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Visitors Review

ociopia 2012-05-18 07:14:28

Contemporary tragedy beautifully done yet terribly painful to watch.

This sort of biopic is the best example of "we bring who we are to afilm." I'm surprised at the few reviews I've read as they seem to thinkJohn Lennon was an adult. I thought the film daunting because it soobviously was exploring Lennon's psychological state and it was spoton. He was a man-child who did not mature. I can think of few filmsI've seen where we know we are watching someone who just can't get pasttheir childhood pain. We are shown why Lennon is hurt. His mind swirlsconstantly around this pain. His reaction to his pain is barely veiledfury, a rage to hurt as many others as he can and an obvious self-loathing that cut to the quick. Lennon is absolutely crippledinterpersonally. He sees "them" as all the people external to his selfand then there is "me," who he knows is acerbic and difficult and he isstuck in this horribly vicious cycle. It is terribly sad and disturbingbecause, I suppose, Lennon is iconic.Along comes Yoko Ono and by some completely mystifying chance, he hooksup with someone who allows that injured child to come out and play andfeel some freedom of expression. Does this cure him? No. Does it helphim? Maybe. You do feel he is a bit happier, though still desperate. Heglues himself at the hip to Yoko and never lets go. The film does not explore his creativity at all. In this I can't saythe film is just as I don't know. But I did not think Lennon original,merely clever at being reactionary to anything that touched him. Herefined "acting out" to an art form and melded this with Yoko'sperformance art. He lived his life asleep, his unconscious in totalreign and it was a vindictive and hateful shadow that ruled him. I wonder how this man wrote "Imagine." I now think it was as much apersonal plea to his inner self as it was a plea to the world.

2012-05-08 19:54:06

Turning In His Grave! Lennon As A Daft Hick

Are we seriously being asked to believe this actor represents Lennon? The accent is over-the-top northern, he walks like a chimp bobbing dramatically from side to side, he has the physique of an overpumped college wrestler, and if his acting were any stiffer, it would shatter and litter the floor with a thousand pieces. Sure Lennon was a salt-of-the-earth type of guy, yet you'd think you were watching a troglodyte when you see this bulging guy walk and talk and strain terribly every time he tries to think. It's hopeless stuff. And the script...think of all the overtold stories and lines we already know, and they are here. Poor Lennon, impersonated by an actor for whom subtlety is rocket science and finesse the name of a French salad. When I think of the fine humor, the tastefulness, the wry irony, and the elegance in Lennon, I find it appalling to see how underprepared and unperceptive the people behind this movie were. Here, Lennon strolls around like a dolt who is going through the shock of having his first idea. Surely he deserves better.I have no beef with the flick presenting Lennon's nastier side, just don't rob people of their time with such lousy product. On the other hand, it may be worth a viewing just for the laughs...or the horror.

2012-05-08 01:39:17

Worst biopic ever

One wonders at the intention behind this film. They have such blinders on that we can't see. It comes close to slander in that it sees nothing good in John Lennon...He was not a saint, but this is not a biography either. It's awful.

2012-05-02 03:19:48

Go to Apple's DVD selection for your Beatle Fan- Boo, BBC!

Really, really disappointed with this movie. I'm pretty well- read on Lennon and a life- long fan but couldn't get into to this. History- wise, too, it focuses on some really irrelevant events and skips over other more important ones. For example, why the focus on John's dad? More Cyn! More Yoko! What about the music? I did agree with the more harsh betrayal of Lennon, as believe it or not, he is human. However, Yoko's quiet, less aggressive character was a disappointment. Their relationship seemed sudden here when John had been communicating with her since India... Some little details such as this add to the drama but take away accuracy. Anyway, any big Beatle nerd may appreciate this as simply "amusing." It was fun to yell at the screen, personally.A more normal fan will be bored and disgusted by Lennon.Don't buy. A waste!

