Reviews (344)

Visually spectacular (unbelievably cheesy storyline)
I know "What Dreams May Come" is a constant punching bag for movie critics alike and it wasn't exactly a blockbuster smash for Robin Williams but I sincerely like this film. I first saw "What Dreams May Come" when it was in the movie theaters. It was total eye candy with the gorgeous colors and the art-like quality. I felt like I was watching an artist creating his art work. The premise of the film is a bit silly. Robin Williams's character Chris is killed in a freak accident, leaving his emotionally unstable wife Annie played by Annabella Sciorra devasted and alone. The viewer also finds out that their two children were killed earlier in a car accident so when Chris dies, Annabella is completely consumed by grief and chooses that life is not worth living any more. Chris is sent to heaven which is basically a Monet painting. The bright vivid colors were stunning and made it a joy to watch. Cuba Gooding Jr. welcomes Chris into the after life and eventually helps Chris in his quest to find Annie. At the time, I enjoyed the storyline but as I was watching it tonight on tv, I never realized until now just how hokey the storyline and dialogue could be. Despite the hokiness of the film, I still enjoy watching "What Dreams May Come". I think my favorite scenes had to be when Chris literally went to purgatory. The images and colors were spectacular. Those scenes of people falling from the waves as well as from the air and exploding when hitting the ground was stunning to say the least. Those scenes were pure eye candy. "What Dreams May Come" is a good movie. It isn't nowhere as emotionally manipulative as "Patch Adams" was except maybe for a few scenes that involved the children. Otherwise "What Dreams May Come" is a good popcorn movie. It may not be Masterpiece Theater but I will take this movie over something as tripe as "Patch Adams" or overblown as "Armaggedeon" any day.

I wish my dreams were this cool.
What Dreams May Come is a very powerful movie. Simply put, it can make you think some very deep thoughts.

The story is very moving and brilliantly crafted. The main character is a doctor named Chris (Robin Williams). He has a wife (Annabella Sciorra) and two kids. His family is great and he seems to be living the American dream. Then his children are killed in a car accident and his life is shattered. He spends the next four years trying to recover from the tragedy. Then he is killed in another traffic accident and the story takes off as he goes to the beautiful afterlife.

The movie seamlessly transitions from present to flashback to give a sense that time is irrelevant in the afterlife and to fill in the rest of the story. The first person he sees is a young version of the doctor he apprenticed under (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who later turns out to be someone else, but I won't tell you because I don't want to ruin any parts of the movie. He is then taken to a beautiful heaven, which is actually his mental re-creation of one of his wife's paintings. He later learns that his wife has committed suicide and in doing so has trapped herself in a never-ending spiral of guilt (a.k.a. Hell). Chris then has to travel to the depths of Hell to find and attempt to bring back his wife.

This movie is loaded with abstract thoughts and themes. For example: Your obsessions in life will become your afterlife; Thought is real, physical is the illusion; God lets bad things happen to good people; and far too many others for me to list here.

The movie is visually breathtaking and the computer-generated graphics add greatly to the realness of the movie. The acting is good and director obviously knew what he was doing. I will recommend this movie to anyone who has ever contemplated his or her existence.

Visually beautiful and theologically interesting
There are surprisingly few movies dealing with a nonterrestrial afterlife. While there are hundreds of films dealing with the existence of individuals following death as embodied or disembodied spirits on earth, there are remarkably few that provide any glimpse of heaven. The few that do tend to present it as an inconceivably white, vast, and indistinct place, from HERE COMES MR. JORDAN to A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH to THE HORN BLOWS AT MIDNIGHT. In contrast to these other films, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME stands out as one of the most intensely colorful, beautiful, and vividly concrete films in cinema history.

The cast of the film is strong, but it would be a mistake to imagine that they are the reason for the film's success. Robin Williams as Chris Nielsen, Cuba Gooding Jr., Rosalind Chao (who I previously mainly knew only from STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION), Max von Sydow, and the lovely but underused (not only in this film, but by Hollywood in general) Annabella Sciorra all hand in wonderful performances, but they are largely overwhelmed by the astonishing beauty of the sets, the inconceivably vivid colors, and the marvelous use of light. No performers could have competed, though they try gamely.

I find the film especially interesting for theological reasons. Ron Bass based the screenplay on a novel by Richard Mattheson. I must confess to not knowing the work of either, but I would lay heavy money that one of them (probably Mattheson) knew well C. S. Lewis's THE GREAT DIVORCE. In that work Lewis was concerned to lay out a concept of heaven and hell that did not regard God as responsible for sending people to hell. Instead, he described an afterlife in which people in hell still had the option of leaving hell and departing for heaven. These two ideas--of people placing themselves in hell and of having the option to leave hell for heaven--drive the metaphysics of WHAT DREAMS MAY COME, as I'm sure anyone who has seen the film will recognize.

So why do I give the film only four stars after all the nice things I have said about it? Primarily because the film doesn't really have all that much of a story to tell. The plot feels like a short subject stretched to feature length film proportions. Once you subtract all the amazing visuals, there simply wasn't that much to the film. The challenge for the filmmakers was primarily padding out the action of the film. Nonetheless, I do recommend this as an interesting and intensely beautiful film, despite the slender narrative.

Interestingly, the title of the film comes from Hamlet's famous soliloquy, in which he ponders whether or not to commit suicide. In the end, he decides not to because of the dreams that the dead may dream, presumably worse for having killed oneself. But such dreams did not prevent Annie Nielsen in the film from committing suicide. It is a nice ironical touch.

A Different Type of Love Story
This is a wonderful tale of death and love. Robin Williams dies in a car crash and wakes up in heaven. He sees his old dog and friends from his life that have died before him along with his two children that have died in a previous car accident. Robin finds out he that his wife is having an impossible time of living without him. She ends up committing suicide and then is sent ot hell. The rest of the movie is Robin on his quest to find his wife in Hell. The movie is stunning in detail and is truly beautiful to look at. Cuba Gooding Jr. and Max Von Syndow give stellar performances as supporting actors in this film. The DVD has the usual extras including a less than happy alternate ending.

A great movie despite some flaws
"What Dreams May Come" is an overlooked film that should have gotten more attention than it did. While not perfect, it's one of the most visually stunning and thought-provoking films to come around in a long time. Chris (Robin Williams) and Annie (Annabella Sciorra) are a happy couple who suffer the devastating loss of their children. Shortly afterwards Chris dies himself and goes to an afterlife, which turns out to be a surreal lush dreamworld that is a reflection of his wife's paintings (which deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects). While there Chris meets an "angel" (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who guides him through the transition. Meanwhile, back in the real world, Annie becomes unable to cope with all the pain and losses and takes her own life, sending her to Hell. Determined to rescue Annie from an eternity in damnation, Chris sets out to find her and re-establish their bond together.

This movie could have easily been a masterpiece, with such a great cast, excellent visual effects and production. However, there are two things which severely take away from its effectiveness. For one, the flashback style becomes tedious after a bit and interrupts the flow of the story. Many other reviewers have commented on this. It's a major drawback. And two, some scenes simply do not work. For example, when Chris arrives in Hell and begins maneuvering around the heads sticking out of the ground. This scene is done in a humorous way, seemingly for comic relief. It simply does not work and is majorly out of place. Comic relief isn't what should happen here.

Aside from these flaws, "What Dreams May Come" is an enlightening viewing experience and will stay with you long after you're finished watching it. It can be interpreted in many ways: a film about the possibility of life after death: a film about never-ending love: a film about affirming the beauty of life. However you may see it, you will surely take away at least something from it after the credits roll. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Two comedy classics on one DVD!
-INTRODUCTION: The Revenge Of The Nerds films are comedy masterpieces. And finally, the first two entries in the series have arrived on DVD - together on a single disc! Read on for my review of the films, as well as the DVD itself.

REVENGE OF THE NERDS - 1984
Two lifelong friends (portrayed by Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards) have finally gone off to college. Unfortunately, these guys are two of the biggest nerds on the face of the earth. Combine that with the fact that they are freshmen, and you've got trouble. They meet with immediate resentment, getting thrown out of their dorm and being forced to live in the gym! Among the tormentors is none other than Ted McGinley of Happy Days and Married With Childen fame. Fortunately, they aren't the only freshman class outcasts. Joining forces with a loser (Curtis Armstrong), a black homosexual (Larry B. Scott), a Japanese exchange student (Brian Tochi), a dork with a bad haircut and even worse eyesight (Timothy Busfield), and a pre-teen genius (Andrew Cassese), the nerds plot revenge against their tormentors.

REVENGE OF THE NERDS II - 1987
Some time has passed since the first film (probably one year.) And everyone's favorite gaggle of nerds is chosen to represent Adams College at a fraternity conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Unfortunately, the Alpha Beta fraternity (the guys that tormented them in the first film) also have representatives at the conference, so the geeks must once again find a way to stand their ground.

FILM OPINIONS:
The first film is a comedy classic, no questions asked. Honestly, who WOULDN'T laugh at a fraternity full of nerds doing a panty raid on a sorority house? However, the film does question reality - there's NO WAY a college would force its freshman class to move into the gym and give its dorm to jocks. Likewise, many of the actions you see in this film would get students expelled. And do you see anyone getting expelled in the film? Nope. Likewise, it's a movie about college life, but there's only ONE SCENE in the entire movie that takes place in the classroom! The second film is really more of the same, but it's not quite the masterpiece the first one was. Still, it's worth watching.

DVD:
The DVD is nice, but it's severely lacking in the extras department. All you get are the trailers for both of the films, and the trailers for both of the Porky's films. I guess you can't expect to have a whole lot of extras, since it's two films on one disc.

OVERALL:
Eighties comedy films are the best comedy films of all time, and this collection beautifully demonstrates that. If you sit down and watch these films, I guarantee you - it will be impossible not to laugh.

Nerds on DVD
While the first of the Revenge of the Nerds films helped to breathe new life in the struggling teen film market and moved the genre back to college all the while helping to create a newer "hipper" version of the "nerd" character in teen cinema - the same cannot be said for its sequel. Still, it's refreshing to see Jeff Kanew's first successful feature film, as long as it doesn't make you wonder how a director with a gift for great comedic direction managed to lose his way with such dismissable tripe as 1989's Troop Beverly Hills and the flabby Kathleen Turner pic V.I. Warshawski. Nevertheless, Revenge of the Nerds still works as a triumph in teen cinema with a talented cast (led by Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, and a delightfully evil Ted McGinley - before Happy Days, The Love Boat, and Married With Children turned him into a one-dimensional acting joke). Even the normally noxious Timothy Busfield has fun with his role as the violin playing Poindexter. With a story that celebrates (however problematically) diversity in class, race, and sexuality - the film succeeds on a level beyond merely making the audience laugh. Add to this a touchingly heartfelt final speech by Anthony Edwards, and there is only one way that the sequel could have gone - down.
Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise has neither the sensitivity nor the humor of the first film. Directed with heavy handed excess by Hollywood uber producer Joe Roth (you have probably stumbled into a few of his sequels - most notably Young Guns II and The Exorcist III - not to mention his directing work which includes 1990's passable Coupe DeVille and last years America's Sweethearts), Roth manages to strip mine the first film of its humor and originality and replaces its gentle approach to T&A with a hamfisted collection of fart jokes. It does have some grin worthy moments (such as the memorable zen loogie), but its otherwise a xerox of the first film, faded and uninspired. It may please die hard fans of the series, but I was disappointed at the young age of 14 - and 14 year olds aren't hard to impress.
Still, the DVD is worth picking up if only for the beautiful transfer of the first film, which is both impressive in its visual design - taking the production beyond the sitcom modeled standard for eighties comedies. I believe that the second film is packaged with the first because Fox knew that people were unlikely to buy it on its own. I know I would be.

movie
Follow the nerds through life. They try to act cool and hang out with the popular kids but are never accepted. So they hang out together and get into some crazy stuff. Fun pointless movie that has had way to many movies dedicated to them.

