help give peace a chance.

"Creating Peace Day" will take place Sunday at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield.

Lynch, as well as Robert Muller, the former assistant secretary general of the United Nations; and Uganda native Samite, the director of Musicians for World Harmony, are among those who will speak, perform and lead a candlelight ceremony.He will join all the speakers from 10 a.m. to noon for a panel discussion and again at 7:30 p.m. for the ceremony.

"This conference is not about wishing for peace or marching for peace - this is about finding ways to actually create peace," said Lynch, who has made such films as "The Elephant Man," "The Straight Story," "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive."

Some of the speakers practice Transcendental Meditation and subscribe to the teachings of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, perhaps best known as the Hindu mystic guru to the Beatles in the 1960s. What unites the speakers is their wish for world peace and enlightenment."This is not a political rally, not in support of any candidate," said event organizer Erin Skipper, a Maharishi University alumna.

"We want to educate people on different approaches to creating peace. We also want it to be inspiring. We're going to have students performing, and cultural songs between the speakers."

During phone interviews from Ithaca, N.Y., and Hollywood, respectively, Samite and Lynch expressed what they believe are recent events and issues that best underscore the need for world peace."The kids in Russia, that experience just killed me," Samite said. "The kids should be playing, laughing and singing . . . they should not be in the middle of such bad things, fear and explosions."

Samite grew up in the era of Idi Amin and other African dictators. He has visited refugee camps where the only thing traumatized children could respond to was music.

"There are over 300,000 children in the world being used as soldiers," Samite said. "They see their friends and (relatives) die. If we're going to fight, we should make sure children don't have to be involved."Lynch's recent mission has been to raise money for peace palaces and for a group of 8,000 meditators he said could be known as a "peace-creating factory."

Lynch, who is also a painter and musician, said he believes strongly in a total positive energy to be used for peace.

"I am not a public speaker, but I am going to be there because I believe in this," Lynch said of the peace conference. "I want peace to be put in place on this beautiful earth."There is suffering, violence, sorrow . . . making these things go away, who wouldn't want that? Whether you're in the Midwest or Asia?" Lynch asked.

Joining Lynch, Samite and Muller at the conference are John Hagelin, the director of the Institute of World Peace at Maharishi University of Management and president of the U.S. Peace Government; Maureen McCue, adjunct clinical professor at the University of Iowa College of Public Health and a member of Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Sue McGregor, professor and coordinator of the peace and conflict studies program at Mount Saint Vincent University of Halifax, Nova Scotia.Registration for the peace conference is free with a suggested donation. Go to www.creatingpeace.mum.edu for more information or to register, or call (641) 919-1898.

Thursday, September 2, 2004

More on MGM's new Wild At Heart SE DVD!

From thedigitalbits.com:
Some good news for you David Lynch fans today. MGM has officially announced the DVD release of the Wild at Heart: Special Edition for 12/7 (SRP $19.98). The disc will include the film in anamorphic widescreen video mastered from a new high-definition transfer supervised by Lynch himself. Audio will be included in Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 surround. Extras will include Dell's Lunch Counter (featuring all new interviews with Lynch, Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, Diane Ladd and Sheryl Lee), the 30-minute Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of Wild at Heart documentary, the Specific Spontaneity: Focus on David Lynch featurette (featuring the cast and crew talking about working with the director), the David Lynch: On the DVD featurette (featuring the director talking about the new transfer), the film's original 7-minute EPK featurette, an animated photo gallery featuring 65 images, the original theatrical trailer and TV spots.

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Wild At Heart SE DVD on the way!

