Mulholland Dr.

Rating: 9/10

I finally watched Mulholland Drive today (6/7/25), after putting it off for years. I had once tried watching it but couldn't find the time. Recently, I saw it listed in The New York Times' Top 100 Movies of the 21st Century, and I knew I had to give it a proper watch - and what an unforgettable experience it was.

David Lynch crafts not just a film, but a dreamlike psychological maze that constantly blurs the line between illusion and reality. Having seen Twin Peaks, I expected something surreal - but this was on an entirely different level. It's not just a mystery; it's a full-blown dive into the subconscious. The narrative unfolds like a puzzle that you're not supposed to solve, but feel.

Naomi Watts delivers one of the most astonishing performances I've seen - the kind that makes you sit up and say, who is this actress and where has she been all this time? Her transformation throughout the film, her expressions, her vulnerability, and raw emotion - it's simply haunting. This was my first time watching her, and now I want to explore more of her work.

The score is equally masterful. It keeps you on edge - tense, uncertain, and fully immersed. The way Lynch uses silence and sound is genius.

As the credits rolled, I couldn't help but think of Shutter Island by Scorsese. Both films play tricks on the viewer's mind, but Mulholland Drive stays with you - it lingers like a half-remembered dream.

This is not just a movie. It's an experience. And probably one of the greatest psychological mysteries ever created.

So the backstory of this TV Movie/Pilot is well-told, Lynch made this as a pilot for ABC. ABC didn't want it, so Lynch moved on. But, it still lingered in his mind a year afterward and decided to rework it into a feature film.

And while this pilot is missing some of the best elements of the Film, it is still a well-acted, well-directed, well-shot, and thrilling TV Movie that has scenes that pretty much all ended up in the final feature film in 2001.

And even with the poor quality of the copy I watched, it is still incredibly entertaining and there is a perfect atmosphere that lingers throughout the 89-minute runtime. I don't think this would have worked well as a TV Show, and it turning out to eventually be made into a feature is something that was the best thing that could have happened to this story, David Lynch, Naomi Watts, and Justin Theroux.

The full pilot is on YouTube if you want to check it out, for a pilot it is quite amazing and I believe you won't regret watching it.

Honestly, I am really tired of this kind of movie after Twin peaks series😬 this is getting boring after 20 mins - plot is confusing (as all Lynch works). I really liked twin peaks, but this movie pissed me off. It genius and hot but hard.

I can't get over this movie. WOW.

How do I put what I feel into words? OK, let me give it a shot. Have you seen or felt something that leaves you wondering or sweeps your feet away? This movie does exactly that. The twists and turns that happen along the way just blows you away.

I think you'd need to watch this movie a couple of times so you can at least "TRY" and comprehend what Lynch is trying to say.

If this isn't the best movie I've watched, I don't know what is!

20/10 rating if that was possible.

A great David Lynch film, augmented by a tour de force acting job by the very great Naomi Watts.

This is a film that is brilliant in every way, surrealism at its best, and so very el lay.

Love this film to death.