Revenge of the Nerds
I watched Revenge of the Nerds hundred times, they really awesome. Before there was American Pie Kevin Meyers, Jim Levinstien, Chris 'Oz' Ostreicher, Paul Finch, Michelle Flaherty, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg their was Revenge of the Nerds. Ted McGinley came from Happy Days,The Love Boat, Married With Children and Hope & Faith became their enemy and their friend three and four made him a great actor. Anthony Edwards came from Top Gun and ER made Gilbert the leader of Tri-Lams into a great actor. Bradley Whitford came from The West Wing into people love to hate. Revenge of the Nerds were like the American Pie Guys of the eighties. They always said Nerds always Rule in the eighties, Ninties and the millenium.

funny
Revenge of the nerds is one of the funniest movies ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!***** stars
Ive never seen number 2 but im gona see it soon ... Read more

Description

Richard Gere, Julie Christie, Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington star in director Sidney Lumet's thriller about political image making in our media manipulation age. Year: 1986 Director: Sidney Lumet Starring:Richard Gere, Julie Christie, Gene Hackman, Denzel Washington ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A blast from start to finish - plus a message
Maybe I just don't get it. But I've loved this film ever since I first saw it in the eighties, and was mesmerized and thrilled by the opening sequence of Mr Gere practising drumming on a practise drum skin to the music of Benny Goodman's version of SING SING SING with Gene Krupa drumming. An opening sequence does not a movie make, but I knew I was in for an exciting ride with Mr Lumet who has rarely failed to thrill me from his first film TWELVE ANGRY MEN, and thereafter with PRINCE OF THE CITY, THE ANDERSON TAPES, DOG DAY AFTERNOON, NETWORK et al. In POWER, part of the deal is to GO WITH IT, that is, willingly suspend disbelief and take the dramatic ride. For my own part the ability of Pete St John (Mr Gere) to manipulate public opinion and get politicians elected has more than a touch of truth about it and the relish with which St John does his job is fascinating to see - he's a professional without a principled bone in his being and Mr Gere (ironically a professed Budhhist) is brilliant , playing that character. He survives - one of the great lines he gives to his ex-lover (played by Ms Julie Christie) is "don't blame yourself". Those in the film who HAVE principles, either commit suicide (Senator played by the great Mr E.G. Marshall), descend into embarrassing alcoholism (Mr Hackman playing a rival media adviser wonderfully comic) or suffer the apparent loneliness and unremunerative fate of the loser (Ms Christie, though that might be stretching it a bit). I can't think of a parallel to this film but PRIMARY COLORS or NETWORK come close, although this film is superior to it. Mr Maltin, and I guess, many others, have got it badly wrong with this film, as I consider it one of the best political films of all time. It's a blast from beginning to end, fuelled by some of films greatest actors, including DENZEL WASHINGTON, superb set design, pungent writing, and great direction, not to mention GENE KRUPA's drumming. Then again, maybe I just don't get it.

Perfectly Awful
A justly underrated Lumet vechicle, this by-the-numbers turkey explores the world of media interaction with politics during a political convention. Tries to capture the world of show business by looking at the race from different points of view from various politicians and throwing in some (mild) satirical moments, but it's pretentious, farfetched, and unintentionally funny.

If you like politics, you'll like this.
This gets real technical when dealing with politics. I loved it! The cast is first rate (Gene Hackman is best), and the direction, deft (by veteran Sidney Lumet). If you want to to pay attention to details (or try to understand) it is rewarding. If you want a paranoia thriller, this ain't for you!

