Control (2007)

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Given the fact that I am a lover of the band Joy Division , there are things that are absolutely out for a deliberately "essay film" as this movie wanted to be:1)Disgusting scene of farts before one concert; 2)Apart from Ian Curtis, the rest of the band is portrayed as a mass of idiots and useless pricks; 3)It is very obvious the influence of Ian Curtis' widow who wrote the book on which is based the movie, in addition to being a co-producer . Everything takes place under the widow's point of view:it is symptomatic that none of the alive members of the band is involved in the production crew. 4)Anton Corbijn, the always sought-after director of many wonderful musical videos , with this film has lost his touch. Four points of view that add up to the vote that I expressed for this film. Thanks

Great movie, dealing with a complex subject. I am a Joy Division fan, and have read the book on which the movie is based ("Touching from a Distance" by Deborah Curtis, Ian Curtis' widow), so was very glad to see that the movie does his life justice, warts and all.Great direction by Anton Corbijn - filming in black and white was a masterstroke, setting the right mood for the movie. Great acting too, especially by Sam Riley as Ian Curtis. Only negative thing I have to say about it is that the pacing was bit slow, esp in the latter half to quarter of the movie.Another great movie to watch re Joy Division is "24 Hour Party People". This covers the Manchester music scene of the late 70s to early 90s, as seen through the eyes of Tony Wilson, the founder of Factory Records, Joy Division's record company. Bands covered include Joy Division, New Order and Happy Mondays, amongst others. Rate that movie even higher than Control, from a music history point of view.

Control, the story of Ian Curtis, singer of British alternative band Joy Division. The film is made in black and white, which adds a certain edge to the film. There isn't much drama or fast-paced scenes (until the very end, I guess), and that seems to be what everyone criticizes about the movie. Why do you think the director wanted it black and white? If it had been a sincerely boring film, why release it? Of course they made up some aspects of Ian's life, but the fact is that Ian was a dull, depressed human being. He couldn't handle love, or fame overall. He doesn't show signs of emotion in the film, and doesn't speak much at all. Truth is, black and white was exactly what he saw, while he was spiraling towards the end of his life. The acting is incredible. Absolutely spot on. Very very noteworthy.I enjoyed Control, but that's only because I love indie films and rock and roll movies. If you're looking into this movie expecting some delicious drama and edge-of-your-seat thrills, just don't watch it. It's about a man who gradually fell apart, who gradually lost control. And if you can't see that in the film, it's definitely not worth watching.

I was really disappointed by this movie. I have been watching many British and irish independent films that I haven't seen before. This film won several British Independent Film Awards, and I am really surprised by these accolades. The film, for me anyway, was dull and unexceptional. The performances were monosyllabic (slow slow slow). I didn't particularly care about any of these characters and I wanted to do so. I was particularly shocked that Toby Kebbell somehow won the supporting actor/actress BIFA award - where is he in this movie? His Rob is only in the movie for 3 or 4 minutes, as far as I can tell - his one-liners fall flat to me and there is no character development whatsoever. I've enjoyed Samantha Morton so much in so many wonderful movies but she's dull and lifeless here. I was especially disappointed in Sam Riley's central performance - he has no charisma. Either the camera loves you or it doesn't (for example, I saw The History Boys on stage and Samuel Barnett radiated stage performance energy; then I saw the movie, and the camera simply loved Dominic Cooper - it's the whole Marilyn Monroe thing, when she can't remember her lines but the camera loves her so much it doesn't matter). The music isn't my type of music but it's O.K. I didn't hate the music. Has Anton Corbijn directed any more movies? He won both the best director BIFA award and the Best Debut director award as well - but why? All four of the other films that were nominated for Best Independent Film were exceptionally good: Eastern Promises, Hallam Foe, Notes On A Scandal and When Did You Last See Your Father? Sarah Gavron's direction of Brick Lane was lyrical and beautiful and the other 3 nominees were David Cronenberg for Eastern Promises, David MacKenzie for Hallam Foe (seek this movie out, it's a real gem starring Jamie Bell of Billy Elliot fame), and Anand Tucker for When Did You Last See Your Father? (this last one is the most traditional and seems more mainstream to me). But I didn't start to watch this movie thinking I wouldn't care for it; I almost always stick with it (although I didn't with In The Loop, which I hated hated hated). It's interesting to read the different opinions on here about these movies. If there were a heaven, for me it would be getting to see all the movies, theatre, and listen to all the music I haven't gotten around to in this lifetime! (: