(2012-04-27 08:14:47)

24 hr Party people :|

This review is from: 24 Hour Party People (DVD) Well i just got finished watching 24 hr party people/ I am a fan of new order and joy division and i thought since i liked them maybe i would like this movie or it would be half decent. It looked intruiging when i first started watching it then the thing went on n on and didnt really give me any information i didnt know- it was a very strange movie/if you would like to watch some english guy who started out funny then turn into more boring and boring and see pigeons poisoned and stupid stuff then watch this , i doubt new order or joy division were as idiotic as this in real life-the characters were annoying as hell , after listening to these english people talk the accent lost all its charm, i couldnt wait for the film to end about a hour and a half into it and when it finally ended i said is that it? This didnt help me understand new order or joy division or any of the other bands and the music is the best thing in the film. I did get an idea of how the whole music/rave scene came to be but other than that this film has nothing new to offer. I am shocked it got so many good reviews. Like i said i love new orders music but i wouldve liked to see more about them and thier life storys and how they came to be and focus more on the characters but this went from band to band and you couldnt really follow it or understand the characters. Lacked character depth/was mediocre at best. I would like to see another movie based on these bands but make it a better more interesting film. Overall- 2.5 stars i also recomend Velvet Goldmine which is a great film. 5 stars/

(2012-04-26 11:03:55)

If you like these bands, this was SOOO entertaining.

When I read the bio's on the Mondays I laughed, but seeing it visually explained in 24 Hour Party People is PRICELESS. Not only did these actors have striking resemblances to the musicians, they were good actors as well. The time on the film runs a little long, but when will you ever have another film directed at these music legends? The cameos were exceptional...OH, and the classic kicker of Sumner seeing Shaun for the first time - this is a must buy for any Joy Division/New Order or Happy Mondays/Manchester fan.

Dennis Schwartz

(2012-04-17 14:55:12)

The film's glaring weakness was that everything was seen through Tony Wilson's eyes.

brenfels

(2012-04-17 07:40:29)

Well made comedy with great music

This is a gem that apparently breezed right by most people, getting abriefart-house run and little of the considerable attention it deserves. Fromtheopening ``Icarus'' sequence to the end, it confounds expectations,generatesbig laughs and propels itself with great music. (The soundtrack CD isquitegood as well.) Highly recommended.

(2012-04-16 16:29:12)

Great movie about a horrible genre.

SOMEWHAT OF A SPOILER NEAR END - The item may be common knowledge to fans of this music scene (or may not). It is also presented pretty early in the movie but it the weight of it is not actualized until the end of the movie. So it probably isn't really considered a spoiler, but I am giving the warning just in case.********The time period was the greatest time period in underground music. Hardcore punk and extreme metal underground was at it's strongest before degenerating into a sub-genre of pop music as it now stands.As always happens, bridges are always being built joining popular culture and independent cultures. The extreme music scene of the 80s unfortunately had spawned more than it's share of these musical bridge culture experiences.Nu Wave - bridging punk and popGrunge - bridging punk, extreme metal and pop.Alternative - bridging punk and pop.The Sub-pop bands - a particularly annoying subsection of alternative.Industrial - bridging extreme metal and pop.Nu Metal - bridging death metal and pop.and a whole slew of "edgy" mainstreamers such as NIN, Marilyn Manson, White Zombie.All this watering down of genres does is to dilute it to the point that it no longer effectively exists, minimally affects pop culture, and can no longer regain its purity due to the ever dilluding association.This movie describes itself at looking at the Manchester "punk" scene which shows how the word punk has lost every aspect of it's definition in use today. This is alternative pop clear and simple.This is a scene I totally despised back in the day and still hate now. But I was surprised at how much I liked this movie.This movie has a lot of bad reviews and I see a lot of bizaare criticisms of it.One said it was a "mockumentary worse than Best in Show". This is not a mockumentary. It is a true story and quite an interesting one.Others complained that Tony Wilson was a despicable character. This is utter nonsense and shows the vicious twisted values of pop culture. Quite the opposite, this movie presents Tony Wilson as an angel of person giving entirely of himself for the sake of the music and the artists. If this movie is an accurate portrayal of him, Tony Wilson self-destructed by his own extreme generosity and authentic love for the genre. I still view it wasted being in the service of garbage music but this movie shows Tony Wilson of holding extreme virtue. The total opposite of a despicable character.This movie shows Tony Wilson falling in love with the sprouting alternative scene in Manchester and investing himself totally into it and its promotion. It shows his creation of the Hacienda Night Club and Factory Records. It presents this in a unique stylish manner (which probably appears similar to the Spinal Tap style confusing the other reviewer that this was a mockumentary) that actually works for the movie. It is also one of the few movies that properly utilizes self-reference by introducing information while reminding us that it's main purpose is to tell a real story.I didn't know the story of these events before but I assume the main points are correct.You will see the sincerity of Tony Wilson as he gets run over by the very bands he is promoting, his many struggles, and the many unique situations in the music business. The music exploded but Tony's mismanagement in business structure caused Factory to struggle along financial always near collapse. For Tony it was all about the music. He had great skill in promoting the scene but almost no skill in taking the money out of it for himself.Finally, Factory failed and Tony would have then been able to cash in for big money by selling the entire business to other more business focused parties. THE MILD SPOILER> However, if the movie is correct, the only contracts Factory had with their bands was that each party had "the freedom to f**k off". They were free to take the spoils of Wilson's labors without dealing with Wilson.Despite hating this music scene, I recognize it is a great story of the independent do-it-yourself spirit as exhibited in the Tony Wilson character.

