nqure

25 May 2012

And on the 7th day God created Madchester

An anarchic portrayal of the Manchester music scene from the late 70s & punkto the acid fuelled dance phenomenon of the late 80s/early 90s. The filmcentres on the maverick tv presenter Tony Wilson, who, with Alan Eramus, setup Factory records, the pioneering independent Manchesterlabel.The film seems to be in two parts. The first half chronicles the influencepunk had on Wilson and his own influence in establishing one of the greatBritish bands, Joy Division. Sean Harris gives an excellent, almost eerie,performance as Ian Curtis, the band's highly sensitive lead singer. There-enactment of gigs, Curtis's strange jerky dance are all capturedgenuinely and this is one of the film's strengths.The scenes following Curtis' death are uncomfortable & slightly black: atown crier yodelling news about his suicide, Curtis' grandmother tellingWilson how much she likes him as a tv presenter at Curtis' funeral and evenWilson's rather strange, typical pseudo-intellectual remark to a futurebiographer that the singer was the musical equivalent of Che Geuvara. Butjust when you think the film is bordering on poor taste, it then has itsmost affecting moment as Wilson, usually all pretentious bluff & bluster,says a final tender goodbye to his friend at the open coffin.The second half moves onto Wilson & co's initially unsuccessful entry intothe club scene with the opening of the Hacienda before lurching into theanarchic self-destruction of the Happy Mondays. The film becomes almostfarcical as we see Wilson, the Cambridge intellectual, out of his depth withthese Manc chancers as they practically bankrupt Factory after blowing£200k, supposed to be spent recording the album designed to save Factory, ona drug addled binge in the Caribbean. Wilson's (Coogan) reaction as he playsthe tape with the new album, only to find it has no vocals, isgreat.There's an element of sadness to the end as it charts the end of era forManchester music; the end of Factory, a label that competed with London andwhich gave its artists creative liberty; and the end of the Hacienda, adance venue which put Manchester on the world music map.The film is a mix of drama documentary; I particularly liked the openingscene at the Lesser Free Trade Hall, where at a seminal Sex Pistols gig,Wilson tells us about who was in the paltry audience of 42; practically allthe great & the good of Manchester music.It's also a film about the blurring between truth & myth. I was particularlypleased to see the real Howard Devoto (Buzzcocks and the great underratedMagazine) appear suddenly to challenge Wilson's story about catching him &Wilson's first wife 'in flagrante'. The film's not perfect, some would describe it as a mess, but there's nodisputing its energy and range of memorable characters (Paddy Considine asRob Gretton, Andy Serkis as Martin 'Zero' Hannett); it's certainly a Britishfilm that's come at the right time and makes a refreshing change from thestaples of gangsters, period dramas, & Richard Curtis-land. It's a musicfilm that, on the whole, works and it also has plenty of good humour.All in all, a great tribute to a great city and the bands it hasspawned.

dfle3

24 May 2012

Interesting, funny look at Englands music scene post 70s

Saw this movie last year on SBS TV (Australia) and it was quite arevelation. It stars comedian Steve Coogan as Tony Wilson, a centralfigure in the Manchester, England, music scene (on the 'corporate' sideof things). I can't say how realistic Coogan's portrayal of Wilson was,as I wouldn't know Wilson from a bar of soap. All I can say is thatCoogan gives one of the most charismatic performances I've ever seen(some other charismatic performances I'm quite fond of include OrsonWelles as Citizen Kane in the movie of that name, Robert de Niro forone scene in the otherwise dull Mean Streets and for a similar reason,Noah Taylor for one scene in "He died with a felafel in his hand").Coogan plays Wilson as a rather droll person who wears his universityeducation on his sleeve in his media work as an on-air personality(hosting a music show, amongst other things). If you don't have an Artsdegree, you may find Wilson to be a bit of a tosser, but as someonewith an Arts degree myself, I did find him hugely entertaining and,dare I say it, quite perceptive in his overly analytical dialogues onall manner of subjects.The movie charts the nature of the music industry from pre-Sex Pistolsto around the time of New Order. I'm not a huge fan of the bandscovered, but I learned a lot of interesting factoids about them. Forfans of bands such as Joy Division etc, I'm sure that this movie willbe even more rewarding, for purely music fan related reasons.As Wilson, as played by Coogan, might himself say, the movie has manypost-modern conceits. As post-modern cultural artefacts go, you'd haveto go back to the mid-18th century (to Henry Fielding's novel TomJones) to find one as post-modern as this. In other words, expect tosee Wilson in this movie pointing out that he really isn't Tony Wilson,and that the real Tony Wilson has a cameo appearance in the movie as aTV director. That scene is actually in the movie and is not a spoiler.Other such cameos are pointed out in the movie.

