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erich-17
Reviews
Mulholland Falls (1996)
No surprises
So, I'm an idiot, what can I say? I Tivo'ed looking for "Mulholland", on the off-chance that I'd snag David Lynch's film. Hey, it found a match! I watched it: OK, it's set in L.A., the opening credits are tantalizing, this is looking good. Then it becomes a standard detective movie. Ah, my bad, "Mulholland Falls" is no "Mulholland Drive" (which I'll have to break down and get from the video store).
Expecting Lynch and getting this predictable fare definitely was not the best way to see this movie. There's a somewhat interesting mystery, I guess, though it seems to me fairly predictable and tries to build off well-known history. It also takes a while to get going. The film hits most f the standard elements of a detective movie: maverick detective, beautiful dame, mysterious death, other allegedly good people getting in the way of the truth, our hero has a dark secret, but there's a cover-up he wants to expose and a killer to find no matter what the cost. Gosh. The movie does a serviceable enough job, but your time is better spent by, say, watching a Hitchcock film, any Hitchcock film.
There are also some nasty plot holes. I'll avoid spoilers, but if you see this film, ask yourself how the McGuffin device that everyone's after could really have been made by the person who created it (and ask yourself if it would make for a sexy date). And after our hero beats the snot out of so-and-so, how are there no consequences? And why... oh, never mind. Anyway, this film isn't horrible, but simply mediocre and forgettable.
Billy Liar (1963)
An intriguing film; your mileage will vary
Billy escapes his nondescript existence by living in Ambrosia, a fantasy world of his own design. With his past tall tales and mistakes(petty white collar crime, two-timing, etc) all coming back to haunt him, Billy finds an escape route.
At first the English accents were difficult to comprehend, but eventually you get into the rhythm. The film is engaging throughout; there is very little wasted time, while also not feeling rushed.
*Spoiler alert* Like others, I was at first disappointed he did not get on the train at the end. What he does instead is stays and faces his problems, while still retaining his inner life and drawing strength from his fantasies. He also maintains the relationship with his family (as dysfunctional as it is) and understands that, as his mother says, they need him. He could have "escaped" to London, but this would have simply fed into his escapist mode of life, following Liz's method of leaving her problems behind. I'm not so sure he blows it by not getting on the train, and that's what gives this film lasting value for me.