Lost Highway (5 Stars)

Finally I'm watching my favourite film again. It's a masterpiece. Maybe I shouldn't say finally, because I watched it twice last year. It's a film I could watch every day, or maybe only once a week, because it's overpowering and I need time to recover.

It's a film that I'd like to watch with friends who appreciate it as much as I do. It's a film I'd like to discuss with friends, preferably over a beer. Tonight I was sitting alone, during and after the film, so I tried something new. I started a discussion with ChatGPT. First I asked what the film meant, and I was glad that ChatGPT gave the time loop interpretation, not the fantasy interpretation that Fred Madison invented everything while he was in his prison cell. The latter interpretation was popular for years, until David Lynch came out and said it was wrong. That's probably why ChatGPT sticks to the time loop theory.

Our discussion revolved around two questions:

1. Who is the executioner?

2. Did Fred Madison really kill his wife?

A couple of times I contradicted ChatGPT, saying "That isn't true, because..." and I always got insightful replies. Either ChatGPT said "Yes it is", giving arguments to back up its position, or it agreed with me.

This was clearest in the case of Fred Madison killing his wife. ChatGPT said a few times that Fred was a murderer, but when I said "I don't think Fred really killed his wife", it backed down and said "There are a lot of arguments in favour of your position". After the alleged murder the body is never shown on screen. More to the point, at the end of the film Fred finds his wife in the hotel having sex with Dick Laurent. The only other explanation for this is that in the time loop the final scenes of the film might have happened before the murder. Maybe. That doesn't add up, because Andy is alive before the murder, but he's dead at the end of the film.

The executioner must be Fred. He kills Dick Laurent in cold blood. Dick Laurent was guilty of killing people in snuff films, so he was condemned to death. Where was he sent to wait for his execution? Into the time loop. Where was the executioner? Fred was hiding in Pete Dayton's body.

The main argument against Fred being the executioner is that he dies at the end of the film. Or does he? The final scene takes place outside of the time loop, where anything is possible. In the opening scenes, when Dick Laurent's death is announced, we hear the police cars chasing Fred; but Fred is still in his apartment.

Interestingly, ChatGPT tried to smooth over all our disagreements by saying David Lynch is painting a surreal picture which can't be fully explained; it doesn't matter if Fred killed his wife or not.

A friend of mine – if you're reading this you know who you are – said to me that David Lynch makes films which only he can understand. That's not a viewpoint I like. I prefer ChatGPT's surreal picture explanation.

I'd still prefer to discuss the film with a person. Preferably in person, but if anyone wants to leave comments on this post I'll answer him.

Success Rate:  - 3.9

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Independence Day: Resurgence (3 Stars)

Disney Wednesday #26

This is a delayed sequel to "Independence Day", made 20 years after the original. I always have an aversion to delayed sequels. Sometimes they're good, mostly they aren't.

Actually, I'm no big fan of the original. I remember seeing it on television shortly after its release, but I had no inclination to buy it on DVD. I still remember the spectacular special effects created by Stuttgart's own Roland Emmerich, but I was annoyed by the concept of America saving the world and July 4th becoming the Independence Day for the whole world. For me as an Englishman that's an insult. I still think that American independence was a mistake. But it's all in the past. The Americans wanted independence, and now they have Donald Trump.

"Resurgence" is a far inferior film. The battle scenes are confused and difficult to follow. The first film was acceptable, but the sequel is unnecessary. At least it was a box office success.

I only watched it today because my grandson Oliver requested it. He watched it on television with his parents a few weeks ago, and he wanted to watch it again. I hope he'll have better taste as he gets older.

Success Rate:  + 0.4

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Lost Highway (5 Stars)

Finally! This has been my favourite film for years, but today is the first time I've seen it in the cinema. The film stunned me as if I were watching it for the very first time.

I'm unable to write any more today. I'll try to explain my problems later this week.

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Lost Highway (5 Stars)

David Lynch is dead.

I read the news late last night, and it hit me like a bombshell.

He's best known for the TV series "Twin Peaks", which he made in 1990. I didn't watch it until 20 years later, but I was already aware of it. I had friends who talked about it. Based on their descriptions, I thought it was nothing for me. I couldn't have been more wrong.

The first film I watched made by David Lynch was "Mulholland Drive". I forget when. Probably round about 2004. After that I bought all his films in quick succession. "Lost Highway" immediately became my favourite film, knocking "Donnie Darko" off the top spot. I've often changed my mind about my favourite film, but it doesn't look like "Lost Highway" will be removed from the top spot any time soon. It's a masterpiece.

"Lost Highway" isn't an easy film to understand. There are different theories about its meaning. The most commonly held opinion is that it's a story about a man who's killed his wife and spends his final days lying in his cell making up a fictional story about her while he waits to be executed. The other theories are variations on a supernatural time loop. Interestingly, in an interview David Lynch said that he'd read the explanations of "Lost Highway" in forums and nobody had got it right. I'm glad that he rejected the fictional story theory, because it always seemed absurd to me. That leaves the many variations of the explanations based on a time loop. I have my own explanation, which I've never read in any online forum, so maybe I'm right.

On the other hand, a friend of mine who also loves "Lost Highway" says that there's no explanation. He says that David Lynch makes films for himself and doesn't intend them to be understood.

Lynch has hardly made any films in the last 25 years. His only major work was a third season of "Twin Peaks". Maybe he was put off by the poor reception of his last film, "Inland Empire". 

But now he's gone.

David Lynch
January 20, 1946 – January 15, 2025

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Lake Placid (4 Stars)

Betty White is dead.

Those are words that I didn't think I would have to write. There was already some media buzz about her upcoming 100th birthday on 17th January 2022. She didn't make it. She died yesterday morning at home. The cause of death hasn't yet been disclosed, except that it was natural causes.

She's had a long acting career, but I first became aware of her about 20 years ago when I saw reruns of "The Golden Girls" (1985 to 1992). I've never been a fan of American sitcoms, but the concept of four elderly ladies living together interested me. I wouldn't say that I found the episodes laugh-out-loud funny, but I found the old ladies sweet. Even then, Betty White stood out as the one who attracted me most.

A short time later I saw "Lake Placid" for the first time. Betty White has a small but important role in the film as an old woman who keeps giant crocodiles as pets. After a diver is killed she tries to cover up the existence of the crocodiles.

I'm sorry to say that "Lake Placid" is the only film in which I ever saw her, but I didn't forget her over the following years. Betty White remained active in social media, and I was always fascinated by whatever she had to say. What I liked about her so much was that she sounded so young. She always retained the playful attitude of a teenage girl. If I'd met her in a chatroom I would have guessed her age as 16.

One of her most famous quotes sounds like a joke, but it's actually true:

"Why do people say 'grow some balls'? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding".

Now she's passed away. She'll be missed not only by her family and friends, but by the millions of fans who've watched her from afar over the years. People like me.

Betty, we'll always love you.

It's sad to see the cover of the latest issue of People magazine. They jumped the gun.

Betty White
January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021

Success Rate:  + 0.1

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Lost Highway (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #1

It's taken me eight months, but I've finally reached the top film in my countdown of my 100 favourite films. It's only a surprise to my casual readers. My close friends already know "Lost Highway" is my favourite film, and I've even mentioned it once or twice in this blog.

"Dick Laurent is dead". That's him in the photo above, played by Robert Loggia. His death is announced at the start of the film, but we soon see that he's alive and well. He's a gangster in Los Angeles who's involved in the production of snuff movies. By all means, he's an evil man who deserves to die. He's living on borrowed time.

"In the East, the Far East, when a person is sentenced to death, they're sent to a place where they can't escape, never knowing when an executioner may step up behind them, and fire a bullet into the back of their head".

Dick Laurent's sentence has already been pronounced. His death is inevitable. He doesn't recognise his executioner, because he's hidden in the body of another man.

The identity and occupation of the mysterious Man In Black isn't completely clear, although I'm sure that he represents the Devil. He's described as an associate of Dick Laurent, but there's no hint of what he does for Dick. When Dick's throat is cut and he's struggling to keep the blood in, the Man In Black presents Dick with evidence of his past sins, the reason for his death sentence. Is he the judge, or merely a prison guard, standing at his side until the moment of execution comes?

Dick goes for a ride with the young car mechanic Pete Dayton. He thinks he has nothing to fear.

The jazz saxophonist Fred Madison is more capable of murder. This is one of the key events on which reviewers disagree. A videotape shows him cutting his wife to pieces. So he really did kill his wife, didn't he? I think not. When Fred sees the tape he's shocked and calls for his wife, thinking she's in the bedroom. He stubbornly declares his innocence to the police. Was her body ever found? The film doesn't make it clear whether a dismembered body was found in his bedroom. The only thing we know is that later in the film we see that she's still alive, in bed with Dick Laurent.

The video was made by the Man In Black, and it's obvious that he has supernatural abilities. He chose to frame Fred, to put him into a position to act as executioner. I know it's not fair, but when was the Devil ever fair?

At first Dick's girlfriend Alice Wakefield seems to be a victim, but as the film progresses we see that she's evil. She uses Pete to kill her enemies.

And then she walks away, leaving Pete lying in the dirt.

This sequence is beautifully filmed.

As I've written in my past reviews, there are different interpretations of this film. There are many differences in opinion on details, but there are two main theories: One theory is that the film shows a time loop. The other theory is that Fred Madison has a mental breakdown after murdering his wife and imagines a supernatural conspiracy while waiting to be executed. The second theory is so ridiculous that I'm surprised anybody believes it. It would mean that 90% of the film is either a dream sequence or imagined. If that were the case, it would be very poor screenwriting. The German edition of the "Lost Highway" DVD even prints this explanation on the back of the box. That's bad.

"Lost Highway" is a work of genius. I'm surprised that more people don't know it. It's a film that everyone should watch at least once; or better still, three times. After one viewing you won't understand it.

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Battle of the Sexes (4 Stars)

This is a true story about the events leading up to the tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs on 20th September 1973. I'm old enough to remember it, and I was fascinated by the match when it took place. It was advertised as the ultimate battle to prove who's superior, man or woman. A concept like this thrilled me, especially when Billie Jean won. The British press belittled the event afterwards. They said it proved nothing at all, just that an old tennis player, a man years past his prime, was no match for the world's best female tennis player. I wonder if they would have said the match meant nothing if Bobby had won.

One of the first things I did after watching the film in the cinema was run to the Internet to check how accurate the film is. Very accurate, it says, because Billie Jean King was the adviser on all the issues in the film. All the issues? I think not. She's just putting across her subjective viewpoint, the way she remembers everything. She doesn't know how things were on Bobby's side of the contest. She couldn't look inside his head. Bobby himself had already been dead for 20 years when the film was made, so he couldn't be consulted.

Even in the film it's not made completely clear what Bobby's motivation was. Outwardly, to the press and even to his friends in the tennis business, he made out that he was a male chauvinist pig who believed in the superiority of men over women in all areas of life, especially tennis. However, we also hear that he was a showman, so he was exaggerating his statements for maximum effect. How much exaggeration was there? What I mean is, was he exaggerating something he sincerely believed, or was it something he only pretended to believe? Where did he lie on the scale from reasonable human being to completely disgusting pig? Does Billie Jean King know the answer to that question?

Back in 1973 I had my own opinion on the subject. I thought Bobby Riggs was setting himself up. He was still a good tennis player for his age, and he intended to give it all he'd got, but he expected to lose, and the prospect of losing turned him on. His easy victory against Margaret Court four months earlier disappointed him. He wanted Billie Jean King to humiliate him, and that's what she did.

I admit that my judgement of Bobby Riggs' motives is based on my own way of thinking and my personal fetishes. If I were standing opposite a beautiful woman in a short skirt, I wouldn't want to defeat her. I'm not saying that I'd let her win, but I'd hope for her to win.

