But what's with the bunnies?

The East Bay View processors are currently computing whether or not Inland Empire gets an A+: to reach that standard, it would have to be 35% as good as Mulholland Drive; early estimates suggest it's somewhere in the thirties. What is clear is that Laura Dern's performance is 57 varieties of amazing. You think Lynch worked Naomi Watts to the bone? Well, her role was a walk in the park compared to Dern's. She has to be brilliant in the rehearsal for the banal movie she's in (admittedly, she's had practice being brilliant in banal movies) and when delivering a monologue (which I hear was filmed in one take, Jesus) with a huge bruise below her mouth. She has to play who knows how many variations on the same character, each slapped around in a different way, and seems to give each a unique set of facial expressions, strong enough to withstand Lynch's disfiguring close-ups. I demand you see this performance. Don't make me pull out the Falconetti comparisons.

Also, Jeremy Irons is quite witty.