Harvey S. Karten

21 May 2012

Involving--though it won't replace 'Amadeus.'

21 May 2012

Great

I rented and then bought this movie because I am a Joy Division and early punk fan, but I ended up learning a lot about the Manchester rave scene.Tony Wilson's commentary is a great thing to listen to, if only for his clarification of the film's myths. Steve Coogan is great as Tony Wilson, as is Sean Harris as Ian Curtis. About the Happy Mondays section. Though there are plenty of myths they could have chosen from, most of the ones used in this movie are fictional. But they portray Bez and Shaun Ryder in a very funny way.This movie is both extremely funny and depressing. If you're a music fan, it's good to own. I could watch it very many times.

Kevin Thomas

21 May 2012

Amazing, rich in authentic period atmosphere and detail, an ever-changing cyclorama of a movie that contains and frames Wilson, who never is allowed to overwhelm it.

DAZEDANDCONFUSED

20 May 2012

Dont waste your time

Just got done watching this and I can safely say thats almost 2 hours ofmylife im not going to get back. It dragged, had no real entertaining partsand was generally pretty boring.This is the worst movie ive seen this year and one of the worst ive seenina long time.Want to watch a good movie about music rent Velvet Goldmine. Or get Dazedand Confused if you want to reminise about the good olddays.Rubbish!

KingofCarrotFlowers

17 May 2012

Fans of films about music you need to see this one

I'm not gonna lie to you, this movie will be a lot more enjoyable ifyou're in any way into the post punk and specially Manchester music ofthe 80's. However it is conducted with such pace and humour that evenpeople not aware of the kind of music being made in the early 80'sshould find this of very entertaining viewing.Admiteddly I'm a sucker for movies that circle around music- This isSpinal Tap, Almost Famous, Dig, Fearless Freaks, That Thing you do,High Fidelity they're all films I've watched several times. Of allthese 24Hour Party People probably only loses in comparison with themighty This is Spinal Tap.The movie follows the life of Tony Wilson and how he somewhataccidentally founded one of the defining record labels of the 80's,signed more bands that he could possibly manage and always stuck hisneck out for sake of the music's integrity(even at the cost of hisown).All the shenanigans he goes through are made believable by theaffecting yet extremely self deprecating way Steve Coogan tackles therole, believe me it is not easy to come across as pathetic and drivenin the same frame as Coogan often does here.Also noteworthy is the insight into some of these bands creative andrecording processes, particularly the warm way in which Midas-likeproducer Martin Hannet and legendarily gloomy Joy Division are faced,the Joy Division moments are indeed where most of the movie'shighlights reside(that and the Smiths/Simply Red joke).Beyond all this we have the added bonus of having loads of cameos bybandmembers of such influential groups as the Stone Roses or theInspiral Carpets.One of the best surprises I had in recent years.

Dennis Lim

17 May 2012

The Manchester creation myth is thrillingly re-enacted.

JoeH

14 May 2012

Id Buy That For A Dollar!

Manchester, 1976: can you beat that for a start? The first gig of the Sex Pistols, and the romp begins. Steve Coogan is simply brilliant as Tony Wilson, and the setting is picture perfect. Sure, I am biased: I grew up with these bands, groups like Joy Division (New Order) and later the Happy Mondays. So, yeah, perhaps that influence my rating, but I think anyone who watches the film will be inspired by its lunacy and energy. Roughly, you will laugh and be educated at the same time (if, that is, you are not already familiar with the music).The movie is simple enough: Wilson and his friends create the legendary Factory Records label and The Hacienda club. The cameos are cool (hold tight through the final credits, mind you) and the atmosphere is pure MADchestor, glazed with a deep rooted sincerity (I am thinking of Bez who danced on stage with the Mondays; an eccentric lad who epitomized the times, wonderfully so). Winterbottom not only knows his subject, he LIVED it, and this comes through in the wonderfully heartfelt and quirky presentation.Sheer bliss!This movie is not for Man United fans, by the way, but diehard City fans who stick with their team (and bands) through thick and thin.A MUST SEE!!!!

