Mulholland Drive ★★★ 2001 (R)

David Lynch is back to his old trippy surrealistic tricks again, folks. Lush visuals and atmospheric Badalamenti music are once again the key ingredients in this hypnotic look at Hollywood through a kaleidoscope. Betty (Watts), an aspiring actress staying at her aunt's vacant apartment, comes home to find mystery girl Rita (Harring) taking a shower there. Rita, who has taken her name from a movie poster, has amnesia, and Betty tries to help her piece her life together. Meanwhile, successful young director Adam (Theroux) is threatened with death unless he casts a certain actress favored by a wheelchair-bound dwarf who issues orders over a cell phone. Then (if you can believe it) things get even weirder. Originally conceived as a pilot for ABC television, but reshot as a feature. Execs must have guessed the public wasn't ready for “Laverne and Shirley Drop Acid.” 146m/C VHS, DVD . US Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller, Dan Hedaya, Lafayette Montgomery, Michael J. Anderson, Scott Coffey, Chad Everett, Melissa George, James Karen, Katharine Towne, Billy Ray Cyrus, Angelo Badalamenti, Mark Pellegrino, Lee Grant, Kathrine (Kate) Forster, Missy (Melissa) Crider, Brent Briscoe, Marcus Graham, Vincent Castellanos, Michael Des Barres, Robert Forster; D: David Lynch; W: David Lynch; C: Peter Deming; M: Angelo Badalamenti. Cesar ‘01: Foreign Film; Ind. Spirit ‘02: Cinematog.; L.A. Film Critics ‘01: Director (Lynch); Natl. Bd. of Review ‘01: Breakthrough Perf. (Watts); N.Y. Film Critics ‘01: Film; Natl. Soc. Film Critics ‘01: Actress (Watts), Film.