Review of Dreams with Sharp Teeth (2008) by Brad W — 19 Jun 2009

What happens when the angry young man grows up to be the last angry old man? (Besides Dick Cheney that is.) Well, in this case he's a multiple award winning writer of various genres that champions literature, intelligence and morals. He challenges you to be the best you can be, but does all of this in the most antagonizing way possible.

If you're OK with that kind of confrontation at every turn, then this is the guy for you. Watch as Robin Williams, Neil Gaiman, Dan Simmons and Tom Snyder relate stories and occassionally get Harlan to answer questions.

Here's my problem with the film: I'm too close to the subject matter. I've been an Ellison fan since 8th grade. There's plenty of amazing stories about this guy and his writing. At 100 mins. this seems thin to me. On the other hand, if you're just getting people interested in him, maybe enough is covered to pique their curiousity. It seems there's plenty of things that are glossed over or not mentioned at all. (But some things might require more rights clearances than the budget would allow.) I can only hope that this works on neophytes to his output and brings them in for a read. If it does, then the film requires an even higher rating than I gave it.