When You're Strange
Director: Tom DiCillo
Year Released: 2009
Rating: 2.0
Affectionate but familiar document of the legacy of The Doors, with a real focus on the antics and demons of tragic lead singer Jim Morrison. Narrator Johnny Depp's given some hammy V.O. material and there's nothing in here a quick perusal of the Wikipedia page (or any of Ray Manzarek's books) couldn't tell you, but the concert footage is fun and DiCillo plays around with some of Morrison's film work, taking pieces of 1969's HWY: An American Pastoral and reimagining it as Morrison driving off into oblivion after he 'faked' his own death (though that whole avant-garde concept would have worked better as a separate short). For a while now I've actively sought out Morrison's student films from UCLA but to no avail - I suppose I'll have to settle with his cinema-themed poetry.
