Mulholland Drive

How do you even begin to talk about David Lynch's movie Mulholland Drive? Simply put, the film is odd and downright confusing. It is nearly impossible to describe what the film is about. The simplest synopsis I can give is that it revolves around a car crash that prodcuces an amnesiaca victim who goes by the name Rita (though she does not know her real name), played by Laura Harring. Rita is befriended by a newcomer to LA, Betty (Naimo Watts) and together they attempt to unravel Rita's past. I am a fan of stories that many would define as strange, convoluted and hard to follow - shows such as the X-Files, Fringe, Alias and Lost are among some of my favorite programs of all time - but it is important that ultimately the stories come together and make sense and it is immensely helpful if the story revolves around well-devleoped characters that we come to care about. Mulholland Drive never comes together to make sense and doesn't give us characters to connect to. It feels like Lynch just gave up and decided there was no real way to explain everything and piece it all together. The result is a very dissatisfying movie.

There was much ado makde about this being Naomi Watts break-out role when this movie came out. I like Watts, but I cannot share in this enthusiasim for her role here. It feels very mechanical for most of the movie and only really picks up steam at the end, following a major plot shift (that I won't reveal here for those who still wish to see the film). Really the only positive I can say about this film is that the photography and lighting were very good. The mood is set from the get-go with dark lighting emphasizing the mystery of what is happening and surrounding the mysterious Rita. In contrast extremely bright light surrounds Watts sunny character until she begins getting close to Rita and thus shares her dark lighting.

If you like Lynch's past work (among his best known works are Lost Highway and the Twin Peaks television series) then you may get some enjoyment out of this convoluted film. If you are not a fan of Lynch's work, I would recommend staying away from this mess of a story.

The Life of David Gale

The Life of David Gale did not do a lot of business when it opened back in 2003 and quickly disappeared from theatres before I had a chance to see the film. I was disappointed by this, as the movie stars two of my favorite actors: Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet. After finally viewing the film, I feel that disappointment was justified - more people should have seen this film! Though certainly not the best film I have seen either actor in, the movie was very engrossing and the performances were very good. Kevin Spacey especially shone in his role as David, a former death-penalty protester who is convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Kate Winslet is also quite good, but I had a bit of a hard time with the fact that her character was supposed to me so well established as a journalist that David sought her out to tell his story; Winslet was all of 28 or so when the film was made and certainly does not look any older. That is a minor criticism however. The pacing of the movie is swift and keeps the viewer very engaged. The story is interesting and though I figured out the final twist fairly early on (way too many years of reading mystery novels), I'd be willing to say it would remain a surprise for most casual viewers. Even having figured it out, I found the twist be interesting. My bottom line is: this is a movie that deserves a viewing if you are a fan of mystery dramas.