KazuyaRyuzaki 2012-05-01 00:04:59

Lennon Naked

Lennon Naked is a television biographical film focusing on the life ofJohn Lennon between 1967 and 1971.It stars Christopher Eccleston asLennon and was directed by Edmund Coulthard.This biopic about John Lennon as the beloved Beatle and focuses onLennon's life during the end of that legendary band. While Lennon comesto term with the end of this fruitful creative partnership, he falls inlove with Yoko Ono and must face his long-absent father who makes anunexpected return into his life.In 1964, in the peak of Beatlemania, areluctant John Lennon is persuaded by manager Brian Epstein to meetFreddie Lennon, the father who abandoned him seventeen years earlier,with the press in attendance. When they meet, John accuses him ofabandoning him, but his father says that "he left it up to John." Johnand Brian quickly leave the meeting.The movie jumps then to 1967, after Brian Epstein has died. The Beatlesare giving a press conference about their new film, Magical MysteryTour. John is skeptical about the film, but Paul convinces him to gothrough the idea. John then invites his father to his mansion to livewith him. Freddie Lennon arrives and meets his grandson, Julian.Thestory goes up to 1971 with the final scene shows John and Yoko gettingon a plane and flying away, while a text on screen reveals that afterthey left in 1971, they never returned after having a press conferencewhere John and Yoko announce that they will go to New York to live.There is something disembodied about this attempt to exploit the name,fame and commercial fruit of the iconic bad-boy songwriter.Butunfortunately,there is a lot to desired of from this TV special. Butnevertheless,it gives a revealing insight into John Lennon and lifebefore and after the band and music which makes it interesting andenjoyable.

sixbells99 2012-04-23 11:36:22

A moving film but not without its faults

Lennon's music has now reached mythic status, yet the man has alwaysbeen a contradiction veering back and forth from saint to sinner like aship in a storm. This film shows painful yet moving aspects of Lennon'slife. It's all the more agonizing to watch as you see his taintedupbringing being repeated on Julian his first son. The film deftlymoves from a historic Beatles film, focusing on the break-up and thelast meetings of the band, to intimate moments in Lennon's life. Noneof it feels forced with some beautiful direction and photography.Christopher Eccleston doesn't quite pull off playing the most iconicBeatle. During close ups the deep lines cutting across his aging faceshow the 46 older is painfully too old to play Lennon during his 20'sand 30's and almost distracts from the film. He has gone for a causticLennon, sourer than sulphuric acid with a tongue as forked as aserpent. There is not one scene where we are given the glimpse of theman who wrote "All your is love". Instead we are given an endlessbarrage of Lennon at his worse. But you cannot help thinking how muchricher the film would have been if we had seen the other side ofLennon.Die hard Lennon fans will find much to criticise, however the sceneswith his father and his Ex-Wife Cynthia more than make for these flaws.

2012-04-18 03:57:59

Awesome look at a side of Lennon we never see

Based on books i've read by insiders like Derek Taylor, Allastir Taylor and the like I found this movie to be downright awesome. I am glad that someone finnaly had nevre enough to show us the side of John that we never see. It is a well known fact that John was a very bitter man and rightfully so when you consider the very tough and sad childhood he had. Please don't get me wrong, I have always been a very big Beatles fan since 1964 and a big fan of all the solo efforts that have been released by all 4 of the lads and a big supporter of John's political stands. I must say I am also a fan of Yoko's.I have read the stories about things like John hopping Paul's fence and tossing the brick thru the window, or how he claimed to be Jesus Christ in a meeting in 3 Saville Row Office's, and if you want a better feel of how John was I recommend you read the book- Waiting on the Beatles: An Apple Scruffs Story by Carol Bedford. She gives a first hand story of almost everything that is in this movie and she was there everyday for over 5 years. If you don't know what an Apple Scruff is then you are not a true fan of the band. Look it up on Wikipedia or listen to George Harrisons All Things must Pass album, he wrote a song about them as a tribute to them, George was a very big fan of the Apple Scruffs. They even appear in the Let it Be movie and sang back up on Across the Universe and a few other song on The Beatles Album "White Album".I loved this movie and recommend it highly. Sorry if you die hard Lennon fans don't agree but as much talent as he had, he was very rough around the edges. I miss his music and I miss him but the truth is the truth and we can't change that.

2012-04-17 13:15:58

Lennon Fans Don't Waste Your Time

If you have fond feelings toward the memory of John Lennon, I would stay away from this film. It presents a pretty biased look at the final years of Lennon in the late 1960s presenting him as nothing but a radically depressed a-hole. Christopher Eccleston resembles a mid-1970s John Lennon & does a pretty good vocal impression. Im a fan of his and I wanted to like this production. Hes way too old to play the 23 year old Lennon we see in 1964 in the beginning. The Beatle wig looked silly on him. Naoko Mori is fine as Yoko. The guy who plays Paul does a good voice, but the Beatles other than Lennon dont resemble their real world counterparts, nor are they featured in much of this story. The entire tale dramatizes every depressing and negative thing that Lennon experienced/did during that era. Sure everyone can be depressed and everyone can be a cruel jerk once in a while, but thats almost all John Lennon is presented as here. What about all the fun, happy times which also fill our lives? Lennon is not permitted any. What of all the great music he created on the White Album, etc.? You wont see or hear anything about that here. Lennon left England because of the negative treatment he and Yoko received in the British press. The makers of this production seem to have never forgiven him for that and this film is their revenge. Im sure Lennon was a self-centered jerk plenty of times, but Im also sure thats not ALL he was.

