Review of Velvet Goldmine (1998) by Enrica C — 17 Jan 2013

If you haven't seen it already, go watch it right now. "Velvet Goldmine" is quite a unique movie. It's a crazy, confident ride that will turn your mind upside down. Confusing at times, it's one of those movies that needs to be watched more than just once to be completely understand. The screenplay, written by Todd Haynes, is astonishing: it lets unfold the '70s rock music right in front of your eyes. It's all fictional, but the background and the glitter and the songs are real.

Also, if you think that either Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Toni Collette or Christian Bale can't act watch "Velvet Goldmine" and change your mind. Rhys Meyers gives a mind blowing performance, Collette keeps on 'changing face' in each of her scenes, and McGregor gives one of my favourite performances of his to the date. Curt Wild is just a rocking character and all his complexity is brilliantly brought to life in the movie.

All those colors, all that changing in the tide, all those glittering costumes. A rockcing soundtrack. Great well-explored characters. "Velvet Goldmine" makes even the opening titles look cool and interesting. I understand why some people didn't like it: it's kind of confusing, a messed-up story about some seriously fucked-up people. So my advice is: take it as it is, don't try to read any parallel into the real '70s and 80s and you'll probably enjoy it more than you'll ever expect to. Recommended.