Film Review: CONTROL (2007)

Director: Anton Corbijn
Writers: Deborah Curtis (book), Matt Greenhalgh (screenplay)
Running time: 122 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Biography/Drama/Music
UK Release date: 5^th October 2007

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 25^th May 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have to admit I have seen this film before and liked it very much. I was going to use the word ‘enjoyed’, but that doesn’t seem right given the way things end. It was around the time I was leaving school that Joy Division were making records and I have to admit to being a bit of a fan and so I may be slightly biased. Based on the book “Touching from a Distance” by Deborah Curtis, it tells the story of the front man of the band Joy Division, Ian Curtis. Based on fact and shot in black and white, I found it both atmospheric and gritty. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts in more detail.

Ian Curtis (Sam Riley) was a very enigmatic character and we first meet him during his final days at school where he meets Deborah (Samantha Morton). Before we know it they are married and Ian joins a band, originally called ‘Warsaw’ but later they changed it to ‘Joy Division’. The other band members were; Hookey (Joe Anderson), Bernard Sumner (James Anthony Pearson) and Steve Morris (Harry Treadaway). This is all happening at the time Punk was becoming popular, around 1977/78 and with bands like the Buzzcocks (from the same area) making a mark, they were in the right place at the right time. They get a manager, Rob Gretton (Toby Kebbell) and a TV spot with Tony Wilson (Craig Parkinson) that shoots them into the public conscience. A record deal follows and they seem to be on their way. But things are not that straightforward for Ian, he has epilepsy and the medication doesn’t help. With Debbie pregnant his eye wanders and is caught by a Belgian, Annik Honore (Alexandra Maria Lara). The focus is now on Ian’s internal struggle between doing the right thing by Debbie and following Annik. It all ends quite tragically (sorry if that’s a spoiler, but the film is based on fact).

Shot entirely in black and white I found this film very atmospheric and it also had a gritty realism about it. I thought all the performances were excellent with both Sam Riley and Samantha Morton taking top honours. I also have to give a mention to Toby Kebbell who totally stole a couple of scenes with some great over-the-top one-liners. The story is primarily told from Debbie’s point of view and as such we get a very interesting look at the life of this enigmatic soul. This film inspired me to go out and buy a Joy Division greatest hits CD and it’s music that’s always been close to my heart. I should mention that all the live performances portrayed in the film were performed by the actors and so hat’s off to them for making it real. Whether you were a fan of the band or not I’m sure you’ll get something out of this one. Be warned though, it’s quite a tough watch, even when you do know the outcome.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 8.4/10.

IMDb Score: 7.7/10 (based on 35,785 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421082/

MetaScore: 78/100: (Based on 27 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 87/100 (based on 108 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 88/100 (based on 47,182 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/control/

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http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK (2008)

Writer/Director: Charlie Kaufman
Running time: 124 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Comedy/Drama
UK Release date: 24^th October 2008 (Limited)

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 9^th October 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I watched this film on a recommendation, one I picked up online somewhere. After the first few minutes I was wondering just what this crazy film was all about and just why was I bothering with it? I persevered though and it got better, I began to understand the characters and it got better still, if a bit weirder. I’ll tell you what I thought about it by the end after this brief summary.

Caden Cotard is a playwright and theatre director, he is married to artist, Adele Lack, and they have a daughter, Olive. They live in Synecdoche, upstate New York (hence the title) where Caden is worried about his health. When Adele doesn’t come to the opening night of his new play, Caden also begins to suspect things are not quite as stable at home as he thought. Soon after, Adele announces that she is going on a trip to Berlin and she will be taking Olive with her. Caden is somewhat dumbstruck, but continues living in New York. He is awarded a substantial prize for his work and decides to produce a play about his life and the people around him. As time passes he has relationships with several women, Claire Keen, with whom he had another daughter, Arial, and Hazel, who was to play a big part in his future. As he finds premises to put the play on and actors to play the many parts he has in mind the world outside moves on. I really don’t want to say too much more, it’s quite difficult to put down in words anyway and so I’ll leave it here… Don’t want those Spoiler Police playing the part of the Spoiler Police and chasing me down now.

I found this quite a strange film to watch, it has the scale of something like ‘Brazil’ by Terry Gilliam but also the snappy dialogue and soul searching of something by Woody Allen. All the performances were excellent, in particular Philip Seymour Hoffman as Caden Cotard, he played the role brilliantly. Also worthy of note were; Catherine Keener as Adele Lack, Tom Noonan as Sammy Barnathan, Michelle Williams as Claire Keen, Samantha Morton as Hazel and Dianne Wiest as Ellen Bascomb / Millicent Weems.

As I’ve already said, this is quite a strange film to watch, it blurs the lines between Caden’s real life and the life he is trying to portray on the stage. I found it quite refreshing, although it did drag on a bit towards the end. The scope of the film is quite magnificent, it spans several decades, or appears to, and yet Caden never seems to get any closer to finally opening the doors and letting an audience in. I found it quite touching in places but also found it hard to have much sympathy for Caden because all of he woes he brought down upon himself. At the end of the day though, it’s well worth a look; it will make you think if nothing else!... Recommended.

My Score: 7.1/10.

IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 22,876 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0383028/

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68/100 (based on 175 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/synecdoche_new_york/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTE:
(It’s a long one I’m afraid… but a good one!)

Minister: Everything is more complicated than you think. You only see a tenth of what is true. There are a million little strings attached to every choice you make; you can destroy your life every time you choose. But maybe you won't know for twenty years. And you may never ever trace it to its source. And you only get one chance to play it out. Just try and figure out your own divorce. And they say there is no fate, but there is: it's what you create. And even though the world goes on for eons and eons, you are only here for a fraction of a fraction of a second. Most of your time is spent being dead or not yet born. But while alive, you wait in vain, wasting years, for a phone call or a letter or a look from someone or something to make it all right. And it never comes or it seems to but it doesn't really. And so you spend your time in vague regret or vaguer hope that something good will come along. Something to make you feel connected, something to make you feel whole, something to make you feel loved. And the truth is I feel so angry, and the truth is I feel so fucking sad, and the truth is I've felt so fucking hurt for so fucking long and for just as long I've been pretending I'm OK, just to get along, just for, I don't know why, maybe because no one wants to hear about my misery, because they have their own. Well, fuck everybody. Amen.

LINKS:
Trailer: