I recently got a Creem magazine subscription and the freebie with the first issue was a Bowie themed magazine featuring an interview with Brett Morgen, and it struck me as interesting he brought up the fact Bowie was critical of his work and appeared to be a bit cold to him, so one wonders why he was chosen to direct a doc, but I can partly see why they did off of the critical acclaim the Stones and (especially) the Kurt Cobain docs got. But with as varied a career as Bowie, I actually think he’d benefit more from a straightforward doc than a meandering art experience. I did enjoy it though, just not nearly as much as I thought I would.
I saw no such implication in the post you quoted. If anything, the negative reviews seem to rely much more on the suggestion that only novices could possibly enjoy the movie.
I replied to your opinion with a real life example. That’s kind of how Internet forums work. Sorry if I offended in some way.
Ok, yeah…the implication was actually in the poster’s previous comment to the one I quoted. I should have added both to my post. I guess time will tell on the overall consensus of the movie, the current IMDb rating is slowly falling, and is at a 7.9, and the rotten tomatoes audience score is 76%. Those aren’t bad, but not exceptional either. Some people like it, some don’t, not much else to say really.
Totally makes sense. I have 2-channel system, that's why. Everything feels so cramped, as you said. A friend of mine have a surround system, I'll try it out over at his place.
What a total misstep not including a 2 channel audio track. Am I crazy in thinking 5.1 at home is more the exception than the rule? I wonder how many people had the same experience as us and wondered what was wrong! And when this ends up on HBO Max eventually, will it also be 5.1 only?
Good question! I'll make sure to watch it on HBO Max just to verify that. And yes, I am disappointed as well, the 2-channel experience for me was rough!
I watched it with headphones hooked up to my TV (as I usually watch movies alone) and yes, rough is a suitable adjective lol. Especially the decorative but obstructive sound effects at times.
Sorry, the Blu Ray. I haven’t looked up the standard DVD but if it has 2-channel, I’m buying it. EDIT-Just looked and no 2-channel on the standard DVD either.
On the ThisIsDig website, it states that the footage of Warzawa was of a soundcheck. Joe The Lion was also performed as a soundcheck for the show, so it would be great to see it on any release they hopefully make.
I saw it in the cinema and it was great. I think it's one of those where you watch from start to finish uninterrupted one night without distractions: it would break the spell Bought it from Google Play and within five minutes of starting phones were ringing and I was being called by spouse to do something. It's as much a mood piece as a narrative.
7: PROFESSIONALLY FILMED FOOTAGE FROM HIS 1978 EARLS COURT PERFORMANCES EXISTS Known to have been professionally filmed, but never seeing the light of day (audio was used for the 2018 Record Store Day release Welcome To The Blackout (Live London ’78)), clips of Bowie’s performances at London’s Earls Court, as part of the Isolar II – The 1978 World Tour, receive their first public airing in the Moonage Daydream documentary. A holy grail for fans, Bowie is seen running through a soundcheck of the atmospheric near-instrumental Warszawa and a concert performance of the iconic song “Heroes”, showing just how much the band had developed since recording the live album Stage at the start of the tour.
The song was only performed during soundchecks for the Isolar II tour, not actually being performed at any show. It is a shame because Joe The Lion is probably my favourite track on "Heroes" (I know it is a very odd choice). If you haven't heard it, the Alabama Song 40th anniversary picture disc has the Earl's Court soundcheck performance of Joe The Lion on the B-side. It is very rough, but it is nice to hear it live from 1978.
Watched it for the first time last night. Both better and worse than I had expected There is a narrative here and the clue is in the note on the back sleeve "also serves as a guide to living a fulfilling and meaningful life in the 21st century." There is an attempt to present Bowie's philosophy of life and how it evolved from Ziggy to Blackstar, via the plentiful quotes from interviews. I think that is an interesting aspect and a brave attempt but the problem is that Bowie is not particularly consistent about such things and I'm not sure how well it succeeds; but it is the frame in which the whole thing sits. Purely considered as entertainment, I felt there was too much interview and not enough music. It also presents a rather skewed view of Bowie's life and career - I know it is not intended to be a documentary - but there is so much missing, partly constrained no doubt by what video exists, but some of his greatest songs and performances are excluded, as are his collaborations with the likes of Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. Of course it's hard because there are so many iconic songs but where was Station to Station for example? Or Bewlay Brothers? or Golden Years? All of which fit well with the theme. Any Bowie fan will want to watch though if only for the new footage and evidence that there is lots in the vaults still - underlining, perhaps, how disappointing the era box sets are, with the absence of previously rare material. Tim