**** Pearl Jam Twenty Fanviews Here ****

BB76531

Saw it Yonkers, NY last night, great crowd! Ordered the Big Bad Blu Ray version as soon as I got home, can't wait!!! My favorite footage was the Eddie climbing like a maniac montage and the Singles movie party in LA with a hammered Pearl Jam. This documentary had it all laughs, sad moments, uplifting scenes...and an amazing desire to see what the future brings. Thank you guys for 20 years of musical bliss, and here's to 20 more!!!!!

diamond_marmalade

I really enjoyed it and it certainly wasn't a bad turn-out for my local cinema (well 2nd local) It was a good mix of ages and I spotted a few PJ shirts. It was so well observed. There were a couple of lump in the throat moments I must say.

If I am going to a bit critical I would say it was maybe a bit too fast-paced at times and they didn't concentrate much on the later years. Overall though a great experience. Looking forward to the DVD and my soundtrack arrived today!

ikiT

It was very, very good...it was a million times better than Rattle and Hum, but not quite as good as The Kids Are Alright. When you see it again on TV, it may seem like a VH1 Behind the Music without MOST of the insipid narration.

Release still rules, and the footage of that song is stunning. The Singles Party really made me laugh and one million records the first week of vs., that still blows my mind.

My 945pm showing in AFI Silver in Silver Spring MD (nice movie theater) could have had the volume at least 2 ticks LOUDER.

vLeXaM

that's a remainder who tell me why i love this band....

and what has been up in the last 20 years of my life

simply amazing

mariella.docet

It was awesome!!! But...i think the director just collected unseen footage (great by the way ) not adding his touch or giving a particular perspective of their incredible story!

LOVE IT now waiting for the extras

Time_Bomb

Had a great time at the Arclight last night. The movie was beautiful. Enjoyed every second of it. Really makes me wanna go see them live again.

NumberTenOx

mattkow83 wrote:

Cinerama might be one of, if not the, best places in the US to see a movie.

Went to the late show last night at the Cinerama in Seattle. It is truly a beautiful and comfortable place to see a movie. So ironic, though, to be sitting in a movie theatre owned (saved from the wrecking ball, actually) by billionare Paul Allen, watching a movie hating on Ticketmaster, whose majority owner is billionare Paul Allen...

Even though I loved Ten and lived in Seattle, I didn't become a rabid fan until much later. Regret is too strong a word, but in retrospect I wish I had been more into the local music scene. It was great to be taken on an intimate tour of those days by the band and friends.

Jeff, Stone, Mike, and Matt, all feel so genuine and open. Driven, talented, inner demons, yes yes and yes, but understandable and somehow at peace with the swirl and chaos. Eddie, not so much. The movie really drove home to me how difficult this is for him, how it appears he feels like he's carrying a giant boulder around on his shoulders, can never take the off the mask, how he's driven to fame and adulation and yet has a keen (and apparently earned) distrust and fear of the outside world. Mucho kudos to the band and his inner circle (and uncle Neil) who make him feel loved and supported and secure enough to keep getting on stage to sing to us.

So fun to hear my son and wife and the whole theatre laugh through the whole movie. Darker spots, sure. Some idiot yelled "we love you Chris" while he was talking about Andy Wood, fine to be enthusiastic but find a lighter spot for that.

At the end, I just wanted more. I think Crowe should put out a series of concert videos, one for each song in the PJ repertoire, with the band talking about who wrote it and why and the best video. I'd hit that.

Going to see it again tonight with KEXP. Will sit further back in the theatre so I don't get that queasy car-sick feeling (I want to start a charity to buy steady-cams for everyone in the world).

chimpat

Saw it last night in Yonkers, NY. As someone previously mentioned, the crowd was very good, nice to be able to hear everything without phones going off, people talking, etc. You could hear a pin drop during the quieter parts of the movie.

So much to love about the film, the highs, the lows and everything in between. The Cobain clips were really intense, real heavy (and sad) stuff. Some of my favorite scenes:

- The acoustic show (pre Unplugged)
- Rehearsing Baba O'Reilly in the dressing room
- Eddie going through the framed photos (from what I assume was his house)
- The Singles party
- Eddie going OFF on that security guard
- The real early footage of Jeff, Stone, Chris Cornell, Layne, etc. hanging in Seattle at various venues

One hilarious part of the movie that hasn't been mentioned a ton was Neil Young laughing hysterically at Eddie's ticketmaster comments during the HOF induction. That killed me.

Crowe did a great job, I appreciate the time spent on the members of the band (instead of just an ode to Eddie). So many scenes took me back to shows that I've attended (and different times of my life that I associate with the release of the albums). Just tremendous stuff and I'm truly grateful that I've been able to ride the wave with this band.

SoonForgotten2

This was my take on it http://wp.me/p1LZHn-5H

I really wish I could have enjoyed it more. It just felt so direction-less as a film and even at times pointless. I'm debating the box. Only $10 for blu-ray isn't bad (though perhaps only the feature disc would be a blu-ray) but the starting price for the DVD set is incredibly high to begin with. I'm definitely more interested in whatelse they've put together than what actually made the theatrical cut. Worst of all, I think if this was about any band other than Pearl Jam constructed in the exact same way, I probably wouldn't have even liked it at all.

Ah well.

TouringFan2000

saw it at the Balboa in SF last night and definitely enjoyed it! looking forward to the deluxe DVDs.

for me, learning about artists' creative process is a lot more fascinating than, for example, how they handle fame. so i would have liked more footage of PJ writing songs/creating music (a la SVT). but that's just a criticism to offer a criticism. i liked the film a lot.

Underhill70

Loved the film some amazing footage of the early Seattle scene, in reality the film would have to have been 24 hrs long to please everyone. I really would have liked to have seen more about the making of the records too. BTW couldn't believe some of the audience in the Liverpool screening who kept getting up and either going to the bar or toilet what's wrong with these people.

joebot

Fatal wrote:

Loved the movie.

It was kind of odd jumping back and forth between old and new footage...i probably would have prefered to see an earlier version of Release for instance, but no question the one they used was beautiful.

The movie kind of peaks half way thru...or maybe 2/3 of the way thru, but it was still an exceptionally well put together documentary with lots of great "new" footage.

I guess my pet peeve is that i wish they had dug a little deeper at some of the more controversial stuff....the drummer situation (in particular Dave A), the No Code sessions/Ed taking control/travelling on his own etc...more about how they almost broke up and what brought them back together.

But finally a BIG thank you to Cameron Crowe for putting this together. Such a treat for us fans. Can't wait to get the super delux blu-ray in my hands.

Oh and one last thing.....LOVED Stone in this movie. His modern day interviews were by far the most engaging.

AMEN ! This sums up my view as well. It was def a love letter more than a "documentary"

cd21miller

Not enough time today to read through all the other reviews, but it would appear that I'm right along with everyone else -- loved it. Saw it at the 7 p.m. in STL with my wife (who is ready to leave me for Chris Cornell, I believe) and 3 recent PJ converts, who really enjoyed it.

Reminded me a lot of the feeling after a PJ show. "Setlist was awesome - wish they would've played..." I thought the way they did the drummer issue was actually somewhat clever considering no one really wants to bring that back up. I can picture Crowe saying, "Hey, make the guy least affected by it (Mike) tell the story in 1 minute or less!" Still, I would've liked to heard more on it, but there was so much stuff to cover and two hours (like a PJ show) just flew by. Anyway, like a PJ show...never wanted it to end and they could've told me stories about Stone's choice in dish soap (he might want to consider a switch, btw ) and I would've been happy.

The story really told itself, which I found to be quite intriguing. Not much Crowe narration after the intro, which just goes to show how well he was able to let the footage and editing do the work. Speaking of...loved the Singles "birth of no" scene. Release was amazing and I actually had tears during Alive. 20 years of not only that band being "alive", but also the most important 20 years of mine (marriage, family, career, etc.) got to me.

As always, I am so appreciative of finding this band so long ago and the places it has taken me...what an amazing year to celebrate 20.

(side note: after everone cleared out of the 7 pm show, I saw a guy roll out with a poster tube, like he had just hit it big on the lottery. I asked the concession guy about it, who pointed me to the manager, who eventually told me -- all frazzled like -- that he had one poster left. Asked him how much...he says, "$20?". Sold, baby! Bet he had no idea how much he could've got for it or the craziness of the poster line at Alpine or any other show. Just when I thought I would take a night off from a PJ poster frenzy, it strikes again! Think I'm going to need a bigger house...:D )

Gern Blansten

the tiki bomb wrote:

It was very, very good...it was better than Rattle and Hum, but not quite as good as The Kids Are Alright. When you see it again on TV, it may seem like a VH1 Behind the Music without MOST of the insipid narration.

