Stardust Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out Stardust opens in theaters and on VOD on November 25. IGN reviewer Kristy Puchko watched the movie via a digital screener. Read more on IGN's policy on movie reviews in light of COVID-19 here. IGN strongly encourages anyone considering going to a movie theater during the COVID-19 pandemic to check their local public health and safety guidelines before buying a ticket. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Over the course of a career that spanned five decades, David Bowie became not only a rock star with a slew of hits, but also an icon for his fierce fashion, sci-fi fantasies, and unapologetic gender-bending. His music became the soundtrack to hundreds of movies and TV shows as well as peoples' lives and political movements. Now, the scrappy Stardust shoots to showcase the man behind the glam rock persona. It's an ambitious mission. But out of the gate, there are some serious setbacks, including the disapproval of the late singer's estate and no right to use any of his discography. So, how do you make a David Bowie movie without his music? Co-writers Christopher Bell and Gabriel Range (who also directs) narrowed their focus to a weird window of the rock star's life when he came to the U.S.in 1971 to promote The Man Who Sold The World but didn't have the visa permits to perform. It's a clever angle considering the production’s limitations. However, this means Stardust isn't a biopic as much as a slice of life, digging into the moment before Bowie would birth his extraordinary alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/3m6IoS0] A singer/songwriter himself, Johnny Flynn stars as David, the sheepish aspiring rock star who has had 12 singles flop in the U.K. His last shot at stardom is to make an impression in America. However, the record company has lost faith, save for one guy. Enter Marc Maron as harried publicist Ron Oberman, a grumbling, shambling warning that this will not be the red carpet tour David was promised. Instead of posh hotels, they're crashing at Oberman's mom's house. No concert halls, just vacuum cleaner conventions. No screaming fans, just disc jockeys confounded by David's provocative talk and orange Mary Janes. It's a parade of humiliation, where a self-conscious David flails and fails to impress at every turn. Oberman is his snarling coach, giving pep talks spattered with righteous indignation at anyone who doesn't recognize his guy's genius. It's undeniable fun to watch Maron channel his signature surliness to defend the brilliance of Bowie. However, little else about this setup works. In part, because David is surrounded by thinly sketched stereotypes, like the cynical rock critic, the un-amused security guard, and nagging wife Angie, a suffocating role that allows Jena Malone only to scowl and screech. Neither in character nor settings is there a sense of an America that impresses or impacts Bowie, as Range gives little specificity to the visual journey. A section in New York City seems promising as it sets up Bowie meeting subversive inspirations like Andy Warhol and Lou Reed. However, the script craftily --and infuriatingly -- avoids putting either luminary onscreen. Instead, the focus is shifted to David's backstory, which involves his mentally ill older brother (Derek Moran) and an alleged family curse. Essentially, David is afraid to embrace his wildest ideas out of fear that is the path to madness. It's an interesting concept that might have been explored through striking visuals alluding to the incredible stage shows, cover albums, concert costumes, and music videos that were to come. But the most memorable visuals in Stardust come from the trippy opening, ripped straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Otherwise, Range's script namedrops Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, and Iggy Pop, the last in a cringe-worthy bit that feels like a senseless retread of Green Book's fried chicken scene. To give a sense of the mood of this era, he laces in non-Bowie music. But all this never knits together into anything nearing the artistic grandeur of Bowie. Instead, it is a frustratingly tame pastiche. So much so that it's hard to imagine even a pulsating Bowie soundtrack could save it. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=worst-reviewed-movies-of-2020&captions=true"]

from IGN Reviews https://ift.tt/2KJELUp
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming