MartinHafer This documentary spans a period from about 1960 to 1980. The traditional Hollywood system was quickly crumbling--brought on by some incredibly expensive flops, such as "Cleopatra". And, because television had taken away from the film business so much, profits were way, way down. In reaction against the past and to help them out of financial meltdown, the studios turned their eyes to a whole new breed of filmmakers--folks who were making films that were little like the films of old. Now the new auteurs were the boss-- and in many cases they were wildly successful and in a few others they became the victims of their own egos and lifestyles. The film features tons of interviews with various Hollywood experts and craftsmen. While I agree with some of the folks who have reviewed this documentary that many of the films mentioned in the documentary are way overrated, I cannot help but admire the overall quality of the film. It is slickly made, has exceptional graphics and is clearly a work of love. Well worth seeing--particularly if you consider yourself a film buff or expert on the medium.

moonspinner55 After 20th Century-Fox's "The Sound of Music" raked in big box-office and Academy Awards, every Hollywood studio was busy for the next couple of years trying to duplicate its success (it isn't specified here, but Fox itself was one of the hungriest at pilfering from this genre). Unfortunately, "The Sound of Music" was really the end of the popular, old-fashioned, break-out-in-song Hollywood movie, giving way to the rebellious counterculture. Seen as a major turning point--and released before "Bonnie & Clyde"--"The Wild Angels", a Roger Corman biker flick from A.I.P. (which came out one year after "The Sound of Music"), signaled a change in perceptions. The studio system was breaking down and actors were no longer on contract (since the youth movement didn't exactly want pretty stars). Most young, hungry American movie makers of this period took their cues from the European directors of the early '60s, and this documentary chronicles their battles with the ever-present Hollywood regime into getting their avant garde movies made, marketed and released. Most of the movers and shakers from the past are here, looking quite good, and their recollections from this fertile period for thought-provoking entertainment are fascinating. The downfalls (the drugs, the egos) are documented in a matter-of-fact way, nobody is chastised or condescended to, as the rise of the summer blockbuster (Steven Spielberg's "Jaws") heralded the weakening of the character-driven drama. This film does make it seem as if the smaller, more personal Hollywood motion picture is completely dead now, but fails to take into consideration terrific films like "Sling Blade" or "Monster's Ball" which, high profile or not, give serious movie-fans hope for the future. But as a chronicle of this golden era, "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls", narrated by William H. Macy, is fairly straightforward, mostly accurate, very entertaining, and a great tool for film buffs who weren't privileged to have been there. *** from ****

bob the moo In the 1960's the Hollywood studios were having a hard time of it. Their audience had grown up, been attracted away by television or had simply become bored with big musicals and the usual fare being fed to them. Against this backdrop some young talents started to come though, breaking the normal operation of the Hollywood system. With Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda making drugged out movies, Coppola being given his big shot and coming up trumps, Spielberg and Lucas coming through to create the idea of blockbuster cinema or Martin Scorsese coming from one Roger Corman feature to create Mean Streets and Taxi Driver.Based on Peter Biskind's book this film takes on the near impossible task of covering a decade or so of change within the Hollywood system and pretty much does it well. Even having watched it and seen how it did it, I am still impressed by how it managed to structure itself in a way that didn't seem to struggle with the scope of the material and delivered such a broad picture of the time. Viewers with a better knowledge of the era or some of the specifics films in question will probably feel a bit short changed as the film does flash over a lot of stuff but the majority of people will find that it keep moving along enough not to really notice. The reason for this is that the film keeps the delivery coming in consistent broad strokes that mean the audience never gets into the detail but knows that this is about a wide subject.The talking heads are well managed and really help keep this approach up by giving plenty of good contributions without dragging the film down into the detail. William H Macy does a good job of narration and his lines are well written – informative without being obtrusive. The absence of Spielberg, Altman, Lucas and a few others is not that great a loss because their characters and egos would have dominated a bit too much in a way that the majority of the others don't.Overall, the specifics can be found elsewhere but this is an effective and interesting broad look at the era of the director. It never gets too deep into the detail of any one story but it doesn't matter too much as the delivery generally supports this broad approach to produce an enjoyable documentary that will suit the majority of viewers.

evanston_dad "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" is an orgy for movie lovers. How can anyone who loves film not be in heaven at the constant parade of landmark films and key industry figures that charges across the screen in this fast-paced documentary? If you've read the book, the movie will feel cursory, and one will find himself wishing for more detail, more insider stories. There are curious omissions here, and wonders if Bowser structured his content based on who he could get to agree to interviews. Altman is hardly mentioned, Scorsese (who shows up everywhere talking about movies) is not interviewed, and Kubrick isn't mentioned at all (save for one shot of the "2001" poster). Still, what's there is great, and if you're like me, you'll be left with a twinge of sadness that such a rich time in film artistry seems to be gone forever.Grade: A-