Billie Jean King was very gracious after her victory. She hugged Bobby instead of belittling him. The mocking was left up to the feminists and women's libbers at home. What did Billie and Bobby discuss when they sat together after the match? Did they part as friends, which is what the film suggests? Even if they did, was Bobby finally honest to her about his feelings? I fear we shall never know the answer.

Success Rate:  - 1.3

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Lost Highway (5 Stars)

This is the third and final film in my mini-marathon. "Lost Highway" is the best film I've ever seen. I've deliberately kept it away from my son Benjamin for years. I've been afraid that he wouldn't understand it. Judging by his reaction after it ended he was impressed by the imagery, but he didn't understand what he'd seen. I'm not saying that to criticise him. I didn't start to understand what it was about until I'd watched it three times.

Does anyone really understand it? After the film was released in 1997 there was a lot of activity in online forums discussing it, with different people giving their theories what it was about. Director David Lynch stayed out of the discussions, until a few years later when he finally said that nobody had got it right. That's a sweeping statement. Nobody at all? How many theories did he read? The majority of the explanations revolve around Fred Madison having a psychotic breakdown to excuse himself for killing his wife. That's obviously incorrect. The correct interpretation of the film depends on whether he killed his wife or not. I don't believe he killed his wife. He was framed. The videotape presented as evidence was supernaturally created by a person who was able to be in two places at once.

The truly evil person in the film is Dick Laurent. He's corrupted Fred's wife by forcing her to watch women being murdered while making snuff films. He's the one who has been judged guilty and has to be executed. Even though the mystery man is the one who pulls the trigger, Fred is the executioner. He's the one who bundles Dick Laurent into a car and drives him into the desert. Maybe the mystery man is the judge, but it's more possible that he's the Devil. After Fred does his work he's abandoned, fleeing from the police, unable to escape.

Even though I feel that I understand the main themes of the film there are still small details that are unclear to me. I'd like to discuss the film with someone who knows and loves it as much as I do.

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The Equalizer 2 (4 Stars)

The first Equalizer film starring Denzel Washington was a masterpiece, so the second film had a lot to live up to. Would it live up to the original? That's the question I was asking myself when I sat down in the cinema tonight.

The answer is a qualified Yes. Denzel Washington was born for the role of Robert McCall, the retired secret intelligence agent. He's so adept at playing a hard-hitting action hero that he should have been playing roles like this for the last 20 years.

The film's final showdown in the abandoned town is breath-taking. It's one of the best shoot-outs I've ever seen.

The only criticisms I have are of the plot, which I found confusing. It must have been even more difficult to understand for viewers who hadn't seen the first film (or at least the television series). There's no recap of the fact that Robert McCall has retired from active duty and now does favours for those he meets, giving them justice when the legal system lets them down.

In the first film Robert McCall worked in a hardware store. Now he's a taxi driver. That's a good choice of career, because he's confronted with a lot of personal tragedies that he can put right. However, the film's main story is about the murder of a couple in Brussels that has been set up to look like a murder-suicide. The man was a secret agent, a former colleague of McCall's. The reason for the murder was unnecessarily complicated, even though it was explained at the end.

I still think this was a good film, but I think it could have been better. The next film should have a simpler, more linear plot.

The Grudge (2004) (2 Stars)

I don't understand the appeal of this film or any of the other films in the Grudge or Ju-On series. I bought the 2002 Japanese film, "Juon: The Grudge" as one of my first DVDs. I didn't get it. There were a lot of scares, and the suspense was good, but the story didn't make sense. I only found out years later that it was the third part in a film series, and the first two parts had never been released with English subtitles. Maybe if I'd seen the first two parts I would have understood it better.

In 2004 "Ju-On: The Grudge" was remade in America, called simply "The Grudge". That's the film I'm reviewing now. It's not a typical Hollywood remake, because the director of the original version, Takashi Shimizu, was invited to direct it himself. I thought I might understand the American film better, but I was wrong. I remember watching the two films back to back. I could see that both films were being shown in non-chronological order, with interaction between the past and the present, but I couldn't understand why.

