Wow! I just saw this movie (Radio Free Albemuth) at the Sedona Film Fest and it blew my socks off! I've been going to the Sedona Film Fest for years, and this movie by far was the best independent film I've seen there. This movie is based on a book by Philip K. Dick, who was a sci-fi writer famous for Blade Runner, A Scanner Darkly, and other great novels. In this story, he actually writes himself as one of the lead characters in it. It is intellectual, spiritual, political, and reflects many present day situations and controversies. I have not read the book, so am not sure how closely it relates to the movie, but I'm definitely going to read the book now. Hope this movie will be available on DVD so I can purchase for myself and friends. Great Job!

While previous adaptations of the work of the late, great Philip K. Dick have often been enjoyable, none has really taken a great deal from the original source stories beyond the most perfunctory aspects of the plot.

Radio Free Albemuth, while not sticking slavishly to every letter of the original text, is the first adaptation to really capture the spirit and convey the substance of Dick's work. Although this film does not have the high tech sheen of the more celebrated films to be taken from Dick's writing, it is every bit as gripping and exciting as the best of them, but also retains the intelligence, and political thought that previously has tended to go missing in translating Dick from page to screen.

John Alan Simon has written an exemplary screenplay and matched it with strong direction. The acting performances are also fine throughout.

I saw this at the Sci-Fi London film festival and got the distinct impression that I was not alone in my enthusiasm for this movie.

Neither as good nor as bad as a lot of reviewers are saying. Flat acting, clumsy sound and cinematography--low levels of energy and interest. I never forgot I was watching a (mostly boring) movie. If you are a serious PKD fan you will want to watch it. If not, the first five minutes will tell you all you need to know--it does not get any better.

It's too talky. Dialogue and narrative seem to be recited pretty much straight from the novel, with little of visual interest on the screen most of the time.

Actors are not good at showing emotion. For instance, a main character is having an intense mystical vision, but in the reaction shots he could just as well be an American watching a cricket match.

I'm a huge fan of the works Philip K. Dick, his books and short story collections line my shelves while the DVDs, etc. based on his works, barely make a dent. I'm generally not a fan of the adaptations that take a core PKD concept and turn it into a poorly executed version of The Fugitive. Personally, "A Scanner Darkly" is by far my favorite, with the top five rounded out by Radio Free Albemuth, Blade Runner, Screamers, and the Total Recall 2070 television series (not a true adaption, but close enough.)

I enjoyed RFM enough to watch it twice, and would recommend it to anyone who skews toward A Scanner Darkly as far PKD adaptations, and would compare it tone to 1984 or THX-1138. It definitely feels like a product of the 70's. The highlight of RFM would have to be Shea Whigham's portrayal of "Phil" which comes of as a bizarre mix of a typical neo-noir dick and Jack Kerouac.

RFM is not without its issues. It occasionally falls into "tell don't show" mode, and there's missed opportunity to give us a few scenes depicting the antagonists carrying out their nefarious schemes instead of being told about them, possibly a result of the script following the novel a little too close. But all in all, if you're a fan of PKD, or science fiction with a slower pace and little to no explosions, Radio Free Albemuth is well worth your time.

It's not the flashiest production of a PKD work I've ever seen but it's the one that's stuck with me the most. The themes present here are relevant today as they were when the original novel was being written. There is a pervading sense of dread running through the film, as in the original work. Shea Whigham is brilliant as Philip (obviously based on PKD himself) and the rest of the cast is equally great. This film was stuck in post for a long time and I think it could have benefited from better effects/editing but that's only a small quibble. It's on Netflix so there's no reason for you not to watch it, especially if you're a fan of things like 1984 or V for Vendetta. It's not as showy or grim as those but similar in theme and tone.

Radio Free Albemuth is a very authentic look into the mind of Philip K. Dick. The mood is sombre and reflective - even noir - and the story has clear Orwellian overtones. The story and character development is strong. The movie is full of echoes of his work, including other movie portrayals of his books - the darkness of Blade Runner emerges as the story unfolds.

I was also intrigued by the parallel with Total Recall: Rachel echoes Lori, and Sylvia recalls Melina. (Dare I also mention the similarity between Katheryn Winnick and Sharon Stone?) There is a world to be saved, but the saviors are flawed or compromised - or are remote in time or space.

