In Dreams [DVD]

Note the going used price for this movie: 14 cents. According to imdb.com IN DREAMS cost $30M to make, and so far has reaped $11.9M. What does this mean? This film will appeal to lovers of the psychics-who-predict-murders genre.Personally, I love movies that involve precognition. But, where this film goes wrong, is in the assumption that we don't already know this genre. So many of the situations here are cliche. Example (warning, partial spoilers here) no one takes Claire's visions seriously, until someone dies, and even then, she's locked up and can't communicate appropriately or in time to prevent the next tragedy. While you may argue that this formula fits the genre, the characters I just don't buy.There's a dream interpreter, who doesn't interpret dreams. He just sits and listens, nodding his head without comment. This is very disturbing stuff that Claire is telling, and all the doctor can offer is thorazine!And this serial killer Claire has a psychic connection to. Are we supposed to empathize with him or not. She's more concerned about him, at times, than her own family. And then, she hates him, and then feels apathetic towards him, and then sympathizes with him and then- (the over-the-top end sequence they should've cut from the film.) How am I supposed to feel about this freak - this kidnapper of children. The movie shows what a tough life he had - and then you're supposed to hate him. What?Good things about this movie: The film starts off with a great premise - an idea (involving the making of a dam) which could have been the subject of a movie in and of itself. The photography is excellent. Sound design and editing is good - the pacing is such that - it smooths out any rough spots in the story.Bad things: the acting, and the script (or should i say, the lack of believability in any of these characters). The overall story is decent. Fun. But standard thriller. But I get no sense, whatsoever, that Annette Bening is the mother of Katie Sagona. Nor do I get the feeling that Aidan Quinn is Bening's husband. Why? All the dialogue is too cleanly spoken. All too perfect. And not real.These are NOT candid moments here, of a family slowly being torn apart - due to Claire's nightmare visions. No.There is a scene designed to make you feel the strong love between mother and daughter. (shot beautifully against the afternoon sun by a lake) Claire [Annette Bening] and Rebecca [Katie Sagona] recite lines from SNOW WHITE to each other. How poignant. It was intended to be. But, it plays like two strangers hired to be nice to each other in front of a camera.Sagona notes in one scene that her goldfish died, and it now resides in the freezer. The line is delivered with no emotion. You get the feeling there never was a goldfish, nor did she ever care about it - whether it was in the bowl or in the freezer.Granted, I'm being harsh on a child actor here, and that's not fair. However, ALL the scenes play as if they were well-photographed footage of actors reciting words. Words with no meaning behind them. The only scenes that play tolerably well are the ones without talking.I like Bening as an actress - but in this film, she's forced to act hysterical, again, and again, and again - and so much of it seems unmotivated, or covers up the lack of a character. It's as if director Neil Jordan gave Bening little or nothing to work with - (like: 'you are grieving during this scene') and she had to do the best she could - concocting something from obvious voids in the script.The movie is too clean. Too expensive. One feels it came out of a glossy magazine. There's no grit to it. The actors involved in this production looks too well-fed, and too well-paid to have any appreciation of the horrors a clairvoyant person could experience in such a devastating situation. There's no empathy. And as a result, it's very difficult to empathize with any of the characters in this pulp story.

some like this movie and others hated it, for me I liked it. it showed a different side of Robert Downey JR as a psycho killer who kills little girls and a mother struggling with the loss of her Childs death with some dreams or visions of the past or present. An interesting flick never the less.

This could have been a decent movie. Not very original, but it features some good actors, and with the right material this could have been a compelling story. Instead it is a second-rate melodrama, with Bening's character ranting and raving and acting like a loon. There were so many unnecessary deaths. That set the tone almost from the very beginning. I don't know why I kept watching it all the way to the end. Guess I was hoping it would improve. I was wrong. The only reason it gets two stars is for the four actors - Bening, Aidan Quinn, Paul Guilfoyle, and Robert Downy, Jr. (who only appears in about the last 15 minutes). Even though the material they had to work with was subpar, and Bening went totally overboard, I'm still adding a star for their presence. I have to wonder why any of them would consider doing a movie of this (lack of) caliber. According to the trivia, Downey was just coming out of rehab (and ended up back in rehab at the end of this movie), so I can understand that he would take what was offered. This was really not a very good role for him to play under the circumstances. There is no drug use, but his character had been extremely abused as a child and spent much of his childhood in a mental hospital in the days when shock treatments and other barbaric procedures were commonplace. Not a healthy character to play. Oh, well. He's all better now.

I really enjoyed watching this movie again. I know a lot of the reviewers are panning this but I have enjoyed this movie every time I've seen it. My requirements are simple enough when I set out to watch a film, if I find it entertaining and enjoyable It merits a higher rating on my scale. I see tons of message films and while enjoyable often find myself annoyed that I am supposed to parse every line or scene in order to dissect it for review. As far as I am concerned this film did its job by allowing me some escapism without having to overthink everything.

Yes. A bit melodramatic, but I like Annette Benning and Robert Downey Jr. I name oh ing and that’s pretty ha to do anymore I mean. Honestly. It’s a movie. All movies can be picked apart, but at least it was fairly fast paced

Somehow I feel that if this film had been even stranger, it may have been more critically popular. Had it not bothered with as linear a storyline and just followed the dream-logic plotlines it may have been hailed as a David Lynch-like fairy tale nightmare; add more violence and it could be a Dario Argento film. But instead we have something by Neil Jordan, who gives this film more wonder and magic (albeit dark) than anyone else could. I think it's a great film. See, it's called In Dreams, not In Logic. Its surreality is its strength, staying visually spectacular at all times and boosted by an absolutely great performance by Annette Bening. I think the plot contrivances are almost subversive; OF COURSE there are moments of coincidence because that's what happens in dreams. Moments of opportunity or clarity (claire-ity?) arrive for our heroine and she takes them in stride. The film's general feel is continuously reinforced by the eerie flooded dream village in the reservoir, and the fairy tale orchard. This is a Grim tale alright, but its beautiful, trippy and saturated in atmosphere. Killer ending too, closing a disturbingly satisfying thriller by a masterful director. Highly recommended for those who like to dream.

what a sad ending! Great performances all around, beautiful scenery and I always go for the psychic elements in movies! Highly recommend!

Im really satisfied with this dvd and it was like new,it came very fast to Sweden, so im very pleased!I like that movie I remember this since many yearsago, so I was very happy to find it here!

The longer this film goes on, the less believable it gets. Annette Bening does her best but this is no better than your average tv movie.

Wild thriller from Neil Jordan Annette Bunning keeps having nightmares about serial killer Robert Downey Jr dreams start to invade real life mayhem ensues

This is an interesting psychological thriller. It requires some attention to the plot and allowance for a bit of poetic licence with the screenplay. There will be some scenes where you might say "But how could that happen" but if you just go with the flow, it is a very enjoyable film. Not super scary, but thought provoking.

Excellent. What else can I say. Anyone watching this will not be disappointed.