Movies

I totally agree with several before me that at some point in the film, one forgets he is watching Val Kilmer play the late Jim Morrison. This is a marvelous performance by a gifted actor. His physical appearance and voice really capture the essence of one of the top five or six rock bands ever. There is lots of documentary footage of the doors because they came along when videotaping and filming were everywhere, so to capture a realistic display of performances in a film had too be good. We get to watch the guys slowly evolve. We get to see how Morrison held sway over the group. Ray Manzarek had an incredible talent of his own, and yet he kept being dwarfed by the charismatic lead singer. There were times when Morrison's performances were almost transcendent. The music is really good here as well.

Probably no music biopic has ever done a greater job looking into its subject than "The Doors". Focusing mainly on Jim Morrison (Val Kilmer), we get to see his masterful ability to write songs, but also his demons and his descent into complete madness. Jim Morrison was a genius and a nut. The movie never makes the mistake of becoming a litany of songs: it looks at the historical context, with the Vietnam War and everything else that made up the '60s. Val Kilmer does an incredible job playing Jim Morrison, and Meg Ryan is equally good as his girlfriend Pamela. Believe you me, there will never be another Jim Morrison. When he died in 1971, that really was the end.When I went to Paris in 1994, I went to Pere Lachaise and saw Jim Morrison's grave. There are signs pointing to it.

Oliver Stone's film, The Doors, is a visual delight. Stone has taken the music of The Doors and made this film as a homage to one of the great rock performers. Val Kilmer's performance as Jim Morrison will not be forgotten. He captures the role in every frame of the movie. The whole cast is well thought out as a matter of fact and Stone uses them wisely. Olver Stone is one of our great film-makers and this film will be appreciated in years to come as a staple of the rock-n-roll movie.