TownRootGuy This is as high as I can rate a show I'm not going to re-watch. There's nothing here that is particularly good.This show has some nice eye candy and very little else. The story is OK but it lacks any real kick to it. I guess it's a must see for the cinematically pretentious.

sherrisouth Dark story of two tragic characters and a catalyst for disaster. I don't think that many of the posters on the site recognized that the two men in the movie, Lester and Behrani are actually bookends to some degree because they seem to be narcissists who want their own way, regardless. Lester throws away his wife and kids in order to get the woman he wants (at least for the time being) and Behrani strikes his wife when she dares question the ethics of selling a home for three times what he paid for it. Both men rely heavily on the appearance of power, and dare anyone to get in their way. They will not even listen to their wives or girlfriend, as they think they know best. Behrani is the wiser one, as he knows that power doesn't only come from the firearm carried, but from a brave heart. Everyone in the story underestimates the other and judges on appearances alone. Behrani sees Kathy simply as a reckless and overly emotional woman, without realizing that she has suffered a loss and is combating alcoholism. Kathy and Lester see an immigrant who takes advantage of a situation to jack up prices, when Behrani just wants to restore his family to their previous great fortune. Behrani realizes too late that appearances and money mean nothing when your own child is lost. Behrani, the narcissist, will cause the death of his own wife rather than admit his failures in protecting their child. Lester realizes, too late, that 'having the eyes of a child' as Behrani says, will cause you to throw everything away for an uncertain future. All are headstrong characters on a road to destruction in order to get what they want. Kathy sits perched, like a succubus, high above the tragic action.Is she a victim or a villain? The only wrong note in the film was how Behrani's wife would climb the outdoor steps in her doped up state? Otherwise a dark but thought provoking film, similar to American Beauty in its depiction of the dark side of the American Dream, and the tragedy of not truly understanding, but believing that you do.

sreeduttasamanta Andre Dubus's magnum opus "House of sand and fog" is a saga about life's extreme merciless play being played upon three people- Kathy, Behrani and Lester each with their version to add. For Kathy, life was a reflection of her addictions and overflowing emotions. For Lester, his life was a reflection of his utter readiness to succumb to his temptations. For colonel Behrani, Life was nothing but a reflection of his hurt pride and his utmost trial to protect it from being hurt again which prevents him from giving up or surrendering no matter how difficult the situation is. In this fabulous tale, Kathy's house is the bone of contention between the two families. Behrani, a colonel from the Imperial Air Force of Iran, has to migrate to America when a revolution breaks out in Iran and his name is put on the death list. However, he does not surrender and bravely puts up the masquerade of a wealthy colonel while he actually works as a garbage worker to get his daughter married to a renowned Iranian family. Later when the bag of money dwindles to a purse, he buys a disputed property- Kathy's house at a cheap rate only to sell it after getting a good buyer. On the other hand, Kathy as unfortunate as she is, gets evicted out of her own house on the accusation of owning a business tax. As a result, the lives of two people get irreversibly changed for forever. Deputy sheriff Lester Burdon falls in love with Kathy on seeing her desperation as well as her beauty. He takes many hasty decisions to prove his true love. He leaves his family and children for the sole reason of his attraction and his affair. After this, he commits many other crimes which dismantle his life, for his lover's sake. This story has a sad and a violent ending and I am sure it will touch your heart just as it has touched mine.

elle_kittyca This is totally a review with spoilers. I wrote this review mostly because I was really annoyed at the ten out of ten stars that was given to it by the fist review on IMDb. Too many films are given too high a rating and this is one of them in my opinion, although it is a pretty good film in some ways. I understand the book was excellent, and I love the themes that it explores. But a few things did not work for me. Most notably, while I generally love Ben Kingsley, I did not like his portrayal of the Iranian Colonel. The character, who experiences a lot of internal conflict, never seems authentic to me. He's stiff and unlikable at the beginning, and displays more humanity later (which is an essential part of the development of the movie.) But the changes in character seem pretty arbitrary. I don't see much nuance-just an either/or. I don't see the development, or the anguish. The officer who is Jennifer Connolly's love interest does some really unbelievable things, things not justified by his similarly unemotional character. I don't think its unbelievable that a cop would coerce someone, but you would think he might have to be carried away by his emotions to be taking two hostages in broad daylight to city hall. And the Iranians have ample opportunity to escape their captivity in this ludicrous trip. Yes, people do ridiculous and ill-advised things. Connolly's character's feelings/emotional state justify her behaviour. For me, the other characters do not display the emotional signs of being under the stress that motivates their characters. For me it was just not believable. There were a few good performances, great musical score, good atmosphere, but overall, meh.