Following (netflix instant)
Christopher Nolan's first film.
it's amazing what a great ending can do to an okay, but interesting film.
Following has an ending that made me say, "wow. definitely didn't see that coming." maybe not a lot of other people will say that, but i didn't see what was coming until it was right there in your face. i love when films do that
i still think Nolan at times deliberately made the film more confusing than it needs to be, and that the structure is all wild and over the place simply to make people take notice, but i give credit to Nolan for making it quirky in structure, but easy enough to follow a long.
the film is about a loner who aspires to be a writer, so he follows people. he says he has rules, as the film starts with a voice over as the "young man" (as he's described in the credits) talks to someone about what he does, but he soon breaks these rules. one of the people he follows soon realizes this and confronts him, leading to one of the oddest friendships i think i've ever seen, with a man named Cobb, who is a thief. Cobb invites the young man along on his journey's as the young man learns what Cobb does and why he does it.
even at a brisk 70 minutes the film packs a lot of dialogue, a lot of scenes and a lot of characterization to its small window of opportunity.
the acting isn't particularly bad, but you definitely know you're watching a small, indie film and not an Academy Award winner. and while no one does a terrible job, at times the actor who plays the "young man" certainly shows he doesn't have much range.
shot in black and white, and made for very little money, it's an interesting film and with an extremely clever ending, it'll make some want to instantly watch it again and see if they can piece all the pieces back together again. it's certainly going to have moments that make you'll go, "oh... yeah...." but i don't know how often i'd go back to watch this.
Cute film. I had seen a few clips at my ex's house back when it first came out, but I avoided seeing it all these years because I thought it was gonna be an over the top, annoying, stuck-up chick fest. But that's not the case at all, it's actually a pretty funny, high school film with a bit of charm. Great cast of young hotties too!!
i love this film and i have no issues with admitting that.
watched in high school many years ago for like, 6 different classes and each time i was excited
i think i give it a 4/5 (close enough to your score ) and i could watch it at anytime.
and what's even more great is that Lohan isn't annoying here! which kind of seems shocking looking at her later films...
Very disappointing since I had such high hopes for this one. If I watched only the first 30 mins or so of the movie, I probably would have given it a 4. The rest of the movie just ruined it. It's worth a view, but make sure not to set your expectations too high.
i love this film and i have no issues with admitting that.
watched in high school many years ago for like, 6 different classes and each time i was excited
i think i give it a 4/5 (close enough to your score ) and i could watch it at anytime.
and what's even more great is that Lohan isn't annoying here! which kind of seems shocking looking at her later films...
Hell Yeah! No need to be shy about it. Its 4 bad azz chicks fighting over popularity! If this is considered a chick flick then this is my favorite chick flick
Following (netflix instant)
Christopher Nolan's first film.
it's amazing what a great ending can do to an okay, but interesting film.
Following has an ending that made me say, "wow. definitely didn't see that coming." maybe not a lot of other people will say that, but i didn't see what was coming until it was right there in your face. i love when films do that
i still think Nolan at times deliberately made the film more confusing than it needs to be, and that the structure is all wild and over the place simply to make people take notice, but i give credit to Nolan for making it quirky in structure, but easy enough to follow a long.
the film is about a loner who aspires to be a writer, so he follows people. he says he has rules, as the film starts with a voice over as the "young man" (as he's described in the credits) talks to someone about what he does, but he soon breaks these rules. one of the people he follows soon realizes this and confronts him, leading to one of the oddest friendships i think i've ever seen, with a man named Cobb, who is a thief. Cobb invites the young man along on his journey's as the young man learns what Cobb does and why he does it.
even at a brisk 70 minutes the film packs a lot of dialogue, a lot of scenes and a lot of characterization to its small window of opportunity.
the acting isn't particularly bad, but you definitely know you're watching a small, indie film and not an Academy Award winner. and while no one does a terrible job, at times the actor who plays the "young man" certainly shows he doesn't have much range.
shot in black and white, and made for very little money, it's an interesting film and with an extremely clever ending, it'll make some want to instantly watch it again and see if they can piece all the pieces back together again. it's certainly going to have moments that make you'll go, "oh... yeah...." but i don't know how often i'd go back to watch this.
