PS:DoL screens in Philly.

["weapons of mass destruction-related program activities" <spamtony>]

Woo-Hoo! Awesome flick. If you've been along for the whole ride 
non-stop since 1995, be prepared to watch your life flash before 
your eyes. Particularly when you realize how friggin' YOUNG 
Jackson was when he was guesting for "Smoke on the Water" for 
those "Gone Again" shows in '96. (Jackson was in the audience 
and apparently found that old footage very amusing.) 

It's nothing remotely like a concert film - don't go if 
that's what you want -  and barely resembles a rockumentary. 
It's really a loving (and yeah, I guess occasionally stalky) 
tribute to PS, and it covers all facets of her artistic 
inspiration, from poetry to painting to music, etc. But 
there's enough backstage shenanigans and monkee-ing around
by the guys to make the pulse quicken. 

Nothing is really dated or narrated, and it only barely follows
time in a linear fashion, so you may find yourself doing a 
lot of that yourself during the film - identifying her 
hairstyle or pants as coming from some particular tour 
or year, e.g.  I'm not really sure what experience someone 
would have seeing this film who is not familiar with her 
progress through the years, but at least the way her kids 
grow up is a clue that things were filmed over a long period. 

The film decompresses at the end very nicely and it's like 
being put back down by a gentle hand - the eye of the filmmaker 
and Patti's poetry. Awesome. And kudos to PS for not vetoing 
some (now) potentially embarrassing stuff. 

I think the film's got an unfortunate beginning - it screams 
"film student's first effort" visually, and while it makes 
sense to have Patti rattling off her biography and getting 
it out of the way, she often sounds stilted or uncomfortable 
when doing it, and unfortunately, this film is no counterexample.

But I'm not complaining. A long wait, and worth it. 

Two thumbs up!

Oh! And Sebring said there will be extra footage on the 
DVD! And Patti and Jackson performed "Grateful", "Because
the Night", and PHTP after the Q&A. Patti also said that 
what she personally enjoyed about the film was the fact 
that she could feel Fred's presence and influence all 
through it. Um.. that's all I can remember right now.

But it's here! It's really here!!!!