Do Not Compare with Twin Peaks!

Rating: Null/10 (22 June 2001)

First I'd like to say I'm not exactly a Lynch fan. By chance, I've seen everything he's done. I've really liked "Blue Velvet", "Elephant Man", and "Eraserhead"... but HATED "Wild at Heart", "Dune", and "Lost Highway". "Straight Story" was so-so in my book. "Twin Peaks" and "Fire Walk Walk With Me" are masterpieces in my mind. It really angers me when I read people attempting to compare a director's film with a past film (unless it's a sequel of course). Mulholland Drive is no sequel to Twin Peaks. I almost feel bad for Lynch, because he has obviously been changed from "An amazing American director" into "That Twin Peaks guy"... ridiculous. Mulholland Drive is in no way, shape, or form a "follow-up" to Twin Peaks, or Lost Highway for that matter. But I digress. Mulholland Drive is a beautiful movie. Period. It's amazing to look at, and Lynch once again proves that he is the master at setting a mood. Tons of characters, each with minimal screen time (except for the two leading ladies), but they are all handled just right so that it all seems quite natural. For the first first hour and a half or so, it is very straightforward in its plot, however for the last half hour or so, everything gets very surreal. Unlike Lost Highway, I think this works very well. I've seen many online reviews, and out of about a dozen or so, I've literally only seen one negative review of the film. Even Roger Ebert liked it, and he usually trashes Lynch's movies. This will probably be Lynch's most critically well-received movie, after Blue Velvet, the Elephant Man, and the Straight Story. Good stuff. And also, Angelo Badalamenti's score is utterly AMAZING. I can't wait for the soundtrack to come out...