Velvet Goldmine

This is a really smart way of doing a music ‘biopic’. The protagonist is basically an amalgamation of several famous musicians, so that gives writer/director Todd Haynes all the room to focus on the aspects of glam rock he finds the most interesting. There’s a lot happening here under the surface, it paints a pretty in depth picture of the genre’s theatrical roots, visual aesthetic, lgbt allyship, sexual explicitness, music style and so much more. Unfortunately the script is a little patchy in places. I think that removing Christian Bale and the flashback framing device would fix a lot of issues in regards to exposition and focus, it really doesn’t add that much to the film. Meyers and McGregor are good at recreating the vocal styles of the era, besides that I thought everyone’s acting was just fine. The directing, on the other hand, is amazing. Haynes captures the unique vibe and campy aesthetic of glam rock effortlessly trough the tone, editing and cinematography. The musical interludes in particular are probably the most entertaining part of the film.

7/10

Christian Bale plays a reporter who reconstructs the glam rock era by documenting the life of a fictional singer who embodies the androgynous essence of the idols of the time, all while investigating a mystery with multiple narrators in a "Citizen Kane" fashion. The film may offer a somewhat distorted view of the glam rock years, but the premise that introduces Oscar Wilde as the progenitor of glam should be enough for the viewer to understand that it’s nothing that should be taken too seriously.

The extravagant direction, costumes, and props are a true delight, not to mention the various caricatures aimed at sublimating and blending together the essence of stars like Bowie, Ferry, Reed, Pop, and many others. The focus on sexuality was maybe a little too much, but other than that, it was a messy yet truly entertaining piece of work.