criterionforum.org

Here's a review of the new documentary about writer Harlan Ellison which was screened at SXSW. Sounds interesting!

Official site

This has been in the festival circuit for about half a year now, and from what I've heard it's absolutely wonderful, especially if you're a Harlan Ellison fan (and I'm certainly as big an Ellison fan as he's ever had, so I know I'll love it). If and when it makes it to Seattle, I'll be there.

Dylan wrote:This has been in the festival circuit for about half a year now, and from what I've heard it's absolutely wonderful, especially if you're a Harlan Ellison fan (and I'm certainly as big an Ellison fan as he's ever had, so I know I'll love it). If and when it makes it to Seattle, I'll be there.

Yeah, I've been a huge fan of Ellison's from way back as well. You'll have to give us yer thoughts when you get a chance to see it. The clips on the official site certainly look good!

Opens at Film Forum June 4.

The Onion A.V. Club has posted an excellent two part interview with Harlan. Part One and Part Two

I guess if you want a love letter to Ellison, this will serve the bill (at least according to what I've read about it), but I found it really off-putting that Nelson decided not to include anything from any of Ellison's various enemies. Ellison says in the Onion interview that he suggested to Nelson that Ellison's enemies be included as well, but Nelson's comment about not needing to do so as Ellison is his own worst enemy strikes me as really disingenuous. More likely is that Nelson figured Ellison would cut him off at the knees if subjects like The Last Dangerous Visions were looked at seriously (and maybe they are, but I doubt it), or brought on someone like Gary Groth to give what would no doubt be a vastly different portrait of him. For many, Ellison's various run-ins define him almost as much as his writing, and I would have been interested in seeing a documentary that really dug into the contradictions in Ellison's character, rather than a bunch of his friends slobbering over him.

it's a shame that this wasn't made back when he was still relevant as a writer, and not now when he's just a bitter and assaultive asshole coasting on the reputation he built decades ago.

Didn't quite know where else to put this but Ellison is suing CBS-Paramount and the WGA about a Star Trek episode that first aired 42 years ago.