MartinHafer "Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea" is a documentary that examines the heyday of this huge accidentally created saltwater lake in California but mostly focuses on the lake today--now that the lake has become a bit of a nuisance and most of the landowners have moved. It consists of some narration and stock footage but mostly it's interviews with the folks who have inexplicably chosen to stay.I saw this film to two reason--I like documentaries and it was narrated by John Waters. Having Waters' involvement made me assume that the film was very quirky--as did the description from Netflix. Well, I will admit a few of the folks were very quirky (especially the 75 year-old nudist---EWWWW!!!), the overall film was only mildly interesting and not much more. Now I am sure the film would have been more interesting had I lived in California, but for most folks it probably will be a hard sell.

Melissa A This documentary was a sort of "off the beaten track" gem. The obvious thing that I loved is that it takes on a bit of a more obscure topic. The film was more than a commentary of the ecological crisis of the Sea. It was a whole experience of the history and the current culture. They followed these wonderful residents in these different towns, and you got this insight of what it was like to live there. You got to see what the area really means to people. They talked about the downsides, but then talked about the appeal and why it was worth it to be there. You got to see a little bit about how these communities function. In an area that is rather desolated you learn about these places with little infrastructure. I think that spending time on these fabulous characters makes it more than a documentary and more like (for lack of a better word) a traditional movie. I own the DVD and have already seen it more than once. I also thought the soundtrack complimented the movie very well. The contrast of music that you would associate with paradise with the images of this decaying place gave it that quirky feel.

lastliberal It seems appropriate as houses are falling in value all over due to sub-prime loans and speculation to look at another area that fell victim.The Salton Sea was formed by the Colorado River to create Imperial Valley. In the Fifties, it was a resort area with great Tilapia fishing, boating, swimming, skiing, etc. But two big storms in the Seventies flooded the are, and they have been plagued with other problems, and all the speculation is gone.Now, there is a community of very interesting individuals: a seventy-year-old man who stands completely naked by the highway, an artist who is creating some kind of holy mountain, lots of minorities that have escaped the dangers of LA, and older whites who have been there from the beginning.If you can stand a die off of 7 million fish or bird botulism, it really looks like a place to escape to. In any case, it is another unique part of American that most people have never heard of.

kristin-165 Loved every minute of this flick. Original. Quirky. Intelligent.A light hearted approach to a potentially heavy and decidedly obscure topic. Particularly cool that it was all about a place I'd never even heard of; a scary admission considering I've lived in the nearby Los Angeles area for over 20 years! Even better was the plethora of Salton Sea citizenry we got to meet along the way. Nudists. Dead politicians. Boat people. Even a religious zealot with a penchant for self-expression. Failed dreams and false hopes run rampant along this fishy stretch of dessert wasteland and we only add to it as we watch this film play out before our eyes, hoping beyond hope for a miracle that never comes. So much history, so many fascinating stories and characters, so many dead fish. Bravo Chris & Jeff. Bravo.