3/5
I f'n love Christopher Nolan! He's my favorite director! Well him and David Fincher. I really gotta see this one, this and Insomnia. I have really high hopes after seeing Memento and Inception and of course the highly HATED Dark Knight lol.
first, last and many thoughts in between while watching Mulholland Dr. :
[Show spoiler]WTF!
i'm gonna start this off by saying this will probably be extremely long, extremely WRONG, and i don't think i could ever understand 1/4 of the things in this movie, or in any David Lynch film.
5/5
My thoughts:
[Show spoiler]Mulholland Drive is my favorite film of all time.
This entire post is a giant spoiler, so beware if you plan to watch it for the first time soon.
The first thing to note is that it isn't linear. It jumps around all over the place. Also, many of the events are not real and happen as part of a drug-induced dream.
The Betty played by Naomi Watts is the way she imagines herself. She thinks she is a fun, positive person, and a brilliant young actress. She sees herself as altruistic and a loyal friend. So she wants to help Rita, she nails her acting audition.
She doesn't get the part so she has to invent a reason in her mind for that failure. She assumes that the mafia have insisted that the director choose another actress over her. That sparks the hilarious coffee scene with Angelo Badalamenti.
In reality, she has been dumped by her lover, Rita (actually Camilla) who falls in love with the director Adam Kesher. She can't deal with the reality that Kesher is successful, rich, and popular, so she dreams up the scene where he is beaten up, betrayed by his wife, and his career is controlled by the mafia. He has no access to his money and he is kicked out of the house.
In reality, she decides to have Rita/Camilla murdered because she feels jilted. She hires a hit man. But she starts to feel guilty, so her dream reality makes him highly incompetent (also hilarious) and he botches the hit. In reality he kills Rita/Camilla as evidenced by the blue key in her apartment.
In club Silencio, they keep saying nothing is real, it's all recorded. This seems to represent Betty's imagined dreams.
When Betty sees the waitress, she sees the name tag Diane. In reality, Betty is Diane all along, and the waitress is called Betty.
Diane is a mediocre actress that is given parts by her more talented friend/lover Camilla (Rita). Camilla dumps her for Kesher, and also has an affair with another girl.
The bum is possibly the way Diane sees herself. Ugly.
The blue box is just a device for making a transition from dream to reality. Even Lynch says he doesn't know what it is.
The final 45 minutes show the real Diane (Betty). Deeply troubled, missing her lover. Just a desolate human being.
Faces she sees in real life take on real characters in her dreams. The cowboy is one obvious example. Our minds arrange things any way it likes when we dream.
It's also a commentary on Hollywood and the way in which young dreams are shattered. Many people end up damaged. She is confronted by her demons after arranging the hit on Camilla, and the two old people represent that (probably). She can't live with herself and so commits suicide. The rotting corpse she discovers earlier in the film is actually herself.
I bought it and watched it two days in a row. Then read about it and watched it several more times.
Whatever the conclusions, I don't really care what is correct and what isn't. But I do care about how the film makes me feel. It makes me laugh and it makes me sad. It certainly makes me think. The three people I shared it with just wanted 2.5 hours of their life back. It's not for everyone. If you like thinking, and can deal with non-linear plots such as Pulp Fiction and Memento, this might interest you. It's beautifully shot.
Naomi Watts gives probably the best performance I have seen by any actress. She is bright and bubbly as Betty and things are deliberately hokey as in a B movie, and then she becomes a totally different person as we confront her reality. She's a wrecked woman. She deserved an Oscar in my opinion.
This is at the very top of my blu wishlist.
Here's a more detailed interpretation by Rob Ager. I arrived at my interpretation before I read this, so anything where we are in agreement was arrived at separately.
Single 50GB Blu-ray digibook, Region B (UK import)
The Movie (Drama, mystery, thriller) 5/5
Mulholland Drive is my favorite film of all time. The prospect of seeing the Blu-ray both excited and scared me as I wondered whether the presentation would be worthy of the film.
It elevated it to a different level.
The story is full of mystery and unfolds like a detective story for the first two-thirds of the film. Betty (Naomi Watts), an aspiring actress, wins a jitterbug contest and uses it as an opportunity to fly to Los Angeles to seek out an acting career. Immediately after, we see a car crash in which Rita (Laura Harring) suffers amnesia and seeks refuge in Betty’s empty home. The two soon meet and Betty tries to help Rita remember who she is.
