So from the creator of Twin Peaks, I figured I'd be getting into something weird here, and I wasn't disappointed in the least. It was a bit weird. I knew a little about it going in, and that was it was originally intended as a pilot to a TV series that never materialized, so David Lynch reenvisioned it as a movie.

We start out with a horrific car accident that one person walks away from. She has no memory of herself or her past, and so cannot in any way tell anyone anything about herself. She finds herself in the apartment of Hollywood hopeful Betty, who out of the kindness of her heart, allows the lost girl to stay with her until they can figure out who she is and where she belongs. End normal part of movie.

It is difficult to comment on where this film goes without spoiling very much of it. Suffice to say, Mulholland Dr. is the kind of film that tells its story as it wants to, and then leaves you at the end to figure what in the world just happened. It doesn't neatly tie up all of its loose ends nor does it claim to...or does it?

What Lynch has created is something like a painting that you stare at in a museum and work to figure out the meaning behind the skillful strokes. I had a few ideas of my own before checking out the thoughts of other people, and in some cases, we agree, and in others, I think they've lost their minds. This is that sort of film. Not the Citizen Kane variety where you are left "knowing" the meaning but never being explicitly told, but the variety where the meaning is there if you want to try and work it out.

Of course, with this tapestry, we're not without some weak points. First, there is a veritable slew of characters in this and it is very easy to get lost in the mix. Many of them only appear in one or two scenes, and their storylines don't seem to have any cohesion to the larger narrative. Of course, could these extra characters be characterizations of the larger tapestry? Hard to say, but it's possible.

But on the other hand, we had the best darn dialogue since Star Wars II...yeah, it was that bad. I would like to think that it was deliberate and all that tapestry crap, but let's face it here; this was some pretty crappy dialogue. It sounded stiff and very "movie-ish" in it's construction. You know, those lines that no one in real life actually uses like, "I was thinking of something." "Yes, what is it? You can tell me." "Well, it was a dream." "What was your dream about?"

The main set of characters were pretty well developed, and on the whole, the characters were interesting and quirky in their individual situations. The two leads were easy to follow and they maintained my interest as they looked for answers in a world that defied explanation.

On the whole, the film begs for thought, a trait absent from most productions, which serves to set this one in a place reserved for the most unique. It misses the mark of perfection due to its sheer greyness at the end along with way too many characters (despite their relative greater purpose) and some dialogue that would make George Lucas proud. I'm not saying it's not worth watching, but it'll take more than one viewing to figure it all out.

I think Mulholland Drive is a decent flick. That being said, I can't stand David Lynch. Most of his films, to me, is like watching ink dry on a Rorschach test. I don't think it's good enough to leave the viewer with partially developed ideas and conflicting realities and ask us to "Sum it up ourselves". It's the ultimate get-out-of-jail free card. If you don't get it, you're not looking hard enough, and if you do get it you're never wrong, because every interpretation is equally valid...

It's not that none of it makes the tiniest speck of sense. It just doesn't as a cohesive work. You can explain some, if not many of the scenes, but you'll end up with pieces that don't fit at all. Some people will attribute this to the greatness of Lynch's warped mind. Me...uhm, not so much.

Contrary to George Wilson, I feel the film begs for, not so much thought, but delusion in its viewer. Remember that episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit where they serve people water from a hose and say it's 500 Dollar African spider-water? Well, people could really taste 'a difference in the minerals'...

Sorry. Lynch sorta upsets me.

On the upside of the film, it's beautifully shot and edited. And Naomi Watts gets naked. Which rocks.

I literally ride the fence on this film. I admit that it being said as one of the best films, there's got to be something to it, and I did figure out a fair amount for myself to try and make sense of it. I personally do prefer those that tie up their ends and leave any viewer question clearly delineated in the narrative.

In Citizen Kane, for example, we learn WHAT Rosebud is in the final scene, and frankly, it's been spoiled now and again, most notably by the Animaniacs, but what the film does not answer blatantly for us is WHY Kane chose that as his final word. Well, we can answer this question for ourselves by looking back at the film and considering what that word would have meant for Kane. It paints a very powerful picture.

Mulholland, by contrast, is muddy when you finish it, but my mind insists there has to be something to it. Maybe I'm looking for a message where there is none. Maybe this is arty crap and it's supposed to look wild and mean nothing. Maybe the message and cohesion is in the eye of the viewer. I don't know.

Lynch got away with murder in this one, and there's no doubt about that...but hey, we did get some nudity to offset our anger.

I've watched this film 3 times, because people keep praising it. Though I've never met an individual who could account for all its loose ends. At this point in my life, I've started to trust my own appraisal of a film instead of whtever hype it's been getting, so I guess it's all a matter of taste. I don't like Casablanca either and that's considered one of the best films ever, so go figure.

The only two Lynch films I really enjoy are the Elephant Man and The Straight Story. Also his two most normal movies.

I guess I just feel Lynch is weird for the sake of being weird.

Quoted from Death Monkey I guess I just feel Lynch is weird for the sake of being weird.

Now what was the problem again?  

Casablanca was good for the characters more than anything else. It had a nice reversal at the end that made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and it's probably one of the more quoted films out there (not that clever quotes make a good film).

I thought Casablanca was kinda hokey and clichéed.

*trying to sound like grandpa Simpson* But I guess that was the style of the times...

I mean the line "From now on you'll have to do the thinking for both of us!" cracks me up every time! It's soooo bad!

I hate Frank Capra too, but I'm afraid I'm derailing your thread now...