With this star-power, you know it's gotta be good.
Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, Richard Gere, JT Walsh and a host of other famous faces create an intense political picture. Gere is a political analyst/(person who makes a candidate look good) and he's running several campaigns. Gene Hackman is a nemesis, so-to-speak. Washington seems to meddling around in Gere's work and from there the abuse of power unfolds. This is a good film, I wouldn't say great due to long periods of slowness, but I do heartily reccommend this film. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

PATTY DUKE'S STAR SHINES BRIGHT IN "SKY"
This DVD is worth having in your collection for one reason ~ a chance to see PATTY DUKE in a dual role!While the film itself was released to limited areas, all the critics were unanimous in their praise for Duke.It seems a shame that a rare talent such as hers is not utilized in today's theatrical releases. The movie depicts a young man's journey to find himself and he lands an acting job in a local Theatrecompany.He meets several interesting characters and two of them are played by PATTY DUKE ~ Duke's real life sonSean Astin also plays a role in this film."Bigger Than the Sky" is a DVD worth having in your collection if you are a fan of the theater ~ and a fanof fine acting. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Robin Williams and Annabella Sciorra star in this visually stunning metaphysical tale of life after death. Neurologist Chris and artist Annie had the perfect life until they lost their children in an auto accident; they're just starting to recover when Chris meets an untimely death himself.He's met by a messenger named Albert (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and taken to his own personal afterlife--a freshly drawn world reminiscent of Annie's own artwork, still dripping and wet with paint. Meanwhile a depressed Annie takes her own life, compelling Chris to traverse heaven and hell to save Annie from an eternity of despair.

The multitextured visuals seem to have been created from a lost fairy tale. Heaven recalls the landscape paintings of Thomas Cole and Renaissance architecture complete with floating cherubs, while hell is a massive shipwreck, an upside-down cathedral overgrown with thorns and a sea of groaning faces popping out of the ground (one of those faces is German director Werner Herzog). Williams is the perfect actor to play against the imaginative computer-generated imagery--he himself is a human special effect. But the lack of chemistry between Williams and Sciorra is painfully apparent, and the flashback plot structure flattens the story's impact despite its deeply felt examinations of the heart and the spirit. Still, there's no denying Eugenio Zanetti's triumphant production design and the Oscar-winning special effects, which create a fully formed universe that is at once beautiful, eerie, and a unique example of movie magic. --Shannon Gee ... Read more

Reviews (344)

Visually spectacular (unbelievably cheesy storyline)
I know "What Dreams May Come" is a constant punching bag for movie critics alike and it wasn't exactly a blockbuster smash for Robin Williams but I sincerely like this film. I first saw "What Dreams May Come" when it was in the movie theaters. It was total eye candy with the gorgeous colors and the art-like quality. I felt like I was watching an artist creating his art work. The premise of the film is a bit silly. Robin Williams's character Chris is killed in a freak accident, leaving his emotionally unstable wife Annie played by Annabella Sciorra devasted and alone. The viewer also finds out that their two children were killed earlier in a car accident so when Chris dies, Annabella is completely consumed by grief and chooses that life is not worth living any more. Chris is sent to heaven which is basically a Monet painting. The bright vivid colors were stunning and made it a joy to watch. Cuba Gooding Jr. welcomes Chris into the after life and eventually helps Chris in his quest to find Annie. At the time, I enjoyed the storyline but as I was watching it tonight on tv, I never realized until now just how hokey the storyline and dialogue could be. Despite the hokiness of the film, I still enjoy watching "What Dreams May Come". I think my favorite scenes had to be when Chris literally went to purgatory. The images and colors were spectacular. Those scenes of people falling from the waves as well as from the air and exploding when hitting the ground was stunning to say the least. Those scenes were pure eye candy. "What Dreams May Come" is a good movie. It isn't nowhere as emotionally manipulative as "Patch Adams" was except maybe for a few scenes that involved the children. Otherwise "What Dreams May Come" is a good popcorn movie. It may not be Masterpiece Theater but I will take this movie over something as tripe as "Patch Adams" or overblown as "Armaggedeon" any day.

I wish my dreams were this cool.
What Dreams May Come is a very powerful movie. Simply put, it can make you think some very deep thoughts.

The story is very moving and brilliantly crafted. The main character is a doctor named Chris (Robin Williams). He has a wife (Annabella Sciorra) and two kids. His family is great and he seems to be living the American dream. Then his children are killed in a car accident and his life is shattered. He spends the next four years trying to recover from the tragedy. Then he is killed in another traffic accident and the story takes off as he goes to the beautiful afterlife.