2012-04-14 17:45:24

A Stripped Down Tale--"Lennon Naked" Has An Emotional Rawness, But Left Me Somewhat Disconnected

There is so much biographical material on The Beatles and John Lennon, I was curious to see what angle the BBC's "Lennon Naked" might take. A psychological portrait of loss and alienation form the crux of this film which presents the more negative aspects of a unique artist. Charting a timeframe from 1964 to 1971, we see Lennon reconnect with an estranged father, become entangled with Yoko Ono, dismantle his marriage, disband The Beatles, take up political activism, and eventually leave Britain altogether. As with most bio-pics, there is plenty of fact and plenty of invention. I do think "Lennon Naked" portrays an interesting side to Lennon, but any historical background or context is rather rushed. It probably helps to come into "Lennon Naked" with pre-existing knowledge of the events in questions. For me, the primary reason for watching "Lennon Naked" is Christopher Eccleston's uncompromising performance (even if he's a bit old at the outset). Never does the screenplay try to endear us to Lennon or soften his edges. I found that to be the most refreshing aspect of the picture. Eccleston has literally and figuratively stripped down Lennon and presents us with a man very difficult to like, and in doing so has created something that feels very real. Ultimately, though, your appreciation with "Lennon Naked" will be determined by your expectations. There is surprisingly little actual biography--just snippets of a life lived. This is a character piece in which Lennon systematically pushes everyone away from him with a standoffishness that is surprisingly candid. It is the self-indulgent artist versus the world, at least until Yoko shows up. The film eventually tries to explain some of Lennon's emotional disconnect, which results in arguably the finest dramatic scene, but can be summed up rather tritely as "daddy issues." In truth, I didn't love "Lennon Naked," but I did admire it. There is no doubt that Lennon was a visionary and a genius, but this film barely hints at the talent that made him unique. Without any real glimpse of the artistic Lennon, the unpleasantness of a man who continually alienates the most important people in his life can seem a bit one-note. At 90 minutes, there's only so much this BBC production could cover--but it's so unrepentantly bleak. I wanted more time to see a fully rounded Lennon. As a psychological portrait, which is the primary goal of "Lennon Naked," I ultimately wanted something more in-depth. The emotional payoff didn't offer enough dividends for me and I ended up slightly disconnected from the film. KGHarris, 11/10.

2012-04-14 08:08:24

Dynamic

This review is from: Lennon Naked (DVD) Another docudrama that allows us to see "some" version of John Lennon's life. It was informative and while not for everyone, I certainly enjoyed it. If you are a fan then I think you'll like this. Everyone must be aware that drama is added for drama sake and most "real life" movies are BASED on facts but enhanced for entertainment value.Sorry to disagree with many of the other reviewers but I did find it entertaining and what more can you ask for as it is better to have items like this than nothing at all.

2012-04-11 07:11:37

What Was the Point?

As we were watching this film when it aired on PBS, I got involved with what the filmmaker, Edmund Coulthard was trying to say and take it at face value. I had fewer problems with the choice of casting that many others here seemed to have because to me it wasn't really about the cast. Being a self-considered Lennon fan this was a little hard for me to watch and I had to ask myself if it was the human ability to want to elevate our heroes after they are gone. The nostalgia factor as it were.As another reviewer writes here, to me and what I know of John and his life, public and private, he was a complicated person, full of extremes. His talent and intelligence was unquestionable. His emotional side ran the gamete from nasty and very self-involved to very loving and giving of himself. He was, or acted like he was a little crazy. True artists, musicians and actors are often eccentric and self-absorbed. It seems go with the territory.We know from all the other media about his life that John was not perfect but I think like many of us, he strove to be... to give something back. He was VERY human, and his life, by choice as well as not, has been well documented on film (home movies as well as professional footage,) books and interviews of those that knew him best!So why would we need a semi-fictional biopic of this nature unless it had to do with money? Why was this film necessary for the director and producers to produce?Upon reflection, I wonder what the purpose really was in making this film? Was this made in search of a new artistic angle in which to view Lennon's life, or in search of money? Did the film makers have a contractual necessity to make it? Were they behind the 8-ball and had to produce something the BBC could promote? I have to keep asking myself, what was the intention? What was the point?

kgwalker21 2012-04-11 02:57:34

Where was the 'lovely guy' that Paul knew ?

