Teen-Dream-Machine

1991 marked the year Corey Haim disappeared from mainstream films and started running around in cheap B-movies consisting of more or less silly action and a pretty girl or two. Dream Machine was his second such film of the year, after Fast Getaway, and granted, it's actually a step up from that one. The plot is moronic, but the film is a puerile and not altogether unengaging celebration of the ultimate fantasies of male youth: pretty girls, fast cars, and pranks. The scenes involving Haim's frat boys liven things up and constitute a fun contrast to the perversely sombre Randall England as the antagonist Lance. Haim does well enough with what he has to work with, and although he and Brittney Lewis look like an unlikely couple at first, the young Canadian has the charisma to make you believe he could woo her.

This week, I just thought it would be fun to catch up with Corey Haim, with just having seen the two "Lost Boys" films last week and all. Not that I'm a fan-boy - not by far - but I did like those two Coreys in some films back in my early teen days.

So, I prepared myself for three films starring him. Unfortunately, I picked "Dream Machine" as a first (never seen it before), and it was so godawfully horrible, I just decided to lock Corey back in my closet and let him sober up again first, before I pop in something else of his. But I managed to struggle my way through this film first. I had the impression it desperately wanted to play in the same league as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986) but got caught up in its own delusions. Practically the whole film it wants to be a comedy and near the end it hopelessly tries to be a thriller. The only good thing about "Dream Machine" is the premise: A dead body in the trunk of a Porsche. All the rest fails so badly, it's embarrassing. Even the most for Haim. I can dig him being his young, enthusiastic self, but at least when he comes with some form of directorial guidelines. This clearly wasn't the case in "Dream Machine". So, we have a perfect car, yes, that black Porsche. Haim's perfect girlfriend? Just a blonde chick who hardly has any lines in the film. The perfect murder... almost? Some dude that falls flat on his ass as the villain of the film, trying the whole movie to steal the body back out of the trunk, never really succeeds, and then at the end of the film thinks he's Michael Myers (minus the white William Shatner mask) and mistakes Corey Haim for Jamie Lee Curtis. Don't think they could have made this flick any lamer if they tried. A stupid, unfunny film with a story that leads to nowhere directed by a director that doesn't know how to direct his cast. Great accomplishment!

One last question for Mr. Haim: Who's idea was it to have you smile directly into the camera in that last shot of the movie? Yours or the director's? So not done.

My 3rd or 4th time viewing. I give this a 10 not only because it moves me but also for the fact that it was made with Corey Haim in the star role. Not many studios would cast Corey in 1991 due to reasons that are not mine to explain, but can be researched. I think studios were far too hard on him. I believe disregarding him made his situation worse. He was victimized years prior by people in the industry and when he needed work the most, the same industry turned its back on him. He was a great talent and never got his chance to really reach his potential in film..which if you look at his performances you'll know that the potential I speak of was super high because he had already proved he was an amazing actor. He didn't fail. The industry failed him. This film, while low in budget with mediocre acting (from its supporting cast) is heartwarming in it's charm as it's what I consider to be an extension of 80's teen/coming of age films. The film's demographic is males between 15-23 years of age but not because of naked women or vulgarity but instead for a boys crush for a girl and his dreams of a having a tough and fast car to gain confidence over insecurities. Which this is conveyed in performance perfectly by Haim as there's a subtle and natural shift from shyness and insecurity to confidence and assertiveness after he lucks into owning a Porsche 911 Turbo. There's obvious unbelievable scenarios in the film as well as fun mistakes like the fact of the Porsche supposedly being brand new in 1991, but in fact it's a 1983 model. The film, while targeting boys or men would be enjoyed by girls and/or women because it's good natured and not a so called "locker room" exhibit of male perversion. With all this said, the studio was definitely worried it would be an only female audience as in 1991 Corey Haim was still considered a heartthrob. To make sure to even it's audience, marketing made sure to plaster the Porsche on the films poster and promotional ads...if they hadn't I wouldn't be surprised if the films small straight to video audience of the time would have been primarily female...but for me it's a boy's kind of movie but universally enjoyable to all.

I'm a big Porsche fan, and the car was the best star in this film.

Haim, the now dried up drug abusing child star of the 80's is bland as per usual, and commenting on back up from minor characters/actors would be pointless; needless to say they were all very average. It's a cool movie as a trip down memory lane into the 80's - with some weird clothes, some good shots of the Colorado backdrop and a very harmless albeit mind numbing plot.

All in all, please don't waste your time watching this unless you love 80's movies, Corey Haim, or like myself, love old school Porsches (this one in particular looks great) because life's too short to watch crappy movies.

Once again, I was browsing through the discount video bin and picked up this movie for $4.88. Fifty-percent of the time the movies I find in the bin are pure crap (I mean horrible beyond belief) but half the time they turn out to be surprisingly good. This movie is much better than I expected. I found it very engaging, though it was obviously made by an amateur.

The direction is nothing special, but the story is intriguing with some good thrills. I expected it to be more of a comedy, but I wasn't too disappointed.

For a thriller, this movie is surprisingly good-natured. There's no bloody violence, no profanity, no nudity, no sex. Usually, these movies require all four of those elements. The PG rating is well-deserved--not like "Sixteen Candles" where the "f" word is used twice and there's a brief gratuitous nude scene.

I just wish the romance between Corey Haim and his love interest could've been developed more. The film does tend to be plot-heavy, and the potentially good subplots are pushed off to the side. Instead of developing a chemistry between the two of them, we end up watching a careless three-minute montage of them on their romantic endeavors. They end up kissing at the end, but there's so little chemistry that it seems forced.

"The Dream Machine" is no gem, but it's good, clean entertainment. It's quite forgettable--especially with a cast of unknowns, except for Haim--but it's also much better than you'd expect.

My score: 7 (out of 10)