'Joy Division' Documentary Coming Via Zune And DVD On June 10

Remember Grant Gee's documentary on Mancunian post-punk depressives Joy Division, creatively titled, "Joy Division"? Many speculated because it was aquired by the Weinstein Brothers it would come out on DVD with "Control." It's not (the JD-feature length DVD comes out June 3 via the Weinsteins's Miriam Collection, it was originally scheduled for May 25).

According to Pitchfork, the documentary rolls out to DVD on June 10 in conjunction with Genius Entertainment via the Miriam Collection (though Amazon has a June 17 release date), but it's also coming out concurrently on the Zune player (what's that? On some sup-par tool Microsoft rushed out to compete with the Ipod, nevermind, it wouldn't interest you).

The doc generally looks a lot more interesting that the Anton Corbijn "dramatized" version, which wasn't terrible per se, just meek as a mouse and not very dramatic.

Watch: "Joy Division" trailer
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'Control' DVD Coming March 25; Engaging, Exciting Film Not Included

"Control,"Anton Corbijn tedious mournful kitchen-sink drama debut, about the life and untimely death of Joy Division's misanthropist Ian Curtis is coming to DVD via the Weinstein Company on March 25.

While no details on the North American version are out yet, the British version which comes out Feb 11 - and which we can cavalierly assume contains the same features - includes the 25-minute featurette "Making of Control" (interviews with Corbijn, star Sam Riley and writer Matt Greenhalgh), directory commentary - covering the Dutch director's experiences making "Control" -, extended scenes, full performances by the Joy Division actors performing the songs "Transmission," "Leaders of Men" and "Candidate," plus JD's "Atmosphere" '88 video also famously lensed by Corbijn.

Many people, including us, incorrectly assumed that the documentary about the Mancunian post-punk depressives "Joy Division" would be bundled with the DVD, but seeing as it hasn't even come out in theaters proper (it will screen at SXSW), that's not gonna happy you silly twits [ed. yeah, jackass]. In case you didn't know how we felt about "Control."
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'Control' Film Cleans Up At British Indie Awards Ceremony; Ian Curtis Still Not Mad For It

Remember the "Control" movie about Joy Division that basically came and went and had solid performances in a boring narrative, left you emotionally removed and overall was just meh?

Well, director Anton Corbijn’s well-intentioned, but snoozy paean to Ian Curtis swept the British Independent Film Awards last night. The film nabbed five trophies, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Newcomer (Sam Riley who played Curtis) and Best Supporting Actor (Toby Kebbell; the only award here we can fully support, he was outstanding - see our Breakout Performances piece).

Julien Temple’s warts and all celebration of his buddy "Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten" took the documentary award.

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Most Overrated Film Of The Year Earns 10 British Film Indie Award Nominations - Control

Anton Corbijn's paean to Joy Division and its deceased singer Ian Curtis, "Control," is set to clean up at the upcoming British Independent Film Awards.

The grainy, black and white drama has gained tons of accolades BIFA has given the film 10 nominations for it's upcoming award ceremony including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and nods for lead actors Sam Riley, Samantha Morton and the real highlight of the film, Toby Kebbell (he steals almost every scene he's in as JD's hilarious manager Rob Gretton).

While, we don't hate this film or have anything against it, all the acclaim makes us scratch our heads as we found it unremarkable, uneventful, pretty tedious and mostly unmoving. To each his own, we suppose.

Maybe it's some sort of British nostalgia thing that makes some folks adore it more than it deserves.

Can't argue with the soundtrack though. Some obvious, but classic cuts.
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So Contrary To Popular Belief Anton Corbijn Barely Knew Ian Curtis & Other Joy Division Tales

The myth of "rock photographer"Anton Corbijn (he hates that appellation, btw) is that he was tight with Ian Curtis of Joy Division and therefore was the right man for the job when it came to bring Curtis' story to the big screen with "Control" (our review here).

Not that he isn't the man for the job, but as rock stories go, they're generally exaggerated and it turns out Corbijn barely spoke English when he met Ian Curtis, let alone got to know him well. In fact, Corbijn only met Curtis twice briefly for two photo sessions with JD before he offed himself.

