The disc: Harlan Ellison: Dreams With Sharp Teeth

The details: I don’t know if Harlan Ellison is a great writer, but I do know that Harlan Ellison is a great character. Harlan Ellison: Dreams With Sharp Teeth (Newvideo) captures him perfectly in his various lairs: at home in the Los Angeles house he calls Ellison Wonderland, on the lecture circuit, or having a nosh with friends, who include Neil Gaiman and Robin Williams.

Erik Nelson’s documentary tells the full story of Ellison’s life, from his childhood as the much put-upon sole Jewish kid in Painesville, Ohio to literary enfant terrible status in the ’50s and ’60s, to elder statesman status today. Along the way, Ellison wrote lots of great fantasy and science-fiction stories, inspired the Terminator films, edited the two Dangerous Visions anthologies, and wrote some spectacular TV shows as well — my favorite is “Demon With a Glass Hand” for The Outer Limits, although I gather his “City at the Edge of Forever” script for Star Trek has earned him the undying adoration of Trekkies — a group he undoubtedly wants to keep at arms length.

The documentary alludes to various personal issues that have bedeviled Ellison over the years, but stops short of attempting to explain them, which is probably just as well. It also shows a surprisingly emotional man, shedding a tear over his father and clearly devoted to his wife. In his mid-70s, he remains today as he has always been: a literary Mickey Rooney, which is to say short, incredibly talented, a force of nature, a great natural performer.