Reviews (291)

'The Rocky Horror Show' Movie
There is one reason why everyone should see "The Rocky Horror Picture Show": it is the best cult film ever made. There are also three reasons why everyone should want to watch it: 1) It is one of the only 'R' rated musicals in existence. 2) It has strong science-fiction overtones. 3) It is very funny. The movie starts Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon (before they were stars) as the recently engaged Brad and Janet. However, they are upstaged in nearly every scene by Tim Curry who plays Frank N. Furter, the mad doctor. The cast delightfully performs many memorable songs including "Over at the Frankenstein Place" and, of course, the "Time Warp". To fully enjoy RHPS, one must not be closed minded or the picture could prove to be quite offensive. Don't think it's gratuitously violent- it isn't. Merely, the situations the characters find themselves in could shock or appall overly sensitive viewers. If you think you won't enjoy RHPS, going to a midnight screening might be your best bet. The live audience participation will guarantee you a good time, despite your opinion of the actual film. So overall, RHPS is quite a good adaptation of Richard O'Brien's original concept, which always honors its roots on the stage.

DVD = Perfect format to truly experience "Rocky" at home
I loved going to "Rocky Horror" when I was in college, but watching on home video just wasn't the same. I'm probably committing heresy but there's a reason why this sci-fi, horror, B-movie satire, rock musical didn't really make it big until theaters started showing it as a midnight movie and fans started attending in costume and talking back to the screen. The 25th anniversary DVD, with several audience participation options, really is the next best thing to being there.

For the uninitiated, "Rocky Horror" tells the story of two clean-cut American youths, uptight Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick of "Spin City") and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon of "Dead Man Walking") whose car breaks down on a dark, deserted road in the middle of a storm--the classic beginning to many horror movies--and who seek help at a nearby castle. Castles, as Rocky fans know, don't have phones! What this castle has instead is a cross-dressing mad scientist Frank-N-Furter Tim Curry, in perhaps his finest performance), two very creepy servants, Riff-Raff (Richard O'Brien, who wrote the musical) and Magenta (Patricia Quinn), and various other hangers-on, including lovers Columbia (Little Nell) and biker Eddie (Meat Loaf). Brad and Janet walk in on a party celebrating the creation of Frank-N-Furter's muscle-bound boy-toy "Rocky." Bed-hopping chaos soon ensues, until the servants reveal their true identities and take control.

Punctuating this wacky plot are some of the wildest rock-musical songs ever written. In addition to the classic "Time Warp," there's O'Brien's salute to cult-classic B-movies, "Science Fiction Double Feature," Meat Loaf's "Hot Patootie," and Sarandon ode to sexual self-discovery, "Toucha Toucha Touch Me!"

So much for the "Rocky virgin" portion of the review... What makes the DVD so exceptional is the chance to experience "Rocky Horror" at home nearly like you would in the theater. The DVD has the option of turning on the audience screen comments as well as another option for viewing members of the Rocky Horror Fan Club performing select scenes before returning to the main movie. For those less familiar with audience participation, the DVD can prompt when to throw toast, toilet paper, rice, etc., light a match, put your newspaper on your head, etc.

The second disc contains fascinating interviews with cast members, where fans can find out about their reaction to starring in this cult classic. Meat Loaf's description of not realizing what "Rocky Horror" was going to be about and running out of the theater when Tim Curry entered wearing fishnet stockings, spiked heels, a merry widow, and a leather jacket and singing "Sweet Transvestite" is hysterical. Patricia Quinn talks about how her fondness for the opening song, "Science Fiction Double Feature" made her want to take the role even though she hadn't read the rest of the script. What? Don't remember Quinn singing that number? In the stage versions she did, but the song got reassigned in the film version--and Quinn makes her feelings about that QUITE clear. Sarandon makes the interesting observation that "Rocky Horror" probably kept a lot of art house theaters in business over the years, since they could count on good revenue from the midnight movie, even if the latest regular-hours offering flopped. In Bostwick's interview, however, the actor sounds a bit like William Shatner giving his anti-Trekkie diatribe on "Saturday Night Live."

The only disappointments on the DVD are that the outtakes really aren't that interesting and actor bios aren't provided. I would have liked to see what else the "minor" cast members did after Rocky, but that information is limited to a few lines in the companion booklet. Also, some of the audience-participation comments are nearly impossible to understand because fans are talking over each other. But then that's part of the modern-day theater experience. Even Sarandon noted in her interview that talking back to the screen has gone from the more unison catechism approach to a loud free-for-all.

What seemed so risqué and shocking a few decades ago seems much more innocent today, but it was great when it all began and it's still great! If you've never ventured into the theater to experience "Rocky Horror," this is the best way to experience it at home.

Mesmerizing film.
This is a very outrageous movie. The rock is the background to tell us a horror movie but also spiced with sex , ransvestism and above all a splendid tribute to the movies specially King Kong .
One couple strands in an old house full of weirdos . This movie (here between you and me)could have inspired for Tim Burton in Beetle juice .
In this decade there were great visuals films too . Sherman built a magnificent story absolutely free , intelligent and sarcastic, irreverent and bitter . You might state that Fellini's influence (dressed of english manners and clothes) is present all along the film .
Inmediatly after its release this one acquired the status of cult movie.

The original is still the best!
Don't bother with the play, or the music from the play. The original is still the best. Nobody can fill the shoes of Sarandon, Curry, etc. They originated the roles and have been associated with them for far too long for anyone else to come in try to change them so many years later and attempt to redo them. Stay with the best.

