Radio Free Albemuth

This small independent/low budget film is built on extremely effective uses of science fiction coupled with religion coupled with political resistance to totalitarian power and a weird species of multidimensional autobiography that coalesces to provide a very, very satisfying conclusion and a sharp emotional experience. Shea Whigham carries the film, he's great. Hanna Hall is a most excellent villain. The story reminded me of The Man in the High Castle, another PK Dick novel featuring alternative parallel universes. The story is inspired by real paranormal events that PK Dick and his wife Tessa experienced in Los Angeles in the 1980s. highly recommend this for lovers of cerebral film.

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.

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!

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.

Radio Free Albemuth is a very authentic look into the mind of Philip K. Dick. The mood is sombre and reflective - even noir - and the story has clear Orwellian overtones. The story and character development is strong. The movie is full of echoes of his work, including other movie portrayals of his books - the darkness of Blade Runner emerges as the story unfolds.

I was also intrigued by the parallel with Total Recall: Rachel echoes Lori, and Sylvia recalls Melina. (Dare I also mention the similarity between Katheryn Winnick and Sharon Stone?) There is a world to be saved, but the saviors are flawed or compromised - or are remote in time or space.

Although set in an alternative world of the 1970s, this is a movie for our time, reflecting today's politics. But in typical Dick tradition, there is more than one way to view it. There are the usual Dickian motifs here - which is the reality, and which is the illusion?

The making of this movie was definitely a labor of love, and the attention to detail shines through. It is a fitting tribute to Dick, including the thoughtful and measured portrayal of the man himself by Shea Whigham.

It's not space opera - but then Dick was never a space opera author. Expect to be intrigued, and possibly challenged.