The film was intended to be a television series and the first two acts were formed by the aborted pilot. Eventually, new funding allowed Lynch to finish the film and it evolved into an entirely different story. The plot isn’t linear, and the distinction between dreams and reality becomes increasingly blurred.
This is a complex puzzle that is very hard to take in on the first viewing and is therefore not for everyone. If you like fast-paced action and straightforward stories wrapped up neatly by the end of the movie, you probably won’t appreciate Mulholland Drive. If you enjoy mysteries and being confused and unsettled, it may interest you.
It changed the way I watch movies.
This is the kind of film that possesses you. The best way to view it is to let it carry you along and wash over you. Save your analysis for repeat viewings. And if you have an inquisitive mind, there will be many repeat viewings.
I first saw this film without understanding all of it, but I found myself going over it in my mind and watching it again the next day. Then I wanted to tell all my friends about it. Over time, it has surpassed everything I have ever seen. It’s full of intrigue and makes me feel so many different emotions. It’s quite brilliant and Lynch’s best work, although all of his projects are valuable and important.
Watching one of Lynch’s films takes you on a journey into a different world. There’s something not quite right with the world, but it’s hard to identify exactly what it is. But it adds to the feeling of unease. In Mulholland Drive, he uses interesting camera angles to show you a glimpse of what is ahead. As a result, you become part of the story and see it unfold as the main characters do.
There’s a lot going on in this strange world. We are shown several different characters, initially unconnected, with no explanation of their overall role in the story. This probably happened because the threads were meant to be expanded on in the television series. You will meet film directors, detectives, a hit man, and a whole host of minor characters.
The film is punctuated by moments of bizarre humor. Some of the comedic scenes make me laugh out loud, and that’s not an easy thing to do. But there are moments of violence and mystery and ultimately true desolation.
The final act turns everything on its head. Betty and Rita become Diane and Camilla. It’s initially confusing, but everything becomes clear when you think about what you have seen and felt.
It’s full of symbols and metaphors and has an underlying theme which examines the Hollywood industry as a whole.
Lynch creates a mood better than any director I have ever seen. The colors, settings and actions of the characters all enhance the atmospheric presentation, and Angelo Badalamenti’s haunting score completes the experience. Mulholland Drive has many of the elements that made Twin Peaks my favorite television show of all time. If you like one, you will almost certainly like the other.
I’m not going to expand any further on the plot, such as it is, because it may put you off seeing the film. It’s complex, but it’s very rewarding when you examine the experience after the fact. It’s the kind of film that encourages people to develop their own theories. Lynch refuses to explain it, preferring that you develop your own idea about what it represents.
The film can be viewed as a series of interesting scenes. In fact, that’s probably a good way to view it for the first time. The final act isn’t a predictable occurrence. If you’re someone that finds that refreshing, like me, then you should check out Mulholland Drive if you haven’t already done so. Several movie magazines voted it the best film of the last decade. It’s certainly something that can be appreciated even if you have other favorites.
Video Quality 4/5
The disc opens with trailer in SD, highlighting other StudioCanal titles, but don’t let that worry you. We see Rita in a car crash early in the film and the scene is shot in the dark and looks soft, as are several other scenes in the film. The film is supposed to look that way. But the majority has good detail and better lighting. I didn’t see any dirt or print damage and the overall presentation was extremely clean and pleasing. This is not Avatar, so I didn’t expect the video quality to be great. I was pleasantly surprised. The opening shots deserve 3.5 due to the lighting and softness, but other scenes reach 4.5. Overall I’ll give it a 4.
Audio Quality 5/5
The opening jitterbug scene gives you an idea of how Mulholland Drive is going to sound; in a word, wonderful. The ensuing car crash is loud and full of detail. Lynch is obsessive about choosing exactly the right sounds to match the scene, and getting the volume exactly right. The sounds of gravel, doors opening and dialogue are all perfect. When it comes to louder scenes, such as Rebekah Del Rio singing, or the rumbling undercurrent during aerial shots, it’s also handled perfectly. I don’t think I have ever heard a better presentation in terms of sound quality. I imagine it’s exactly what Lynch intended.
