Review: What Dreams May Come (1998)
Scott Renshaw
(Polygram)
Starring: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., Annabella Sciorra, Max Von
Sydow, Jessica Brooks Grant, Josh Paddock.
Screenplay: Ron Bass, based on the novel by Richard Matheson.
Producers: Stephen Simon and Barnet Bain.
Director: Vincent Ward.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (profanity, adult themes)
Running Time: 109 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME, a sort of post-mortem romantic fantasy-drama,
shows us a world which is unlike any we've seen before on screen. Oh
sure, plenty of films have ventured into the realms of the afterlife, from
the sublime (DEFENDING YOUR LIFE) to the ridiculous (JACOB'S LADDER).
This, however, is a heaven of a different, considerably gaudier color.
It's the heaven created by Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams), a pediatrician
who dies in an auto accident. Torn from his wife and soul-mate Annie
(Annabella Sciorra), Chris finds the transition easier when his personal
Paradise, complete with the family dog, resembles one of Annie's oil
paintings -- bright, shimmering and fairly sticky, since it is actually
composed of oil paint.
Those scenes in Chris's heaven-of-his-own-making highlight WHAT
DREAMS MAY COME at its finest, creating spectacularly imaginative visions
of the Next World. Production designer Eugenio Zanetti (Academy Award
winner for RESTORATION), in conjunction with the special effects team,
conjures up impressionist landscapes, a golden city on a hill, and visions
of eternal torment which are genuinely transporting. Unfortunately, those
same scenes also highlight the film's most glaring weakness. As Chris
explores the new world of his afterlife, he is instructed first by his
one-time medical mentor Albert (Cuba Gooding Jr.) then by a mysterious
Tracker (Max Von Sydow) in various rules and regulations. They explain
what Chris can do, and why, what he can't do, and why, how he might want
to proceed on his journey of discovery, and why. And WHAT DREAMS MAY COME
grinds...to...a...halt.
It's an inevitable part of metaphysical fantasies like this that
someone has to bring the audience up to speed on exactly what they're
seeing and why. That doesn't make it any less tedious, especially when
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME isn't supposed to be about what makes particular
cosmic gears turn the way they do. Based on a novel by science
fiction/fantasy legend Richard Matheson, it's a story of intense human
emotions, and the desire of one soul to make right in death what went
wrong in life. The scenes of Chris's earthly life with his family, strewn
throughout the film in a near-subliminal series of flashbacks, form a
potent back-story of a life which isn't as suburban-ideal as it first
appears. There's something compelling about the suggetion that love
doesn't have to be perfect to be powerful.
Those emotions should have carried WHAT DREAMS MAY COME to a
transcendent level, if not for those nagging distractions. It's not just
the constant exposition which causes the problems, either. An even bigger
distraction is Robin Williams, whose performance can't quite capture the
aching love he's supposed to be feeling. Williams is certainly a fine
performer, but there are times when he's giving a "serious" performance
that he looks like he's trying way too hard. The furrows in his brow, the
perpetually fidgeting lip and the over-dramatized line readings turn too
many interpersonal moments into exercises in How Not to Act on the Big
Screen. Annabella Sciorra's convincing anguish could have grounded the
story in heart-breaking reality if Williams hadn't kept pulling it into
melodrama.
Eventually, reality gives way entirely to a re-telling of the Orpheus
myth, with Chris searching for Annie's doomed soul on a journey through
the Other Place. Again, the marvelous look of the film draws you in, as
Annie's shattered mindscape takes the form of the Nielsens' home turned a
desolate grey. And again, a viewer is pulled away from the look of the
film by tortuous exposition and emotional confrontations which only feel
genuine on one side. WHAT DREAMS MAY COME will likely wring tears from
those entranced by the GHOST-like prospect of romance beyond the pale.
For others, it will seem like a missed opportunity. If a tale of primal
fears and primal emotions can't grab you without a nattering narrator,
something's very wrong.
On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 Orpheus-capades: 6.
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Luke Buckmaster
By Luke Buckmaster (bu...@alphalink.com.au)
Cast: Robin Williams, Annabella Sciorra, Cuba Gooding Jr., Max von
Sydow, Rosalind Chao, Jessica Brooks, Josh Paddock
Director: Vincent Ward
Screenplay: Ron Bass based on the novel by Richard Matheson
Cinematography: Eduardo Serra
Australian theatrical release date: October 15, 1998
>From 0 stars (bomb), to 5 stars (a masterpiece):
3 stars
Of the recent visual cinematic journeys - the dark obscurity of Dark
City, the tranquility of City of Angels and gawky lavishness of
Armageddon - none have been more revealing than the surreal environments
of heaven and hell; depicted in What Dreams May Come. When Hollywood's
latest flavors of the month seem to be disaster sagas and teen slashers,
it's probably a good thing that post-death scenarios might well become a
hip new narrative. With this film, the above mentioned City of Angels
and 1997's Spawn, we've seen beautiful, imaginable and disturbing
afterlife images.
And trust Robin Williams to jump on the bandwagon. It was Australian
director Peter Weir who originally took him away from comedy and placed
him in Dead Poets Society, and since then he hasn't avoided comedy so
much as he has chosen more meatier roles. Williams is not as good in
this film as he was in The Birdcage and Good Will Hunting (two of his
finest films), but he sure tries hard. Probably a little too hard, in
fact, since his frowning eyebrows and wrinkled forehead oozes a genuine
love for acting.
Director Vincent Ward pieces together the film in a way that hasn't been
done before, using lush visuals and stunning realism to fulfill the
daunting task of creating a believable heaven and hell (and everything
that lies in between). In the past, when computer generated effects
haven't been as remarkable, filmmakers have often reverted to afterlives
on Earth (Ghost, City of Angels, and countless others) or yielded ones
that don't look entirely believable (Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey). The
colorful world of the protagonist's personal heaven is wonderful to
watch, and a hell with hundreds of heads stuck in the ground is a
positively chilling experience. Again, Ward tries a little too hard,
pulling off stunning eye candy but lacking a good amount of emotional
intrigue.
