list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Control on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Control/286189/default.aspx Title: Control
Year: 2007
Director: Anton Corbijn
Plot: Prolific music-video helmer and award-winning photographer Anton Corbijn makes his feature directorial debut with this biographical drama concerning the late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis. Based on the book Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis & Joy Division by the enigmatic singer's wife Deborah Curtis, Control documents the life of a legend who changed the face of modern music but never lived to witness the remarkable impact of his life's work. The time was the late 1970s, and the post-punk explosion was just gaining momentum in England. At the forefront of this movement was a band named Joy Division. Formed in 1976 and first calling themselves Warsaw, Joy Division favored mood and expression over the aggressive stance that had come to define punk rock. The band was championed by Factory Records founder Tony Wilson, and collaborated with producer Martin Hannett on the album that would become their undisputed masterpiece -- 1979's Unknown Pleasures. But despite the band's rising popularity, lead singer Curtis was not in good mental or physical health due a debilitating battle with epilepsy and an extramarital affair, and hanged himself in his Macclesfield home on the eve of the band's first U.S. tour. Newcomer Sam Riley stars opposite Samantha Morton in the film that sets out to tell the definitive story of a true rock & roll legend. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 28
Number of Lists: 18
Number of blog posts: 16
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Tue, 25 Aug 2009 23:28:13 GMTControl2007Anton CorbijnProlific music-video helmer and award-winning photographer Anton Corbijn makes his feature directorial debut with this biographical drama concerning the late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis. Based on the book Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis & Joy Division by the enigmatic singer's wife Deborah Curtis, Control documents the life of a legend who changed the face of modern music but never lived to witness the remarkable impact of his life's work. The time was the late 1970s, and the post-punk explosion was just gaining momentum in England. At the forefront of this movement was a band named Joy Division. Formed in 1976 and first calling themselves Warsaw, Joy Division favored mood and expression over the aggressive stance that had come to define punk rock. The band was championed by Factory Records founder Tony Wilson, and collaborated with producer Martin Hannett on the album that would become their undisputed masterpiece -- 1979's Unknown Pleasures. But despite the band's rising popularity, lead singer Curtis was not in good mental or physical health due a debilitating battle with epilepsy and an extramarital affair, and hanged himself in his Macclesfield home on the eve of the band's first U.S. tour. Newcomer Sam Riley stars opposite <a href="/players/P___230665/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Samantha Morton</a> in the film that sets out to tell the definitive story of a true rock & roll legend. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide28Tag Target (>10)18163http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s286189.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Control/286189/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/12/4/37942.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 12/4/2008 2:01:09 PM
Body: Who would you rather hear sing Etta James’ signature tunes, the real deal or Beyonce Knowles? If you prefer the latter, then you’ll want to see Cadillac Records and even buy the film’s soundtrack, both of which feature Beyonce performing a few of James’ songs, including a nearly spot-on copy of “At Last” (listen to it here). Other actors in the film (and on the soundtrack) who do their own singing while portraying legendary music artists include Jeffrey Wright (as Muddy Waters), Mos Def (Chuck Berry) and Columbus Short (Little Walter). It’s a strange idea to pay tribute to a singer with a biopic or ensemble music historical and then replace that singer’s voice with another, more amateur vocalist. Yet Hollywood does it all the time and, surprisingly, the new performances usually turn out pretty good. Just listen to the following nine actors and actresses who managed to do justice to the artist they were portraying. Gary Busey as Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story (1978) Busey earned an Oscar nomination for this film, and part of the honor was likely meant for his uncanny ability to ape Holly’s singing style precisely for live sequences like the one above. The real Buddy can be heard all over the soundtrack where appropriate, but it makes sense to have raw, live-sounding numbers in actual live performance scenes, so that’s really Busey, Charles Martin Smith and Don Stroud singing and playing the music on set. It’s unfortunate that in the subsequent thirty years there have been only a few films to follow this one’s lead, but it just proves how amazing Busey’s performance truly is. Beverly D’Angelo as Patsy Cline in Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) The real star, in terms of both acting and singing, was Sissy Spacek, but D’Angelo does an amazing job, too, as Loretta Lynn’s mentor, Patsy Cline. Compared to Spacek’s nine tracks on the film’s soundtrack, D’Angelo has four, including an excellent duet with Spacek on “Back in Baby’s Arms.” Some of them only appear in the film as playing on the radio and so didn’t even need to be performed by the actress. But they’re so perfect, it’s almost like Michael Apted put them in there just to see if anyone noticed a difference. No wonder that when Jessica Lange starred as Cline in the 1985 bio Sweet Dreams she simply lip-synched to the original tunes. How could she have done any better than this? Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993) While Angela Bassett lip-synched to the real Tina Turner’s voice, Fishburne made for an inconsistent soundtrack by supplying his own vocals in the part of Ike. Actually, it was necessary, because nearly all the songs in the film are new recordings, and there’s no way anyone was going to even think of bringing the real Ike in for that. Besides, some might see it as justice that his voice was almost entirely left out of the film. Fishburne received an Oscar nomination for the performance. Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991) If John Travolta had gotten his way, he’d have starred as Morrison in the film and even toured with The Doors in a series of promotional concerts. If Oliver Stone had gotten his first choice, the part would be played by The Cult’s Ian Astbury, who actually did end up singing for The Doors (well, really, the “The Doors of the 21st Century”) a decade later. And if Kyle MacLachlan had gotten his way, he’d have played Morrison instead of portraying Ray Manzarek in the film. But none of these people could possibly have done better than Val Kilmer, who completely owned the character (if not the true Jim, as Stone’s critics argue). In addition to bearing a slight resemblance to Morrison, the actor also sang enough like the real deal to have allegedly confused Stone and the surviving members of The Doors. So, the songs in the film are the band’s original recordings with Kilmer’s vocals substituted for Morrison’s, a process that allowed for a more accurate representation of the rock legend’s talky and unpredictable stage act. The soundtrack album claims to feature Morrison’s own voice on the songs, but Kilmer’s performance is so good that the credits could be false and we’d never know. Kevin Kline as Cole Porter in De-Lovely (2004) This is an especially exceptional performance because Kline limits his true singing ability to sound more like Porter, whose voice wasn’t too remarkable (the man was a composer, not a performer). The idea may not have made for Kline’s greatest recordings — though the soundtrack sold relatively well thanks to other talents like Elvis Costello and Sheryl Crow — but the portrayal would not have been true enough had Kline belted out his best. In addition to doing his own handicapped singing, in character and on set, the actor also played the piano live during filming. Ewan McGregor as Curt Wild (aka Iggy Pop) in Velvet Goldmine (1998) Ten years before casting six separate actors as Bob Dylan for I’m Not There, Todd Haynes had a single actor portray an amalgam of Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Mick Ronson and Alice Cooper (with a little Kurt Cobain thrown in for name and appearance?). But Curt Wild is primarily Iggy, and his band, The Wylde Ratttz, are obviously modeled mostly on The Stooges, so McGregor’s crude performance counts for this list. After all, it’s basically only Stooges tunes he sings in the film (with a new tune written by ex-Stooge Ron Asheton and Mudhoney’s Mark Arm), whereas Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, who sings only some of his own songs (Radiohead’s Thom Yorke sings some others) in an obvious portrayal of David Bowie, renamed Brian Slade, performs a mix of Roxy Music and other artists’ tunes (though no Bowie, who wouldn’t allow his songs to be licensed for the film). Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line (2005) Roger Ebert claimed to have closed his eyes during the film and sincerely believed it to be Cash’s own vocals being lip-synched by Phoenix. While the actor does a great job, though, it’s hard to think he’d allow the same kind of confusion Kilmer’s Morrison brought about. Amazing similarity, sure, but listen to Phoenix and Cash side by side and there’s definitely no mistaking them for the same. However, Phoenix does do a grand job of convincing us that he’s completely Cash, in appearance and voice, while the movie is playing. His costar, Reese Witherspoon, may have won the Oscar, but Phoenix definitely gave the better, more accurate singing performance. Sam Riley as Ian Curtis in Control (2007) Like the live performances in The Buddy Holly Story, those in Control were filmed live on set with the actors all playing their own instruments and Sam Riley doing his own singing. And like the earlier film, it was totally appropriate to capture such a raw-sounding band and vocalist. There were original Joy Division tunes used for non-live scenes and most of the soundtrack album features original recordings, with only one track credited to the cast, who were credited as “Joy Moviesion.” Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues (1972) If you’re a big fan of Holiday’s voice, there’s really no accepting this substitution. Unlike some of the other artists’ voices recreated for the big screen, Holiday’s isn’t backed up by a lot of music. So, hers and Ross’ voices are barer. Yet Ross nevertheless does a worthy effort in the role and her performances of Holiday’s tunes were popular enough to make the film’s soundtrack reach #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Ross was also nominated for an Oscar. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:01:09 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com12/4/2008 2:01:09 PMWho would you rather hear sing Etta James’ signature tunes, the real deal or Beyonce Knowles? If you prefer the latter, then you’ll want to see Cadillac Records and even buy the film’s soundtrack, both of which feature Beyonce performing a few of James’ songs, including a nearly spot-on copy of “At Last” (listen to it here). Other actors in the film (and on the soundtrack) who do their own singing while portraying legendary music artists include Jeffrey Wright (as Muddy Waters), Mos Def (Chuck Berry) and Columbus Short (Little Walter). It’s a strange idea to pay tribute to a singer with a biopic or ensemble music historical and then replace that singer’s voice with another, more amateur vocalist. Yet Hollywood does it all the time and, surprisingly, the new performances usually turn out pretty good. Just listen to the following nine actors and actresses who managed to do justice to the artist they were portraying. Gary Busey as Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story (1978) Busey earned an Oscar nomination for this film, and part of the honor was likely meant for his uncanny ability to ape Holly’s singing style precisely for live sequences like the one above. The real Buddy can be heard all over the soundtrack where appropriate, but it makes sense to have raw, live-sounding numbers in actual live performance scenes, so that’s really Busey, Charles Martin Smith and Don Stroud singing and playing the music on set. It’s unfortunate that in the subsequent thirty years there have been only a few films to follow this one’s lead, but it just proves how amazing Busey’s performance truly is. Beverly D’Angelo as Patsy Cline in Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) The real star, in terms of both acting and singing, was Sissy Spacek, but D’Angelo does an amazing job, too, as Loretta Lynn’s mentor, Patsy Cline. Compared to Spacek’s nine tracks on the film’s soundtrack, D’Angelo has four, including an excellent duet with Spacek on “Back in Baby’s Arms.” Some of them only appear in the film as playing on the radio and so didn’t even need to be performed by the actress. But they’re so perfect, it’s almost like Michael Apted put them in there just to see if anyone noticed a difference. No wonder that when Jessica Lange starred as Cline in the 1985 bio Sweet Dreams she simply lip-synched to the original tunes. How could she have done any better than this? Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993) While Angela Bassett lip-synched to the real Tina Turner’s voice, Fishburne made for an inconsistent soundtrack by supplying his own vocals in the part of Ike. Actually, it was necessary, because nearly all the songs in the film are new recordings, and there’s no way anyone was going to even think of bringing the real Ike in for that. Besides, some might see it as justice that his voice was almost entirely left out of the film. Fishburne received an Oscar nomination for the performance. Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991) If John Travolta had gotten his way, he’d have starred as Morrison in the film and even toured with The Doors in a series of promotional concerts. If Oliver Stone had gotten his first choice, the part would be played by The Cult’s Ian Astbury, who actually did end up singing for The Doors (well, really, the “The Doors of the 21st Century”) a decade later. And if Kyle MacLachlan had gotten his way, he’d have played Morrison instead of portraying Ray Manzarek in the film. But none of these people could possibly have done better than Val Kilmer, who completely owned the character (if not the true Jim, as Stone’s critics argue). In addition to bearing a slight resemblance to Morrison, the actor also sang enough like the real deal to have allegedly confused Stone and the surviving members of The Doors. So, the songs in the film are the band’s original recordings with Kilmer’s vocals substituted for Morrison’s, a process that allowed for a more accurate representation of the rock legend’s talky and unpredictable stage act. The soundtrack album claims to feature Morrison’s own voice on the songs, but Kilmer’s performance is so good that the credits could be false and we’d never know. Kevin Kline as Cole Porter in De-Lovely (2004) This is an especially exceptional performance because Kline limits his true singing ability to sound more like Porter, whose voice wasn’t too remarkable (the man was a composer, not a performer). The idea may not have made for Kline’s greatest recordings — though the soundtrack sold relatively well thanks to other talents like Elvis Costello and Sheryl Crow — but the portrayal would not have been true enough had Kline belted out his best. In addition to doing his own handicapped singing, in character and on set, the actor also played the piano live during filming. Ewan McGregor as Curt Wild (aka Iggy Pop) in Velvet Goldmine (1998) Ten years before casting six separate actors as Bob Dylan for I’m Not There, Todd Haynes had a single actor portray an amalgam of Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Mick Ronson and Alice Cooper (with a little Kurt Cobain thrown in for name and appearance?). But Curt Wild is primarily Iggy, and his band, The Wylde Ratttz, are obviously modeled mostly on The Stooges, so McGregor’s crude performance counts for this list. After all, it’s basically only Stooges tunes he sings in the film (with a new tune written by ex-Stooge Ron Asheton and Mudhoney’s Mark Arm), whereas Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, who sings only some of his own songs (Radiohead’s Thom Yorke sings some others) in an obvious portrayal of David Bowie, renamed Brian Slade, performs a mix of Roxy Music and other artists’ tunes (though no Bowie, who wouldn’t allow his songs to be licensed for the film). Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line (2005) Roger Ebert claimed to have closed his eyes during the film and sincerely believed it to be Cash’s own vocals being lip-synched by Phoenix. While the actor does a great job, though, it’s hard to think he’d allow the same kind of confusion Kilmer’s Morrison brought about. Amazing similarity, sure, but listen to Phoenix and Cash side by side and there’s definitely no mistaking them for the same. However, Phoenix does do a grand job of convincing us that he’s completely Cash, in appearance and voice, while the movie is playing. His costar, Reese Witherspoon, may have won the Oscar, but Phoenix definitely gave the better, more accurate singing performance. Sam Riley as Ian Curtis in Control (2007) Like the live performances in The Buddy Holly Story, those in Control were filmed live on set with the actors all playing their own instruments and Sam Riley doing his own singing. And like the earlier film, it was totally appropriate to capture such a raw-sounding band and vocalist. There were original Joy Division tunes used for non-live scenes and most of the soundtrack album features original recordings, with only one track credited to the cast, who were credited as “Joy Moviesion.” Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues (1972) If you’re a big fan of Holiday’s voice, there’s really no accepting this substitution. Unlike some of the other artists’ voices recreated for the big screen, Holiday’s isn’t backed up by a lot of music. So, hers and Ross’ voices are barer. Yet Ross nevertheless does a worthy effort in the role and her performances of Holiday’s tunes were popular enough to make the film’s soundtrack reach #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Ross was also nominated for an Oscar. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/dibot/archive/2008/11/10/37154.aspx Post By: dibot
Post To: dibot Blog
Post Date: 11/10/2008 2:36:15 PM
Body: Control is the biopic about Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division. I don't know much about the subject matter, but the film seemed to paint a pretty honest portrait. Shot in black and white, Sam Riley ("24 Hour Party People") as Curtis, is sometimes painful to watch as he deals with epilepsy. Samantha Morton ("Elizabeth: The Golden Age") is equally good as his wife, Deborah. The film uses much of Joy Division's music, as well as other music from that era. I didn't love it, but that may have been because it was so bleak and depressing.
]]>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:36:15 GMTdibotdibot Blog11/10/2008 2:36:15 PMControl is the biopic about Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division. I don't know much about the subject matter, but the film seemed to paint a pretty honest portrait. Shot in black and white, Sam Riley ("24 Hour Party People") as Curtis, is sometimes painful to watch as he deals with epilepsy. Samantha Morton ("Elizabeth: The Golden Age") is equally good as his wife, Deborah. The film uses much of Joy Division's music, as well as other music from that era. I didn't love it, but that may have been because it was so bleak and depressing. http://www.spout.com/blogs/chrismorrell/archive/2008/7/19/32780.aspx Post By: chrismorrell
Post To: chrismorrell Blog
Post Date: 7/19/2008 10:08:04 PM
Body: Having lived through the events portrayed,followed the music press devotedly at the time...the story was a given...I had a good idea how it would look...."24 Hour Party People" gave the now dead Tony Wilson's perspective..Anton Corbijns photos from the NME were regulars on my bedroom wall,and as he has said, Joy Division's career was documented almost entirely in black and white..the film just had to be that way too,and it is brilliantly realised....I never did own a Joy Division record .I did admire the sheer heart-wrenching artistry ,but really found it too relentlessly melancholic. Maybe ,like Cobain a few years later,you could detect the creator remaning too immersed in the down side of the manic process of music making and performing. "Control" as a piece of moviemaking is a triumph for Anton Corbijn and the actors, who were determined to perform the music live..and they are brilliant,at least as good as the real thing. In one sequence ,it seems that we are hearing the recorded version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" which segues seamlessly into a live performance by the actors!...Apart from Sam Riley, Samantha Morton is just wonderful , Toby Kebbell is hilarious as manager Rob Gretton(portrayed by Paddy Consadine in "24 Hour,..")and Craig Parkinson is a totally believable Tony Wilson..Sad but superb...
]]>Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:08:04 GMTchrismorrellchrismorrell Blog7/19/2008 10:08:04 PM Having lived through the events portrayed,followed the music press devotedly at the time...the story was a given...I had a good idea how it would look...."24 Hour Party People" gave the now dead Tony Wilson's perspective..Anton Corbijns photos from the NME were regulars on my bedroom wall,and as he has said, Joy Division's career was documented almost entirely in black and white..the film just had to be that way too,and it is brilliantly realised....I never did own a Joy Division record .I did admire the sheer heart-wrenching artistry ,but really found it too relentlessly melancholic. Maybe ,like Cobain a few years later,you could detect the creator remaning too immersed in the down side of the manic process of music making and performing. "Control" as a piece of moviemaking is a triumph for Anton Corbijn and the actors, who were determined to perform the music live..and they are brilliant,at least as good as the real thing. In one sequence ,it seems that we are hearing the recorded version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" which segues seamlessly into a live performance by the actors!...Apart from Sam Riley, Samantha Morton is just wonderful , Toby Kebbell is hilarious as manager Rob Gretton(portrayed by Paddy Consadine in "24 Hour,..")and Craig Parkinson is a totally believable Tony Wilson..Sad but superb... http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/6/11/31132.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 6/11/2008 6:00:48 PM
