There are demons and other supernatural beings, sure, but I don't think this show was titled for that.
The real and true EVIL is represented by those four girls chaotically shrieking every time they get even a second of screen time.
[6.0/10] There’s few things that frustrate me like a good idea and a great performance wasted on a mediocre movie. Honeymoon features Rose Leslie at her best, taking the layered, disturbed personality that motivates the film and honoring the different shades of her. It also pursues some interesting thematic material, within a solid thought experiment, about hanging onto something you know is doomed to suck the last bit of marrow from the bones before letting go.
And yet, it’s also a movie that doesn't really work until the third act, and even then, requires some sizable leaps in logic to make everything add up. It’s a film whose symbolism and setups feel obvious, and which struggles to make its characters seem like human beings, something that’s a hindrance up until the point that Bea (Leslie’s character) isn’t really a human being anymore.
The film tells the story of a couple who celebrate their honeymoon by retreating to the bride’s old family home in the middle of nowhere in Canada. It’s a pretty standard “cabin in the woods” type setup, where cell towers and internet access and other modern conveniences (and defenses) are conspicuously absent, and where creepy encounters with relevant strangers are the order of the day. After Bea mysteriously walks out into the woods in the middle of the night one evening, things start to take a turn for the strange and Paul, her husband, tries to suss out exactly what happened.
There’s a few major problems with this premise. The first is that the first act of the movie tries to spend a lot of time with Bea and Paul as a lovey-dovey pair of newlyweds, both so that it can set a contrast for later in the film when something is decidedly off in their relationship, and so that it can try to endear the characters to us before the horror story kicks into gear. The catch is that Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway’s romantic chemistry never rises above fine, and the dialogue never surpasses the sense that it’s a weird impression of cute and playful couple conversations rather than the genuine article.
The result is that the first part of the movie, where they’re just establishing the rules of the story and trying to let us get to know these people so that we can contrast their later behavior, is at best, unconvincing, and at worst, boring. The horror events don’t matter if you’re not invested in the protagonists, and it’s tough to invest when the dialogue and interactions ring thoroughly false, fingers crossed, and facepalm-worthy.
That could be forgivable (pulling off legitimate romantic chemistry is hard!) if Paul didn’t act like an idiot or, ironically, like an alien, when all the weird stuff starts going down. Part of that is on the movie’s overall narrative, because it wants to try to cloud the supernatural material with the obvious red herring that Bea might be cheating on her new husband with her old friend from town. The film tries to keep Paul blinkered on that possibility, but it doesn't explain her clear memory loss or other strange behaviors that go far beyond an “I did a bad thing and am trying to deflect” feint that Honeymoon half-heartedly tries to sell.
Even if that were the case, there’s tons of moments where Paul should call 911, or take Bea to the nearest hospital, or do just about anything than sit around and wait for things to get worse. I try to be sympathetic to characters not acting with perfect tactics in films. Real life situations can be stressful, and we don't always make the right choices. But Paul (who’s kind of a drip to begin with) consistently reacts to disturbing, alarming things with little more than an extended moping stint and a head-scratch-worthy lack of any effort to actually get his new wife help at any point. When your film requires its characters to be consistently, inexplicably inert for the horror to work, it takes all of the air out of the film.
The two things that rescue Honeymoon from the scrap heap are a stellar outing from Leslie and a dose of compelling psychological/thematic material. While Leslie’s efforts to sync with Treadaway as an adoring, teasing couple are unavailing, once she transitions to playing the victim of a trauma, one trying to hold onto her identity and a slippery bit of normalcy before a foreign force overtakes her, she really shines. Leslie does an incredible job at selling the tricky idea of a person whose true self is bubbling under the surface, but awash in struggles to bury the terrible inevitability lurking in the background and tame the overwhelming forces that are beyond her control. She also delivers a superb physical performance, with her body language with Paul, and even her tied-up flails communicating all kinds of character.
At the same time, the psychological trauma of someone who knows that something terrible has happened and will have to be confronted, whose holding onto their last bits of sanity and self, wanting to cherish and savor the last moments of bliss before a loved one is forced to confront those things too is a compelling tack within Honeymoon. Despite the film’s implied supernatural explanation, there’s a rape trauma metaphor at play, one of changed behaviors and deflections because something is impossibly difficult to discuss and share with the person you love.
The rub is that all of this is more interesting in concept than in execution. Much of the film’s first act consists of the aforementioned unconvincing romantic interludes. And its long second act consists mainly of Paul looking around blankly like the dope that he is, while the movie stacks implausibility on top of implausibility as it teases its mystery box. It’s not until the third act, where the film fully pulls the trigger on both its horror and the payoff to all that throat-clearing, that things really kick into gear and those pieces of thematic heft and Leslie’s performance are allowed to take the spotlight.
Unfortunately, it’s just too little, too late, with too few worthwhile pieces put in place to build to the film’s admittedly unnerving and poignant ending. When Honeymoon actually dives into the answers and rationales it’s been circling around for the prior hour, it clicks into place. But up until that point, it’s an elongated slog, one that smothers Leslie’s great turn and the quality ideas under the hood in protagonist idiocy and a stock relationship that doesn't get compelling or remotely unbelievable until long after things have gone terribly wrong.
With that, Honeymoon proves itself a film with some considerable assets, but one that can’t fully elevate the stock, unbelievable horror story nonsense the show tries to build around them.
Umbrella Academy gets 4 seasons (the first 2 were the exact same story) and this get cancelled? This deserved better.
It is a shame that this was canceled already. I really enjoyed the first season.
What the heck were the Netflix execs thinking when they binned this?? This was a really promising saga
Well, I've made my comments in a couple of episodes. Just want to say the overall show is very well written, it starts quiet and slow, the mistery unfolds episode after episode at the right rhythm, forcing the viewer to an inevitable binge watching. This is what makes a good TV series.
Bloodsport: “Nobody likes a showoff.”
Peacemaker: “Unless what they showing off is dope as fuck.”
James Gunn recently said in an interview that he finds superhero movies “mostly boring” right now. Anything ranging from safe and boring or technically well-made but disposable, at best. Gunn received at bit of heat from fans for those remarks, but in some sense, he’s not wrong. Because sometimes following the same formula will eventually wear fin and more risk taking needs to happen.
And here we have ‘The Suicide Squad’, the soft reboot to the 2016 film, but this time directed by Gunn himself, where he delivers a highly entertaining movie that is bursting with creativity and ultra-violence. James Gunn once again shakes up the superhero formula with a slick style. I’m just glad DC is finally letting directors have a voice and a vision, and I hope it stays like that.
The first 10-15 minutes tells you exactly what the movie is going to be.
I just can't believe we got something like this. It's 2 hours and 12 minutes long, but it's always on the move. It’s bonkers from start till finish, and I enjoyed every minute of it. This is probably one of the best shot movies in the DCU. The soundtrack is great as well and used effectively. The action scenes were insane and made the overall experience one of the most fun I had at the cinema in a long time.
A massive improvement over the 2016 film, AKA ‘the studio cut’, is that the movie doesn’t look ugly and isn’t chopped together by trailer editors. The movie is vibrant in colours that made it look pleasing to the eye. The structure at times is messy, and yet strangely well-paced, as there’s a lot going on.
Did I mention the movie is very gory? It’s cartoonish violence, or what people call "adult superhero movie", so it's not for kiddies or for the faint of heart. You would probably guess that not everybody on the team is going to make it to the end credits, so deaths are to be expected, but how certain characters “bite the dust” are so unexpectedly gruesome and brutal, it took me by surprise each time. The marketing for the movie was right, don’t get too attached. As I said before, James Gunn had complete creative control over the movie, and he doesn’t hold back on what he wrote and show on screen. But then again, it's a movie, it's not real, the actors who die on screen are fine in real life...I think.