Chris Neilson (Robin Williams) is a children's doctor who dies by an
oncoming car when he assists someone caught in an accident. Years
earlier his two children died in similar circumstances, leaving his wife
Annie (Annabella Sciorra) in mental turmoil. Chris discovers that his
personal heaven is a world inside one of Annie's paintings, and is
guided around this wondeful place by a former mentor, Dr Albert Lewis
(Cuba Gooding Jr.). Back on Earth, Annie commits suicide and gets a one
way ticket to hell. Upon hearing the news, Chris is bound by love for
his wife to search her out and bring her to heaven, at the risk of
losing his own mind in the process.
Quite an intriguing idea, really, thanks to the writing skills of Ronald
Bass, a man who taught himself to read at the age of three and wrote his
first novel at seventeen. Bass is good at his craft, but his love for
writing probably exceeds his talent for it. He is competent enough to
yield a clever scenario, but fails to keep the screenplay witty and
shrewd. Thus the film becomes far too lose and unstructured, as Bass
resorts to letting characters tell Chris what he can and can't do, what
he should and shouldn't do, and how he could go about doing it.
Frankly, I would have liked Chris to discover a few things for himself.
Over acting aside, Robin Williams is quite pleasing in the title role,
as is Cuba Gooding Jr. and Max Von Sydow (who plays hells tour guide).
Annabella Sciorra is the best of the bunch, giving a strong fell of
humanity to her role - although her performance is far from faultless.
Other cast members feel a little out of place, including Josh Paddock
and Jessica Brooks, who play the two children.
Both Robin Williams and Vincent Ward were obviously keen to make What
Dreams May Come work as well as it possibly could, and they have created
a good film; not the brilliant one it longs to be. And the answer to
making it better isn't to try harder.
-------------------------------------------
Review © copyright Luke Buckmaster
Email bu...@alphalink.com.au to subscribe to my newsletter (unless, of
course, you already have) or lukebuc...@hotmail.com for any
inquiries or feedback
Nathaniel R. Atcheson
Director: Vincent Ward
Cast: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding, Jr. Annabella Sciorra, Max von
Sydow
Screenplay: Ron Bass
Producers: Barnet Bain, Stephen Simon
Runtime: 108 min.
US Distribution: PolyGram
Rated PG-13: thematic elements, disturbing images/language
By Nathaniel R. Atcheson (na...@pyramid.net)
I've seen films that deal with death and afterlife, but I don't think
I've seen any that conquer the subject with such unrelenting
determination as Vincent Ward's What Dreams May Come. It's so
refreshing to see a Hollywood production that succeeds by ignoring all
the standard conventions and cliches of the genre. This film is
profound and deeply interesting -- it handles disturbing subjects with
unflinching sincerity. And though it has its roots in many other works
-- from Dante's Inferno all the way up to the films of Bergman -- it
still manages originality and uniqueness.
But these aren't the elements that will stick with you, for What Dreams
May Come is one of the most visually astounding films I've ever seen.
It's a wealth of truly beautiful sets and special effects, seamless and
visionary images of things that can't exist in our world. That's what
makes this such a memorable film experience -- it takes you places you
have never been, and shows you things you can't see anywhere else. In a
time when most films don't exhibit the even lowest degree of creativity,
here is a film that registers as art and serves its purpose both in
sensation and perception. Your eyes and your mind will feed on all that
Ward's film has to offer.
At the same time, however, the film's flaws are almost as obvious as
its virtues. It suffers from a terribly disjointed narrative -- the
chronology is difficult to understand, and there's not always a strong
sense of momentum. As a whole, the film may not have you feeling
absorbed as much as you may feel trapped -- at times, it's so visually
arresting that it seems like you're living the nightmare. This is a
positive attribute to a point, but this film comes inches away from
being intolerably depressing. I'll elaborate on all this later.
The film stars Robin Williams as Chris Neilsen, a doctor who, at the
beginning of the film, meets his true love, Annie (Annabella Sciorra).
They get married and have two children, Ian (Josh Paddock) and Marie
(Jessica Brooks). The family is shattered one day when the kids are
killed in a car accident. The film then jumps ahead four years, when
Chris, too, is killed in another car accident, leaving Annie without
anyone in her life.
Chris suddenly finds himself watching over Annie as she grieves for
him. His status is explained to him by a guide named Albert (Cuba
Gooding, Jr.). Soon, Chris allows himself to proceed into Heaven, where
his world is created with the paint that his wife used to paint the
pictures he loved when he was alive. Soon, however, it turns out
Annie's soul is in trouble, and Chris must journey through the afterlife
to find and save her.
I've left a lot out, and that's because there are many subplots, and
many flashbacks that show small portions of Chris' and Annie's life
before and after their kids get killed. Because it deals with such
morose themes, What Dreams May Come is inescapably dark, even in the
bright and wonderfully colorful world that Chris first creates for
himself. There's always an underlying sense of malaise and frustration,
an element that makes us feel like nothing is ever right, even when the
characters seem at least momentarily placated.
The biggest problem with the film, however, is the lack of fluency in
the narrative. This isn't Ward's fault -- in fact, it's hard to say if
there is any one person at fault. The way the film is constructed lends
itself to this kind of storytelling technique -- flashbacks and the like
-- and, since it explains a world with which none of us are familiar,
it's necessary for Chris to have a guide to explain him everything
(Dante had Virgil, didn't he?). I don't mind that this explanation is
necessary, but the first forty-five minutes of the film are spent
watching Chris reject his placement in Heaven. Then, all the way up
until the end, the film exists on two timelines -- one in the present
tense, showing Chris on his journey, and the other showing Chris and his
family when they were alive. The result is a story that never quite
convinces us that it's actually happening -- the whole thing feels too
much like a wicked nightmare.
And, if you stop and think about it, it's all pretty absurd. Ron Bass'
script isn't bad; the characterizations are solid, and the themes are
well-established. But, on a technical level, it seems a bit sloppy: I
could poke holes through its logic all day, although I'm not sure where
that would get me. In addition, the film isn't as moving as I was
expecting; I cared about the characters and their respective fates, but
none of the dramatic elements in the film really took hold of me the way
I was hoping they would.
Okay, so it has some big problems. Overall, though, What Dreams May
Come is a satisfying picture, even if it misses a few opportunities for
sound logic and effective drama. Vincent Ward is a truly gifted artist,
and this film is proof of my statement: there are moments in What
Dreams May Come that are literally breathtaking, moments that are so
visually immersive that you won't even be able to blink, let alone look
away from the screen. There are little things that Ward repeatedly uses
that add depth to the scenery -- lots of running water and reflections,
concrete stairways, walls that stretch up to seemingly infinite
heights. It's the kind of imaginative world that we so rarely get to
see in films.
The acting is superb; Williams, who is often a difficult man for me to
watch, is wonderful here (although a bit heavy on the pathos). Gooding,
Jr. is a demanding screen presence, and is very good in the role of the
Explainer. Max von Sydow, who plays another guide whom Chris meets
halfway into his journey, is perfect for his role. Most interesting,
however, is Annabella Sciorra, who delivers her best performance (and,
hopefully, her breakthrough role) as Annie. Sciorra's work is complex
and shaded both emotionally and physically; she spends a lot of the film
crying, but she manages to make what could have been a token part into a
real character.
As flawed as it is, I have to recommend What Dreams May Come
enthusiastically, simply because it really is an effective film. True,
it could have been much better, and maybe it goes a bit overboard in its
attempts to make us feel bad for the characters, but I can't think of a
film in recent history that is more visually amazing. Vincent Ward has
created a film so beautifully original that I doubt it could be ignored
or forgotten by anyone who sees it. It's also a film that latches to
its themes and pursuits with admirable dignity and persistence, and at
least partially succeeds. Nowadays, it's nice to see anything that
qualifies as art, but something done with as much conviction as this is
a film to be cherished, in spite of its flaws.
*** out of ****
(7/10, B)
**********/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\************
Visit FILM PSYCHOSIS at
http://www.pyramid.net/natesmovies
Nathaniel R. Atcheson
**********/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\************
Joe Barlow
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME
A movie review by Joe Barlow
(c) Copyright 1998
STARRING: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., Max von Sydow,
Annabella Sciora
DIRECTOR: Vincent Ward
WRITER: Ron Bass (based on the book by Richard Matheson)
RATED: PG-13 (for adult language and potentially disturbing
visuals)
YEAR: 1998
SEEN AT: Park Place 16, Morrisville NC
RATING: **** (out of a possible *****)
In some respects, "What Dreams May Come" reminds me of
Richard Bach's "Johnathan Livingston Seagull," a book which
sparked my imagination with an intensity that few other works
of art have ever equaled. It was a novel that challenged the
way I approached the very concepts of religion and spirituality.
Although I didn't agree with every aspect of the story (and still
don't, incidentally), the sheer beauty of its presentation was more
than enough to make up for its shortcomings; when I finished
reading it, I found myself deeply moved by both its power and
message. Walking out of an opening-day screening of "What Dreams
May Come," I felt a similar sense of awe... even though, once again,
I didn't agree with everything that was said.
A brief collection of scenes, displayed during the film's
opening credits, sets the plot in motion. Chris Nielsen (Robin
Williams) and his wife Annie (Annabella Sciora) meet while on
vacation in Europe; soon, they fall in love and marry. They
eventaully have two children, but Fate has a nasty shock in store:
both kids are killed in a car accident while in their teens. Annie,
who asked the housekeeper to drive the kids to school that day,
blames herself for their deaths, figuring that things may have
turned out differently if she'd been behind the wheel. Years pass,
and the couple's emotional wounds slowly heal. Then one day, Chris
offers to run an errand for Annie; while doing so, he is killed in
another car accident.
Chris's soul, after coming to terms with his death, makes
the journey up to Heaven. He finds a place of such astonishing
beauty that I will not even attempt to describe it with words;
suffice it to say that the film's visuals are among the most
awe-inspiring ever captured on celluloid. Heaven, it seems, is
somewhat like the Holodeck from "Star Trek": it can be completely
customized, based on the wishes of its occupant. Everyone's Heaven
is different: because Chris was such a fan of art in life, he
chooses to live in a world comprised of painted landscapes, like
those Annie used to create. Albert (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Chris's
spirit guide and friend, teaches him to manipulate his environment,
and in time Chris is even reunited with his children. The only
thing missing from his world is Annie, who he wistfully watches
from afar.
But Annie, nearly comatose with grief after losing her entire
family, decides that she no longer has any reason to live; soon
after Chris's death, she takes her own life. Chris assumes that his
wife will now join him in eternal paradise, but it is not to be:
suicide victims are forever barred from the rewards of the afterlife,
and he can only watch helplessly as Annie is sent to Hell. Despite
the wonders of Heaven and the reunion with his children, Chris
refuses to spend eternity without his soulmate, and decides to
gamble his own soul in a desperate attempt to save her.
To say that Robin Williams is excellent in his role would
be redundant, as the man is incapable of being anything less; also,
Cuba Gooding Jr. is the very picture of warmth and patience as the
understanding spirit who helps Chris make the awkward adjustment
from life into death. Best of all may be Annabella Sciora's
portrayl of Annie: it's she who undergoes the greatest number of
emotional changes over the course of the story, yet she always
remains a fascinating (if occasionally unsympathetic) character.
But Max von Sydow, who plays a helpful "soul mercenary" named The
Tracker, is significantly less interesting: he adds little to
the story except some vaugely philosophical dialogue that doesn't
really go anywhere.
The truth is, the characters in this film take a back seat
to the experience of just *watching* the thing; in that regard, I
was reminded of "Brazil" and "2001: A Space Odyssey." The movie is
far from perfect, and the unneccessarily "cute" final scene does much
to undermine the previous fifteen minutes of the story, all so
the filmmakers' can make the audience go "Aww." The biggest problem,
however, is the simple fact that we don't see enough of our heroes'
"lives" after they die; instead, the film presents us with so many
tedious flashbacks that the story screeches to a halt nearly every
time one appears on the screen. In addition, the cloying score from
composer Michael Kamen actually crosses that fine line which separates
sentimentality from self-indulgence, and we're forced to listen to him
throttle the audience's emotions with a sweeping arrangement of
strings that never lets you forget that you're supposed to be sobbing
into your popcorn. It's even worse than the score for "Volcano," a
feat I thought was impossible.
