Reviews

Lynch's 'Mulholland Drive' played an extremely violent game of hackey-sack with my brain. Amazing acting (especially Watts), haunting music and visuals, and a keen sense of style. However, there are some definite elements to this film that completely escape me:

Many of these are *SPOILERS*; please read if you have seen the film, however.

20 quick questions:

1. Who/what is the cowboy? Do we see him once, or twice?

2. Why does Betty have the purse with the money? Why does it have the strange blue key in with it?

3. What is Club Silencio?

4. Does the blue-haired being at Club Silencio play any importance?

5. Gookie (the caretaker at Adam Kesher's hotel) appears as an introducer at Club Silencio and stands behind the bizarre crippled man in the equally bizarre room. What is his role in this film?

6. Speaking of the crippled guy, who is he?

7. Is Betty really Diane? Is Diane really Betty?

8. What was the importance of the killer-for-hire shooting that guy, taking the black book, and shooting the other people?

9. What is that blue box?

10. Why was that thug looking for Adam Kesher?

11. One of those limousine rides was real, and one was fake. But which is which?

12. What was with the espresso overreaction when they had the meeting about casting the new lead?

13. 'The Olyvia North Story'? I'm lost.

14. Did the guy who had the dream about the Winkie's creature have any significance?

15. What was with the creature behind Winkie's? Why did he have the blue box?

16. What was with the old couple and Betty/Diane?

17. That lampshade? The robe? The coffee?

18. Why did the cowboy try to tell the dead body to wake up?

19. What's up with Aunt Ruth, Louise, and Cocoa?

20. What relevance did the jitterbug contest have in this film? (I know it was mentioned again at the Adam Kesher's party)

*NO MORE SPOILERS*

And I have seen this movie twice, paying extremely close attention to it. If any of you ignored the spoiler warning and read ahead, you just got a brief glimpse of the mind warp that is 'Mulholland Drive'.

This movie, to state it briefly is insane. However, this movie does not suffer from insanity; it enjoys every minute of it.

When I first saw the previews for this movie, it had me interested. A movie about guys who fight - it didn't seem to deep, but I thought it would provide entertainment. I had heard buzz about, a few of my friends raved about it for a few days, and I was convinced. I should see this movie. I went to my local video store and picked up the last remaining DVD. I popped it in, sat in amazement until the last credit rolled, and then watched it again. And again. And again.

This movie is dark and disturbing, however, it is equally smart and stylistic. I found it hard to watch at points, but I couldn't turn my eyes away. Fight Club makes many bold statements against the modern consumer-driven society, and produces Norton's best performance and Pitt's second best (12 Monkeys).

Norton plays an average-Joe who is living a dead-end life. He needs something to change his life. Tyler and Marla will take care of this, and that is all I want to give away. Other comments will tell you more, but I suggest you let it all sink in while watching. As for it's ending, it doesn't rival 'The Sixth Sense' - it blows it away. One of the best movie endings I've seen. Even better if you're a Pixies fan.

As for it being important, don't worry. You will be hearing about this movie. When 'A Clockwork Orange' came out, it was met with mixed reviews, deemed too dark and violent, and is now considered a classic. These two movies share quite a bit in common - both were based on great books. If you haven't read either, get to it. Politicians will use this movie as a demonstration of careless and consequenceless violence in movies, and as a perfect example of what today's youth are being influenced by.

Watch this movie, and watch it again with some of your more intelligent friends. 10 out of 10.