CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO Directed by Brett Haley. Robert Downey, Jr. ("U.S. Mild Claire and her dog are nearly hit by a tractor trailer and the subsequent car accidents that follow the rig jackknifing on the road. The reasons people are committed to mental asylums. Claire confronts Paul about an affair she believes he's having. The entire ending sequence where Claire tries to escape from the killer may be suspenseful to some viewers. Things get even worse when the madman, Vivian Thompson (ROBERT DOWNEY JR.), kills Rebecca, and Claire then realizes that through some odd mind-link his reality appears in her dreams. We see Paul pour himself a drink (but don't see him drink it). With Blythe Danner, Martin Starr, Sam Elliott, Malin Akerman. HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE. JumpScenes On the first day of filming, Seo Kyujin met Jung Hwanwoo for the first time, beginning their strange affair. Can he make children's swings move on their own, and turn on boom boxes at a distance, and project words onto a computer screen, and control garbage disposals? As time wears on, he finds he doesn't really … Director Neil Jordan has made this a very visual movie blending quickly between what is dreamt, what is real, and what is unreal. Frightening/Tense Scenes Claire tries to kill herself several times (driving her car through a guardrail, slitting her wrists). Yet, where many of the visuals are fun and spooky, others get in the way, such as a futuristic padded cell that seems more in tune with "2001" than this film. Paul returns home to find what's presumably blood all over the house (including words written on the walls) and then finds Claire who's slit her wrists. With that much plot, does this movie … With a nod to my screenwriting aspirations, I believe that an outright ghost story where Claire would discover some decades old wrong-doing that was covered up by the flood would have worked much better than what transpires here as a trite retreading of the serial killer flick. What, you may ask, was that rumor? There's talk of finding a dead girl (with stones in her pockets) in the water (ie. And although the killer was abused as a child by his mother, whose high heels supply a central image, what does that have to do with the nursery rhyme about how "My father was a dollar"? An extreme amount of both types of music occurs throughout the film. For violence/terror and language. Claire and her dog are nearly hit by a tractor trailer and the subsequent car accidents that follow the rig jackknifing on the road. She later stomps down on his face, drawing some blood. At least 23 "f" words (2 used sexually), 4 "s" words, 2 damns, 2 hells, 1 ass, and 2 uses each of "Oh God," "Jesus" and "God," and 1 use each of "G-damn," "Oh Jesus," "For Christ's sakes" and "Swear to God" as exclamations. With an increase in such visions, Claire tries to get anyone to believe her, but by this time she's been put under the care of Dr. Silverman (STEPHEN REA) a psychiatrist who believes he can help her. Scenes set in a mental ward where Claire acts in a bizarre fashion may be unsettling to some viewers. ga('create', 'UA-8457300-1', 'screenit.com'); Scenes set in a mental ward where Claire acts in a bizarre fashion may be unsettling to some viewers. Tense FamilyScenes I was unsure if we’d get a happy ending or if Corey would maybe kill Jane or Sydney or if Sydney would die of cancer. She has a nervous breakdown and tries to commit suicide. AIDAN QUINN plays her airline pilot husband who tries to help her, but nearly strays from their marriage (he also swears). The Swedish horror film Let the Right One In is a multi-faceted vampire story that revolves around romance, bullying, and growing. HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Beyond that, one is never sure why Claire isn't committed to a psychiatric ward much earlier in the film, nor is it ever certain whether the killer is taunting her in person (one would expect this with a radio positioned to play an appropriately topical song) or that she's simply hallucinating (the typing that appears -- and echoes her words -- on her computer screen). Screwdriver: Used by a young man to stab a woman to death. Scenes listed under "Violence" may also be tense to some viewers. Easily the most impressive is an extended sequence where Claire's escape from a psychiatric ward follows and mirrors that of her tormentor from several decades past, with both scenes inter-cut with the other. And how many viewers will be able to follow the time-shifted parallels as Claire's escape from a hospital is intercut with the killer's? "In Dreams" is the silliest thriller in many a moon, and the only one in which the heroine is endangered by apples. The penultimate scene… And does he control the family dog, which has an uncanny ability to find its masters anywhere, anytime? People (whether murderers or molesters) who prey on small children. Claire has a