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Phish - Bittersweet Motel

Phish - Bittersweet Motel

List Price: $24.99
Your Price: $22.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Really fun to watch!
Review: This movie is really cool...there are a couple of things that I wish were different, but I still enjoyed it...first of all there is a whole lot of trey...don't get me wrong...I love trey, but there is very little of mike and page(practically none)...jon is there, but only when he's with trey...the concert footage rocks!!...and there are some really funny scenes!!...like I said...overall...I really enjoyed it...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Absolutely amazing
Review: If you're a phan, place your order right away. You will not regret it. Excellent footage of the band's humourous antics before and after shows. Great jams - the DWD jam is the best on the origional release as well as the Punch you which was added to the dvd. Great footage of great went which captures that phat festival...featuring bands sentiments after good and bad sets. All around great movie. A++

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: must see for any phish phan
Review: I was lucky enough to catch this one in theaters couple months back, and i was very impressed. I have been a big phish phan for years now, and i was overjoyed to see how personal they get in this documentury. you get know all about the band. good stuff

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A great rock'n'roll movie
Review: I was lucky enough to catch this film when it played at SXSW here in Austin, Texas.

In this day and age of "Behind the Music" and cheap band profiles, Todd Phillips offers up something different: an honest documentary portrait of an incredible band without all the B.S... in other words, an actual movie about an actual group of musicians-- not just a hype machine for an over-exposed MTV creation.

"Bittersweet" is a throwback to the days of the great rock films of the late 1960's and early 1970's-- fun to watch documentary footage and beautifully crafted concert footage. Can't wait to see (and hear) the DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Not what I expected, but that's not a bad thing.
Review: It's obvious that this film neglected a great portion of the vast and varied types of "phish fans," but it would be impossible to display them all in 84 minutes, especially since the film is actually about the band itself. The filmmakers overlooked, much to my chagrin, the sober fans who are often shunned among the "phan" community simply because of a personal choice. Nevertheless, the film acheives what it set out to (with a few slight shortcomings).

Some have been disappointed by the prevelance of Trey in the film and the seeming disregard of Page, Mike, and Fish. This "problem" is addressed in the interview with Todd Phillips. It turns out that Trey was, as we all know, more outgoing and willing to be on camera and participate with the producers and director. Though Fish will easily expose his body to thousands of people, he's not one for gratuitous verbal exposition. Page just likes to sit in his own little corner and do his own thing. Mike seems to have some self-esteem issues. These all impede the complete portrayal of the band's personal lives.

Personally, I watched this film for no reason other than the music. As a bonus, I received: insight into Trey's humanity and difficult blend of sensibility and idealism; some spontaneous and completely genuine laughs; a brief peek at what goes on backstage; the knowledge of how Trey honestly feels about music in general and the music that he creates; and so much more.

With all of this though, the film would only appeal to persons who are already fans of Phish. It is when Trey goes into exmination of modern music culture (in his SUV, after reading the concert reviews) and of the familiar underdog and hopeless dreamer (on the golf cart, just before the final concert footage), that the film reaches beyond the parameters of Phishdom. These sentiments are so commonly felt by everyone, especially those who express themselves artistically, that they can affect the most avid fan of popular music, breaking through the illusive barriers of arrogance and disdain.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Deleted Scenes - Mike and Page
Review: Let's get the negatives out of the way. Yes, Trey gets most of the camera time. I've heard it was just because he was more accessable during the filming. Why then do we find extra footage of Mike and Page in the deleted scenes? Oh well. Don't worry about the quality of the sound...it's fine. Critics are most likely audio geeks (just kidding - we all appreciate the tapers). But seriously, the average fan will enjoy it just fine. My experience watching it for the first time was very positive. I joined the scene in 94-95, and the footage caught on the film (97-98) just captures a great year with the band - not some defining moment or their best concert ever - just some good times and good tunes with some insight into what goes into their creative process. That's good enough for me. Why argue if it should have been shot during different dates, if it should have had a different song list or something petty like that? If you enjoy the scene, you'll appreciate the film. If you are curious about Phish, don't expect this film to reveal some universal truth that IS the band. It's a "year in the life" sort of documentary, not a history of the band. Good job Todd, look forward to seeing more.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very Good
Review: Bittersweet Motel is a great DVD that documents the life of the musical group Phish. Rolling Stone Magazine called Phish, "The Most Important Band of the 90's", and this DVD shows you why they are called that. I would give this DVD 5 stars but the DVD seems to focus on guitarist, Trey Anastasio, a bit too much. I would have liked to see more of Mike Gordon, John Fishman, and Page McConnell. I also would have like to see more concert footage. The DVD offers some great scenes too, my favorite being Trey buying the whip in Spain. If you like Phish, buy this DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is great
Review: Hey-
went I saw this DVD, I became a convert to Phishism. I am now a hardcore- Phishhead, and it was because of this. So, Amazon reviewer, this can and has gained new listners.
This was great. The movie was really interesting and had some sick live footage. I thought the Great Went piece was spectalular, especially since you could have made the whole movie about just that. Awesome, awesome, awesome. I love Phish.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Phun Phour All
Review: Doesn't get much better than this if you like concert movies. Only rivaled by "Stop Making Sense" (Talking Heads) and The granddaddy fo them all, "The Last Waltz" (The Band & friends). Mike Gordon is hilarious in this movie. Watch what he does in his interviews. Trey comes out looking like an ..., but what he lacks in kindness and humbleness he makes up for with incredible guitar playing. Maybe he's not cocky, but just that good. A must have for anyone that remotely likes the music of Phish, Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Ween, or basically any real music fan. If you watch MTV on a regular basis, please don't watch this movie, your taste [is bad]. If you listen to top 40 radio, don't watch this movie, your taste also [is bad] and may God hae mercy on your souls.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: We're Comin' to your town, gonna help ya party down
Review: What else can be said of a band that has managed to slip below the radar of every mainstream ear, while at the same time drawing record crowds for their shows. Bittersweet Motel did a great job of capturing the inner workings of a well oiled machine. Equally as important, Bittersweet showed that out heros are human. In my opinion this is what has made Phish into what they are. My passion for music has led me to what I believe is the quintissential rock band of all time. Bittersweet Motel give all phisheads a view of the band that has rarly been seen. If you were a phan before, this DVD will only strengthen your love for the Phab Phour.


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