All the cast members have equal amount of time to shine, and you like these super villains this time around, as each character had wonderful chemistry with each other. John Cena plays Peacemaker, who can be best described as a “douchebag version of Captain America”. An extreme patriot who will do the most horrific things for liberty. John Cena excels in the deadpan line delivery for comedic effect, but surprisingly enough, worked well in the serious moments. Looking forward to the spin-off show ‘Peacemaker’.
Margot Robbie once again nails the role of the chaotic but gleeful Harley Quinn. While the character isn’t front and centre this time around, more of a side character, but whenever the character is on screen, it’s instantly memorable.
Idris Elba plays Bloodsport, a contract killer who’s doing time in prison after failing to kill Superman with a kryptonite bullet, while also dealing with family issues, especially with his daughter. While the character may sound like Will Smith’s Deadshot from the 2016 film, but trust me, the execution here is much stronger. This is by far Elba’s best work in a while. Charismatic and a strong leading presence.
Polka Dot Man, played by character actor David Dastmalchian, a socially awkward, weird, and lame sounding character that has some serious mummy issues, which has a funny running visual gag throughout. However, because of Gunn’s writing and Dastmalchian's performance, the character is more than a joke, but a unique character to watch.
Ratcatcher 2, played wonderfully by Daniela Melchior, who brought so much warmth and heart to the film. I loved how they tied in her tragic backstory into the finale, as it honestly made me cry. And let’s not forget the king himself, King Shark, voiced by Sylvester Stallone. He stole every scene he’s in, because he’s so adorable and has such kind eyes, but when he’s hungry, he can be a killing machine.
The rest of the supporting cast, even in the smaller roles, still manage to stand out amidst all the chaos. I liked Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag a lot more this time around, because the actor was given more to work with in terms of good material. Viola Davis is brilliant as the cold and ruthless Amanda Waller. And Peter Capaldi is always a pleasure to see. Also, I like the character of Weasel, who I can describe as a unholy offspring of Shin Godzilla and Rocket Racoon. He may not be beautiful to look at, but he's beautiful to me.
Like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, the movie has a lot of heart and I like how they took certain characters, who on page sound stupid and ridiculous but are handled with such love and depth, while also being self-aware of its own characterization.
You can literally watch this as a standalone movie and you won’t be lost or confused, as you don’t need to watch 22 other movies to understand it. This is by far the strongest entry in this jumbled mess of a cinematic universe.
Overall rating: Nom-nom!
Barbenheimer: Part 1 of 2
This is the kind of film I really don’t want to criticize, because we don’t get nearly enough other stuff like it. However, mr. Nolan has been in need of an intervention for a while now, and unfortunately all of the issues that have been plaguing his films since The Dark Knight Rises show up to some degree here. Visually it might just be his best film, and there’s some tremendous acting in here, particularly by Murphy and RDJ. However, it makes the common biopic mistake of treating its subject matter like a Wikipedia entry, thereby not focussing enough on character and perspective. As a whole, the film feels more like a long extended montage, I don’t think there are many scenes that go on for longer than 60 seconds. There’s a strong ‘and then this happened, and then this happened’ feel to it, which definitely keeps up the pace, but it refuses to stop and let an emotion or idea simmer for a while. There are moments where you get a look into Oppenheimer’s mind, but because the film wants to cover too much ground, it’s (like everything else) reduced to quick snippets. It’s the kind of approach that’d work for a 6 hour long miniseries where you can spend more time with the characters, not for a 3 hour film. I can already tell that I won’t retain much from this, in fact a lot of it is starting to blur together in my mind. There are also issues with some of the dialogue and exposition, such as moments where characters who are experts in their field talk in a way that feels dumbed down for the audience, or just straight up inauthentic. Einstein is given a couple of cheesy lines, college professors and students interact in a way that would never happen, Oppenheimer gives a lecture in what’s (according to the movie) supposed to be Dutch when it’s really German; you have to be way more careful with that when you’re making a serious drama. Finally, there are once again major issues with the sound mixing. I actually really loved the score, but occasionally it’s blaring at such a volume where it drowns out important dialogue in the mix. I’m lucky enough to have subtitles, but Nolan desperately needs to get his ears checked, or maybe he should’ve asked some advice from Benny Safdie since he’s pretty great with experimental sound mixing. My overall feelings are almost identical to the ones I had regarding Tenet; Nolan needs to rethink his approach to writing, editing and mixing. This film as a whole doesn’t work, but there are still more than a few admirable qualities to it.
