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Sid & Nancy - Criterion Collection

Sid & Nancy - Criterion Collection

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Smack-crossed lovers.
Review: Humorously tragic (or is it tragically humorous?) fantasia about the love affair between Sid Vicious, infamous bassist of the Sex Pistols, and his wife Nancy, a former groupie of the band...There were two movies during that decade that snatched the Zeitgeist, both directed by Alex Cox -- *Repo Man* and *Sid and Nancy*. Both were required viewing if you wanted to be considered hip....Surprisingly, each movie holds up very well today, particularly this one. One would've thought that Alex Cox would eventually become one of our great directors...At any rate . . . this movie meticulously chronicles heroin addiction and all-around nihilist despair without making either one seem too cool. The obvious danger inherent in this type of movie is to make it all look like..."some fashion show". Cox, perhaps because his lovers are so doomed from the outset, maintains a surprisingly detached tone throughout, occasionally displaying a somewhat superior, From-On-High attitude.(Scenes that come to mind: the trash falling like vile snowflakes on the couple as they kiss by a dumpster; Nancy bemusedly watching their litter-strewn room at the Chelsea burn down, etc.) These directorial interruptions are generally to the detriment of the film. However, there's enough focus on the personal stuff -- the sexual relationship, the drug addiction, the festering KFC bucket on the nightstand next to the bed -- to compensate for the intermittent immaturities. Despite the lack of narrative incident, the atmosphere is finally so fanatically detailed that by the end we feel as if we've been through some sort of epic treatment. --...The general complaint seems to be that *Sid and Nancy* takes too many liberties with the "real story" (as if anyone knows, or should even care, what that might be). Okay, look: it's a MOVIE, guys, not a documentary. It's BASED on real people and events. It makes no claim to be a true story in the sense of being factually correct in every particular. That being said, I feel that it IS a true story in the sense of mood, of tone, of atmosphere, and especially of the sad end-result. *Sid and Nancy* is thematically, even spiritually, a true story. And that's more than enough.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: On Sid and Nancy...
Review: Old school punk fans MUST see this movie! It is a trimmed down, true-to-life account of the life and times of Sid Viscious, legendary bass player of the UK punk band the Sex Pistol; and his days with his groupie/girlfriend, Nancy Spungen. A great look into the punk sceen of the late 70s and early 80! Has recreated "cameo" appearances of other punk bands of the day, such as the X-ray Specs. Tho a bit romanticized for the big screen, (Sid had girlfriends other than Nancy, even after her death) Sid and Nancy is a great look into these two characters lives. As for the cast, Chloe Webb makes a very credible Nancy, while Gary Oldman is absolutely AMAZING as Sid Viscious in this film. Oh, yeah, music fans: look for Courtney Love making a "cameo" appearance as Nancy's friend and fellow junkie/groupie, Gretchen.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Dark, Haunting, Magical + 2 Oscar-worthy performances
Review: "Sid and Nancy" captures the lore, myth and drama in the lives of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungeon without necessarily delivering "Behind the Music" accuracy. It succeeds in bringing the tabloid-headline relationship to life without deflating any of its myth. Oldman and Webb give the performances of their lives and Director Alex Cox lets them carry the movie squarely on their leather jacketed shoulders.

