Music Movies Making Impact at Toronto Fest

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Beautiful Downtown Toronto
Rolling Stone’s “Rock Daily” blog has a wrap-up on the music-themed films featured at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, and it turns out they’re all pretty good:

First up, Control, the Anton Corbjin-directed “interpretation” of the life of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, received a standing ovation after its screening, with Rolling Stone calling it “gripping.” The second Joy Division-themed pic (movies come in twos!), simply called Joy Division, is a more straightforward documentary the magazine calls “traditional,” relying on existing footage and interviews with band members.

Todd Haynes’ atmospheric tribute to Bob Dylan, I’m Not There, was also warmly received, with the LA Times calling Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of the enigmatic musician “phenomenal.”

The documentary about Daniel Lanois’ production work with artists like U2 and Sinead O’Connor, Here Is What Is, got good reviews for its ability to portray the creative process, making “something out of nothing,” although even the “@U2” blog says its insider footage may be best appreciated by fans.

Finally, Rolling Stone calls Heavy Metal In Baghdad the “most powerful music film” at TIFF, a documentary about Iraq’s “only heavy metal band,” Acrassicauda. At one point in the film, their practice space is destroyed by a missile; now that’s hardcore.