Rating: 
Summary: Got Mulholland Drive? Maybe...Maybe not?
Review: Director Lynch is very good at making his audience think about the storyline and his characters. During my earlier young adult years I was completely enthralled by his work especially the TV series "Twin Peaks". Well, for this movie that was originally intended for television, we have a movie that definitely makes you think.Salon.com has disected this movie to help people understand this film. Other Websites especially college professors have done the same. In other words, if you are buying this DVD to think that you are going to watch the "usual" type of movie and understand the storyline, well..."Mulholland Drive" is not that kind of movie. As a matter of fact, I have watched it three times, read the websites and now I have a much better appreciation for this film. You CAN NOT watch this film and think of it as a usual film and that everything is comprehendible. This movie is about dream and reality and it is up to you to piece together what is dream and what is reality and in the end find out what led to the final scene. Of course, to help confuse you is the typical Lynch style of things that is tiny old people, a sort of "pandora's box", a blue key and a cowboy that makes you want to say..."eh?" That said, some will enjoy it, some won't. I on the otherhand think I do...and at the same time I think I don't. That's the effect this movie has on you....it will stick in your head. Silencio. Now for the DVD, this is where I score things down. Lack of special features on a DVD is bad but when there are no chapter tracks on the DVD, that makes it worse. You literally have to use your goto button and type in the time to get to a certain scene or be patient and use fast forward or fast rewind. These two (which I call "flaws") of the DVD is unacceptable. This movie deserves much more...and I'm hoping that perhaps a special edition will come out because there are some interesting interviews that Lynch has done for this movie. Last, there are two different covers for the DVD. To my knowledge, there is no difference...just the covers. That being said, I enjoyed the movie but the DVD deserved better.
Rating: 
Summary: gratuitous oddness
Review: I don't usually review movies, but I feel so strongly about this movie that I thought I'd make it an exception. The only reason it gets two stars is because the first hour or so is very interesting. There are several seemingly unconnected scenes, and as the movie progresses you discover, somewhat, how they are connected. I kept watching because I wanted to find out what the explanation would be for all the weird things that were happening. For example, there's a guy who (I think) dies of a heart attack after seeing a horrible man he thought existed only in his dreams. There's weird movie politics involving a director who's being forced to cast a certain woman as the lead in his movie. There's the main plot thread (or at least I consider it the main one) involving Betty and Rita. Rita got into a car accident, can't remember who she is, and has a ton of money and a strange key in her purse. Then there are all the countless other strange details in the movie, all of which kept me interested. Unfortunately, all this buildup leads only more confusion. This movie is an English teacher's dream. I'm sure it's possible to come up with countless interpretations of what actually was going on. However, I only ended up feeling betrayed by the creators of this movie. It's like they knew what was going on, but decided it would be funny to only hint at it for the audience. I was expecting things to start making sense, and I guess I was expecting too much.
Rating: 
Summary: When life is the nightmare
Review: This is one of the smartest movies I have ever seen. And one reason that I love it so much is because after piecing all of it together, it make sense. You have to watch for every detail in the story and listen to every word spoken because clues are revealed sotto vocce. A story about dreams of becomming great and what happens when thoughs dreams fall short. It is stunning, sexxy and smart. This is one of my all time favorites
Rating: 
Summary: I've Never Seen Anything Like This
