Rating: 
Summary: Lost on Mulholland
Review: Well, Mr. Lynch infuses this film with his trademark masterful cinematography, lighting, and sense of quiet menace, but the scene timing was, for this viewer, off. The acting by much of the cast, including the principals, was strangely wooden, ala House of Games. Curiously, the most effective acting for me was a performance within a performance when Naomi Watts auditioned for a coveted movie role. In most murder mysteries, the plot starts out confusing then gradually becomes clear. In this one, the opposite appears to take place. Two thirds through this film I found myself repeatedly blurting out to my empty livingroom ... I spent the remainder of the film hopelessly lost. I've read the previous reviews on this site and while I agree that art often needn't make sense, that's when your talking about lyrics, sculpture or a painting. These strike you and evoke an emotional reaction in a short, sharp chop. A movie however, is a story. And if you're gonna spend 2-1/2 hours telling a story you BETTER make sense and not leave the tellee feeling like you're pulling an Andy Kaufmann on them, cause that's 2-1/2 hours they'll never get back. I don't want or expect every movie to be clear as an azure lake in deepest summer, but I also don't want to have to cross reference written notes. There are doubtless many who will regard this film as a masterpiece, because, that courtroom observer guy in the movie "After the Fox" went wild over the Fox's Italian village Victor Mature masterpiece. I.....am confused. But then, Picasso and Pollock leave a groove in my hair too, so what do I know. It's MY money though, so I'm glad I only rented.
Rating: 
Summary: Censors ! Censors !
Review: I always thought the bleeping out of the pubic hair was only for the Cable Channels ( family fare ). If a movie is rated R, it is sold only to 18 plus people, I expect to have a guarantee of a complete uncensored director's cut film. Unfortenately it does not happen again in this movie and the only frontal nudity scene is blotched out completely. I haven't found on the web a site that could warned us about this cheating on the customers.
Rating: 
Summary: Stunning and Surreal
Review: Firstly, I would just like to point out that the "ten clues" reproduced by Robin Bell should be accredited to Director David Lynch (they're from the DVD) not to a magazine!Right, on to the review... Quite simply this is one of the best pieces of cinematography I have ever seen. Okay, so it doesn't appear to make a lot of sense on first (or second, third, tenth) viewing, but that is after all Lynch's genius. You will find yourself thinking about this film for days afterwards, and each time you view it you will spot things you missed last time. The effect is to make each viewing of the film a new experience. Besides the thought provoking storyline, and the clever imagery, the film itself is also aesthetically pleasing. The camera work lends a feeling of first person presence - as if you were witnessing the events first hand. The use of light, colour and sound is exceptionally evocative, and the film, though set in the present eminates a timeless quality. In short...buy this film, otherwise you will spend a small fortune renting it again, and again.
Rating:
Summary: A string of well staged set pieces does not make a good film
Review: (** out of ...) While `Lost Highways' strung us along like the Lynch junkies we are - `Mulholland Dr.' is a painful experience that is only kept alive by the enormous performances of the lead cast and some memorable supporting roles. The young and alive Betty (Naomi Watts) arrives in LA to try and get a job as an actress. Staying in her aunt's apartment she meets up with Rita (Laura Harring) who has lost her memory but has a ton of money on her and a single blue strange shaped key. The perfect mystery begins and Betty tries to help Rita discover her true identity. The cause of film's failure is that it does not develop the devices that grabbed our attention at the start. There are many good ideas at play, yet Lynch decides to go down a route that we would find in one of the duller episodes of Twin Peaks (of which there where hardly any). However, `Mulholland Dr.' was originally a pilot episode for a now abandoned television series and this may explain the lack of development and the surprise that never comes. Clocking in at 145 minutes this film could well have been played out in 90. Experimental it may be, but at the same time it is not a film that delivers on its promises. We don't mind wackiness, a story without meaning or quasi-dimensional worlds (that is why we watch Lynch movies!) but we do mind excellent ideas that are cast aside for more trivial and banal discoveries that serve no more of a function than to knit one scene to the next.. Arrrrggghhh it was amateur in so many ways. A sorry case of hit and miss. The film is not all bad though. There are many funny moments, interesting predicaments and wonderful sets pieces. Notably, the hitman's attempt at keeping his work quiet, a scene involving a philosophical cowboy (keep an eye out because you see him once again oh yes!) and the weird concert. All in all the film feels rough on the edges and has a rushed look to it. If only Lynch took the time out to just revise the script and give it the bump that it is crying out for, then I am sure we would all be watching it over and over again. It had all the ingredients but the Lynch cake just didn't bake this time.
Rating: 
Summary: A little ambiguity never hurt
Review: I am constantly amazed when I hear people moan about films that are not simple to interpret. Whoever said that a film has to have a plot or make obvious sense. Film is art just like paintings or books and sometimes half the fun is discussing one's own interpretation with others. It's the exercise of finding support for your arguments that I and many others find stimulating. Don't get me wrong, I like your basic plot movies just as much as anyone else and appreciate zorbing out watching a movie for pure eye candy or entertainment value without having to think (Stars Wars or Collateral Damage come to mind.) However, it's refreshing in I guess a weird way, to get completely confused and mesmerized by a film that leaves you thinking for days. What also baffles me are those who complain about Lynch's movies yet still feel compelled to watch them. It's like they go through the process just to say, "I told you so. I couldn't understand a thing." Harsh as it may sound, those persons may be better off sticking to formula Hollywood movies where things are predictable and completely spelled out for you.
Are Lynch's films high art? Does he make them for film snobs? Hardly. This is a guy who I think is fascinated by the human condition and the onion skins that layer our societies. Just like any other director, sometimes his films flop (Dune) other times they deliver like Mulholland Drive. The imagery, characters, situations, script, and especially the acting, are all above par. I can't say enough about Naomi Watts. I couldn't be sure that Betty and Diane were the same actor until I watched it a second time. Really skilled actors have this uncanny ability of mind over matter, or in this case, mind over body and visage. What is Lynch trying to say? The hell if I know. Is he trying to make a statement? The hell if I know. Do I care? I don't think so. Did I enjoy the 2.5 hrs x 2 I spent watching it? Most definitely! For those who prefer your basic formula movies with clear theme, storyline, and message, rent the recent, "Behind Enemy Lines" and stay away from this movie. You will not enjoy it. For those wanting to watch it just to see the lesbian scenes, you will be disappointed. All the scenes are done with minimal nudity and are far from being gratuitous. For those who enjoy ambiguity, rich imagery and symbolism, deep emotionalism, and yes, some shocking and disturbing scenarios, I think you'll enjoy this one.
Rating:
Summary: What the ...?
Review: In one word, this movie is wierd. I have no idea what happened in the movie. Here are some clues to solve the mystery: -Pay paticular attention in the beginning of the film; at least 2 clues are revealed before the credits. -Notice appearances of the red lampshade. -Can you hear the title of the film that Adam Kesher is auditioning actresses for? Is it mentioned again? -An accident is a terrible event...notice the location of the accident. -Who gives a key, and why? -What is felt, realized and gathered at the club: Silencio? -Did talent alone help Camilla? -Notice the occurances surrounding the man behind Winkies. -Where is Aunt Ruth? -At the end od the movie when Diane reaches in to her nightstand drawer to grab the guin, there appears to be a blue box in the drawer alongside the gun. All clues are from the Hollywood movie store magazine.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting movie, poor DVD special features
Review: My wife didn't like it because she couldn't figure it out. The fact is, no one can figure it out, no doubt including David Lynch. The women in this film are great to look at. "Diane" glows from the inside out, and "Rita?" . . . fuhgedaboudit! She'll knock yer sox off. The DVD has no Scene Selection feature, which is a serious oversight IMHO. How hard would that have been to include? The sound is either Dolby Digital (2 channels? 5.1?) or DTS (not on my machine!) . . . your choice. No director's commentary or anything other than a trailer.
Rating: 
Summary: Beware the DVD version...
Review: Whether you like the film or not, the DVD is garbage for one simple reason. There are NO chapters or scene selection capabilities! Is this Lynch's ego trying to out-weird himself? I have never bought a DVD without this feature and usually it's a huge reason to opt for the DVD. If you have to stop the feature for some reason, you either have to pause it forever or stop it and then have to start all over. It's idiotic and unbelievably inconsiderate of his fans, like he's thumbing his nose at them after he's got their money. Sorry, but that just makes him a jerk in my book. If you want the film, save some money and do yourself a huge favor. Get the VHS version.
Rating:
Summary: What was that again?
