God Bless Ozzy Osbourne (2011)

I really enjoyed reading Ozzy Osbourne's biography "I Am Ozzy" and found this movie was a great companion to that book.Due to reading his biography, I didn't encounter anything new or that I didn't already know about him. If that great book was to be made into a film, then this would be the logical one to be made.Ozzy Osbourne is a lot more intelligent than most people would realise, which firmly comes across in this movie. Many would be forgiven for thinking this is another "sex, drugs, rock n roll" music doco, but it's more a triumph over adversity tale with great soundtrack! How a bunch of long-haired hoodlums from working-class Birmingham made it big as musicians and pioneered an entire musical genre is inspirational in itself. His resultant battles with addiction and subsequent triumph over these also provide inspiration and unique insight behind the myth.The crazy rock n roll stories of Ozzy are of course here also, which both add large doses of humour and after a while, sadness and somewhat sympathy.A must-watch for Ozzy Osbourne and rock music fans!

God Bless Ozzy Osbourne is an extensive piece of work that sheds light on the Prince of Darkness himself. Ozzy Osbourne is a cultural and musical icon, pioneering heavy metal with Black Sabbath in the late sixties, introducing an explosive solo career, along with a reality show and raucous tours that fans say will never be matched. The documentary puts Ozzy's success in the background, while his personal troubles, demons, and hardships are placed in the foreground.John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne was born in 1948 in the working class neighborhood of Aston, Birmingham, England. As a teen, he had very few options; go to work in a factory, go to the army, or go to prison. The choice was his. He could never hold down a job and cringed at the thought of working decades in a factory. Like many teens, Ozzy formed a band with his friends, who would later get a small record deal with Warner Bros. to form the band Black Sabbath.Like mentioned in the documentary, listening to Black Sabbath now, it sounds rather ordinary because all the tricks have been copied over and over again, but in the seventies, it was some of the hardest, roughest, and most engaging rock music ever heard. Ozzy married young and had two kids, Jessica and Louis, both who agree that he was a bad father, distant, unkind, and very, very deranged.After his divorce, he finally married Sharon Arden, and had three children, Aimee, Jack, and Kelly who would later become the stars of the MTV reality show The Osbournes. Sharon states that living with Ozzy is a roller-coaster. He never seemed to be a fully functional father, always being away on tours, binging on alcohol and drugs (things he has had untold troubles with), not to mention just putting his musical work in front of his family.Once he was released from Sabbath, Ozzy pursued a solo-career, one of unmatchable talent. He became the "Prince of Darkness," hosting tours that were dark, eerie, and unpredictable, and began releasing heavy metal records that were unique and stylistic.One thing that is frequently brought up in the documentary is how insecure Ozzy truly is. He was the clown character of Black Sabbath, and Sharon states he acted that way to try and cover up his insecurities. It too seems that his erratic drug use is a response to all his regrets and missed opportunities in life. The series The Osbournes may have been funny to watch, due to it being rather all over the place, but as said by Jack Osbourne, it truly tore the family apart. Everyone began using drugs.As of today, Ozzy is stone cold sober. He has himself together, he is working on resurrecting his solo career (his latest album Scream is a definite winner), and he is trying desperately to be the real father to his children, all of which, even Jessica and Louis, he maintains a healthy relationship with. God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, which was produced by his son Jack, is a nicely composed documentary, but I have a feeling that this is nothing eye-opening to a lot of Ozzy fans. For me, someone who thought they knew more about the man than they did, it colored things in and even took me outside the lines, but hardcore fans of the prince may find it to be obvious, repetitive, and unnecessary.Starring: Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne, Jack Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, Aimee Osbourne, Jessica Osbourne, and Louis Osbourne. Directed by: Mike Fleiss and Mike Piscitelli.

I had seen bits and pieces of the MTV series The Osbournes, and I have been interested to see more about the past of the rock star known as the Prince of Darkness, and this documentary was a good opportunity to see that stuff. Basically this film, which uses four decades worth of stock footage, gives us an insight into the ups and downs of the life of Ozzy Osbourne, the world famous rock star who found fame in the band Black Sabbath, and solo. He started as a regular young man in Birmingham, England, and grew up to become a tearaway, and then of course he entered the music industry, and during the 1970's and 1980's he was one of the biggest names in rock. Ozzy also found happiness when his manager Sharon and he married and had three children together, Aimee (the one hardly anyone knows), Kelly and Jack, but of course his personal life was difficult when he delved into the seemingly impossible to escape world of drugs and alcohol. With his addictions becoming increasingly addictive, he found himself unable to remember his actions, and worst of all he would become dangerously violent, to the point where he was arrested for attempting to kill Sharon. Finally though, with the help of rehabilitation and his family's support, Ozzy managed to get away from the drugs and alcohol, and has been clean for years, and with a good happy life, and this documentary sees him celebrate his 60th birthday. With interviews from Ozzy himself, Sharon, Aimee, Kelly, Jack, Tommy Lee, Paul McCartney, Louis Osbourne - Ozzy's brother, Paul Osbourne - Ozzy's brother, and Ozzy's three sisters. Good!

This is a great combo of awesome ozzy music, from the early sabbath days right up to current solo ozzy, and the story of his life. It outlines ozzy's youth, the formation and his later sacking from black sabbath, and his amazing comeback as a solo artist. It makes you really realise how amazing it was that he was able to make such a comeback after such a low point in his life.The movie also gives the story behind ozzy biting the heads off bats, the death of randy rhoads,his attempted murder of sharon and his addiction (and eventual recovery). I was enthralled the whole time. Not sure if people who are not ozzy fans would enjoy it, but I absolutely loved it.