Dehydrator
01-30-2002, 03:40 PM
THE DOORS
Directed by Oliver Stone in 1991
Starring :
VAL KILMER as Jim Morrison
MEG RYAN as Pam
KYLE MC LACHLAN as Ray Manzarec
This is a somewhat difficult movie to review. I'll start of by saying that, according to the comments on the Imdb this movie isn't much loved by the fans of THE DOORS ( a lot of bitching how Stone "disorts history" ) and even less by their non-fans. Plus I'm biased as hell when it comes to this movie, there's a lot of positive stuff I connect with it that hasn't got shit to do with the quality of the actual movie. You know, if someone mentions THE DOORS ( group and film alike ) I just get melancholic of sorts, thinking about certain things in my life that you couldn't care less about. So take this with a grain of salt :
The movie follows the rise and fall of singer ( or poet and velvet meance whatever ) Jim Morrison and alas, his group known to the civilized world as THE DOORS.
Starting off with a voiceover by Jim (Val Kilmer) and a flashback to his childhood, I think your appreciation for this movie will depend on what you think about the group as such : If you don't like their music, have zero tolorance for movies about the certain area (late sixties and beginning seventies) and always thought that Jim Morrison has been nothing than a drug-infested, all day drunk, rambling hippie reject, you should go nowhere near this movie, with the exeption of looking for a proof that you are right.
The movie maily concentrates on Jim as musican and personna, the rest of the band is mostely just there ( if I'm right, the fact that the group recorded two albums after Jim had returned to his galaxy isn't even mentioned ) to back him up. For an example we never even get a hint at how Ray got married while Jim's sexual overexposure is on the screen pretty much every ten minutes. The point is : If you hate Jim Morrison you'll hate this movie because it's all about him. If you would like to see a competent biography on the band this seems like the wrong place to start too since Stone apperantly concentrated on the Rock'n'Roll part of Morrison's life, portraying him as a shaman/poet rather than a rational human being. If yet to read one of the books based on him in real life but it seems like the two most competent ones speak against each other. I'm talking 'bout John Densmore's ( Drummer ) RIDERS ON THE STORM and Manzerec's THE DOORS, JIM MORRISON AND I ( the german title, I have no idea how it's called in the rest of the world ). So I don't think this movie is a reliable base on building your opinion on what they were about. Inspite of all this : The movie just plain ROCKS!
The acting is fabolous by everyone involved, it makes my head ache that two of the main actors are usually on my "Actors that mighty suck" list : Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan...this is the only good thing I've ever seen any of those two seen in. Val Kilmer apperantly sung the songs portraid here ( examples : Love Street, People are strange, The End, Break on Through, L.A. Woman ) by himself and even the original Doors had reportedly difficulties to differ between his and Jim's originals. Kilmer does an unbelieveable job. Meg Ryan comes out of this as nothing less but brilliant as Jim's girlfriend who seems fascinated and at the same time royally pissed by her better half. Jim's rise and fall are portraid in-your-face and I think this is just the right movie for stone to throw uncomfortable images on the viewers : Nerve wrecking rambling by a drunk Jim ( burning-bedroom scene), Mind-boggelin' acid trips by Jim and the rest of the group ( Let's all get on mescaline scene ), Jim insluting the audience in concert, Jim getting it on with Patricia Kennely... it's all there and it's seedy. If you're into this kind of stuff, you'll like it. If you're not, be afraid!
Just like I said, a difficult movie to endure, wherever you come from. But a very rewarding one if you dig it. Again, I'm biased and I'm not gonna tell you why but check this movie out, no matter how you come out of it, it will sure make an impression.
9/10
Directed by Oliver Stone in 1991
Starring :
VAL KILMER as Jim Morrison
MEG RYAN as Pam
KYLE MC LACHLAN as Ray Manzarec
This is a somewhat difficult movie to review. I'll start of by saying that, according to the comments on the Imdb this movie isn't much loved by the fans of THE DOORS ( a lot of bitching how Stone "disorts history" ) and even less by their non-fans. Plus I'm biased as hell when it comes to this movie, there's a lot of positive stuff I connect with it that hasn't got shit to do with the quality of the actual movie. You know, if someone mentions THE DOORS ( group and film alike ) I just get melancholic of sorts, thinking about certain things in my life that you couldn't care less about. So take this with a grain of salt :
The movie follows the rise and fall of singer ( or poet and velvet meance whatever ) Jim Morrison and alas, his group known to the civilized world as THE DOORS.
Starting off with a voiceover by Jim (Val Kilmer) and a flashback to his childhood, I think your appreciation for this movie will depend on what you think about the group as such : If you don't like their music, have zero tolorance for movies about the certain area (late sixties and beginning seventies) and always thought that Jim Morrison has been nothing than a drug-infested, all day drunk, rambling hippie reject, you should go nowhere near this movie, with the exeption of looking for a proof that you are right.
The movie maily concentrates on Jim as musican and personna, the rest of the band is mostely just there ( if I'm right, the fact that the group recorded two albums after Jim had returned to his galaxy isn't even mentioned ) to back him up. For an example we never even get a hint at how Ray got married while Jim's sexual overexposure is on the screen pretty much every ten minutes. The point is : If you hate Jim Morrison you'll hate this movie because it's all about him. If you would like to see a competent biography on the band this seems like the wrong place to start too since Stone apperantly concentrated on the Rock'n'Roll part of Morrison's life, portraying him as a shaman/poet rather than a rational human being. If yet to read one of the books based on him in real life but it seems like the two most competent ones speak against each other. I'm talking 'bout John Densmore's ( Drummer ) RIDERS ON THE STORM and Manzerec's THE DOORS, JIM MORRISON AND I ( the german title, I have no idea how it's called in the rest of the world ). So I don't think this movie is a reliable base on building your opinion on what they were about. Inspite of all this : The movie just plain ROCKS!
The acting is fabolous by everyone involved, it makes my head ache that two of the main actors are usually on my "Actors that mighty suck" list : Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan...this is the only good thing I've ever seen any of those two seen in. Val Kilmer apperantly sung the songs portraid here ( examples : Love Street, People are strange, The End, Break on Through, L.A. Woman ) by himself and even the original Doors had reportedly difficulties to differ between his and Jim's originals. Kilmer does an unbelieveable job. Meg Ryan comes out of this as nothing less but brilliant as Jim's girlfriend who seems fascinated and at the same time royally pissed by her better half. Jim's rise and fall are portraid in-your-face and I think this is just the right movie for stone to throw uncomfortable images on the viewers : Nerve wrecking rambling by a drunk Jim ( burning-bedroom scene), Mind-boggelin' acid trips by Jim and the rest of the group ( Let's all get on mescaline scene ), Jim insluting the audience in concert, Jim getting it on with Patricia Kennely... it's all there and it's seedy. If you're into this kind of stuff, you'll like it. If you're not, be afraid!
Just like I said, a difficult movie to endure, wherever you come from. But a very rewarding one if you dig it. Again, I'm biased and I'm not gonna tell you why but check this movie out, no matter how you come out of it, it will sure make an impression.
9/10