Review: You know how you think you heard what someone said to you and it was entirely different than what was spoken? That's MULHOLLAND DRIVE, only stranger and more memorable. A bizarre dazzle of cinematography and twisted plot lines, David Lynch's film never lets you fully know what you're seeing and hearing. Is this a love story idealized (watching "Betty" and "Rita" falling into each other's worlds so quickly and passionately and witnessing "Betty's" out-of-place innocence you soon get the sense that things are not what they seem. Notice how "Rita" says nothing when "Betty" tells her she is falling in love with her.) Or is this is a mystery? Or is this a story as old as ancient Greece where the gods controlled our fates? Imagine ALICE IN WONDERLAND for the brave adult (with dozens of mushrooms instead of one.) Some people have said that they absolutely despise the way the movie takes such a sudden turn two hours into the story, but that is the genius of it all and what makes you think..and think...and think. You ask yourself a hundred and one questions. Suddenly you're no longer pondering why "Rita" has all that money in her purse or why she's being pursued by ominous figures...instead you start thinking about "Aunt Ruth" and what her going and coming is...maybe a direct relation to the blue box and key. Is everything a dream or half a dream or is someone (maybe the figure behind the diner?) playing with fate. "Clues" to look for or to signify deeper things abound all over the Internet. It's fun to figure this deeply disturbing movie out (what does that look "Betty" and "Adam" exchange mean? Perhaps they recognize that they have somehow "swapped" lives-"Adam" is falling apart-Adam who was once a successful, cocky director-while "Betty, also Diane once a bedraggled, burned out wannabe" is just beginning)? This movie disturbs not only with its incredibly sad undertones and scary atmosphere--you get the sense this is L.A. at its worst "worst"-but with its puzzles. Many people may find the love scenes gratuitous (and maybe they are), but if you at look at this as a love story, then you see love at its best ("Betty" and "Rita" working together and finding each other like any couple in love would do) and its worst ("Camilla" pushing "Diane" away and obviously delighting in hurting her and flaunting her affairs in her face.) Give this film a chance if you're not a fan or if you haven't seen it at all. True, at casual glance, you could think the premise is a cop-out, but when you look and listen, you may see that this is a story with rare talents. Unlike most movies, this changes every single time you watch it again!
Rating:
Summary: refreshing and utterly fufilling
Review: wow. that was the one word that came to mind after watching Lynch's Mulholland Drive for the first time. That, and, "my head hurts." After watching it a few more times, I feel that I am qualified to write a review concerning it.
It was originally a TV pilot (the first episode of a TV show), but when the show didn't get picked up, it was turned into a movie. The fact that it was a pilot is evident, there are many storylines happening at once, some don't get resolved all the way, some don't really get resolved at all. The biggest complaint that most people have about this movie is that it doesn't make sense. But i say, why should it have to? The movie is complusively watchable, headed by the beautiful Naomi Watts and Laura Harring, and filled to the brim with memorable scenes that range from outright hilarious (the botched murder that was supposed to be staged as a suicide) to the breathtaking (the night at Club Silencios). It is this latter that truly blew me away. As the host utters, "it is all an illusion" we know that he is not only speaking about the events occuring onstage, but also about the movie itself. But that he could come out and say that what you are watching is fake, and (for myself at least) then that we can totally forget it, only to be reminded of it again in a matter of moments is astonishing. That scene is one of the greatest scenes in any movie I have watched in a long time, perhaps ever.
And it is the last half hour, after the box has been opened, that really calls for repeat viewings. As one other review put it, it feels like all the pieces are there, all the clues are in front of you, and all you have to do is put them together to figure it out. Personally, i haven't quite gotten it all figured out yet; I doubt anyone besides Lynch will ever really know everything there is to know about the story. But man alive, its refreshing to find a movie that doesn't spell everything out for you, it's great to see a departure from normal Hollywood fare. I will take this anyday over any blockbuster that can be spat out in a matter of minutes. This was my first foray into Lynch's world, and you can bet that I will be returning. Oh, and to give kudos where it is due, the score to the film was OUTSTANDING, and provided great tension and suspense; one stand out is an early scene that takes place in broad daylight in a parking lot. to anyone who is looking for something of a different flavor, and is willing to open their mind to a different type of movie: WATCH THIS. you will not be disappointed.
Very Highly Recommended
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