Andrew

(2012-04-16 04:26:58)

F**king great

I loved it. From the opening scene of Tony Wilson trying Hang Gliding tothedemise of Factory Records and it's nightclub "The Hacienda", 24 Hour PartyPeople is engrossing, often humorous, and always entertaining.The main story revolves around the rise and fall of Factory records: therecord company who brought punk and dance into the mainstream (withartistsranging from Joy Division to New Order), and the people who formed thecompany. The film also contains cameos from the band members (as well asactors who play them), and provides an interesting view of the undergroundmusic scene of Manchester in the late 70's and throughout the 80's. Ifyouran 80's music lover, this movie's for you.

(2012-04-14 02:55:17)

Interesting documentary-like approach

24 Hour Party People is not your usual film fare. It tells the true story of the birth of punk music in Manchester, England in an almost documentary approach.That technique is what makes this film work. I'm not a big punk music fan, and the whole culture surrounding it is strange to me, not something I could ever get into, but through the use of the character/narrator Tony Wilson (played by Steve Coogan), this strange world is clearly explained in a humorous but honest commentary. As Wilson interacts with characters in the 70s through 90s, he occasionally breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience from a present-day perspective, in a way providing that 20-20 hind-sight everyone has long after the fact.What this film achieves the most in, however, is the way it blends documentary footage into the film. The whole thing is filmed with a hand-held camera in such a fashion that you almost are fooled into thinking it is a documentary, at least, until Wilson breaks that fourth wall again to remind you. It's a great technique that sets this movie apart from others based on true events.The only real flaw is how time passes without the film ever really letting on. It begins in 1976, and after what feels like a few months, suddenly its 1980. Then, the film continues in what feels like a few years, but when the end title cards come up, it says it's 1997. No one visually aged, and no time cards ever let me know what year it was. For those that already know the story, I'm sure they weren't confused, but it is confusing for those not familiar with it.Still, 24 Hour Party People is really for those who were a part of that era, the fans of punk music. It's not a film I would eagerly sit and watch over and over, but those interested in this subject likely would. This one is highly recommend to 80s punk fans, and is worth checking out for those who love film experiments.

Juan Torres

(2012-04-13 12:58:20)

one of the best movie ever seen

woahh this movie its great, more if you love new order, happy mondays, and joy division, but apart of this its a excelent film, excelent job

bunnies71

(2012-04-11 14:02:07)

Excellent

I was fascinated by this movie. The mood, atmosphere and characterswere hypnotic and I found myself totally engrossed with the film. Theacting was superb and the music excellent.Only the English can deliver a movie, that, although may not beeveryones cup of tea, draws the viewer in and allows them to experiencewhat life must have been like in that period.Sean Harris is brilliant as Ian Curtis and the concert scenes with JoyDivision was a highlight.Wish there was more on The Smiths though. Highly recommended.Chris

Harvey S. Karten

(2012-04-11 03:09:12)

Involving--though it won't replace 'Amadeus.'

Scott B.

(2012-04-07 11:23:36)

'An entertaining but ultimately insubstantial dramatization of the Manchester punk scene.'

Bill Pearis

(2012-04-07 01:51:05)

Unlike the unconvincing disco flick 54, this movie completely re-creates the look, feel and spirit of a time and place in musical history.

(2012-04-06 04:29:12)

Dance dance dance dance dance to the radio

24hr party people purports to show the rise and fall of post-punk and the beginnings of rave culture in Manchester, England at the end of the seventies, start of the eighties. It makes an admirable attempt to do this, but it fails in many, many ways.First of all, the story is too big to be seen through the eyes of one person (Tony Wilson, founder of the admirable Factory records collective), especially someone who is primarily so self-confessedly concerned with his place in history. Tony Wilson did not create rave, and this film surely overplays his role in the founding of the scene. By focussing in on this one label we lose a lot of the historical context, and the movie's habit of skipping years doesn' t help the flow of the narrative either. Secondly, the movie also sacrifices a large amount of narrative flow for the sake of cinematic continuity. While I have always been a huge fan of Joy Division, and know a fair bit about the Factory records story, I feel that people without a fair smattering of this background knowledge would've been lost in the sheer number of rapidly rotating characters, skipped years and seemingly unlinked events that all add up to the movie's climax.While the broad scope of the movie can be blamed for these mistakes, the director and writers are also culpable for other issues. I love Steve Coogan - he's a great comedian and a great actor, but he gets waaay too much screen time here, and way too many direct-to-camera monologues that occur outside of the historical flow of the film, and end up seeming self-serving and gratuitous.The movie also makes no attempt to develop the characters in the movie beyond a brief introduction. Tony Wilson's motives for trying to create an anarchist-collectve record label are never explained, nor is there ever even any discussion of why his partners go along with it, especially as they spend large parts of the end of the movie trying to kill him. Why did Ian Curtis kill himself? Why is Shaun Ryder such a mess? Why is Martin Hannett considered a "genius" when his sole contribution to the movie is to insult all the bands and irritate everybody he comes into contact with? The section on the rise of the drug-culture in the Hacienda also seem to have been written by Tony Wilson to excuse himself from wrong-doing, reading like a brief about to be submitted to a judge, "It wasn't my fault gov!".All in all i think more impartiality would've helped this film. More judgement, more character, more heroes and villans would've made it a better movie. More focus just on the Factory records experiment would've made it easier to digest, and less of the no-talent (...) clowns known as the Happy Mondays would've made the entire thing more palatable.If you like the music, watch the film. If you don't know the background read some of the books about the period instead. 24 hour party people contains some good moments, but I'm not sure I'd sit through it again to see them...

domenicarose

(2012-04-05 10:29:49)

"Madchester" in the Heyday... Wish I Had Been There!

