Blue Velvet
1986, R, 120 min.
D: David Lynch.

This David Lynch extravaganza is one of those acid test movies: You either think it’s dementedly wild at heart or a lost highway to nowhere. Either way, there is no denying the sheer audacity of Blue Velvet’s visuals or storyline. It’s quintessential David Lynch, and Dennis Hopper at his most manic.

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Marjorie Baumgarten is a film critic and contributing writer at The Austin Chronicle, where she has worked in many capacities since the paper's founding in 1981. She served as the Chronicle's Film Reviews editor for 25 years.