tiny bit of blood on her head. Rookie scriptwriter, Seo Kyujin, had a lucky opportunity to work with A-rank actor, Jung Hwanwoo, in a drama. As such, he does deliver some creepy visual moments, from divers making their way through the long-flooded town to the effectively staged nightmare visions that trouble his protagonist. One of the visionary moments in the film sees an intentionally cartoonish flaming background, a crucified Christ with a giant snake … Extreme While Annette Bening ("The Siege," "The American President") eventually, but only temporarily, feels right inhabiting her character, for most of the film she seems horribly miscast and her performance never gels nor feels natural. Alas, that isn't the case. In My Dreams is the last Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation to be aired on a broadcast television network after 63 … Or confronting the people that are causing you anger could help you move past it. Dreams (夢, Yume, aka Akira Kurosawa's Dreams) is a 1990 magical realist film of eight vignettes written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. Claire confronts Paul with having an affair (he denies it but admits wanting to sleep with the woman). We briefly see blood squirt out when a man stabs another man in his eye. Yet, where many of the visuals are fun and spooky, others get in the way, such as a futuristic padded cell that seems more in tune with "2001" than this film. Meanwhile, the usually reliable Stephen Rea (a Neil Jordan favorite in films such "The Butcher Boy" and "The Crying Game") is completely flat and uninspired in his psychiatrist role where he continuously gives the impression that he'd rather be somewhere else than making this film. Jordan, who delivers yet another highly stylized film as he's done in the past with "The Crying Game" and last year's "The Butcher Boy" is further hampered by the script's weak and often quite stilted dialogue (especially in a scene where Claire announces her plan to stop the killer), as well as some downright stiff acting from an otherwise decent and talented cast. Field of Dreams is a glowing tribute to all who dare to dream. Simply put, the story idea has been run into the ground and without a sufficient subplot to support the proceedings (think of the dual stories in "The Silence of the Lambs"), the film quickly sinks as the story plummets into further -- and progressively less frightening -- silliness. Reviewed January 11, 1999 / Posted on January 15, 1999 Described as "a coming-of-age drama that … CAST AS ROLE MODELS: Disappointing due to the wasted cast and story potential, we give "In Dreams" just a 4 out of 10. SEX/NUDITY Likewise, a character would never continue going ever deeper into an obviously long vacated and dilapidated hotel -- on the whim of a caller who said they had the family dog there -- other than as a cinematic device to put viewers on the edge of their seats. Scythe: Used by the killer to threaten or try to kill Claire. Beyond some thematic elements involving Claire being committed to a mental asylum, her and Paul's response to their daughter's murder, etc... the rest of the film's categories don't contain much in the way of major objectionable content. Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) is a novice farmer who lives in rural Iowa with his wife, Annie (Amy Madigan), and their young daughter Karin (Gaby Hoffmann). JUMP SCENES She was murdered), and we then see that another girl was drowned. The killer tries to hit Claire with a scythe, and then holds it and a gun to her neck/head. Blood squirts out as a young man stabs a woman in the neck and shoulder with a screwdriver (and moments later we see the bloody body in a laundry cart). In Dreams was released in the United States on January 15, 1999, across 1,670 theaters. A person suddenly hits another person just as a third person stabs a fourth in the eye. As a child who visited his relatives in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley during the 1960's and 70's, I was always fascinated by a lake just outside the small town of Dayton. ga('send', 'pageview'); However, Claire, a children's book author and illustrator, is plagued with recurring nightmares and visions of children in danger, a fact that's more disturbing since a serial killer appears to be at work in their area. Although the drowned village supplies some vivid images, wasn't it a huge expense just for some atmosphere? m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) STEPHEN REA plays a psychiatrist who tries to help Claire. One has a padded cell and is guarded by a Nurse Ratched clone. BLOOD/GORE Stage Knife: Held in a school play of "Snow White.". It is beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, and brilliantly paced. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of both types of music occurs throughout the film. If they're fans of spooky films (but not necessarily the "Scream"-like slasher movies), or of someone in the cast, they might. Claire purposefully breaks a boom box and later throws her computer monitor through a window and to the ground below where it breaks upon impact. Nonetheless, and considering the film's spooky and violent nature, you may want to take a closer look at what's been listed should you still be concerned with the film's appropriateness for anyone in your home. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. We twice see the image of a dog feeding on a dead man's body (after Claire envisions herself slowly walking up to that scene, and then when that still alive man does the same). ©1996-2021 Screen It, Inc. ANNETTE BENING plays a children's book author whose constant nightmarish visions of a serial killer's point of view nearly drives her crazy and causes her to swear. 1 VIDEO | 170 IMAGES. Claire purposefully breaks a boom box and later throws her computer monitor through a window and to the ground below where it breaks upon impact. Claire and Paul must deal with their daughter's disappearance and then murder. One takes a physical rest from the world and from their fears and desires, only to encounter these same elements of existence in magnified or softened versions. Unfortunately, and despite some unnerving scenes and disturbingly compelling visuals, the film jumps its tracks, derailed by an increasingly preposterous plot, some wooden acting, and stilted dialogue. Alas, that isn't the case. As such, the "killer is controlling your dreams for later to be disclosed and definitely warped domestic reasons" plot comes off as too goofy to be either scary or believable (in a genre that already necessitates a big dose of suspension of disbelief from the get-go). Horror: A woman realizes that her dreams are actually visions of a serial killer's homicidal spree. Vivian punches Claire in the face, knocking her out. Three decades after the town of Northfield was purposefully flooded and covered forever to create a reservoir, Claire (ANNETTE BENING) and Paul Cooper (AIDAN QUINN), along with their daughter Rebecca (KATIE SAGONA), live a seemingly idyllic life in their small New England, lakeside town. Easily the most impressive is an extended sequence where Claire's escape from a psychiatric ward follows and mirrors that of her tormentor from several decades past, with both scenes inter-cut with the other. People (whether murderers or molesters) who prey on small children. QUICK TAKE: With an increase in such visions, Claire tries to get anyone to believe her, but by this time she's been put under the care of Dr. Silverman (STEPHEN REA) a psychiatrist who believes he can help her. Finally, if the filmmakers had to include the increasingly preposterous mental mind-link between Claire and Vivian, why didn't they use any of the fun "Village of the Damned"-like scenes where our protagonist must mentally outwit her nemesis who can apparently read her every thought? OUR TAKE: 4 out of 10 He was the editor of this picture. Blood then drips onto that person from the ceiling and we then see blood-written words covering and running down the walls around him. After all, their daughter has just been murdered and Claire saw the whole thing before it happened. We see Paul pour himself a drink (but don't see him drink it). My interest, however, didn't stem from it being particularly picturesque or large, but instead rested on a rumor both so compelling and disturbing that one couldn't avert their eyes whenever passing by it. Ray doesn't like the single life, and is sort of in a hurry to re-marry. As such, he does deliver some creepy visual moments, from divers making their way through the long-flooded town to the effectively staged nightmare visions that trouble his protagonist. Ray's deceased father, John Kinsella (Dwier Brown) loved baseball, the Chicago … More. After all, their daughter has just been murdered and Claire saw the whole thing before it happened. Violence "In Dreams" is the silliest thriller in many a moon, and the only one in which the heroine is endangered by apples. Obviously, Vivian has both for being a killer with a fondness for children. Dreams are the sleeping routine for most of humanity. One of the biggest involves the issue that if Claire was having dreams of little kids in trouble, and that bodies of such victims were being found in her town -- and were obviously the work of a serial killer -- she'd never let her daughter out of her sight. Blood then drips onto that person from the ceiling and we then see blood-written words covering and running down the walls around him. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR In my dreams, I'm picturing Tony Lawson's first day on the job. Aidan Quinn ("Practical Magic," "Michael Collins") similarly can't do much with character whose development mainly consists of him continually and conveniently leaving to fly his planes. Cocktail is a 1988 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Roger Donaldson and written by Heywood Gould, whose screenplay was based on his book of the same name.The film tells the story of a young New York City business student, Brian Flanagan, who takes up bartending in order to make ends meet. Olympic Dreams is standard rom-com fare, in that the characters meet, they stumble a bit in their relationship, but eventually find some kind of hope and happiness - there's even a dash through the airport style ending, … It was Paxton's final film role during his lifetime. Here it seems, however, that he's more interested in visual flair than deep characterizations. The movie is based around dream therapy, in which the main character, Dr. Atsuko, uses a device called the "DC Mini" to enter peoples dreams as her alter-ego 'Paprika' and analyze them as a psychiatrist would to cure mental ailments. Mild Extreme Automatic weapons: Carried by the police and fired once at the killer. PROFANITY ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. plays a demented serial killer who kills several children while also tormenting Claire through her dreams and then in person. But I take issue with the ending. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. Claire suddenly attacks Dr. Silverman. Mean Dreams is a 2016 Canadian coming-of-age thriller film directed by Nathan Morlando and written by Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby. However, and not withstanding the "Atlantis" elements, it's simply an uninspired variation that blatantly pilfers the "I can psychically see the killer and/or his plans" elements from films such as "Eyes of Laura Mars," "The Dead Zone," and even "Dreamscape" and "Fear" (as well as many other similarly based novels). She begins to dream of horrible things and realizes an evil killer is causing her nightmares ("He's inside my head!"). He denies it and the basic fact of sleeping with this woman (using the "f" word), but says that he wanted to. None Also read: 'Nocturne' movie ending explained: Juliet dies just like Moria. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Simply put, the story idea has been run into the ground and without a sufficient subplot to support the proceedings (think of the dual stories in "The Silence of the Lambs"), the film quickly sinks as the story plummets into further -- and progressively less frightening -- silliness. However, and not withstanding the "Atlantis" elements, it's simply an uninspired variation that blatantly pilfers the "I can psychically see the killer and/or his plans" elements from films such as "Eyes of Laura Mars," "The Dead Zone," and even "Dreamscape" and "Fear" (as well as many other similarly based novels). (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ An Executive Producer Recommends Three Films to Watch for Black History Month: Passing, A Most Beautiful Thing and Mr. While Annette Bening ("The Siege," "The American President") eventually, but only temporarily, feels right inhabiting her character, for most of the film she seems horribly miscast and her performance never gels nor feels natural. Suh-weet dreams in cinema. Write For Us ... Ian asks Louise if she dreams in foreign languages, and indeed, the more she understands the Heptapods’ communication, the more she experiences waking visions of her future. We twice see the image of a dog feeding on a dead man's body (after Claire envisions herself slowly walking up to that scene, and then when that still alive man does the same). The film is based on the writings of Bram Stoker, and it is a gothic fantasy with some arresting and profane imagery. "IN DREAMS" Sex/Nudity A man finds a dog tied to a bed in a deserted hotel room. Claire purposefully tries to kill herself by driving through a guardrail and into a body of water. Claire confronts Paul about an affair she believes he's having. It is directed by Kenny Leon from a story by Teena Booth and screenplay by Booth and Suzette Couture. Claire smokes a few times while a security guard also smokes. Likewise, a character would never continue going ever deeper into an obviously long vacated and dilapidated hotel -- on the whim of a caller who said they had the family dog there -- other than as a cinematic device to put viewers on the edge of their seats. Vivian's face is bloody. His peaceful life is disrupted when Shoko, Sakuta's … That a cemetery lay at the bottom of the lake, long since flooded and never seen since. A young man stabs a woman in the shoulder and neck (with blood), killing her. All Rights Reserved, Let's say we grant the premise that the villain can indeed project his dreams into the mind of poor Claire. It is a beautiful film. Unfortunately, and despite some unnerving scenes and disturbingly compelling visuals, the film jumps its tracks, derailed by an increasingly preposterous plot, some wooden acting, and stilted dialogue. The film begins with the character of Sakuta who is dating Mai for the past six months. 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