MGM will release the Wild At Heart Special Edition DVD on Tuesday, December 7, 2004. This is the brand new transfer supervised by Lynch. Suggested retail price is $19.99. The disc includes:
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
English DD5.1 & 2.0 Surround
Spanish Mono
English, French and Spanish subtitles
Making-of Documentary
Interactive Map With Extended Interviews
Image Gallery
David Lynch Profile
David Lynch on the DVD
Original EPK Featurette
4 TV Spots
Original Theatrical Trailer

Tuesday, July 6, 2004

Obituary for Lynch's mother

Edwina "Sunny" Lynch
Edwina Lynch died June 26, 2004, as a result of an auto accident. She was born on April 28, 1919, to Edward and Lillian Sundholm in Brooklyn, New York. She attended Duke University in North Carolina and received a degree in English and Foreign Languages in 1940. Sunny served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and married Donald Lynch of Highwood, Mont., in 1945.
She is survived by her husband, Donald Lynch, and children; David Lynch of Los Angeles, Calif., John Lynch of Olympia, Wash., and Martha Lynch Levacy of Coronado, Calif. She has nine grandchildren and one great grandchild. Sunny and Don have been part-time residents of Whitefish for the past 24 years and they also maintain a home in Riverside, Calif. Sunny was an active member of the Presbyterian Church in both Whitefish and Riverside. She was a great mother to her three children and supported them through numerous activities. She was a devoted wife to her husband Don and a faithful friend to many. Her loving strength will be missed.
A memorial service was held June 30 at the First Presbyterian Church in Whitefish, with the Rev. Andy Kennaly officiating. Burial will take place at a later date at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, Calif. Donations may be made to the Glacier Camp, Lakeside, Montana, www.glaciercamp.org. Austin Funeral Home in Whitefish is in charge of the arrangements.

Tuesday, July 6, 2004

Sad news

According to information posted in the chatroom at davidlynch.com, Lynch's parents were in a car accident. His mother did not survive and his father sustained a concussion and is recovering in the hospital. A fund via paypal has been started for a couple of flower arrangements to be sent from the members group if anyone wants to participate. PayPal id to send funds to is charlenemayo@hotmail.com

Saturday, May 8, 2004

Blue Velvet on Showtime HD

Showtime's HD channel will be running Blue Velvet on Saturday, May 8 at 2 a.m. and on Monday, May 11 at 12 a.m. If you want to check out a Lynch film in high definition, other than the DVHS of Mulholland Drive this is your best chance for now.

Lynch in Jane magazine

The May issue of Jane magazine has an article written by Lynch on transcendental meditation . You can read it here.

Email problems

If you've sent a news tidbit in recently but haven't had a resoponse, it's very possible it got lost (more or less) in the mail. We've been having lots of problems these last few months (as most people do nowadays) with being overrun with spam. We have filters set up, but sometimes it takes a while to dig through the often hundreds of messages a day to find any legit mail that may have acciently gotten targeted. The filters seem to really love to snag mail from hotmail or yahoo (understandable since those two domains tend to be heavily used by spammers), so if you sent us a news item from an account on either of those services, please try sending again, preferabily from another service. Also, please put the words "David Lynch" in the subject of any email sent to LynchNet, so it makes it easier pick out of the list. Thanks for your understanding!

Saturday, April 24, 2004

Wild At Heart DVD December release?

The digitalbits website is reproting that their industry sources say MGM is planning on releasing the "Wild at Heart: Special Edition" dvd in December of this year. They will also be reducing the price on the existing Blue Velvet disc. No word yet on the extras as the disc is still in production. But it looks like santa will be bringing us all something good for xmas this year!

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Working being done on new Wild At Heart dvd

John Neff posted an update on the work on MGM's new Wild At Heart dvd on the LynchNet discussion board:
"Wild At Heart is being worked on as we speak. David is overseeing a completely new transfer from a newly struck Interpositive. The old print had deteriorated, and he canned the last transfer. Probably will not be a 5.1 soundtrack. I think the feeling at this time is that the original mix should not be messed with, and David will have them use the LCRS (Dolby Surround) mix. Probably the only incentive now for a 5.1 would be to make use of the subwoofer channel, but those chances are dim. As far as I know, there will not be any deleted scenes or any 'extra' cut version. It will be what was distributed theatrically. I heard they were interviewing Harry Dean Stanton and some others for the disc, but I do not know the extent of any extras. If it follows the usual pattern, there will be cast interviews, pieces from the period of release, the trailer, etc. Certainly no commentary from David."