But none of that really matters. "What Dreams May Come" is
so strikingly original that it's worthy of respect and serious
analysis, despite the occasional flaw. There's an undeniable
grandeur to the production, an epic quality that raises the film
from mere cinema into a sensory odyssey. Director Vincent Ward had
no interest in making a timid film, and indeed he hasn't; for that
reason, I'm willing to give the story some slack. I highly
recommend that you see this movie with several of your closest
friends. Afterwards, go get a cup of coffee and discuss what you
just saw. I promise, it'll keep you talking for the rest of the
evening... and maybe the whole week.
********************************************************************
Copyright (c)1998 by Joe Barlow. This review may not be reproduced
without the written consent of the author.
E-Mail: jba...@earthling.net
Joe Barlow on Film: http://www.ipass.net/~jbarlow/film.htm
If you'd like to receive new film reviews by e-mail, please write
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you can subscribe directly from my web page. Thanks.
David Sunga
Rating: 3.0 stars (out of 4.0)
********************************
Key to rating system:
2.0 stars - Debatable
2.5 stars - Some people may like it
3.0 stars - I liked it
3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie
4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out
*********************************
A Movie Review by David Sunga
Directed by: Vincent Ward
Written by: Ron Bass
Ingredients: Heaven, hell, life after death
Starring: Robin Williams Cuba Gooding Jr., Annabella Sciorra
Synopsis:
During his life, a guy named Christy (Robin Williams) finds his soulmate
in a girl named Annie (Annabella Sciorra), marries her, and fathers
children. After death, Christy explores heaven, but finds life empty
without his wife and children, so he goes searching for them. Annie is
hardest to find because she's not in heaven.
Opinion:
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME is colorful and daring in its vision because it
attempts to portray the imaginary universe of life after death, and how
the soul of an individual can see beyond the material world and in fact
create entire universes. In its portrayal of heaven, hell, and life
after death, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME is a visually exciting and wonderful
movie and a successful blend of computer technology with movie-making.
That being said, despite good acting and imaginative concepts of life
after death, the plot of WHAT DREAMS MAY COME is entirely staid and
predictable, and the ending comes as no surprise to anyone. The movie's
main value lies in its ability to inspire.
Reviewed October 3, 1998
Copyright © 1998 by David Sunga
This review and others like it can be found at
THE CRITIC ZOO: http://www.criticzoo.com
email: zook...@criticzoo.com
Steve Rhodes
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1998 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
If you've always been curious about exactly what heaven and hell look
like, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME offers some intriguing suggestions. In
director Vincent Ward's long cinematic sermon on the advantages of a
moral life, the movie depicts heaven as a happy, colorful landscape
painting and hell as an eerie, gray, Holocaust graveyard overflowing
with talking heads.
The rarely subtle film shows two dead children from inside their coffins
during the opening credits. They have died in a car accident, and their
father will shortly die in another, leaving their mother to grieve for
them all back on earth. Although four years elapse between the two car
accidents, the movie dispenses with them quickly so that it can get to
the heavenly beyond.
The father, Chris Nielsen, is a doctor played by Robin Williams.
Annabella Sciorra plays his wife and "soul mate," an artist named Annie.
Both are deeply scarred characters who share their troubles with us in
almost every scene. If the movie were involving, it could have been the
downer of the year. Instead, it stays at the level of visual technical
achievements with the figures in it about as real as those in art
gallery paintings -- lovely to look at, but nothing to get concerned
over.
Cuba Gooding, Jr., first seen only as a blur, plays Albert, Chris's
guide into heaven. Gooding, like the rest of the fine actors, is largely
wasted in a movie that works only at an ethereal level. The magical film
is artistically surreal but only sporadically realistic.
The script by Ronald Bass, based on Richard Matheson's novel, could have
used a little more levity and should have given the characters some
credible depth. "I screwed up," Chris says when he sees his dog in
heaven. "I'm in dog heaven." This delightfully natural humor is
regretfully absent in most of the movie.
The story's pop messages include such trite ones as, "Good people end up
in hell because they can't forgive themselves." (Okay now, let's all
forgive ourselves so we will get to pass through the pearly gates
successfully. Whew, that's a collective load off our shoulders.)
Once in heaven, Chris is amazed to find that he has walked into one of
his wife's paintings. The film shows us a heaven that is a blend of the
nineteenth-century landscape paintings of Turner and Cole mixed with
impressionistic touches. Not only is it gorgeous, the paint isn't even
dry yet. As though in a heavenly version of WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE
FACTORY, Chris gets to sample the paintings by running through them and
squeezing the flowers in his palms as the paint squirts out. These
dazzling images are among the loveliest and most innovative Hollywood
has created in years. With Michael Kamen's dramatic music and Yvonne
Blake's sumptuous costumes for the afterlife, the film works best when
viewed as grand opera as illustrator Maxfield Parrish might have staged
it.
In the tradition of life-after-death pictures, Chris goes back in an
attempt to console his wife on earth. Rather than giving her peace,
these unseen visits increase her depression. Eventually she will die
too, but, through a kind of legal snafu, she ends up in hell. Moral
rules, it seems, are filled with fine print. The body of the movie has
Max von Sydow, as a mysterious character called The Tracker, leading
Chris on a journey into hell to help Chris find his beloved Annie.
A movie filled with absolutely stunning imagery, it is strangely cold
and unengaging despite all its beauty. Still, the pedantic script's
tedium is more than offset by the handsomeness of the production. WHAT
DREAMS MAY COME is a feast for the eyes even if not a particularly
filling meal for the mind.
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME runs 1:48. It is rated PG-13 for thematic elements
involving death, some disturbing images, profanity including the F-word
and brief nudity. The film would be fine for teenagers.
Email: Steve....@InternetReviews.com
Web: www.InternetReviews.com
Nick Amado
Starring: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., Annabella Sciorra
Directed by Vincent Ward
Anyone who has seen the ads for Dreams knows that it is a colorful and
visually stunning picture. But what the commercials show is merely a
small portion of the many "universes" seen in the film. That world of
wet acrylic paint flowers is part of Chris' (Williams) imagination in
the afterlife. Supposedly each person has their own world. But as your
mind changes, your world changes. Chris is remakably similar to his
human self, which the film points out is a choice on his part;
something that makes it easier for him to deal with. He can be
whomever he wishes, and other people can take on different faces as
well.