The movie seamlessly transitions from present to flashback to give a sense that time is irrelevant in the afterlife and to fill in the rest of the story. The first person he sees is a young version of the doctor he apprenticed under (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who later turns out to be someone else, but I won't tell you because I don't want to ruin any parts of the movie. He is then taken to a beautiful heaven, which is actually his mental re-creation of one of his wife's paintings. He later learns that his wife has committed suicide and in doing so has trapped herself in a never-ending spiral of guilt (a.k.a. Hell). Chris then has to travel to the depths of Hell to find and attempt to bring back his wife.

This movie is loaded with abstract thoughts and themes. For example: Your obsessions in life will become your afterlife; Thought is real, physical is the illusion; God lets bad things happen to good people; and far too many others for me to list here.

The movie is visually breathtaking and the computer-generated graphics add greatly to the realness of the movie. The acting is good and director obviously knew what he was doing. I will recommend this movie to anyone who has ever contemplated his or her existence.

Visually beautiful and theologically interesting
There are surprisingly few movies dealing with a nonterrestrial afterlife. While there are hundreds of films dealing with the existence of individuals following death as embodied or disembodied spirits on earth, there are remarkably few that provide any glimpse of heaven. The few that do tend to present it as an inconceivably white, vast, and indistinct place, from HERE COMES MR. JORDAN to A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH to THE HORN BLOWS AT MIDNIGHT. In contrast to these other films, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME stands out as one of the most intensely colorful, beautiful, and vividly concrete films in cinema history.

The cast of the film is strong, but it would be a mistake to imagine that they are the reason for the film's success. Robin Williams as Chris Nielsen, Cuba Gooding Jr., Rosalind Chao (who I previously mainly knew only from STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION), Max von Sydow, and the lovely but underused (not only in this film, but by Hollywood in general) Annabella Sciorra all hand in wonderful performances, but they are largely overwhelmed by the astonishing beauty of the sets, the inconceivably vivid colors, and the marvelous use of light. No performers could have competed, though they try gamely.

I find the film especially interesting for theological reasons. Ron Bass based the screenplay on a novel by Richard Mattheson. I must confess to not knowing the work of either, but I would lay heavy money that one of them (probably Mattheson) knew well C. S. Lewis's THE GREAT DIVORCE. In that work Lewis was concerned to lay out a concept of heaven and hell that did not regard God as responsible for sending people to hell. Instead, he described an afterlife in which people in hell still had the option of leaving hell and departing for heaven. These two ideas--of people placing themselves in hell and of having the option to leave hell for heaven--drive the metaphysics of WHAT DREAMS MAY COME, as I'm sure anyone who has seen the film will recognize.

So why do I give the film only four stars after all the nice things I have said about it? Primarily because the film doesn't really have all that much of a story to tell. The plot feels like a short subject stretched to feature length film proportions. Once you subtract all the amazing visuals, there simply wasn't that much to the film. The challenge for the filmmakers was primarily padding out the action of the film. Nonetheless, I do recommend this as an interesting and intensely beautiful film, despite the slender narrative.

Interestingly, the title of the film comes from Hamlet's famous soliloquy, in which he ponders whether or not to commit suicide. In the end, he decides not to because of the dreams that the dead may dream, presumably worse for having killed oneself. But such dreams did not prevent Annie Nielsen in the film from committing suicide. It is a nice ironical touch.

A Different Type of Love Story
This is a wonderful tale of death and love. Robin Williams dies in a car crash and wakes up in heaven. He sees his old dog and friends from his life that have died before him along with his two children that have died in a previous car accident. Robin finds out he that his wife is having an impossible time of living without him. She ends up committing suicide and then is sent ot hell. The rest of the movie is Robin on his quest to find his wife in Hell. The movie is stunning in detail and is truly beautiful to look at. Cuba Gooding Jr. and Max Von Syndow give stellar performances as supporting actors in this film. The DVD has the usual extras including a less than happy alternate ending.

