What a freakin' nightmare! Not the movie, mind you, but what I went through at the movie theater. I walk into the auditorium, the 12:20PM showing of "Mulholland Drive" at the Regal South Beach Cinema on Lincoln Road. The thing is, after the commercials and previews, I see that the movie isn't "Mulholland Drive," but "Gosford Park." I hurried outside to be sure that I walked into the right auditorium, and I saw the little sign up there that said "Mulholland Drive." I was definitely in the right auditorium. Next thing I know, all these other people rush outside, not only from my auditorium, but from other auditoriums. People are demanding to see the manager, and after several minutes, the manager shows up. Everyone is screaming at him, and he's doing his best to calm every down, explaining the situation. As it turned out, there was some mix up, and several theaters had switched what they were supposed to be playing. When the smoke cleared, I was told to go into a different auditorium (the one that was supposed to be playing "Gosford Park"), that "Mulholland Drive" would start there in ten minutes. Thankfully, it did. Also, the manager was also nice enough to give me a free movie pass. Anyway, the movie starts, and I noticed that it was a horrible print. Independent films are usually projected at several theaters before hitting the dollar theater. Well, "Mulholland Drive" musta played in some disastrous projectors, 'cause the print was scratchy, and it had all kinds of unintended cuts (if the actual film, "celluloid" for those in the know, breaks or burns while the movie is being projected, the projectionist manually "edits" the good frames back together, while discarding the bad ones). Also, it kept going in and out of focus. I don't think that was the film, though, there must have been something wrong with the film projector.
I can't wait for movies to be projected digitally. I'll never have to worry about that sorta thing again.
Anyway...
During the last 30 minutes of the movie, all these people started filing in, making a ruckus, being loud and rude. As it turns out, there was a screw up with the next showing, too. The people coming in were there to see "Gosford Park." They all sat there confused, asking each other questions, and I had to tell them all to shut up a few times. They responded by asking me if this was the theater showing "Gosford Park." I said no, that it was playing "Mulholland Drive." This confused them more and made them get louder. Way to go, Joey. When the movie finally ended, I walked out telling all of them that they shouldn't get settled in, to talk to the manager before getting comfortable in their seats.
The Regal South Beach Cinema used to be a theater I loved, but this mistake was too big, and quite honestly, I don't see how a mistake like that can be made. I'm not gonna say that I'll never go back there again, because it's one of the few theaters in South Florida that shows foreign and independent films (it was one of only two theaters in South Florida showing "Mulholland Drive"). But I really hope they get their shit together. Soon.
Sorry about that, but I had to vent. On with the review.
"Mulholland Drive" is the latest movie by David Lynch, who's known for making bizarre flicks that few people understand. He writes or helps write just about every movie he directs, including "Lost Highway," "Wild at Heart," "Blue Velvet," "Dune," "The Elephant Man," and "Eraserhead." With "Mulholland Drive," it's all him, he's the sole writer and director. Recently, he took a break from the world of weird to direct "The Straight Story" a G-rated Disney movie of all things. Oh, he was also the brainchild for the cult TV series, "Twin Peaks," and he directed and helped write the prequel movie, "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me." So yeah, wacky filmography, right?
Because of his track record, I walked in expecting to be slightly weirded out. Instead, I watched a movie that I was following, where I understood what was going on completely... until this one part at around the two-hour mark. After that, things flopped over completely, turning the movie on it's ass, and I was totally lost. I mean, I like the movie, but the sum isn't as good as it's parts. Not because the sum is bad, but because I have no idea what the hell the sum is. But like I said, the parts are good. REALLY good.
There are two scenes that totally stand out in my mind, and I think it'll stand out in the minds of everyone who sees it. One I can't talk about, because it's too much of a spoiler (but trust me, it's a really, really good scene... those who have seen the movie probably know what I'm talking about), but the other, I can. It's the audition scene. Wow, what an incredible scene. The main part is done in one long shot, no cuts, and it's EXCELLENT. I can't say enough good things about this scene. It's perfectly shot, perfectly acted, and... well, it's perfect.
One of the people responsible for making that scene so awesome is Naomi Watts. I've never seen her prior to this movie, all that I know about her is that she was at a casting call with with Nicole Kidman when they were both little girls, and they've been best friends ever since. Strangely, there are times when she kinda looks like Nicole Kidman. But yeah, Naomi Watts is an amazing actress, and what she does in that scene left me awestruck, especially since it's done in a single shot. Her character goes through quite a few changes in this movie, and she goes full speed ahead every single time. Naomi Watts will be a name you hear a lot more of in the future, I guarantee it.
For the record, in the audition scene, she auditions with veteran actor Chad Everett. He's very good, but it's Naomi Watts who demands your attention.
Co-starring with Naomi Watts is Laura Elena Harring (she had a small role in "Little Nicky"... also, she was in the TV-Movie, "The Elian Gonzalez Story" as "Marisleysis Gonzalez"). She's also excellent in the movie. She doesn't stand out like Naomi Watts, mostly due to the fact that Naomi Watts has a tougher role to play, but trust me, Laura Elena Harring is great. Together, these two just tear up the screen, kicking ass and taking names. And they're gorgeous! You have both main archetypes, the cute, perky blonde and the sexy, voluptuous brunette, right there on the big screen. Yummy.
I don't know how many of you know this, but "Mulholland Drive" was originally a pilot for a TV series (shot in 1999), but ABC rejected it. David Lynch then turned it into a feature film, and we can all be very thankful for that (especially with the stuff he added earning the movie's R-rating).
I really liked this movie, but the last half-hour was too strange for me, and that's saying a lot considering how much I like strange things. Even David Lynch's other weird movies, like "Eraserhead" and "Blue Velvet," didn't leave me as perplexed as this movie did. Is it supposed to make sense? Maybe not. David Lynch doesn't see the world in a literal sense, but in his own unique, dreamy way. Because of that, it's entirely possible that there's nothing to figure out in "Mulholland Drive," and that makes me feel a little cheated. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up TRYING to figure it out. I'm definitely gonna see it again. But I'll probably wait till DVD. I don't think I'm gonna take another trip to the Regal South Beach Cinema. Well, not for a while anyway.
Scale of 1-10: 8