Chris and his family don't deserve the tragedy that befalls them. He
and wife Annie (Sciorra) lose their children in a car crash, an event
that sends Annie off the deep end. Four years later, things seemingly
patched up, Chris too dies in a car accident. His heavenly struggle
then comences. He goes on a journey to reunite with his children and
eventually his wife.
Unless you have seen the film, all you have seen are the bright colors
of what heaven is to Chris. It is every bit as beautiful and enjoyable
as you watch it flood the movie theater screen. What you have not
seen, however, is Art Director Christian Wintter's (yes, two 't's)
version of hell. Though the characters describe hell as different for
everyone, and not truly a "hot as hell" torturous existence, it is an
awful gruesome place.
For reasons I will not disclose to you, Williams must make a journey
to the netherworld, and what a journey it is. He enters the "general
area" and sees a somber but rather attractive world. One in which
people who look as though they've been snatched from a Dickens novel
float through the air over black lakes where streets should be. But
once Chris makes a lunge for something in his imagination, he falls
straight down to the opening of the gates of hell, a truly astonishing
cinematic sight. The gates are constructed from various shipwrecks,
and tormented pale bodies swim in the waters.
Dreams begins to take on a Terry Gilliam-esque feel. In a scene the
ex-Pythoner would have LOVED to have been a part of, Chris tries to
hop safely through a field of living but decaying talking heads. Truly
something that must be seen, not described.
At one point, Dreams becomes a truly dark and uneasy film. It his
sometimes hard to watch, not so much because of violence or gross-out
stuff, but because of the dark concept. It is clear that Ward wanted
to take the audience on an emotional rollercoaster. Whether he does is
up to the individual viewer. For me, it was more like the Teacups than
a rollercoaster, but it was still back and forth, and I suppose that
is sufficient. But I will say that I left the theater feeling
satisfied with the result. It is a film that could have gone off on a
most depressing turn.
There were numerous technical glitches and some amaturish mistakes,
but they slide right off the picture, leaving us with a well-directed,
if sometimes choppy, film. Williams is not the goofy one we've come to
know and love over the years. Nor is he the deep stretch that proves
him Oscar-worthy as Awakenings and Good Will Hunting. He is the
everyday emotional fellow that he plays so well. (There are an awful
lot of tears in this movie.) The cast does a terrific job, though
Gooding Jr. seems to disappear as quickly as he came.
* * * out of * * * * stars
Reel Comments Rating 75
©1998 Nick Amado
Michael Dequina
_What_Dreams_May_Come_ is, in the most literal sense, a "dream movie," a
visionary exercise in the use of dreamlike imagery, which, in turn, helps
create a sublime romantic fantasy. The centerpiece of the film is a
breathtaking tour of the afterlife, which is taken by one Chris Nielsen
(Robin Williams) after he dies in a car accident. But while his spirit is
in heaven, Chris's soul remains with that of his soulmate, his emotionally
fragile wife Annie (Annabella Sciorra), who had never fully recovered from
the years-ago deaths, also by car accident, of their two children.
_What_Dreams_May_Come_ is nothing short of a visual marvel. Eugenio
Zanetti's production design, Eduardo Serra's cinematography, and the
spectacular special effects supervised by Ellen M. Somers paint a wildly
imaginative vision of the afterlife. This is quite literally the case in
the scene where Chris first arrives in Heaven, which manifests itself in
the form of one of Annie's paintings. It is perhaps the most visually
ambitious scene in a film overflowing with visual invention, with Chris
swimming in the still-wet paint and the backdrop remaining as
two-dimensional as any canvas.
But the film is much more than a showcase for the latest in filmmaking
technology. As with his last film, 1993's astonishing
_Map_of_the_Human_Heart_, director Vincent Ward taps into the very core of
romantic yearning, coming up with an admittedly sappy but no less poignant
tale of true, pure love. There are some powerful moments, most notably a
scene where Annie, in a fit of anger and grief, attempts to destroy a
painting which, unknown to her, Chris and his spiritual guide Albert (Cuba
Gooding Jr.) is inside. Of course, moments like those are carried over the
top by the efforts of the actors. Williams, as always, is effortlessly
likable, and he and Sciorra share a natural, magical chemistry. One has no
trouble at all believing that these two are indeed soulmates, and,
consequently, has no trouble falling under the film's entrancing spell.
__________________________________________________________
Michael Dequina
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__________________________________________________________
Michael Redman
What Dreams May Come
A Film Review By Michael Redman
Copyright 1998 By Michael Redman
**** (Out of ****)
Philosopher physician Deepak Chopra has a story about two people who ride a
roller coaster. For the first, this is a frightening experience and it fills
his body with unhealthy adrenaline. The second loves the thrills and his body
creates healthy endorphins. "It's not the ride," he says, "it's the rider."
That we create our own realities is a concept the "New Age" -- whatever that
means -- borrowed from eastern religions and has become accepted as truth even
among the western medical community. Stress and attitude are thought to be the
leading cause of illness. How we see the world is how the world is. We control
the ride, not the other way around.
Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams) can create his own realm. Literally. The only
problem is that he had to die first.
Chris and Annie (Annabella Sciorra) have the perfect marriage. Soulmates, he
is a pediatrician; she, a painter. They have two wonderful children. Then
things fall apart. The kids are killed in a tragic car wreck and full-of-life
Annie is devastated with all of her joy wrenched away. After an attempted
suicide, she is institutionalized.
Four years later Annie has recovered and is back at work. Chris stops to help
an accident victim and is killed when a car flips over onto him. When he comes
to, he is in a wondrous afterlife where anything he imagines comes true. He
can have anything he wants. Except Annie.
The death of her life partner sends Annie into a depression spiral and she
succeeds in her second suicide attempt. People who kill themselves don't go to
the same place that Chris did. He's informed that he can never see her again.
Chris refuses to accept this and begins his Orpheus-like journey into the
underworld to rescue his lover.