Those Gold Shorts!
Ahhhhh...Rocky had such a lovely outline showing in his gold lame shorts. ... Read more

Amazon.com

By any rational measure, Alan Parker's cinematic interpretation of Pink Floyd: The Wallis a glorious failure. Glorious because its imagery is hypnotically striking, frequently resonant, and superbly photographed by the gifted cinematographer Peter Biziou. And a failure because the entire exercise is hopelessly dour, loyal to the bleak themes and psychological torment of Roger Waters's great musical opus, and yet utterly devoid of the humor that Waters certainly found in his own material. Any attempt to visualize The Wall would be fraught with artistic danger, and Parker succumbs to his own self-importance, creating a film that's as fascinating as it is flawed.

The film is, for better and worse, the fruit of three artists in conflict--Parker indulging himself, and Waters in league with designer Gerald Scarfe, whose brilliant animated sequences suggest that he should have directed and animated this film in its entirety. Fortunately, this clash of talent and ego does not prevent The Wall from being a mesmerizing film. Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof (in his screen debut) is a fine choice to play Waters's alter ego--an alienated, "comfortably numb" rock star whose psychosis manifests itself as an emotional (and symbolically physical) wall between himself and the cold, cruel world. Weaving Waters's autobiographical details into his own jumbled vision, Parker ultimately fails to combine a narrative thread with experimental structure. It's a rich, bizarre, and often astonishing film that will continue to draw a following, but the real source of genius remains the music of Roger Waters. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (323)

Same as the last DVD release but still a great film
If you are a fan of this film, as I am, please note that this release is an exact duplicate of the last DVD release but with new packaging.The documentaries are worth the price of the disc alone, as they are excellent.A great transfer of a great film.

As a side note to "Der Kommissar", the last I heard, we have freedom of speech in this country.So, I am mentioning your "review" in my own and there is nothing you can do about it.I could care less if you are a "top reviewer" or not - never presume to tell me what I can or can't do again.Who the hell do you think you are?

New but....whats new?
I did notice a clearer picture overall when comparing it to the first DVD release, since it does say high definition. As far as audio is concerned...havent ran it on a legitimate 5.1 or better system to compare the audios...email me if anyone knows if this new version is remastered, again?

jorgejz@bellsouth.net

Greatest Rock Movie Ever!!!
Pink Floyd is the greatest band ever and the wall is one of their best albums. The movie is not for everyone though. If you don't like Pink Floyd then you probably won't dig the movie. But if you like Pink Floyd, you will definetly like the movie.

Respectable
I am a long-time fan and follower of The Floyd, their music has touched me in a way that no other band has. My favorite works by them are Dark Side, Animals, and Meddle. The Wall is an amazing story more than it is an album. Although it is great, it is not really a Floyd album to me, because it lacks the greatest asset that floyd has to offer: the epicly symphonic pieces of rock music. (excepting Comfortably Numb). The album was made to be listened to by yourself in a dark room. The story is meant to be composed by you, in your head. It is supposed to be meaningful to you in your own head. You deserve to have your own interpretation of it. The Wall is a good movie by movie terms, but it goes against everything that the Wall stood for. The album is ofcourse, asking for a movie like this, but it is much better for the movie to just be in your head, not spoonfed to you by the screen. If you want the quintessential Floyd movie, sync up the Wizart of Oz with Dark side of the Moon, and you will see the Floyd for what they really are.

A horrible disappointment and mangling of The Wall
I just watched this movie this afternoon for the first time and I was truly stunned and blown away with how absolutely abysmally horrid this movie is.What makes it truly unbearable is that in addition to just being a bad movie in the first place, the actual music of The Wall is distorted and re-recorded in such a horrible way -- for example, the actor who plays the teacher says "Stand still, laddie!" instead of the original recording, and says it very badly and unconvincingly. ... Read more

Reviews (291)

'The Rocky Horror Show' Movie
There is one reason why everyone should see "The Rocky Horror Picture Show": it is the best cult film ever made. There are also three reasons why everyone should want to watch it: 1) It is one of the only 'R' rated musicals in existence. 2) It has strong science-fiction overtones. 3) It is very funny. The movie starts Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon (before they were stars) as the recently engaged Brad and Janet. However, they are upstaged in nearly every scene by Tim Curry who plays Frank N. Furter, the mad doctor. The cast delightfully performs many memorable songs including "Over at the Frankenstein Place" and, of course, the "Time Warp". To fully enjoy RHPS, one must not be closed minded or the picture could prove to be quite offensive. Don't think it's gratuitously violent- it isn't. Merely, the situations the characters find themselves in could shock or appall overly sensitive viewers. If you think you won't enjoy RHPS, going to a midnight screening might be your best bet. The live audience participation will guarantee you a good time, despite your opinion of the actual film. So overall, RHPS is quite a good adaptation of Richard O'Brien's original concept, which always honors its roots on the stage.

DVD = Perfect format to truly experience "Rocky" at home
I loved going to "Rocky Horror" when I was in college, but watching on home video just wasn't the same. I'm probably committing heresy but there's a reason why this sci-fi, horror, B-movie satire, rock musical didn't really make it big until theaters started showing it as a midnight movie and fans started attending in costume and talking back to the screen. The 25th anniversary DVD, with several audience participation options, really is the next best thing to being there.

