Dylan Documentary: No Direction Home

muk

Is anyone else interested in watching the two-part premiere this Monday and Tuesday, 9-11pm, on PBS? Should we see if Soda will put it up on the big screen for one of those nights?

Any Soda peeps reading this? Sarah Rose, you out there?

tk was me!

I would love to see this on big screen...

Did you see "Don't look back"?

whyfi

Subject: Re: Dylan Documentary: No Direction Home

Muk wrote: Is anyone else interested in watching the two-part premiere this Monday and Tuesday, 9-11pm, on PBS? Should we see if Soda will put it up on the big screen for one of those nights?

Any Soda peeps reading this? Sarah Rose, you out there?

I breezed through a WSJ review on this- the reviewer wasn't impressed. Basically said that, if you were willing to sit through this lengthy program, you're probably already a Dylan fan, and if you're a Dylan fan, you're probably not going to gain any new insights on him... :?

muk

I did indeed. I love Pennebaker's stuff. I am interested to see how Scorcese puts this new one together.

Oh, here's the PBS link: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/dylan

tk was me! wrote: I would love to see this on big screen...

Did you see "Don't look back"?

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muk

Subject: Re: Dylan Documentary: No Direction Home

Hmm, not a great sign, but it won't stop me from at least watching part 1 on Monday night.

nybt wrote: [quote=Muk]Is anyone else interested in watching the two-part premiere this Monday and Tuesday, 9-11pm, on PBS? Should we see if Soda will put it up on the big screen for one of those nights?

Any Soda peeps reading this? Sarah Rose, you out there?

I breezed through a WSJ review on this- the reviewer wasn't impressed. Basically said that, if you were willing to sit through this lengthy program, you're probably already a Dylan fan, and if you're a Dylan fan, you're probably not going to gain any new insights on him... :?

cat

Subject: thought the film was great.

i saw this at the CMJ music festival last week on the 'big screen' & thought it was GREAT! I'm not a huge Dylan fan, or haven't been, and the historical information alone was worth it to me. Plus it made me really appreciate him and his lyrics. I missed the first hour but enjoyed the three hours I saw. I would recommend to fan or non-fan.

**Is the Wall Street Journal known for its music reviews? One 'unimpressed' reviewer does not mean it's unimpressive.

jack

Subject: Re: Dylan Documentary: No Direction Home

nybt wrote: I breezed through a WSJ review on this- the reviewer wasn't impressed. Basically said that, if you were willing to sit through this lengthy program, you're probably already a Dylan fan, and if you're a Dylan fan, you're probably not going to gain any new insights on him... :?

No disrespect to anyone who is a reviewer on DH, but as someone who has worked in entertainment publishing for longer than he can imagine, I truly do not give a rat's ass about what any reviewer has to say about anything anymore.

It all comes down to opinions. But too many reviews treat their words as if they are gospel. And the preachy tone is really annoying. On top of that, there are tons of examples of reviewers who have panned movies in the past that eventually were regarded with respect by viewers and others. Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" comes to mind as a film that was lambasted for assinine reasons by reviewers who barely knew what they were talking about. Ditto with lots of Jim Jarmusch's stuff.

I'm no big Dylan fan, but I do like Scorsese and think he can handle making a wonderful documentary that fans--and non-fans--can appreciate.

whyfi

Subject: Re: Dylan Documentary: No Direction Home

Jack wrote: ...I truly do not give a rat's ass about what any reviewer has to say about anything anymore.

Very true! When I lived in the Twin Cities, I used to do the exact opposite of the recommendation of a certain movie critic... Chris something with the Pioneer Press...

You certainly do have to take things with a grain of salt, but in this case, I am swayed by the review. Questioning artistry is one thing- very subjective, but content? To me, a documentary had better tell me something that I didn't already know or it should make me look at something in a different light. If it fails on those two counts, it fails as a documentary. That's not to say that it's not entertaining, but I still feel that it fails it's primary goal.

devincf

It's a great film. I am actually mystified as to why it didn't get a minor theatrical release to qualify for the Oscars.

carnivore

I just saw Neil Rosen's review of this on NY1. He gave it a very enthusiastic review, calling it "a truly great documentary," and "perhaps the definitive portrait of Bob Dylan". He gave it 4 out of 4 apples.