Review: I had no idea what I was in for. I knew from talking to a bunch of people that this was a movie that I was not going to get, no matter how many times I would watch it. That alone caught my curriousity. I like movies that make me think. I like to be tricked, confused, surprised, shocked, disgusted, and so on. So, I decided to give it a try. I will say this, "Mulholland Drive" is a very original film that kept my attention from the word "go." I admit, I had no idea what the hell I had just witnessed after this movie was over. There are no chapter stops, so I couldn't watch certain parts over again without rewatching the whole movie again. I didn't know if I liked it at the time, but I was pretty sure that I didn't hate it. I was just...puzzled. I have to thank a reviewer on this site, I forget the person's name, because the reviewer pretty much explained what happened, and it also made me feel good that it was pretty darn close to my theory. I don't know if it's the exact and right answer, but when I rewatched it, it all fit in. It was so simple...it was confusing. I think that's what did it for me and made me appreciate the film more than I did the previous viewing. I'm not going to go into detail about the story; that's something you're going to have to see for yourself. It'd runin the movie if I did. Besides, I wouldn't do it justice if I tried to explain it. Here are some of the elements to the story; a girl with no memory, another girl who wants to be a star, a club, an accident, a load of money, some kind of thing that lives behind a fast food joint, and a little box. I really liked how this film was shot and directed. I have never seen a David Lynch film, so this would be my first one. The score was also very haunting, as well as the overall product of the movie. The movie is haunting, dark, and colorful at the same time. This is a movie that will mess with your head though. Maybe that's why I didn't get it the first time; because I was trying too hard. As far as special features, there really aren't any, except for the trailer. Would've been nice to have chapter stops. This is the perfect movie that they could've really added some neat features and Easter Eggs. So, be aware of that. All in all, a very good and challenging film that requires all of your brain power. Because of it's orinality, I'm sure that this is going to be one that many people may not like or get. I'm not even going to try to convince you to see this movie. You're on your own. At first I thought it was an okay film, but after seeing it again and able to put the pieces together, I realized that "Mullholand Drive," is a well-structured film that takes chances without fear. I don't think it's the best film of the year, but I think it's on the list. Bound to be a classic, if not already.
Rating: 
Summary: Whoa! This film is stretching it a bit!
Review: Okay, okay, we get the point. LA can be a place of torment and rude awakenings, shattered hopes, strife, and malice. WHO CARES!!! Any film that requires a third or fourth viewing needs some serious help. I've watched it once, that's right - ONCE, and I hated all of it. From the beginning when the car wreck happened, I was left scratching my head and asking, "WHAT'S THE POINT?" I know, you intellects out there know the point and so do I. Tell me, did you actually enjoy watching this film or do you just keep it in your collection to impress your fellow film critics? This film was hard to take and it messed with my mind it a terrible way. DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM! Scratch that, watch it and than you can see my point. Or maybe you'll like to try to figure out the great "puzzle" and watch this film five or six times. Believe me, I'm the most open minded guy when it comes to films, with Thin Red Line, Splendor in the Grass, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest being three of my favorites but THIS MOVIE WAS TERRIBLE!!! Unless you enjoy lesbian sex scenes ... and a movie that goes NO WHERE, don't waste your time!!!
Rating:
Summary: cute.
Review: My main problem with the DVD is the fact that it has NO CHAPTER SELECTIONS. I don't just mean that there are no thumbnails in the menu that let you pick specific scenes visually - I mean that the whole movie is just one long track, so if you hit "Previous" you'll go all the way back to the start of the film, and if you hit "Next" you'll go all the way to the end. This actually makes it worse than a VHS tape because in order to see a prior scene without starting the entire film over, you just have to sit there holding down "rewind." (On my DVD player anyway.) This really [stinks]. But maybe it was just some purposeful arty decision, to force people to watch it continuously and not be able to instantly refer back. This film would frustrate enough people regardless. Personally I'll wait for the "Collector's Edition" with tracks and a nice weird director commentary.
