Paper Back Swap discussion

I was absolutely blown away by this movie. It helps that I'm a Joy Division fan (if you hate their music, you might have a hard time sitting through this movie, as there are several of their songs throughout). Director Anton Corbijn, who met the band and photographed them a few times, chose to show this in black and white (he says in one of the DVD extras that they filmed in color and then flipped it because filming in b&w was too grainy) and the result is a moody beauty. Sam Riley gives an incredible performance as Ian Curtis - he convincingly becomes more haunted by the issues of his epilepsy (and the side effects of his medication), his early marriage and baby (the guy got married around the age of 20), the fact that he's in love with someone else, and whether he even wants to be in a band.

In the extras you also find out that the actors playing the band members actually play the songs in the movie, and that Riley sings - they wanted to do this to give a live feel to the songs, rather than just using Joy Division's albums (which Corbijn was originally going to do). This movie was clearly a labor of love. It is sad to watch an actor playing someone who will ultimately end their life at such a young age, but at the same time it helps to understand why such a gifted person would act the way they did.

Does anyone else peek ahead in books? I often find myself paging through the back of the book I'm reading and stopping to read a page at random.

I think this is a very good film too. Here's my review:
CONTROL (Anton Corbijn, 2007, UK) A great directorial debut from music video auteur Anton Corbijn with a stellar cast and taught script. Corbijn smartly films in glorious black and white, which takes us back to the formative sonic youth of Joy Division's Ian Curtis telling this tragedy in a straightforward chronological order. Sam Reilly really captures Curtis' quicksilver energy and emotional apocalypse, which ultimately leads to his self-destruction. The live performances are great and the actors must have practiced at length because there are no gimmicky quick cuts or flashy editing to hide the fact that they're really playing the songs! I don't know much about Joy Division so I think this film is accessible to any fan of thought provoking cinema. We are really able to connect to Curtis' struggles that are mostly his own but partly instigated by the onset of his epileptic seizures. His music is a way of externalizing this conflict and his Jim Morrison-like groan and the music's gothic flourishes swirl and devour the audience. A killer soundtrack includes vintage Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Buzzcocks, and Sex Pistols to name a few. Based on the novel by his wife Deborah Curtis, we get to see his story from a feminine perspective and are not allowed to glorify or condone his selfishness; we get to see how his love tears his family apart. Joy Division's music is not reserved for the terminally depressed and gothic crowd, but accessible to anyone who is moved by passionate and honest songwriting. (A)

I hope it's more interesting than '24 Hour Party People.' I'll keep my fingers crossed and put it up on the Netflix que.

I personally do not do that. It ruins the story for me. The best part about reading is wanting to know what happens next!

Control as a film was pretty good, but I've always found Ian Curtis to be pretty pathetic and this definitely didn't sway my opinion. I did like the numerous references to The Fall in the movie, though. "At least you're not the lead singer of The Fall." I bet Mark E. Smith got a good laugh out of that. Or just didn't see it (which is probably more likely).

I hated 24 Hour Party People! Control is next up on my Netflix queue so it should be here this week.

I don't do this but only because I read mostly historical fiction. Theres no point in doing it. I usually already know how the story is going to end :)

I personally don't do it but my sis in law always reads the last chapter of a book first and then reads the rest of it.

I think I've done it about 3 times in my life but I have always just read the last page to see if a person ended up with who I wanted them to end up with in the end. I've only done it with romances or chick lit. I felt bad doing it at the time but tell myself I wouldn't do it again. lol

I don't really peek, but when I 'give up' on a book (something I do more and more as I get older) I will skip to the end just so I know what happened.

I think that's what started me on my "peeking" habit. I would peek ahead on books that I was struggling with to see if I wanted to continue reading.

I often find myself spending more time peeking than reading! It's frustrating, but until I find a way to tape the book shut without damaging them, I can't seem to stop!

I can't peek. If I find out what happens, I lose the desire to read the book. I have to be surprised.

I'm not a peeker either -- but my husband is. It drives me nuts -- he reads the last chapter of a book first, then reads the book.

You could always use low-tack or painter's tape to keep it closed :P

I peek. My husband doesn't.

I get so curious if I didn't peak, I'd be up all night!

Oh my goodness, I don't think I have ever considered peeking. It just seems...oh, no I could never do that!

:)