I see these reviews and can't help but be surprised. It sounds like these viewers were expecting some bang! boom! action film, but found a thoughtful and intriguing ode to Hollywood instead and were disappointed. If you actually appreciate movies and classics, then disregard these 1 star, pedestrian reviews. Maybe they should stick with pointless Disney remakes, Vin Diesel, and Megatron because this movie was great. It feels like a collage made of all things Hollywood. Hitchcock's grave makes an appearance (as does his style. . . but with love). Think "Rear Window" or "Vertigo" meets "Donnie Darko" with a hefty helping of "Mulholland Drive".
I would say the three directors alluded to most in this film would be Hitch, Richard Kelly and David Lynch. A lot of Marilyn Monroe references. "Somethings Gotta Give" and "Let's Make Love" alongside Spider Man and Barbie props. Dead actresses. Hidden messages. Substitution Codes. An underground Hollywood, ran by cults and running the world through pop culture. "Starlets" moonlighting as prostitutes. There's interesting characters like "The Homeless King", "The Owl Woman", and the mysterious (and hidden) "The Dog Killer". It IS a mash up, not gonna lie. One moment you hear "To Sir, With Love" and the next it's blaring "What's the Frequency Kenneth?". But It's NOT "Transformers 12", so no explosions, nor is an Avenger gonna Knock you from scene to scene. Instead it's a steady wave of curiosities that keeps the wheels in your mind constantly turning. Hell, I'm just happy to see original content. No sequel. No capes. It's a love letter to everything that has or may have lurked in the Tinseltown shadows this past 100 years. If you didn't like it, odds are you missed some (or all) of the references. Great film filled with mystery and nostalgia, polarizing today, but I've got a hunch it'll be one to develop a cult following once its audience finds it.
Review of Under the Silver Lake
