Dreamcatcher

You know there are going to be issues in a film when the writer has this to say about it: "I started thinking about the bathroom as being a room where a lot of nasty discoveries are made." An interview with Stephen King is just one of three mini-documentaries on the DVD version of Dreamcatcher. "DreamWriter," "DreamMakers" and "DreamWeavers" are all behind the scenes looks at the writing of, the production of, and the special effects for Dreamcatcher. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan (The Big Chill, The Bodyguard, Mumford), Dreamcatcher was poorly received upon its release, criticised as a convoluted film version of one of King's better novels. Set up north in some very isolated woods, Dreamcatcher is the story of four friends, played with infectious charisma by Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers), Thomas Jane (The Sweetest Thing), Jason Lee (Mumford) and Timothy Oliphant (Gone in Sixty Seconds). As boys, the friends rescued the mentally challenged Duddits (the older Duddits is played by ex-New Kid on the Block Donnie Wahlberg, can you believe it?) from bullies. As they became friends, the boys learned that Duddits had mysterious powers, including mind reading, some of which he bestowed on them. Years later, as the four friends spend their annual weekend at a hunting lodge, they learn Duddits' reason for giving them those powers. Involving aliens and stomach ailments, mysticism and the military (with an ill-used Morgan Freeman as an alien-obsessed leader), Dreamcatcher is a mediocre horror movie, but interesting sci-fi if you can get past the toilet scenes. One strength is the believable relationship between the men, which bears a similarity to King's Stand By Me. In "DreamWriter," King notes that a focus on relationships is an important part of his novels. Along with additional scenes, and a lacklustre alternate ending, the three mini-docs help viewers appreciate the effort that went into filming what is, despite what the critics said, not a bad sci-fi movie. (Warner)