Stevecorp
Don't listen to the negative reviews
Baseshment
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
Nayan Gough
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Culli
I'm sorry, kids....having written "The Rainbow Connection" and taking some time off for Recovery does not, in any way, give anyone the complete picture or even the scope of Paul Williams' music. I was SOOOO disappointed in this film. I felt sorry for Williams and his wife...this guy just started following them around and filming everything - no discretion, no important questions...and a focus on a small handful of songs from Paul Williams' incredibly prolific career. He asked NO intelligent or even non-cloying questions - like where were you born, what did you like in school, what was it like working with Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand, who's your favorite Muppet?, has your process changed? What are you working on now, any new music? Etc...etc....this was done by a guy who made a documentary expecting Williams to come up with the whole script....he did no research, never listed Williams' credits or mentioned how many movies he wrote for...just loved his 'rainbow connection' sung by folks from all over the world. He spent a fortune and did nothing but dull Williams' reputation...I should have realized from the start the 'maker' was a jerk...why would you even THINK he was dead....the internet is readily available to use for RESEARCH as well as for publishing your own flat ideas.
rgblakey
These days there are documentaries on pretty much every subject imaginable. All of them have something of their own to offer, but all usually end up with a bit of the same feel. There are always a few that stand out for whatever reason, but none more than dealing with celebrities or various characters that have disappeared form the limelight. The latest talking this subject Still Alive looking into the life of singer, songwriter, and actor Paul Williams.Still Alive follows legendary 70's icon Paul Williams to see what he has been up to since vanishing from the spotlight so many years ago. If you don't know who Williams is then you are either too young or lived under a rock cause you couldn't watch anything without seeing him show up back in the day. While on the surface this film seems like it's just going to be another one of those slow follow around a celebrity stories with little information other than to tell about what used to be, but you quickly find out this is so much more. Where the filmmaker set out to see what Williams had been up to, clearly turned into something he didn't expect. Much credit to him for including some of the scenes that are things a lot of people would have taken out. While Williams agreed to let him follow him around, he constantly he seemed annoyed and put out by the whole thing which added an intriguing element to the overall film. It ends up showcasing not only what he has been up to, but a bit of what lead to his stepping out of the limelight as well as the unlikely relationship the filmmaker and Williams form as they the film progresses.Most people always look at a celebrities fall from grace when they go from being a superstar to suddenly gone, but Still Alive showcases a man who had it all and gave it up for something more life and happiness. If you are a fan of Williams, just recognize or never heard of him this is a must see documentary about a legend in the industry. You might be surprised what you learn about some of your favorite music and his involvement.
Troy Taroy
I only just re-discovered Paul Williams a year ago, although he was a clear memory from my childhood. Williams was a ubiquitous TV personality in the 1970s. And although the film will definitely appeal to nostalgia addicts of a certain age, it has more than enough good humor and emotional resonance to draw in anyone who's never heard of him (everyone's heard his songs). Kessler approaches his subject with great love, respect, and a sometimes intrusive curiosity. Williams responds at first with suspicion, then eventually trust. The growing affinity between subject and filmmaker almost becomes a second plot line - the primary one being Williams' manic career. It's edited with wit and, dare I say, pathos. I sat fairly close to the screen, and there were a few moments where shaky camera-work bothered me, but that's an inevitability whenever a filmmaker obsessively attempts to capture the essence of a childhood hero. The film also functions as a meditation on the true meaning of success and happiness. It's a lesson sorely needed in an aggressively competitive world, but the film doesn't preach. You walk away with some of the most beautiful songs ringing in your head. A beautiful film.
middlenamewayne
The gist of "Paul Williams Still Alive" (which I caught at its final SXSW screening in Austin this March) is simply this: would-be feature film documentary maker Stephen Kessler was so obsessed with the way the AM-radio hits penned by diminutive 1970s entertainer Paul Williams had made his teen-aged heart go all a-flutter that he decided to make a documentary about Williams -- without even realizing that his "late, great" musical hero was still very much alive! This is a cinematic concept that should'nt have worked -- but, thank the Pop Culture gods, it did!Mind you, it never would have come close to passing muster if Williams hadn't kept a veritably complete reference library of his clips on every bad music, comedy, variety, game and chat show that existed during the 70s and 80s. Nor would it have worked if Williams hadn't allowed Kessler full use of that library to reveal the inevitable downhill slide that nearly all of Hollywood's denizens of that time period were prone to follow! For his part, Kessler reveals himself to be (potentially) the world's worst director of a film like this as well! It's only when he and his childhood hero miraculously find them-selves on "the same page" (courtesy of an encounter with third-world terrorism, of all things!) that the alchemy begins to take place and the hill of Tinseltown dross turns miraculously into a mountain of pure gold!!! Fans of schlock will be delighted either way, as they roll about ecstatically in the slushy mounds of 70s celebrity offal expelled by the coked-up likes of Robert Blake, Karen Carpenter, Dick Clark, Kermit the Frog, Jack Klugman, Peter Lawford, Tony Randall, Burt Reynolds, Telly Savalas, Barbra Streisand, John Travolta and more!But more sensitive viewers will find themselves fighting to hold back the tears as the characters refuse to merely remain the two-dimensional "stars" that we enjoyed chuckling derisively at on our little cathode-ray tubes. Watch in stunned semi-silence as a slack-jawed star-gazer, obsessed with the tear-jerking tune-age that kept his appreciation of Paul Williams from advancing beyond the analytical level of a 12-year-old, metamorphoses into an insightful, savvy observer of character before your very eyes! Shudder in awe as the short-statured subject reveals himself to be more than worth the effort of analyzing! Whether your personal reference point to Williams is The Muppets ("The Rainbow Connection"), The Carpenters (Rainy Days & Mondays"), or Brian DePalma's midnight movie cult classic "The Phantom of the Paradise", you can trust me at least on one thing about this film: it WILL make you glad that Paul Williams is still alive!-- Kenneth W. Lieck