For the uninitiated, "Rocky Horror" tells the story of two clean-cut American youths, uptight Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick of "Spin City") and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon of "Dead Man Walking") whose car breaks down on a dark, deserted road in the middle of a storm--the classic beginning to many horror movies--and who seek help at a nearby castle. Castles, as Rocky fans know, don't have phones! What this castle has instead is a cross-dressing mad scientist Frank-N-Furter Tim Curry, in perhaps his finest performance), two very creepy servants, Riff-Raff (Richard O'Brien, who wrote the musical) and Magenta (Patricia Quinn), and various other hangers-on, including lovers Columbia (Little Nell) and biker Eddie (Meat Loaf). Brad and Janet walk in on a party celebrating the creation of Frank-N-Furter's muscle-bound boy-toy "Rocky." Bed-hopping chaos soon ensues, until the servants reveal their true identities and take control.

Punctuating this wacky plot are some of the wildest rock-musical songs ever written. In addition to the classic "Time Warp," there's O'Brien's salute to cult-classic B-movies, "Science Fiction Double Feature," Meat Loaf's "Hot Patootie," and Sarandon ode to sexual self-discovery, "Toucha Toucha Touch Me!"

So much for the "Rocky virgin" portion of the review... What makes the DVD so exceptional is the chance to experience "Rocky Horror" at home nearly like you would in the theater. The DVD has the option of turning on the audience screen comments as well as another option for viewing members of the Rocky Horror Fan Club performing select scenes before returning to the main movie. For those less familiar with audience participation, the DVD can prompt when to throw toast, toilet paper, rice, etc., light a match, put your newspaper on your head, etc.

The second disc contains fascinating interviews with cast members, where fans can find out about their reaction to starring in this cult classic. Meat Loaf's description of not realizing what "Rocky Horror" was going to be about and running out of the theater when Tim Curry entered wearing fishnet stockings, spiked heels, a merry widow, and a leather jacket and singing "Sweet Transvestite" is hysterical. Patricia Quinn talks about how her fondness for the opening song, "Science Fiction Double Feature" made her want to take the role even though she hadn't read the rest of the script. What? Don't remember Quinn singing that number? In the stage versions she did, but the song got reassigned in the film version--and Quinn makes her feelings about that QUITE clear. Sarandon makes the interesting observation that "Rocky Horror" probably kept a lot of art house theaters in business over the years, since they could count on good revenue from the midnight movie, even if the latest regular-hours offering flopped. In Bostwick's interview, however, the actor sounds a bit like William Shatner giving his anti-Trekkie diatribe on "Saturday Night Live."

The only disappointments on the DVD are that the outtakes really aren't that interesting and actor bios aren't provided. I would have liked to see what else the "minor" cast members did after Rocky, but that information is limited to a few lines in the companion booklet. Also, some of the audience-participation comments are nearly impossible to understand because fans are talking over each other. But then that's part of the modern-day theater experience. Even Sarandon noted in her interview that talking back to the screen has gone from the more unison catechism approach to a loud free-for-all.

What seemed so risqué and shocking a few decades ago seems much more innocent today, but it was great when it all began and it's still great! If you've never ventured into the theater to experience "Rocky Horror," this is the best way to experience it at home.

Mesmerizing film.
This is a very outrageous movie. The rock is the background to tell us a horror movie but also spiced with sex , ransvestism and above all a splendid tribute to the movies specially King Kong .
One couple strands in an old house full of weirdos . This movie (here between you and me)could have inspired for Tim Burton in Beetle juice .
In this decade there were great visuals films too . Sherman built a magnificent story absolutely free , intelligent and sarcastic, irreverent and bitter . You might state that Fellini's influence (dressed of english manners and clothes) is present all along the film .
Inmediatly after its release this one acquired the status of cult movie.

The original is still the best!
Don't bother with the play, or the music from the play. The original is still the best. Nobody can fill the shoes of Sarandon, Curry, etc. They originated the roles and have been associated with them for far too long for anyone else to come in try to change them so many years later and attempt to redo them. Stay with the best.

Those Gold Shorts!
Ahhhhh...Rocky had such a lovely outline showing in his gold lame shorts. ... Read more

Reviews (141)

Very Under Rated
I saw this movie in the theaters and didn't like it that much. Stay with me... Then after i thought about it a while, I really couldn't stop thinking about it. I saw the movie again, and i think it's excellent. It's just a really really great movie, unfairly ignored by critics.

good flick.
first time, caught the movie in progress while cleaning house and wound up glued to the sofa and late for an engagement. had to see the entire film later. really, really good!

The greatest movie from a novel !
I loved Great Expectations. Ethan Hawke and Gywneth Paltrow give exceptional performances in the film. I have always liked Gywneth Paltrow's films, and this is my favirote that she has done. Ethan Hawke is also very good. He looks as cute as ever!

It Aint Dickens, It Aint Sexy, It Aint Good
This film prizes beauty -- and rather vapid, sexless beauty at that -- over narrative cohesion or strucutre. The kind of film a foreign audience might like, since it's light on dialogue on heavy on lush, overwrought, pretentious and simple-minded imagery, GREAT EXPECTATIONS fetishizes its skinny, pale movie stars like a fashion magazine. See this director's magical LITTLE PRINCESS, and shun this studio atrocity. One happy note though: ETHAN HAWKE has never looked better.

The BEST film I have ever seen!
If have not cryed for a long time, but this film made it verry easy. It is a realy good film, and many of my frinds here in Germany love it, too. Now I have to order it in the original english version of the film. ... Read more

Reviews (65)

"The wind whispers of fear & hate. The war has killed love."
There are films that continue to haunt you long after the end credits fade away. There are films that horrify you because of the gruesome imagery that bombards you while you sit in the darkened theater. And then there are films whose haunting and horrifying nature is magnified even more because it is based on events that actually happened. Such a film is Roland Joffe's "The Killing Fields."

