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Dreams With Sharp Teeth

Play trailer Poster for Dreams With Sharp Teeth 2007 1h 36m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A profile of Harlan Ellison, a prolific fiction writer.

Critics Reviews

View All (21) Critics Reviews
David Fear Time Out Rated: 3/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Leo Goldsmith indieWire If there is a criticism to be lobbed at Nelson's judicious but otherwise highly entertaining tribute, it's that it too often plays the role of the fawning, autograph-hungry fanboy, willing to accept all of the abuse Ellison wishes to hurl at it. Aug 8, 2009 Full Review V.A. Musetto New York Post 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. Rated: 3/4 Jun 6, 2008 Full Review Pablo Villaça Cinema em Cena Ellison arrogante, mal-humorado, impulsivo, auto-indulgente, prolixo e agressivo. ... tambm brilhante, articulado e divertidssimo %u2013 exatamente como este belo documentrio que gira em torno no de sua obra, mas de sua personalidade. Rated: 4/5 Feb 1, 2010 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Snappy documentary on prolific writer Harlan Ellison. Rated: B+ Jan 23, 2010 Full Review Bill Gibron PopMatters As documentaries go, it's a brilliant distillation of a figure of almost impossible scope. Here's hoping it opens Ellison up to a whole new audience - and here's knowing that they won't be ready for him. Rated: 4.5/5 May 27, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member I'm a little embarrassed to say I've never heard of harden elision before I watched this movie but I'm glad to learn about him. Although I fell like I learned some of the most valuable lessons for my life I just cannot say that this movie was enjoyable. I think it's because I expected this documentary to be more of a movie Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member A documentary about Harlan Ellison, an incredibly talented writer and also a hilariously bitter person. Very fun to watch if you enjoy a company of a cranky old jew. RECOMMENDED Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member This is one of my all time favorite documentaries. I highly recommend it to every one. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member great doc about the guy who (among other things) who my favorite star trek (original) episode ' 'the city on the edge of forever" Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member I love Harlan and his writing after watching this I love his personality equally as much. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member American short-story writer and essayist Harlan Ellison has more in common with old-school Jewish comics like Lenny Bruce, Mel Brooks and Woody Allen than with the science fiction masters he's usually lumped in with, like Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke and Dick. With a raging social conscience, an utter disdain for pretension, bad writing, and those who tolerate mediocrity and intolerance, there's nothing he won't say. Ellison's larger-than-life persona and willingness to walk the walk have made him a legendary and contentious figure albeit, oddly, one not widely known outside lovers of genre fiction--probably because he's never had a major, popular film officially adapted from his stories, and his books are maddeningly difficult to find in bookstores. In DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH we get to see Harlan read--from memory--portions of his most famous stories; hang out in his astonishing LA home, dubbed Ellison Wonderland, with fellow motormouth Robin Williams; relive misadventures from his 50-year career with old friends and fellow writers; and see terrific vintage clips of him from the '60s and '70s talking about his love of vengeance and the revolutionary powers of fiction. Long a crusader for the property rights of writers everywhere, he's been the bane of existence for producers, editors and, indeed, other writers, for decades. His rejection of religion and spirituality in all its forms is truly inspiring, and his contempt for barely literate bestseller pop fiction and the mind-numbing effects of bad TV is unparalleled. Ellison may write books that historically have been shelved in the science fiction section but he is as committed and passionate about the real world as any political activist. "No, you don't have the right to your own opinion," he says, "you have the right to an *informed* opinion. Anything else is just farts in the wind." Ellison reveals writing for the hard yet simple work it is and sneers at those who would relegate this necessary social function to some ethereal elitist plane. DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH is a rare glimpse into the too-often unseen world of those who create with words and have the courage and conviction to back that up. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Dreams With Sharp Teeth

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A profile of Harlan Ellison, a prolific fiction writer.
Director
Erik Nelson
Producer
Erik Nelson
Screenwriter
Erik Nelson
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
May 22, 2020
Runtime
1h 36m