EssenceStory Well Deserved Praise

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

troy-corbin I've seen very few movies/documentaries that have been this boring along with such big egos who think they know how killers think. It's like sitting drinking at a bar where people are plastered and speaking out of there rear like they know all there could be known.At one point in the movie the person who lost his Mother by murder when he was 10 years old tries to speak for all surviving people of murdered loved ones; very narrow vision to categorize all people the same. Later in this commentary this person also states that other persons view points are misconceptions; but his views and writings are brilliant master pieces; talk about a huge ego.I watched this hoping there would be something good at the end (not unlike a bad horror movie); but not to happen.If you are someone who likes to listen to other peoples narrow opinions without acknowledging persons view points outside of their group; this may be the documentary for you.

xuyewklongxl2-143-750468 I really like the movie based on it being very true to the people involved! Very real! On that note, it is seriously f-ed up! I am interested in crime and crime history but this takes it to a new level! Crime seriously affected this guy and I really want to know what made his wife who she is! They are a perfect match but that scares me! This movie makes me wonder about EVERY person involved! The cops even more than the writer and his perfect match of a wife! The dinner table discussions make me blush and uncomfortable and I use the c and p words freely and without restraint. That being said, any movie that has this effect on me is intense! Be aware that it is VERY intense!

melissa-harris Perhaps this movie details one man's search for the meaning of death, exploring both his mother's death, as well as few other close-to-home murders, but his likability goes down the drain within 20 minutes of listening to his ego-stroking. On many occasions, James Ellroy comes off sounding like a sex-offender as well as mentally unstable.Dispute his 'profane' and 'politically incorrect' language, which i excuse as artistic expression, the man really does not have anything worth saying. I found myself scrounging for any kind of meaningful consequence i could tear from this film, but found none. It is my belief that this movie would be wildly popular with the type of cult following the documentary shows at various book signings and public appearances. Never having read his literature, i cannot comment on the nature of his books (perhaps they are excellent!), but i may suggest that this film is not worth watching unless you hold the man in as much esteem as he seems to hold himself in.

fordraff This 95-minute film shows Ellroy having dinner with a number of men who work for the LAPD homicide squad and with whom he is discussing the Blue Dahlia murder. The film cuts away from the dinner to go elsewhere. For instance, there's a tour of the section of L.A. where the teenaged Ellroy broke into various homes. He'd related this in "My Dark Places," which is pretty much what this film is a version of. Of course, we get the story of his mother's death, which was central to "My Dark Places." There is no doubt that his mother's death was the defining event of his life.In one segment, we see Ellroy giving a reading at an L.A. bookshop. This was a dismaying sequence because it revealed Ellroy to be a vulgar fellow, someone, apparently, who has lived far too long with his characters and the way they talk and perhaps the way they think. He began his reading session by saying, "Welcome all you perverts, pedophiles, panty sniffers" and continued with other words beginning with p. I could see the dismay on many of the faces in the room. Others warmed to this sort of "humor." He did a long riff on how he detests Clinton and hopes that he outlives Clinton so that he can make Clinton a character in a book and give him his due. Ellroy also detests the Kennedys and makes this clear.The best part of the film is listening to one of the detectives--a rather attractive, gray-haired man perhaps in his mid-40s--elucidate his theory that an L.A. surgeon was the Blue Dahlia killer. The details the detective used to support his theory impressed me as sound. And Ellroy himself agrees with this detective's theory.This movie is for Ellroy fans only, and some may be disappointed with the personality Ellroy reveals here. At one point, Nick Nolte enters the private dining room and sits down next to Ellroy. He looks like death warmed over and apologizes for his appearance by saying that he's just had some facial surgery. Nolte was very quiet and took it all in.