Before I go on, I have to tell you that this is the most visually stunning
film in recent memory. The movie is extraordinary. Far too often, special
effects cause the audience to think "That's cool. I wonder how they did it."
More successful movies evoke "That's cool" without pulling you out of the
film. "Dreams" only allows "That's…" as you sit, mouth agape, in astonishment.
You are not watching the film, you _are_ the film.
Chris' heaven is based on paintings. Before he understands how it works, his
Monet surroundings not only look like paint, they _are_ paint and not quite
dry. When he picks and squeezes a brilliant blue flower, it liquefies into
pigment. As he runs down a hill stepping on bright reds and yellows, the
ground squishes beneath his feet flowing into streams of combined colors. At
first his world looks like someone went overboard with Photoshop on a Macintosh.
The heavenly city is a wonderful living Maxfield Parrish poster. Hell is a
frightening combination of H. R. Giger and German Expressionism. The hundreds
of condemned souls surrounding Chris' boat is more chilling than even the
similar scene in "Titanic". When he reaches Annie, the color palate becomes
monochromatic reflecting her state of mind.
The team of director Vincent Ward ("The Navigator"), effects supervisors Ellen
Ward, production designer Eugenio Zanetti and cinematographer Eduardo Serra
have given us a film that visually is beyond words. I'm wearing out my
thesaurus looking up synonyms for "awesome."
Like myths of old, the story is a metaphor for life. Chris' afterlife is
brilliant and full of wonders because that is how he sees the world. Annie's
is gloomy and without hope because that's her view. The one message that I
have doubts is that it is possible to save the damned by joining them in hell.
That path leads not to salvation, but madness.
Annie's willingness to accept responsibility for the deaths (her housekeeper
drove the children on their fatal trip because Annie was too busy, Chris was
running an errand for her) is symptomatic of the depressed. She believes that
she is so powerful that everything is her fault.
Every actor in the film is excellent. Williams exhibits none of his manic
over-the-top personality yet is intense, determined and at the same time
filled with joy. Sciorra is remarkable as Annie sinks further and further into
the depths. Before her melancholy, there is a scene on a hill near Switzerland
where, dressed in gauze, she is one of the most alluring women in cinematic history.
Chris' first heavenly guide is Albert, played likably by Cuba Gooding, Jr. In
another excellent effect, when he first appears, he is blurry, out of synch
with Chris. As he comes more into focus, he explains to Chris that "Thought is
real. Physical is the illusion. Ironic, isn't it?"
Max von Sydow is the "Tracker," Chris' guide through hell. His extreme screen
presence prepares us for the trip into the abyss. In another film he would
stand out but here there is no character that it is possible to take your eyes
off of.
Like the movie itself, the reviews for this are all over the spectrum from
people who hated it to those who were amazed. Aside from obvious technical
aspects, movie-going is often a subjective experience. What one person finds
trite, another may experience as profound. What you bring into the theater is
an important part of what you take out.
I suppose that I was ready for this film. There are problems: the final scene
is a bit corny, some of the truisms are simplistic. But I didn't care. It blew
me away.
After leaving the movie, I was in no shape to drive home. Walking over to the
edge of the parking lot and gazing into the moonlit forest across the street,
I lighted a cigarette and wondered why so often we chose to live in the gray
world of hell when there is so much Maxfield Parrish out there.
(Michael Redman has written this column for over 23 years and has never seen
anything like this on the screen before. You are free to disagree if you like,
but you'd be wrong. Send spectacular visions to Red...@indepen.com.)
[This appeared in the 10/8/98 "Bloomington Indpependent", Bloomington,
Indiana. Michael Redman can be contacted at Red...@indepen.com]
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Edwin Jahiel
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME * Directed by Vincent Ward. Written by Ron Bass, from
the novel by Richard Matheson.Photography, Eduardo Serra. Editing, David
Brenner and Maysie Hoy. Production design, Eugenio Zanetti. Music, Michael
Kamen.Visual effect producer/supervisor, Ellen M. Somers. Painted world
visual effects, Mass Illusions. Visual effects, POP Film & POP Animation.
Visual effects supervisor, Stuart Robertson.Special visual effects and
digital animation, Digital Domain. Digital visual effects, CIS Hollywood.
Produced by Stephen Simon and Barnet Bain. Cast: Robin Williams (Chris
Nielsen), Cuba Gooding Jr. (Albert), Annabella Sciorra (Annie Nielsen), Max
von Sydow (the Tracker), Jessica Brooks Grant (Marie Nielsen), Josh
Paddock (Ian Nielsen), et al. A Polygram release.106 minutes. PG-13.
The title comes from Hamlet 's "To be, or not to be": "To die- to sleep
--To sleep! perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub--For in that sleep of
death what dreams may come--When we have shuffled off this mortal
coil--Must give us pause..."
But do not look for Shakesperean parallels in this sentimental, kitschy,
would-be tear-jerker fantasy whose sole reason for being is its display of
computerized special effects.
The film's preliminaries, made to coincide with the opening credits, have
Chris (Williams) and Annie (Sciorra) meet cute on a lake bordering
Switzerland, re-meet cute on land, do kiss-kiss (but no bang-bang), marry
cute. Later their two cute teen-age kids die in a car crash. Cut to four
years as we see Chris practicing pediatrics while being oh-so-warm and cute
with a young patient and looking at the little girl's X-rays AND at slides
of Annie's paintings. The sugar content keeps rising. Then Chris dies in a
freak crash inside a tunnel.
He reappears in the hereafter which is a color riot of living (sic)
elements (such as water he can Biblically walk on), of profuse vegetation,
flowers, etc. --all seemingly inspired by Annie's artwork. The sights, made
with advanced digital computer techniques, are impressive as gimmicks but
don't get you anywhere. They look like combinations of paintings by French
Impressionists gone berserk with acrylics and loading their canvases to the
max, some unmistakable bits of Van Gogh swirling brushwork, and often
heavily romantic 19th century German oils by Caspar David Friedrich and
fanciful, massive scenes of the American West by Albert Bierstadt. The orgy
of colors and special effects becomes oppressive and may give you visual
overload with its lushness.
