Once upon a time, in a horribly depressing place called Manchester, England, there was a boy named Ian Curtis. He had a few problems but decided to channel them into his music by singing in a band he dubbed Joy Division. That wasn’t enough to keep away his demons, though, and in the end, he hung himself. The end.
Yeah, that’s the plot of Control, the new biopic of Joy Division front man Ian Curtis. And yes, it’s as depressing as it sounds. As a first time feature by music video director Anton Corbijn, the film sacrifices in-depth character study in exchange for faux performance footage and a focus on the music instead of the man. Continue reading “Review: Control”
Director Andrew Dominik has done something rather amazing. He’s made a movie about one of the most notorious outlaws in the history of America without showing hardly any of his law-breaking ways. And the fact he’s done it in a compelling, exciting way is a credit to his skill and talent. The film, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, is an atmospheric tour de force, relying heavily on both Dominik’s skill behind the camera and the work of 
Do not go into The Kingdom expecting to come out with a Hollywood version of how the US involvement in Saudi Arabia should end. Peter Berg’s new film is full of hard questions and not so easy answers and sheds a little light into the dark corner that is our understanding of what’s happening in the Middle East. At least, that’s what they want you to think.
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 