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THE AGONY AND ECSTASY OF PHIL SPECTORMovie Reviews
Documentary about legendary record producer and convicted killer Phil Spector. Cast:Phil SpectorDirector:Vikram JayantiRelease Date:June 30, 2010DVD Release: TBD Length:1 hr 42 min
The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector, Good Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector played in key cities to good reviews. • Norman Wilner wrote in Toronto Now, "...peels back layer after layer of privilege and disconnection to reveal the self-deluded man within.... a fascinating, tragic case study in splendid isolation." • And Tom Long wrote in the Detroit News, "From rock and roll genius and madman of the mansion to a prison cell. Agony and ecstasy indeed." More Reviews Below...
The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector Positive Reviews (20 Reviews, reviews below)
The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "To say that Phil Spector has a mammoth ego is an understatement.... creepily riveting... he compares himself to Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Bach and Galileo."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 694 words, 06/30/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...absorbing film isn't an apology or an explanation, but it nonetheless holds plenty of answers - including an amusing dissection of that infamously wiry hair-bear 'fro..."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 161 words, 07/02/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...filmed interviews are the disturbing heart of an erratic new documentary... Spector talking never fails to hold our interest, but other aspects of the film are less successful."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 08/19/10
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a landmark documentary... most fascinating when Spector sits in front of a white piano in his suburban LA castle and talks about his years as a record producer."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 314 words, 06/30/10
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...offers no cross-examination. Except for some grisly crime scene photos at his tacky L.A. mansion, the woman he shot in the mouth is largely out of the picture."(See all of Bill Stamets's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 289 words, 10/22/10
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...a Top 40 opera.... Spector's discourse and observations of his courtroom demeanor are interwoven with his greatest hits, often played in their glorious entirety."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 915 words, 06/30/10
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "It takes no prodding from Jayanti to get his subject to talk; Spector finds everybody, with rare exception, wanting. And he gossips about them endlessly..."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 752 words, 01/28/11
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "Watching Spector glare at his accusers, his eyes lime pits of fury, while the Crystals power through Da Doo Ron Ron is mesmerizing, spooky stuff."(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 642 words, 01/28/11
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...peels back layer after layer of privilege and disconnection to reveal the self-deluded man within.... a fascinating, tragic case study in splendid isolation."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 223 words, 01/27/11
KEY CITIES (6 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "What a strange thing is 'The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector.' But then again, what a strange man is at the heart of this flawed but compelling documentary."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 627 words, 12/17/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...fascinating because its subject is so influential and so deranged, a shambles because its filmmaker can't decide which approach to take and so takes all of them."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 757 words, 01/28/11
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...imperfect, fascinating... a jumble: a movie crammed with interesting material that's too often confusingly arranged."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 291 words, 09/10/10
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the movie creates its own wall of sound... It's disconcerting but strangely effective -- you get a sense of different aspects of the man, coexisting as one..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 390 words, 12/03/10
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a vivid portrait of hubris and paranoia.... Juxtaposed with scholarly, surround-sound analyses of the heavenly music he made, the interviews are even more perverse."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 99 words, 11/05/10
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...a Top 40 opera.... Spector's discourse and observations of his courtroom demeanor are interwoven with his greatest hits, often played in their glorious entirety."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 915 words, 06/30/10
Brett Milano, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...suitably weird... Songs by the Crystals, the Righteous Brothers, and Ike & Tina Turner are about all that come out of this movie unscathed."(See all of Brett Milano's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 167 words, 01/20/11
Scott Tobias, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the sheer force of Spector's personality and work far exceeds any clumsiness in illustrating them.... gripping, revelatory, and a little self-incriminating."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 381 words, 06/29/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...peels back layer after layer of privilege and disconnection to reveal the self-deluded man within.... a fascinating, tragic case study in splendid isolation."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 223 words, 01/27/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "To say that Phil Spector has a mammoth ego is an understatement.... creepily riveting... he compares himself to Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Bach and Galileo."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 694 words, 06/30/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...filmed interviews are the disturbing heart of an erratic new documentary... Spector talking never fails to hold our interest, but other aspects of the film are less successful."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 08/19/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Ronnie Scheib, Daily Variety: GOOD "...the most original contribution is surely the quasi-Godardian juxtaposition of silent-running trial footage with signature lush orchestrations of Spector's music..."(See all of Ronnie Scheib's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 458 words, 10/20/09
Kevin Lally, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "...one is reminded just how wonderful Spector's musical legacy is, only to have your breath taken away by the megalomania he exhibits in the rare interview..."(See all of Kevin Lally's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 640 words, 06/29/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...filmed interviews are the disturbing heart of an erratic new documentary... Spector talking never fails to hold our interest, but other aspects of the film are less successful."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 620 words, 08/19/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "To say that Phil Spector has a mammoth ego is an understatement.... creepily riveting... he compares himself to Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Bach and Galileo."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 694 words, 06/30/10
12.1 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector's reviews are separated by an average 12.1 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector (20 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector's reviews cover 17.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 9,238 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 462 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector Coverage, Volume & Length (20 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 66 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector's reviews on average broke 66 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector (20 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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