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Dreamcatcher (Widescreen Edition)

Dreamcatcher (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $19.96
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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disappointing
Review: With a cast including Jason Lee (who seems to get stuck in alot of bad films, despite his skill), Morgan Freeman, Tom Sizemore, and Damien Lewis (from Band of Brothers) you would think this movie would have some merit. But in the end it becomes another in the long line of Stephen King movies as memorable as Maximum Overdrive.

The story starts with the apparant supernatural/other-worldly abilities of a group of men that shared their childhood in Maine. Now, events unfold in the movie like this: introduction, guys hanging out at a cabin, get split up, sick man shows up, turns out he is infected by aliens, two main characters die, and so on. This might make a good movie in and of itself, but this is the first half hour of the film! Far to compressed to be believable: I just wasn't drawn in. And no one should see the alien that early in the film! It just isn't scary when we know what it is! We are not even into the story by the time we learn that aliens regularly try to conquer our world only to be repressed by the army special ops group called "Blue Team."

But the speed of this movie is horrible. It should have been a miniseries (as the Stand, one of the few good Stephen King movies). When Beaver (Jason Lee) gets off of the toilet that he has trapped the alien in to get a toothpick, it just isn't believable. So we are supposed to know he is obsessive compulsive from a few minutes of introduction? It is true that a good writer "shows" instead of "tells", but neither is done in any of the character development.

More confusing is the concept of Jones' Memory Wearhouse. It's a neat idea that only makes sense into the movie and even then is full of holes, but in a book it might be a charming story device.

What kills this movie are two things: time (to compressed) and Duddits. Duddits is there mentally handicapped childhood friend that is really an alien (he gave them their powers). But, one would assume that Duddits died when they were kids (seeing as Jones imagines he sees Duddits the boy accross the street and that is why he gets hurt in the begining of the story). No, he's alive and old (played by Donnie Wahlberg, no less), but they haven't seen him since he was a kid. No offense, but what kind of jerk wouldn't keep in contact with a friend that important... especially when he still lives in the same town, in the same house!

In summary, I was disappointed, but not suprised. Aside from a few exceptions (The Shining, The Stand, Carrie, It, and Stand by Me) all Stephen King movies are a bit disappointing. So don't be shocked.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Holy God in Hevan!
Review: I will tell you right now that this movie scared the ... out of me. (no pun intended for those who have seen the movie) Steven King is always able to think of a new way to scare the Bajeezus out of ya. I can watch Monster, hell on earth, apocolyptic chaos movies. But this movie just made me week in the stomach, and very uneasy in the dark. I won't give the story away because I know how much that can tick some one off. I tell you now that if yopu didn't think this movie was scarey in the slightest, you must have a very dull outlook on life.(no offense)
Some of the images portrade in this movie with the speacil effects, will haunt me in many ways that I will try my hardest to forget. The only negative comment is the Dialog was a little too meladramtic (if that's spelt right). Overall it rocks!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Blood on the Maine Map
Review: I think it is only fair to start by being constructive. I believe that this could have been a good, if not great, thriller/horror movie if the comedy lines and fart gags were removed, the uncomfortable political connotations were extracted and the ... sentimentality of the flashback scenes as well as the ridiculously noble bond of the boys were taken out. At a few moments I did actually feel genuinely tense and was conflicted whether to close my eyes or not. The most effective moments in Stephen King movies for me are when we know we should feel sympathy for people who are suffering grotesque physical pain in a realistic way, yet we feel compelled to run away like in 'Pet Sematary' where a young girl has to care for her horribly deformed sister.

The beginning of this movie is about four men, lifelong friends, who each possess strange psychic powers. Over the course of the movie we discover how they acquired them and that they were given their abilities as part of a grand design. Their relationship and psychological dilemmas do appear interesting, but any useful exploration of their characters is instantly dropped when the dramatic events of their cabin trip to Maine begin. For some reason, many Stephen King movies have a very odd blend of humor and horror like 'Thinner' and 'Sleepwalkers' which makes you feel more perplexed than anything else when watching it. This film is no exception with its scenes of terror interspersed with lines which you can respond to with nothing other than a laugh like: "Mr Gay is Mr Gray!" or the British Bond Villain tone of voice which the alien who inhabits one of the characters bodies adopts. A large contribution to this film's failure is the atrocious scrip written by William Goldman who is also responsible for the horrible adaptation of King's 'Hearts in Atlantis'. That doesn't mean I'm trodding on Stephen King's work itself. Many of the moral issues he tries to engage with in great depth in his dense novels just cannot be translated into film and should have been cut out altogether when adapting his work. Unfortunately, the fine actors involved in this film aren't able to hold it up and seem confused themselves how seriously to take their lines. Some of the scenes, such as a long flash back scene involving a missing girl, are completely redundant and should have been cut as this is such a long film.