With hops, skips and jumps, more views appear, from flying, Peter Pan-ish
people to graphics that mix the Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry with
Byzantine icons.
Chris is, of course, in Paradise--though not in Heaven, since he learns
that Annie, in her despair at her husband's demise, has committed suicide.
An angel (though not identified as such) is Chris counselor-guide. His name
is Albert (as in Bierstadt). He spouts cliches of sagacity, like "Thought
is real. Physical [sic] is the illusion."
Chris, an Orpheus for our times, searches for Annie-Eurydice, even though
there's no place in Heaven for the dead by suicide. Are you listening Dr.
Kevorkian? "They go somewhere else" dixit Albert, who explains that Annie
"has violated the moral order." The somewhere else is in the nether regions
which Chris reaches via the Tracker -- the Virgil to Chris's Dante. The
Tracker is Max von Sydow, wasted here, especially if your remember him from
Ingmar Bergman movies.
The tour of the Underworld takes us to sundry dark locations. In one,
flames are combined with Sisyphus-like beings who go up and down
excavations akin to those of the much more powerful Hell on Earth images
of Brazilian gold-mines workers in the documentary Powaqqatsi (1988). Yet
another of Albert's profundities goes: "Hell is not fire and pain. The
real hell is your life gone wrong." In this murkiness of sights and
concepts, Chris also has to step by an immensity of human heads projecting
from the ground -- a not-so-oblique derivation of Cambodia's Killing
Fields.
Throughout, Robin Williams maintains forced expressions of smiles,
beatitude or sorrow-- all forced, unconvincingly stiff and theatrical, all
making you miss Williams the kinetic, wild clown. Annabella Sciorra
delivers her lines flatly.
"What Dreams..." is the first American feature by director Vincent Ward, a
talented New Zealander who had previously made Vigil, Navigator: A
Mediaeval Odyssey, and Map of the Human Heart. He also wrote the story for
Alien 3. Ward is very oriented toward imaginative visuals and ambitiously
original stories, but I find his work frustrating, with a reach exceeding
his grasp. Here, his movie is not so much frustrating as it is plain dull,
what with too many poses and visual overkill,. The determination to be
super-poetic makes it repetitive and pedestrian.
The film is, in fact, a very expensive production in two LSD genres. LSD
One is the look of the picture, like visions and hallucinations under the
influence. LSD Two is the very general subject Love is Stronger than Death,
which has been around for decades in sundry movies about reincarnation,
ghosts, etc.
I might suggest renting far more satisfactory titles. A sampling: Death
Takes a Holiday, A Guy Named Joe (remade by Spielberg as Always); Stairway
to Heaven (aka A Matter of Life and Death); Heaven Can Wait (by Ernst
Lubitsch); Here Comes Mr. Jordan (remade as Heaven Can Wait though not a
remake of the Lubitsch picture); and above all the delicious The Ghost and
Mrs. Muir.
" Le mauvais gout mene au crime" (Stendhal)
Edwin Jahiel's movie reviews are at http://www.prairienet.org/ejahiel
Boyd Petrie
A Film Review by Boyd Petrie
Out of 4 stars: ***1/2 (3.5 Stars)
Many people will not find much to like in WHAT DREAMS MAY COME, the new film by
visionary director Vincent Ward. Most will come to see the computer animated
landscapes and vibrant colors. But little do they know (as I so plainly found
out) that this has quite a complex story to tell. Walking out of the theater, I
could see the audience's disgust... one member even had to be awakened after the
film ended. Don't believe the previews that you see... this is definitely not a
film for everyone.
This is quite possibly one of the most adult-oriented films to come out in
recent years. Kids will get bored with the slow plotting and the complex
storyline. The plot is just as fluid as the heaven that Ward presents to us.
It goes back and forth in time, as if it has no boundaries. Think of the film
CITY OF ANGELS. Now add a more complex screenplay and a more unique vision.
Both films deal with the afterlife, but I doubt WHAT DREAMS MAY COME will do
well at the box office. Costing around $85 million to make, the film would have
to do extremely well in order to make it's money back. But due to it's story, I
doubt it will. 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.
But don't get me wrong... I hope the film does do well. It's a vision of pure
visceral enjoyment that hardly ever gets put to the screen. I doubt most of us
could have thought of this place, even in our own mind. WHAT DREAMS MAY COME is
the second best film of the year when it comes to visuals. The only film that
surpasses it is DARK CITY. Full of rich, shocking colors, we get to see a
heaven that most of us would probably die to get to. But don't do that, because
you'll end up going to hell.
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME begins with two boats colliding on a lake. 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. Annie (Annabella
Sciorra) spies Chris, as well, and both eventually bond and get married. Annie
is an artist, whose paintings are colorful, lush, and surrealistic. Chris is a
doctor and loves Annie more than life itself. They also have two children,
Marie (Jessica Brooks) and Ian (Josh Paddock). But one day, the two children
are killed in a car crash, and it almost destroys Annie. She tries to commit
suicide, but fails, and is then put in an institution. Chris copes with the
problem by realizing they aren't around anymore, and nothing will change that.
Just as Annie gets her life back in order, Chris is killed while trying to save
the life of a car crash victim.
Chris goes to heaven, or his version of heaven, rather. Guided by Albert (Cuba
Gooding, Jr.), Chris explores his new surroundings with pure delight and joy.
That is, until he realizes how miserable he is without Annie. Prior to heaven,
he would try to comfort Annie, but the more he was around, the more pain she
felt. Chris decides to leave her alone. Little does he realize what will
happen next. I'm not about to say, because the plot point is crucial to the
rest of the story (many critics, however, give it away). Certainly, Chris dying
is crucial to the plot, but they tell you that he dies in the previews.
