# I Watch "Mulholland Falls." Baby Jesus Cries. Then Shoots Himself. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 4, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547 "2004-07-04T22:08:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/1 "2004-07-04T22:08:49Z")
WT_F_? Just saw David Lynch’s _Mulholland Falls_ (watched it mostly for Annie-Pie Miller, my own fault). My personal guesses: 1. I have gone mad and can no longer follow linear filmmaking. 2. The scripts for half a dozen David Lynch films accidentally got collated together by the script girl and no one noticed till it was through editing. 3. It was self-indulgent, impenetrable, artsy claptrap. Can someone _please_ explain to me _what the bloody hell_ was going _on_ in that film? I don’t know if spoiler boxes are in order, because frankly, I don’t think it’s possible to “spoil” the plot. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/2 "2004-07-04T22:30:53Z")
Full disclosure: I haven’t seen the movie. But based on what I’ve heard, its success is a combination of (3) plus a lesbian sex scene. Those who aren’t into lesbian sex scenes will say that the movie was an innovative expression of a non-linear storyline and if they didn’t appreciate it, it was just because they were too dense to follow such avant-garde filmmaking. Those who are will say that those two chicks were _totally_ doing it. Whatever the case, David Lynch wins. Long live art! ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/3 "2004-07-04T22:32:20Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > WT_F_? > > Just saw David Lynch’s _Mulholland Falls_ (watched it mostly for Annie-Pie Miller, my own fault). My personal guesses: > > 1. I have gone mad and can no longer follow linear filmmaking. > > 2. The scripts for half a dozen David Lynch films accidentally got collated together by the script girl and no one noticed till it was through editing. > > 3. It was self-indulgent, impenetrable, artsy claptrap. > > Can someone _please_ explain to me _what the bloody hell_ was going _on_ in that film? I don’t know if spoiler boxes are in order, because frankly, I don’t think it’s possible to “spoil” the plot. You mean _Mulholland Drive_, right? _Mulholland Falls_ is a straight-forward flick, although it has a few superficial similarities. I loved _Mulholland Drive_. It suffers a little because it was originally intended to be a TV series, and was fleshed out into a feature film later. Watch it twice more. It’s a puzzle. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/4 "2004-07-04T22:39:30Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > You mean _Mulholland Drive_, right? _Mulholland Falls_ is a straight-forward flick, although it has a few superficial similarities. Oops. You see, my three remaining brain cells are crouched in a fetal position in the corner of my skull going, “No–no more David Lynch!” ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/5 "2004-07-04T22:40:34Z")
Don’t have time for an extensive post (and there are plenty of threads that cover substantial ground on the film), but suffice it to say that it is a giddy, poison pen letter to not only the physical institution of Hollywood, but to the Dream Factory it symbolizes for so many. I think it’s much more biting, substantial, horrific, and uncompromising than Wilder’s _Sunset Blvd._. Absolutely brilliant and heartbreaking. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/6 "2004-07-04T22:42:33Z")
Gee, and here I thought it was just “crap.” ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/7 "2004-07-04T22:56:39Z")
Huh, I would have thought it’d be right up your alley, being so chockablock with obscure film references. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/8 "2004-07-04T23:18:16Z")
Well, I was doing OK till the sixth dream sequence/flashback/character change/complete plot shift. Then I said, “fun is fun, Mr. Lynch, but a girl can’t laugh _all_ the time.” ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2004, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/9 "2004-07-04T23:56:03Z")
Sure you can – it just takes discipline. My time in the Laughing Academy made me the man I am today. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/10 "2004-07-05T00:08:56Z")
[Mulholland Drive analysis](http://flakmag.com/film/mulhollandwalk.html) Synopsis - 1: Linear, plot driven filmmaking is for girly men. 2: It’s like sex with a crazy person. Don’t try to make sense of it, just enjoy the ride. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/11 "2004-07-05T00:13:12Z")
[This](http://dir.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/2001/10/23/mulholland_drive_analysis/index.html?pn=1) may be of some help. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/12 "2004-07-05T00:33:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Bits and pieces of plot dribble out; characters appear and disappear; the film takes an incomprehensible turn two-thirds of the way through; and there seem to be three or four disparate story lines that have virtually nothing to do with one another. Huh. Give me sex with a crazy person any day. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/13 "2004-07-05T02:14:42Z")
> [@astro](#): > > 2: It’s like sex with a crazy person. Don’t try to make sense of it, just enjoy the ride. Huh. For some reason I just remembered that I got laid to _Blue Velvet_ one time. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/14 "2004-07-05T02:40:59Z")
Dude. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/15 "2004-07-05T02:51:27Z")
It made _perfect_ sense to me. It’s in my top 5 list for movies from the past 10 years. I like movies that encourage thinking. _MD_ made me think a lot, so I like it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/16 "2004-07-05T05:10:57Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Huh. Give me sex with a crazy person any day. I submit my live journal as [exhibit A](http://www.livejournal.com/users/doc_cathode/) of my crazypersonhood. Please note that the latest entry is somewhat sane, but is largely the set up for “I Survive A Brush With Horrible Sticky Death”. I’m also working on an entry involving heaven, hell, Septa, and a nice chat with John Candy. I have an apointment tuesday, but I can cancel everything else this week. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/17 "2004-07-05T06:23:50Z")
**Eve** , if it’s any comfort I also recently saw it and my reaction was exactly the same as yours. I loved “Twin Peaks” and I at least understood “Blue Velvet”, but “Mulholland Drive” was incomprehensible to me. It was not only incomprehensible, it was frustrating. I say it was frustrating because I was really interested in seeing how some of the plot lines turned out. It gives the impression that Lynch originally planned to go somewhere with them but then lost his way and ended up doing whatever the hell it was he ended up doing. (That’s the impression I got, but I realize that he probably intended it that way from the beginning). I understand about things like non-linear plots and twist endings but this film simply didn’t work IMHO. **SolGrundy** , there may be some truth in what you say about the lesbian sex scenes but the TV version of those scenes is ruined by heavy pixellation, to the point where you can barely tell that it’s a lesbian sex scene. (Well okay, you can _tell_ what it is but you can’t _enjoy_ it). In any case, if I want a lesbian sex scene I can look at plain old uncomplicated porn and not have to be distracted by an incomprehensible plot (or any plot at all, for that matter). ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/18 "2004-07-05T15:12:50Z")
I made a friend watch the pilot/movie of TWIN PEAKS- Her response- “There are five forms of torture- sharp, blunt, hot, cold, and David Lynch.” I enjoy much of Lynch’s work but I can understand her point. ---
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/19 "2004-07-06T09:43:35Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > It gives the impression that Lynch originally planned to go somewhere with them but then lost his way and ended up doing whatever the hell it was he ended up doing. According to **Number Six** ’s link, the movie was supposed to be the pilot for an ABC series. When that fell through, he released it theatrically. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547/20 "2004-07-06T11:03:14Z")
I only watched MD once and it made perfect sense to me up until that through the box thing. It’s been a while so I don’t remember why it made sense to me up to that point… But my best friend has a reaction similar to **Eve** ’s and I’m not sure she’s forgiven me yet for making her sit through it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watch-mulholland-falls-baby-jesus-cries-then-shoots-himself/253547.md?page=2)