Special Features 3.5/5
An Introduction to the film by Thierry Jousse (9:54 HD)
In the Blue Box (27:33 HD)
On the Road to Mulholland Drive (23:40 SD)
Interviews with Mary Sweeney (SD) and Angelo Badalamenti (SD and audio only)
Back to Mulholland Dr. (23:52 in SD)
20-page booklet
Some of the features are excellent and include interviews with Lynch and members of the cast. The most enlightening feature for the first-time viewer is Back to Mulholland Drive, which includes a simplified interpretation of the film. Please don’t watch it until you have seen the film or it will alter the experience.
Similar Movies
The closest thing to Mulholland Drive is Lynch’s other work such as Lost Highway and Inland Empire. Ingmar Bergman’s Persona also includes similar themes as does Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo.
Verdict
Firstly, be aware that the Optimum BD is locked to Region B, so only buy it if you can play it. I’m not going to tell you to buy this before you’ve seen it, despite my glowing praise. As I have already mentioned, it’s not for everyone. I showed it to three of my friends and they mourned for the two-and-a-half hours I had stolen from their lives. If you are a fan of the film and can play Region B material, buy it without hesitation. If this is the first time you have heard of it, rent the DVD or catch it on cable. Try to watch it on the biggest screen you can, without pausing, and with no other distractions. Watts and Lynch deserved Oscars for their work, but I guess there weren’t enough explosions, dumb jokes, or people getting hit in the groin.
i know you said the same thing about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...
and then we get an announcement for January 2011! so hopefully now an announcement comes for this
I bought the CAN version. Cant be that bad but i'd hold off for the US release too if i were u.
I f'n love Christopher Nolan! He's my favorite director! Well him and David Fincher. I really gotta see this one, this and Insomnia. I have really high hopes after seeing Memento and Inception and of course the highly HATED Dark Knight lol.
DAREDEVIL - Director's Cut - Bluray, watched this pas Weds. Decent enough movie overall, REFERENCE Quality Audio!!!
RED - today, 1:10pm showing - Really good enjoyable movie. Very Funny (Malkovich is Hilarious in this!), Lots of Action (more than I thought it'd have), Drama, a touch of Romance - Great Chemistry with the whole cast (Willis, Malkovich, Mirren, Freeman, Mary Louise Parker), some nice surprises (the Continued Superb work of "Star Trek's" Karl Urban, plus 93-yr old Ernest Freakin' Borgnine!, & the always enjoyable Richard Dreyfuss).
Rotten Tomatoes only has this at 70%/Critics right now, but thankfully, it's almost at 80%/Audience (77% to be exact).
Last edited by Aerodude73; 10-16-2010 at 02:22 AM.
What can I say I'm a Seagal fan, I picked this up as my dvd was non anamorphic. For $10 it was worth the upgrade. My fave of all his films.
Movie: 4/5
PQ: 4/5
AQ: 3/5
No apologies, this is actually a pretty good film IMO (for a SEAGAL film, anyway ). Too bad the AQ is just 3 of 5, as I recall quite a bit of nice Action scenes with Major Gunplay (Machine guns, etc.)
watched it tonight wit the family-- fantastic blu-ray btw-- awesome PQ
I'd rate this 3 stars out of 5 (good), the same rating as the original--
yes, with updated technology some of the effects are better like the Kraken and the sand scorpions. Howver I liked the Medusa better in the original vs the pathetic CGI thing in this one---
the cast was interesting-- was surprised to see Elizabeth McGovern again in a supporting role and Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson added much to the proceedings-- this was a fun movie if you're interested in the subject matter...
watched it tonight wit the family-- fantastic blu-ray btw-- awesome PQ
I'd rate this 3 stars out of 5 (good), the same rating as the original--
yes, with updated technology some of the effects are better like the Kraken and the sand scorpions. Howver I liked the Medusa better in the original vs the pathetic CGI thing in this one---
the cast was interesting-- was surprised to see Elizabeth McGovern again in a supporting role and Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson added much to the proceedings-- this was a fun movie if you're interested in the subject matter...
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
) and i could watch it at anytime.
which kind of seems shocking looking at her later films...
No need to be shy about it. Its 4 bad azz chicks fighting over popularity! If this is considered a chick flick then this is my favorite chick flick
Linear Mode
