Sueños eléctricos

If you really LIVED the 1980's, "Electric Dreams" will probably bring back endless memories for you. For everyone else, this little bit of film magic is a quintessential period piece from the decade of decadence. It's worth seeing for anyone who appreciates movies that perfectly represent the time in which they were made (a la "Saturday Night Fever" to the late 70's, or "Singles" to the early 90's) San Francisco residents take note of the special cameos from old KJY DJs at the end of the film. The soundtrack is just as poppy and fun as the movie, including rare new wave gems from Culture Club, Human League, Jeff Lynne, Heaven 17 and more. The "dream sequence" in the middle of the film is still suprisingly moving to me. In spite of the hokey plot and computer animation that is downright archaic by todays standards, they don't really make em like this anymore. Catch it while you can.

When I first saw 'Being John Malkovich', I didn't really know much about - it was a while since I'd been to the cinema because of work and I went to see it on the strength of John Cusack. As I sat in that cinema full of bored teenagers, watching the story unfold, I was amazed at how similar an experience it actually was to the first film I really fell in love with, 'Electric Dreams'.

I've never been completely sure what I especially liked about the film. Virginia Madsen certainly has a big sister / first crush quality, with her woolly jumpers and body wrapped around a cello. Lenny Van Dollen is certainly as good an actor as anyone whose worked in this kind of film and offers work of quite subtle range. And the computer is heartbreaking. And the music is lovely. This is perhaps a film which is uncriticisable because it captures a time in life so beautifully.

Made in 1984, 'Dreams' has a plot similar in scope to 'Malkovich'. Miles subordinating of the newly sentient computer parallel's Craig Schwartz control of the film actor. As the computer operator uses Edger to woo the love of both their lives, so the puppeteer controls Malkovich to get into the panties of his 'business partner'.

There is no doubt the film has dated, although in its own way it uses visual techniques which at the time must have seemed as extreme as the flourishes of the latter film. Its use of pop video, in the sequences of high emotion, especially in the scene of where Miles is chased around the house, are at least echoed in the chase sequence at the heart of 'Malkovich'.

With all this in mind, its perhaps a time to re-assess this film as more than the fluff its previously been thought of as being.

Steve Barron's "Electric Dreams" will almost certainly be one of the hardest movies to find, but if you can you should definitely check it out. It got released around the time when computers were starting to become part of everyone's lives, and it seems to be predicting just how much these devices would come to dominate our lives. Lenny Von Dohlen (never heard of him until I saw this movie) plays an architect who buys a computer to get better organized, but an unexpected event turns the thing into a sillier version of HAL...especially after the owner falls for his musician neighbor (a young Virginia Madsen).

At once piece of light entertainment and a look at relationships, this movie does it just right. Some scenes are probably just comic relief, like the concert, but the computer does teach the man a good lesson about life. You're bound to love what the computer does in the movie's last scene.

All in all, a really fun movie. I can't believe that it's out of print while tons of boring movies get special edition DVDs. Definitely check it out if you can. Watch for a young Miriam Margolyes as a ticket taker.

I saw this film many years ago as a young boy and remembered that it was very funny. So last year I made a vigil to make sure I saw it again, and I was not disappointed when I did. Considering the way computers are taking over our lives, this film is ingenious in the way we are shown how a computer can change your life and also help you become a better person. I wish I had a computer just like Edgar!

Miles Harding is what you might call a loser. He is an architect who is at the cross-roads of his job and the rest of his life is unorganised. However, when a friend tells Miles to get an electronic organiser to help put his life back into order, he gets something he didn't bargain for. Miles purchases a computer, that just happens to have artificial intelligence. To make things worse, he has a new neighbour, a beautiful young woman named Madeline. Things start to get heated when Miles and his computer ‘Edgar', both fall in love with Madeline. The sparks are sure to fly when things turn into an ‘Electric Dream'!

This is a priceless movie. Sure it was made in 1984 and it is a bit dated, but that takes nothing away from how great it is. The storyline is probably my favourite part of the film. The way the audience sees Miles and Edgar having a relationship, and then seeing Miles trying to counteract that with the beautiful Madeline, was just hilarious. Edgar really does steal the show, with his stubborn ways and funny antics, making it an hilarious experience to watch him. His character is for me similar to the TV show Knight Rider, where we see a man talking to a car, who has a similar personality to that of Edgar.

