Review of Mulholland Dr.

Before viewing Mulholland Drive (2001) I was prepared for a bizarre experience primarily because David Lynch has made some of the most abnormal movies ever created (Blue Velvet and Eraserhead). Although I was one of the few people who hated Blue Velvet I went into viewing Mulholland Drive with high expectations because the film was met with such high praise from critics. I was disappointed to say the least. After watching the film I immediately went to Roger Ebert's review of the film to see if I had missed anything within the story or in Lynch's camerawork. I had not but I was intrigued by Ebert's last paragraph in which he states that if you need your movies to contain logic, Mulholland Drive is not the film for you. Personally for me I enjoy movies in which the connections are made clear between the characters as well as a storyline which makes sense. In my opinion Mulholland Drive has neither, which made it almost impossible for me to care about what happened within the plot. I'll admit that there is some interesting camerawork done as well as some entertaining scenes, but the majority of the time I was so distracted by the ridiculous occurrences in the story that I simply did not care what was happening on screen by the time the movie reached the half-way point.

I am all up for films that require you to come up with your own interpretation to what is happening but there is a difference between challenging the viewer and straight up confusing the audience beyond words. Mulholland Drive falls in the latter category. So if you like asking yourself the question, What the fuck is going on? every five minutes, Mulholland Drive is the film for you. Otherwise avoid it at all cost.

RANKING: 2.2/5.0

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Review of Panic

It has long been debated whether genetics or the environment have more of an effect on childhood development. Although there are many cases supporting and disapproving both theories, it is hard to argue against the fact that children raised in a hostile environment are usually aggressive themselves. In Henry Bromell's Panic (2000) Alex (William H. Macy) was trained to be an assassin at a very young age by his father (Donald Sutherland). After a childhood of practicing on squirrels, rabbits, and other animals, Alex becomes the primary hitman in his father's family business of contract killing. Years go by and Alex never complains about having to assassinate numerous people (some innocent). However, eventually Alex realizes that he is suffering from severe depression and he can't figure out why. He has a loving family, yet he aspires for a dramatic change in not only his occupation but his entire lifestyle. In an attempt to transform his life, Alex begins forming a romantic friendship with a young girl (Neve Campbell) he meets at his psychologist's office. Also, for the first time he begins to stand up to his parents, who have always demanded perfection from him especially when working on the job. The relationships that Alex has with the people closest to him including his psychiatrist and his new love interest are what make Panic a superior thriller.

Personally my favorite scenes are the flashback sequences in which Alex's father (Donald Sutherland) teaches his son the art of murder. All of these scenes have a very creepy undertone caused by the way Sutherland reacts lightly to the murdering of innocent animals and people. Very few actors are able to pull this off to the same extent as Sutherland does, which can also be seen in one of my favorite films from the 1980s called Eye of the Needle (1981). Overall, Panic may be hard to find at Blockbuster or Movie Gallery since it was such a low-budget film, but if you are a member of Instant Netflix it is definitly worth your time. Although there are not many action sequences, it is more thrilling than most films.

RATING: 4.0/5.0

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Review of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

It is a hard fact of life that respectable people do not always come out on top. The same is true for law enforcement officers. Many times it is the bad cops who are willing to plant false evidence, kill unarmed criminals, and take bribes, yet it is these negative actions that often lead cops into receiving praise from both their superior officers and/or their community. In Werner Herzog's new film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Terence McDonagh (Nicholas Cage) is a crooked detective who uses his status as a police officer to obtain illegal drugs, steal money, and gain sexual favors from prostitutes. Yet despite being coked up all the time, McDonagh is one of the highest ranked detectives in the New Orleans police force because he is willing to break all the rules including wrongfully abusing civilians to obtain information and murdering unarmed criminals he knows to be guilty.

There are crooked police officers in every U.S. city, but Nicholas Cage's Detective McDonagh is truly a disturbed human being to say the least. It is scary to think that there is even a possibility that police officers such as him could exist. There are certain scenes, such as the pharmacy sequence (link below) that truly display McDonagh's erratic behavior. This film really gives Nicholas Cage a chance to demonstrate why is he known as one of the most talented actors in Hollywood. There are many times where you can actually see the evil bearing behind Cage's eyes. Sometimes he can be hard to watch because his insanity adds so much suspense to the film. You never know what he'll do and often you feel a little nervous to find out. Personally I think Cage should have been nominated for an Oscar this year for his portrayal of McDonagh. It is one of his best performances ever.

On the other side of the camera is Werner Herzog, one of the most experienced and bizarre filmmakers in cinematic history. There are very few directors who have done such variety of works as Herzog. For example, Herzog is known for doing very successful documentaries such as Grizzly Man (2005) and Lessons of Darkness (1992). However, he is also known for creating some very successful recreations of historic events such as Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972) and Rescue Dawn (2006). Perhaps most foreign to Herzog are main stream non-fictional works, yet he still has made several successful pictures that portray non-realistic occurrences. In Bad Lieutenant, Herzog combines elements of the different kinds of movies he has created. For example, in scenes in which animals are involved, he uses a handheld camera to give the movie a documentary style. He often intertwines this with long shots that feel much more main stream. Herzong is known for taking a lot of chances and Bad Lieutenant is no exception, yet the risks all pay off to form one of the best films of the year.

Overall, Bad Lieutenant is one of the most interesting pieces of filmmaking of 2009. At times it can get a little weird, but if you enjoy movies that challenge viewers and keep you guessing, Bad Lieutenant should not be missed.

Pharmacy Scene

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RANKING: 4.2/5.0

Review of Green Zone

By now it is basically a fact that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction and that the United States government under the Bush administration falsified evidence in order to invade Iraq. Now to what extent Bush and Cheney knew that there were no operational WMDs is not clear. Perhaps they were lied to by other high ranking government officials or perhaps they knew the entire time that Iraq posed no immediate threat. Paul Greengrass' Green Zone pulls out all the punches in the direction of the Bush Administration and openly declares the Bush administration as war criminals for sending troops to Iraq without proof of any WMDs. Intertwined with the political statements are intense action sequences, in which Greengrass uses a shaky handheld camera style (as seen in the last two Bourne movies and United 93) to add a sense of realism to the film.

Personally I enjoy action sequences in long, progressive takes such as the action scenes in Children of Men because it allows the viewer to feel as if they are right along side the characters (the camera acts as the eyes of the audience) without any cuts between takes. In my opinion, longer takes allow the viewer to become more fully engrossed within the cinematic experience. However, there are benefits to the quick editing found in all of Greengrass' films. First of all the fast paced cuts and shaky camera may not make you feel like you are personally watching the action, but you do feel as if the camera is actually part of the story. Whenever I watch a Greengrass film I almost feel as if I am watching a documentary because of the handheld camera use. I sometimes forget I'm viewing a multi-million dollar motion picture and not the nightly news. The documentary style used by Greengrass worked perfectly in United 93 because the filmmakers were attempting to recreate the events of 9/11 as realistically as possible. The problem with Green Zone is that it pretends to be a documentary, yet the events it covers are fiction. Even if some of the events that take place were true, Green Zone tries so hard to make political statements that it is often hard to take it seriously.

Overall, Green Zone is not as entertaining as the Bourne trilogy, but it still remains an effective and thoughtful thriller. So although the action scenes may give you a headache, it is hard to not be impressed by the original and fast paced camera work.

RATING: 3.4/5.0

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