8. Diane Ladd Freaks Out Wild At Heart (1990)
This whole world's wild at heart and weird on top... Based on the novel by Barry Gifford, Lynch's Palme d'Or-winning Wild At Heart features two stand-out performances from Laura Dern and Nicolas Cage as Lula and Sailor, the former reuniting with the director after Blue Velvet while the latter is working with him for the first time (the material suits the actor's often crazy style). The film is a lot of things; an erotic road movie, a psychological thriller, and a distinctive and violent modern-day fairytale that embraces The Wizard of Oz and Elvis iconography as much as it does looking on the wild and weird side of life. It's also a film I struggle to engage with as much as his other work but nonetheless it's a startling experience. The reason for a lot of that effect comes in the form of Dianne Ladd, Dern's real-life mother. She was Oscar-nominated for her portrayal of Dern's fictional controlling mother (she lost out to Whoopi Goldberg for Ghost) who's hell-bent on her daughter not running away with the wild man that is Cage's Sailor. Ladd is a supporting force in the film and her standout scene involves her having rubbed red lipstick all over her face as she talks maniacally on the phone to Henry Dean Stanton's character. Whatever you think of the film there's no doubting it stays with you and Ladd is a big part of that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-3lxC65wHE