Okay, first of all... you should NOT see this movie unless you understandthe full impact of how Manchester, England's 1980's -1990's live music sceneinfluenced the rave/dance/D.J. culture as we know it today. You should NOTsee this movie if you have never heard of at least one of the followingartists: Joy Division, New Order, or Happy Mondays. You just won'tappreciate it. Plus, you have to have SOME understanding of the subtle Brit"humour," behavior, and dialogue throughout. Of course, much of that contentis so inextricably tied to the musical and cultural references of that timethat it's hard to overlook. If you pass the above criteria, then you willsurely conclude that 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE is sheer genius... an astute andclever observation of a particular musical history in a particular location.However, the series of events in this one location during this time periodwould deeply influence people all over the world for years tocome.I love the passion behind this story. One man, Tony Wilson, and his vision:friends and musicians all wrapped up in an inspired and inebriated state ofbliss and exploration, pursuing a common goal of good times, good times. Ohyeah, and if they make history as well... cool! The 21st century musicindustry seems to be mainly consumed with the capital gain derived frommanufactured acts. This film is here to remind us of a time and a place whenmusic meant something more. Something that couldn't merely be owned! TonyWilson's Factory Records label was founded on this pure premise. The scenein the film where the London Records executive tries to buy out FactoryRecords makes such a poetically deep statement in regards to the corporatestate of the music industry today. Artists own the music. That's the way itshould be. Musicians should thank God for the Tony Wilsons of the world.He's a self-sacrificial character who gave all of himself for the MUSIC andthe magic it created. He wasn't solely in it for the profit.Wow.The unabashed spirit of the worldwide rave culture owes so much to TonyWilson and his club, the Hacienda, in Manchester. It's truly inspiring towatch the metamorphosis on film of the at first dismally attended club growinto the widely influential and groundbreaking acid house explosion of thelate 80's/early 90's. It was "the beautification of the beat," as TonyWilson boldly states in his narrative. What a brilliant statement!!!The blossoming of the moody late 70's/early 80's Manchester music scene tothe fizzy and upbeat dance/rave scene that began in the late 80's is, in myopinion, ever so parallel to the transformation of the darker Joy Divisionto the luminescent quality of New Order. It was a rebirth of somethingtotally new. Being a longtime fan of New Order, I always thought that it wasso inspiring how despite the suicide of Joy Division's tormented lead singerIan Curtis, the members of the group were able to pick up the pieces andmove forward in an entirely new and positive direction. It wasn't that thelatter group was better than the predecessor. It was just so admirable thatin being so dedicated to their music, they were able to create anotherentity that was just as beautiful yet so different; a phoenix rising fromthe ashes.Hooray for 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE and its lovingly told tale of one man'spassion for the music and the power it held! May we all appreciate thelegacy it has left. A must-see for fans of britpop, dance, and electronicmusic. Oh yeah... the soundtrack kicks ass too!

Laurence

(2012-03-31 08:22:27)

You have to be British.

Whilst this film is not a great piece of cinema it is extremelyentertaining.However,most of joy comes from the subtle irony of thescript. No matter how good your grasp of the English language (if youare not British), you have understand the nuances of meaning, which canonly come from a background of a certain culture. Criticisms that it isnot factually complete or that it misses out on certain significantdetails are irrelevant, its a piece of fiction, it is as our Germanicbrethren might say a reflective zeitgeist. This isn't a defence of thefilm, for I can appreciate that without this understanding it couldseem pretty uninspiring.It just that to get the best from it you haveto British and I guess of a certain age.

(2012-03-30 13:21:56)

COOL!

I saw this film recently and thoroughly enjoyed every moment. If you are an afficiando of the Manchester sound or early techno you will cherish this. This film brings to life the incredible sights and sounds you would have experienced at that time in England. It is one of those rare movies that are so much fun to watch you lose track of time all together, and when it ends you only want more. I can't wait to get this gem in my collection!

tommy_68

(2012-03-21 20:22:47)

Excellent British Film!