Although set in an alternative world of the 1970s, this is a movie for our time, reflecting today's politics. But in typical Dick tradition, there is more than one way to view it. There are the usual Dickian motifs here - which is the reality, and which is the illusion?

The making of this movie was definitely a labor of love, and the attention to detail shines through. It is a fitting tribute to Dick, including the thoughtful and measured portrayal of the man himself by Shea Whigham.

It's not space opera - but then Dick was never a space opera author. Expect to be intrigued, and possibly challenged.

The struggles of the filmmakers in getting this movie made parallel those of Philip K. Dick, the author whose novel serves as source material for this film of the same name as the book. But like Philip K., they forged ahead, and have created a wonderful little film that, in spite of its noticeable budget limitations--particularly visible in the digital effects--is lovingly faithful to its novelistic source. Rather than action set-pieces, the film explores the ideas that frame the novel's plot, and crafts an atmosphere of increasing tension as the web of President Fremont's subversives-cleansing program closes around Philip K. Dick's (Shea Whigham) and Nicholas Brady's (Jonathan Scarfe) plans to insert transgressive messages subliminally in music recordings, all at the behest of a being in space named VALIS that communicates with Nicholas silently.

This small independent/low budget film is built on extremely effective uses of science fiction coupled with religion coupled with political resistance to totalitarian power and a weird species of multidimensional autobiography that coalesces to provide a very, very satisfying conclusion and a sharp emotional experience. Shea Whigham carries the film, he's great. Hanna Hall is a most excellent villain. The story reminded me of The Man in the High Castle, another PK Dick novel featuring alternative parallel universes. The story is inspired by real paranormal events that PK Dick and his wife Tessa experienced in Los Angeles in the 1980s. highly recommend this for lovers of cerebral film.

I really enjoyed this film. The performances by Shea Whigham, Jonathan Scarfe, Scott Wilson and Katheryn Winnick are all solid and ring true. Alanis Morisette is captivating as Sylvia (although she is physically different in appearance from the character in the book). Hanna Hall as the young right wing political operative Vivian Kaplan is amusingly subversive. Director/screenwriter John Alan Simon captures the mentality of the times (early 70s) about which Dick writes: The paranoia, drugs, perceived power of pop rock music to effect social change and the left wing politics. Although he moves the setting to the mid 80s, replacing the Nixon Era with that of Reagan, the issues still reverberate. The script allows enough space for Philip K. Dick's fascinating and fantastic ideas to breathe. I recommend this film. If you haven't read Philip K. Dick you will want to after seeing this film!

Honestly? - Are the reviews here real, or are they members/friends of he film crew?

I don't wish to sound indelicate here, but this is a truly awful film. It is a film made of a great story, but it falls short on so many levels. The acting is sub-par, the dialogue is tenuous, the action is moderately interesting and the visuals are woeful.

I had been waiting for this film for a long time and like many other Dickian's, I relished the thought of a new addition to the world of PKD. However, this is by far, one of the worst adaptations that I have seen, yet.

I am genuinely astonished that it has garnered 5.9, moreover though, are some of these reviews fake? I cannot for the life of me see anything of merit in these reviews, other than obvious bias.

There is so much wrong with this film, I feel cruel listing them all. From writing to filming, from filming to post, from post to release - It is obvious that this film has had troubles from the start.

I would implore Simon50 to keep hold of the rights to the novels that he has bought - And I would ask him to leave it to the professionals.

A worthy project; the first, I think, that actually stems from an understanding of PKD. VALIS - Dick's masterpiece - would probably need to be a high budget production - but your film is a good argument for the producers of Radio Free Albemuth getting the nod for such a project. I have been following Philip K. Dick since the 1950s and was among the earliest to recognize that he rose far above the standard genre science fiction to mainstream surrealist novelist. There have been - since "Bladerunner" loosely based on "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" - a good number of films and even TV series' based upon PKD's work - mostly his short stories and often missing PKD's point, but Radio Free Albemuth is based upon a complex novel, produced by professionals on a shoestring budget with full comprehension of what PKD was trying to say to the public. These folks should get the big budget necessary to do justice to Dick's masterpieces like VALIS or UBIK. They get the point and show the talent in this film.

