BlueGW, I think you're overlooking the fact that the same mind with the same views and mindset created this film. It's surrealist film, and if you actually study the paintings, you'll recognize a lot of imagery, symbolism, and ideas... the ants, for example, appear in a lot of his work, including two of the most famous paintings, Persistence of Memory and Metamorphosis of Narcissus. These paintings were initially received with the same knee-jerk reaction you're giving here. Further, if you look at Persistence of Memory, you'll find that central to the piece is a "psycho mutilation" of a face.

I saw this on DVD for the first time a few days ago (right after watching Mulholland Drive - yikes) and I'll admit it blew my mind (which, admittedly, was blown already by the previous film.) That said, even in our overwhelmed state, two of my friends quickly commented "my dreams are like this. well, not with the dead horse pianos, but with the completely random nonsensical happenings that seem to make perfect sense."

As for the ants, I think they typically symbolize decay. And the eyeball, I believe they used a cow eye for that shot. I cringe remembering it.

Next up: L'Age D'Or

Ooo I remember this video from years ago; loved it then, and it's nice to see now. Funky aesthetic, and nothing beats the multiplied, freeze-frame, cutout jump kick. Sloan's Canadian? I'm ashamed to say I didn't know that.

I remember first hearing this song with 2 friends in high school. We loved it, but when it came to the chorus we looked at each other and laughed: "and the joke is when he awoke his body was covered in goat jizz." I know that's juvenile, but we ALL (mis)heard the same thing.

Also, those ad agencies/clients that get composers to write bad knockoffs of popular songs make me angry. The composer is either soulless, or tries to pitch the client original tunes with a similar feel and subsequently gets shot down in favour of "just do that song from that band but don't get us sued."

Drink Sprite responsibly.

"I listen to bands that don't even exist yet." =D

Seagal upvote. He was great in Executive Decision to go Out for Patriot Justice while Under Siege on Deadly Ground 2.

Done. I was reluctant to as it kind of spoils the vid.

Amazing scene. The camera work and pacing throughout this film actually set me on edge, and this is the first time in a long time I've literally gripped the armrest with sweaty hands. (and I don't just mean during the sex scene, buhdum tsh)

*spoilers*

So this scene is the only one that doesn't fit into what I accept as the most reasonable interpretation of this film. Well it sort of does, in that it serves to set up the "you're in both dreams" bit, and to introduce scary-face man.

The interpretation I speak of was passed onto me just now after having seen it for the first time: the second half is the reality, evidenced by the real-world look, especially the lack of makeup and Diane's inability to maintain her fantasies (that's some really difficult acting that Naomi Watts did incredibly in). The first half is dream world, perhaps created out of a subconscious desire to reverse roles and put Diane in the position of power, whereby all the faces and aspects seen during that traumatic revelation at the party are pieced into logic by the dream-brain. Thus, the ever-presence of makeup (even after a shower) in the first half, as well as Naomi's overdone bubbly acting and Nancy Drew shenanigans. The extremely odd behaviour in the director's meeting could be a representation of Diane's resentment and imaginings of how the filmmaking executive world.

Also I was reminded of the beginning, in which we see Diane's perspective as she falls onto that pillow (presumably right after suicide), and thus came the inference that the first half occurs between the time she pulls the trigger and the time her brain shuts off.

Finally, in the Club Silencio, we (including Diane) are being reminded that it is all an illusion. The colour blue makes another dramatic appearance, popping in contrast to the black and red everywhere else. During the thunderstorm, Diane begins to convulse, which immediately reminded me (even though at the time I had no idea) of the waking convulsions that I get and I know some others get on occasion, especially when falling asleep sitting up.

As an afterthought, I don't know where the old people came from, and that last scene there scared the bejeezus out of me.

I realize that all of this is probably on some forum or site somewhere, but I just got home from seeing the movie and had to sort it out somewhere.

i wish anyone had been this cool when i was in high school.

Thanks for the welcome!

and @ budzos: If that guy is Waldo, and the room is filled with giant candy canes, Canadian flags, barber poles, and hundreds of people dressed in red+white stripes, it'd be hard even for multiple FBI agents to find him... or his girlfriend... or his dog... or 9 Santa Clauses.

An artist has the guts to try to make a living on her art and she succeeds, so she loses her artistic credibility? That doesn't sound right to me. I think it's naive to expect a talented unknown to pass up an opportunity (for both the money and the exposure) like this one, and unfair to write her off for taking it. It's easy to paste the "sellout" label on artists when you forget that to make a living, they need to sell art. I say good for her.

Lovely tune.

I definitely noticed the Cali accent. Being from Ontario (Ottawa and Toronto), the Toronto accent seemed very "American caricaturing Canadian." I've found that the Ontario accents tend to sound really similar to her Seattle (where to me it sounded as though she was accent-less)