Release still rules, and the footage of that song is stunning. The Singles Party really made me laugh and one million records the first week of vs., that still blows my mind.

My 945pm showing in AFI Silver in Silver Spring MD(nice movie theater) could have had the volume at least 2 ticks LOUDER.

totally agree about release....having Eddie describe his relationship with his father as they fade into the live Release footage was awesome

Swanton

I went to see PJ20 with my wife in Houston last night. We got to the theater at 6PM for the 7PM show and there was already a line down the street. The movie tavern has a bar, so that added some extra flair to the proceedings. The theater was full by the time the show started.

It was like Cameron Crowe sat down and asked himself, "How can I organize 20 years of amazing concert footage along with intimate interviews with each band member to grant the biggest Pearl Jam fangasm?"

So many wonderful memories sparked to my mind during the movie, and I had not seen much of the concert footage from the early days. I'm 35 now so I discovered Pearl Jam during my early high-school days, and the waves of nostalgia crashed over me throughout the evening.

In terms of the specifics of the movie:

Stone Gossard and Chris Cornell were both hilarious and engaging. The enitre theater laughed when Stone was talking about Temple of the Dog and how Chis was a good singer, but when Eddie jumped into "Hunger Strike," Stone added something like, "Damn, we have a f**king good singer too!" Chris talking about Mike McCready's skills and "Reach Down" was fantastic and had the theater rolling (I'm paraphrasing from what I recall), "I'm going to write a 12-minute song. It's going to be 10 minutes of guitar solos, and f**k it, I'm going to start the album off with it. And if you don't like it, I don't give a f**k. And we NOW have a guy that can do it. He can PLAY. I mean - he has problems and sooner or later you're going to need to deal with that, but he's good."

The footage of Eddie swinging from the stages is wild. I have no idea how he isn't dead.

The footage from "Alive" at The Spectrum in Philly was awesome because I was in the crowd that night. I flew from Houston to Philly for that show (and to visit family, but primarily for the concert).

Eddie talking about singing "Black" was powerful to me. His thoughts about singing the song, "That's how I felt when I wrote it. I feel the same way every time I sing it," match with how I think about that song. It reminds me of certain feelings back in high school. And anytime I heard it, I have those same feelings and memories. That "got" to me.

Others have said it, but the footage - and voiceover from others talking about the incident - of Eddie "flipping a switch" during a concert while pissed off at a security guard is mind-blowing. It feels like you're watching a piece of your own history, which may not make sense. But that statement applies to the whole movie - I felt like I was learning about a personal history that I participated in and shared even though I don't know any of these people.

The entire movie was great. For two hours, I alternated between laughing, tearing up and smiling like a dumbfounded jackass throughout the movie.

Tuta23

I had a feeling I would want to see this movie more than Once, so I bought a ticket for each showing last night in Houston.

Basically -- ditto everything above from all you guys. Plus, I didn't realize this movie would make me love this band even more.

Finally, I now daydream about being able to play the guitar even more than usual!

Thanks PJ Family!

Whoop

Swanton wrote:

I went to see PJ20 with my wife in Houston last night. We got to the theater at 6PM for the 7PM show and there was already a line down the street. The movie tavern has a bar, so that added some extra flair to the proceedings. The theater was full by the time the show started.

It was like Cameron Crowe sat down and asked himself, "How can I organize 20 years of amazing concert footage along with intimate interviews with each band member to grant the biggest Pearl Jam fangasm?"

So many wonderful memories sparked to my mind during the movie, and I had not seen much of the concert footage from the early days. I'm 35 now so I discovered Pearl Jam during my early high-school days, and the waves of nostalgia crashed over me throughout the evening.