Naomi Watts receives Oscar nomination

She didn't win, but it was nice to see Naomi Watts finally getting some recognition from the Academy, especially after being overlooked for Mulholland Drive. Entertainment Weekly had a brief article about her nomination for 21 Grams that you can read here.

New book on Lynch available

McFarland Publishing has just released a new book about David Lynch entitled Pervert in the Pulpit - Morality in the Works of David Lynch. Here's the publisher's blurb about the book: "Filmmaker David Lynch’s work is viewed here as patriotic and Puritanical. This Lynch is an idealistic conservative on a reformer’s mission. Lynch promotes a return to the values inherent in a mythological America, but he indulges in a voyeuristic pleasure which he simultaneously condemns. Like Jeffrey peeking through the slats of Dorothy’s closet in Blue Velvet, the viewer of Lynch’s work is a rationalist plagued by his dreams; intrigued and repulsed, fascinated and judgmental, he both craves and resists cultural assimilation. Works presented include all features from Eraserhead to Mulholland Drive, shorts such as The Amputee and The Grandmother, and contributions to television such as Hotel Room and, of course, Twin Peaks.
This study develops an idea of Lynch’s politics, analyzes his work, and explores Lynch’s paradox of condemning an immoral world through disturbing images and concepts, and touches on such points as the identifiable figure of evil in his works as well as the archetypes of the nymphet, well-meaning traditionalist, and struggling ethicist. Also included are a history of moralistic criticism in American literature and a review of existing Lynch criticism within this context.
Published author and playwright Jeff Johnson has taught in England, Lithuania, Denmark, and Hungary. He lives in Florida.

Lynch Directs new Christian Dior commercial.

The website aftonbladet.se is reporting that Lynch will be directing a new commercial for Christian Dior perfume starring Andreas Wilson. Wilson is quoted as saying, "To work with David Lynch was really an honour. He is incredibly cool." The ad will begin airing in May in Sweden. Thanks to Clockpolk for the info.

Twin Peaks Festival 2004

Tickets are on sale now for Twin Peaks Festival 2004. This year's planned guests include Jennifer Lynch, John Neff, Don Davis, James Marshall, Charlotte Stewart and Andrea Hays. You can order tickets and get more details at the official festival website at http://www.twinpeaksfestival.com

Mulholland Drive fanlisting

A new fanlisting website has been created for Mulholland Drive. After looking at it I haven't quite figured out exactly what it's for, but I think it's just a place for fans of the film to register as such. Anyway, you can check it out at http://www.MulhollandDrive.tk.

Twin Peaks actors in new series

Sheryl Lee has been cast in the new ABC series, "Desperate Housewives." The show looks at the secretive lives of four women (Eva Longoria, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross) living in a cul-de-sac. The series is scheduled for fall 2004. Also, Madchen Amick will be starring with John Stamos this fall in a yet untitled series which the entire season takes place over the course of a couple's first date. Thanks to eyeboogers for the info.

New Blue Velvet and Dune SE dvds in the UK

On April 5 Sanctuary Visual Entertainment will release new DVD Special Editions of both Blue Velvet and Dune, both loaded with extras. Here are the press releases for both:

Look in on a world beneath the surface with the Definitive Two-Disc DVD Special Edition of David Lynch's dark voyeuristic masterpiece Blue Velvet. Released 5th April alongside the equally definitive DVD of Lynch's Dune, Blue Velvet from Sanctuary Visual Entertainment contains exclusive special features making this treasured cult classic essential for DVD collectors and film fans alike.

Meticulously remastered under the supervision of David Lynch and presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound Blue Velvet has never looked or sounded so good. Initial copies of the release will be available in a stunning blue velvet slipcase that will make an exquisite addition to any DVD shelf. A new 16-page booklet will accompany the DVDs featuring images from the film, special features and menus with two exclusive essays written by Mike Goodridge (Editor of "Screencraft: Directing" and Co-Director of DVD special feature Strange Desires).