"He was somebody who kept a bit to himself, I thought, but very friendly, and the second time I met him he was a bit more distant, but that was very close to his suicide," he told Rolling Stone. "I didn’t speak English very well then and of course I had a bit of an accent, so we didn’t have lots of conversation."

So we're not saying Corbijn has overstated his relationship or anything, we're just saying it seems like - to us at least - that their relationship was overstated by someone (the press likely).

As for Corbijn's supposedly legendary move to England from Holland in 1974 because of Joy Division, well that's been slightly exaggerated as well. "I wanted to move away from Holland for my work because I felt that things would be better for me in England," the Dutch director told Entertainment Weekly. "But when I heard Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures, that pushed me towards making the move and making it real. I met them within 12 days of moving to England."

And at least Corbijn himself won't pretend he was even close with Curtis. "The problem I had was that my English was poor and I was also quite shy, plus they spoke with an accent that was hard for me to understand, so the conversation was very limited. I couldn't really consider myself a friend of Ian's because I couldn't put two lines together," he told EW.

It's also interesting to note that the actors in the movie that portray Joy Division (including lead actor Sam Riley, the singer of 10,000 Things and more briefly with the Horned Owls), couldn't really play a lick of music, but were so committed to their roles that they insisted they learn and play the Joy Division songs in the movie. Corbijn initially resisted their efforts, but eventually acquiesced when they impressed him with their spot-on JD covers. "They couldn't play instruments, [but] they were determined," he told New York magazine. "They pleaded with me to do it live and, of course, they did, and thank God they did, and thank God I gave in because it made the film a lot stronger."

And as for anyone that thinks the director is capitalizing on his old pals and the death of Ian Curtis think again. He hasn't recouped any of the 4-million odd Euros he sank into the movie himself. "I'm selling my house in England at the moment. I'm going to Holland."

What about the piss-poor excuse of using the Killers (a cover of JD's "Shadowplay") over the end-credits of a film about Joy Division? Corbijn just didn't want you to leave the theaters in a suicidal mood. "There’s also the reason why over the credits I put on a poppy version of “Shadow Play” that The Killers had made for the film, because it helps you lift the mood a bit," he told RS (we buy this excuse why else would anyone almost ruin their film with this terrible decision?).

Time Magazine noted that the photographer/filmmaker doesn't see the film as a rock biopic, but rather, "a tragic love story with great music."

"Control" is in limited release as we speak.
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"[Working With Actors] Was The Scary Part Of Filmmaking" - 'Control''s Anton Corbijn

"In the end it went quite smoothly maybe because I had a really great cast," the Dutch director said. "According to New Order, their reaction to the film was that it was really accurate."

As for the silly Reeler question asking why Harvey Weinstein would be interested in a film about Joy Division, Corbijn drops the wry, "I think [Harvey's] been seen dancing to Joy Division." We were fairly disappointed by "Control," but you should probably still see for yourself [ed. or wait for DVD and spare yourself the time and money].

Former NME writer Paul Morley, who was around for the Joy Division heyday era, wrote an interesting piece in the Guardian about the film called, "How to make a film about the short and tragic life of Ian Curtis." It's good backstory on the history of all the players involved in the film if you're not already JD obsessed.
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Review: Don't Believe The Hype - Corbijn's Not So In 'Control'

Our Toronto Film Fest report:

While we were greatly anticipating the Joy Division film "Control" and have much admiration for the photographic work of director Anton Corbijn, his directorial debut was nothing short of disappointment.

No disrespect to Ian Curtis, but "Control" wasn't really a story worth telling - at least not the one in this script. Let's face it, if this band didn't happen to be famous and cherished, their story would be pretty unexceptional (again if we're going by this story).

The magic - if one can use that word - of Joy Division isn't remotely captured; there's little investment put into the characters early on to make you deeply care when it counts and the movie moves from scene to scene very matter-of-factly and rather prosaically. Obviously, many people already know this story and we found ourselves just sitting there as the plot elements unfolded free of any emotional depth or any great hook to draw you in.