Edit: I rewatched this at home to see whether my feeling would change. I still stand by what I wrote in July, though the sound mix seems to have been improved for the home media release. It sounds more balanced and I didn’t miss one line of dialogue this time around. I’m slightly raising my score because of that, but besides that I still think it’s unfocused, overedited, awkwardly staged and scripted etc.
5.5/10
Why is this only listing 12 episodes instead of 15? Tsubasa Cat parts 3-5 are missing currently.
[EDIT: If anyone else was confused like me, Parts 3-5 were ONAs and are under the Specials category]
A masterpiece, watched it recently and still holds up, not only cerebral in its clever structure but also profound in its portrayal of unresolving grief and denial as a coping mechanism.
Bitten is an interesting dark comedy about vampires. The story follows a paramedic who rescues a beaten woman who’s covered in blood and left for dead, but after nursing her back to health he discovers that she’s a vampire. The cast includes Jason Mewes, Erica Cox, and Richard Fitzpatrick, who all deliver fair performances. The story is kind of clever and has some interesting satire about relationships. However, the directing is subpar and the plot’s a bit ineffective. Though it’s a troubled film, Bitten has some smart commentary and some good laughs.
A C-class movie, a weak story that cover its gaps with "scenes". It's a pity for Bill, because he's the only one standing out there.
Well, other shows would have had a dramatic action-driven showdown episode of epic proportions, but for The Americans this would have been a gross misrepresentation of everything that the show is all about. So they went with a small finale, where the world changes for the Jennings but the rest of the world doesn't notice. They got out, they won, and they lost everything.
[9.2/10] I think a decent amount about Dan Harmon’s story circle, his method for spinning narratives that have resonance. It’s more intricate than this, but it basically comes down to a character being someplace comfortable, having to leave it to get something they want, paying a heavy price to obtain it, and returning home, having changed. I don’t think the creators of The Americans had Harmon in mind when they penned any part of the series, but it’s hard not to think about that rubric when lingering on the final scene of the series.
After so long, the Jenningses are home. After decades away, they are back in Russia, After years and years of not being able to speak their native tongue or enjoy their favorite foods or give the slightest hint of their real history, they are back, able to be the people they were before they left.
But they’re not those people anymore. In twenty years, they have changed. Moscow has changed. As Philip says to Stan in the episode’s showpiece confrontation, he doesn't know why he lived the life he did, and he’s no good at being a cartoonish American businessman with flashy suits and catchphrase strategies. He’s this strange, different version of himself, not the beleaguered spy he was for so long, but also not the normal American he dreamed of being for almost as long.
Elizabeth is no longer the unyielding, dutiful spook she once was. She has taken a stand against her organization, on behalf of her people. She has, over the course of this season, opened herself up to feeling things in a way she never allowed herself before. She allows, works for, even sacrifices for, the possibility of detente between the place she was born and loves in a reflexive way, and the adoptive homeland that disgusted her for so long.
In brief, they are home, but they return as different people, so very much affected by all that they have seen and done in the time they were away.
But true to the story circle, they pay a heavy price for getting what they want, that chance for peace between peoples: their children. The perilous return to Moscow costs them Paige and Henry who, for different reasons, cannot go with them. It is the hardest thing in this episode, to couple the safety of escape, the catharsis of having averted disaster, with the tragedy of two parents who know they’ll never see their children again.
It’s hard to know which parting feels tougher: Henry or Paige. The subtext-laden goodbye to Henry is the one that got to me in the moment, because it has the sorrowful tenor of a small farewell that has to stand in for a much larger one. It is the sadness of knowing no one can say what they really want to, that they cannot explain what is happening, only convey those feelings without alarm, to leave him innocent of all of this.