"The Killing Fields" chronicles the journey of two friends who find themselves swept up in the revolution in Cambodia during the 1970s. As the Khmer Rouge comes to power, New York Times writer Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterston) and his assistant Dith Pran (Haing S. Ngor) witness firsthand the transformation of Cambodia's cities and countryside under the new regime. As the situation becomes more dire, Schanberg finds himself in a difficult situation - he knows Pran will run afoul of the new government once the Khmer Rouge completes their takeover but Schanberg still needs him to finish his duties for the New York Times. Both men hope for the best but when Pran attempts to leave the country, he finds that his window of opportunity has disappeared and he is trapped in Cambodia.

"The Killing Fields" is a film that pulls no punches. Watching Pran trying to stay alive from day to day is a sobering viewing experience. While its story explores the broader political implications of the rise of the Khmer Rogue, the true drama revolves around Pran who embodies the personal suffering of all of the regime's victims. While Waterston is outstanding, this is a film that delivers it message through Pran, and Ngor is more than up to the demands of his role. His performance is honest to the point of heartbreak. This film is not easy to watch but it is a worthwhile journey for those with the courage to sit through it.

Mankind Destroying Itself
The Killing Fields is absolutely one of the greatest films on war and genocide ever made. The story centers on a renowned reporter named Sidney Schanberg and his assistant and translator, Dith Pran. Sam Waterston and Haing Ngor, respectively, star in those roles, plus John Malkovich as Sidney's photographer. Ngor simply is Dith, and he won an Oscar. Waterston had been a nobody before this film, and he was so good as Sidney he received an Oscar Nomination. The story goes like this: during the Vietnam war, America had planned and executed bombing operations in Cambodia. This movie starts during those times, and we see the horrifying aftermath of one of those bombings. Yet the insanity inspired by this bombing leads to a revolution and the creation of a new regime, the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot. Soon suspected subversives are being led into reeducation camps. Sidney tries to get Dith out, but Dith decides to stay and send his family to America. Soon, there is no escape, and Sidney must leave Dith behind. As soon as he gets back he looks for Dith and tries to find a way to bring him out. In Cambodia, Dith is not doing well. He has been put in a camp. Our first glimpse of him is that of a diseased, jaded, starving man. He sees his countrymen being killed, he sees hate and fear, he sees Hell on Earth. What is going to happen? Will Dith escape or succumb to the forces of evil? You will have to watch this film to find out.

The cover says that "Every so often, there is a film that is destined to be talked about and remembered for years to come". The Killing Fields is the definitive experience on the Khmer Rouge holocaust. The violence is harrowing but never in excess, the film is unforgettable.

War Drama about Cambodia
Most war movies from the 80's are about Vietnam and sometimes the horrible events in Cambodia are snowed under.
'The Killing Fields' is about the friendship between NY Times Reporter Syd and his Cambodian interpreter and later friend. When the western journalists flee the country they try and get him with them by forging a passport but it fails and Tran stays behind. He gets caught by the Khmer Rouge and forced to work in slavery, by not letting known he speaks English he survives and escapes and finds his friend Syd again.

The movie is great and emotional. Some scenes are awful but lifelike. Though shot in Thailand, the scenery is beautiful. The acting is fine too, the man playing Tran won an oscar. His own personal life is very closely linked to the events in Cambodia too and this movie is also in part about him. He unfortunately got killed in the late 1990's, possibly by the Khmer in LA.

THIS IS THE BEST CHEERLEADER MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!
THIS IS THE BEST CHEERLEADER MOVIE EVER, AND IT'S ONE OF MY FAVE MOVIES NOW. I FIRST SAW THIS MOVIE AT MY BEST FRIEND KIM'S HOUSE ALSO, SAME WITH 8 MILE! I LOVE THIS MOVIE, IT'S REALLY GOOD. MY FAVE SCENE IS WHEN TORRANCE AND HER FRIEND'S BROTHER ARE IN THE BAMBOO CAGE SUSPENDED OVER THE PUNJI PIT. WELL, I HIGHLY RECCOMEND YOU BUY THIS MOVIE TODAY! ITS WELL WORTH EVERY RED SINGLE CENT OF YOUR MONEY!!!!

Tragic and touching, but long-winded
Although there are mostly 5-star reviews here, this is not the type of movie to have posters with less than stunning reviews (except the political posts). This movie is obviously well-made and well-received (7 oscar nominations and 3 wins), but I found it to be too long at 141 minutes and it did not really hold my interest.

Director Roland Joffe said he interpreted the story as a love story and not a war movie, and indeed that seems to be the way he presents it. Playing John Lennon's "Imagine" at the end was a bit on the sentimental side, though.

I've watched it 2 or 3 times and just had a hard time sticking with it. There is almost enough material to expand into 2 movies.

DVD has a nice commentary, a short text-based blurb about actor Haing Ngor, a list of awards, cast/crew blurb, setup options and a trailer. ... Read more

Amazon.com

By any rational measure, Alan Parker's cinematic interpretation of Pink Floyd: The Wallis a glorious failure. Glorious because its imagery is hypnotically striking, frequently resonant, and superbly photographed by the gifted cinematographer Peter Biziou. And a failure because the entire exercise is hopelessly dour, loyal to the bleak themes and psychological torment of Roger Waters's great musical opus, and yet utterly devoid of the humor that Waters certainly found in his own material. Any attempt to visualize The Wall would be fraught with artistic danger, and Parker succumbs to his own self-importance, creating a film that's as fascinating as it is flawed.

