27 in Ottawa and Kingston, and on demand. Perhaps a better title for this one might have been The Film That Fell to Earth. But it’s also the name of a bad-but-not-forgotten fantasy film from 2007 and, more troubling, a 1974 drama by Michael Apted about the rise and fall of a rock and roll singer played by David Essex. Sure, it’s an oblique reference to Bowie’s 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
So even when Flynn sings, it’s covers of others’ music. Lack of proper paperwork means he isn’t allowed to perform, which is the film’s way of getting around its own significant shortcoming, which should have been a deal-breaker. It’s 1971, his career is stalled in spite of some early success with the likes of Space Oddity, and he’s on a trip to America to try to make it there. As Bowie, Johnny Flynn cuts a dour, morose figure. “What follows is (mostly) fiction,” the opening credits read, and I believe it. Or The Queen’s Gambit if they’d decided not to show any chess. Imagine the film First Man if it neglected to include the moon landing. The film, directed by Gabriel Range (2006’s mock-doc Death of a President), went ahead without the blessing of Bowie’s family, and as such was unable to use any of his music. The Game has been drumming up excitement for The Documentary 2.After announcing a double album and dropping the Skrillex-assisted El Chapo, he recruits the Bad Boy himself, Diddy, for. Even calling it “musical” might be going too far. Photo by Film Constellationįar less effective is the musical biopic Stardust, about British rock icon David Bowie.
Not my cup of tea: Johnny Flynn stars as David Bowie in Stardust. I’ve never counted myself among that group, but watching this film made me want to be. Zappa is clearly required viewing for fans. Preston, Esq., was granted rare access to Zappa’s extensive archives and seems to have made the most of it, complementing the man’s home movies, rehearsal sessions, concert footage and more with an eclectic mix of weird, wonderful stock images. Winter, recently in front of the camera reprising his role as fellow musician Bill S. Article contentįilmmaker Alex Winter is the man behind this crowd-sourced, shaggy love letter of a documentary. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.