It’s sad because we know that Henry wakes up one morning knowing that so much of his life was a lie, a lie with questions he’ll never be able to get answers to. He is blameless in all of this, someone who is about to have his life rocked, without ever knowing fully why. The one bit of solace is that, in their years of parental neglect, the Jenningses inadvertently pushed him toward Stan, who’s become a surrogate father to Henry, and will presumably be his support system, his shoulder to cry on, his bridge to the next phase of his life, with so much of it having been upended by this one day in his life.
But Paige’s might be harder because it is a rejection. As much as the “With or Without You” needle drop feels like an indulgence a bit too on the nose, even for a series finale, the montage it plays under carries the shock and surprise of Philip and Elizabeth seeing her standing on the platform at the last stop before crossing the border. She knows her mom and dad cannot risk turning around to get her and having to make it through another passport check; she knows she can’t explain it to them, she just gives them one last look as they’re forced to move on.
“START” never tells us explicitly why Paige leaves, but given the events of the past couple episodes, it’s fair to infer that she’s decided she does not want the life of a spy, that she doesn't trust her parents. While she’s come to accept so much, understand so much, about what her parents do, the line may very well be crossed after she learns the depths of their actions. She knows her parents slept with other people now. She knows that they’ve killed people now. Not very long ago, her mother told her that she needed to commit now and do it forever, or decide that this life wasn’t for her. Paige makes her decision here, after the revelations meant to keep an old friend from capturing them also reveal to her how far her parents have gone, and how far she might have to go, if she follows in their footsteps, wherever they mean to lead her.
That confession is the most tense moment of the hour though. While “START” suggests there will be somewhat of a cat and mouse game between the Jennings and the FBI team that is closing in on them, it mostly comes down to a stand off between the Jenningses and Stan. It’s a scene that the finale needed to have. I think I would have felt cheated if they’d gotten away without Stan having his epiphany, finding his proof, and confronting his would-be friends over what he’s learned.
It’s a devastating, angering moment for Stan. He describes his life as “a joke” when he starts to poke through Philip and Elizabeth’s lies. There is an understandable sense of betrayal, of disbelief that the people he cared about like family were also the people he was working against every day of his professional life in Washington. He is ready to make them pay for that, to answer for what they’ve done.
Instead, in the end, he lets them go, and it takes what may very well be the monologue of the series from Matthew Rhys to earn it. Instead of prevaricating, of misdirecting, of trying to find some way to wriggle out of the situation using all the skills of deception and persuasion that he learned as a spy, Philip tells his best friend the truth. He tells them that he did all this without wanting to, that he did the job he was told to do, that he did it for his country, that he was Stan’s best friend and vice versa, and that he didn’t want to lie to him. It is a revealing confessional moment, one where Philip lays his soul bare, as much to himself as to the man with a gun trained on him, that sums up his strange, raw journey over the course of the show.
In the end, it’s enough. Stan is clearly still mad, still shocked, still beside himself at what’s been done and how close he was to it, but he sits silently and lets it happen. With his complicitness, if not his blessing, the Jenningses escape into the night.
After that key moment, this last blow from The Americans delivers its messages with images more than words. No one comments on it, but we feel the pain as the camera pans down to see Henry’s passport buried in a dark hole, alongside Elizabeth’s suicide necklace and their American wedding rings, buoyed by their replacement with the Russian ones they put on in front of the priest who eventually sells them out. We see an impossibly black night brightened blindingly in the center of the frame by a gleaming red and yellow McDonalds, the site of the Jenningses’ last American meal, freighted with the symbolism of this bastion of capitalism and Americana.
And we experience Philip and Elizabeth’s long slow journey back home. These scenes, of the two of them on trains, on planes, in cars along gray sparkling city scapes and washed out tree-lined roadsides, have a Lynchian deliberateness to them. We share in this journey, with scene after scene where little happens beyond a pair of headlights peeking out through the darkness, forcing us to stop and process and contemplate what is to come at the same time Philip and Elizabeth are. There is no hurry, only the slow passage of images as she rests her head on his shoulder, and they awake to see their long-absent home.