Body: Glenn Kenny considers that “instant hit”, The Incredible Hulk. “If Edward Norton’s idea, if your idea, if my idea, of an intelligent mainstream genre picture won’t play with the money people, where the hell does that leave anybody’s idea of an intelligent mainstream picture, period?” He raises the issue to Norton himself, but ultimately comes closest to an answer via Jay-Z. “It’s not just that there were a lot of black and white movies last year — it’s that most of them were fucking awesome,” writes Rich at FourFour. “Among them: Perspolis, Guy Maddin’s Brand Upon the Brain!…Killer of Sheep (a 30+ year-old bit of brilliance that didn’t see official release till last year), I’m Not There, in part (and, my opinion, the b&w parts were the only ones worth watching), and Frank Darabont’s preferred cut of The Mist. But my favorite black-and-white flick of ‘07 and possibly of all time is Control.” What follows is a short treatise on that film’s humanity through black and white cinematography; there are a lot of screencaps. “When a filmmaker tells a story in such broads strokes, he or she does so because it allows certain ideas to be explored without exposition; when the scope of a story is already understood, already deeply seated in the audience’s understanding of narrative, those audiences are more perceptible to the details and nuances the filmmaker is able to explore and play with within that structure.” David Lowery considers Silent Light at /Hammer to Nail. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth
]]>Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:00:48 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog6/11/2008 6:00:48 PM Glenn Kenny considers that “instant hit”, The Incredible Hulk. “If Edward Norton’s idea, if your idea, if my idea, of an intelligent mainstream genre picture won’t play with the money people, where the hell does that leave anybody’s idea of an intelligent mainstream picture, period?” He raises the issue to Norton himself, but ultimately comes closest to an answer via Jay-Z. “It’s not just that there were a lot of black and white movies last year — it’s that most of them were fucking awesome,” writes Rich at FourFour. “Among them: Perspolis, Guy Maddin’s Brand Upon the Brain!…Killer of Sheep (a 30+ year-old bit of brilliance that didn’t see official release till last year), I’m Not There, in part (and, my opinion, the b&w parts were the only ones worth watching), and Frank Darabont’s preferred cut of The Mist. But my favorite black-and-white flick of ‘07 and possibly of all time is Control.” What follows is a short treatise on that film’s humanity through black and white cinematography; there are a lot of screencaps. “When a filmmaker tells a story in such broads strokes, he or she does so because it allows certain ideas to be explored without exposition; when the scope of a story is already understood, already deeply seated in the audience’s understanding of narrative, those audiences are more perceptible to the details and nuances the filmmaker is able to explore and play with within that structure.” David Lowery considers Silent Light at /Hammer to Nail. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/6/11/31131.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 6/11/2008 6:00:37 PM
Body: Glenn Kenny considers that “instant hit”, The Incredible Hulk. “If Edward Norton’s idea, if your idea, if my idea, of an intelligent mainstream genre picture won’t play with the money people, where the hell does that leave anybody’s idea of an intelligent mainstream picture, period?” He raises the issue to Norton himself, but ultimately comes closest to an answer via Jay-Z. “It’s not just that there were a lot of black and white movies last year — it’s that most of them were fucking awesome,” writes Rich at FourFour. “Among them: Perspolis, Guy Maddin’s Brand Upon the Brain!…Killer of Sheep (a 30+ year-old bit of brilliance that didn’t see official release till last year), I’m Not There, in part (and, my opinion, the b&w parts were the only ones worth watching), and Frank Darabont’s preferred cut of The Mist. But my favorite black-and-white flick of ‘07 and possibly of all time is Control.” What follows is a short treatise on that film’s humanity through black and white cinematography; there are a lot of screencaps. “When a filmmaker tells a story in such broads strokes, he or she does so because it allows certain ideas to be explored without exposition; when the scope of a story is already understood, already deeply seated in the audience’s understanding of narrative, those audiences are more perceptible to the details and nuances the filmmaker is able to explore and play with within that structure.” David Lowery considers Silent Light at /Hammer to Nail. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:00:37 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com6/11/2008 6:00:37 PM Glenn Kenny considers that “instant hit”, The Incredible Hulk. “If Edward Norton’s idea, if your idea, if my idea, of an intelligent mainstream genre picture won’t play with the money people, where the hell does that leave anybody’s idea of an intelligent mainstream picture, period?” He raises the issue to Norton himself, but ultimately comes closest to an answer via Jay-Z. “It’s not just that there were a lot of black and white movies last year — it’s that most of them were fucking awesome,” writes Rich at FourFour. “Among them: Perspolis, Guy Maddin’s Brand Upon the Brain!…Killer of Sheep (a 30+ year-old bit of brilliance that didn’t see official release till last year), I’m Not There, in part (and, my opinion, the b&w parts were the only ones worth watching), and Frank Darabont’s preferred cut of The Mist. But my favorite black-and-white flick of ‘07 and possibly of all time is Control.” What follows is a short treatise on that film’s humanity through black and white cinematography; there are a lot of screencaps. “When a filmmaker tells a story in such broads strokes, he or she does so because it allows certain ideas to be explored without exposition; when the scope of a story is already understood, already deeply seated in the audience’s understanding of narrative, those audiences are more perceptible to the details and nuances the filmmaker is able to explore and play with within that structure.” David Lowery considers Silent Light at /Hammer to Nail. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/lopezdash/archive/2008/3/11/26102.aspx Post By: lopezdash
Post To: The Movie Blog
Post Date: 3/11/2008 4:51:07 PM
