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| The Future Is Unwritten | 
 enlarge | Director: Julian Temple
Actor: Joe Strummer
Studio: Sony Legacy
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $11.05
You Save: $8.93 (45%)
Buy New/Used from $10.83
Avg. Customer Rating:  (8 reviews)
Sales Rank: 853
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Explicit Lyrics, Hifi Sound, Surround Sound, Thx, Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 120 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 731784
UPC: 886973178492
EAN: 0886973178492
ASIN: B0017WI5W0
Release Date: July 8, 2008
Theatrical Release Date: July 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Julien Temple, one of the early documentarians of the London punk scene and director of the 2000 Sex Pistols film The Filth and the Fury, turns his attention now to that other seminal British band: The Clash--or more accurately, to the band's co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer, Joe Strummer. The Future is Unwritten is more than just a biography of Strummer; it is a tribute and exploration of a musician, artist and devoted humanist. Though Temple respects and admires Strummer (his influence is exalted by close friends, peers and fans like Bono and John Cusack), he doesn't romanticize this larger-than-life personality and presents Strummer honestly and not always in flattering light, though the director's fondness for his subject is constant. Most movingly, Strummer himself provides the narration via reassembled excerpts from a variety of interviews and the BBC radio show he hosted during the nineties. In the wrong hands, this could be contrived, but in this masterful documentary it serves as a testament to not just Joe Strummer the myth, but Joe Strummer the man, telling us his story in vivid detail. The Future is Unwritten is a moving and personal portrait of a musician who helped shaped not just punk, but modern music as a whole. --Kira Canny
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Death is a Star August 17, 2008
Excellent overview of Joe Strummer's much too short existence. Old friends sitting around a campfire and animations of Joe's drawings were great structural touches. Too bad Paul Simonon opted out.
Love it, but... August 16, 2008
I'm a huge Joe Strummer fan, so naturally I grab anything I can that's in any way related to him. As far as this movie's concerned, I came away feeling good, but not really with a sense that I understood Joe any more. Of course it was biased--the interviews were with people who were friends with Joe, so why would it be negative?--but I was pleased with the honesty presented. Friends expressed dismay about Joe's sudden change from rockabilly Woody Mellor to punk rock Joe Strummer and the subsequent attitude change; the film painted him as a social activist, but with womanizing tendencies; and it showed how all of it was an act. However, a great deal of the time it felt like it was more about, "Hey, look what famous person I got to interview for this movie who had no association with Joe Strummer whatsoever!" Johnny Depp? C'mon...at least Steve Buscemi and John Cusack were actual fans who'd interacted with Joe, but a great deal of the celebrities featured in the film seemed to be there for show, not for any real attempt to understand Joe.
In the end I liked the movie. I wish it would have covered more of his early years, his own philosophies and perhaps more interviews with family members. The focus was mainly on the Clash, which as a fan I don't mind too much--it just makes it a bit more difficult to separate Joe from his successful band, which I had really hoped the film would accomplish.
 This wasnt born so much as it fell out August 12, 2008
This plays more like somebody passed a video camera around at a wake. All the excellent concert footage was talked over by someone saying something that mattered to only two people, Joe and who ever was talking. Nothing new was revealed if you were already a fan. This was an hour plus of Joe Strummers friends giving him verbal fellatio.
Brillian Ode to a Brilliant Soul August 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Got this in the mail and popped it in the DVD player almost immediately. What a fantastic tribute to such a remarkable man. Joe's been just about my biggest hero for a long time and I was moved to tears when I had heard that he'd died. Temple's documentary brought out the man in all of his complexity and doesn't shy away from presenting him as both a flawed and yet truly inspiring person. By the time I'd finished the movie I'd been brought to tears again contemplating our having lost such a decent and humane artist. Musicians, artists and people the world over, but particularly in America, could learn a lot by viewing this film and taking a cue from Joe Strummer. Thank you Mr. Temple for making such a wonderful movie and recognizing such a wonderful man.
 sad, final years of a legend August 10, 2008
It's still hard to believe that Joe is gone. There will be no long hoped for Clash reunion, just a nice bunch of memories and some of the greatest songs ever committed to vinyl. As for the doc - it was a sober reminder for both the fan - and Joe - of how far the fall can be. Joe was starting from scratch with a scrappy young band, an indie label with no money and his past always hanging over his head. You can see a bit of weariness in his eyes and hear it in his voice - but on stage, though less animated, he was still in control. And while his later work wasn't anywhere near the quality of his Clash work, it was still vibrant and relevant. How many 40+ year old rockers can say that? Overall though - a little depressing...
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