What does that mean? The movie Radio Free Albemuth is a carefully crafted adaptation of a novel by Philip K. Dick.

Critics who claim the story is disjointed or difficult to follow cannot blame the film makers. Blame Phil for that. If you're not up for a mind-boggling mixture of political conspiracy theories combined with an ancient alien satellite that beams insights and information to one of the main characters, Nicholas Brady (who happens to be remarkably like the real-life author), all witnessed by his worried friend Phil the writer (who truly is based on PKD), then perhaps you should click on over to something more sedate and sensible. If you've never heard of Philip K. Dick, who knows this could be your gateway movie. You might get hooked.

PKD is famous for blending philosophical, theological and political intrigue into one story, and not some huge, winding tome. He could do it in a short story or 200-page pulp fiction back in the day. Does it translate to the screen? Other movie makers have taken PKD concepts like futuristic "thought police", who can catch criminals before they commit the crime, and turned it into a Tom Cruise thriller (Minority Report, 2002.) Or, more recently another PKD short story about psychosis vs. actual metaphysical interference with Earth, was turned into a fantasy Rom-Com (The Adjustment Bureau, 2011.) This is true of around a dozen PKD story-to-movie adaptations. What makes Radio Free Albemuth unique, and worth the high rating, is that writer/director John Alan Simon stayed faithful to the original PKD story.

So, do I recommend it? Yes! You might not read a Philip K. Dick novel, so for a few bucks you can find out what a real Phil story is like. Over on Amazon.com, I went so far as to say RFA should be mandatory viewing for everyone under thirty, or for anyone who has forgotten or doesn't believe that history repeats itself. Given the current NSA surveillance tactics and increasing militarization of local police forces in America, Radio Free definitely has an important message. Just remember, it's not a straightforward path.

You also get to see Shea Whigham (Eli on HBO's Boardwalk Empire) play PKD, watch Alanis Morissette sing and act, and gaze at the beautiful Katheryn Winnick, of the TV Vikings series, as Nick Brady's confused and conflicted wife. As Phiip K. Dick's real-life widow says, "if you want action, watch Transformers." RFA is about interaction; rich in dialog, political intrigue, and subliminal communication. There's also the mystical and mysterious visions too that the film makers portray exactly as some of us long-time PKD fans have wanted to see. Bottom line: Radio Free Albemuth is a faithful portrayal of PKD's fears about the future at a time when it couldn't be more relevant. Watch and join the conspiracy!

John Simon did a great job directing and writing. I would recommend it to a friend. it is intellectual and it got me thinking. I can't wait for it to come out so all my friends can see it. Most of the actors are not well known but they did a great job and I hope this sparks something for there careers. I really cared about the characters.

Everyone involved in this project should be proud of themselves for the job they did. i think Philip K. Dick would be proud. I hope this is the first of many more to come. I wonder if Alanis is going to put out soundtrack? that would be really cool. I'm really glad that movie was under two hours and Simon didn't go on and on. I was intrigued throughout the film.

Just a few days ago I learned that Amazon Studios is making a pilot out of Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle, further proof that his work will continue to be among the most provocative and influential sci-fi around. But of all the adaptations I've seen, I think Radio Free Albemuth is the most thoughtful and comes closest to capturing Philip K. Dick's spirit. In an age where sci-fi consists too much of post-toy trash like Transformers, RFA is so refreshing to see. The casting (including Alanis!) is spot on, and I love Philip K. Dick's appearance as a character who wrestles with his personal beliefs and the impact of his writing. This is a film that isn't afraid of its ideas, and it deserves to be seen.

Let me start by saying that I have never read this book and cannot tell you how close the adaptation is to what was written. Although, in this case, I may decide to pick it up and read it, as the idea and storyline definitely felt real and reminded me of some of the weirdness we are experiencing in society today. This was an entertaining journey to watch with an intriguing and layered storyline, solid performances, outstanding characterizations, great visuals and a big budget feel. Sure, as a character and story driven movie, it does lack a tremendous amount of action, but that does nothing to bring the film down. In the end, this mixture of political and theological intrigue, conspiracy theories, and historical philosophical and subliminal messages plays out in an educational and entertaining manner, and is a must see for everyone. Check it out!

