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Mulholland Drive

Mulholland Drive

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Homage to Bergman
Review: A skinny, ordinary girl from Ontario, probably with dull, fat, ugly, boring, crushing parents, wins a jitterbug contest, the highlight of her short life. Her aunt dies and leaves her a real slice of cash, which she takes to Hollywood to bankroll her, she hopes, into the silver screen bigtime. Although she is skinny and ordinary, she has an outsize imagination, and something inside her struggling to get expressed. Unfortunately, she gets used by a luscious bi-sexual actress femme noire, which sends her reeling. She can't cope with being cut out, falls into a phantastic depression, experiences delusions and hallucinations, hires a hitman, apparently to hit the lost lover, but possibly also to give her a gun, which she shoots herself with. This isn't what I saw the first time round, but what I saw the second time round. The third time round I saw something else which reinforces the idea that the whole thing is enacted in the thin girl's head: this is that the black book picked up by the clumsy hitman in the early part of the movie re-appears on the table in the diner when Diane/Betty hires him --- so is this meeting actually after the accidentally botched hit on Rita/Camilla?

This is a very sad story, cunningly told. It self-references Lynch's previous work, notably Blue Velvet (the creeping into someone else's apartment --- like in the Raymond Carver story, the lip-synched singing, the tacky fast food joint, etc); as well as many other films, Sunset Boulevard, Pulp Fiction, Vertigo, Chinatown, Gilda, The Godfather, even The Big Lebowski (the cowboy, the tacky fast food joint), right back to the Andalusian Dog. But the real homage, imvho, is to Bergman's The Silence. The dying lesbian (in Bergman she's got an incestuous thing about her sister), the sexed-up, man-hunting, callous sister, the strange 90% empty theatre (TBL), the masturbation, and especially Silencio! There is no real answer to the way Life is, it's all bleak. The blue box seems to represent the film industry. Wasn't there an old British movie called The Magic Box, about the inventor of moving pictures?

However, there seems to be another story mixed up in the first one, which only touches it tangentially. Did Betty/Diane also imagine the rough scenes in Adam's house, and the mafia-type control-freaks dictating the casting? And what is the mystical secret of the pink paint in the ice-box? Anyway, it's all very entertaining, very surreal, extremely well acted, brilliantly spliced, keeps you guessing (the first time; the second time you're still guessing, even though you know what's coming), great stuff, Lynch, keep it up.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Mulholland Drive
Review: Honestly, the best movie I've seen in a long, long time.

It seems (after reading alot of the reviews) that this movie has its fans and its not fans. That its movement in telling its tale baffles and enrages some, and inspires others pretty much carries the hallmark of a great film. Films should do that, not just have you leaving the theatre or screen saying 'That was garbage and I can't even bother saying why'.

Maybe it hits a certain relevance with me. After living in Los Angeles and the Hollywood area for a little while, I'd swear to you that such a creature exists lurking behind a Winkies Restaurant. For all those that feel Harlem or New York City is a fearful place to be, I can tell you in all-truth that Hollywood at night is a far far worse place to be, where all those truly on the deranged side figured out that staying warm was a far smarter thing to do. And that the Illusion Factory that is Hollywood snares so many, and you can see the wasteland of it on its streets, just makes Mulholland Drive a powerful statement regarding illusions. I do not feel necessarily pessimistic in my attitude towards Hollywood or that part of California, but I know that being in it gives you an understanding of the un-reality which is that part of the world. It made Mulholland Drive for me, a reminder of things I saw in Los Angeles that seemed unbelieveable, but accepted as fact and something to strive for. And no, I did not go out to Los Angeles seeking fame, fortune and glory. I just like moving and changing the scenery.

I was not at all confused by Lynch's story. I knew it was important to watch everything taking place, to miss one reference would mean its relevance later on would not be as impacting. I knew enough to know that all would eventually reach to some 'thing' or conclusion, and I surely was not disappointed by its ending at all. By THE END I realised I had watched a great piece of filmmaking, probably the best since 1995's The Usual Suspects. Mulholland Drive is suspenseful, intriguing, confusing and puts the viewer in a state of displacement.

I mean, maybe it is just me. But I know alot of people who go out to California thinking alot like 'Betty/Diane' does, that everything is going to be wonderful, no matter what comes. Honestly, that does happen. And as many young hotshot directors as there are, to think that organised crime does not play apart in the industry, and can dictate how your movie will be, should be made would be naive. But thats not all of Lynch's point. Betty's delusional portion of the movie only serves as a 'pointed finger' at elements of corruption within the system, and the people participating. The movie works not only as a cautionary tale, but also as an expose. It actually works on so many more levels than this I can't really even begin to thoroughly go through it point by point.

