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[tab title="Movie Review"]
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A movie is like a journey. A journey through many interesting and exciting places. If you stray from the steady course to experience some of the related scenery and landmarks along the way, you don't particularly mind if you get a bit off course. Such is the case with David Lynch's twisty-turny Mulholland Drive.
In this confusing mess of a movie, we meet Betty (Naomi Watts) who arrives in Hollywood from Canada in search of her Hollywood dreams. She is to stay at her aunt's apartment, but upon arrival encounters an unknown occupant named Rita (Laura Elena Harring). Rita, it appears, was involved in a car accident, narrowly escaped a murder plot, and wandered into the apartment sometime before Betty. The two attempt to piece together the puzzle of Rita's period of unconsciousness. Running concurrent with this plot is the story of a movie director, Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux) who is resisting the urgencies of the mob who are wanting him to cast a certain actress as the lead in his movie.
Lynch draws us in with fascinating characters and a compelling story line while his cinematography and editing approach masterpiece levels as we are bombarded with a near steady stream of creatively produced film-noire surroundings. The relatively unknown actors could not be any better in their portrayals (I've always loved watching an actor portray actors on the screen) and Lynch's directing skills shine throughout. His trademarked method of telling a story in a non-linear format is front-and-center as we try to figure out what the hell is going on.
The last third of the movie, which should dedicate itself to tying up the loose ends and completing the many plot circles, misses a huge opportunity to finish with a bang. Instead, Lynch pulls the rug out from under our feet as we find out that many of the subplots and parallel schemes indeed have no reason for existing. We realize that up to this point, we've been subjected to an elaborate, multi-faceted dream sequence (do the names Patrick Duffy and Bobby Ewing ring a bell here?). Or, was the first part reality, and we are now entering a dream sequence? Or is a dream even involved at all.
Like Led Zep's Stairway to Heaven and McLean's American Pie, this movie will be forever studied in art schools around the world and one interpretation will always stand above the others....that this thing is meant to have many interpretations. It's as if we are given a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle to solve but there are 513 pieces. It's impossible to solve by yourself.
In the true fashion of the Dada art movement that began in Europe around the turn of the 20th century, Mulholland Drive exists to shock the public and disintegrate the structures of society. It thrives simply because of its nihilistic properties. And though the founders of Dadaism dabbled very little in the medium of film making, it's not too far-fetched to imagine that Mulholland Drive was very much like what Tristan Tzara had in mind when he first penned La Premiere celeste de Monsieur Antipyrine in Zurich in 1916.
Movies should always challenge us to embrace the most creative concepts that step outside the boundaries of normal to take us on a unique and captivating journey. Mulholland Drive is that movie.
Is the plot to Mulholland Drive Driving you crazy? Here is a very detailed description of the Mulholland Drive story line to help you figure it out. But beware, it contains spoilers.
See the lyrics to the song "Llorando"
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[tab title="Film Details"]
MPAA Rating: R for some language.
Runtime: 147 mins
Director: David Lynch
Writer: David Lynch
Cast: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux
Genre: Drama | Mystery
Tagline: Beware what you dream for...
Memorable Movie Quote: "No hay banda"
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: October 19, 2001
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: Pctober 27, 2001
Synopsis: After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.
Is the plot to Mulholland Drive Driving you crazy? Here is a very detailed description of the Mulholland Drive story line to help you figure it out. But beware, it contains spoilers.
See the lyrics to the song "Llorando"
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Available on Blu-ray - October 27, 2015
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD)
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Finally, the wait is over. Mulholland Dr. gets its celebrated moment under the sun. Approved by both David Lynch and director of photography Peter Deming, the new 4k scan of Lynch's ode to LA is damn impressive. There is a new life to the movie as it hustles and bustles across Los Angeles. Full of striking scenes of vibrant colors and a newly energized depth to much of the scenes, the new 1080p transfer is more than exciting. Check out the Club Silencio scene awash with blues to see just how improved the color and grain is. For a lot of people, watching Criterion's blu-ray release will be equal to watching Lynch's movie for THE VERY FIRST TIME. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack – featuring shimmering 50s pop songs and Badalamenti's haunting score – is flawless in its replication of the wickedly absurd.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- None
Special Features:
Cue the applause. Criterion packs their release of Lynch’s masterpiece with a stunning set of BRAND NEW supplemental items mixed in with the old featurettes from past releases. Things get started with the actors and the director discussing the making of the movie. Lynch and Watts get their own time together while Watts joins Harring, Ray, and Theroux for a cast only recollection. The film’s composer, Angelo Badalamenti, recounts his Lynch partnership and Peter Deming and Jack Fisk also weigh in on their longstanding career with Lynch in another featurette. While there is a deleted scene, we’ve seen it before. Rounding out the release is old archival footage from the set and the film’s original theatrical trailer. Also included is a booklet, wrapped in stills from the movie that includes an excerpt from Chris Rodley's book “Lynch on Lynch”.
- David Lynch and Naomi Watts (27 min)
- Laura Harring, Johanna Ray, Justin Theroux, and Naomi Watts (35 min)
- Angelo Badalamenti (20 min)
- Peter Deming and Jack Fisk (22 min)
- Deleted Scene: Int. Hollywood Police Station - Day (2 min)
- On-Set Footage (25 min)
- Theatrical Trailer
Is the plot to Mulholland Drive Driving you crazy? Here is a very detailed description of the Mulholland Drive story line to help you figure it out. But beware, it contains spoilers.
See the lyrics to the song "Llorando"
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[tab title="Trailer"]
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