Body: British actress Samantha Morton has revealed to Observer Music Monthly that she suffered a stroke in 2006 but kept it hidden from the press.The Oscar-nominated actress, who recently appeared in Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Ian Curtis biopic Control, said she suffered a stroke in 2006, days after being struck on the head when part of her ceiling collapsed.Morton admits her friendship with Spiritualized singer Jason Pierce, who survived pneumonia, and his girlfriend Juliette helped her come through the illness."Jason and I have been mirroring each other," Morton said. "He was really sick and then I had a stroke at the beginning of [that] year."Their friendship knows no bounds. He was the only person I knew who understood what that was like, being near to death."Morton's stroke was so serious she had to learn how to walk again. The 30-year-old made a full recovery and gave birth to her second child, Edie, in January this year.Source: Digital Spy
]]>Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:51:07 GMTlopezdashThe Movie Blog3/11/2008 4:51:07 PMBritish actress Samantha Morton has revealed to Observer Music Monthly that she suffered a stroke in 2006 but kept it hidden from the press.The Oscar-nominated actress, who recently appeared in Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Ian Curtis biopic Control, said she suffered a stroke in 2006, days after being struck on the head when part of her ceiling collapsed.Morton admits her friendship with Spiritualized singer Jason Pierce, who survived pneumonia, and his girlfriend Juliette helped her come through the illness.&quot;Jason and I have been mirroring each other,&quot; Morton said. &quot;He was really sick and then I had a stroke at the beginning of [that] year.&quot;Their friendship knows no bounds. He was the only person I knew who understood what that was like, being near to death.&quot;Morton&#39;s stroke was so serious she had to learn how to walk again. The 30-year-old made a full recovery and gave birth to her second child, Edie, in January this year.Source: Digital Spy http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/1/29/24507.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 1/29/2008 1:01:37 PM
Body: Via The Reeler comes news that Wong Kar Wai’s My Blueberry Nights, the Hong Kong auteur’s English language debut, which opened the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, has been bumped from its Valentine’s Day release date to early April. Release date delays of multiple months are rarely considered a positive sign??????especially when we’re talking about a film that was mostly excoriated by the international press at the one and only film festival at which it screened??????but in this case, I don’t know. The Weinsteins haven’t started to promote Blueberry in earnest, so it’s not like they’re throwing away money already spent. There’s plenty of datey competition the first two weeks of February (although, it should be noted, nothing remotely arty or adult), with TWC’s own Diary of the Dead slotted in as Valentine’s counter-programming on the 15th. If nothing else, moving Blueberry to April gives the struggling Weinsteins time to support it without dividing their resources, which is what I blame for their inability to effectively platform either Control or I’m Not There. But in that case, why not put it at the end of the month and try to relaunch it at Tribeca??????a festival that, at least historically, LOVES throwing big, stupid premieres to launch star-studded product? Maybe this is actually a sign that Tribeca meant it when they said they were going to downsize and generally try to be less ridiculous. If so, good news all around! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » karina
]]>Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:01:37 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog1/29/2008 1:01:37 PMVia The Reeler comes news that Wong Kar Wai’s My Blueberry Nights, the Hong Kong auteur’s English language debut, which opened the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, has been bumped from its Valentine’s Day release date to early April. Release date delays of multiple months are rarely considered a positive sign??????especially when we’re talking about a film that was mostly excoriated by the international press at the one and only film festival at which it screened??????but in this case, I don’t know. The Weinsteins haven’t started to promote Blueberry in earnest, so it’s not like they’re throwing away money already spent. There’s plenty of datey competition the first two weeks of February (although, it should be noted, nothing remotely arty or adult), with TWC’s own Diary of the Dead slotted in as Valentine’s counter-programming on the 15th. If nothing else, moving Blueberry to April gives the struggling Weinsteins time to support it without dividing their resources, which is what I blame for their inability to effectively platform either Control or I’m Not There. But in that case, why not put it at the end of the month and try to relaunch it at Tribeca??????a festival that, at least historically, LOVES throwing big, stupid premieres to launch star-studded product? Maybe this is actually a sign that Tribeca meant it when they said they were going to downsize and generally try to be less ridiculous. If so, good news all around! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » karina http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/1/29/24505.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/29/2008 1:01:21 PM