Rating:
Summary: David Lynch is a genius
Review: Maybe I need to see this a few more times but in no way does this film add up to a logical plot that we can comprehend and draw concrete conclusions with by it's end in my humble opinion, perhaps I need to see it again or perhaps some other critics are too pretentious to admit they have been stumped. The films seems to me, to be a collection of dreams and/or aspirations and/or fantasies about a want to be or would be actress played well by the beautiful English born actress Naomi Watts. It may be traveling deep into "Diane's" mind and she pictures herself as "Betty", a quirky and innocent aspiring actress. If this synopsis is what director David Lynch intended (I will not make believe I know this enigmatic man's intentions) then we are seeing a brutally honest depiction of a women's mind; her pride, her shame, her sexuality, her fears and her insecurities. Even if that were true, Lynch would still give us many questions to ask ourselves, such as what is with the behind the scenes midget in the wheelchair, the Cowboy, the Gangsters who force Adam the Director to choose a certain actress, the cheerfully frightening elderly couple that shrinks, the scary dumpster hobo guy, that sad lady on stage singing Orbinson's "Crying" in Spanish, that strange blue box and the two various blue keys? My answer would be elaborate oddities and specific bizarre details in this women's (Diane) subconscious that seems to freely float about as if in a dreamlike state during a crucial time in her life, the time where she must decide to establish the path she will choose to take for the rest of her life. The anxiety of this stage is something I think we can all relate to. I don't want to rant on and on like I did with Lynch's Blue Velvet but there is even more to analyze here than in any other film I have ever seen. Lynch's intention may not be to compel us of any reasonable statements, but to tickle our subconscious and provoke us to read as far into his riddles as we possibly can. As always it is a welcome challenge to me and David Lynch is truly as brilliant a Director as there is in Hollywood today. Technically, the film is very well done. The DVD resolution compliments the plush colors and amazing soundtrack and the cast adheres well with Lynch's love for extreme characters, particularly Watts. I have not yet completely given up chasing any concrete holistic messages that Lynch may be trying to offer us after viewing the film several times. My conclusion to this point is that it doesn't matter, this is a film that collects scenes that make us feel our way to indescribable logic that is beyond words rather than pinpoint a clear definition of what is really going on...but I will be watching it again to try to find out. Extraordinary filmmaking.
Rating:
Summary: Another odd movie from David Lynch
Review: I know, a lot of people think this is a really great movie, but I just couldn't buy into it. I liked "Twin Peaks" a lot, but mostly Lynch's stuff leaves me cold. Too often, he just seems to be doing weirdness for weirdness' sake... leading the audience around by the nose, only to have the nose disappear at the end. The production is nice, in a moody way, and Laura Harring is certainly gorgeous, but that's not enough to salvage the movie. In the end, you don't know what really happened ... and you don't care. Shortly after watching this, I watched "Vanilla Sky," which is similar in some ways, but a much better movie in my opinion. I'm giving this one 3 stars for originality and high-grade production, but its structural flaws preculde rating it higher.
Rating:
Summary: Is the joke on us the audience
Review: Even the professional critics scratch their heads over this one, so my perplexity is in good company. Visually it's attractive, with a haunting, bizarre mood to the whole presentation. However, there are just too many disjointed subplots. They flare with colorful and enticing potential, then prematurely fizzle into charred embers of disappointment. This is a lazy and self-indulgent movie. A collection of characters and scenes with no thread and no apparent effort made to link them into some sort of reasonable cohesiveness. It's as if the director randomly spilled the contents of his own bizarre dreams onto celluloid, then sat back to enjoy the critics confusion with a chuckle. At least I hope that's what happened because if it was made with any pretention of being taken seriously, then I'm really worried. There are many gem-like scenes which with a better director could have been strung into a dazzling necklace. But ultimately this director's approach fails. The talent and vision is wasted and it becomes high school stuff on a big budget.
Rating:
Summary: I can't get this film out of my head
Review: Yes, it was hard to understand but I couldn't stop watching it --which is quite an achievement on Lynch's part, when you consider some of the difficulties here: - the wrenching change in the story line, - segments which make sense only after the film is over, or which seem to have been transplanted wholesale from a different film altogether, and - the confusing dual identities of the two female leads. All this is more than balanced by many fascinating (albeit puzzling and disjointed) scenes, much gorgeous imagery, and the sheer curiosity factor -- what does it all mean? Males in the audience are also well-rewarded by the classic beauty of Laura Harring, who like Helen of Troy possesses a face that could launch a thousand ships. Was this really a legitimate effort at filmmaking? Or was it just an attempt to salvage something -- anything -- out of the rejected pilot, beefed up with some extra footage shot later, including a scorching lesbian love scene? I suppose I don't much care. But for those who do, see http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,184093~1~~,00.html (Entertainment Weekly's website) for one person's interesting and plausible explanation of the story line, some of which seems to have been arrived at by at least one contributor here. I can't get the film out of my head, and can't wait to see it again. I'm sure it's coming soon in DVD format to my small room with no windows or doors.
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