nineteenthly What lets this film down most is the poor acting. If you can see past this, and you don't get hung up on the idea that special effects are not the be-all and end-all of science fiction movies, you'll see a pretty faithful version of the book. I couldn't say I liked it enormously but it has sadness and political savviness on its side. It left me wondering how much of this was based on PKD's life itself and even made me curious about his real-life death. The brownness and dirtiness of the scenery and sets definitely work well, something lacking in many adaptations of Dick's stories. I do wish it was a little slicker and more commercial but that's probably because I've been spoilt by Hollywood production values. In the end, that's not what science fiction is about. The quality of the acting is a bigger stumbling block for me though.

The_Monocled_Mutineer Honestly? - Are the reviews here real, or are they members/friends of he film crew? I don't wish to sound indelicate here, but this is a truly awful film. It is a film made of a great story, but it falls short on so many levels. The acting is sub-par, the dialogue is tenuous, the action is moderately interesting and the visuals are woeful. I had been waiting for this film for a long time and like many other Dickian's, I relished the thought of a new addition to the world of PKD. However, this is by far, one of the worst adaptations that I have seen, yet. I am genuinely astonished that it has garnered 5.9, moreover though, are some of these reviews fake? I cannot for the life of me see anything of merit in these reviews, other than obvious bias. There is so much wrong with this film, I feel cruel listing them all. From writing to filming, from filming to post, from post to release - It is obvious that this film has had troubles from the start. I would implore Simon50 to keep hold of the rights to the novels that he has bought - And I would ask him to leave it to the professionals.

firma_ment I found this to be a pretty amateurish and low-budget effort. OK, so maybe the director didn't have a forty million dollar budget, but still, this had very little artistic merit. There have been films made on the cheap that had artistic vision. Pi for instance. This has next to no artistic vision. The only interesting thing about it were the ideas, and they were courtesy of PKD. The acting was pretty bad all around. The guy who played PKD wasn't too bad, but the others were terrible. Especially Alanis Morrisette. How did she end up in this? Does she know the director or something? OK, so maybe the director is a PKD fan. So am I. That doesn't mean I should bust out my camcorder and record my dog enacting a PKD novel in my backyard. If he can't do justice to the material he should just sell the rights to the other two books that he supposedly has. I'd hate to see them given such shoddy treatment as this.

Tss5078 From Philip K. Dick, the mind behind the Terminator, Blade Runner, & Total Recall, (just to name a few) comes one of his most abstract and best reviewed novels, Radio Free Albemuth. Since being released in the early 80's, Science Fiction fans and literary scholars alike have analyzed it over and over again. They seem to think there is a deeper meaning, but to me the meaning of the story is simply that every single person can make a difference and change the world, if they are inspired to do so. Radio Free Albemuth is Philip K. Dick's biography, only in an alternate universe. Dick is a Science Fiction writer and the narrator of the film, who tells the story of his friend Nicholas Brady (Jonathan Scarfe). Brady is an ordinary guy who one day starts receiving visions of the future. Most people think Brody is crazy, especially his wife, until all of his predictions start to come true. Brady moves his family to L.A., where he becomes a record executive and that's where the story really takes off. The world these people live in is a police state, cause by the hysteria brought on by terrorism and The Cold War. Brady comes to realize that he is the key to changing the world for the better. All he has to do is find out how to do it and who or what is instructing him to do so. The alternate Phillip K. Dick, played admirable by Shea Whigham, is a witness to the events and makes it his mission to chronicle the work of his friend. Like most writers, Dick was known for being more than a little eccentric and many have questioned where this story came from, and weather or not Dick believe he was experiencing the same types of messages that Brady was. As for the film, it is just so well done, and I've always love stories that take place in alternate realities. The story is as much political as it is scientific, and when you throw in the inspirational message that anyone can change the world for the better, you've got one hell of a story. From beginning to end, the cast is terrific, especially the mysterious Sylvia, played by Alanis Morrisette of all people. I knew she was in Dogma, but I had no idea just how good and actress she could be, isn't it ironic? Radio Free Albemuth has everything I look for in a movie and then some, and it is written by one of the best there ever was, I can't possibly recommend it enough.