Hey_Sweden

The one-of-a-kind David Lynch certainly left his mark on cinema, with this haunting, dreamlike 80s thriller rating as one of his most memorable. Kyle MacLachlan, re-uniting with Lynch after making his film debut in Dune, plays Jeffrey Beaumont, who returns home to help his ailing father with his business. Upon finding a severed ear in a field by his home, he is soon plunged into an escalating series of events. He gets involved in the life of a kinky but very troubled nightclub singer (Isabella Rossellini), who's being manipulated by a sleazy psychotic named Frank Booth (the great Dennis Hopper).

Intended to expose a creepy netherworld existing under the surface of an ideal, Norman Rockwell-type burg, Blue Velvet does indeed take the viewer on a dark & twisted odyssey. Writer / director Lynch has lots of fun going with the illogical way that dreams have. Jeffrey will encounter various unsavory characters along the way, inevitably drawing love interest Sandy (Laura Dern) into the mess despite his best intentions.

Blue Velvet has a number of scenes & moments that will stay with you. While MacLachlan does a fine job as the earnest, average young man who may pay a price for his curiosity (and is well supported by a rich cast also including Hope Lange, Dean Stockwell, George Dickerson, Priscilla Pointer, Frances Bay, Brad Dourif, and Jack Nance), it's Hopper to whom the film really belongs. He tears up the screen as this uninhibited, crazed, profanity-spewing villain, and has most of the best lines.

While some viewers may find the film to be simply too strange & ugly, it's nonetheless a compelling work that is too fascinating and surreal to dismiss outright. It's not hard to see why it was one of the more heavily praised features of 1986.

Lynchs' use of the widescreen 2.35:1 ratio is excellent, so DO see the film that way. It will lose a little too much if seen on TV.

Seven out of 10.

Chevy Chase returns as Irwin Maurice "Fletch" Fletcher, the investigative reporter with a persona for almost every occasion, in this decent sequel. Instead of another adaptation of a Gregory McDonald Fletch novel, however, we get this screen original in which Fletch inherits a Louisiana plantation from a recently deceased aunt. He chucks his job for what he thinks will be a cushy new life, but almost immediately is plunged into a case of murder, and other shady doings. Of course, his investigating instincts kick in, and he works to solve the crime(s).

While not as interesting a mystery as the first film (this one is too easy to figure out), this does deliver on the comedy front. While it does put on parade a steady assortment of Southern stereotypes, there are plenty of genuinely funny lines & moments. In fact, this sequel IS pretty entertaining, and better than its reputation would suggest. Chase is in fine form as usual (my favorite of his characters is the phony healer Claude Henry Smmoot), and the excellent supporting cast, which is just full of familiar faces, serves him very well. Julianne Phillips in particular is adorable as a realtor, while R. Lee Ermey is hilarious as a TV evangelist. Cleavon Little is great as the sly "Calculus", who's obviously a lot smarter than he lets on.

Among the highlights: a hysterical Song of the South parody. While too many of the supporting characters are clueless and gullible, it's still fun to watch Fletch mess with them.

Directed by Michael Ritchie, returning from the first film, and written by Leon Capetanos.

Seven out of 10.

Spidey has a more interesting and imaginative villain to deal with here: Kotep (voice of Carl Banas), a malevolent (and green-skinned) humanoid magician with awesome powers. However, Kotep ends up trapped inside a statute inside the university Peter attends. And a revenge-minded professor (voice of Gillie Fenwick) is determined to prove to the world that he knows a thing or two about magic, managing to resurrect Kotep and causing various life-or-death situations for Spidey.

All in all, this is quite entertaining. As usual, the designers / animators have fun themselves coming up with various creature designs. But the main draw is the villain, and Kotep does have a certain dark charisma. Attracting Spidey's attention with a massive web strung between NYC buildings, he transports the web-head back to ancient times. It seems as if Spidey's goose might be cooked for sure, but he remembers something that Susan (a fellow student of Peters' whom he really liked) had yelled to him from the street below the web - some bit of helpful knowledge imparted by the professor.

Some typically groovy music and a strong opening make this a solid second season outing. There's also less time devoted to shots of Spidey just swinging around, meaning there's actually more story than usual.

Eight out of 10.