The DVD has nothing special in the way of extras (for that you'll have to shell out [$$$] for the rare Criterion Collection edition). The soundtrack is excellent and worth picking up if u can find it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good movie but bad casting!
Review: The first time I saw the movie "Sid and Nancy" I find it very creepy, rude and bad, when I knew more about the Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen I review the movie and find it good. Gary Oldman as Sid Vicious is great, he act very good. Chloe Webb as Nancy Spungen is good but she doesn't look very much like her and I hate her blonde hair, that must be a wig. The guy who act as Johnny Rotten don't look at him at all and also the guy who act as Paul Cook the drummer doesn't look like him also. Lot of falses in this movie. I read the book "I don't want to live this life" by Deborah Spungen the mother of Nancy and some little facts to say is Nancy only had one grand-mother from her mother side who was still alive, so I don't understand they put a grand-father in there and also Nancy had one sister close to her age, and the girl who act as her sister look much younger then Nancy and she only have a brother, not two like in the movie. The movie is good but it not very accurate. I think Courtney Love will had been great to play the part of Nancy because she looklike Nancy and her personality is very much like Nancy but Chole Webb was good in the movie. I recomand it to any Sex Pistols fan and Sid and Nancy fan but some fan may not like the movie because is not so accurate.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: bad actors , and historically inaccurate..
Review: This is a good film detailing the drug induced love relationship between Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. It has real emotion and grim settings , and a dark and bleak look at their torturous violent relationship ..while at the same time making us laugh at their childlike immature behavior. The film is also very flawed. It was very inaccurate in several places ( oh come on like we wouldnt notice there was never a Rockhead )Plus the actors while giving good performances do not fit the part..Gary Oldman had to have been at least in his late twenties ..the real Sid Vicious was barely of legal drinking age..same with Chloe Webb as Spungen. The actor who plays Johnny Rotten is so terrible it makes me want to puke..not only does he look at all nothing like Mr.Rotten , but his ability to mimick Johnny's sneer and attitude is nearly satirical. Sid and Nancy is nontheless a classic film displaying an out-of-control nihilistic lifestyle of drug abuse and excess

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Ah, what could have been....
Review: I can sum it up for you with four basic points:

1. Great performance by Gary Oldman
2. Appropriately bleak direction by Alex Cox
3. Incredible attention to detail by the wardrobe department
4. ...awful screenplay

This film could have been the greatest punk rock biopic ever...instead, it ranks just below "The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle" on the list of Lies Perpetrated Against the Sex Pistols. It's easy to see why John Lydon despises this film...it does nothing but mistreat him the entire time. It makes him out to be a manipulative, egotistical tyrant...which is about as far from the truth as one can come. Drew Schofield is not necessarily a bad actor, but his characterization in no way resembles the real John. And on top of the obvious differences in the character of the real John and this concocted film image of him, Schofield neither looked nor sounded like John. Let's face it...he kept the same hair color throughout the entire movie...John changed his hair color more frequently than he did his clothing in those days. And as for facial resemblance, there was none. And John doesn't speak with a Scouse accent...never has. Apart from that, the film's depiction of the early punk scene in London circa 1977 was totally inaccurate, as were most of the characters and incidents. Nancy gave Sid his padlock? Don't think so...Chrissie Hynde gave it to him. Baked beans and champagne for breakfast? John doesn't drink champagne. Gary Oldman does a wonderful job portraying Sid, and though his performance may be historically flawed, he captures something of Sid's memory. Chloe Webb's performance as Nancy was fairly accurate........she really WAS that annoying...and that VOICE...like fingernails on a chalkboard. But Webb has a nice body...ever seen the real Nancy? Terrifying. Like a bleached-blonde biker in drag. At any rate, watch this film for a laugh, but don't confuse it with reality. For a real portrait of the Pistols and Sid, watch "The Filth and the Fury"...after which, you won't understand why Alex Cox felt the need to espouse so many lies in this film. The truth is far more compelling, and far more touching, than his myth could ever aspire to be.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A tragedy in more than one sense of the word....
Review: If I could give this movie a lower rating than one star, I would.

Forget for a moment that it is completely historically inaccurate. This isn't a biopic; it's a cartoon. The characters are nothing like the people they are trying to portray.

Oldman is one of my favorite actors, and I don't have as much a problem with his portrayal as I do with some of the other actors'. It's particularly painful to watch Chloe Webb's heretofore-lauded performance. It reeks. Did she do ANY research on this subject before plunging in? Has the word "underplay" ever entered her realm of consciousness?