In terms of the specifics of the movie:

Stone Gossard and Chris Cornell were both hilarious and engaging. The enitre theater laughed when Stone was talking about Temple of the Dog and how Chis was a good singer, but when Eddie jumped into "Hunger Strike," Stone added something like, "Damn, we have a f**king good singer too!" Chris talking about Mike McCready's skills and "Reach Down" was fantastic and had the theater rolling (I'm paraphrasing from what I recall), "I'm going to write a 12-minute song. It's going to be 10 minutes of guitar solos, and f**k it, I'm going to start the album off with it. And if you don't like it, I don't give a f**k. And we NOW have a guy that can do it. He can PLAY. I mean - he has problems and sooner or later you're going to need to deal with that, but he's good."

The footage of Eddie swinging from the stages is wild. I have no idea how he isn't dead.

The footage from "Alive" at The Spectrum in Philly was awesome because I was in the crowd that night. I flew from Houston to Philly for that show (and to visit family, but primarily for the concert).

Eddie talking about singing "Black" was powerful to me. His thoughts about singing the song, "That's how I felt when I wrote it. I feel the same way every time I sing it," match with how I think about that song. It reminds me of certain feelings back in high school. And anytime I heard it, I have those same feelings and memories. That "got" to me.

Others have said it, but the footage - and voiceover from others talking about the incident - of Eddie "flipping a switch" during a concert while pissed off at a security guard is mind-blowing. It feels like you're watching a piece of your own history, which may not make sense. But that statement applies to the whole movie - I felt like I was learning about a personal history that I participated in and shared even though I don't know any of these people.

The entire movie was great. For two hours, I alternated between laughing, tearing up and smiling like a dumbfounded jackass throughout the movie.

I know I posted my review last night, but this review speaks to me.

... and it makes total sense.

Black73

Incredible!

This is another example of the band doing what they want, they way they want, and not giving a f#ck what anyone says about it. My 11 year-old son leaned over at one point and said "I never realized how much Pearl Jam just does their own thing." So thank you, Pearl Jam, for staying true to yourselves and doing PJ20 like you wanted to do it. It had me laughing (Ed singing to the security guy, stumbling @ Singles release party, dusty grammy in Stone's basement, Stone's grungy coffee cup, etc), teared up (Mike's brief touch on his battle with addiction...sidenote, so happy he's beat those demons!, Chris and Jeff explaining the loss of Andy Wood), energized (every time one of their live performances was highlighted), humbled (the entire Andy Wood explanation...so classy!), impressed at their roles as fathers (Mike's little one sitting in front of him during an interview, Stone's copies of Winnie the Pooh & Toy Story on his bookshelf, not touched upon in the film but Eddie's obvious pain from not knowing his father & breaking that cycle w/his own children), and pleased they have found their drummer...80 songs learned in 10 days?! Matt is sick!

Can't wait for the bonus footage! My 9 year-old leaned over and asked "When are they going to explain how Boom joined the band?" Again, they did this film their way, and it was incredible. Can't wait to see what other nuggets are in the bonus material!

9 year-old also loved the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee...a cool experience all around!

PJen

Cavstarr313 wrote:

I was at the late show in Detroit (Royal Oak) and I thought the movie was simply incredible..

I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more (thanx Stone) and I cried yet again..

I knew the movie was going to be great, but I left the theatre somehow more in love with this band?? Is that even possible??

Their music has done so much for me. From inspiring me to play at a young age, from influencing (to a degree) my outlook on life and what is possible, to truly helping me through some of the darkest points of my life and becoming the soundtrack for some of the greatest moments of my life..

This band, this thing that we all connect to is nothing short of magic.. and the ride that is taken with this movie, was nothing short of that...

pure magic...

Couldn't have said it better! The movie was amazing and made me so proud to be a PJ fan! Where the heck did the last 20 years go!? It's just crazy how time flies. Great crowd at the Crest in Sac. By the end of the movie I wanted to jump out of my seat, just like a live show! Couldn't help but sing along too. Our 12 year old daughter came along and loved it. She was laughing and had a great time. It was so cool to share this with her. Massive thanks and much love to Pearl Jam and Cameron Crowe for the amazing memories! Here's to the next 20 boys!

JK12093

TERESAFLOWERS wrote:

Saw the movie for free at the Bagdad Theatre in Portland,OR.line was around the block.The movie made me laugh and brought a tear to my eye,but was smiling the whole time.It was great, definately need the deluxe DVD now.Thanks guys for a rockin 20 years.

I was at the Bagdad, too! It was cool that they did that, since the Hollywood showing was sold out. What a great movie - def. worth standing in line for 45 min.!