98 lines
7.9 KiB
Plaintext
98 lines
7.9 KiB
Plaintext
many people will not find much to like in what dreams may come , the new film by visionary director vincent ward .
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most will come to see the computer animated landscapes and vibrant colors .
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but little do they know ( as i so plainly found out ) that this has quite a complex story to tell .
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walking out of the theater , i could see the audience's disgust . . .
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one member even had to be awakened after the film ended .
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don't believe the previews that you see . . .
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this is definitely not a film for everyone .
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this is quite possibly one of the most adult-oriented films to come out in recent years .
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kids will get bored with the slow plotting and the complex storyline .
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the plot is just as fluid as the heaven that ward presents to us .
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it goes back and forth in time , as if it has no boundaries .
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think of the film city of angels .
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now add a more complex screenplay and a more unique vision .
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both films deal with the afterlife , but i doubt what dreams may come will do well at the box office .
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costing around $85 million to make , the film would have to do extremely well in order to make it's money back .
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but due to it's story , i doubt it will .
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for everyone who thought titanic's story was too simple and cliche , here is proof that if james cameron had written a more complex screenplay , it may not have done nearly as well .
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but don't get me wrong . . .
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i hope the film does do well .
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it's a vision of pure visceral enjoyment that hardly ever gets put to the screen .
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i doubt most of us could have thought of this place , even in our own mind .
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what dreams may come is the second best film of the year when it comes to visuals .
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the only film that surpasses it is dark city .
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full of rich , shocking colors , we get to see a heaven that most of us would probably die to get to .
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but don't do that , because you'll end up going to hell .
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what dreams may come begins with two boats colliding on a lake .
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chris " christy " nielsen ( robin williams ) is startled by the sudden jolt , but is even more startled by the beauty of the woman in the other boat .
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annie ( annabella sciorra ) spies chris , as well , and both eventually bond and get married .
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annie is an artist , whose paintings are colorful , lush , and surrealistic .
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chris is a doctor and loves annie more than life itself .
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they also have two children , marie ( jessica brooks ) and ian ( josh paddock ) .
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but one day , the two children are killed in a car crash , and it almost destroys annie .
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she tries to commit suicide , but fails , and is then put in an institution .
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chris copes with the problem by realizing they aren't around anymore , and nothing will change that .
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just as annie gets her life back in order , chris is killed while trying to save the life of a car crash victim .
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chris goes to heaven , or his version of heaven , rather .
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guided by albert ( cuba gooding , jr . ) , chris explores his new surroundings with pure delight and joy .
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that is , until he realizes how miserable he is without annie .
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prior to heaven , he would try to comfort annie , but the more he was around , the more pain she felt .
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chris decides to leave her alone .
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little does he realize what will happen next .
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i'm not about to say , because the plot point is crucial to the rest of the story ( many critics , however , give it away ) .
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certainly , chris dying is crucial to the plot , but they tell you that he dies in the previews .
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story is not necessarily important for this movie to work , because it deals with the afterlife .
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however , strangely , virtually nothing is heard of god or the devil .
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a couple of comments here and there , but the story maintains its focus on chris and his search for the love of his life .
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" we're soul mates ! "
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chris exclaims .
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heaven , in movies , is almost always depicted as a glowing city of white , purity , and love .
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usually , it also looks like it rests among the clouds .
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but what dreams may come goes a different route .
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it shows us a heaven that most of us have never seen before .
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chris' heaven is his memories brought to life .
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his thoughts can make anything real , and he makes the paintings annie drew become his heaven .
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" i've never seen anyone use real paint before , " albert says .
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equally good as the depictions of hell which cast away the normal stereotypes of fire and brimstone .
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instead , it's a state of being .
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in one gloriously horrific scene , chris and his " tracker " ( max von sydow ) arrive at a sea of faces .
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thousands of heads are stuck above ground , their bodies somewhere else .
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mostly dead silent , some quips are made , almost as if to lighten the mood .
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it's truly a frightening sequence .
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production designer eugenio zanetti is definitely going to be up for an oscar nomination .
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using state of the art computer technology , worlds are created for exploration .
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sometimes , some scenes play out as if they are only there for the visual impact .
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it's not necessary to be there , but we appreciate seeing it .
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costume designer yvonne blake ( who also appears in the film ) has done an incredible job providing some interesting and colorful costumes .
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cinematographer eduardo serra , whose work was last seen in the luscious wings of the dove , has a difficult job , as most cinematographers do working with special effects .
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but serra's entire universe is a computer generated image , and he does a masterful job .
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writer ron bass , adapting from the novel by richard matheson , provides a very fluid screenplay with no real set plot .
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the story is extremely vague in its details , allowing viewers to think for themselves about the meaning .
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and director vincent ward puts it all together into his final vision .
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what dreams may come is a good example of german expressionism which may just turn off a good portion of the audience .
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your average movie goer more than likely isn't used to expressionistic techniques .
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the film will also definitely draw attention from religious people , but they shouldn't take it too far .
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it is , after all , just a movie .
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robin williams has continuously impressed with his dramatic performances , while his comedic roles have been suffering .
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his comedy is perfection when he makes up his own stuff , but when is confined by a screenplay , he isn't quite as effective .
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but drama is really his strong point , and you can see that here .
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it's doubtful he'll get another oscar nomination , but i wouldn't really mind if he did .
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the real surprise here is annabella sciorra who impressed last year with cop land .
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this may be her breakout role and may garner her some much needed attention .
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it's also quite possible that she could get an oscar nomination .
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however , the academy doesn't like to award performances for these types of films .
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cuba gooding , jr . has been better , but he's certainly not distracting .
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max von sydow is underused , as are jessica brooks and josh paddock .
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a treat for some movie goers is to see werner herzog appear ( if they even recognize him ) as chris' father lost in the sea of faces .
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it's not hard to see why herzog would be attracted to this film , considering he thinks that audiences are starving for great images .
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overall , it's williams and sciorra's film .
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what dreams may come is rated pg-13 for thematic elements involving death , some disturbing images , language , and some partial nudity .
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the film is definitely aimed at a more adult audience .
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some will find the plot distracting .
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some will find the visuals absolutely glorious .
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and some will find both .
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the only real problem with the film , that i could see , was that it slows down considerably during the midsection , just after we have been immersed in the visuals and before the search for annie begins .
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by the way , some controversy even surrounded the title , which was mistaken for a sexual term ( " what " becomes " wet " and you should understand ) .
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in actuality , the title is from a soliloquy in hamlet .
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just thought i should let you know .
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