Freak flags everywhere have been flying at half-mast following the death of filmmaker David Lynch, who died last month at age 78. The cult favorite director was known for his inimitably surreal and dreamlike style, both perplexing and enchanting audiences and critics.
Emagine Entertainment’s Birmingham 8 theater is celebrating all things Lynch with Absurda, a Lynch Retrospective. The film series continues Thursday with Wild at Heart (1990), which, for any Lynch-curious readers out there, might be one of the his most accessible films given that it actually has a straightforward story and is also loads of fun.
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R.I.P. David Lynch
Based on a 1990 book by the same name, the movie stars Sailor (Nicolas Cage) and Lula (Laura Dern) as star-crossed lovers on the run from Lula’s overbearing mother (played by Dern’s real-life mom), who hires hitmen to kill Sailor. Their road trip takes them across the seedy underbelly of America, a common Lynch theme, with a healthy dose of references to Elvis and The Wizard of Oz (another of Lynch’s obsessions) for good measure.
If you dig this one, keep digging. The series continues with Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) on March 6, Lost Highway (1997) on March 13, Mulholland Drive (1999) on March 20, and Inland Empire (2006) on March 27.
Screenings at 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27; Birmingham 8, 211 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; emagine-entertainment.com. Tickets are $12.
Wild at Heart
Rated: R
This article appears in Feb 5-11, 2025.