Pretty As a Picture: The Art of David Lynch

How does David Lynch, described here as "affable" and "normal" make films that are, in actor Robert Loggia's words, "incredible, bananas, off-the-wall, courageous, inventive, wonderful, sick and bizarre?" While that answer remains as elusive as Laura Palmer's killer, this documentary is a compelling portrait of the artist as filmmaker, painter, carpenter and--yes--ant wrangler. Clips from Lynch's first short films (The Alphabet, The Grandmother) offer an unsettling glimpse of things to come. An Eraserhead reunion revisits the set of the cult classic that put Lynch on the map. The program also offers entertaining interviews with Lynch, Mel Brooks (who produced The Elephant Man) and Blue Velvet co-star Dean Stockwell, as well as glimpses of Lynch at work on the set of Lost Highway. One sobering thought: A longtime colleague states, "Luckily, David is able to bend everything into his art. Otherwise, somebody might be dead." Lucky for us. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Lee Benson)