It’s a home they return to, however, without their children. That may be the final theme The Americans imparts: that this life, however taxing it may be, really does allow you to do an incredible amount of good, to change the world even, but it costs you your family. Oleg is rotting in a jail cell, seemingly destined not to see his wife and son for decades due to his efforts to save his country for them. Stan lost himself in this life, and arguably lost his connection with both his wife and his son because of it. And while the episode still plays coy about it, he has to live with his possibility that the woman he loves now may be a part of the game, another blow that, as Pastor Tim once described it and he described to Henry, may make it impossible for him to trust anyone again.
Philip and Elizabeth, then, have to reassure themselves that their children will be okay without them, that Henry’s life is here, that Paige is capable and well-taught, that they’re not kids anymore. In a reverie on the way, Elizabeth processes her own guilt, her feelings for her kids, and maybe her feelings for her mom. Philip briefly deludes himself into thinking he could stay and explain things to Henry. But in the end, they have to accept that their children are roughly where they were when they began this life, that they will be safe and make their own choices now, except Paige and Henry have truly become Americans.
In the final frame, the Jennings return home having been irrevocably altered by twenty years of espionage and murders and close scrapes, but also by twenty years of parenthood, of marriage, of founding a family out in a strange land. They go back to Russia shaped by those things, by their efforts to save the world, to save their children, but they go back without them.
There's just so much unexplained here. Too much. Which makes the entire movie pretty useless.
How I rate:
1-3 :heart: = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 :heart: = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 :heart: = I expect you will like this too
9-10 :heart: = movies and TV shows I really love!
To those who are confused: The film is about writer's block. There are two parts,both her attempts in the movie she is writing in her book.
The first story she wrote ends when she sees a bear and gets into an accident. The second part is also her story, which is a variation of her first story but it's more intricate. Once her character stumbles in on husband having an affair, she sees a bear which symbolises the end of second story like before.
The bear is her metaphor for writer's block. Hence the title "The Black Bear".
why was Cahya repeatedly putting the cup of M&Ms into Gabe's hand before realizing he wanted her to pour the M&Ms into his hand so damn funny
This could have been so good. If they dropped the pretense of a horror movie or a science fiction in any way, it would have been an amazing psychological thriller. Inagine there were no jump scares, no loud, booming musical arcs or sudden bangs. It would have been enough.
Cecilia is an abuse victim who has successfully escaped from her boyfriend, who she claims is abusive and has controlled every facet of her life from small to major things. She escapes from her ex one night begging her sister to pick her up. The escape scene itself was really tense except for all the awful jump scares and how long it actually took her to escape.
Cecilia takes her time escaping and definitely doesn't seem to be that smart throughout the entire film. I only appreciate that when she has her breakdown scenes, the actress makes her seem really crazy. There are some logical leaps required for this movie and some information omitted for the purpose of improving the story...
I found the choice of omission really confusing and stupid, there were so many ways that the big bad could have been escaped but in the scope of the story would have solved it so easily. The character of Adrian's brother was really so strange and poor. The guy talks by gritting his teeth, which is immensely distracting. The parts his character were in require suspension of disbelief - like the initial meeting with him to discuss the will. There are only 4 or 5 major characters in this movie and none of the character relationships are explained except for Cecilia having a sister.
The trailer itself actually contains scenes that have been cut from the film - including the conditions around the money that Cecilia receives. Everyone in the movie treats her like she is crazy due to her choices to omit - the door at Jason's house opens by itself, she sees someone standing on the sheet and doesn't say anything. Within the first 20 minutes the first major story twist is revealed - that Cecilia is not crazy and someone is attacking her... - and this really changes the tone of the film, which continues to act like a horror or scifi mystery...
As an aside the movie lines talk about how attractive Cecilia is and there are some really stupid long scenes including extras which are clearly some cameos or promos for friends of the producer/crew.
I'm so disappointed this could have been much more, but the movie required so many logical leaps to even make sense.