ALL-NEW DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

• All-new 35-min documentary Strange Desires. Includes archive interviews with David Lynch and new (2003) interviews with Dino De Laurentiis, Dennis Hopper and more unlocking the secrets of Blue Velvet
  
• Archive review from BBC's Moving Pictures series with J.G. Ballard - "The Best Film of the 1980's"
  
• New widescreen 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer; re-mastered Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 surround sound
  
• All-new animated menus
  
• Theatrical Trailer

Hailed as "the first American Surrealist film" by Dennis Hopper and critics, David Lynch drew inspiration for Blue Velvet from a mood induced by the classic Bobby Vinton song.

This was the first of Lynch's films to feature a score by Angelo Badalamenti who lent his unique stylings to all of Lynch's subsequent features including The Straight Story, Mulholland Drive, and seminal TV series Twin Peaks. Lynch regulars Jack Nance, Dean Stockwell, Brad Dourif and Laura Dern joined Kyle MacLachlan in only his second feature film following DUNE.

It's a Strange World.

Behind the picture-postcard façade of Lumberton, small-town America hides a disturbing truth. As Lynch uses regular American guy Jeffrey Beaumont (MacLachlan) to peel back the layers of normality, Lumberton's dark, morally corrupt and sexually perverted reality is gradually revealed. From a severed ear found in a field, the trail takes innocents Jeffrey and Sandy (Laura Dern) into a very adult world of torture, kidnapping, murder and sexual depravity revolving around Dorothy (Isabella Rossellini) and deeply deranged Frank (Dennis Hopper). An unmissable classic, the performances of MacLachlan and Hopper plus Lynch's direction create a tense masterpiece of psychosexual drama.

Possibly the most influential American film of the 1980's Lynch's bizarre erotic mystery spawned a whole raft of imitations with its portrayal of the dark underside of American small-town life. Critics and audiences responded to Lynch's original and startling images of sex and violence and made the film a box-office smash. Dennis Hopper's Frank is regarded one of the greatest screen villains of all time.

BLUE VELVET (1986) The Definitive Two-Disc DVD Special Edition
5 April 2004, £19.99 RRP, Cat No. SVE3041
Cert 18, Film: 116 minutes, Features: 46 mins, Region 0 PAL DVD,
Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 Surround Sound

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Travel to a time and place beyond your imagination with the Definitive Two-Disc DVD Special Edition of David Lynch's epic sci-fi adventure DUNE. Released 5th April alongside the equally definitive DVD of Lynch's Blue Velvet, DUNE from Sanctuary Visual Entertainment contains the most comprehensive set of exclusive special features afforded the film anywhere in the world making this treasured cult classic essential for DVD collectors.

Beautifully remastered and presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, DUNE has never looked or sounded so good. Initial copies will be available in a stunning new fold out digi-pack imparting a sense of collectability and prestige. The pack includes a new 32-page booklet containing exclusive images and with text by Paul Sammon (Producer of Original Dune Promo Film and author of "Film Noir: The Making of Blade Runner"). Brian Herbert (son of Dune author Frank Herbert) and Kevin J. Anderson who have continued the highly successful Dune series of novels also contribute an essay to the booklet..

ALL-NEW TO DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

• Impressions of Dune (40 mins) - All-new retrospective making-of documentary. Includes interviews with Kyle MacLachlan, cinematographer Freddie Francis, Editor Antony Gibbs, Producer Raffaella De Laurentiis and more (filmed in 2003)
  
• Frank Herbert Interview (From BBC archives - 2 mins)
  
• Original Promotional Film (6 mins) Never before seen period on-set film by Paul Sammon featuring David Lynch, Frank Herbert and many more
  
• New widescreen anamorphic transfer 2.35:1 Widescreen theatrical print; remastered Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 Surround Sound; all-new animated menus
  
• Theatrical Trailer

The work of director David Lynch has long been hailed as some of the most original and cutting edge to grace the screen and was initially seen as a strange choice to helm a sci-fi epic. Triumphs include the Academy Award-winning The Straight Story, Blue Velvet, Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive, The Elephant Man and seminal TV series Twin Peaks.

A Place Beyond Your Dreams. A Movie Beyond Your Imagination.