Body: Via The Reeler comes news that Wong Kar Wai’s My Blueberry Nights, the Hong Kong auteur’s English language debut, which opened the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, has been bumped from its Valentine’s Day release date to early April. Release date delays of multiple months are rarely considered a positive sign??????especially when we’re talking about a film that was mostly excoriated by the international press at the one and only film festival at which it screened??????but in this case, I don’t know. The Weinsteins haven’t started to promote Blueberry in earnest, so it’s not like they’re throwing away money already spent. There’s plenty of datey competition the first two weeks of February (although, it should be noted, nothing remotely arty or adult), with TWC’s own Diary of the Dead slotted in as Valentine’s counter-programming on the 15th. If nothing else, moving Blueberry to April gives the struggling Weinsteins time to support it without dividing their resources, which is what I blame for their inability to effectively platform either Control or I’m Not There. But in that case, why not put it at the end of the month and try to relaunch it at Tribeca??????a festival that, at least historically, LOVES throwing big, stupid premieres to launch star-studded product? Maybe this is actually a sign that Tribeca meant it when they said they were going to downsize and generally try to be less ridiculous. If so, good news all around! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:01:21 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/29/2008 1:01:21 PMVia The Reeler comes news that Wong Kar Wai’s My Blueberry Nights, the Hong Kong auteur’s English language debut, which opened the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, has been bumped from its Valentine’s Day release date to early April. Release date delays of multiple months are rarely considered a positive sign??????especially when we’re talking about a film that was mostly excoriated by the international press at the one and only film festival at which it screened??????but in this case, I don’t know. The Weinsteins haven’t started to promote Blueberry in earnest, so it’s not like they’re throwing away money already spent. There’s plenty of datey competition the first two weeks of February (although, it should be noted, nothing remotely arty or adult), with TWC’s own Diary of the Dead slotted in as Valentine’s counter-programming on the 15th. If nothing else, moving Blueberry to April gives the struggling Weinsteins time to support it without dividing their resources, which is what I blame for their inability to effectively platform either Control or I’m Not There. But in that case, why not put it at the end of the month and try to relaunch it at Tribeca??????a festival that, at least historically, LOVES throwing big, stupid premieres to launch star-studded product? Maybe this is actually a sign that Tribeca meant it when they said they were going to downsize and generally try to be less ridiculous. If so, good news all around! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/mswallack/archive/2008/1/24/24307.aspx Post By: MSWallack
Post To: MSWallack Blog
Post Date: 1/24/2008 2:41:32 PM
Body: An "art film" about Ian Curtis, lead singer for the band Joy Division (that morphed into New Order, one of my three favorite bands). The film is done in stark black and white to highlight the dreariness of Manchester, England in the late '70s. The performances are outstanding (especially Sam Reilly as Curtis). I guess the biggest problem with the film is that it is limited by the source material and, given the real-life events, is not a particularly uplifting film. Not a movie for everyone.
]]>Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:41:32 GMTMSWallackMSWallack Blog1/24/2008 2:41:32 PMAn &quot;art film&quot; about Ian Curtis, lead singer for the band Joy Division (that morphed into New Order, one of my three favorite bands). The film is done in stark black and white to highlight the dreariness of Manchester, England in the late &#39;70s. The performances are outstanding (especially Sam Reilly as Curtis). I guess the biggest problem with the film is that it is limited by the source material and, given the real-life events, is not a particularly uplifting film. Not a movie for everyone. http://www.spout.com/blogs/chesterfilms/archive/2007/12/30/23328.aspx Post By: chesterfilms
Post To: chesterfilms Blog
Post Date: 12/30/2007 1:10:29 AM
Body: control is a biopic of ian curtis, singer for the late seventies band joy division. anton corbijn, who makes his feature film debut is best known for his photography and music videos. control is beautifully shot in black and white, and each shot is composed like much of corbijn's rock photography. this is anything but the feelgood movie of the summer. curtis was a troubled kid who suffered from epilepsy, and ultimately killed himself at the young age of 23. sam riley and samantha morton give fantastic performances as ian and deborah curtis. morton is especially good and is able to pull off playing a 17 year old (she is thirty). they give two of the best performances of the year. the film focuses more on curtis than on the band, but there are some great performance sequences, and they found actors who look exactly like the members of joy division. it's a downer, but a very good film.
]]>Sun, 30 Dec 2007 06:10:29 GMTchesterfilmschesterfilms Blog12/30/2007 1:10:29 AMcontrol is a biopic of ian curtis, singer for the late seventies band joy division. anton corbijn, who makes his feature film debut is best known for his photography and music videos. control is beautifully shot in black and white, and each shot is composed like much of corbijn&#39;s rock photography. this is anything but the feelgood movie of the summer. curtis was a troubled kid who suffered from epilepsy, and ultimately killed himself at the young age of 23. sam riley and samantha morton give fantastic performances as ian and deborah curtis. morton is especially good and is able to pull off playing a 17 year old (she is thirty). they give two of the best performances of the year. the film focuses more on curtis than on the band, but there are some great performance sequences, and they found actors who look exactly like the members of joy division. it&#39;s a downer, but a very good film. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/music/MemberTagFilms.aspxmusic
Number of films tagged: 4341

