Such a frustrating disappointment

One of my all time favorites.

Absolutely the worst movie.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Nothing explains Bukowski like Bukowski himself, and that's why this film works. This memoir keeps his voice at the center, alongside some tough minded commentary by his wife Linda Lee Bukowski and his publisher John Martin at Black Sparrow Press. His daughter Marina also appears briefly,as do a number of his former girlfriends. As a long time admirer of his cleanness of line on the page,and contempt for long winded abstraction in poetry, I think this film of John Dullaghan's rings true as a work convinced of the worthiness of its subject. Bukowski was one of the best poets of the 20th century, though if you troll through the much esteemed halls of poetry even now, you'll see the same pretentious farts scoring him downward. That's the way of it. Bukowski was his own poet, his own voice, his own reference. What a hustle, What a game. Here's to Bukowski, here's to Director John Dullaghan. Let the spoonfed tend to the spoonfed.

I first became acquainted with Charles Bukowski's work about a year ago and actually purchased one of his books. His poetry is of the nitty-gritty, down-to-earth, no-holds-barred variety, that I find revealing and fascinating. This movie goes beyond Mr. Bukowski's poetry to examine the man behind the work, and does a credible job of presenting the life of this extraordinary writer and artist. It shows how he overcame major social, emotional and financial barriers to become a world famous author while at the same time remaining true to himself. The movie tries to portray Mr. Bukowski as a gruff man, which at times he was, but he was also a decent man whose poetry gave expression to the thoughts and feelings of millions and millions of persons whose voices are never heard, and if heard, is never heeded. Watch this movie.

Nothing wrong with Born Into This, I thought it brilliant. It simply showed one completely individualistic and unique person that never told people what they should do or or how to lead their lives As you get older you basically settle down into the life of a sheep - always a slave to something. Whether it be marriage / a relationship, the job, or keeping up with the neighbors ("ooh dear, they have a new car with 2 cup holders. Better go get one that has 3") etc etc. He just didn't give a toss about any of that stuff and basically kept the same attitude throughout his life. At the very least he kept true to his "endurance is more important that truth" saying

For Bukowski fans, this film is another of those items you have to possess but which will leave outsiders repulsed or appalled.Most of the information in the film has been captured in various published interviews and biographies and in Bukowski's own autobiographical writings. But it is good to see the man moving about before our eyes again, driving his VW, visiting the track and the laundry, and his childhood home, where he 'reminisces' about the beatings his father administered with a razor strop. And it's interesting seeing some of Bukowski's lovers and associates again.The quality of the archival footage is pretty poor, having been shot, it appears, with amateur 8mm equipment. We can be thankful it was shot at all, since who knew what value it might have. The sound, however, is quite good.After many years of reading about Bukowski, I still haven't decided whether he was a sensitive soul driven to occasional episodes of egotistical pettiness and meanness by a bad childhood or just a self-centered ass who happened to have talent. However you view him in that regard, you cannot deny that he stuck by his vocation in spite of all. He personified the driven writer.