Poor Corbijn is way too close to the material; too personally invested to dramatize the mundane and bromidic, too respectful to stir a mouse. The only time he tries pure exaggeration - a scene where Tony Wilson signs a record contract in blood - he falls straight into buffoonery. The director rolls out scenes like a straight-faced documentarian rather than an assured filmmaker and his unadorned direction, passable pace and timid delivery is flat and uneventful. It's a shame because the gargantuan Dutchmen was ideally the man for the job (having been the photographer that gave the band their iconic look in the '70s).

In short, the story was already told once and we liked it the first time when it was called, "24 Hour Party People." The ghost of that excellent film and its fantastic casting choices can't help but loom largely here; though kudos go to Joe Anderson [Peter Hook] and the exceptional scene-stealer Toby Kebbell (Joy Division's now-now deceased manager Rob Gretton). Though we're not even sure he quite matches Paddy Considine's take on Gretton, though he sure comes close.

Ok and the girl that plays Curtis' not-so-secret lover, Annik Honoré (Alexandra Maria Lara), is pretty solid too (not to mention utterly stunning).

Not terrible and certainly not fantastic "Control" was unfortunately mostly unremarkable and that in itself is the film's biggest travesty.

More Transmissions
For film and Joy Division historians a brief glimpse of Werner Herzog's "Stroszek" passes by (a film about suicide that Curtis allegedly had on the telly before he took his life) and a rather telegraphed shot of Iggy Pop's The Idiot. Control debuts at New York's Film Forum on Oct 10 and then goes into wide release a few weeks later. Also of note, if New Order did compose new music for this thing [ed. which they did three new songs], they're barely discernible in the film and maybe on screen for seconds at a time.

There you have it. Thumbs down for "Control." Too bad. Don't believe the hype.
Meanwhile, the tastemaking archivists at Rhino are cashing in on all the Joy Division buzz and re-releasing their first three discs with lots of live bells and whistles.
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"Control" Writer Working On Young John Lennon Film

Matt Greenhalgh, the first-time feature-length screenwriter who penned the Ian Curtis/Joy Division biopic, "Control," has been tapped to write "Lennon," a film about the inimitable Beatle, John (maybe you heard of him). However, the film will follow the life of the young Liverpudlian before his Beatles days according to the Manchester Evening
News.

Greenhalgh was brought on board by 'Lennon' producers impressed with his "Control" script. The Mancunian told the paper, "The film is called Lennon and details John's adolescent years, pre-Beatlemania. It came to me off the back of 'Control' - the producers of Lennon saw 'Control' and then asked me if I'd consider doing their script for them."

"It wasn't a particularly hard decision for me to say yes," the still relatively green screenwriter said.

"Control" was celebrated at Cannes and and scooped two awards at the Edinburgh Film Festival this year. Greenhalgh is hoping to have the first draft of the film ready for Christmas, but the paper notes it would likely be another year until the film was ready for the big screen (geez, at least).

Let's just say it, "Control" was very unremarkable.
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Control Soundtrack Tracklist Leaks Via Fansite

Tracklists are springing crazy leaks today. First it was the 'Darjeeling Limited' and now Anton Corbijn's "Control."

The soundtrack tracklist for the Joy Division biopic has been leaked via a fan made Myspace page. Though what's making it to this movie isn't a huge revelation, the songs used in the movie have been floating around for sometime (though it was an impartial list).

As we noted, the list off songs originally posted by the fan Joy Division site was missing David Bowie's "Warsawa", and the tracklist reveals what we knew, but had failed to yet post (stupid, we've seen the movie and were saving it for our review. So yes, this confirms that this tracklist is likely totally legit.), Kraftwerk's "Autobahn," and the Dutch prog-rock band Supersister track "She Was Naked" (Corbjin has to get some heritage in there somewhere, right?). As rumor goes, the soundtrack is due October 1 (but that's a Monday, so if that's correct, that's the British release date and the U.S. date would likely be October 2).