All one has to do is watch a clip of the real Sid and Nancy together to see how shrill and one-dimensional is Webb's portrayal. Nancy Spungen was no angel, but she wasn't quite as stupid as is Webb's Spungen. (Read "And I Don't Want to Live this Life" by Nancy's mother for a slightly more reasonable picture.)

In employing a mostly offensive cast, we fail to sympathize with their dilemma or understand why the devil Sid would fall in love with her in the first place. How can we give a hang about them in any way? We are relieved when Webb croaks out her last 'Siiiddddd' on the bathroom floor.

Also, all of the actors are at least ten years older than any of the characters in the movie are supposed to be, and they look it. These people were, for all intents and purposes, children. Sid was 21 when he died, Nancy 20. If you watch film of the real Sid and Nancy, it hits you just how young they were. Webb looks like somebody's worn-out mother. Why Courtney Love was overlooked for this role is beyond me.

Casting younger actors would have helped to underscore the stupidity and immaturity of Sid and Nancy's actions, and also the tragedy of the reckless self-annihilation of people young enough to truly believe they are indestructible.

But this isn't a cautionary tale about drugs anyway...it's supposed to be a love story, glorifying drugs as the glue that held together Sid and Nancy's relationship (if only Bowery Snax had shown up sooner with that heroin...*sigh*).

And the happy little Romeo and Juliet scene of Sid and Nancy, looking very styley, riding into the sunset in a Yellow Cab is just pathetic. I envision her whipping out the works as soon as the car door slams. Yep, they're resting in peace all right.

If you want a more accurate look at the Sex Pistols, buy "The Filth and the Fury." You won't be disappointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Run Sid, Run!
Review: This movie, detailing the crash & burn relationship of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious & wanna-be groupie Nancy Spungen is one of the finest films I've ever seen. The relationship these two had and the life they lead is so depressing. The really wonderful thing about this film is for all the unhapiness these two very stupid and self-destructive people brought down upon themselves, they really had a deep affection for one another. No matter how abusive Nancy was, Sid took it, and on top of it, always stuck up for his girl. Nancy Spungen was a girl who really wanted to be a part of the music business and the world of rock stars & groupies. Until Sid came along she existed on the periphery of that world. Only the most gorgeous girls were chosen by the rock gods! Here comes Sid and Nancy is, at least in her estimation in the thick of things. Too bad they had to mess everything up. I love the way Gary Oldman portrays Sid as a really naive little kid. Sid was only seventeen when he hooked up with the Sex Pistols and met the love of his life, so there's a reality there that's great. Chloe Webb does a great job as Nancy, although Webb is much better put together than the original Nancy, she gets the mannerisms and the screaming down perfectly. One of my favorite scenes is where the couple is out to score drugs and they lean against a dumpster to kiss, out of nowhere, all this trash starts to fall from the sky. It's a perfect metaphor to their life, it says it all. I often wonder what would have happened to Sid if he had never met his destructive anti-muse. Too bad he didn't have the sense to run when he first met her.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Outrageous
Review: This movie was to me a very interesting look at a partially ficticious account of the Sid and Nancy story. I enjoyed it, however I felt that the entire thing was a bit too "all's happy in the end" for me. I do very much reccomend it, but as a word of advice, there's not a lot of extras in the DVD. Might as well buy the video.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: ADDICTION...
Review: I saw this film many times in high school with my best friend. We could never seem to get enough of watching it, and we became devotees of Gary Oldman as a result. His performance as Sid Vicious was stupendous, while Chloe Webb was believable as the strung out Nancy Spungen. I am not a fan of drug abuse movies, but somehow this film and Trainspotting held enough of a deeper draw to keep me watching. It does not answer questions as to why or how these people ended up so hopelessly and fatally addicted to smack. It only creates more questions which will remain unanswered. Watching the descent into this tormented world of addiction is painful, but the performances are worth it.


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