I had the fortune to watch this film during a local SF festival (SFF Rated - Athens) with the director introducing the film and doing a Q&A session afterwards. As most reviewers mention, it's the most faithful screen adaptation of a P.K.Dick book to date. The actors were great (I was happily surprised by Alanis Morissette's performance) and the Valis design was perfect. What I loved most about the film is its timeless look. The story could have taken place 20 years ago, today, or even 5 years from now. It's a quality that is hard to find in films lately, either in period films where everything looks antique, or most Sci-Fi movies where everything takes place in an unapproachable future...

I would gladly watch it again and anxiously waiting for a DVD release.

This film remains on the festival circuit, which will possibly feed it's cult status. I caught up with a new cut at the London Sci-Fi film festival in May 2012. Those interested in the science fiction of Philip K. Dick should try to track it down. It is hardly an 'adaptation' of Dick's last novel, Radio Free Albemuth -- it's more a direct transcription of it. That's a pretty tall order, given that it features interstellar communications from an extraterrestrial god called VALIS, who beams down messages from an orbiting satellite, through visions and portentous dreams. This really happened to him in 1974, so Philip Dick claimed (after years of amphetamine abuse and mental anguish), and he spent the last ten years of his life writing about VALIS. Perhaps the only way to treat this material is to accept Dick's version of events and replay it with a straight face. This is what the film-makers do. Some of it is uneven, some of it is constrained by budget, but it remains an authentic Phildickian experience. Best is the way this druggy 70s Californian counter-cultural novel is slyly updated: the vision of America as a near fascist state, ruled by volunteer morality squads (and by mandatory punishment of those it perceives as 'subversives') has provocative things to say about Bush-era Republicanism and Tea Party moralising. Chase it down!

A PKD story that rather disturbingly and solidly finds its place in our own time. This movie, though low budget and stiffly acted, is a provocative, cerebral movie that dares the viewer to do what the mass media, big budget Hollywood flicks don't want the viewer to do - TO THINK.

Though YMMV, I highly recommend this film though it may not be for everybody. Not spiritual/religious? That's fine - you can easily ignore the religio-Gnostic slant of this work and approach it as an thought exercise.

If this movie doesn't make you think, if you can't draw a parallel to PKD's story and the events unfolding in our world today, if it doesn't make you question some long held, ingrained views in at least some capacity - then it may be a waste of your time.

But if can take something away from it, if it makes you think, if it makes you question, if it perhaps changes your point of view - well, you will probably be able to chalk it up as the best spent 111 cinematic minutes of your life.

From Philip K. Dick, the mind behind the Terminator, Blade Runner, & Total Recall, (just to name a few) comes one of his most abstract and best reviewed novels, Radio Free Albemuth. Since being released in the early 80's, Science Fiction fans and literary scholars alike have analyzed it over and over again. They seem to think there is a deeper meaning, but to me the meaning of the story is simply that every single person can make a difference and change the world, if they are inspired to do so. Radio Free Albemuth is Philip K. Dick's biography, only in an alternate universe. Dick is a Science Fiction writer and the narrator of the film, who tells the story of his friend Nicholas Brady (Jonathan Scarfe). Brady is an ordinary guy who one day starts receiving visions of the future. Most people think Brody is crazy, especially his wife, until all of his predictions start to come true. Brady moves his family to L.A., where he becomes a record executive and that's where the story really takes off. The world these people live in is a police state, cause by the hysteria brought on by terrorism and The Cold War. Brady comes to realize that he is the key to changing the world for the better. All he has to do is find out how to do it and who or what is instructing him to do so. The alternate Phillip K. Dick, played admirable by Shea Whigham, is a witness to the events and makes it his mission to chronicle the work of his friend. Like most writers, Dick was known for being more than a little eccentric and many have questioned where this story came from, and weather or not Dick believe he was experiencing the same types of messages that Brady was. As for the film, it is just so well done, and I've always love stories that take place in alternate realities. The story is as much political as it is scientific, and when you throw in the inspirational message that anyone can change the world for the better, you've got one hell of a story. From beginning to end, the cast is terrific, especially the mysterious Sylvia, played by Alanis Morrisette of all people. I knew she was in Dogma, but I had no idea just how good and actress she could be, isn't it ironic? Radio Free Albemuth has everything I look for in a movie and then some, and it is written by one of the best there ever was, I can't possibly recommend it enough.

