This David Lynch masterpiece is a film split in half: a glamorous romance that suddenly morphs into bitter rejection, a Hollywood mystery that plunges into doom. Can there be another movie that speaks as resonantly– if unwittingly – to the awful moment that marked the ‘00s? Viewers grappled over the meaning of the ‘blue box’, finding little purchase. But in the troubled autumn of this psychodrama's 2001 NYC release, we might have understood it all too well. Mulholland Drive is the monster behind the diner; it's the self-delusional dream turned into nightmare. The triumph belongs to Lynch, who could have rested on the laurels of his three landmarks, Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks. Creatively, though, he saved this project (originally a misunderstood TV pilot) from dismissal, retooling it and extending his story into complexity. Along the way, a star was born: the extraordinary Naomi Watts, whose fearless double performance wrecked all who submitted to its spell. –Joshua Rothkopf
Movies were born in the 20th century, and the 21st century has nearly killed them. At least, that’s the common narrative. And it hasn’t seemed far from the truth: Between internet piracy, the pandemic, the rise of television as the go-to storytelling medium and the ongoing corporate consolidation that has streaming services Thanos-snapping whole swaths of their catalogues out of existence, the film industry has often felt imperilled throughout the first two decades of the new millennium.
But even among all the doom and gloom – or perhaps even because of it – film itself has continued to thrive. Perhaps it’s a stretch to say movies have never felt more vital, just given all the entertainment options that now exist at the click of the button. But it’s hard to think of a more innovative era in film history than the last two decades: genres have been mixed, matched and completely exploded; more diverse stories are being told than ever before; blockbusters have reached unfathomable hugeness; and the smallest, strangest indies have won awards and reached vast audiences. If cinema in the 21st century has been defined by tumult, it’s also exemplified the ability of filmmakers to rise to the moment, and these 100 movies represent the best of the last quarter-century so far.
Written by David Fear, Joshua Rothkopf, Keith Uhlich, Stephen Garrett, Andrew Grant, Aaron Hillis, Tom Huddleston, Alim Kheraj, Tomris Laffly, Kevin B. Lee, Karina Longworth, Maitland McDonagh, Troy Patterson, Nicolas Rapold, Lisa Rosman, Nick Schager, Phil de Semlyen, Matthew Singer, Anna Smith, S. James Snyder.
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