It would seem no easy task conveying the essence of a bigger-than-life figure like Ellison in a 96-minute film. But Nelson, producer of Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man, makes it look easy.
Comment
06/06/08
Dreams with Sharp Teeth (2008)
93 %
Reviews Counted: 15 Fresh: 14 Rotten:1 Average Rating: 7.5/10
Rated: Not Rated
Theatrical Release: Jun 4, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: Harlan Ellison is as well known for his outsize personalty as for his substantial literary output, which includes some of science fiction's greatest works. This fond portrait of the aging enfant terrible looks back at his classic novels and short stories, his days as a... [More]
Genre: Education/General Interest
Starring: Robin Williams, Neil Gaiman
Reviews
1 - 15 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
All told, Ellison is a fascinating person to spend 96 minutes with. But you probably shouldn't risk that 97th.
06/06/08
A fascinating, if cautious, portrait of a great writer and a world-class crank who is never less than compelling and often completely justified in his rants.
06/06/08
Will inspire all writers, anyone concerned with intellectual property rights and every independent-minded grouch, whether or not he gives a fig for art or has a creative bone in his body.
06/06/08
If Nelson’s aim was simply to give this bull a stage on which to rage, he’s succeeded; if the director is also trying to advocate the importance of Ellison as a man of letters, he’s wildly off the mark.
06/05/08
More content to hang out with Ellison ... than systematically pick him apart and put him back together like a jigsaw puzzle.
06/04/08
What makes this bracing documentary, 27 years in the making, is Ellison's incredible personal history.
06/04/08
If Dreams with Sharp Teeth isn't as...well, sharp as it could be, it's still enormously enjoyable, particularly for sci-fi fans.
06/04/08
Harlan Ellison is irresistibly snarky, persistently cynical and preternaturally intelligent, and so are his stories. Dreams with Sharp Teeth illustrates that well by training an eye on his larger-than-life personality and his considerable accomplishments.
06/04/08
Directed by Erik Nelson, Dreams With Sharp Teeth recalls the career of Harlan Ellison, a runty young geek who evolved into a world-famous artist.
06/04/08
Top Critic
Documentarian Erik Nelson, overcautious of his subject, is content to let Ellison luxuriate in his legacy of infamy--as a lothario, and a litigious and pugilistic combatant.
06/04/08
that rare documentary profile -- it not only makes you want to rush out and reread Ellison but, if you are a writer yourself, makes you feel good again about putting words together in a sentence.
06/03/08
Harlan Ellison is a mook, but he won't begrudge you for calling him that.
06/01/08
Like dinner with Harlan Ellison: if you already know him, a chance to get to know him better, and if you don't, an evening with an unusual and interesting personality.
04/17/08
Ellison's lasting contributions to science-fiction and the medium in general are well-documented in-between interludes where Ellison himself reads passages from his work and reminds us how beautiful the written word can be when put into the hands of a tru
04/09/08
1 - 15 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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