Visionary David Lynch's massive epic based on the biggest selling sci-fi novel of all time, Frank Herbert's Dune, features some of the most spectacular sets ever built and special effects by triple-Oscar winner Carlo Rambaldi (E.T.). Lynch turned down an offer to direct Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi to helm this mammoth $40 million project, one of the biggest production budgets at the time.

It is a world of menace, grandeur and intrigue. The Planet Dune - 10,000 years into the future, giant mile-long sandworms guard its most precious and priceless asset, the spice Melange, which permits travel through Time and Space. Whoever controls the spice and its secrets controls the Universe. An epic conflict grips the galaxy as Paul Atreides leads his people into combat against the sworn enemy, the Harkonnens for possession of the planet. But, on Dune, Paul discovers that he has an even greater destiny to fulfil.

An all-star cast led by Kyle MacLachlan in his feature film debut includes Sean Young, Max Von Sydow, Patrick Stewart and Sting.

DUNE (1984) The Definitive Two-Disc DVD Special Edition
5 April 2004, £19.99 RRP, Cat No. SVE3040,
Cert 15, Film: 131 minutes, Features: 46 mins, Region 0 PAL DVD,
Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 Surround Sound

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Thursday, January 8, 2004

Happy New Year

Here's to 2004! Let's hope this year brings us nice new special editions of Wild At Heart and Lost Highway on DVD, and Twin Peaks season 2 (for you overseas folks at least).

Blue Bob Concert Photos

Roland Kermarec's Lynchland now has photos from Lynch and Neff's Blue Bob concert in Paris. The captions are in French and english. You can check them out here.

Rent Lynch DVDs From Other Regions

For those folks here in the US who have mult-region/format players and want to check out some of Lynch films' dvds from overseas, now you can without having to buy them. A new company called Nicheflix.com stocks rental discs from all over the world. They have the German Lost Highway, Korean Wild At Heart (region 0 so it's playable by all US dvd players), Korean Twin Peaks Season 1 (which includes the pilot), Korean Fire Walk With Me, Spain Twin Peaks full series (remember its poor quality though), the German Dune Perfect Collection discs and even Mulholland Drive on D-VHS. They also stock a wealth of other foreign and cult discs. I haven't used them myself yet so I can't vouch for their service, but their selection is certainly impressive. Their fourm also has some helpful suggestions for inexpensive players that can be made region free and do pal to ntsc conversion.

Sunday, December 21, 2003

Lynch in Stuff Magazine

This month's Stuff magazine has a short one page interview with Lynch. You can read it here.

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

Twin Peaks Season 2 DVD, Where Art Thou?