I know that a lot of people, both fans and critics, like "The Grudge" and its sequels. On more than one occasion I've felt tempted to give it another chance. Now I've given up. There are enough other films for me to watch.

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Battle of the Sexes (4 Stars)

Man versus woman. Who will win? In a fair fight between the best specimens of each gender it would be a close contest, but the tennis match that took place on 20th September 1973 was anything but close.

The former tennis champion Bobby Riggs claimed that even at the age of 55 he could still beat the world's best female tennis player, because women are inferior in both strength and skill. Most of all he claimed that women can't handle psychological pressure. The extravagance of his condescending attitude made people think he was just putting on a show. It's true that he was a showman, but his personal friends have verified that he really did think women were inferior to men.

The match took place at a crucial point in Billie Jean King's life. She was recognised as the best woman tennis player in the world, despite losing a championship match against the Australian Margaret Court. She was caught up in arguments with the Lawn Tennis Association about the difference in prize money for the male and female championships ($120,000 for men, $15,000 for women). She had been married for eight years, but she was beginning to find herself more attracted to women than to men. These themes are all dealt with in the film.

Then the loudmouth Bobby Riggs appeared who was spouting propaganda about the superiority of men over women. He had a shock victory over Margaret Court which he used as proof that he was right. In actual fact, she had buckled under the pressure of the occasion. Bobby Riggs was the king of trash talk, which unnerved her and prevented her playing her best game. Billie Jean King felt no animosity towards Bobby, she even considered him a friend, but she had to stand up for the honour of women. She had stronger nerves than Margaret Court. When Bobby talked trash Billie Jean talked trash back at him. She went along with Bobby's showmanship. If Bobby wanted a show Billie Jean would give him a show, the biggest show on Earth. The only thing she wouldn't do was let him win.

The match was hyped up as the ultimate battle between man and woman, but it was just a tennis match between a young woman and an old man. If he'd been at his prime, as he'd been when he was world champion in 1946, he would probably have beaten her. In 1973 he didn't stand a chance.

Nevertheless, the match was taken seriously at the time. Women throughout the world treated it as a great victory. Even in the cinema tonight I could witness the emotional effect. A woman sitting in front of me clapped every time Billie Jean won a point in the match. I'm not a tennis fan, I never have been, but I also found myself being carried along by the excitement of the match.

I strongly praise the performances of the two lead actors, Emma Stone and Steve Carell. They both look uncannily similar to the characters they play.

Lake Placid (4 Stars)

Grandma, what a big mouth you have!

 It's a long time since I watched this film, at least 10 years. It used to be one of my favourite films. Watching it again today I don't rate it quite as highly. Or maybe it's just my mood.

The film is centred around a lake called Black Lake in Maine. The lake really exists, but since the film was made in Canada other lakes were used for filming. As far as the film's name goes, that's explained early on. "We wanted to call it Lake Placid, but the name was taken". After a number of mysterious deaths in the lake it's discovered that there's a giant crocodile, estimated to be 30 feet long. Kelly Scott is a palaeontologist sent from New York to investigate. She's assisted by Hector Cyr, a mythology professor with a passion for crocodiles. Why mythology? Hector explains that in many civilisations crocodiles are worshipped as Gods, and he himself has a morbid fascination with them.

The film is marketed as a horror film, but it has a lot of comedy. The main characters clash to comic effect. For me the film's main star is Betty White, the old woman who lives at the side of the lake. It doesn't matter how old she is – she was born on 17 January 1922 – she still has the attitude of a sassy teenage girl. I love her!

Due to family staying with me for the next two weeks I'll have less time to spend on my blog. I'll still write reviews every day, but they will probably be shorter than usual.

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Lost Highway (5 Stars)

30 films to watch before you die, #19

Quite simply, this is the best film I've ever seen.