I watched 24 hour party people for the first time today and all i cansay is what a great film this is! It's so fantastic to see the cream ofBritish talent merged into a film that not only details events leadingup to the what-we-now-call the rave culture but it displays athoroughly in-depth representation of lifestyle in the country with somuch British humour pouring out of it. Not knowing much about thepunk-rock culture that gripped the world at that time, i was unaware ofwhat to expect and probably thought i'd be seeing another 'HumanTraffic', but i couldn't have been more wrong. '24 Hour Party People'sends you on a journey through the life of TV presenter/founder ofFactory Records Tony Wilson, a production company that put suchworld-famous bands on the map such as 'Happy Mondays' and 'JoyDivision'. With so many characters bursting with charisma and energyalong the way, it's so hard to believe that such a wide variety ofBritish actors (John Simm, Paddy Considine, Peter Kay, ShirleyHenderson and Rob Brydon to name but a few) can actually make a filmlike this work, but not even these so talented performers damage thepace and genuity of such a work of art.This film sometimes had me believing whether what i was watching wasfact or fiction, with the film largely based on true events and shot inmockumentary for, i sometimes struggled to realize history frompoint-of-views, but this only heightened the originality and structureof the movie. At of everything great about this movie, Steve Coogan hasto come out at best. Everything he does is so down-right hilarious yetmeaningful, bringing all of the brilliant characters to the height oftheir game. He basically moulds the entirety of the film and nevershows signs of stopping when all has failed. OK so i could see hints ofAlan Partrige in him (most notably the first section of the film whenhe hang-glides) but this only jolted me into hysterics more. This is aquality actor who should never be overlooked as one of Britain'sall-time performers.Overall, i don't really have anything particularly bad to say aboutthis film, and that's usually not the case for me! So if your a Britishcitizen, whether or not you want to explore the origins of a keyculture in our society (even today) this film is for you! I don'treally know how it will go down with the rest of the world as theircould be many mixed reviews, this is all down to the distribution andmaking of the film, you don't know whether it could be mainstreamcinema or British indie. But this shouldn't put you off at all, so tosee the best British comedians and actors with more chemistry (andchemicals) than a science lab, go out and get 24 Hour Party People! Youwill not regret it!p.s. the only thing it was missing was Lee Evans! :P

christine-matthews4

(2012-03-21 12:50:48)

shows the madchester scene through the eyes of it's creator

there is mention of 1 scene in this review but it isn't really aspoilersome american reviewers panned this movie solely on the thick accents thatthey made no attempt to understand. sure the accents are a bit harsh butthats just adds to the realism of the movie. people also said that some ofthe scenes were pointless and unfunny, i.e the pigeon killing scene. butwhat the don't understand (and never will) is that this shows the madnessthat put the mad in 'madchester'. but having said that, anyone who wasn'tthere or shows has interest in the music it would be best to skip thislittle number from your collection, if you want a british music film stickwith rocky horror, tommy or quadrophenia.

John Hartl

(2012-03-16 16:33:13)

Winterbottom, who rarely makes comedies ... nevertheless appreciates Coogan's richly comic portrait and lets him run with it.

(2012-03-16 11:17:53)

Wonderful if you are/were a fan of the bands and/or the era

Being a fan of many bands who thrived during the Manchnunian musicscene, I feel that this film granted me a brilliant visualrepresentation, if you will, of some people whom, I deem: "some of thegreatest musicians of recent times." For example, for me, JoyDivision's original singer, Ian Curtis is portrayed in a brilliant andfascinating way. (Spoiler Alert): The sadness but also awe evoked in meafter witnessing his suicide scene was immense. (end of spoiler) Welldone to the director on understanding the characters so well and, moreimportantly, on portraying them in such original, intelligent ways.This film could have been very boring and "sickly-cliched" but, insteadit comes as a "breath of fresh air" to me; the paragliding and pigeonscenes are enough to justify such a comment. Many of the actors werespecifically chosen to play musical figures with whom they sharedresemblances. Even some "famous" musicians themselves appeared in thefilm. Yes, this movie is designed to appeal to the cult fan of Indieand original punk music. Don't expect to be able to enjoy the film,really, without a prior knowledge of the musical movements of the 70s,80s and 90s. This is an homage to an uncanny era defined by artisticmastery, yet marred by excess.The music is cleverly chosen; being a mix of hit songs, classics andunknown tunes, some of which are brilliant (anything by Joy Division)and others of which are awful, in my opinion, that jazz song by"...Ratio," a band even I had not yet heard of prior to viewing thefilm. In fact, if you would like to "brush up" on your British musicalknowledge but also of how to create a good documentary, watch thisfilm- at least to experience the brilliance of Steve Coogan mixed withsome of the best popular music ever written! Also, download "Love WillTear US Apart" by "Joy Division," it may change your life. My rating: 9/10