Wow, I'm impressed. Most people don't know that. It was pretty close, though seeing as how it obviously wasn't meant to be an "Alan Berg vs. The Order" documentary. It's a good thing, because I think Barry Champlain was much more interesting than Berg.
Yeah, these days Talk Radio seems a bit wacky. Eric, as a standup comedian has done stand-up acting and has quite a few CDs out. They're all very good, and he's a VERY quick thinker, and insightful. Bitingly honest too.
When I was living in Denver I remember hearing a great special on KOA radio about Alan Berg, I believe on the 10th anniversary of his death. (I wish to God I had saved a tape of that!) He was a great radio personality despite his over the top abrasiveness. They played an interview of Berg made by a KOA intern (something that was originally aired like at 3:00 AM on a Sunday) and he came across as a kind, funny, and very insightful guy. I liked "Talk Radio", haven't seen it in years, but after hearing the Berg special I had a bit less respect for the movie. Dan C
Knowing the real story and seeing the movie was a bit troubling for me in the begining for me... then I came to my sences and realized that it was a drama and that I needed to suspend my disbelief just like watching anyother movie. This one was just "based" on a true story. Getting killed in your work parking garage or in your driveway really doesn't matter in the film. Neither does his "battle with the order" the point was to be entertaining.. and it was..
Talk Radio came out quite a while ago, so I'm not sure if I got the story right, but as I understood it, originally it was a one actor play written and performed by Eric Bogosian. O. Stone bought the rights to a book about Berg, and combined elements of both for the movie.
good play, too. a friend of mine produced it for the stage three or four years ago here in san francisco. later, chris
I did like the movie when I first saw it, admittedly years ago. I want to see it again. It was an intriguing movie until perhaps the final reel, where things tend to fall apart and Mr. Stone gets a bit too self indulgent. I always loved Stewart Copland's unusual score. Dan C
Alan Berg never had such disdain and disrespect for his audience, something the movie character seemed to have plenty of near the end. I thought it was an unfair portrayal, even if it was simply "based" on Berg's life. Still, like I said above, I liked the movie and want to see it again with fresh eyes after all these years. Another Stone movie I'd like to see again is "Salvador". Dan C
Oliver Stone, self-indulgent??? NEVER!!! I didn't like "Radio" - I think it's one of Stone's weakest films, and is actually rather dull. Here's a link to my review: Check it out!
Hmm, maybe I don't want to see it again after all. Nice review Colin. I did notice this line: "Ultimately, the soundtrack would have scored a little higher, but some tape hiss was apparent throughout the movie; that flaw detracted from the presentation. Nonetheless, Talk Radio presented a fairly good auditory experience for its age." And what exactly is wrong with tape hiss??? The audio track must be the original mix, right? I wish ALL DVD reissues would give us a choice of the original mono, stereo or Dolby surround mix as well as the 5.1 remix. Dan C
Nothing! But a modern movie shouldn't demonstrate any. This isn't a case of worrying about movies being no-noised - I watch a LOT of DVDs, and I know that hiss is very unusual on anything modern and it falls into the "flaw" category for that reason. As such, I docked "Talk" a little for it...