That's all I want to say. If you haven't seen this film yet, forget everything else you've planned for today and watch it now. After watching it, please leave comments to let me know what you think about it. I'm hoping we can get a good discussion going.

If you enjoy the film, check out the other films directed by David Lynch, in particular

• Wild at Heart (1990)
• Mulholland Drive (2001)
• Inland Empire (2006)

American Ultra (2½ Stars)

A funny thing happened to me on the way to the cinema.....

No, I shouldn't make a joke of it, it was a very pleasant experience, even if it was unusual. While walking to Cineworld to see "American Ultra" with my fellow members of the Birmingham Film Group I was stopped by a pretty young woman offering me a jelly bean. I immediately accepted. We got into a conversation with one another. It seems like I was the first person to accept a sweet from her. Everyone else thought she had an ulterior motive. Why? What's bad about handing out sweets in the street? Can't we show a little love in the world? The young woman who introduced herself as Jaz made me so happy that I photographed her for all the world to see.

When I met my friends I told them about my brief encounter, and their reaction stunned me. They made remarks like, "Mike, you can't accept sweets from strangers, they might be poisoned". That's a sad commentary on the world we live in. Is the world so evil that whenever we see a random act of kindness it's assumed to be something bad? I'm naive, I know I'm naive, but I don't want to be any other way.

It's not the first time in my life I've experienced a stranger handing out sweets. About 10 years ago there was an elderly Pakistani who used to stand outside his house on Coventry Road offering sweets to passers-by. When the weather was good he stood outside for hours. I asked him why he did it. He said that his brother used to hand out sweets to strangers. After his brother's death he decided to carry on the tradition. He added that by giving away sweets he could make people happy by doing something that cost him only a few pennies.

Now to the film itself. I was hesitant to go and see it after my fellow blogger, Emma Roberts, gave it such a bad review. I didn't find it quite as bad as she did, but it's not a film I can recommend.

Someone should ban Kristen Stewart from acting. She manages to sabotage whatever she appears in. If she were at least drop-dead gorgeous I could tolerate her, but she's average looking and an abysmal actress. She's incapable of showing the least emotion on screen. She's a female version of Keanu Reeves. I feel guilty for posting the picture above. It makes the film look so cool, and it makes Kristen look like a cool hippy chick. That's false advertising. The film isn't cool, and Kristen Stewart definitely isn't cool.

The film's plot is typical for high-tech spy thrillers. When Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) was 18 he enlisted into a secret CIA program to create super-soldiers. The project was abandoned, so his memory was wiped and he was sent to live in Liman, West Virginia. He works in a convenience store and he spends his spare time getting stoned with his girlfriend Phoebe (Kristen Stewart). When he attempts to leave the town a CIA executive, Adrian Yates (Topher Grace), decides to eliminate him by sending in a team of highly trained killers. Mike's former mentor at the CIA, Victoria Lasseter (Connie Briton), arrives first and re-activates his fighting abilities by saying a pre-programmed sentence to him. This doesn't bring back his memories, he still doesn't know who he is, but at least he now has the ability to defend himself.

The problem with the film is that it's in a grey zone between a serious action thriller and a comedy. If the comedy had been either eliminated or ramped up to the extreme it would have worked better. The main actors (Jesse, Kristen and Connie) play their roles with deadly seriousness. Topher Grace and most of the supporting actors use comical over-acting. There's no consistency. Then there's the love story. Why does Mike love Phoebe? What does he see in her? She really should have been played by a better actress.

I've recently been criticised for always writing good things about the worst of films. I don't deny this. Even when I see a film that I don't like I try to ask myself what's good about it. There must be something that makes any film worth seeing. In the case of "American Ultra" I don't have to look far. Even when she dresses plainly Connie Britton is a glamorous woman who can turn heads. Her acting talent is phenomenal, she's the centre of every scene she appears in. I'm also impressed by Jesse Eisenberg. I never thought of him as an action hero, but this film proves that he can adapt to roles untypical for him.

Of course, the best thing about the film was the sweet I was given on the way to the cinema. Thank you, Jaz.

