People are voting emotionally.

Just perfect...

Don't Believe the Hype

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This was a truly outstanding film. Granted I am a huge fan of this genre, period, and feel that some the music that came out of the UK in the 1970's and 1980's was hugely influential, important, and absolutely timeless. Of course, there is no arguing the influence Joy Division had, and their subsequent follow up act, New Order. Curtis was able to evoke such emotion, such power, more than likely due to his state of mind, and the chaotic emotional state he had to endure.Shot in gorgeous, classic black and white, the Ian Curtis biopic doesn't seem to care if you like Joy Division, the influential post-punk band Curtis fronted. It simply presents a taut, emotionally wrenching narrative. And I never really got the post punk genre title. Is that the best they could do? How about pre-electronica? Or crazy inventive. Or mind numbingly stupendous? Joy Division released only two proper albums in its short history, but the group disproportionately influenced the music that followed. Fans will enjoy the re-creations of seminal shows and recording sessions, staged with authority by director Anton Corbijn, who photographed the band and its peers in the '70s and '80s.But even non-fans will appreciate the cinematography and note-perfect performances, which seem to evoke a certain dread of 1970s working-class England. We see young Curtis, played with appropriate understatement by Sam Riley, worshiping David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed in his bedroom in Macclesfield, England, in 1973. He tries on makeup, smokes endless cigarettes and carefully organizes his darkly poetic writing into binders. Who knew what an extraordinary songwriter he was to become?Riley's performance immediately sets the tone, his giant, uncertain eyes rejecting our sympathy and attempts to reduce him to an archetype. He marries his high school crush, Deborah (Samantha Morton), at age 19 as his band (first called Warsaw) slowly ascends.Curtis' inner life, rendered through rich, stifling close-ups, is wracked with guilt and self-doubt, whether it's for cheating on his wife with the beautiful French gal Annik Honoré (Alexandra Maria Lara) or dealing with his worsening epilepsy and obsession with mortality. He is obviously in a lot more pain that we know, and does a reasonably good job of showing it.The film is a quiet study. It is ponderous at times. But, in the end, it is a strong, self assured film, that really hits the mark.

Astonishingly well acted film, so much so that it seems unfair to single out any of the performances. Mr. Lawrence's camera sense is as sure and unobtrusive as his feel for acting. The movie just seems to happen, to grow out of the ground like a thorny plant, revealing the intricate intelligence of its design only in hindsight. As a JD fan, I thought it was done in a way that even non-JD fans could enjoy it. All of the actors playing the JD band members actually played their instruments and performed those songs... it wasn't just Reilly overdubbing vocals over original JD recordings! That is something that really impresses me about the skills of the actors chosen for the band. True, Curtis was a genius, but he was also human... I felt this film was grounded in reality without trying to evangelize/make a martyr out of Curtis.

A story about a tormented young singer committing suicide on the verge of stardom is bound to have a certain appeal. However, the risks of falling into melodramatic or morbid are high. Corbijn avoids both, directing this minor masterpiece with restrain and respect for all those involved.I loved the B&W photography. It recreates the atmosphere of those years, which seem long gone, the bleak but bubbling music scene, and the excitement about the new wave just about to explode. Youth having everything and not realizing how fragile life is.Ian Curtis was a particularly fragile creature, both because of his epilepsy and his problem with communication. A confused boy without guidance, who wrote some of the most depressing lyrics ever, he still has a huge following. Maybe because his anguish is universally understood.I am not a Joy Division fan, nor was I particularly shocked by Ian Curtis early departure. However, this movie is so well made that made listen again to their music. After more than 25 years their songs sound even more claustrophobic and depressing and I wonder how Curtis would have developed as a singer.Had he lived, I doubt he could have transitioned easily into the light-hearted pop atmosphere of the late 80's. By checking out so early he became unforgettable. Even more so, with this sober but poignant movie celebrating his short time on earth.

Every now and then there is film that becomes one of those must see movies and Control fits the bill. It doesn't matter if you were a Joy Division fan (although I happened to be) as this is not so much a film about the band-although the performances are terrific- it's a film that perfectly captures a unique period in British music history. Without waffling for endless paragraphs, Sam Riley's acting is beyond wonderful. He is an actor who accolades were made for. I've met people who knew Ian Curtis but it's not the fact that Riley is so accurate, it's the amazing emotion he puts into the role. As for the first time director Anton Corbijn, no wonder Hollywood has snapped him up.