Control (2007)

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

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.

It's 1973 Macclesfield, England. Ian Curtis (Sam Riley) is a quiet enigmatic student. He marries Debbie Woodruff (Samantha Morton) in 1975. He works as an employment agent. On June 4, 1976, they attend a small Sex Pistols concert. Also in attendance are Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Terry Mason. Ian joins them as their lead singer. They call themselves Warsaw and eventually Joy Division.There is a sense of disconnection from this movie and a mystery about Ian Curtis. Sam Riley's performance, the long takes, and the black and white photography all make Ian an enigma. It's a slow burn but compelling. The tone is sad and respectful. It's very fitting of the band and its music.

Shot gorgeously in black and white, Anton Corbijn presents an evocative, multi-dimensional portrait of Ian Curtis which is as beautiful as it is dark.Yorkshire-born actor Sam Riley steals the show, appearing two parts Ian Curtis and one part Pete Doherty. Cruel, difficult and somehow alone despite being constantly surrounded by band members as well as Debbie and Annike, Riley's Curtis cuts an enigmatic figure who you cannot take your eyes off.Over its 122 minutes, Control sets up the final scene with aplomb. There is no way out, there is only one way it could end (even if you don't know the story). Bleak, but brilliant.

Control is a rock biopic about Joy Division's frontman, Ian Curtis. It is filmed in brilliant black-and-white, with superb performances from Sam Riley and from the two-time Academy Award nominated actress, Samantha Morton. The photography was superb too, it set the right tone for the era, it was bleak and depressingly beautiful. The director Anton Corbijn has photographed Joy Division in his early years, so he's familiar with them and he definitely knows how to handle a film about Curtis. It was also based on the book "Touching from a Distance," written by Curtis' widow Deborah.Sam Riley who was relatively unknown in that year put on a brilliant act as Curtis, while Samantha Morton became the emotional center of the film, this is the first time I saw her, and I was really amazed with her performance and so I searched her films, and I found out that she's got a great list and she had been nominated twice for best supporting actress in the Academy Awards. She played the affectionate and loyal wife, Deborah.The film starts in the year 1973 in Macclesfield, England, "I've wanted to escape it my whole life," Curtis said. And it ends in 1980, the year when he escaped, by suicide. Curtis is gifted with poetry, and he's got some good taste for music and films. He became the vocalist for Joy Division in their short-run. At about the age of 20, he discovered that he is epileptic, it ruined his life, made him more depressed. His marriage is also falling apart, he can't accept he's a father now, he feels that his life won't go that far, and he started to have a secret relationship with another girl, Annik. His wife had found it out, I was very sad for Debbie because she was so loyal and always caring, and she's right about what she said, "I don't deserve this." Curtis is so complicated, it was always his melancholy that killed him, his band was rising into fame when he took off. His bandmates and friends tried to help, but he is unsalvageable. He doesn't want to be in the band anymore and he is pressured by his life and his disorder. No one can really decipher another person, and although there are times that I felt the same way as him, I can never really perfectly understand him. But maybe just because I'm no expert, but I feel him, at some point in his life and mine, we felt the same.The actors played some of Joy Division's songs, the film is filled with their live performances that again showed Sam Riley's terrific performance. The members of the band were played by James Anthony Pearson, Harry Treadaway, and one of my favorite actors, Joe Anderson. Toby Kebbel played the band manager, Rob Gretton.I discovered Joy Division when I was searching "Most Depressing Albums" in the internet, I saw "Unknown Pleasures" and "Closer" in one of the list I stumbled with. I downloaded "Closer" and listened to it, then searched for the band, I was surprised that they've had only two albums, and I found out that their vocalist died at a very young age, and that caught my attention because I was interested with depression and suicide, then I found out that there is a film about him, and that is how I discovered this film. I really loved their song "Love Will Tear Us Apart."By the way, the last film that Ian Curtis saw was Stroszek, a film that belonged to my list of greatest films.