The New Order songs on the CD "Exit," "Get Out" and "Hypnosis," are apparently three brand new songs originally composed for the film. Yet another trailer is up on Yahoo UK, which is not tremendously different than the five other trailers out there (though this one doesn't have French subtitles on it).

The official "Control" site is up now as well.

"Control" Soundtrack
01. New Order - "Exit"
02. The Velvet Underground - "What Goes On"
03. The Killers - "Shadowplay" (Joy Division Cover)
04. The Buzzcocks - "Boredom" (live)
05. Joy Division - "Dead Souls"
06. Supersister - "She Was Naked"
07. Iggy Pop - "Sister Midnight"
08. Joy Division - "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
09. Sex Pistols - "Problems" (live)
10. New Order - "Hypnosis"
11. David Bowie - "Drive In Saturday"
12. John Cooper Clarke - "Evidently Chickentown"
13. Roxy Music - "2H.B."
14. Joy Division - "Transmission" (Cast Version)
15. Kraftwerk - "Autobahn"
16. Joy Division - "Atmosphere"
17. David Bowie - "Warszawa"
18. New Order - "Get Out"

Download: Joy Division - "She's Lost Control"
Download: Joy Division - "Atmosphere"
Download: The Killers - "Shadowplay"
Download: David Bowie - "Warszawa" Read more...

New Control Trailer & Extended Scenes Are Out

New trailers and scenes for the Joy Division/Ian Curtis biopic "Control" keep popping up on our beloved interweb, but of course they're still French subtitled versions and the official U.S. trailer hasn't been unveiled yet, but for JD fans eagerly-awaiting something, these clips should more than satiate you. The extended scene is interesting if just for watching the Stephen Morris (Harry Treadaway) recording the percussion track for "Control" in the studio with a small egg-shaker and a spray-paint can. "Control" is set for an October 10 release in New York and then goes wide two weeks later. The actors playing Joy Division actually performed and recorded the song used in this scene (as they did about 80% of the JD songs used in the film).

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Film Forum: The Word On "I'm Not There" & Control"

While Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There" will debut at New York's Film Forum on November 21, no Film Forum page with details exists yet. However, we just got our FF guide in the mail which reveals some interesting details.

The film has an exclusive two week run from November 21 - December 4 on two screens, and then will go wide for the rest of the country. Film Forum's write up says this (with some parentheticals from us):

"I'm Not There"
Directed by Todd Haynes 135 Min
"Inspired By The Music and Many Lives Of Bob Dylan" reads the opening title. Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Richard Gere all take a crack at him; Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams and Charlotte Gainsbourg appear as some of his women. But it is Blanchett as Dylan Circa 1965 (think D.A. Pennebaker's "Dont Look Back") and as the post-acoustic rocker, who captures our imagination and runs with it at breakneck speed. As the emaciated, cigarette-smoking, nasal-voiced enfant terrible, his hair backlit to suggest a depraved angel, he torments, journalists, fans and his girlfriends alike. Appearances by imaginary versions of Allen Ginsberg, Edie Sedgwick, Suze Rotolo (the woman on the cover of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan), Bobby Neuwirth, Bobby Seal (we think they mean Seale, the Black Panther Party member), Albert Grossman (onetime Dylan manager, Newport Folk Festival founder) and Joan Baez round out Haynes' fever dream of what it means to be Bob Dylan.

Film Forum's preview page for "Control," however is up on their site (it debuts there October 10). They write:

LATE-’70S BRITISH POST-PUNK BAND JOY DIVISION was one of the most influential groups of their time, inspiring U2, Kurt Cobain, The Cure, Interpol, “goth rock” and countless others. Yet their career ended after only one album, when lead singer Ian Curtis committed suicide at age 23. Sam Riley gives an unforgettable performance as the troubled, enigmatic leader of the Manchester band — whose talent for singing intense, darkly infectious pop songs was subverted by mood swings, bouts of epilepsy and a crumbling marriage. Samantha Morton (IN AMERICA, SWEET AND LOWDOWN) plays his wife, upon whose memoir the film is based. The feature debut of acclaimed rock photographer/music video director Anton Corbijn.

