Bad Dreams an original film.
580414
I suppose this movie would have to be classified as a horror/thriller. It has plenty of thrills and manages to keep one on the edge of his seat. Jennifer Rubin and Bruce Abbott have plenty of onscreen chemistry and both their characters' relationship can be quite touching at times, particularly at the end of the film. Richard Lynch is absolutely perfect as the David Koresh-like Harris, who leads his devout, yet very confused followers, to their flaming deaths. It's the seventies clashing with the eighties as Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin) wakes up from a thirteen year coma in a psychiatric facility she was brought to back in 1973. I won't tell you the rest, I wouldn't want to give the plot away. I'll tell you this, for an eighties flick, Bad Dreams is certainly original. I loved it and I'm sure many of you out there will enjoy this one as well. See it for yourselves, you won't be sorry.
736900
Requiem For A Dream is one of those movies that claims it's twisted, anti-wholesome movie, tactics convert to a work of art. While most movies that fall into this category, do this with ease, Requiem will leave you with such a bleek and depressing outlook, that you will soon forget the redeeming qualities it posseses. This movie follows 4 connected people as they build fantasies in their minds of a happily ever after world, and how drugs destroy these fantasies. By the time these characters realize that these fantasies are exactly that: fantasies, it is too late. Each one has drifted away from the others, and fallen into a whole new world of horror. The movies ends there, and leaves you shocked, tongue out, and grim. This movie plays like a long tunnel that in which these characters see light, but at the end, after pain, suffering, and turmoil, there is nothing but a dead end.
 This movie gave me the closest thing to nightmares, that I've had in years, feeling grim and self-possesed to never let what happened to these characters happen to you. In this way, the way that this movie plays with your deepest darkest emotions, it shows signs of a masterpiece, yet I am too numb to see the beauty in it.
 If anything, this movie is an excellent way to keep kids away from drugs. One viewing of this movie, is guranteed to be the equivalent of a million anti-drug campaigns. This is not to be shown to anyone under 13-14 though. Teenagers who see this movie must be mature, and learn from the themes presented.
 In the end, if I haven't intrigued you enough, see this movie because it is different. I watched this movie alone, after my girlfriend had brought over Legally Bonde a couple hours earlier. As you can imagine the transition is stifling.
 Proceed with caution-this is one of those "outlook on life distorting" movies similar to The Matrix and Fight Club. ENJOY!
4223264
An earlier review had it right on, you have to watch this one a few times to finally get it. I feel asleep the first time I saw it, but something kept me watching it everytime it came on. The atmosphere of the movie and the whole abandoned building/mental hospital is what kept my interest. The idea that this could happen in real life I think is what makes this one truely good. If there were any monsters or killers-that-just-wouldn't-die, it just wouldn't be good. This is one of my favorite movies.
3282923
David Lynch's first film.  Dark, dreamlike and disturbing.  A classic for anyone interested in film and/or David Lynch.
2632105
People love to criticize this film. I personally love this movie!! Yes, it is pretty damn twisted but it's incredible. I love the dark imagery, horror, and gore. It really gave me nightmares. Brilliant.
3083888
Its a cold and dark Japanese winter night, and young women is trapped inside a mansion...but no this is no normal mansion, its purely in dream. but what if the dream break through to the real world? what if you and your friends lives were on the line? The idea that, what you see in a dream will haunt you in the world is in interesting notion, as at first nothing happens within your quite Japanese house, but must of your time will be stuck a ghost infested Necronomicon of horrors big and small. Whispers and screams, tears and bloodshed. Its atmosphere is the foundation in which a story of nightmares is built around. As you dream, you find a small but powerful camera is your only defense against these nightmare ghosts which at times are innocent but may turn on you in a heartbeat and not even a child can be trusted.
You'll find that, even though distance is what you want, the camera can only exorcize with more power when the ghost is as close as possible to you. With a great cmaera control, great visuals and a helping of haunting, there is no wrong in these halls of hell. Just make sure to bring some extra film with you, and don't let you dreams become reality.
579425
It's not a bad movie. It just has a tendency to move kinda slow but it will have you thinking by the end. There are some parts that will surprise you because you will be occupied on trying to figure out what's happening.  It movies like a classic horror which means hardly no cgi. All I can say is judge it for yourself.
3770730
Very good movie. Shows the real life side of a dream or idea. Things haven't changed much as it would be the same today.
4389303
This movie is trippy dude.  Is this a dream, hallucination, acid trip, bad joke? I don't know.  It's a junkie's surrealistic Halloween party prank I think.  I do know this movie is quite an experience.