It's been two years now since the release of Artisan's Twin Peaks Season 1 DVD set, and the question on everyone's mind is, where's season 2? The good news is that most countries outside the US will be getting it in September of 2004. The bad news is that no US release is in sight. Why is that you're probably asking? In recent months there have been various news reports in which Artisan has claimed that they either don't have the rights any more or that the first season didn't sell enough to warrant season 2. Neither of these is true. Artisan's deal for the Spelling/Republic library (which includes Peaks) doesn't run out until September of 2005, and the Peaks box set was a fairly good seller for them, only bested by large blockbuster titles such as Terminator 2. So why haven't they really gotten around to season 2 yet? I've spent the last month or so looking into this, including talking with a couple of sources inside Artisan. The answer, sadly, boils down to petty corporate rivalry between Artisan and Paramount.
Paramount's parent company, Viacom, owned 80% of Spelling Entertainment in the late '90s due to a 1994 purchase of Blockbuster Entertainment. At the time, Spelling was showing huge losses and Paramount was trying to unload the unprofitable division. Thus they made the licensing deal with Artisan in 1998, figuring the catalog wasn't worth much. Then things changed in 1999. Spelling Entertainment underwent a dramatic restructuring that caused the company to start turning a profit, and suddenly Paramount started paying more attention. Instead of trying to dump Spelling, they purchased the remaining 20% to gain full ownership of the company and officially merged it into Viacom's family. Around the same time, dvd sales really took off, and before you knew it, home entertainment companies were eager to exploit their catalogs for titles to release on the hot dvd format. That library that Spelling let Artisan have cheap was now worth so much more.
So here's the interesting question to ask: Why has Artisan done so little to exploit the Spelling/Republic catalog, when every other home entertainment company is scrambling to dig into their back catalog for new dvd releases? The Spelling deal gives them the rights to over 6,300 films, yet to date they've only released about 30, most of which are just re-issues of the pre-licensing deal Republic discs. The answer once again, is Paramount. Because Paramount owns Spelling/Republic, they own all the source prints and negatives to every film and tv show licensed by Artisan (aside from prints have found their way into the hands of collectors). And Paramount doesn't like to share. Like most large entertainment corporations, they protect their assets fiercely once they deem them to have value, and would rather do nothing with them than let go of them cheaply for another company to profit off of. We already saw this in Paramount's refusal to license the Peaks pilot (which wasn't covered in the Spelling deal) at a reasonable price to Artisan for the first season set. With this new huge DVD market to be exploited, Paramount knew it had value, and they weren't going to let go of it easily. So we lost out on getting a US release of the pilot with the season 1 set. Now something similar is happening with season 2, and all the Spelling/Republic titles for that matter. The licensing deal Artisan has gives them the rights to release the titles, but it doesn't guarantee them access to the source materials to make new masters from. Paramount owns those, and they are doing everything they can to make it difficult for Artisan to get a hold of them to make new dvd masters from. Artisan has older existing masters for much of the catalog, but most were done for VHS releases and don't live up to the quality expected for dvd releases. New hi-def masters have to be made for dvd releases. In most cases, Paramount is either asking huge unreasonable fees for access to the source materials, or outright refusing to let Artisan have them. Artisan is a small company without deep pockets, so they have to watch carefully how much they spend on a disc. At the prices Paramount is asking, in most cases they just can't justify spending the money for new transfers (and of course if Paramount refuses outright they're stuck even more). That leaves them with two options: release sub-par discs that they know people will complain about and not accept, or not release the title at all. Artisan has opted for the latter.
So what this all means, is that we'll probably never see a release of Twin Peaks season 2 here in the US until after September of 2005, unless Paramount suddenly has a change of heart. The good news is that since Paramount is already doing new masters for the European and Asian discs, they'll have them done and can quickly churn out the discs once they re-acquire control of the Spelling library. The other wild card in all this is Lion's Gate, who now own Artisan. They're a bit more agressive with their home video releases and may decide it's worth spending the extra money to bring out some of the Spelling/Republic titles. Though given Paramount's lack of cooperation, I'd say it's a long shot at best. Most likely if you want to see Twin Peaks season 2 on dvd, you'll have to either import a copy from another region late next year, or wait until after September 2005 for a US release.

Animated Lynch?

At the recent face to face with Lynch at the International Stockholm Film Festival, he stated that he has just finished a script for an animanted film for children called Snootworld. When it comes to regular films he said that he's currently in a phase where he's fishing for ideas to "fall in love" with. Thanks to samanta for the info.

UK conference on Lynch

The Department of Philosophy at the University of Warwick in the UK is having a conference on the theme of David Lynch and the Cinematic Sublime to be held at the university on 11 February 2004. Speakers include Erica Sheen who has edited a forthcoming collection of essays on Lynch. You can get more info here. Thanks to Dr Darren Ambrose for the info.

More on Lynch's Meditation Centers

Reuters has another article on Lynch's attempt to raise $1 billion for Transcendental Meditation centers. You can read the article here. Thanks to Charles Arrowsmith for the info.

New Naomi Watts interviews

This month's Hollywood Life has an interview with Naomi Watts. You can read it here. This month's Interview Magazine also has an interview with Watts. You can read it here.

Monday, November 3, 2003

First Mulholland Drive D-vhs review

A poster over a the AVS forum has given the first (and so far only) review I've seen of the new D-VHS release of Mulholland Drive. Again, for those not familar with D-VHS, it's an extension of the VHS format used for high definition digital recording (ie for HDTV). The reviewer doesn't seem to be a big Lynch fan, but if you ignore his comments about Lynch's other films, the review does give an idea about the quality of the D-VHS tape. You can read the review here.