Radio Free Albemuth blew me away with its relevance to the political landscape of today. I kept thinking it was all happening in our present day – as it very well could be. I appreciated the story and the interesting set-up with the characters – the author himself straddles between believing his friend and remaining objective to the situation – this set-up also provided an interesting insight into the story. I also enjoyed the setting from Berkeley, CA to LA. The way it was filmed n these locales also provided a feel of being in the present. I highly recommend giving this movie a watch, as it is sure to prompt interesting conversations for what is happening in our world today.

I saw RFA at the Revelation Film Festival here in Perth two nights ago. I haven't read the book, but Dick fans in the audience seemed well pleased. One said he was surprised at how much of the book had made it into the film. Translating any book to the screen is difficult, but a book by Philip K Dick would be doubly so. After seeing Blade Runner I read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and found the detachment and lack of emotion very off-putting. For example, Roy Baty doesn't deliver a stirring monologue in his final moments. His death is reduced to one cold sentence - something like, "Deckard went into the room where Roy was standing, and retired him." On the basis of the Dick novels I have read, I would say that John Simon, the scriptwriter and director, added just the right degree of emotional tension. Ambiguity is another common feature in Dick's writing. In the book Do Androids etc, Deckard is left wondering whether one of his co-workers is a replicant. This is the question that Ridley Scott transferred to Deckard himself in the movie. Radio Free Albemuth left me wondering again and again, were these people really hearing divine voices? Or were they just a bunch of free-ranging nutters? 9 out of 10 for a well made and thought provoking film.

I saw this moving at the Gotham film festival in New York City and I am glad I made the 2-hour trip. The acting was solid and the adaptation will make Philip K. Dick proud,John Alan Simon stayed faithful to the book.Giving the fact that most of us were cheering Egypt on as the topple their dictation, this is the perfect time for this story to hit the big screen.. The movie gave me a lot to think about especially with regards to collectivism versus individualism and I bet it will get you thinking as well,So go see it! It was also great to finally get a visual image of Valis (the being that was communicating with Nick and Silva).P.S To Alanis Morissette fans- She rocked her role as Silva. You have to see her in this movie. I also enjoyed Jonathan Scarfe performance as Nick Brady.

I had the good fortune to watch this film surrounded by a big crowd of hardcore Philip K Dick fans at the second PKD festival that took place in San Francisco a few days ago.

The director and writer (John Alan Simon) was very respectful with the source material (a novel written by PKD in 1976 but not published until 1985) but also took great care in making the movie interesting for anybody who enjoys intelligent movies based on ideas and not on action.

Although I was familiar with the plot because I had read the novel recently, I found myself very engaged on the movie the whole time and that says a lot about of the construction and rhythm of the film.

To me this movies is up there with films like EXistenz, VideoDrome, Cube, Dark City just to mention a few ones. It is the kind of movie that throws a lot of ideas to the audience and that it can let you thinking about them for weeks.

The movie takes place on an alternative version of the United States where a president (Fremont) that has been on power for four consecutive terms is consolidating a highly authoritarian police state. In a national TV broadcast Fremont announces the existence of a subversion organization called Aramcheck which threat to the nation could "force" him to look for a fifth term in power.

A guy named of Nicholas Brady, who works as a clerk at a record store, has a metaphysical experience that he cannot explain: An unknown entity that present himself as VALIS (acronymous for Vast Active Live Intelligent System) starts broadcasting all kind of messages, visions and instructions directly to his brain. These visions end up changing his life completely and put it him and his friend Phil (and alter ego of Philip k Dick) in the middle of a battle of a secret organization to unmask the true intentions of president Fremont.

What it makes this movies timeless is that it deals with the universal theme of David Vs. Goliath: the small guy against the big power. This resonates with many recent events like the Arab spring or the Occupy movement but ultimately it relates to the struggles we all have to face at some points of our lives when we have to go against forces that are beyond our control and that cannot be reasoned with.

One think that I love about the movie (and the novel too) is how the character are questioning themselves all the time about what they are going through. This is not the kind of movie where there is a lot of exposition to make sure that all the audience get the same standard vision. In Radio Free Albemuth the characters are constantly creating and destroying theories about what is going on and that puts the audience at same level of the characters.

