Last night I had plans to see Beth Orton at 9pm at the Museum of Fine Arts. I was so incredibly excited because she never plays in the states, and I adore her. But for various reasons, including having to go to Downtown Crossing to get my keys from Chris, and having to stop home and change, I didn't leave for the show until 8:30. Of course the MBTA only has problems when I need to be somewhere and I didn't get to the concert until 10, at which time Beth was performing her last song before the encore. It was basically the saddest concert experience I have ever had. I was really surprised that a) she started on time, b) she only played for an hour, and c) they charged 25 dollars for tickets. What a waste. I will choose to blame the MFA rather than Beth. I still love you, my dear! The 20 minutes of your show I actually saw were lovely!
Oddly enough, a film about rock n' roll suicide cheered me up immensely. The film was Control, a fantastic rendering of the life of Ian Curtis. Anton Corbijn made such perfect choices when directing this film, and the results are tragically beautiful and subtle. The whole thing is in black and white, showcasing the drab and mundane quality of the character's lives, and perhaps giving us insight into why Joy Division's music is so dark. In many scenes the songs (often by Joy Division, but many by Bowie, Iggy Pop, and the Velvet Underground) playing in the background correspond to what is happening in Curtis' life.
Sam Riley in particular deserves mountains of praise for his portrayal of Ian Curtis. His voice, dance moves, and general demeanor are almost scarily convincing. Control was that rare movie that made me think to myself "I have to own this," before it was even over. It helps to be a fan of Joy Division, but I think anyone with an appreciation for quality filmmaking will enjoy Control.
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2 comments:
That blows, at least you got to see something!
I still haven't seen Control yet, I tried watching it on the internet - but couldn't handle it because the quality was tooo shitty. I'll just borrow it from you. :p
I knoooooow.
I will let you know when I purchase Control. I think you'd like it, it seems like your kind of movie.
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