Sean Lawrence

13 May 2012

An occasionally entertaining music history tale without enough history.

24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLERATING = 6/10. An occasionally entertaining music history tale withoutenough history. More time needed to be spent on Joy Division and thecreation of the rave scene since they are so important in the historyof music. The film need to be longer or should have covered a shortertime-span.The GOOD. A very creative history of music tale told through the eyesof Tony Wilson. Features the amazing founders of punk, alternativemusic, and the start of the rave culture. Steve Coogan gives anentertaining performance throughout the film. Not the standardcautionary tale about the dangers of rock. Great music throughout. Lotsof celebrity cameos.The BAD. Hard to understand some of the thick British accents. Notenough time was spent on Joy Division and the terribly unfortunatesuicide of one of its members. Not enough time spent on rave origins.Too short of a film to cover a decade-and-a-half. The viewer will notbe interested if he/she does not care about punk, alternative, ortechno.

Frank Ochieng

13 May 2012

However, Winterbottom is astute enough to rise above the rollicking and rhythmic cliches' and provide the audience with an insightful and robust musical melodrama that is as staunchly riotous as it is refreshingly informative.

sinistre1111

12 May 2012

Welcome to Manchester

This film is a loose biography of the Manchester music scene, as toldthrough the eyes of one of its chief supporters, Factory recordsmini-mogul Tony Wilson. This is done in a dramatic, non-documentarystyle, with a lot of amusing fourth-wall commentary from the maincharacter. I found it very entertaining, and believe me when I say myexpectations were low. Whenever they hire actors to play rock icons Iget very leery. Gary Oldman as Sid Vicious? Okay. That's the one goodinstance I can think of off the top of my head. But the guy who playedIan Curtis was absolutely sincere and the performance touched me. Froma cinematography standpoint, as the eras passed in the film, from the70s through to the 90s, the look of the film updated itselfaccordingly. I thought this was brilliant and very unassumingly done.Watching 24-Hour Party People also set us off on a whole Happy Mondayskick here at home; a band whose music we couldn't have been lessinterested in before. Shaun Rider's newer project, Black Grape, is alsovery good, but that's another review for another website. Recommendedviewing not only for fans of the pop musicians involved in the story,but also for those of contemporary creative British cinema.

John Hartl

10 May 2012

Winterbottom, who rarely makes comedies ... nevertheless appreciates Coogan's richly comic portrait and lets him run with it.

David Noh

09 May 2012

Laced with brilliantly funny non-sequiturs and cameo appearances, and suffused with a pure love of the setting and real music which did indeed exist before all the corporations took over.