All the performance are very solid but I want to highlight two of them. The first one is Hanna Hall who plays Vivian Kaplan, an agent of a paramilitary organization serving president Fremont that has no boundaries when it comes to tracking down any potential threat for the regime. I loved how she managed to portray this cold, manipulative and lack of empathy character.

The other outstanding performance for me was Shea Whigham as Phil. I though that his kind of low key, cynical approach to the character was very appropriate. Although in this novel this is an alter ego of Philip K. Dick, they didn't try to do a direct characterization of him.

However, with all this said, not everything is perfect. Two me the movie has two main flaws. The fist one is with the character of Nick. The movie does not give the audience a real reason to care about this character because it jumps directly into his visions and it only gives a very brief glimpse of how his life was before having these experiences. I think the character would have gained a lot of depth by showing his life as a record store clerk.

Second problem is with president Freemont. His appearances in the movie are limited to the national broadcast he makes from the oval office which in my opinion doesn't help to establish the link between him and the oppression of the regime. His presence in the movie should be stronger.

All in all this a great movie and if you are looking for something different to the cliché-filled movies produced by Hollywood this is a great alternative. If you are a PKD fan you need to see this movie now.

I was worried about having too high an expectation of this film since I had been waiting so long to see it and considering the fact that it's the first time anyone's every attempted to tackle PKD's semi-autobiographical works...well, I was not disappointed. This film was the best book-to-film adaptation of PKD's work I've seen yet. A Scanner Darkly was the closest anyone's come before. The fact that this was a "low budget" film actually helped it stay true to the book since there was no need to insert the obligatory car chase scenes, etc., expected in the big budget Hollywood movies that are so disappointed these days.

We got to meet the director after the movie and I could already tell by watching the movie that he was an avid PKD fan. He was very personable and answered all of our questions about the movie. It was very cool to get to discuss such an amazing film with the director in person! I can't wait to get the DVD so I can watch it many more times and show it to friends.

Great job and looking forward to more PKD films from John Alan Simon!

I have to defend the actors against the bad reviews. As is often the case, flat and non-compelling acting has a lot more to do with the director and the script than the actor's abilities. In this case, the director and the scriptwriter are the same. Given to a different director, this might have been a compelling story (or not, since I don't find the scifi religious spiritualism remotely interesting, and I find it objectionable on an intellectual basis). I also hold the director responsible for the bad taste (IMO) in the visual effects. While the pink of the book was changed to purple, film student/amateur filmmaker purple glows and lighting (when called for and NOT called for by the scripted action) didn't help sell anything here. In fact, the visuals made the film look decidedly low budget and cheesy.

But is this even a compelling idea for a film? Not in my opinion. It's naive and quite telling of the state of mind Philip K. Dick was in at the point in his life when he wrote the texts this film is based on. In fact, he didn't actually publish this story. He rewrote it as a completely different book. The story this film is based on was published posthumously. Who knows if Dick would have approved.

Overall, the film doesn't deserve the brutal assassination given by some reviewers. It also doesn't deserve the praise other reviewers have given it. It's an amateur effort with poor choices made in direction and cinematography that sabotage the overall result. Even the choice of story to put to film was probably not the best. I respect the desire to honor a beloved author, but no one knows of Philip K. Dick would himself have approved of this. The film adaptation history of his works has been mostly poor. It's a shame. On top of that, unsophisticated reviewers use this film to demean the skills of the actors present in it.

Taste varies, and there's no universal standard, but this film didn't deliver for me. I like slow films. I like subtle acting. I like dialog-heavy content over action-heavy content. I even tolerate low budgets when the filmmakers don't try to sell unconvincing visuals. This film failed to pass my rather tolerant standards for intellectual and slow art movies.

It was not satisfying. It almost wasn't worth my time, if not for sheer curiosity satisfaction ("is this another bad PKD adaptation?"). It was another reminder that resources don't necessarily get divvied out to the best people or the best projects. It's sad and frustrating for a lover of the potential of cinema and storytelling.

If not for the weirdly bipolar reviews, I wouldn't bother to write one of my own. The film deserves a "meh"; not hate or praise.