John Lennon comes over in this film as overbearing, callous, uncaring,rude, acerbic, immature, self obsessed, in fact its hard to see anyredeeming features in the character who stars here. Whilst we (thefans) all know that John could sometimes lean towards the above we alsoknow that he had a very funny, caring and deeply intuitive side aswell, I've lost count of the number of times I've heard Paul or Ringosay 'John was a lovely guy'. Well Im sorry but the John portrayed herewas anything but. Make your own mind up about how far down the road ofcharacter assassination Lennon Naked goes. As far as being factual withthe events of this period of Lennon's and The Beatles a lot of theevents I have read about before and assume to be fact,although Isuspect it only vaguely represents the actual truth, but then, only thepeople present in the rooms would know for sure. Overall I didn't likeit, I thought Eccleston, who although credible, was too old for thepart and this distracted from the reality overall. If your at all aLennon fan, I wouldn't recommend it, way too one dimensional in itsapproach of portraying John Lennon for me, although you might think Iam biased being a fan, I have tried to look at it objectively though,Id be very interested to know what Cynthia thinks of it.

physicsgoddess1 2012-04-06 10:44:05

Shallow surface treatment of Lennon's issues

First if you have read Cynthia Lennon's book on John there is nothingnew here. Second I was very disappointed in this movie. Maybe I wasexpecting too much as it was Masterpiece Theater? I was verydisappointing with the lead Christopher Eccleston as John. He is tooOLD (at 46 he's older than John was at his death let alone to beplaying a 20 something). In the "Mother song scene" John looks the sameage as his father Fred. That said, the actress who plays Cynthia did afantastic job of showing her as a whole person and not some prop inJohn's early life (as she is often presented). And the actress playingYoko was good as well. This could have offered great insight intoJohn's problems had another actor been cast in the lead and a morerounded view of John been presented. Too Bad.

2012-04-05 22:19:14

A one sided view of John

I agree with everyone who said the actor portraying John was much too old-looking to be him, especially in younger years. The wig looked silly. I did not think any of the actors looked like who they were supposed to be portraying, except perhaps for the woman who portrayed Yoko. I also agree that John had made some bad choices in his life, and was not a perfect saint. I also agree that he was someone who did much good in his life, or tried to. He tried to learn from his mistakes and attempted to make amends for some of the things he did that were hurtful to others. He did not get the chance to continue to do so, as he was judged and executed by a very sick individual who blamed John for all of his own inadequacies and abuses by others. He became John's judge and jury, and sentenced him to death, for being human, like the rest of us. He robbed John of his chance to try and make things right, and he robbed John's children of their father, Yoko of her partner (no matter what the truth of their relationship was), and the world of a complicated, interesting, and extremely gifted artist who never claimed to be a perfect role model to anyone. I fault this movie for not being balanced in it's portrayal of it's subject. It shows perhaps some of the why's of his actions/reactions, but does not show anything positive that he did or tried to do. There are many movies that just show John as this sainted talented musician, which is also not true. He was many things. These movies are not accurate, but neither is this portrayal of him, as someone who was injured as a child, and so became an unpleasant person who had no positive attributes of his own. I believe John was so hard on himself about all of the mistakes he made; do we need to be hard on him also? Haven't all of us done things that were not right; hurting others who were innocent because we were hurting ourselves, losing our patience and taking things out on whoever was near, etc. Why is John judged on a so much higher level than the rest of us? Why can't we accept him for who he was, instead of holding him to impossibly high standards that are impossible to achieve? He never claimed to be perfect, he was just a human being who loved music, and tried to survive the crazy existence of living as a famous person in our society. He did the best he could with the life experiences he was given, as we all try to do. He produced some of the most beautiful music ever created for all of us to enjoy, while he was in the process of trying to live his life. Why must he be only one extreme or another? This movie is not a fair, definitive portrayal of John. It is just another one-dimensional portrayal of a human being, who happened to be famous. Who is he, really? He is John. Simply, John. That's enough for me. Shouldn't it be enough for all of us?

