Search - Jane's Addiction - Three Days on DVD

Hugely Disappointing..........

Michael Topper | 11/11/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Well well well......maybe its just that I have never had the chance to experience a JA gig in the flesh that I was relying so heavily on this DVD to give me something of the sheer umimaginable ......but I can't for the love of ????? find a lot to praise it. the rare moments of musicality which any fan craves in something like this are edited in such a way to make you furious....I mean come on WE WANT TO HEAR THE WHOLE SONG !!!!!!!!!!!! DON'T STOP IN THE MIDDLE AND WANDER OFF SOMEPLACE ELSE ..... JESUS CHRIST !!!!!!! and the documentary style .....it all smacks of amateur ....."

Was it worth the long wait?

Michael Topper | Pacific Palisades, California United States | 10/18/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After six years of hearing almost non-stop hype about this film--how it chronicled the group's enthusiasm and energy at the beginning of the reunion and degenerated into more drug-addled
friction by the end--actually seeing it was a slight anti-climax. The biggest complaint is that half of the songs are
incomplete--some are only shown for one or two minutes, while others like "Ted Just Admit It" are complete but cut up and
interspersed with interview footage. The title cut is almost complete--and an amazing, sensuous performance--but the last two minutes, the CLIMAX, are cut for no reason at all.Because the priority of this film lies in the interviews and backstage madness rather than the music itself, one must ask if this was enough to justify the hype. Well, the interviews are OK, they concentrate mostly on Farrell (who is a scream sometimes, especially when he's pontificating on The Torah just after having had an orgy on-stage with ten backup dancers), although Navarro also gets some time to act like a silly rock star. Perkins and Flea are virtually ignored, although Flea does weigh in with some choice comments toward the end of the film, and emerges as the most likeable. There are a lot of celebrity cameos, like Vil Kilmer, Alyssa Milano, Anthony Keidis, etc. etc. and they enhance the celebratory nature of the tour, but nothing really pops out as essential except for a brief cameo by the legendary Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters in San Francisco. The group seem in their element in this city,
and it is when the film takes on a genuine freak/hippie vibe--rather than the inevitable MTV/Hollywood one--that their alternative ambitions seem most fulfilled. The biggest problem remains that complete performances could easily have been fit in; their cutting seems arbitrary. Which is a shame, since the tour--particularly the first three or four dates--was outstanding, with plenty of ambience, colorful clothing, masks, candles, incense, and the group playing at a peak. At the least, "Three Days" does capture the feel of Jane's Addiction at their most gleefully hedonistic, it's just that after two minutes of "Mountain Song" one is left wanting to hear the whole thing, which would only have been another two minutes or so!The bonus 40 minutes of footage is compiled much like the film itself, with the interviews dominating, although some nice rehearsal footage of ballads like "Classic Girl" and "I Would For You" manages to finds its way in there. In short, I would recommend it Janes fans, but with the caveat that this could have been an *amazing* work with better editing."

Great Expectations................

pieterbalk | 11/13/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a European I missed out on Jane's addiction 'till the release of 1990's Rutual CD. I catched the band on their now legendary European 1990 tour and again on their return to Europe in early 1991. These tours stood the test of time and bring back great memories to some of the finest concerts i have ever seen. October 2003 12 years later and jane's Addiction returns to Europe and all expectations are lived up to, the band is in top form, their album STRAYS is a fine, more commercial but still definitely true Jane's style, new album and the audience in Amsterdam went bezerk! How happy was I to finally see this documentary being released on DVd to still my jane's hunger after the shows in Europe. Unfortuantely the Relapse tour was a far stretch from the superb new tour. While Flea might be a great bass player for the Chilli's he isn't for Jane's. For different matters the tour is like a circus act and doesn't capture the essence of Jane's Addiction. While some interviews give a great insight in the band and their members the performances don't have the quality they had in de haydays and on their current tour.I suggest everyone spend their money on tickets for their current tour or any of their cd's. Jane's Addiction is a great band but should leave documentaries to others and strictly release CD's (a live DVD, maybe?) and play excellent shows like the ones I saw recently!"

Legendary...

perkins_chamberlin | 10/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just watched this last night. What a ride! I've been a fair-weather fan of the band in the past, but I now have to say that I'm forever sold. I was blown through the wall!! The performances made me want to jump off the couch and BE there! I read a few of the other reviews, and they really don't do this film justice. I might be going a little far in saying this, but I think this may be one of the greatest rock films of all-time. It spent a lot of time examining the psyches of the band members, and thus put you in touch with the fact that this wasn't just any old tour for them: this was a significant turning-point in their lives. So what if a couple of the performances weren't complete? (You probably already own the record!) What matters is what was happening off-stage. The Directors commentary is definitely worth checking out..."