Reely Bernie Faves: Mulholland Drive (2001)

For me, all of David Lynch’s oddities offer an evocative perspective on the American dream turned nightmare, the ‘burbs behind locked doors, and the mystery of rabbits. None of it makes sense narratively or chronologically, and Lynch is notorious for not providing explanations. Yet, if you dig his noirish style and peeping tom pace, the experience can be horrifyingly appealing. I guess you know when you’ve seen a David Lynch film, and his cultish mark on film can be appreciated as much as enjoyed.

Mulholland Drive is a tad weird-for-the-sake-of-weird, especially in the end. However, Lynch is able to fuse all of his trademarks of the past to create a world in which time sequences aren’t repeated, but the characters’ opportunities to develop are. Does that make sense? If it doesn’t, Mulholland Drive is the only movie in which the “it-was-all-a-dream” copout can be justified without being a cheap trick. It’s a play on swapping character personas and reacting differently to the same scenario in someone else’s shoes. (Or getting a second chance to look behind the dumpster.)

There’s the mystery of the blue box, there’s a satire on diva actresses to tear apart, an operatic interlude interrupts everything, Hollywood is cloaked with secrets, and, yes, there’s something horrific behind the dumpster.

It’s all so peculiar, and most necessarily—it’s also funny! The bullet through the wall into the vacuuming custodian is beautifully choreographed and full of guilty pleasure chuckles. How about the infamous “This is the girl”/napkin/expresso spew scene? So undeniably bizarre and yet brilliantly executed with closeup edits and uncomfortable silence.

I guess you can just call it “Lynchian,” and although its tenuous narrative certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of espresso, there’s enough allure to turn off the logic and surrender completely.

Reely Bernie Faves:

1. Amadeus (1984)

2. Magnolia (1999)

3. Poltergeist (1982)

4. Pulp Fiction (1994)

5. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

6. The Godfather Part II (1974)

7. Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)

8. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

9. Goodfellas (1990)

10. Nosferatu (1922)

11. Pollock (2000)

12. Kicking and Screaming (1995)

13. Jaws (1975)

14. Fargo (1996)

15. Citizen Kane (1941)

16. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

17. The Endless Summer (1966)

18. Back to the Future (1985)

19. Angel Heart (1987)

20. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

21. The Goonies (1985)

22. Trainspotting (1996)

23. King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

24. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

25. Bambi (1942)

26. The Paradise Lost Trilogy (1996-2011)

27. Psycho (1960)

28. Parenthood (1989)

29. Swingers (1996)

30. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

31. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

32. Smoke (1995)

33. Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

34. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

35. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

36. City of God (2002)

37. 1917 (2019)

38. Black Swan (2010)

39. School of Rock (2003)

40. Mulholland Drive (2001)

41. Groundhog Day (1993)

42. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

43. The Greatest Showman (2017)

44. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

45. The Florida Project (2017)

46. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

47. So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)

48. Shadowlands (1993)

49. Steve Jobs (2015)

50. ¡Three Amigos! (1986)