Chelsea on the Rocks (2008)
* 1/2 (out of 4)
Abel Ferrara's documentary taking a look at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City. The documentary doesn't really focus on the famous people who have lived there even though they are discussed. The main focus appears to be no focus at all as we just get random stories about suicide, death, love, fires, murders, drugs and countless other topics like this. I watch quite a few documentaries including those with subjects that I don't care about or that I'm not totally into. A good film will grab your attention and bring you in no matter what the subject is but CHELSEA ON THE ROCKS never once did that. I really can't remember the last time I saw such a bland and boring documentary but I'm guessing this might appeal to the types of people who lived in this place and know about some of the stories mentioned. Ferrara interviews various people who have lived at the hotel or are currently there. We get some famous people like Ethan Hawke and Milos Forman but the majority of the interviews are just with normal people. Quite often while they're telling their stories we can hear Ferrara in the background usually saying a mixture of cuss words. No matter if the story deals with ghosts, suicide or murder, the director's response is the same. "No sh*t" and "f&*k man" are two phrases that are repeated quite often. I'm really not sure what the director was going for here but it just never connected with me.
* 1/2 (out of 4)
Abel Ferrara's documentary taking a look at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City. The documentary doesn't really focus on the famous people who have lived there even though they are discussed. The main focus appears to be no focus at all as we just get random stories about suicide, death, love, fires, murders, drugs and countless other topics like this. I watch quite a few documentaries including those with subjects that I don't care about or that I'm not totally into. A good film will grab your attention and bring you in no matter what the subject is but CHELSEA ON THE ROCKS never once did that. I really can't remember the last time I saw such a bland and boring documentary but I'm guessing this might appeal to the types of people who lived in this place and know about some of the stories mentioned. Ferrara interviews various people who have lived at the hotel or are currently there. We get some famous people like Ethan Hawke and Milos Forman but the majority of the interviews are just with normal people. Quite often while they're telling their stories we can hear Ferrara in the background usually saying a mixture of cuss words. No matter if the story deals with ghosts, suicide or murder, the director's response is the same. "No sh*t" and "f&*k man" are two phrases that are repeated quite often. I'm really not sure what the director was going for here but it just never connected with me.