VividSimon Simply Perfect

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Python Hyena In Dreams (1999): Dir: Neil Jordan / Cast: Annette Bening, Aiden Quinn, Robert Downey Jr., Katie Sagona, Paul Guilfoyle: Sometimes clever and sometimes confusing thriller about reality and fantasy within the mind. Annette Bening is having reoccurring dreams about a young girl being led into an apple orchard by a stranger. Another dream involves a boy tied to a bed while a Church is flooding. The girl turns out to be her daughter whose body is found in the lake. The boy in the flood is an escape mental patient whom Bening connects within her own cell when her husband has her committed. She is driven mad since these dreams seem to be coming from someone else. Intriguing and daring thriller about tortured minds effectively realized by director Neil Jordan who previously made The Crying Game and Michael Collins. Bening does a fine job as a woman who is haunted by images that she doesn't fully comprehend. Aiden Quinn as her husband seems to be there only to lose faith in her and see her as crazy. Robert Downey Jr. has a crucial role that is unlike anything he has done before and it works. Katie Sagona plays Bening's daughter. Paul Guilfoyle plays a detective but the role is not as interesting as the case he is out to crack. While the ending is somewhat hogwash, it is still an entertaining thriller that is visually stunning and mind boggling at best. Score: 6 / 10

Geeky Randy Beauitfully shot and genuinely scary adaptation of Bari Woods' novel DOLL'S EYES, about Bening having the gift (or curse) of communicating with serial killer Downey through dreams. After a series of tragedies, her mental stability is called into question and after having no one to turn to, she must follow the killer through her dreams in order to find him in reality. Unfair harsh criticism triggered major plot twists occurring in the second act rather than the typical first or third act; but the beauty of this unsystematic approach allows the viewer to be as terrified, disoriented and confused as the mentally shattered main character. Adam Goldberg from All Movie Guide said, "it simply lacks a new and terrifying take on the dream/reality premise." That's for the viewer to decide, and it's up to the viewer to go into the film with an open-mind and a broad horizon, likely something Goldberg didn't do. Distinct for being the last film Downey completed before being sent to Corcoran State Prison on drug charges.**** (out of four)

PHASEDK I was watching a previous programme, left the recorder hard drive on.. started watching near the start without realising it was.... SO..OK.. I fell in love with the lead character. Gorgeous..but.. I'm not sure the write up of the film in the TV guide was right.... I got the wrong impression.. NOW I know.. ah!! If you start at the beginning, and I watched it again after it finished thinking.. eh? Did I miss something. Actually no.. the film leads you into the story nicely, interesting obviously flooded town for a reservoir.. OK.. it IS a film you have to see from the start. You'll get confused as heck if you don't. Shes brilliant.. the daughter, cute of course.. hubby, OK.. one is reminded of Medium the TV series but this hubby isn't used to coping. Thats part of what makes it sad.. she really gets a 'bum deal'. One feels for her, even if one doesn't fancy her..(ahem).. but what is real? I didn't like the end but having seen it twice, it makes sense.. its NOT spelled out. I did get drawn in and it kept me up much later than intended.. that to me is good. WHAT the hells going to happen. The stunts..very well done and if one is going to do a major..stunt.. for me, not enough was shown of it happening.. a recent Steve McQueen TV/film stunt was shown from many angles to MAKE you realise they did it for real.. and how well it was done.. this time.. I'm not sure. I didn't like the end, but where this film is concerned.. I suppose it couldn't end any other way. Yes it could.. no it couldn't, excuse me.. pantomime time soon. Anyone who wants the story spelled out, no.. it doesn't, and thats what makes it intriguing, if you haven't patience to stay with it to find out.. like some said they almost did.. in the cinema? What a shame, such a bril film wasn't appreciated. We do get so many of these on Brit late night TV in the UK..BBC, uninterrupted, and that helps. WISH they were on EARLIER!!!

gavin6942 Claire Cooper (Annette Bening) is having nightmares that haunt her. When her daughter (Katie Sagona) is murdered by a mysterious serial killer (Robert Downey Jr.), Claire finds herself predicting the future, and discovers she shares her dreams with the serial killer. Unable to convince the lead detective (Paul Guilfoyle), her doctor (Stephen Rea) and even her husband (Aidan Quinn), Claire has to confront the killer alone before her terrifying dreams become real.This film is a mess. I don't want to knock Neil Jordan, the director, because I know that he has had other successes, such as "Interview With the Vampire". But this just isn't one of them. This film is poorly conceived and poorly executed... I have few good things to say about it.Why was Claire being fed this stuff? How? Her psychic connection is never explained. And I believe she says she had dreams all her life? Were they always connected to the killer? Why were they never this vivid? Did the connection go both ways -- and if the dreams came from the killer, how did he know what was going to happen in the future? How did Vivian hide out so well? Why were we treated to such over-acting by Bening? Another review says she put on a "terrific performance" and that "the film is saved" by her acting. That person has their head up their bottom -- Bening was too much. I don't mind her sometimes, but not here.Why did Downey appear so late in the film? (The box itself gives away he's the killer, so it's not much of a surprise.) And from what I understand, it has nothing to do with the original book. So... why even use it? The same reviewer I quote says this one is "truly underrated", "features a Cult Following" and "could have been a masterpiece". What film did they see? All I saw was a movie that dragged on and on, and had some odd obsession with apples, which is never really explained. Yes, I get that there's a run down apple orchard -- but why? There were so many apples, it seems like it had to be symbolic, but wasn't. Why did the kidnapped girl (Ruby) not even try to run away? Plot holes, plot holes, plot holes.You don't need to see this movie. You really don't. You can probably find it in the five dollar bin somewhere, but you'd truly be wasting your money and time. Use your five dollars, go to a cheap theater and catch some nearly new release. There's no point in renting or owning "In Dreams" unless you want to bore yourself to sleep.