Mean Dreams

Not a great film in the same vein as Badlands and Pretty Poison, but a very good one that is well worth seeing.

One of those sparse projects where you wonder what excited the filmmakers through each stage of the production process, and why the answer to that question isn't more obvious.

Son Lux's percussive and atonal score combined with the kids constantly looking over their shoulders lend their escapes a sense of immediacy and danger.

While the plot often travels familiar paths and even the impressive camerawork is evocative of other films, "Mean Dreams" has a few story tricks up its sleeve.

Nathan Morlando's "Mean Dreams" may use a time-honored premise - young lovers on the lam (see: "Badlands") - but it does so with such quiet, gently appealing assurance that it makes the template seem fresh again.

A beautiful, dangerous picture of rural America with echoes of Terrence Malick.

The story is driven by character, not coincidence, with the bonus of Paxton giving a powerfully nasty performance as the protective dad from hell.

Paxton, in one of his last performances, is a diabolical blend of fresh-faced wholesomeness and pure evil.

Here comes Nathan Morlando's Mean Dreams to remind us all that things are bad in the heartland of this here good ole U.S. of A.

'Mean Dreams' follows two depressed teens -- and overflows with dismal scenes. But fine acting by everyone wins us over before it's done.

"Mean Dreams" begins with an interesting premise, infused with a few chilling scenes, but the showdown at the end of the film featuring Paxton is not as intense as the situation demands.