The film is, for better and worse, the fruit of three artists in conflict--Parker indulging himself, and Waters in league with designer Gerald Scarfe, whose brilliant animated sequences suggest that he should have directed and animated this film in its entirety. Fortunately, this clash of talent and ego does not prevent The Wall from being a mesmerizing film. Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof (in his screen debut) is a fine choice to play Waters's alter ego--an alienated, "comfortably numb" rock star whose psychosis manifests itself as an emotional (and symbolically physical) wall between himself and the cold, cruel world. Weaving Waters's autobiographical details into his own jumbled vision, Parker ultimately fails to combine a narrative thread with experimental structure. It's a rich, bizarre, and often astonishing film that will continue to draw a following, but the real source of genius remains the music of Roger Waters. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (279)

Amazing
I saw The Wall because I really like Pink Floyd's music and was curious how the movie would look. I'm sorry to anyone who disagrees, but I think that this movie is amazing and Roger Waters is a genius. Bob Geldof was awesome in this role and I really liked the little kid who played him as a child. The movie is basically an analysis of how we build a figurative wall around ourselves to block out the world which everyone, like it or not, can relate too. The movie is insane, it doesn't stay put or follow the conventional setup of how we think a movie should be done, very much like Pink who is basically going crazy. It was a very imaginative and creative venture. Pink Floyd's The Wall makes you pay attention to what's going on, you get wrapped up in trying to figure out what exactly is happening and I must admit it can be confusing at times but it's well worth the trouble. The music really adds another dimension to the movie that you don't normally get with dialog. And of course, Pink Floyd is super-cool and amazing, so the music is very beautiful and full of life and vivid emotions. The animation is just incredible it flows in an odd fluid sort of way, it seems very different from what you normally see. Some of the themes are (gasp) dark and to watch it you're going to need an open mind, sorry! This movie may not be for everyone but I think everyone should at least try it and see what they get out of it. It's very different, very confusing at times, but very worth it. Buy the soundtrack too!! This is an incredible movie, it's different, like everything about Pink Floyd and so incredibly original it blows my mind. Watch it!!

"Spectacular Failure???" What movie did THEY see?!
I don't get it...how can film critics continue to fail in their reviews of the conceptual film that so perfectly visualizes Roger Waters' utterly brilliant concept album "Pink Floyd The Wall"? Why can't they seem to appreciate a movie that all Pink Floyd fans I've ever known (including myself) find to be such a tremendous interpretation, albeit it at times an admittedly depressing one?

What we have is a character study of A Big Rock Star who could be anyone but is actually a combination of two former founding Pink Floyd bandmates, Syd Barrett and (project mastermind) Roger Waters. The rock star ("Pink Floyd", played by Sir Bob Geldof, pre-"Band-Aid" and knighthood) has had a rather interesting life which is shown in flashback (and the occasional animated hallucinatory) sequence to World War II (where his father, like Roger Waters' own dad, was killed in action in Italy). Awkward in childhood without a father (unusual in those days) and castigated by schoolmasters (at one time busted during class for writing "poetry" -actually the lyrics to the Floydian signature piece "Money"), Pink eventually hits it big, marries...and then begins to lose control of it all, eventually leading to the meltdown that is occurring in...what is supposed to be a hotel room in the Hollywood Hills during yet another tour.

It's a bit mainstream to be considered an "art flick", but it has settled comfortably into "cult flick" status, deservedly so. Roger Waters' original inspirations that led to the Wall" album -increasing distance between the artists and their fans, alienation from societal institutions such as school, the death of a father Roger Waters never knew, the eventual insanity of close friend Syd Barrett- are all well-covered and simply enough portrayed so that subtle symbolism is never needed. The movie stands as a perfect visual accompaniment to the album...and in fact is a bit broader, particularly considering the extra themes written for the flashback scenes involving Pink's father.

For me the best of the smorgasbord of extra features is the commentary track, if only to actually hear Roger Waters' input and insights (and his brilliant Irish accent when mimicking Bob Geldof). Waters has a deserved reputation for being a bit reclusive when dealing with the media, so getting a chance to hear him discussing one of Pink Floyd's defining moments is particularly enjoyable for me as a Pink Floyd fan. He DID make it a point to mention that he thought the film was a bit too dark and didn't reflect the humor that he felt was found throughout "The Wall" as an album. I listened to "The Wall" again after hearing that comment and have yet to understand what the hell he was talking about. If there's any humor in "The Wall" at all, I've never heard it. It always seemed as brilliant and as heavy and darkly depressing as the movie is...which is probably why I've always liked the movie. See it if you haven't. If you've ever wondered what Pink Floyd was about, see this movie. Like the band itself, you'll either love it passionately or you just won't get it at all.

Cynicism run amuck...
It seems to me that Roger Waters has us all fooled, that this was actually a parody of the highest order. If you watch the interview with him on the bonus materials on the DVD, you can almost see him smile when he discusses the inspiration for this film. It's a film that we read into it what we will. To a small degree, it is autobiographical (most everyone knows about the incident when he spit on a fan during the Animals tour).

Taking that as a leaping off point, he takes the conclusion of the absurdity of the rock star life to its logical end. And it is brilliant. Pink Floyd was simply not the same after the breakup.

It is visually and viscerally stunning. I used to watch this over and over again and it seemed to tap into what I was feeling at the time and it provided comfort, a sense that someone else could relate to the isolation and loneliness I felt, even in the midst of people. I had to replace my vinyl record several times because I listened to it so much. The movie provides eye candy for the songs.

The plot is quite simple: Pink ('by the way, which one's Pink?') is a rock star whose about had enough of the excess and snaps, journeying into his brain way too far. We see the meltdown unfold and follow the transition to something much more frightening, gaining a vision of just how far human vanity can take us. The songs and the visuals form a cohesive whole.

