This film is definitely one of my favorites among the ones who pay some kind of homage to rock'n'roll history. That opening scene with Jack Fairy's childhood and then the credits rolling to the sound of Needle In the Camel's Eye is one of the best and most exciting things I've ever seen. I guess I could say I love everything about it, how can you not love a cast like that? They're all wonderful and so believable in their performances, especially Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Ewan McGregor, who had very physical roles, but pulled it off just fine – I thought McGregor was especially brilliant in this, performing the songs live and jumping and throwing himself around, a certain Mr. Osterberg would be proud.The story is an obvious portrait of David Bowie's relationship to Iggy Pop and Lou Reed in the 70's (adding a little mixture of Kurt Cobain, why not?), a decade I imagine was unique to rock'n'roll, filled with exciting new music, rebellion and social changes, but it's also a story about discoveries and growing up, represented by Christian Bale's character ("That's me, dad, that's me!"). It's not an unknown feeling to us all, coming across a circumstance where we have to revisit years past, and the memories of what we once were may sound strange. Along with the glitter and the glam rock comes the melancholia of being a part of a movement that is already in decadence, because all great things must burn fast and come to an end. Besides, what other movie presents us with a more delightful sight than that of Ewan McGregor and Christian Bale loving each other beneath a glitter rain brought on by a UFO? Words are unnecessary after that.
... View MoreI think the core issue that divides people on Velvet Goldmine is a sort of 'you had to have been there...or at least wanted to be there' state of mind. Some simply won't get it, but if you look at the stars and see possibility, hunger after a moment in the limelight and the chance to brush up against something weird, mysterious and wonderful, just for a moment...then this movie is meant for you.I came into the world too late for the actual age of glam...it was all over long before I got there, but Arthur (Christian Bale) remains a strange parallel to my own memories of coming of age, coming out, and falling in love with and deep into a music scene that altered and enriched my life with experiences that might never have been had elsewhere. The soundtrack of my life might have played a bit differently, but the altrock/goth/industrial/punks at the end of the 80s and dawn of the 90s had their outrageous characters, and the descendants from glam rock were present in the pageantry and showmanship, the fabulous and the profane...so like the emerald brooch...the torch had been passed person to person, era to era, artist to artist...until something like that moment of wonder impacted against my life too.So when I watch this movie, despite loving the references to stars of the 70s punk and glam scenes, and enjoying the music and costumes and characters immensely, my attention always returns to Arthur Stuart, who also brushed against something powerful, wonderful, dangerous and strangely sacred for just a little while...and has never been the same since. Enjoy it...it's a fine film, well shot and with superb acting...but if I can add one other piece of advice...get out there and brush up against something wonderful of your own.
... View MoreA presumptuous movie that hasn't grown old well. It could have been more bold or daring, but it is just sentimental and nostalgic in a strange way: I got the impression that the movie doesn't fully respect it's characters or their actions, which is not a problem if it creates a feeling of objective distance, but such detachment is broken by the sentimentalism: should we miss glam rock or laugh at it? The movie is about glam rock as a musical and a social movement, as an attitude, but the general tone is closer to an elegy than to a defense without actually being neither.I liked the movie, though, specially Ewan McGregor and the performances by bands highly influenced by glam rock.
... View MoreI've actually been looking forward to seeing this film for a really long time, and finally got round to it this weekend. It should have been great! It had all the right ingredients; great cast, fabulous outfits, it's about GLAM ROCK for goodness sake! But alas, what this film was seriously lacking in was plot. Velvet Goldmine tells the tale of Brian Slade, a pop icon in the 1970s bearing an uncanny resemblance to David Bowie, whose career takes a severe nose-dive after he fakes his own death on stage. The picture revolves around a newspaper reporter ten years later (Who was once a fan of Brian Slade, and was at the gig of the 'shooting hoax'), assigned to find out 'exactly what happened'. What follows are an hour and a half of confusing and seemingly irrelevant flashbacks, poorly scripted and dull interviews, leading to a dull and fairly predictable finish. I should stress again that I am a big fan of both the Glam Rock era, and all of the actors in this film, so I didn't begin watching this film with any preconceptions of bad-ness. Worth a watch if you, like me, are usually into this kind of thing, but only so you can say that you've seen it, and perhaps for the cameo from Placebo (Probably the high-light). A generous five stars.
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