My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done? (2009)

Part two of a Saturday of Black Comedy Session, this David Lynch-presented, Werner Herzog-directed, Michael Shannon, Udo Kier, Willem Dafoe and Chloe Sevigny-starring oddity is bonkers. It is so bemusingly weird that it makes Herzog's previous Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans look conventional. It is a police thriller, whose thrills last for about 2 minutes. And its subtle change of tone will either leave you in awe or make you scream to high heavens for wasting your time on this. Me - I was somewhere in the middle, leaning more towards the awe-inspired kind.

Retro Review: The Straight Story (1999)

Having finally seen David Lynch's oddity (now that's a first) The Straight Story (1999), my admiration for him is at an all-time high. I have berated the dung that was Dune (1984), which then reminded me that he really is an acquired taste - and it made me wonder how I acquired it in the first place. The answer lied here.

This Is Spain Calling: Sex and Lucia (2001)

A woman is sitting outside in a restaurant on a bright Spring Mediterranean afternoon. She takes a casual look at the bilingual menu. Just then a waiter appears (we see him from waist down) and asks her in not so polite manner what she wants in Spanish. When she doesn't respond for a few seconds, he switches to English and asks her where she's from. "From Malta", she lies. He makes a familiar, albeit superficial, comment on how crowded Malta is for its size. He then asks her what she would like. "Paella", she says, struggling to mask her accent. He doesn't seem to notice it. He says they only serve paella for two - no single portions are available. Taken aback, she looks around the rest of the patrons in the restaurant - all couples. Tears begin to stream down her face. She gets up, apologises profusely in broken English and walks away.

If there ever is a better way to show when the reality sinks in on somebody's mortal loss, I would like to see it.

Retro Review: Dune (1984)

Quite why and how David Lynch ended up directing Dune is a whole book unto itself. The source material and the director's (up to that point) oeuvre could not be more at odds. Mind you, Lynch did not go on to direct politically-charged space operas after Dune either. It was a bad match and somebody should have seen it coming. The fact that Dune was a collosal flop the size of a brachiosaurus only pushed Lynch to go on to definitely bigger and better things. Having said that, he is still not universally adored or revered for a lot reasons.