The Killer Inside Me (3¾ Stars)

This is a twisted, though somehow fascinating drama, set in a small town in Texas in the 1950's. It was difficult for me to rate. I can appreciate the film's quality on so many levels, such as the atmosphere, the plot and the acting. On the other hand there are scenes that disgusted me so much that I wanted to turn it off. I could have given the film any rating between 1 and 4 stars, depending on my mood.

Lou Ford (Casey Affleck) is the deputy sheriff in Central City, Texas. Despite the grand sound of its name, Central City is actually only a small town in which everyone knows everyone. The only justification for its name is that it really is in the middle of Texas. Lou has a beautiful girlfriend, a school teacher called Amy (Kate Hudson), with whom he has a torrid sado-masochistic relationship, but she isn't enough for him. When he's asked by the town's biggest employer, the owner of a construction company, to run a prostitute (Jessica Alba) out of town who has had an affair with the employer's son, Lou begins an affair with her. Another sado-masochistic affair. Lou likes to hit women, and they enjoy it.

I personally have been involved in the S&M scene, on various levels, since I was at university. This isn't the place to describe my past in detail, but I do have fixed ideas on the subject which are rejected by many others in the scene, although I am convinced that I am right. I know that there are people, both men and women, who experience a certain amount of sexual pleasure out of being dominated, even if the domination involves being hurt. There are both men and women who act as dominants, either acting gently as loving dominants, or acting harshly as cruel dominants. In either case, especially the latter, it's the official party line of the S&M scene that whatever happens must be consensual. It's usual that in S&M relationships the submissive person has a "safe word" which he/she can use when he wants the dominant person to stop what he's doing. This has led to the commonly stated misconception that the submissive is really the one who is in control.

Based on my experience I am strongly of the opinion that men are ill-suited as dominants. Dominant men are unable to stop when they're sexually aroused and often go too far. A problem with men, both dominant and submissive, is that they consider the domination to be foreplay for sexual intercourse, whereas women can enjoy domination without sex. This means that domination by a man can frequently lead to rape. It's also my experience that dominant men tend to be below average intelligence, which further complicates the issue.

I don't know if Lou Ford is based on any real person, but to me he's a typical dominant male. Women submit to him, so he hurts them, but he's unable to stop, and the domination turns into abuse. In this film he kills the women that he's involved with, and then he's forced to kill men to hide what he's done. He's a disgusting creature.

Please leave comments if you agree or disagree with what I've written. Maybe I can go into the subject in more detail.

Lost Highway (5 Stars)

I just re-read my last review of "Lost Highway", and there's not much I can add to it. The more often I watch the film, the more I think that my interpretation of the film as a time loop is correct.

The sex scene between Fred (Bill Pullman) and Renee (Patricia Arquette) at the beginning of the film is the eeriest, most unsettling sex I've ever seen in a film. Only a genius like David Lynch could make sex seem scary. The sex scene between Pete (Balthazar Getty) and Alice (Patricia Arquette again) at the end of the film is almost as threatening.

"Alice who? Her name is Renee. If she's told you her name is Alice, she's lying. And your name? What the fuck is your name?"

Lost Highway (5 Stars)

This is my favourite film. If ever a film deserved more than five stars this is it. Is there any way I can heap more praise on this film? Let me try to restrain myself and write a factual review, as difficult as it is.

Fred Madison is a sucessful jazz musician in Los Angeles. Very successful, judging by the size and quality of his home. The story starts when someone rings his doorbell and announces "Dick Laurent is dead". He looks through the window and the person has alrady left. Over the next few days a videotape is left on his doorstep each morning. The first day it's a video of the exterior of his house. The second day it's a video of Fred and his wife Renee asleep in bed. They call the police, but there's no evidence of a break in. The third day it's a video of Fred killing his wife in the bedroom, hacking his wife to pieces. Fred swears he is innocent, but the videotape is conclusive evidence and he's sentenced to death.

