Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Scotty Burke It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Michael Neumann A young girl comes of age as the world itself enters a new era in this introspective period piece, set in suburban Las Vegas on the eve of the first atomic bomb tests. The film is a family crisis melodrama, seen from the sharp-eyed perspective of a shy teenager just receiving her first pair of glasses (Annabeth Gish, in an admirable debut performance). As the rifts in her family are brought into sudden focus she gains a traumatic understanding of the forces that shape adulthood. It's a curiously lopsided drama, with moments of unaffected sensitivity alongside scenes of outright hysteria, but altogether the film presents a splendid, nostalgic evocation of the awkward passage of adolescence.

Gloucester Man I thought this was a great period piece and a great slice of life movie. The early atomic era was a haunting time and I thought this movie really captured it. I really felt like I was back in the early Fifties. Great performances by the whole cast. We see Annabeth Gish before she did Mystic Pizza.

PBXBear Though some would beg to differ, Desert Bloom is one of the most powerful movies and stories of our time. It's a tale of a dysfunctional family in the 1950's when it was uncommon for the public to see the truth behind closed doors. An amazing script and creative camera angles and lighting makes this movie worth seeing a few times before you can fully understand it's beauty.Annabeth Gish in her breakout/breakthrough roll deserved a supporting actress nomination. Unfortunately, in 1986 it was uncommon for a young actor to receive such a nomination. Ms. Gish is an under rated actress who is worthy of powerful rolls and casting in present day.The chemistry between Ellen Barkin and Annabeth Gish's is amazing as well as JoBeth William's portrayal of a truth-blind housewife. Jon Voight, is well -- Jon Voight -- consistant and erie.

shrine-2 The mushroom cloud at the end of "Desert Bloom" carries a hypnotic power like nothing else in this movie. It takes you by surprise, because not much of what goes before it holds you. The strange beauty of that atomic bomb going off is caught in the eye of Rose, a teenager struggling to make sense out of her relationship with her abusive stepfather. She cannot figure where she stands with him. One moment he's affectionate and protective, the next moment he's threatening and abusive. It makes her sullen and morose, and if it were not for her fun-loving Aunt Starr (Ellen Barkin), she would probably have run away back to the arms of her loving grandmother. Instead she learns how to cope with his inconsistencies and violence; and when Annabelle Gish looks out onto the lit horizon, you see a look of fearlessness in her eyes, as if to tell us that Rose has finally learned how to conquer her fears, and has learned how to blossom even in the most trying desert heat. Gish's performance is unpretentious; and her smile lights up the screen. But it's too little to keep us fully interested in the story, and most of the talented cast (Jon Voight, Jo Beth Williams) strains to do something with it. Allan Garfield is the only one who makes a mark; he's slimmer and more generous than he has been in the past. Playing a concerned neighbor, Garfield makes you wonder if a pod had fallen from the sky and reinvented him.