The cast of Electric Dreams was very very good. Miles was played by actor Lenny von Dohlen. He was great in his role and really does make the audience feel that ‘Edgar' is taking control of his life. Then you have the delightful Madeline, played by actress Virginia Madison. While her character knows nothing about Miles and his computer, she plays the part of Miles girlfriend extremely well. Virginia has been in some very big films. These include the Haunting alongside stars Catherine Zeta Jones and Liam Nelson, The Rainmaker and the steamy drama, After Sex. The voice of Edgar the computer belongs to actor Bud Cort, who did a brilliant job. His humour and voiceover talents were out of this world. He has had an impressive career, appearing in the TV comedy series MASH, with his other movies including Dogma and Coyote Ugly.

This movie had a great script and that was thanks to a man by the name of Rusty Lemorande. I feel he got it just right and that it had the right amount of humour with a dash of serious romance. Then take on board the great work by director Steve Barron, he put the film together with just the right amount of his touches. I believe he had a big impact on how the audience sees the funny and naughty side to Edgar.

This then takes me to the other great part of this film, the soundtrack. I will never forget the first attempt Edgar makes at trying to write a love song, it was hilarious. Then you have the real songs like Video by Jeff Lynne, Love is Love by Culture Club, Electric Dreams by P.P Arnold and the best song on the whole soundtrack, Together in a Electric Dreams by Human League with Philip Oakey. That song is very infectious and makes me happy everytime I hear it.

In conclusion, I loved everything about Electric Dreams. It is a funny look at how crazy love can be and that with a little patience everything can work out for the best. Edgar says something that I totally agree with `that love is about give and take', I stand by that rule. If you are in a relationship that is not abiding by that rule, then you should rethink about why you are in it. It is a two way street when two people commit to each other. Madeline's comments in the end of the film prove that. Though it is innocent, this film also proves how valuable a tool something like a computer or the internet can be, and how evil it can be, by taking over your life. A person recently asked me ‘how can a film score a perfect 10?' I say it is up to the individual's own opinion. I love this film immensely and can only recommend you get a bit of a shock by hiring Electric Dreams!

Rating: 5 stars or 10/10

They don't make 'em like this anymore. Watching a restored version of this film on DVD put a smile on my face. It's a warm science fiction romance about an electronic prodigy with the sensibilities of a child come to life.

Miles is the proverbial introvert who has a relatively good job, and is smitten by an arrival of the opposite sex in his building. But at the same time Miles, being a paper and pencil architect, is wondering how he can get his life organized. He goes for the obvious option of seeking a left brained solution. In other words; a computer.

But the logic circuits of keyboard, monitor and printer cannot compare to the ultimate solution of a second mind in the form of a the fairer sex. Miles discovers the thing that a computer can not give him, and Edgar, his computer, discovers what he cannot have and has always misunderstood about human feelings.

It's a simple film with lots of cinematic trickery to make it appear bigger than it actually is. It's a film about heart and mind, and about which wins out over the other. It's a classic tale of the mind finding the heart, and the heart finding peace of mind with another soul.

One of the appealing things is seeing various exteriors shot locally, including a local radio personality whom I used to listen to on KMEL, the Blue Angels, Palace of Fine Arts and a number of other places. The music is of course classic 80's fare, and the primitive electronic tones highlight's the time and theme

It's a delightful warm-hearted film that I waited many years to see again in its full widescreen glory, and relive some younger days when things were a little more innocent, and a little more lively. When computers needed dialup modems, electronic music had just come into its own, and video games were still using cartridges (note the Activision cartridges for the Atari 2600 behind Miles when he purchases his computer, Edgar).

Well, I waited well over 20 years to see it, and I'm glad I did. It's the kind of simple and loving film that I would be proud to shoot for the rest of my life. It has heart, it has warmth, it is a segment of 1980s San Francisco Bay Area that puts a smile on this viewers face. It is electronic romance San Francisco 1980's style.

Please watch it and enjoy, but try not to be too judgmental.