Lost Highway Goes Opera

The New York Times has an interesting article on an opera adaption of Lynch's Lost Highway. You can read the article here. Unfortunately you have to sign up for the Time's website to be able to view the article, but it is free. Thanks to Matt Slotkin for the link.

Lynch Films Screened in New York

A revival theater in Manhattan, Cinema Classics, is screening several of Lynch's films during November and December. You can view the schedule here. Thanks to Matt Slotkin for the link.

Wednesday, October 29, 2003

Lynch Parisienne Ad

Lynch's commercial for Parisienne cigarettes is available from the LDM productions website (11th ad down on the left side). Also featured on the site are ads directed by the Coens, Roman Polanski, Wim Wenders, Robert Altman and several other well-known directors.

Lynch Starts Peace Drive

The October 22 New York Post has a page 6 (their gossip page) article on Lynch's desire to help Maharishi Mahesh Yogi raise money for peace centers. You can read the article here.

Lynch guest at International Stockholm Film Festival

David Lynch will be the honorary guest at the International Stockholm Film Festival, November 13-23. He will receive the Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award. Lynch is scheduled to speak at a special Face2Face seminar and answer questions from the audience. Several Lynch films will also be screened (schedule subject to change):
November 18, 11:00 a.m.: Eraserhead
November 19, 11:00 a.m.: Blue Velvet
November 19, 1:30 p.m.: Wild At Heart
November 19, 11:45 p.m.: Lost Highway
November 21, 6:30 p.m.: Face2Face Q&A with David Lynch
November 21, 11:30 p.m.: Twin Peaks night
November 23, 11:45 p.m.: Mulholland Drive
Thanks to Rasmus Thord for the info

Saturday, September 13, 2003

Twin Peaks Season 2 DVD release date - in Europe

Paramount Sweden has confirmed that the season 2 DVD box set of Twin Peaks will be released in September 2004 in Europe. No reason is given for the lengthy delay, but hopefully it means they're taking time to come up with some extras. Thanks to Rasmus Thord for the info.

Friday, August 29, 2003

Mulholland Drive on D-VHS

Widescreen Review is reporting that Mulholland Drive will be released in the D-VHS format on October 21. For those not familar with D-VHS, it's an extension of the VHS format used for high definition digital recording. In other words, this will be the first commercial release of a Lynch film in the high definition format. Personally I hate tape and wish they'd hurry up with a hd disc format, but a Lynch film in hi-def is almost enough to get even me to buy tape.

Monday, August 25, 2003

Hotel Room comes to DVD?

LynchNet reader Shane sends in the following tidbit about the possibility of Hotel Room coming to DVD in the US:
"A few weeks back I attended a midnight screening of Wild at Heart at the fantastic 4star theatre in San Francisco. Barry Gifford was in attendance, and he shared some anecdotes and memories of working on the novel and film with David Lynch. It was a fantastic experience--he had some great stories...and some cool news. Barry said that David has acquired the rights to the 2 segments of Hotel Room that he and Barry worked on, and that the DVD will hopefully be available thru DL.com this year. The best part--it will be a full, uncut, 1-hour long ver. of 'Blackout'."
I'd still put this in the rumor category until an official release is announced, but if this pans out this is great news for a Lynch title that otherwise might have slipped through the cracks with the major studios' dvd releases.

Naomi Watts AP article

Naomi Watts Makes 9 Movies in Two Years
SAN FRANCISCO - Naomi Watts (news) is making up for lost time - and on her terms.
The 33-year-old Australian actress has made nine movies in the past two years and has four films in the can, including "21 Grams" opposite Sean Penn (news) and Benicio Del Toro (news), David O. Russell (news)'s "I Heart Huckabee's" and "The Assassination of Richard Nixon."
"I think I have better taste now than I did then," Watts told the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday. "I've done movies almost back to back for the past year and a half, and I'm not getting talked into anything for anyone - it has to be my decision."
"That's one of the lucky things about getting the success later on. I know how I want to dress, I know what kind of house I want to live in, I just know more about myself, and that's true about the roles I want to play and what parts of myself I want to express. You're just more in touch with yourself."

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