Dreams in review

Getting a fever after Memorial Day means the official kick-off of the Summer Blockbuster Dream season. For me to get dreams this long and vivid usually requires that I be wearing a nicotine patch, but the last few days have been like a film festival while I flitted in and out of consciousness. While I don't often recall my dreams, here are my reviews of a couple that stood out.

***SPOILER ALERT***

The reviews which follow may contain plot information and other details. If you have not already had the dreams in question, you may wish to skip the rest of this post.

Dream #1

Synopsis:
I am flying to London with my friend Craig and my high school girlfriend. I am excited about the trip when talking to Craig, but nervous when talking to the ex-girlfriend, fearful that the things I have planned will not be good enough.

Judgement:
Although sometimes historically accurate (and a pretty decent reminder of how absolutely crappy that relationship was) I found the constant cycling between the ex-girlfriend scenes and the more lighthearted Craig ones a little heavy-handed. The point was made the first time. Also, as I was conscious of the unpleasant aspects of the former flame without any plausible explanation being given for our being back together, it felt more than a little contrived. Since I did not seem to know any of my Brit-Blogfriends in the dream, I felt they could have been introduced to add a little depth to the character of me, rather than the ping-ponging, rather limited one on display. A waste of a decent premise (a trip to England) that seemed more about recovering old neuroses than exploring new ground.

Overall:
D+. A mediocre experience that left a bad taste in my mouth. Not recommended.


Dream #2:

Synopsis:
GoodThomas and I are waiters in a large restaurant. True to form, GT takes his job seriously, while I appear to view it as simply a means to an end. I am about to punch out when GT is slammed with too many customers, and I agree to tag-team his tables with him.

Judgement:
As GT and I are both former actors, I found the notion of us waiting tables believable. The dialog was often good as well, as GT and I were seemingly quite good at bantering with each other and our tables. While bantering is often a strange thing to find oneself doing in a dream, both GT and I stayed pretty much in character throughout, and in these scenes both of us seemed more likable than we might have in separate dreams. Most of the third act involved my using GT as a sort of wingman to pitch woo at a female customer, while I completely neglected the tables full of people. This resolved itself a little too neatly when virtually all of the other tables miraculously emptied, leaving us time to sit and chat. At the end, my friend Ian arrived at the restaurant as I was punching out, possibly setting the stage for a sequel.

Overall: B+. Despite some third act problems, the dialog and setup were both believable and entertaining.