Number of people who tagged: 144

Number of times used: 481

]]>Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:51:44 GMT4341144481Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/sad/MemberTagFilms.aspxsad
Number of films tagged: 170

Number of people who tagged: 96

Number of times used: 226

]]>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:35:46 GMT17096226Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/suicide/MemberTagFilms.aspxsuicide
Number of films tagged: 1828

Number of people who tagged: 80

Number of times used: 185

]]>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:40:50 GMT182880185Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/marriage/MemberTagFilms.aspxmarriage
Number of films tagged: 3471

Number of people who tagged: 67

Number of times used: 267

]]>Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:39:11 GMT347167267Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/depression/MemberTagFilms.aspxdepression
Number of films tagged: 462

Number of people who tagged: 51

Number of times used: 87

]]>Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:57:50 GMT4625187Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/rock/MemberTagFilms.aspxrock
Number of films tagged: 172

Number of people who tagged: 30

Number of times used: 39

]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:02:40 GMT1723039Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/infidelity/MemberTagFilms.aspxinfidelity
Number of films tagged: 34

Number of people who tagged: 25

Number of times used: 43

]]>Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:37:59 GMT342543Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/punk/MemberTagFilms.aspxpunk
Number of films tagged: 102

Number of people who tagged: 25

Number of times used: 31

]]>Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:04:16 GMT1022531Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/youth/MemberTagFilms.aspxyouth
Number of films tagged: 895

Number of people who tagged: 25

Number of times used: 67

]]>Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:18:01 GMT8952567Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/extramaritalaffair/MemberTagFilms.aspxextramaritalaffair
Number of films tagged: 3121

Number of people who tagged: 18

Number of times used: 31

]]>Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:13:22 GMT31211831Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/biopic/MemberTagFilms.aspxbiopic
Number of films tagged: 27

Number of people who tagged: 17

Number of times used: 41

]]>Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:23:31 GMT271741Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/blackandwhite/MemberTagFilms.aspxblackandwhite
Number of films tagged: 20

Number of people who tagged: 16

Number of times used: 26

]]>Mon, 19 Jan 2009 05:23:37 GMT201626Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/bw/MemberTagFilms.aspxbw
Number of films tagged: 16

Number of people who tagged: 11

Number of times used: 17

]]>Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:55:41 GMT161117Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/mentalbreakdown/MemberTagFilms.aspxmentalbreakdown
Number of films tagged: 153

Number of people who tagged: 8

Number of times used: 12

]]>Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:02:27 GMT153812Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/parenthood/MemberTagFilms.aspxparenthood
Number of films tagged: 18

Number of people who tagged: 8

Number of times used: 19

]]>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:43:46 GMT18819Tag