I don't think this is a dangerous movie like the film 'The Rules of Engagement' which tries to boost American paranoia and encourage them to destroy hostile foreigners whether they appear innocent or not. Nevertheless, this film feels like it is in incredibly poor taste. At the moment, Americans and the coalition forces are attacking Iraq and facing the difficulty of an opposing army, some of whom are dressing as civilians. There is a scene in this film where Colonel Abraham Kurtz (Morgan Freeman) and his "Blue Force" attack from the air an alien landing site that is sending telepathic messages to them declaring that they are harmless. Kurtz confidently gives the order to destroy them all. Later, Kurtz has to face exterminating a group of Maine citizens who have been infected by the aliens and he comments that the thought of killing Americans turns his stomach. Yet, he feels NO guilt over killing non-Americans. Kurtz is shown to be a complete psychopath. But I believe we are expected to feel some sympathy for his noble cause led by his gun inherited from John Wayne. Also, the government group that comes in to replace his trigger happy force doesn't have any intention of establishing diplomatic relations with the aliens, but only seeks to save innocent Americans. Of course, none of this should be taken too seriously as the film actually finely treads the line of satire and I'm sure the creators of the film couldn't have foreseen the parallels with reality when creating it. But this film does not ever clearly declare that the righteous fighters whose perspective you are viewing the events through are actually clearly in the wrong like in the film 'Starship Troopers'. The aliens do make horrible things happen. Perhaps defensive action is necessary in some form. But this film does not even begin to address the moral complexities of the issues involved and so I feel it should have steered clear of them completely.

Overall, this film is too long, the tone of it is very confused and it hopelessly collapses into a ridiculous parody of an alien movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Love it or hate it, it's like nothing you've ever seen
Review: There appears to be only two opinions of this movie,
based on what users have already posted. You love it
or hate it.

Me, I loved it. Forget what others have said. This is a
solid movie, very well acted. The effects are just fine,
and not really that important. And the story was just
out of this world. I mean crazy. I can't imagine anyone
not being stunned by the sheer jaw-dropping
uniqueness of this story. It's almost insane how original
it is.

This is one of those movies that gets dogged when it
comes out, but mark my words, ten years from now it
will be considered a groundbreaking classic. Snooty
film enthusiasts will scoff at the notion that it didn't do
well and was poorly recieved, when they will most
likely be some of those who bashed this movie. This
will be just like Blade Runner, or Point Break, or
Strange Days - mixed views upon their release, but
now regarded a classics of their genre.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A gripping thriller of "King" sized proportions!
Review: Whenever a Stephen King novel is transferred to the silver screen, it is a pretty safe bet that the adaptation will contain many a thrill, chill and spill (ex: "The Shining"). "Dreamcatcher" is no exception. As is generally the case with a Stephen King cinematic masterwork, the storyline slowly builds into a collective slow burn, then picks up intensity as the main theme builds - making for an ultimate frightfest that not even a Bram Stoker adaptation cannot compare, much less top. In "Dreamcatcher", a small Maine village is about to fall prey to a unique school of creatures, which pop up without warning. Four college buddies reunite to reminisce about old times (a theme that harkens back to "The Big Chill - directed by Lawrence Kasdan, who directs "Dreamcatcher" as well) during the dead of winter. The premise of the film at this point seems sort of empty and devoid of meaning at times, as the viewer doesn't really have a clue as to why these four individuals are vacationing somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, let alone how the little lizard creatures pop up in the first place. But, the intensity factor makes up for "Dreamcatcher"'s somewhat evasive premise. Buried deep in the film's primarily unknown cast, is yet another award-winning performance from Morgan Freeman, whose portrayal of a commander-in-chief is both spellbinding and realistic at the same time. "Dreamcatcher" is one film that may strike gold at the box office, but will definitely strike fear in the heart of the horror die-hard. Be sure and "Catch" this "Dream" soon, before you awaken with drastic consequences!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: What the hell was that?
Review: I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn't see another Stephen King film, since almost every single one of them ends up being a useless mess (the sole exception being The Shining - one of my most favorite films). However, the trailer looked interesting, and I actually forked seven-something to see it. I now wish I hadn't - in fact, I made a decision - I would rather stick bamboo under my fingernails than watch another Stephen King film.
Other than the fact that this movie makes absolutely no sense, I fail to see the difference between this one and "It". The usual bunch of [stupid] friends, with their stupid old ways, get together to combat an "evil" - an alien even more ridiculous looking than the one in the film of the same name. There's just too many problems to point out here, but suffice to say that most of what's in this film makes NO sense whatsoever; for example, a large number of hulking aliens choose to destroy themselves instead of fighting against a meager 4 (FOUR!) Apache helicopters.