Sure it's pretentious and takes itself too seriously at times - but isn't that the point? It works.

It's one of the darker takes on this life but it nails it brilliantly. You'll find that many of the scenes are bigger than the context of the film. Many of them could be related to events in the political or social sphere of then and today.

It's a bit dated, perhaps, or I've merely gotten older. But the extras on the DVD make it worthwhile, including the video for 'Hey You' featuring footage that didn't make it into the film.

This movie screwed my life up
This movie screwed my head up.You probably have to be stoned to wach this.I will never look at anything the same again.

still looks and sounds fresh after 22 years
I have owned this film on VHS for many years, so I was not in a big rush to buy the DVD...but I'm sure glad I did ! This is one of the rare instances where a movie complements the music instead of diminishing it (unlike Quadrophenia, for example...)

This is one film that I can't stop watching - once it starts I'm hooked until the end. The 90 minutes really fly by. And to those who say the real life and animation do not comfortably coexist - I say "rubbish !" the transitions are smooth and seamless. My favorite part is when the school kids, with their faceless masks, are marched through the factory and into the grinder. Classic Pink Floyd. And I say Bob Geldof's portrayal of Pink is flawless. Buy this DVD - you won't regret it ! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Avant-garde spirit and punk-rock attitude combine with iconoclastic results in Derek Jarman's defiantly uncommercial Jubilee. Filmed in 1977--the silver jubilee year of England's Queen Elizabeth II--this fascinating hodgepodge of political dissent and audiovisual experimentation now stands as a vibrant document of its time, both immediate and enduring in its bold rejection of all things conventional. (Compared to this, the quasi-punk Repo Man and angst-ridden Sid & Nancy seem positively tame.) Jarman's film deserved its mixed reviews; like the films of Andy Warhol, it's a slapdash affair, cobbled together by Jarman and his fringe-dwelling friends, ostensibly designed as a kaleidoscopic glimpse of London's future, infused with apocalyptic nihilism and populated by proto-punks (including Adam Ant and Rocky Horror's Little Nell) in an anarchic orgy of gay and straight sex, music, violence, and (in retrospect) astonishingly accurate pop-cultural prophesy. It's the pioneering, angry/funny work of a genuine artist, as essential to punk film as the Sex Pistols were to music in the dreadful days of disco. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Love It
This is a cool movie with a lot of cool people in it. Adam Ant, Toyah Wilcox, Jordan (punk goddess), Little Nell, Richard O' Brien........lots. Sure, its weird. Yes, there is a lot of nudity. If that is offensive to you, then you shouldn't buy this movie.

If you want to see some of the people that were a part of the "punk scene" when it first started then buy this movie. And Plastic Surgery (which is a real Adam and the Ants song that Adam wrote and was performing with his band at the time....Deuchester Girls is in it too, but you hardly hear it) is a greeeaat song. And he looks HOT singing it. Heck, he looks hot through the whole thing. This movie was 3 years after Rocky Horror Picture Show and it is cool to see Little Nell and Richard O'Brien in another movie together.

Anyway- what I am trying to say is.....BUY THIS MOVIE. Even if you don't like it personally, people will think you are a hip guy just for owning it.

And it is cheaper here then at the movie store. Trust me.

An essential for any early punk fans
This is a highly unusual and artisticly revealing cinematic pleasure. If anyone has seen director Derek Jarman's films before, you probably know that he doesn't follow the conventions of film narrative. For punk fans it offers a view of the wasteland fantasy world that isn't too far off from the truth. Early glimpses of Adam Ant(the soon to be Mtv poster boy looking very young), Little Nell (Rocky Horror Picture Show), and Ian Charleson (Chariots of Fire). For any fan of the Sex Pistols' movie, "THe Great ROck and ROll Swindle"- this movie is perfect for you. IT contains lots of nudity- both male and female and has alot of questionable acts of violence. Not recommended for everyone- but definitely a rare treat.

not at all what i expected
i had a lot of trouble watching this, partly because it made no sense and partly because it wasn't interesting at all. a coherent storyline isn't really that essential for me, i enjoy david lynch. even though lynch rarely makes much sense his films are beautiful and hold your attention. technically jubilee was fair, visually it was okay. i ususally trust the criterion company with their releases but this is one of the few that i recommend against.

I would rather sleep
This movie is about as boring as a thanksgiving parade, i wouldnt really call this art either, its just basically a punk movie with punk influence. If you want a real art/punk film check out sid and nancy, its 5 stars better than this movie.

Anarchy & Beauty
Jubilee is a wildly beautiful - and entertaining - film which strikes a precarious, and compelling, balance between sheer anarchy and genuine beauty. I was so struck by it that I watched it three times in one week. Yet it remains an elusive work, constantly tantalizing with new connections and still more layers of meaning. The outstanding Criterion Collection DVD offers a wealth of supplemental features, making it an excellent introduction to both the film and director Derek Jarman.

The basic plot of this experimental fantasy is simple: Queen Elizabeth I has the historical alchemist John Dee summon the spirit Ariel and transport all of them 400 years into the future, where they find London a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The talented Jenny Runacre plays both Queen Elizabeth and the anarchic latter-day "queen" Bod, who leads an all-female biker gang.

