Very disappointed :(

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

This is a nice mini-series, though almost everyone will agree it's not great. The acting of James Belushi really lacks impact when it counts (the desperate crying in the car!), but overall, he gets away with playing a big shot TV executive who grows something of a conscience over the course of five episodes. Ben Savage plays the most fascinating role, that of Harry Wyckoff's 'son' Coty; a young brat who turns into a megalomaniac murderer / general. But there was really no truly disappointing acting here, even if it is all not that grand. Robert Loggia, Angie Dickinson, Dana Delaney, Kim Cattrall, Ernie Hudson, David Warner, Bob Gunton, Brad Dourif, they all fit right in there.The story is at its core pretty interesting, though dramatically, I was hardly ever overwhelmed. The most fun is in all those details; the rhinoceros, the strange society in which people are openly attacked but no one bats an eye, the empty swimming pools, the luxurious, exuberant settings, the glasses that light up, the holograms, the 'metallic' monster that gets Terra, the samurai and movie references, the choice of music, etc., etc.. Good fun, and with enough interesting dialogue and story details to keep things going. Unfortunately, I missed quite a bit of dialogue (due to the fact that the DVD has no subs and I couldn't play it very loud), so I'm sure I'm going to give it another go sometime.For now, a small 7 out of 10.

"Wild Palms" is a title I've had hyped to me over the years and I finally checked it out. I had been told it "took place in the same world as Twin Peaks," which I figured could only be a good thing. It took less than twenty-five minutes of the first episode, however, to expose this comparison as a bogus euphemism. I know I'm not the first person to point this out but holy crap! Did they think people wouldn't notice? As if the general idea of the film, (blending elements of noir, melodrama, and science fiction through a post-modern filter of pop culture references and a large cast of quirky characters), wasn't similar enough to Twin Peaks, there are bits of dialog and situations that are directly lifted from the series! The role of dreams, the coffee-centric conversation, the references to Buddhism, the title sequence, the score…. I hoped to find some sort of redemption in the less Twin Peaks influenced areas of the story. The attempted corporate takeover of the country via virtual reality television seemed it might prove thought-provoking, but it ended up playing out more like "They Live" than "eXistenZ." The thinly veiled criticism of Scientology spurred my interest initially, but it lost its bite by the third episode. Most excruciating, is the acting. I'm quite capable of enjoying a stilted or awkward performance, so long as it serves a higher purpose (i.e. toying with a genre convention). But Jim Belushi gives a new meaning to the word unnatural. Even screen veterans like Robert Loggia can't rectify the unevenness and clumsiness of the cast. At best they come off as zany sitcom characters. Even as camp, "Wild Palms" is barely watchable. F-

I've loved this mini-series for years and always thought it had just the right amount of "creepy realism" to it. Like "The Handmaid's Tale" this movie provides a deliciously creepy look at an unlikely, but eerily possible world future. The plot is engaging and complex; even after so many viewings I can still find myself totally lost in the "20 minutes into the future" backdrop of Los Angeles. The characters are well-rounded, believable and show wonderful development throughout the movie. The acting is powerful and the ensemble cast has a wonderful chemistry together. The placements of Oliver Stone and Willam Gibson as themselves just bring this film one step closer to breaking through the 4th wall. I especially like the retro feeling music that is well matched to the atmosphere and events of certain scenes.

Wild Palms isn't just a movie, it's a commitment. A four and a half hour commitment. But it's well worth it. The story, set in 2007, has parts of it that are starting to come true, and others that very well may. The beautiful thing about it is this: Practically everything you see or hear in the movie has a double meaning. Every line, every plot point has been thought out to the point that you're almost watching two movies at once. I remember seeing this on TV, during the original miniseries broadcast, and thinking, 'TV isn't ready for this. The world isn't ready for this.' I was amazed, and you will be too. You won't miss the four-letter profanity that you'd get from a theater film. The only problem is that some of the actors aren't that great. Angie Dickinson seems to over-emote like she's in a soap opera, but that atually adds charm in my opinion. Ben Savage(who was pretty young then) seems to have trouble with strong emotions, and Aaron Metchik (another young actor) has trouble, period. But who can blame him? I can't figure out his character either. One minute he's strong, intelligent, witty, and calm, and the next he collapses into a simpering little boy. But what can you do? You only have 4.5 hours to develop all these characters, huh? My rating: Quite Good.