Meanwhile, also not online is a small piece in Rolling Stone on "Control." In the story former JD guitarist Bernard Sumner said the movie brought him right back to "the misery of the Seventies. It's a very heavy part of our lives. Your best friend killing himself is not something you ever forget."

The first-time feature director Anton Corbijn said of the film and story, "I didn't want to make a Hollywood version. It's a portrayal of England in the 1970s and a person that tries to fulfill their dreams but gets disappointed in them."

When pressed to criticize the film portrayal of that period, Sumner said, "I think Peter [Hook] smokes in the movie, but he didn't do that. Everything else was pretty accurate."

Update: The Film Forum "I'm Not There" page with the aforementioned info is now up. Another update. That Dylan look-alike video casting call? It wasn't for any single from "I'm Not There." Instead, it was a video shoot for Mark Ronson, who we could give a flying fuck about.
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Ian Curtis Film Leaks... Ummm, Killers Track?

The long-awaited Ian Curtis biopic, "Control," directed by gargantuan dutchman, U2 confidante Anton Corbijn, has leaked its first alleged soundtrack song (Music Slut). Unfortunately it's a Killers rendering of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" and by that token, it's naturally anemic as hell (Why the Killers? Corbijn shot their Sergio-Leone-like "All These Things That I've Done" video and dour, JD-esque press photos for the not-so-well-recieved Sam's Town and is apparently quite taken with the young Vegas-based Mormons). According to Idolator, the Killers' cover plays over the film's closing credits (though this is not sourced anywhere).

Way to tribute your deceased pal, Anton. Corbijn, who made his name as a rock photographer (bestowing iconic looks and photos for U2 and Depeche Mode thus gaining him VIP status in their inner sanctum's) was one of the first photographers to shoot Joy Division and became pals with the late Curtis (he basically moved to the U.K. from the Netherlands cause he loved JD so much). The film is his "labor of love" and he once told MTV that he won't care if he "never directs another film," after 'Control.' In fact, according to a Danish TV interview with the director (see below), Corbijn paid half of the budget - 4.5 million Euros -- out of his own pocket.

According to the always-helpful and often unreliable Wikipedia, New Order will compose the score to the film (or will they? see below), recording new songs and re-recording classic JD songs (anyone who remembers their Jimmy Kimmel performance of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" has now become physically uncomfortable at the mere thought). Other groups that have purportedly been approached to write music for the film are U2, Depeche Mode, Autolux and the Doves. Rumors have it as: the Cure, Bauhaus, the Creatures, David Bowie, and Iggy Pop. According to SPIN, "Control" is due in September in the U.S.

Six Degrees of Joy Division
The film, which premiere at Cannes next month, is based on the book "Touching From A Distance," by Curtis' widow, Deborah, who will be played by Samatha Morton (who was used in the Corbijn-directed U2 video, "Electrical Storm"; see how it ties together in a bow so nicely?). Ian will be played by relative-newcomer, Sam Riley (who played Mark E. Smith in "24 Hour Party People"; who is producing 'Control'? None other than 'Party People' meta-narrator, recent cancer-sufferer and JD, Factory records impressario Tony Wilson. Don't you love the connections?)

New Order Upset?
According to Gigwise, blue-collary New Order bassist, Peter Hook told Channel 4 (the British only have 4 TV channels, ha ha) that he's upset over how controlling (get it? ;) Corbijn is over the soundtrack.

"I'm pissed about the movie right now because Anton Corbijn seems to be getting too much control. I would have preferred that he showed more respect for us. That's what he should do. Anton is too passionate about the movie but I think he should have a wider view. At the beginning he would say, 'Come everyone to help,' but now he closed the doors and sent everyone to piss off! We're supposed to (do the soundtrack) but the problem is that he's telling us what to do. If we don't tell him how to direct, why is he telling us how to make music? Bernard (Sumner) and Stephen (Morris) seem to be OK about it but it bothers me a lot."^[3]

Download: The Killers' - "Shadowplay"
Watch: Joy Division - "Shadowplay" (YouTube)
Anton Corbijn talks "Control" to Danish TV
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