Lynch produced probably his best work since Blue Velvet for me with this film. I honestly do see what has enraged some about the film, and on the other hand take those views with a slight pinch of salt, knowing that Lynch made some incredible observations about the American Dream, Hollywood, the human psyche and the vast majority of their pitfalls. Beneath the layers of confusion is a true tale of honesty that does not require a pessimistic mind to see its value or worth, nor an optimistic one's constant re-approval that all is well despite. Balance is the key.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: His best film
Review: Simply the best film of the year, probably too difficult/odd for you if you loved Twin Peaks and aren't familiar with the other Lynch films. This film was a happy accident, demands repeated viewing. Would have been nice if the DVD had chapters however, I guess we will have to wait for the second release.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: this is one odd movie
Review: David Lynch has a reputation for bringing you someplace and then making you get off in the middle of nowhere and then you have to find your own way home. Mulholland drive is no exception. You've got to admire this guy thought. He does not play it Hollywood. He knows his movies have a slightly "bent" appreal but he makes them the way he wants them to be. I stayed with this movie faithfully through the first half (I guess I'm a Lynch fan) and then the "lesbian sexual scene" began the second half of the movie in which everything you learned from the first half gets pulled apart and turned upside down. The end gets a bit too "mondo bizarro" but if you really want to figure this one out you'll be watching it more then once (and not just for the lesbian sexual scene).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: More enigmatic fare from true film-making artist.
Review: Mullholland Drive is classic David Lynch: strong images, beautifully composed shots, underlying sense of unease, slow pacing, weird background noise, lot of pregnant silences, etc. and as such is a feast for the eyes and the mind. Lots of sexiness too. Not that there’s that much graphic sex, but the sexual tension between Betty and Rita gave me a ... fide thrill. A beautifully concocted maze of plots, sub-plots and red herrings that baffles, amazes, and frustrates. After half way though I had no idea what was going on but couldn’t tear myself away from the screen. Enigmatic. Intriguing. Strongly recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A brilliant film from a brilliant director
Review: This is one of the strangest and creepiest films I've seen, but it is also one of the best. This is one of those films that you have to talk about after seeing it, because it is so open for interpretation. If you like strange, disturbing movies with shocking plot twists, then you will love this film. On the surface the film makes little sense, but if you just look into the clues then the story becomes clear, like one of those "Magic Eye" 3D illusions. This is one of those films you have to pay close attention to, because the director uses symbolism, color, and strange characters to unravel its mysteries. Don't pay attention to other critics who can't figure the movie out--they just don't appreciate a macabre mystery like this. It is one of the most talked about movies in the last 10 years, and has won over a dozen film awards as well as being Oscar nominated. This is the best film by David Lynch, one of the most original directors of our time. He is the master of blending fantasy and reality until the lines of dreams and consciousness are blurred.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Another Lynch Movie
Review: All I can say is, if you liked Lost Highway, you will love this movie. Very similar in style and presentation, Mulholland Dr. accomplished the same effect on me that Lost Highway, Fear and Loathing, and Brain Candy all did. They set you up early on where you think you have your bearings and them rip them out from under you. It is definitely not for everyone, but some will love it. Unfortunately, Robert Loggia does not make an appearance in it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Should Have Won Best Picture
Review: I admit the first time I saw this film I only understood about half of what I saw but just because I did not grasp 100% of the movie during the first viewing does not merrit the claim that 9 out of 10 people make about it, that it is nonsensical and worthless. It took two more viewings for me to absorb the entire film but even after the second time around I had already decided that it was one of the best movies I'd ever watched and after the third I concluded that is certainly was short changed at the Academy Awards. "Gladiator" won best picture but if politics did not play such an importaint role in the decision-making process for the Oscars, "Mulholland Drive" would have had a better chance of winning if not winning that award all together. The argument has been made, but I'll make it again, that the reason so many people hated this movie was because American moviegoers in general do not like to have to think when they go to the movies, they want a love story, a suspensful drama, or a take-no-prisoners action flick, in all cases they want everything explained to them in a logical sequence so that they can relax and just let themselves get absorbed in the storyline. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I like that as well. But somepeople, like myself, enjoy a thought-provoking film here and there, we even enjoy puzzles now and again which is what "Mulholland Drive" is all about. I'm not going to spell it out for those who don't see the answer to the film's "riddle", so to speak. Just watch it a few times, and play close attention to literally EVERTHING in the movie. It's a game, we all like games, don't we? Like I said, it took three viewings to "solve" it but when you figure it out you see how brilliantly the puzzle is crafted and how simple it actually was to figure out all along. And it's rather rewarding once you do, too. So don't throw in the towel, show the rest of those people that you are smart enough to solve Lynch's puzzle and then you can explain it to them, if you want, or you can just keep the secret in the club and feel just a wee-bit more clever.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Classic Lynch
Review: This is classic David Lynch, visually attractive, unfathomable plot, we were talking about this for days afterwards.

After watching it several times and talking about it, we still couldn't follow the entire plot, so I resorted to the web. But you know what, it looks so good and the actresses (Watts in particular) were so believeable, that I didn't care about not knowing what was going on.

The whole "no chapters" issue, is because David Lynch doesn't _want_ you to jump around the movie, he believes it needs to be watched one way. Would I like chapters, yes, and also a directors commentary to help work out what was going on. But I'm not going to mark it down because it dones't have them...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: lynch
Review: good stuff. not great, but definitely good. No, I don't get it; kind of a Lost Highway kind of mind-blast.

No chapter stops and no director's commentary: those of you familiar with Lynch should know that this is how he likes his releases. He doesn't like people skipping about in his films and doesn't like to provide interpretation.


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