JoeytheBrit

06 May 2012

Flying too high

There's a scene in 24 Hour Party People in which Tony Wilson (SteveCoogan) enters the loo of a seedy nightclub to get car keys from hiswife, who happens to be engaging in sexual intercourse with HowardDevoto. Retrieving the keys, and admonishing his wife for havingpenetrative sex in revenge for him merely receiving oral pleasure froma hooker, Wilson walks out of the toilet, passing a cleaner who turnsto the camera and claims to have no knowledge of the event. The cleaneris actually the real Howard DeVoto.This is one example of a technique director Michael Winterbottom usesthroughout this movie. With a skill that ranges from deft to clumsy, herepeatedly disengages Coogan from the story to make a direct to cameracomment; he introduces major and minor characters and reveals futureplot twists – 'he will try to kill me, he will sleep with my wife'; helists the cameo appearances in the film, and explains that a scene hehas described isn't in the film – but will probably be on the DVD. It'sa device that works surprisingly well, even though it shouldn't, butthen, in a docudrama/biopic that strays into the surreal with comicalencounters with UFOs and interviews with God, straight-to-cameradialogue is almost normal.Coogan must have seemed a compulsory choice for the role of Wilson – hereputedly based his TV character, Alan Partridge, on him – and there'sa lot of Partridge in Coogan's portrayal. It's a little irritating atfirst, but despite this Coogan manages to make Wilson quite anendearing – if slightly buffoonish – character, and you can't quiteunderstand why he seems to attract such contempt from those around him(Genius. Poet. Tw!t. read one of the taglines for the movie, withpictures of Ian Curtis, Shaun Ryder and Tony Wilson respectively).Tony Wilson is (still) a Granada TV reporter who hosted, back in the70s, a regional TV show that championed, in its own small way, thelikes of the Sex Pistols and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Wilson was soenthused by the music scene in Manchester and Liverpool that he andAlan Erasmus recruited local producer Martin Hannett (the tragicsubject here of a fierce impersonation by Andy Serkis) to produce arecord featuring Joy Division (who would later evolve into New Order),The Durutti Column, John Dowie and Cabaret Voltaire. The record was asuccess: the Factory record label grew out of this success and would goon to record James and the Happy Mondays among others, as well asopening the legendary Hacienda nightclub in Manchester.Early on, Coogan explains, after we have seen him crashing ahang-glider in the course of a news report, that the scene is symbolicand refers to Icarus, the character of Greek legend who flew too closeto the sun. From the outset it's made clear to us that what we are tosee is a modern spin on a Greek tragedy – and there is tragedy aplentyin Factory's story – although whether Winterbottom is comparing orcontrasting Wilson's story is open to debate.Although an aura of impending doom hangs over the entire film, andbecomes increasingly oppressive as it reaches its final scenes, thetragedies within the story are never dwelled upon purely for emotionalimpact. There's a death scene and a funeral and the story moves on, andthis is where one of the movie's real strengths lie. It doesn't try tofeed us emotional cues, it doesn't try to make us like any of thecharacters, it merely tells its story – albeit in a decidedly quirkymanner. At times you do feel as if you're merely watching a bunch ofscenes that have been cobbled together, but Winterbottom captures afeel of what it must have been like to be a part of such anextraordinary and explosive organisation, and an equally exhilaratingtime in British music history (the sense of history is a thread that iscontinually reinforced throughout the film). The use of digital videoalso works well (for a change), especially in the early scenes, whichclosely resemble the grainy feel of newsreel from the Seventies.As always, the downfall of an empire is always more engrossing than itsrise, and it is nothing short of horrifying at times to see thefundamental errors made by Wilson and the others at Factory – problemwith drug dealers at the Hacienda? No problem – make them the doormenso that they can control the situation. Trying to dry heroin addictRyder out so that he can finish the CD that will shore up the Factory'screaking structure? Fine, send him to Barbados where he can get hookedon crack. And as it all falls apart around their ears you realise thatyou're not really watching a modern version of Icarus, you're merelywitnessing the inevitable collapse of a house of cards built againstall the odds by spiteful, boorish children – there is no comparison,after all.Given the dislikeable nature of its characters, one suspects 24 HourParty People's version of events isn't too far from the truth (althoughliberties are taken with the timeline), and it certainly boasts theenergy of the music and times it portrays. For those who lived throughthose times, and who have knowledge of the people and events itdepicts, the film will provide a fascinating insight into the lives ofsome of the people who were shaping that era, but it will never makeyou care for them. Which, in a way, is testimony to its qualitybecause, despite the mean-spiritedness of the movie's characters, youwill never be anything less than absorbed while watching it.

Mike Weston

05 May 2012

2.5 stars (out of 4)

Subjectivity: As much as any reviewer tries to see a film for what it is,the actual *experience* of seeing it is all there really is to go on. In thecase of this film, I had seen the preview several times and was verymotivated to see the film, but I waited until the last night it was playingnearby. That day (9/5/2002) I was seriously sleep deprived and also didn'thave time for dinner, attempting to substitute a medium popcorn and a largeDiet Coke. And I had a mild headache before the film started.Someday I'll watch it again to see if the experience isdifferent.----------------------------------------This film is about the early punk rock scene in Manchester, England,starting in 1976. Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan) has a show called "So It Goes"on a local TV channel in Manchester where his bosses want him to do thingslike fly a hang glider and interview a dwarf elephant keeper. But he keepsreminding people that he went to Cambridge, and that this kind of thing is*not* why he became a journalist.We learn that his real passion is music. Very early in the film he attends aconcert of the Sex Pistols, correctly identifying this to be a key turningpoint in musical history despite the presence of only 42 people in theaudience. He showcases them and other punk rock bands on his show, starts arecord label (Factory Records), and opens a nightclub.Besides the Sex Pistols, several other bands are featured, including JoyDivision. The name of this particular band apparently comes from Nazisex-slave camps, which some suggest is not a very good image for a band, butWilson dismisses this issue with a comment about postmodernism and/orsemiotics. Coogan manages to pull off this attitude in a believable andcharming way, which is perhaps not surprising since he has apparently playeda similar character on British TV for many years.All of this is a great deal of fun, actually. My problem, at least of thisday, was the presentation. From the start, the opening credits areessentially impossible to read, looking like they were passed through somesort of severe drug trip filter. The camera is highly unsteady, in the worstSpastiCam™ tradition. I started the film with a small headache and endedwith a large headache and an upset stomach. The experience, for me, wasunpleasant. Your mileage may, and hopefully will, vary.

