Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Lee Eisenberg Prince's death last year made me realize that I didn't know much of his work (in fact, I first learned of him during the period when he used a glyph as his name). I only now got around to watching "Purple Rain". What a show! The plot is routine - a man trying to make something of himself in show biz - but the music is to die for. There are a couple of scenes that are probably in there for comic relief (such as the scene by the lake), but most of everything helps move along the story.Like "8 Mile" for Eminem, this is a semi-autobiographical story for Prince. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a masterpiece, but I had a good time watching it. The soundtrack and clothing scream 1980s. Really good time.Prince and Muhammad Ali died less than two months apart, and on the internet I saw a photo of them together, captioned SERIOUSLY, F**K 2016. Sometimes it seems as though the people who died last year (aside from the aforementioned ones, there were David Bowie, Patty Duke, Gene Wilder, Florence Henderson, Fidel Castro, Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds) were the lucky ones: they didn't have to experience the freak show that is the Trump era.

gwnightscream This 1984 drama stars Prince, Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day and Clarence Williams III. This is basically a true story of the late, Prince, but in the film he's simply known as The Kid, an up and coming singer who struggles with his rough home life and finds romance with an aspiring songstress, Apollonia (Kotero) which helps puts emotion in his songwriting. Day plays Morris, a rival musician who tries to win Apollonia and Williams plays The Kid's abusive father. This is a pretty good 80's flick, Prince gives a decent performance and the soundtrack and score are terrific. Prince will be remembered for his eccentric and electrifying music. I recommend this.

Ed-Shullivan It was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who first said "art is long and time is fleeting". Then oh so quickly we heard the drums were beating….. "Prince has died".It was 1984 when Purple Rain was first released. Only 32 years later we hear that Prince is now deceased.So we watch the film Purple Rain in his memory once ...than twice. Regardless how many times we hit replay, we realize it will no longer suffice.For Prince was, and will forever remain larger than life itself. But we grow to understand through Purple Rain that the unselfish Prince gave most of himself.The film outlines his troubled young life, his abusive father, and most importantly his love for music. Purple Rain sings out loudly and beautifully that the young Prince is a true Virtuosic.We relish the life of the 26 year old Prince the singer, songwriter, and stage performer, a free spirit flying oh so high. Because this is what it sounds like when doves cry.Rest In Peace Prince as your star will forever shine oh so gloriously bright10/10

dmanyc I just started reading the book Let's Go Crazy by Alan Light on the making of Purple Rain and it got me remembering the film itself. I was in high school when it first came out in theaters, but because I wasn't allowed to see R rated films at the time, I ended up seeing it about a year later via pirated cable. Looking back now, I have to say that the film was no masterpiece by any means, but it was overall entertaining. There were some things that came to my mind as I was reading the book.Prince as The Kid was the least convincing actor of the bunch. Yet the film revolved around him. Watching his wooden acting, it's no wonder why he rarely did interviews.Honestly I wanted to see more of Morris Day and Jerome Benton. For two members of The Time with no prior acting experience, they both killed it with their timing, their delivery, and most of all, their chemistry. The Password scene is classic. Is it bad that I wanted to see more of them and less of The Kid? Apollonia Kotero was passable when she shared the screen with Morris Day, but with Prince, I really felt bad for her. The slap, the near-rape scene, the Lake Minnetonka scene. Jesus H. Christ, talk about suffering for your art. She deserved a medal for all she had to endure.The soundtrack is still a classic after all these years, but the film itself really didn't age well at all. What really surprises me is the sexism in the film. Not so much the lingerie because Madonna was dressing similar back then, but scenes like the throwing that girl in the dumpster scene was really disturbing. I guess at the time I saw this back in the '80s, domestic violence was not a hot topic anyone talked about. But you think about it now and you realize that if they tried to make this film today, social media would be in a real tizzy over it.I don't know if I would recommend anyone that is not familiar with Prince to see the movie. I guess if they try to understand that 1984 was a different era and not to take it too seriously, it can be enjoyable. Otherwise I would just recommend just getting the soundtrack and also get The Time's Ice Cream Castle which includes the two songs they perform in the movie, Jungle Love and The Bird.