NETHERWORLD LOVE STORY PAINTED IN NEW AGE COLORS.Byline: Glenn Whipp Daily News Film Critic Take the love story of ``Ghost,'' infuse in·fuse v. 1. To steep or soak without boiling in order to extract soluble elements or active principles. 2. To introduce a solution into the body through a vein for therapeutic purposes. it with the precepts of James Redfield's ``The Celestine cel·es·tine n. See celestite. [German Zölestin, from Latin caelestis, celestial; see celestial.] Prophecy,'' add a dash of ``Orpheus'' and filter it all through the sun-dappled light of a Monet painting and you have ``What Dreams May Come,'' a visual feast of a movie that takes you on a provocative trip through heaven and hell, all the while holding your hand with familiar film conventions. ``What Dreams May Come'' isn't just beautiful to watch. It contains the most stunning, jaw-dropping scenes of the afterlife that have ever been filmed, visions that would have been impossible before the advent of computer-generated special effects special effects, in motion pictures, cinematographic techniques that create illusions in the audience's minds as well as the illusions created using these techniques. . Not everyone is going to swallow the film's New Age, science of mind precepts, but if you have an open mind, the movie will take you on a journey that's often as emotionally moving as it is eye-popping. As the film opens, we're given a thumbnail sketch thumbnail sketch n → esbozo thumbnail sketch n → croquis m thumbnail sketch thumb n → of the lives of Chris (Robin Williams) and Annie (Annabella Sciorra). They meet in an impossibly cute way on an impossibly blue lake in the Italian Alps, and soon they're getting married and having water fights in front of an impossibly big house with their two great-looking kids. Before we're even comfortable in our seats, though, a couple of tragedies strike this family, and Chris and Annie find themselves on opposite ends of the afterlife with no hope of being together again. Director Vincent Ward and his outstanding production team (designer Eugenio Zanetti should prepare his Oscar speech now) have taken the ``Celestine'' concept of making your own reality and carried it over to the Great Beyond with their remarkably striking, painterly paint·er·ly adj. 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a painter; artistic. 2. a. Having qualities unique to the art of painting. b. visions of heaven and hell. For the art-loving Chris, eternity stretches out before him literally like a Van Gogh canvas, complete with daubs of paint. Even the beloved family pet (a dog, of course) makes an appearance, along with a guide, Albert, (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who was an old friend and mentor. It's perfect, except for the fact that Chris can't share it with Annie. She's imprisoned im·pris·on tr.v. im·pris·oned, im·pris·on·ing, im·pris·ons To put in or as if in prison; confine. [Middle English emprisonen, from Old French emprisoner : en- in her own frightening reality, unable to escape because she can't accept the natural course of things. But then, neither can Chris. Despite warnings from Albert and a wise old tracker (Max Von Sydow), Chris sets out across the void to find his wife and help her find the redemption she so desperately needs. This kind of self-help spirituality will undoubtedly come across as pretentious pre·ten·tious adj. 1. Claiming or demanding a position of distinction or merit, especially when unjustified. 2. Making or marked by an extravagant outward show; ostentatious. See Synonyms at showy. hokum to some, but Ron Bass' script (based on the Richard Matheson Richard Burton Matheson (born February 20, 1926) is an American author and screenwriter, typically of fantasy, horror or science fiction. Born in Allendale, New Jersey to Norwegian immigrant parents, Matheson was raised in Brooklyn and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High novel) never lays it on too thick as to become obnoxious. The story's primary deficiency lies in its eagerness to comfort. Even when Chris finds himself in hell stepping through a terrifying ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. field of suffering human faces buried in mud, the film can't resist lightening lightening /light·en·ing/ (lit´en-ing) the sensation of decreased abdominal distention produced by the descent of the uterus into the pelvic cavity, two to three weeks before labor begins. the moment. ``I never took more than 30 percent from any client,'' one sorrowful sor·row·ful adj. Affected with, marked by, causing, or expressing sorrow. See Synonyms at sad. sor  row·ful·ly adv. voice moans.
It's a great jab, but it undercuts the gravity of the story. The film's pace, which sometimes plods, doesn't help matters, either. Still, ``What Dreams May Come'' can break your heart and bend your mind with its lyrical renderings of a life beyond this one. If its story isn't always on the same level, it isn't completely grounded, either. Not that it matters, of course. In this case, a picture is worth more than a thousand words. THE FACTS The film: ``What Dreams May Come'' (PG-13; thematic elements involving death and some disturbing images, language). The stars: Robin Williams, Annabella Sciorra, Cuba Gooding Jr., Max Von Sydow. Behind the scenes: Directed by Vincent Ward. Screenplay by Ron Bass based on the novel by Richard Matheson. Released by PolyGram Films. Running time: One hour, 53 minutes. Playing: Citywide. Our rating: Three Stars. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: In ``What Dreams May Come,'' Robin Williams plays a man who tries to bridge heaven and hell to find his wife. |
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