Radio Free Albemuth

Neither as good nor as bad as a lot of reviewers are saying. Flat acting, clumsy sound and cinematography--low levels of energy and interest. I never forgot I was watching a (mostly boring) movie. If you are a serious PKD fan you will want to watch it. If not, the first five minutes will tell you all you need to know--it does not get any better.

It's too talky. Dialogue and narrative seem to be recited pretty much straight from the novel, with little of visual interest on the screen most of the time.

Actors are not good at showing emotion. For instance, a main character is having an intense mystical vision, but in the reaction shots he could just as well be an American watching a cricket match.

Let me start by saying that I have never read this book and cannot tell you how close the adaptation is to what was written. Although, in this case, I may decide to pick it up and read it, as the idea and storyline definitely felt real and reminded me of some of the weirdness we are experiencing in society today. This was an entertaining journey to watch with an intriguing and layered storyline, solid performances, outstanding characterizations, great visuals and a big budget feel. Sure, as a character and story driven movie, it does lack a tremendous amount of action, but that does nothing to bring the film down. In the end, this mixture of political and theological intrigue, conspiracy theories, and historical philosophical and subliminal messages plays out in an educational and entertaining manner, and is a must see for everyone. Check it out!

Wow! I just saw this movie (Radio Free Albemuth) at the Sedona Film Fest and it blew my socks off! I've been going to the Sedona Film Fest for years, and this movie by far was the best independent film I've seen there. This movie is based on a book by Philip K. Dick, who was a sci-fi writer famous for Blade Runner, A Scanner Darkly, and other great novels. In this story, he actually writes himself as one of the lead characters in it. It is intellectual, spiritual, political, and reflects many present day situations and controversies. I have not read the book, so am not sure how closely it relates to the movie, but I'm definitely going to read the book now. Hope this movie will be available on DVD so I can purchase for myself and friends. Great Job!

While previous adaptations of the work of the late, great Philip K. Dick have often been enjoyable, none has really taken a great deal from the original source stories beyond the most perfunctory aspects of the plot.

Radio Free Albemuth, while not sticking slavishly to every letter of the original text, is the first adaptation to really capture the spirit and convey the substance of Dick's work. Although this film does not have the high tech sheen of the more celebrated films to be taken from Dick's writing, it is every bit as gripping and exciting as the best of them, but also retains the intelligence, and political thought that previously has tended to go missing in translating Dick from page to screen.

John Alan Simon has written an exemplary screenplay and matched it with strong direction. The acting performances are also fine throughout.

I saw this at the Sci-Fi London film festival and got the distinct impression that I was not alone in my enthusiasm for this movie.

The struggles of the filmmakers in getting this movie made parallel those of Philip K. Dick, the author whose novel serves as source material for this film of the same name as the book. But like Philip K., they forged ahead, and have created a wonderful little film that, in spite of its noticeable budget limitations--particularly visible in the digital effects--is lovingly faithful to its novelistic source. Rather than action set-pieces, the film explores the ideas that frame the novel's plot, and crafts an atmosphere of increasing tension as the web of President Fremont's subversives-cleansing program closes around Philip K. Dick's (Shea Whigham) and Nicholas Brady's (Jonathan Scarfe) plans to insert transgressive messages subliminally in music recordings, all at the behest of a being in space named VALIS that communicates with Nicholas silently.