A great movie despite some flaws
"What Dreams May Come" is an overlooked film that should have gotten more attention than it did. While not perfect, it's one of the most visually stunning and thought-provoking films to come around in a long time. Chris (Robin Williams) and Annie (Annabella Sciorra) are a happy couple who suffer the devastating loss of their children. Shortly afterwards Chris dies himself and goes to an afterlife, which turns out to be a surreal lush dreamworld that is a reflection of his wife's paintings (which deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects). While there Chris meets an "angel" (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who guides him through the transition. Meanwhile, back in the real world, Annie becomes unable to cope with all the pain and losses and takes her own life, sending her to Hell. Determined to rescue Annie from an eternity in damnation, Chris sets out to find her and re-establish their bond together.

This movie could have easily been a masterpiece, with such a great cast, excellent visual effects and production. However, there are two things which severely take away from its effectiveness. For one, the flashback style becomes tedious after a bit and interrupts the flow of the story. Many other reviewers have commented on this. It's a major drawback. And two, some scenes simply do not work. For example, when Chris arrives in Hell and begins maneuvering around the heads sticking out of the ground. This scene is done in a humorous way, seemingly for comic relief. It simply does not work and is majorly out of place. Comic relief isn't what should happen here.

Aside from these flaws, "What Dreams May Come" is an enlightening viewing experience and will stay with you long after you're finished watching it. It can be interpreted in many ways: a film about the possibility of life after death: a film about never-ending love: a film about affirming the beauty of life. However you may see it, you will surely take away at least something from it after the credits roll. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

More like "The Film that Stumbled"....
The significance of Kent State begs that a serious film be made chronicling that event---this is not that film. Rather, I found myself wondering if "The Year that Trembled" was a student film project, the script often breaking down into amateurish muddles and clumsy dialogue.

Issac, the undercover FBI character was a complete confusion of motives and suggested unintended multiple personalities. Clips of Bobby Kennedy and MLK are injected into the middle of the film to substantiate the popular call for a lottery based Draft----but the year is 1970 and both of those icons died in 1968, producing a momentary non sequitur.

And then there is Martin Mull as a lead FBI agent---Martin Mull as an FBI agent? Pleeeese! Martin Mull, at one point, allows to his friend played by Fred Willard, that sure, at an earlier age he had had long hair and smoke some weed. But looking at an aging Mull, when did this occur? In the early 1950's? Perhaps this was just a "Fernwood Tonight" gag the two actors nostalgically threw into the film.

The DVD jacket states that the film is "punctuated by 17 songs from the era," and in fact the song titles are listed in the credits. But, I have no recollection of my viewing experience being punctuated by any authentic music selections. A little Buffalo Springfield would have been a nice touch.

This is a pretty thin effort. However, if it was in fact, a high school film project, then I would be more charitable in my assessment.

The way it kinda was
War protests, Vietnam, Kent State. This Indie film tries to capture the time through actual footage of the events taking place and through the eyes of young men facing the scariest rite of reaching manhood - the draft - and almost succeeds. Deduct points for the whole thing being too clean and pretty. It wasn't either.
The acting ranges from awful to outstanding, but the stiffness of the younger cast members improves as the movie progresses, especially in scenes with veterans like Fred Willard, Martin Mull and Henry Gibson onscreen to steady them down. Marian Hinkle is quite good as the teacher who is fired for her anti-war sentiments. Even better, is Jonathan M. Woodward as her husband, a decent guy who is systematically betrayed by his government, his employer and his wife. Although not one of the stars, Woodward's performance carries the film, and it is a mystery why his name doesn't appear on the front cover of the DVD at all. Bill Raymond is also excellent as a bitter disabled vet who offers practical, if not legal, advice to the young men, and it's a shame he isn't seen more.
Biggest letdown comes when the life-shattering effects of dodging the draft are reduced to a happy ride to Canada on a motor scooter and the decent guy pays the price for doing the right thing, but since sympathy in the film lies with the dodgers and not the men who did their service, this is not surprising.
The DVD has no extra features, and no commentary, which is unfortunate, because you really will wonder what they were thinking when they shot certain scenes.

