Sunday Short Reviews

celluloid

Every Sunday, Gill delves into his archive of over 800 movie reviews and randomly selects three for your enjoyment! Here are this week’s…

Dreamscape
Dreamscape was one of my absolute favourite movies when I was ten years old and, somewhat amazingly, it still holds up today. The filmmakers do a great job at handling what could very well have been a complete mess of a premise, and everything pays off satisfactorily. Dennis Quaid is a charming, Han Solo-esque rogue of a protagonist, Christopher Plummer plays a good sinister government official, and Max von Sydow’s friendly professor is instantly likeable. David Patrick Kelly is particularly awesome, too, as the twitchy, menacing psychic Tommy Ray. One thing that makes Dreamscape unique is that the special effects, while extremely dated, work here because they are only ever used in surreal dream sequences, which means that they aren’t particularly disruptive or jarring, and it works to the film’s benefit. The dream sequences are the real star of this movie, and are executed brilliantly. The sequences with the Snakeman are especially cool, as they seem to have been torn out of the mind of Tim Burton, and will no doubt remind certain audience members of nightmares from their own childhood. I’ve never understood why Dreamscape never developed a big cult following, but no matter. I still think it’s a terrific adventure flick from the 80s that’s smarter than your average special effects extravaganza. If you’re looking for a more adventurous (and imaginative) spin on the plot elements of A Nightmare on Elm Street, then Dreamscape is definitely worth looking into.
4 out of 5

Hedwig and the Angry Inch
A good 99% of the effectiveness of Hedwig and the Angry Inch depends on the performance of its star/writer/director John Cameron Mitchell, and he certainly delivers. A trippy, surreal rock ‘n’ roll story, Hedwig provides some great moments, a bittersweet plotline, and, most importantly, some awesome musical numbers. While I didn’t find this to be as entertaining or captivating as other similar films from the queer genre such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show or Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, I can’t deny that I still find myself humming the songs. I probably won’t end up watching this a second time, but damn if I don’t seek out the soundtrack!
3 out of 5

Desperately Seeking Susan
It’s chuckle-funny, but not laugh-out-loud-funny. The performances are fine, the plot arcs and resolves nicely, and there are a few decent jokes here and there. Unfortunately, the entire premise of the film is one of the oldest comedy cliches in cinema history. All in all, it’s passable, but nothing more, really.
3 out of 5

See you next Sunday for three more thrilling short reviews!

This entry was posted in Movies, Sunday Short Reviews. Bookmark the permalink.