Don't watch this movie expecting your formulaic plot-driven story with easily understandable elements.  I've got quite a ways to go before I can conjour up some identifiable or explainable reasons behind this film other than pure artistic expression.  I'm hoping to find some cryptic meaning in future viewings of this wacked out picture.  It'll be fun trying, unless I go crazy in the process.
1565251
AN LA DETECTIVE [AL PACINO] GOES TO ALASKA TO INVESTIGATE A TEENAGE GIRL'S MURDER. SOON, HE FINDS OUT THAT THE KILLER IS A DERANGED WRITER [ROBIN WILLIAMS] WHO BEGINS PLAYING MIND GAMES WITH HIM. THIS AMERICANIZED REMAKE OF THE 1997 SWEDISH DRAMA [I NEVER SAW THE ORIGINAL] HAS SUSPENSE AND PLENTY OF GOOD TWISTS, BUT IT JUST LACKS SOMETHING IN THE LONG RUN. IT MAKES A GOOD SUSPENSE MOVIE FOR SUSPENSE FANS. I WONDER WHAT THE ORIGINAL INSOMNIA WAS LIKE.
4867558
I really enjoyed this movie, brought a tear to my eye. I am quite familiar with Bettie's story, been a fan of hers for years.

She wanted so much to be an actress, but made a living doing modeling.

This film represents dreams lost, Bettie could have made it, but the Congessional hearing's scared her back to the lord. Good choice.

There is a deeper and darker chapter in Bettie's later life that was respectfully left out. I think this was also a good choice.
583270
It's as if Darren Aronofsky filmed your very own worst nightmare, assuming you had anything to do with drugs or drug addicts.  If ever a viewer wondered about the interior state of being of drug addiction, this is the movie for you. Aronofsky used Hubert Selby Jr.'s book and screenplay as his source material and the source material is brilliant.

I love movies which explore surreal states.  This must come in part from my fascination with surrealist art. Aronofsky's film probably owes more to the late Salvador Dali than to any other film director. I'm also fascinated by movies which move as if you were viewing them in a dream state.  We do spend a great deal of our lives in a dream state and see life from an entirely different perspective in REM time. Aronofsky seems to understand this very well. Aronofsky and Selby, in intended irony, load their characters with dreams of their own which are destined to remain unfilled in large part because of their drug addictions.

Ellen Burstyn plays the easiest addict to understand and she does her usual masterful job.  She wants to lose weight so takes diet pills (speed) to do so.  Her dream is to be on tv which is what spurs her to the speed. Her son Harry, his girlfriend Marion, and his best friend Tyrone use the outright illegal street drugs and dream of becoming big drug dealers instead of low level pushers.  On the way to drug fortune, they themselves become addicted.

Jared Leto as the son Harry Goldfarb does a first rate acting job.  Frankly, prior to this role, I didn't think he had any acting talent. There is a growing problem with his injection infected arm which will remain visually with you long after the movie is over. Jennifer Connelly as Marion Silver is every bit as wonderful as Burstyn in this film. She is Harry's girlfriend, soon to enter a life of degradation due to the nightmarish descent into drugs.

Because this film is so visual, it is an ideal one for seeing in the best possible format available.  Blue-ray was invented for just this kind of film.

Visit my blog with link given on my profile page here or use this phonetically given URL (livingasseniors dot blogspot dot com). Friday's entry will always be weekend entertainment recs from my 5 star Amazon reviews in film, tv, books and music. These are very heavy on buried treasures and hidden gems. My blogspot is published on Monday, Wednesday & Friday.
2632849
This movie is mainly about a guy who gets trapped into drug and alcohol abuse but manages to escape it. Somehow, as in real life, the your history will never be erased and he is trapped again in tragic circumstances with his new wife, pregnancy, memory loss from his 'wild days'. This film will not give much to viewer which has not experienced heavy drinking or drug use. For those which has bad experiences or any experience at all, will have a wake-up call and hopefully watch this film in awe. The film can be watched in the same session as 'Requiem for a dream', an uncredible film about drug abuse and the society that not only sells drugs 'illegally' but also a society in which one can get heavy drugs prescribed and legally.
3484416
This is a perfect Saturday night B movie. The acting was actually pretty good and the premise is
very original. I had never heard of the last breath mythology before. Who knew. Definitely better than all of the
found footage garbage out there and this is not one of those. It was fun.
4536267
The film that "Inception" stole it's ideas from. Elegantly simple, kitschy, with dream sequences that  Inception could learn from.
2030304
This is an interesting film. I enjoyed how the child of this addicted and lost mother was portrayed. The writing is original and fresh.
300701
This is a good film that makes for a good night's viewing. It is especially enjoyable if you like tales about small towns and their football teams. The same people have stayed in the small town where they went to high school. The town is in the doldrums and so are our characters as they have never recovered from a losing football game so many years ago. One of these guys is married to the homecoming queen and the other to the richest man in town's daughter.  Both wives are exasperated by their husbands.

The solution? Replay the football game. So that is what the rest of the movie is about. It is very sweet, nostalgic and heartfelt. Although Williams has comedic moments that is not his main role here. He has little comedic skits but the focus of the movie is on Russell and him redoing that football game. If you are a football fan, this may be five stars for you. I am not so it is four stars for me.

Visit my blog with link given on my profile page here or use this phonetically given URL (livingasseniors dot blogspot dot com). Friday's entry will always be weekend entertainment recs from my 5 star Amazon reviews in film, tv, books and music. These are very heavy on buried treasures and hidden gems. My blogspot is published on Monday, Wednesday & Friday.