2012-03-29 11:21:52

It Won Me Over By The End

The immediate reaction I had from the beginning of the film is that Christopher Eccleston is too old for this role of a young John. For a long time, I couldn't see anything more than Eccleston in a wig. Looking really nothing like John didn't help matters either. Needless to say, that it took me right out of the film. However, Eccleston's ernest portrayal of John won me somewhat over by the end. The story itself is good and the acting is even better. I liked the idea of the movie since that is one topic the Lennon movies never really talk about. You really get to see the hurt Lennon you could only before really experience through his music. Kind of ironic that John hated his dad for abandoning him as a child and yet he did the same thing to his own son, Julian. Overall, a good film that won me over with interesting interactions between a man and his father with great acting by the cast.

2012-03-29 04:21:20

Character assassination from start to finish!

Obviously the writer of this pile of crap had it in for John(was probably insanely jealous and/or another mark david chapman). From start to finish, painted John in the worst light possible, with lots of completely inaccurateevents even. There are lots of good books & movies about John and all of the Beatles, but this is NOT one of them.Would NOT recommend to anyone!! HORRIBLE!

2012-03-28 02:06:20

The madness of John Lennon

This review is from: Lennon Naked (DVD) My first thought was that I was disappointed that the actors in this film did not look anything like the real characters. As the film progressed, I found myself getting more involved and full of emotion. Lennon was a complex character and I believe he was truly mad. I'm not sure if his madness was drug induced or just part of his natural being. Lennon was a cruel, mean and angry man and his only cure was Yoko Ono. Eccleston did a fantastic job being Lennon. This film was like a fly on the wall view of this complex life. I'd definitely recommend this to all true Lennon fans.

2012-03-27 10:47:10

Lennon depicted as a miserable insect

This is a very difficult movie to get through. As anyone who has read a book or two about Lennon, or heck even a detailed article about his life, knows he has his negative side. We all are flawed and we've all made poor choices. Lennon was no exception, having abandoned his first wife and child, abused drugs, and sometimes treated friends and business partners with disregard. But, as evidenced by hours upon hours of audio and video footage, Lennon was an interesting, good humored, intensely creative person. None of that is portrayed in Lennon Naked. The film chooses to focus exclusively on the most depressing, least flattering aspects of Lennon's personality. We don't see him writing songs, playing guitar, or recording music. The basic "plot" finds Lennon dealing with his father, who abandoned him as a child, returning to his life. After years of not seeing him, Freddie Lennon tries to re-establish a relationship with his son. The results are mixed, as Lennon hasn't forgiven him. During all of this, we see that Lennon treats his own son Julian roughly the same way. I loved Christopher Eccleston as Doctor Who. Not only is he laughably old to be playing Lennon as 20something man (Eccleston is 46, six years older than Lennon at the time of his death), he looks nothing like him. He does a passable vocal impersonation but otherwise does very little to evoke Lennon.Some scenes reenact press conferences that the real actual footage of is readily available (in far worthier films like the 1988 documentary "Imagine: John Lennon"). In all cases, the actual footage is FAR more compelling than the staged versions. In other words, with so many documentary films existing about Lennon there is little reason to bother with this sad movie.

2012-03-23 09:30:55

DVD for a friend

This review is from: Lennon Naked (DVD) I should have my friend review this since I bought it for her...she is the Lennon fan. She said the lead looked and talked like Lennon did. I watched it and the story line was enjoyable. I can't say I was riveted, but it made for a good time with a friend.

2012-03-22 17:01:49

Informative and Entertaining

This review is from: Lennon Naked (DVD) I can understand why most reviewers did not care for this movie. However, you must realize that as Oliver Stone once said about JFK, "This is not a documentary. This is movie making." No movie is 100% accurate to factual material. If it were it would not be a movie. It would be a documentary. However, a movie director should have enough factual material in a movie to make everything else in it coherent. I think writer, Robert Jones and producer/director, Edmund Coulthard do just that. It recreates important events in Lennon's life from 1964 to 1971. Examples are the following: The Beatles acheiving worldwide stardom in 1964, Lennon hearing about the death of The Beatles' business manager, Brian Epstein, the making of the film, "Magical Mystery Tour", the divorce from Lennon's first wife, Cynthia, the love affair and marriage to his second wife, Yoko Ono, drug use, being arrested for drug possession, the breakup of The Beatles, and the decision to move from London, England to New York City. Plus, Christopher Eccleston does a superb job as the title character; one of the best I've seen. Anyway, if you're looking for more accucurate information about the life of John Lennon, you should watch a doucumentary such as LENNONYC. But, if you are interested in watching something about Lennon's life with dramatic elements added, you might want to give LENNON NAKED a try.