Would it be possible to distinguish between Top Gear AS WAS vs the new imposter. I don't want to not have Top Gear on my watchlist but I also don't want to be reminded of "new" episodes.
Werewolves Within is an incredibly charming whodunnit horror comedy that offers tons of fun and it's apparently based on a video game. It's so clever, quirky, and tight. The horror and comedy elements blend together really well. The editing style feels very snappy, giving me similar vibe to Edgar Wright's work. You get nice amount of gore, suspense, and mystery. The wacky cast radiates good energy into the film and delivers zero bad performances. Sam Richardson is great as a lead performer and I really like the chemistry between him and Milana Vayntrub. I wish this film leans towards the horror elements a bit more but overall I had a really fun time. Josh Ruben continues to impress me with this film, I'm looking forward to see his upcoming project!
Haven still beats all these
Unlike the other comments, I find this enthralling and very watchable - very different from the usual American fare which I've stopped watching almost entirely. It may go on a little too long - I'm in the middle of the 2nd series - but some person below said that 'if the Brits were doing it, it would be one series and very watchable'. Mm. The Brits are good, most of the time - and when they get it right, they are absolutely spectacular. But most of the stuff on UK TV is total crap.
i hate the fact they cancelled this show...
The movie starts off rather loosely, with blurred characters and coarse, almost clumsy realization. As the film progresses, it is clear that everything is intentional and prepares you for the evolution of the whole towards a second part of the film, which can only be described as prodigious. Really spectacular and totally essential.
"When you see the girl in the picture that was shown to you earlier today, you will say, "this is the girl". The rest of the cast can stay, that's up to you. But the choice for that lead girl is NOT up to you. Now... you will see me one more time, if you do good. You will see me... two more times, if you do bad. Good night."
Back in early 2015, I watched "Mulholland Drive" and my first reaction were mostly positive. I didn't know what to think of it, but I was so in awe with the film that I couldn't stop thinking about it. The reason for not reviewing it back then is because I just wasn't ready to talk about it. This massive delay cause me to forget about it, as at the time, I had a lot of things on my mind.
But after re-watching it, it's better on the second watch. I loved "Mulholland Drive". It's both effective, depressing, and strange. I would go as far to say that it's a masterpiece.
David Lynch is a master of his craft who's always misunderstood. The dreamy atmosphere is terrifying and yet draws you in. Only he can do it. To strike an emotionally core with you that hits you hard, despite not knowing what's going on. People are so in awe of his work, even when nobody understands him. But strangely, that doesn't matter.
This one is absolutely masterclass from David Lynch. I highly recommend it to everyone. Although not everyone(and by that I mean a whole lot of people) will get it in first viewing, including myself and I have no shame in admitting I understood it on YouTube. But such is the genius of the movie.
The first part of the movie is slow to build up and is confusing, but believe me, it is intended. It is riddled with symbolism and visual cues which aids the viewer in second half of the movie which is full of revelations.
This movie is a dream (literally) lived out.
Believe the movie when it says that everything is illusion.
This was my first Lynch movie. I was too young to get it back then. Now that I'm older, and I've seen more than traditional Hollywood movies, I see why this is considered as a masterpiece.
Boring? Confusing? Poorly edited? This definitely isn't for squares who like to be spoon fed with answers.
"Mulholland Drive" is by far the most complete expression of David Lynch's cinema. It has everything that made his films memorable but still manages to be accessible for most viewers (you will need to rewatch a couple of times, but at least we are far from the apparent close-to-nonsense of "Inland Empire"). A lot of people claim that the last 45 minutes prevented the film from becoming a real masterpiece and made it confusing for the sake of it, but it's quite the opposite. Surely the unsettling and surreal atmosphere that permeates the film is valuable, but those last 45 minutes are the ones that give a real weight and meaning to so many details and lines. They are essential to save the first half from being just a cheesy mystery movie with a unique atmosphere.
It has been one of my favorite movies for ages, but it took me over fifteen years to finally relate to the character. I guess I am finally old enough to feel the bitter taste of failure and self-delusion.
The point of the whole series dies in this episode.