Made in 1977, at the height of the Punk movement, Jubilee has misleadingly been called a "Punk movie." Despite its trappings (from clothing to casting several well-known singers), ultimately it seems more about Punk than of it. How Jarman uses then-rising star Adam Ant is revealing. With his sweetly boyish persona - made just a bit wild by the black leather and painted-on lower sideburns - Adam Ant as "Kid" is undeniably appealing. But throughout he is as passive offstage as he is frenzied onstage. And Kid, unable to connect with anyone, will do anything for his career. He signs with the grotesque Borgia Ginz, the multinational mogul who controls the entire planet's media - hence political, even religious - power structure. Ginz immediately rechristens Kid as "Scum. That's commercial. It's all [the audience] deserves." One of the film's most haunting images is of Kid lasciviously kissing his own image on a TV. How's that for a postmodern twist on the myth of Narcissus?

Beyond the Punk movement, Jarman turned to many diverse sources to flesh out his vision for Jubilee. It's powerful on its own terms, without any need for "footnoting," but the wide-ranging references create a fascinating texture. He uses film (notably Cocteau's Blood of a Poet, Godard's La Chinoise, Pasolini's Oedipus Rex, and Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange), literature (Huxley's Brave New World, Orwell's 1984; also his pastiche Elizabethan dialogue is beautiful: "I cast for Ariel, pearl of fire, my only star...."), history and myth (suggested by character names, from the historical female ruler of ancient Britain, Bodicea - i.e., "Bod" - and the Borgias to mythical figures like Sphinx and Angel), and even dance club culture (characters named Amyl Nitrate and Crabs). He is also one of the most creatively playful of modern filmmakers, and that schoolboyish "let's put on a show" energy keeps his films, even with their density of themes, buoyant and wonderfully entertaining.

Jarman also brings great emotional resonance through his characters (most of whom he cast from friends and lovers). I was often surprised by how much I cared about these eccentric, and sometimes lethal, allegorical people. Although each viewer will bond with different characters, I was most moved by the "triangle" between the two teasingly incestuous brothers, Sphinx and Angel (who utters the classic line, "I didn't know I was dead till I was 15"), and the artist Viv (whom Jarman described, affectionately, as a "butch dyke"). Their tangled connections, although genuinely caring, never reach true equality: The two men, on one level, can be seen as using the woman as a way of enhancing their own (masculine, even incestuous) relationship. Still, they become all the more affecting at the film's climax (which I will not divulge).

There is so much more to Jubilee than I can suggest in the brief space here: It is visually gorgeous (Jarman is a master of composition and lighting; he began as a painter, and stage and film designer), makes fascinating use of music (from Punk to classical) and sound effects, offers a provocative series of ideas about history (as Amyl says, "History still fascinates me. It's so intangible. You can weave facts anywhere you like. Good guys can swap places with bad guys"), media manipulation and artistic narcissism and audience passivity, and, ultimately, the duality of beauty and anarchy, which are perhaps two sides of the same double mirror. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A story does not end when the writer finishes writing...
I watched "Joe Gould's Secret" without knowing that it was based on a true story, but was not surprised when that turned out to be the case because this 2000 film from actor/director Stanley Tucci rings true. Tucci plays Joe Mitchell, a columnist for "The New Yorker" magazine in the early 1940s who had a chance encounter with a Greenwich Village bohemian eccentric named Joe Gould (Ian Holm). His reporter's curiosity piqued, Mitchell asks around a bit and finds that Gould claims to be writing an epic Oral History of New York, an almost daily record of the conversations he has each day with the forgotten ordinary folks of the great metropolis (the Oral History has to be capitalized; that is clear from the way Gould and his friends talk about it). The notebooks containing this million-word history are secreted around the city with the various artist friends who provide Gould patronage by listening to him and making monetary contributions to the Joe Gould Fund. The rationale for their indulgence is articulated by the painter Alice Neel (Susan Sarandon) who tells Mitchell, "I have always felt that the city's s unconscious is trying to speak to you through Joe Gould."

Mitchell discovers that Gould is a walking contradiction, capable of both quick bursts of anger and madness as well as perceptive insights into the human condition. He proves his credentials at being a superb listener by doing a Henry Higgins and telling Mitchell he was born in North Carolina based on a single sentence. Mitchell writes two articles about Gould for "The New Yorker." The first, "Professor Sea Gull," makes Gould even more of a cult figure about the New York intelligentsia, and a publisher (Steve Martin) is interested in at least reading the Oral History. But Gould refuses to let excerpts be published, saying it is all or nothing, and declaring it will only be produced posthumously. Years later, after Gould died, Mitchell would write a second essay, from which this film gets its title. However the delicious irony of this film is that the secret that lies at its heart belongs as much to Mitchell as it does to Gould.

Holm has the flashy part as the brilliant madman, but it is Tucci's Mitchell that is the pivotal performance. "Joe Gould's Secret" is more about how Mitchell sees Gould than we do in watching the film. There is a scene early on when Mitchell tries to explain to his editor why he might want to rewrite an article that has already been accepted for publication. Mitchell gropes without success for the words to speak out loud and his editor can only laugh and point out that it is a good thing this Joe writes better than he talks. But the exchange is significant because it speaks to the depths of Joe's emotions and intellect. We see or hear little of what Mitchell writes; most of the voice over narration has him quoting the words of Joe Gould. So it is the looks on Tucci's face, the way he sets his body, the pace of his walk, that give us our only clues to the deep rivers of his heart, mind, and soul. "Joe Gould's Secret" is a film in a minor key, but it is a nice little gem all the same.

