Intriguing Sights and Sound for Not Much Point

Rating: 5/10 (29 November 2005)

"Mulholland Drive" is "Twin Peaks" redux, including its genesis as a planned TV series. Only instead of taking on the quirks of the Pacific Northwest, David Lynch plays on a Hollywood setting, gleefully spinning on artifice and dreams, with many references to other movies, including "The Day of the Locust," "The Wizard of Oz," and "The Hucksters."
The lush cinematography, music and carnival of character actor cameos almost make up for the interminable colorful red herrings that wouldn't be out of place on the old "Dallas" and a glacial pace.
We see all of the two striking young lead starlets as fetching eye candy to pass the time, giving us both blonde and brunette femmes fatale. I was blown away by a Spanish version of Roy Orbison's "Crying" done by performance artist Del Rio, but I'm not sure what it had to do with anything.
Just as we know that Picasso could draw realistically, we know from "The Straight Story" that Lynch can in fact do a straight narrative. He just chooses not to.
(originally written 10/21/2001)