... - just stay away from this film. Avoid it like the plague (no pun intended).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Creepy, but dedicated to the book throughout!
Review: If you've read the novel "Dreamcatcher" by Stephen King, then this movie will come as no surprise to you--but never fear, you'll still be entertained. If you have not read the book, you may be lost--but again, you'll be entertained.

Now let's forget the King connection.

At its core, this is a terrific horror/sci-fi flic that stands alone. Four friends (Jonesy, Beaver, Pete, and Henry) who, as children, rescued a Down's-syndrome boy who was a bit more than he seemed, are getting together in the Maine woods. They've done this for years...but something is different this year. Very different.

Because the animals are all acting weird. And there are helicopters in the sky. And don't forget the people who appear out of the woods--people with serious gas problems, and a strange fungus growing on their skin. And that, my friends, is just the beginning of it all.

Enter the ... Military Leader (forgot his name, believe it or not). He's here with one goal in mind, ladies and gentlemen: to wipe out the alien infestation that has occurred in main!

But the Colonel may be in for a spot of trouble, as one of the four friends has been imprisoned in his own mind, and another must use his psychic powers--bestowed upon him by the Down's-syndrome kid previously mentioned--to find him and stop him before all hell breaks loose.

As you may have guessed, this is one complicated movie. Well, maybe the word "intricate" works better here. Anyway, this is a thrill ride with an all-star cast: Jason Lee ("Dogma"), Morgan Freeman (do I even have to name any?), Tom Sizemore (oh, gee...if you've seen it, he's probably been in it) and about a dozen others whom you'd recognize (my memory [fails me] on that note, folks!). However, you don't need to know the cast to know that this is one great movie. Whether you're a King fan or not, you gotta check this one out. "Dreamcatcher" will haunt your sleep for nights to come!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Let's not go to Maine!
Review: Expecting this movie to be on the level of the exquisite THE FOUR AGREEMENTS by D. M. Ruiz about Toltec wisdom, I was in for a rude awakening. The only thing Native American was the title which describes an Indian charm to catch nightmares.

This was a mixed-bag of vignettes about four best friends whose thoughts and language never got past puberty, an alien from outer space called Mr. Gray, and a clairvoyant interwoven with the scary music to create chaos. Parts of the film were obnoxious, assaulting all of one's senses including smell.

This was definitely a man's movie full of vulgarisms and crude profanity. It was shocking to me that only two males were in the audience, and they seemed to be as terrified as the ladies. The bathroom humor was ludicrous.

In flashbacks, we see how these comrades rescued a boy being abused by the school's quarterback. He in turn transmits to each of them special powers as they rescue a lost girl from a well (could this have happened in THE RING?). A cute fellow, Andrew Robb, played the retarded boy whose destiny was to save the world from the chameleon alien which could project "what we want to see."

I thought this monstrous movie would never be over. I kept wanting to leave but sat riveted to my seat. It was a long 2 1/2 hrs (155 min.) full of mind games and horror.

The actor who played Henry Devlin looked like a young Richard Gere. Henry survived to aid Owen (Tom Sizemore), a member of the Blue Boy military group which had quarantined him. Look for the flashy gun loaded with gold bullets strong enough to bring down a helicopter. Henry used it as a cell phone. I saw myself in the actress who was Duddits' mom.

Beaver had a filthy mouth, always wore dorky eyeglasses, and was obsessed with toothpicks, which caused his demise by the eel. Jones possessed a Jackle/Hyde personality complex. Expressionless at first, he turned into the maniac in THE SHINING. One of my friends told me that the book on which this movie was based was written by Stephen King; if so, then I can understand the transformation of this character.

The foursome were lured to an isolated cabin in the snowy Maine woods from which the wild animals were fleeing. I kept wondering: where was the cat! Upon meeting the monster, one said, "Lord, I will never drink again." They acted like uncivilized sub-humans.

Fire consumed the dreamcatcher to rid them of the nightmares -- could never decipher the SSTD only they understood.

The honor student, David, could pass as a double for the young actor of the fifties, Sal Mineo. I liked the train and the snowy scenery. What an ending -- you have to see it to believe it! Beware, there's more to the story....

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Dreamcatcher
Review: This movie has a lot of potential. I think that improved sorytelling/editing to make transitions smoother and enable the story to unfold and flow more fully would have resulted in a better work product. I would not make a mad dash to theater..but would perhaps wait for the video. Classic Steven King.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Prepare yourself.
Review: I recommend you dont waste your time. I was waiting for this movie for a while now but it was one of the worst horror films ever. The reason I gave it 2 starts was because I actually know I few people that liked it but many more actually left the theatre before it ended. I never seen people actually leave the theatre till this movie came out. Bottom line (lol) watch a comedy or Final Dest. 2 if you havent seen it yet.


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