Story is not necessarily important for this movie to work, because it deals with
the afterlife. However, strangely, virtually nothing is heard of God or the
Devil. A couple of comments here and there, but the story maintains its focus
on Chris and his search for the love of his life. "We're soul mates!" Chris
exclaims. Heaven, in movies, is almost always depicted as a glowing city of
white, purity, and love. Usually, it also looks like it rests among the
clouds. But WHAT DREAMS MAY COME goes a different route. It shows us a heaven
that most of us have never seen before. Chris' heaven is his memories brought
to life. His thoughts can make anything real, and he makes the paintings Annie
drew become his heaven. "I've never seen anyone use real paint before," Albert
says. Equally good as the depictions of hell which cast away the normal
stereotypes of fire and brimstone. Instead, it's a state of being. In one
gloriously horrific scene, Chris and his "tracker" (Max von Sydow) arrive at a
sea of faces. Thousands of heads are stuck above ground, their bodies somewhere
else. Mostly dead silent, some quips are made, almost as if to lighten the
mood. It's truly a frightening sequence.
Production designer Eugenio Zanetti is definitely going to be up for an Oscar
nomination. Using state of the art computer technology, worlds are created for
exploration. Sometimes, some scenes play out as if they are only there for the
visual impact. It's not necessary to be there, but we appreciate seeing it.
Costume designer Yvonne Blake (who also appears in the film) has done an
incredible job providing some interesting and colorful costumes.
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. But Serra's entire universe is a computer generated image, and he does
a masterful job. Writer Ron Bass, adapting from the novel by Richard Matheson,
provides a very fluid screenplay with no real set plot. The story is extremely
vague in its details, allowing viewers to think for themselves about the
meaning. And director Vincent Ward puts it all together into his final vision.
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME is a good example of German expressionism which may just
turn off a good portion of the audience. Your average movie goer more than
likely isn't used to expressionistic techniques. The film will also definitely
draw attention from religious people, but they shouldn't take it too far. It
is, after all, just a movie.
Robin Williams has continuously impressed with his dramatic performances, while
his comedic roles have been suffering. His comedy is perfection when he makes
up his own stuff, but when is confined by a screenplay, he isn't quite as
effective. But drama is really his strong point, and you can see that here.
It's doubtful he'll get another Oscar nomination, but I wouldn't really mind if
he did. The real surprise here is Annabella Sciorra who impressed last year
with COP LAND. This may be her breakout role and may garner her some much
needed attention. It's also quite possible that she could get an Oscar
nomination. However, the Academy doesn't like to award performances for these
types of films. Cuba Gooding, Jr. has been better, but he's certainly not
distracting. Max von Sydow is underused, as are Jessica Brooks and Josh
Paddock. 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. It's not hard to
see why Herzog would be attracted to this film, considering he thinks that
audiences are starving for great images. Overall, it's Williams and Sciorra's
film.
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME is rated PG-13 for thematic elements involving death, some
disturbing images, language, and some partial nudity. The film is definitely
aimed at a more adult audience. Some will find the plot distracting. Some will
find the visuals absolutely glorious. And some will find both. 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. By the way, some controversy even
surrounded the title, which was mistaken for a sexual term ("what" becomes "wet"
and you should understand). In actuality, the title is from a soliloquy in
HAMLET. Just thought I should let you know.
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Craig Roush
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Release Date: October 2, 1998
Starring: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., Annabella Sciorra, Max von
Sydow, Jessica Brooks, Josh Paddock
Directed by: Vincent Ward
Distributed by: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (thematic elements involving death, some disturbing
images, language)
URL: http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio/reviews/1998/whatdreams.htm
Almost all movies start on paper somewhere - perhaps something a
production exec scribbles on paper during lunch or an idea that a writer
beats around in his head awhile before scripting a rough draft. From
there, if it sounds good, the thing gets pitched to a studio that might
be interested; if so, the movie is greenlighted into a production phase.
Considering this process for Vincent Ward's latest drama, WHAT DREAMS
MAY COME, it's possible to think that everything sounded good until the
movie was actually laid on plastic and sent to movie theaters
nationwide. And in all fairness, it most likely was a good idea. But in
this case, it's just one good idea that wasn't suited for film.
It's possible to see the shortcomings of DREAMS at the outset. Director
Ward wants to work with a very metaphysical and esoteric concept for two
hours, while simultaneously trying to mix solid drama and a sprinkling
of Robin William's characteristic wit. It doesn't work, for there's just
too much going on in his head for everything to come together onscreen.
At times, the movie reaches inspiring levels of thought-provoking
scripting, but these arrive at unexepected moments and it's likely that
the audience will miss many of them. As a whole, the script is not very
well done for such a good idea. It's a very muddled foray into an area
of screenwriting that takes a very committed and experienced writer to
perform well in. Writer Ronald Bass, basing it on the Richard Matheson
novel, certainly has experience (RAIN MAN), but he doesn't have
commitment, and the movie suffers because of it.
The cast has the goods but does not deliver. Williams is fun to watch,
but he lacks the flair that he had in GOOD WILL HUNTING, and,
ultimately, DEAD POETS SOCIETY. Here, he plays the lead of Chris
Nielsen. Chris meets the lovely artist Annie (Annabella Sciorra) while
on vacation in Europe, and the two fall in love and are married soon
after. They have two kids, but not long after the movie's opening
credits are the children killed off in a car accident. The couple
suffers but survives until Chris is also killed in a car accident. He
goes to Heaven, which, for him, is composed of his wife's paintings.
It's there that he meets spiritual tour guide Al (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who
gets him to know the hereafter. Back on Earth, Annie can't take the
grief of losing her entire family and commits suicide; she goes to Hell.
When Chris learns of this, he takes Al and an ancient netherworld
tracker (Max von Sydow) on a journey to Hell to find Annie.
The rest of the cast is rather drab, including Cuba Gooding Jr. Gooding
had showed promise after his Academy Award-winning performance in JERRY
MAGUIRE and a delightful turn in AS GOOD AS IT GETS. Here, his job seems
forced, and he doesn't fully become the character. The only one to lend
any substance is Annabella Sciorra, who provides a solid sense of
motivation for Williams' character. This rather mediocre cast doesn't
help the script any, and so the movie's truly redeeming facets are the
special effects and set design. WHAT DREAMS MAY COME makes very dynamic
use of extreme color and lack thereof; the movie has a very powerful
vision. It's watchable for the most part, but not extremely so. And
unfortunately, it's about a subject that won't fly well with everyone,
so you may have trouble convincing yourself that this one's worth the
bucket of popcorn.
--
Craig Roush
kinn...@execpc.com
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