Dreams with Sharp Teeth (2008)

You get a bit of everything here; looks at cranky Harlan, rants, and book excerpts. While it'd be nice to have some more in depth analysis of his work, his personality is just so big that it overpowers it all. Super entertaining movie.

I've only read a couple of Ellison's stories ("'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman", and "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream", maybe one or two more that I don't remember). I wasn't interested in this documentary because I'm a fan. I have a family connection to an editor of sci-fi work from the period where Ellison was living in and publishing out of New York, and I was curious about whether that connection was mentioned at all. That is the sole, presumptuous, and completely narcissistic reason I watched this film.It was, regardless of the lack of mention of my niece's grandfather, thoroughly entertaining and informative. Ellison has a knack for storytelling even when he's not telling stories. It's worth watching... for those two or three people wondering whether to watch it or not.

Rule #1 when making a documentary is to have an engaging subject. And few out there are more interesting than Harlan Ellison. Ellison is one of the most provocative, caustic, and opinionated voices in American history. He is also one of the most prolific writers of science fiction ever published. If you've never read his work, then chances are you've heard one of his vitriolic rants. Ellison is certainly not one to suffer fools gladly. And you certainly don't cross the man. Naturally, much of the humor of the documentary is derived from the cantankerousness of Ellison, himself (and there's plenty of amusement).But there are unexpected moments of poignancy, as well. Ellison shows emotion while regaling the audience with tales of his growing up in Cleveland, Ohio (a frequent target for bullying). And even a bit of longing for his deceased parents. These moments (though brief) shed some humanity on Ellison the Personality.Dreams with Sharp Teeth is a solid documentary, filled with infectious energy and sharp wit. The film pulls no punches in its portrayal of this in-your-face writer, and never fails to entertain.

While Harlan Ellison might bite my head off for going off into self-indulgence in writing about whether or not I enjoyed Dreams with Sharp Teeth, I should mention how I came across him and why I had to seek out this documentary, for better or worse. The first was watching the adaptation of his short story, A Boy and His Dog, by LQ Jones from the mid-70s, a warped, outrageous, and yet insanely lucid fantasy satire that was the direct inspiration for Mad Max. It's still unlike few stories out there in terms of matching wit with real decrepit atmosphere fused with the cold-blooded non-ideal of living underground in a false utopia.The second was reading Harlan Ellison's Watching, a collection of his film criticism from the mid 60s to the early 90s. For anyone looking to become anything of a writer about film or one who just wants to become more knowledgeable of Ellison's sardonic and ferocious pen need to check it out, as it is, in my opinion, on par if not more enjoyable than Pauline Kael. He brings personal experience into the work, as well as some imaginative leaps/flights of fancy (i.e. imagining the nimrods going at the mall to see Rambo: First Blood Part 2 opening weekend), and while it and his film writing get only passing mention here, it is something that should be mentioned at every turn. That, along with I would wager reading just one of his stories, will turn you on to him... or turn you off.The documentary on Mr. Ellison and his successes, and his own personal anger at life and the world in general most days, is adoratory but not unaware of the man's tendencies to lunge out at people's throats (if only figuratively) any chance he gets. He's alive like few other writers (I'd say Hunter S. Thompson could take him, but that's about all that pops into the mind at first), and like all good writers knows that a legacy is legitimate only by the work left behind. As we see here, it is the work that is incredible, if only for the abundance of it: hundreds of short stories, loads of TV work, 8 Hugo awards, and a Master of Science Fiction award. Oh yeah, and apparently this 5'5 Jewish kid from Ohio was a super Ladie's man in his time, though we only get a hint of that and more-so the lovely, acerbic relationship with his current wife of twenty years, who seems to be the only one who can stand up to him when he goes off the rails.If the filmmakers may take some choice clips that don't quite dig into all the crevices we might want (i.e. they brush over the fact, though make mention, of his lack of contact with a sister, and his personal life in general with his family), they do provide us an idea of his working relationship, maybe so much so that you wonder who could work with him. He's a professional, to be sure, but he'll also nail a gopher to a door of a publisher or go into a Three Stooges style stunt to give a big-time sock in the nose to someone he has a vendetta against, and never will a fool be treated kindly. What one takes away with in Dreams with Sharp Teeth, ultimately, is that whether or not you'll "like" this guy or even "like" the guys writing, he's alive. He won't be a zombie in the world, though he admits that he's thought once or twice it would be more convenient than waking up every morning angry as hell. You wouldn't want to walk down a dark alley and meet this guy's mind and not be ready to spar. If nothing else, the film does a fantastic job illuminating that and the man's career.