Director David Lynch, who radicalized American film with with a dark, surrealistic artistic vision in films like 'Blue Velvet,' has died. He was 78.

The movie was panned by critics when it opened in 1984 and seemed likely to bring a sudden end to Lynch’s meteoric rise, only for him to be redeemed by his fourth feature, Blue Velvet.

He was also an abstract painter, photographer and sculptor whose prints and constructions echoed the underlying discomfort that was constant in “Mulholland Drive” and “Blue Velvet.” ...

David Lynch, the groundbreaking director of films and shows including "Twin Peaks" and "Blue Velvet," has died at ... He first broke into the movie scene in 1977 when he turned his thesis project ...