Mulholland Drive

David Lynch drags his feet by running several atmospheric but tangential subplots up the flagpole then leaving them flapping in the wind in this surreal, mind-bending flick about an ingenuous ingénue (Naomi Watts) with dreams of movie stardom who gets mixed up in a dark, esoteric phantasm of a Hollywood mystery. If you're patient, however, the central story gradually congeals into an engrossingly elaborate labyrinthine chiller that finds Watts befriending a coldly gorgeous, vacant-eyed femme fatale (Laura Harring) who has amnesia, masking a twisted past. Brilliantly, maddeningly layered, beautifully photographed and full of Lynchian twists (such as the final act's literal rewinding to the past, morphing Watts into an entirely different character and leading to shocking revelations which turn inside out everything that came before), this is recommended for more adventurous viewers. (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Nov. 3, 2015—Criterion, 146 min., R, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 2001's Mulholland Dr. features a great transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include interviews with: stars Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, and Naomi Watts, and casting director Johanna Ray (36 min.); Watts and director David Lynch (27 min.); cinematographer Peter Deming and production designer Jack Fisk (23 min.); and composer Angelo Badalamenti (20 min.), as well as on-set footage (25 min.), a deleted scene (3 min.), a trailer, and a booklet featuring an interview with Lynch from writer Chris Rodley's 2005 edition of Lynch on Lynch. Bottom line: Lynch's surreal fever dream of a movie shines on Blu-ray.]