This week’s screening of Sid and Nancy was very different from the other films this whole semester. I liked the film and I found it to be very interesting and I will remember this film because of how sad the whole film felt and it felt like we were watching two people slowly die. It also felt like watching a train crash in slow motion, you want to look away from the carnage, but it is so interesting that you can’t look away. This film is also one the saddest biopics I have ever watched and by watching this film, it reminded me of another biopic that came out last year. 

But first I want to talk about one of the readings and the reading that I enjoyed the most was “Cult Cinema and Drugs.” The reason I connected to this article is because there have been plenty of films that I can think of that would be an interesting experience if the viewer took some drugs. One of the films that I am thinking of is Doctor Strange and that is because of all the elements in the mirror dimension in the film. I imagine if a person took LCD and watched that film, they would probably be tripping even more so than if they didn’t watch the film. Just that sequence alone and as well as the scene where Doctor Strange goes to the Dark Dimension to confront Dormammu. This is the first film that came to my mind about drugs because of these two sequences and the original comics were created to look like one giant acid trip, which the film conveyed perfectly. Another film that I think of when taking drugs is any Alice In Wonderland film, which can easily be explained because the films are naturally meant to look like one acid trip. I also was able to find this list of best ever movies to watch on Psychedelics/Hallucinogenic Drugs, which I found very funny with some of the choices on the list https://www.imdb.com/list/ls073996189/.

The biopic that I was talking about when I was watching Sid and Nancy is Rocketman. I know that the films are two tonally different films, and that is why I thought of Rocketman. Rocketman is my favorite biopic ever made right now, and Rocketman does have it’s sad moments, but it is not as sad and depressing as Sid and Nancy was. Rocketman also deals with when Elton John was addicted to cocaine, alcohol, and other drugs. The whole movie follows his journey from a young age to the moment after he leaves rehab. The film ends on a way more positive note than Sid and Nancy, but it also deals with the same ideas of drug abuse that Sid and Nancy also have. Rocketman also has a toxic relationship in it as well between Elton John and John Reid, and also toxic relationships between John and mom. The relationships aren’t as toxic as Sid and Nancy’s relationship, but they are still toxic. Another major difference between the two films is that Rocketman uses all of Elton John’s songs as a musical and Sid and Nancy doesn’t feature as much music as Rocketman does. 

So, to sum this up I will say that Sid and Nancy was a very good film. It was a depressing film, but it was very good. Drugs can be in a lot of films and could also enhance the viewing experience of some films, depending upon what drugs you take. And finally, I think everyone should watch Rocketman if you want to watch a more uplifting biopic, that is basically a musical.