Blue Velvet

1986 ***** 120 mins.

Allow me to begin by apologizing to everyone for bad-mouthing this film upon my first viewing. My reactions were natural, but my constant repeating of them was completely un-called for. I hereby apologize.

At fisrt, I was not sure exactly what to make of this film. On one hand, I could see the artistic quality that this film has, but on the other hand, I could not get past most of the bad acting, not to mention the disturbing elements of this film. However, after really looking into it, critiquing it, and taking into account everything my good friend Matthew Duffy told me, I understood the necessity of the stage-y acting.

After my first viewing, I said, "I think David Lynch should be lynched for having put such disturbing elements in this film." Now, though, after purchasing the DVD and watching it again, I must say that David Lynch should be regarded as one of the top film directors of all time for daring to show us things we may not want to see and take us places we may not want to go. It is obvious that he has a firm grasp on his art, and although we may not want to go there (or even understand it all), he is willing to take us. David Lynch forces us to let go our conscious selves and be whisked away into a "strange world".

Kyle MacLachlan plays Jeffrey, a nice young man from a quaint little town with an innocent feel to it. After finding something a bit out of the ordinary, he is quickly plunged into a world where sensuality and violence are closely linked. This is, truly, a film that should not be overlooked and should be watched more than once.
Number 96 on AFI's 100 Years . . . 100 Thrills.
Frank Booth is Number 36 on AFI's 100 Years . . . 100 Heroes and Villains.
Rated R for strong sexual content, language, nudity, and violence.