05 May 2012

Excellent look at the Manchester scene

Folks who don't listen to alternative music (and I mean REAL alternative music, not the nu-metal garbage that's been promoted as alternative over the last few years) may not realize it, but since the late 1970s, the city of Manchester, England has been home to one of the most amazing music scenes in the world. 24 Hour Party People is a fascinating dramatized look at this incredibly influential scene. The story starts with the Sex Pistols' first show in Manchester. Only 42 people attended, but most of them went on to either start bands or otherwise help get things going.The narrative center of the movie is one man who attended that concert, Tony Wilson. A local TV personality, Cambridge journalism graduate (he occsionally mentions this as he struggles to be taken seriously), punk rock advocate, promoter, and manager, Wilson was also the nominal head of Factory Records, which released extremely influential postpunk records by Joy Division, and later, New Order. Wilson and his New Order partners also opened the Hacienda club, which gave birth to the "Madchester" rave culture of the late 80s and early 90s. The notoriously drug-addled and self-destructive Happy Mondays are shown in all their glory as they emerge from this scene under Wilson's "guidance" (as the movie shows, trying to manage the Mondays was roughly like trying to clean up a massive oil spill with a paper towel).Though Wilson is a fascinating character in his own right, the heart of the movie is the bands, their music, and the machinations of the music industry. Wilson himself was far more interested in being a sort of "sponsor of the arts" than in making money, and the movie gleefully shows one business failure after another. Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis tragically hangs himself on the eve of the band's first American tour. New Order's "Blue Monday" becomes the biggest selling 12" single of all time, but they lose 5 pence for every copy they sell because of the artistic but costly packaging. The Hacienda is massively popular but makes no money, for the drug of choice is Ecstasy, not alcohol.Through it all, the movie does an excellent job of hewing to a narrow path between mockumentary and drama, irony and sincerity, humor and sensitivity. The results are impressive: this is one of the best movies I have seen about music in a particular time and place. The acting is generally excellent, especially Steve Coogan as Tony Wilson and Sean Harris giving an uncanny performance as Ian Curtis. My only complaint is that the movie lacks depth. We don't learn very much about most of the characters other than Wilson, and such seminal bands as the Smiths and the Stone Roses don't even appear. That's a pretty minor complaint, though, given the enormous breadth and influence of the Manchester scene.

Richard Harrington

04 May 2012

The manic swirl of characters (most speaking in thick Northern accents that are sometimes muffled and incomprehensible) may leave you exhausted and confused.

Brendan Bernhard

04 May 2012

Wilson is both in the thick of things and eternally above the fray, and, ultimately, his unflappable cool creates a distancing effect in the viewer as well. But even at a distance, the movie's a rave and a half.

es0025

03 May 2012

Some kind of time machine.

24 Hour Party People is a film that perfectly captures the spirit of anera. For those who have been born some years after that period, orthose who have not reached to live it fully (including me), 24 hourparty people becomes a kind of historical document.The film tells the story of Factory records, in a mock-documentarystyle. How it arose, how it established, and finally its debacle.Steve Coogan delivers an excellent job in the role of Tony Wilson andAndy Serkis on the other hand makes an exceptional portrait of a lostgenius as was Martin Hannet.Without a doubt, the job of Micheal Winterbottom is one of the mostoriginal I've seen. It is a strange narrative between observation andintegration of the viewer. In some points the main character take usinto the story and even gives us some hints of future events. The filmshows us its own cinematic mechanism in order to include us in it. Ablend of past, present and future, where Tony Wilson knows he is makinghistory.Finally, as Steve Coogan says, 24 Hour Party People is a movie aboutmusic, about that period in particular and what it gave to the world.The characters involved are only secondary elements which belonged tothat spirit.Music lovers, enjoy it. And those who are not so, take a sit, relax,and open your mind to a new form of cinema. You won't regret.I hope you enjoyed this review. See you next time. PS: Excuse my English, i'm doing my best.