Remember it's a low-budget, independent film, so don't expect too much - see it for its great moments, forgive it for its flaws.

A "Must see" the translates well to what's happening today
The writer's passions show through in this great novel's screenplay adaptation. It is great to see that literary artists are still out there writing from the heart, not trying to create something strictly for salability to Hollywood and the public.

If you want a "thinking person's" movie you will be satisfied. This can be as deep as you want it to be and those who can remember that time will surely have old feelings stirred and the current generation will get insight into what their parents felt and how controversial a time it was.

Made me take stock in my own life and served as a reminder of how precious life is and how valuable friendship can and should be! Make it a part of your library and flag it for annual viewing! Check out the original Novel as well! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

One of the TOP 10 Women's Movies of ALL TIME!
Like all of Henry Jaglom films, Babyfever will only appeal to the top 20% of the world's population that are intelligent enough to understand and appreciate the genius of Henry Jaglom's films and who actually bother to honestly think about where their lives have been, presently are, seem to be going, and why. This film is a MUST SEE for all who've had children and who still can have children or who plan to have families through alternative means. There has never been a film before or since that maps out the treacherous territory of contemporary motherhood. Those who love this movie should also be sure to read Anne Crittenden's "The Price of Motherhood" for further discussion and exploration of these issues. This film is one of my favorite films of ALL TIME!

what baby food is to food, this is to good Jaglom
Having recently discovered Jaglom's films, particularly Eating, and Last Summer in the Hamptons which featured the charming Melanie Mayron look-alike Victoria Foyt (and Jaglom's wife), I was curious about this title. However the extreme reactions of the existing reviews gave me caution. The format is similar to Eating, where straight to camera interviews are intercut with a narrative. Jaglom's strength is in presenting cinema verite conversations between actors, but since he takes nearly an hour to begin the baby shower that the cast assemble for, we have to endure Foyt with Matt Salinger. These scenes feel improvised to the miniscule degree and Foyt overplays her discomfort, especially when she barks to release tension. Her energy in general here seems lower than it was in Hamptons, and soon her anguish over Salinger and whether or not she is pregant to him becomes tiresome. There is an unnecessary diversion with Zack Norman as the husband of the shower hostess, Norman being the least talented of the Jaglom/Emil/Norman triumvirate. Thankfully Eric Roberts turns up for one scene (odd casting even for Jaglom) as a past suitor and brings some edge. However things pick up for the shower when the film populates. Jaglom amusingly shows us a wall of cascading water to coincide with the confirmed pregnant women, though surprisingly the one with a born child is removed quickly. Foyt is better when she has scenes with the deep-voiced Dinah Henney, and scores a laugh when the aforementioned baby reacts badly to her. I liked Henney's line referring to Salinger, that you can't marry someone who deals in golf metaphors. The range of opinions expressed to camera covers alternative views, including career women with no interest in childbirth, a lesbian couple, women married to men who don't want children, those infertile, and those who believe motherhood has deprived them of careers. We also get a female doctor on hand, who herself looks pregnant, to deliver technical advice which bogs down proceedings. Perhaps the confessions have less depth and reveal less pain than the shameful feelings on display in Eating, but I guess this topic is less prone to such negative emotions. Unlike the end of Eating where Jaglom identified each actor by face and name, there are some quirky touches that I am unable to attach to an actor, though perhaps not being able to identify the singer who delivers some bum notes in her performance is a blessing.

I Couldn't Take It Anymore!
Now, this may read strangely coming from a Jaglom fan, and a young father at that, but "Babyfever" was excrutiating to watch. I made it roughly midway and had to (1) stop, (2) rewind and (3)return. Sorry.

A must for all women between the ages fo 30 and 48
I have watched this about ten times and every time I am overwhelmed at the emotions I feel. I laugh, but most of all I cry, sometimes happy tears, sometimes sad tears, but most of the time because I never saw my feelings expressed before the way they are in this film. Henry Jaglom and Victoria Foyt are true geniuses and this is such a moving and important film. I cannot give it enough praise except to say, buy it and see for yourself. ... Read more