THE RANKING
Four Empire writers. Ten movies. Ordered definitively.
David Lynch movies
Chris: Usually we start a Ranking with our origin stories, when we first became aware of this subject. But with David Lynch, there’s a big elephant in the Red Room. We’re discussing his movies, but pretty much the most famous thing he’s ever done is a TV show, Twin Peaks.
Alex: I think he said he treated those seasons as movies.
Beth: Good for him, but they ’re telly shows. Chris: True, but the first two seasons are quintessential David Lynch. Everything I love about Lynch is there in Twin Peaks. The weirdness, the mystery, the surrealness, the sexiness, and of course Kyle MacLachlan looking pretty slick.
Nick: Season 1, I’m with you. Season 2 is a big mess, and he wasn’t really involved in those episodes.
Alex: And look what happened when he came back and was completely hands-on with every frame and every bit of sound design for Twin Peaks: The Return. Every single episode is absolutely extraordinary.
Nick: It’s a miracle that that exists. Eighteen hours of undiluted Lynch. I’m halfway through a rewatch at the moment and I’m approaching Episode 8, which is maybe Lynch’s masterpiece. John: If Episode 8 was its own film, it would probably be my number one on this list.