David Lynch's Hotel Room

    "Hotel Room" was a short lived HBO show produced and sometimes directed by David Lynch.  There were three episodes, but according to my sources only one is worth a damn, and thats "Blackout."  All three shows take place in the same New York hotel room, at different points in time.  Blackout is in 1936 during a fierce storm which has knocked out all the lights.  There are three characters - a cheerful but ominous bellhop who is in all three shows, and a young man and his wife who are staying for the night.  The man is Crispin Glover, his wife a beautiful blonde girl whose name escapes me and is not listed in the cast - I think she is the dead girl from Twin Peaks.  Alicia Witt, it says in the intro.  Probably Lynch had a crush on her - he has a thing for blondes.  In any case, after being cautioned strongly not to leave the room by the bellhop, the husband sits next to his wife (who is covering her eyes) and after convincing her to open her eyes, they begin to talk.  The talk is telegraphic chatter, ranging from how nice the people at the Chinese food place were, to how they came all the way out from Oklahoma to see this doctor.  Over the course of the first few minutes, it becomes clear that his wife is quite mad.  She stares at everything, speaks  prophetic and frightening nonsense, and eventually freaks out with a candle.  The episode is about 45 minutes long, most of which is just their conversation on the couch.  It's one of those Lynchian things where you start to sweat and look for a reason to stop it but you don't know why.  Remember the videotapes in Lost Highway?  I could hardly look at the screen.  The conversation goes on and we begin to understand their relationship and why they're here, though I won't spoil anything for you - not that there is some big shocker at the end or anything, it's just better to go along for the ride.
    This isn't something you take home to momma, or just a casual thing.  It's probably a Lynch-fan only thing, or at least something for those sympathetic to his style of filmmaking.  People who have never seen any Lynch before will probably scratch their heads (nervously).  You can get used copies on Amazon or EBay, though I'm not sure how good they are - the copy my screencaps are from is just an avi, and you can tell it's probably 2nd-generation VHS.  If you see it in a clearance video pile somewhere, though, pick it up, it's rare and in any case is worth a watch.  Try your local weird video store.