JenniferLynch Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Surveillance may involve three separate interviews about the same event, but Rashomon it most certainly is not. Ascertaining the truth through multiple narratives is certainly central to Jennifer Lynch's long-delayed follow-up to 1993's polarizing Boxing Helena. The three accounts provided, however, aren't juxtaposed or in real conflict; rather, they coalesce to form a tale about the fateful affairs that led FBI agents Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Hallaway (Bill Pullman) to a middle-of-nowhere New Mexico police station to investigate a horrific crime. That offense is initially shrouded in mystery, with details elucidated slowly through the agents' briefing and subsequent interviews – conducted simultaneously by Anderson and local cops, and monitored via closed-circuit video feeds by Hallaway – of the surviving eyewitnesses: traumatized 12-year-old Stephanie (Ryan Simpkins), defiant junkie Bobbie (Pell James) and combative officer Bennet (Kent Harper). It's the set-up for a rather routine procedural. Yet in a development that will stun no one who's seen Boxing Helena or any of her father's films, Lynch isn't interested in straightforward genre mundanity, and even during Hallaway's first appearance – his face twitchy, his speech halting, his eyes nervous and his comportment slightly askew – there's an underlying sense that this ordinary reality is somehow off-kilter, corrupted.

The woman makes Boxing Helena, which tanks, and then pretty much disappears from the world of cinema. Then last year, Jennifer Lynch signs on to helm Surveillance, an indie supernatural thriller. I guess she's gotten back into the groove because she isn't waiting another 15 years for her next feature, and this time around, she's going overseas.

Variety reports that Split Image Pictures, an India-based company, has tapped her to direct a horror thriller called Nagin, which will star Mallika Sherawat (Guru) and Irfan Khan (The Darjeeling Limited). The premise sounds cool -- the film is based on "the Far Eastern myth of the snake woman who is able to take on human form." But the real question is not so much the plot, but whether Lynch can handle it and make a successful film.

Surveillance has gotten some decent ratings on IMDb, but not so nice reviews from Cannes, which suggests that the issues with Boxing Helena weren't just because of the film, but the filmmaker. But... we'll see. The movie did get picked up for distribution.

When I was in grade school, I always wanted to hang out at my friend's house because he had cable. And cable meant boobs. After his parents had gone to bed, we would stay up and flip through the channels looking for so much as a hint of nipple. So one night we're flipping around and we stumble upon a little picture called Boxing Helena. It looked promising, but it wound up being a cruel punishment for our lustful thoughts. If you're not familiar with the plot of Boxing Helena, allow me to share it with you. A surgeon, played by Julian Sands, has a one night stand with Sherilyn Fenn. He becomes obsessed with her, but she does not share the feeling. She has a car accident in front of his house. He brings her inside and... amputates her arms and legs so that he can control her. It is more ridiculous than it sounds, and the ludicrous ending (spoiler alert-- it was all a dream) is infuriating. Oh, we got our nudity that fateful Saturday night, but at what cost? At what cost?

If there is anything notable about Boxing Helena, it is that the film was directed by David Lynch's daughter, Jennifer Lynch. The film was so despised by critics and audiences (it's currently sporting a 16% average over at rottentomatoes.com), it is little surprise that Lynch hasn't directed a film since. Until now! Pell James, Bill Pullman, and Julia Ormond will star in Lynch's "indie supernatural thriller" Surveillance. Her old man will be executive producing and helping to finance the film, which co-stars former Saturday Night Live cast member Cheri Oteri and Squinty McGee -- French Stewart (!). The story "revolves around an FBI agent who goes to a small town, where everyone lies and no one is safe." Kinda sounds like Jennifer's been studying her father's Twin Peaks. Pullman and Ormond have worked with David Lynch before, in Lost Highway and Inland Empire, respectively. They must have owed him a huge favor.