1 minute read
MOVIE REVIEW Nothing of value found in 'Goldmine'
by Adam Greenberg staff writer
"Although what you are about to see is a work of fiction, it is nevertheless meant to be played at maximum volume."
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Kicking off with that bold declaration, "Velvet Goldmine" cannot do anything but fail.
Its intent is to rock; instead it linlps along for almost two hours.
Writer and director Todd Haynes serves up his impression of the 1970s glam-rock scene with "Velvet Goldmine."
It can be summed up easily: Gender-bending fashion, flash, exploration of sexuality and more fashion.
The film takes its cue from "'Citizen Kane" and follows a journalist trying to put together the story of the rise and fall ofrocker Brian Slade.
Through flashbacks and interviews we see how Slade became the poster boy for glam-rock and how he was eventually undone by his own ambition.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays the David Bowiesque rocker Slade. If his aim in portraying this character was to skulk about and try to look deep without actually conveying anything meaningful, he nailed it.
Some relief in this mess of a film is Ewan McGregor as
American rocker Curt Wild. He has a certain swagger that brings some energy to this tired effort.
Haynes tries to tie this tale together with a mysterious jewel, from a UFO, given to Oscar Wilde that falls into the hands of pioneering rockers. This film does not tell a coherent story. The visuals take precedence over the script and that has never been a good thing.
What was the motivation for these characters? What were they trying to do and say with their music?
"Velvet Goldmine" does not even attempt to answer these questions.
And what about the music? The soundtrack features songs by Roxy Music, T-Rex and Lou Reed. But where's David Bowie? Excluding Bowie's music from a tale about '70s rock is like trying to talk about the British invasion without mentioning the Beatles.
All Haynes is left to work with is his pale imitation of the Bowie mythology and the end result is a pale imitation of a decent film.
* (out of a possible four stars) Velvet Goldmine
• Starring Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys Myers and Christian Bale
• Directed by Todd Haynes