A little oral history never hurt...
Stanley Tucci has yet to direct anything that could have him labeled a sellout. His work is small in budget and action, big in character study. The true story of JOE GOULD is perfect for Tucci to continue his streak. JOE GOULD was a bohemian homeless genius that loudly created the most important piece of literature never to be published. Ian Holm (THE LORD OF THE RINGS) commands the screen as Joe and Tucci himself is rather touching as the magazine writer who acts as Gould's reluctant biographer. Much of his family life is rather charming which could be a story in itself. That might be because the film borrows from 2 sources, One where he reports on Joe Gould the author and the second where he reveals the truth about Joe. The film has a couple big cameos from Susan Sarandon to Steve Martin. The DVD has a nice video transfer.

What rough beast?
Watching this film, after having grown up with the Cummings version of Joe Gould (EE is mentioned peripherally, but does not appear in the film), I learned a great deal, and was profoundly moved by the interaction between the two characters and how it changed both their lives. I will not reveal the ending, except to say that it is something the film slowly builds up to, and it would not have the same impact without the rest of the film. Yes, as others have said, the pacing is a bit slow, but it really had to be that way - if you want to see a fast-paced film, try a search for Clint Eastwood. If you want to see a film about a successful and functional eccentric (albeit one with a tragic family), try Crumb. For a great tragedy about the lives of two writers and how they touched one another, this film will do nicely.

A literary genius.
This historical comedy-drama is based on the true story of Joe Gould, a bohemian eccentric who was a fixture in New York's Greenwich Village from his arrival in 1916 to his death in 1964. Gould, who claimed to be a graduate of Harvard, would cadge drinks and subsist on catsup as he regaled patrons of neighborhood saloons with stories, poems, opinions, and his imitation of a seagull. In a 1942 New Yorker profile by journalist Joseph Mitchell, Gould spoke of his life's work, a book entitled An Oral History of Our Times, which he claimed would be eleven times longer than the Bible, contain a variety of overheard conversations from throughout the years, and document the decline of 20th century culture. Mitchell kept tabs on Gould, and tried to introduce him to publishers who might put his work into print, but nothing ever came of it, and it wasn't until Gould's death that Mitchell discovered the surprising truth about his friend.

fascinating true life story
What is history? Is it nothing more than the accounts we read in books of the exploits of various kings, queens, generals, armies, nations etc. as they wage war or deliberate peace throughout the endless millennia? Or is it - as Tolstoy implied - the sum total of the day-to-day actions of ordinary human beings eking out an existence on this unique little planet we call Earth?

These are the questions posed by Stanley Tucci's "Joe Gould's Secret," an intriguing little film based on the true story of a well-known eccentric who lived amongst and associated with the New York literati of the 1940's. This tale is really about two "Joes" - Joe Mitchell, a highly successful writer at "The New Yorker," and Joe Gould, a strange but alluring figure who shuffles his way around town begging for handouts, yet who claims to be a writer currently involved in authoring a monumental "oral history" of the world around him. Intrigued by this true eccentric, Mitchell decides to feature Gould in one of his magazine pieces. Thus, the two Joes spend countless hours together as Mitchell examines, records and tries to understand the lifestyle and thoughts of this most unique and extraordinary of individuals.

The best part about "Joe Gould's Secret" is that it allows the title character to remain something of an enigma throughout. It doesn't try to "explain" him or rob him of the ambiguity that makes him so fascinating a figure. In many ways, Gould fits perfectly the image of the artist we have come to romanticize and even glorify in our minds over the years. He is often gruff, irrational and temperamental, prone to wide mood swings and occasional violent outbursts, yet he is also capable of making profound insights and he possesses an innate ability to afflict the "comfortable" living in their smug little materialistic worlds - a tendency that endears him to the, perhaps, equally smug Bohemians around him. That he has to "suffer" for his art - he is virtually homeless and relies on the pecuniary contributions of his "friends" to get him by - only elevates his standing both in his own eyes and the eyes of many others. Credit the complex screenplay by Howard A. Rodman for being able to see that Gould may himself be suffering from delusions of grandeur that the people who admire him and the work he is doing simply reinforce - perhaps because they like to have a "colorful" character hanging around or because it makes them feel good to be minimally and patronizingly kind to a fellow human being (you will note that only one of his concerned "friends" or patrons is willing to provide him with a place to live - so much easier to hand him a few dollars and send him on his way). Even Mitchell becomes highly conflicted in his feelings towards Gould. Though at first intrigued by his eccentric nature, Mitchell, once the article is published and Gould has served his purpose, begins to see the man as little more than a daily annoyance, a time-consuming irritant to be gotten rid of. As Gould slips ever further into the realm of societal castoff, "Joe Gould's Secret" begins to take on the air of a profoundly sad human tragedy.

Yet, in the end, it is what Joe Gould stands for - his insistence that we shine a light on the forgotten members of the working class and the down-on-their-luck societal "losers" - that ends up making the strongest mark on both Mitchell and us in the audience. Though we are often appalled by the lifestyle Gould lives, we can't help but acknowledge the truth of his core conviction. Real history CAN be found every bit as much in the words, faces and lives of those people lurking in dingy pubs and toiling away in sweaty factories as it can in the royal courts and on the bloody battlefields that somehow preoccupy so many of the world's historians.

Ian Holm gives a brilliant performance as Gould, managing to appear both larger and smaller than life as the situation warrants. Whether he is rhapsodizing poetically about the meaning of life or extending his palm out in a poignant gesture of humiliating beggary, Holm makes Gould a completely believable and thoroughly unique character. Tucci, as Mitchell, the passive observer, has the less flamboyant role, but he manages to convey the seemingly contradictory nature of a man who wants both to remain skeptical and to believe in the "truth" of Gould and what he stands for.

"Joe Gould's Secret" transports us to a fascinating time and place and gives us much food for thought once we get there. ... Read more