From this point on the story becomes weird. He's in death row awaiting execution. One morning the guards check his cell, and Fred is no longer there. In his place is a young car mechanic called Pete Dayton. Pete is released, since he hasn't committed any crime, but the police tail him looking for clues of his connection to Fred. Unfortunately, Pete is suffering from amnesia. He can't remember what happened the night before he appeared in the cell. His parents remember him being taken away by a mysterious man, but they refuse to tell him any more.

If you've never seen the film, stop reading now. After the pictures below I'm going to write some thoughts about the film's meaning, and spoilers are involved. Only read on if you already know the film.

Two random pictures from the film. The mystery man on the phone, and Pete in confusion after killing Andy.

Anyone who has watched "Lost Highway" already knows that it isn't an easy film to understand. Strange things happen. When the film was first released there were heated discussions in forums about the meaning of the film. Director David Lynch stayed out of the discussion, until a few years ago when he finally said that nobody had got it right. He might not agree with my explanation of the film, but I think that it will make more sense than what others have written.

Judging by what I've read, there are two main interpretations of the film, with several sub-variations. The one line says that Fred kills his wife because he can't satisfy her sexually, after which he has a mental breakdown and tries to invent a better new life for himself in which he is a virile young man. Those who believe this explanation point to the scene in the car at the end in which he is seemingly electrocuted, the electric chair being the act of reality that ends his fantasy. The other line says that Fred is caught in a time loop, as shown by the repeating of the words "Dick Laurent is dead" at the beginning and end of the film. So which is right?

The problem with the first theory is that it means almost everything in the film is a dream, something that didn't really happen. True, Fred says that he doesn't like video cameras because he likes to remember things his own way, not necessarily the way they happened. But if we accept this theory, the only thing that really happened in the film was that he killed his wife. There were no videotapes, no voice at the door, no mystery man at Andy's party. But the main evidence that Fred killed his wife was the videotape. I find the idea very dissatisfying that I am watching a film in which almost nothing that is shown really happens. I strongly doubt that a director of David Lynch's stature would make such a film.

The problem with the time loop theory is simply, how does it happen? I see the answer in the words that the mystery man speaks to Pete on the phone: "In the East, the Far East, when a person is sentenced to death, they're sent to a place where they can't escape, never knowing when an executioner may step up behind them, and fire a bullet into the back of their head". The place where the condemned man is sent to is the time loop, an impossible place to escape.

Who would have the power to do this? The mystery man, of course. He is the Devil, the one who only enters a person's house if he is invited in. Fred invited him in, and so did Pete. We aren't told why, but people have many reasons for making a deal with the Devil. Fred wanted wealth, Pete wanted success with girls? But an important question is, who is the condemned man waiting for the executioner? Is it Fred? Maybe it is; at the end of the film we see him in his car fleeing from the police, so his recapture is inevitable. But was Fred even guilty of the crime? I don't believe that he really killed his wife. He is sentenced to death on the basis of the videotape of the murder, but we never actually see his wife's body. On the contrary, we see her alive and well with Dick Laurent in the hotel. The one who is the condemned man is Dick Laurent. The time loop is wrapped around him. He has to be executed for the crime of making snuff movies. Fred is used to deliver Dick to the mystery man to be shot. Andy, who shares the guilt, is killed by Pete.

The question still remains what role Renee and Alice play in the plans. Fred and Pete are innocents who have allowed themselves to be caught up in something evil. Renee and Alice both seem to be evil. I don't have a conclusive answer. They are obviously the same person, or rather two sides of the same person, being used by the mystery man in his plans.

This is a complex film, but highly enjoyable. It shows a never ending nightmare, which at the same time terrifies and fascinates the viewer.

The Grudge (4 Stars)

After careful consideration I have to say that this is better than the original Japanese version. The American version is more linear and less episodic. It makes better sense. The subplot about Americans living in Tokyo spices up the film. I also find the film scarier. I felt at home with it as soon as I saw Bill Pullman do his Lost Highway stare in the opening scene. Now I need to watch the sequels.