Fantastic!

Best movie ever!

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

"Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea" is a documentary that examines the heyday of this huge accidentally created saltwater lake in California but mostly focuses on the lake today--now that the lake has become a bit of a nuisance and most of the landowners have moved. It consists of some narration and stock footage but mostly it's interviews with the folks who have inexplicably chosen to stay.I saw this film to two reason--I like documentaries and it was narrated by John Waters. Having Waters' involvement made me assume that the film was very quirky--as did the description from Netflix. Well, I will admit a few of the folks were very quirky (especially the 75 year-old nudist---EWWWW!!!), the overall film was only mildly interesting and not much more. Now I am sure the film would have been more interesting had I lived in California, but for most folks it probably will be a hard sell.

I rented this based on two things--I didn't know anything about the Salton Sea, and our homeboy John Waters was narrating. I was blown away by how interesting this doc was. You learn how the sea was created by mistake, how it was promoted as a resort--WAS a resort for a decade or more then through storms and neglect has become an ecological disaster waiting to happen. It's filled with truly individualistic and tough Americans, great vistas of decaying metals in a vast sea, and something very American in it's story of cycling boom and bust in the most unlikely of terrains. As a documentary freak I'd highly recommend this one. The extras on the DVD are way cool also.

Loved the film. The salton sea is located in South Eastern California about 35 miles north of the Mexican border and is home to a small but loyal mix of residents that are some of the most interesting and eccentric folks you could meet. The American dream is alive as optimistic landowners buy and sell $500 lots in these huge subdivisions of vacant land and tumbleweeds. The future of the Sea is very uncertain and several attempts to curb the pollution and protect the wildlife habitats have failed horribly. In 1999 there was a population of over 100 million Talapia, a species of local fish, but mass die offs due to the sea's changing "chemistry" have killed over 99% of these fish. The residents just fold out lawn chairs and have cocktails despite the smell, the 100+ degree temperatures, and the dust storms. These die-hards really give you a sense of that good old undying human spirit and they remind you that we're all just looking for happiness. See the film, you WILL be drawn to the Sea!

This is a great film that highlights the wonder and hart-break of the people that inhabit this great California dream-scape. In this film (narated by legendary film maker John Waters) the story unfolds in interviews by the people that inhabit this strange land, some raving about it's wonder, some panning this ecological disaster, but all of them true, on target and with the utmost sincerity. The film does not flinch away from controversy, and gives a balanced picture of the current population and activity of the area. Some of the interviews are truly funny while others are heartbreaking. Any attempt to explain what is really up at the Salton Sea would not be simple since there are people who really love it, and people that have been ruined and brought down by the lack of intervention in the decline of this ounce great "California Riviara" But the film seccedes beautifully in showing the Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea fro every angle. It is a brilliant documentary!!!!