Reviews

If this little doc does nothing but make you curious enough about the work of Ellison to go out a read a few of his short stories, it will be worth your time. Imagine how curious you would be if Mark Twain were still alive and could be interviewed. Yeah, it's just like that. And Ellison writes as well as Twain did.

Actually, there are some parallels and stark contrasts between Sam Clemens and Ellison. Twain's _Tom Sawyer_ was the first novel written on a typewriter. Ellison has a typewriter, which he pecks on with two fingers, but never used a computer or word-processing program. Clemens and Twain were irascible and fearless when it came to declaiming what they believed to be true. Both were highly ethical, but cared little for religion. Both writers were prolific. Twain did _not_ have a Jewish mother. Oy. Both were spellbinding on the lecture circuit. Both of them will be read as long as the English language exists. If you have any interest in fantasy or fiction or science fiction, Ellison's genius and sharp wit are unsurpassed. Clemens is long gone, but thank God I lived to read --and see-- Ellison!

My wife and I saw the movie together. We paid attention to what was going on. We _really_ paid attention. At times I felt a little twinge, but nothing like I did when I saw Linda Blair tearing into those priests and spewing pea-soup and walking down the stairs like a spider with blood gushing out of her mouth. The movie just flickered on and on and I thought it was never going to end. My wife said, "What's going on." I replied, "I don't have the foggiest." We didn't shiver. We didn't shake. No one in the audience made a sound. A few got up and left. But I paid my money and I almost never walk out during a movie. I mean, like, what is the matter with me? Am I the only person on the planet that didn't enjoy this flick? Did I miss something? My eyes were open the whole time. I didn't fall asleep, but wanted to. Compared to this, I thought _Blair Witch_ deserved ten stars. I swear I was totally sober through the whole movie. No drinking or drugs. I just didn't get it. I'm really, really, sorry, guys.

This movie was written with skill and sensitivity, and the casting was phenomenal. Jodie Foster's speech before the committee brought me to tears. This movie simply could not have been without the power of her acting. It's not exactly like the book, and I wish the book's discussion of "pi" could have been included, but this is one of my favorite movies, and still is, nine years later. Get the deluxe DVD to explore just how difficult the movie was to make, the technical hurdles, the dedication of the actors. The deluxe edition has no fewer than three commentaries, one from Ms. Foster, one from the director and producer, and one from the technical team. Ordinarily, I would never listen to so much commentary coming from one movie, but I listened to them all, and watched the original movie over and over again to get a feel for the effort behind this production. You may consider SETI the height of futility, and perhaps it is, but Sagan's vision was masterful.