A semi-fictional romp/mystery through the early 70s glam-rock era with Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Ewan McGregor playing fictionalised versions of David Bowie and Iggy Pop. Mixing a musical biopic with a possible murder mystery as Christian Bale's journ... (read more) A semi-fictional romp/mystery through the early 70s glam-rock era with Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Ewan McGregor playing fictionalised versions of David Bowie and Iggy Pop. Mixing a musical biopic with a possible murder mystery as Christian Bale's journalist investigates a disappearance ten years ago, is an interesting plot device but doesn't always work with Haynes' directing style. Jumping between storylines willynilly and often merging scenes with deliberately blurred shots, it is difficult to keep track of how the disparate plot strands fit together - often it is only by looking at Bale's hairline that its possible to tell what era he's in. However the music is great fun while the outrageous outfits are certainly eyebrow raising. The final impression? Sparkly.

One of my favorite movies,the music always cheers me up and i love ewan mcgregor as curt wild^^

Yes... suggested viewing by a friend... and a month later I still don't know what I think! Hehe. Alright, a film set in 1970s Britain we see the events through the birth and death of glam rock, primarily through the life, sexual antics and idolisatio... (read more) Yes... suggested viewing by a friend... and a month later I still don't know what I think! Hehe. Alright, a film set in 1970s Britain we see the events through the birth and death of glam rock, primarily through the life, sexual antics and idolisation of the greatest glam rock singer Brian Slade. The idoling comes from Christian Bale's character, whose desire to be like his idol in glam rock's dying days provides stark and unpleasant realisations for him, especially when he, as a journalist a decade later, he must look back into his past and uncover the disappearance of Brian Slade.
A film well executed and puts you into the time and the place, while perhaps Eddie Izzard's best film role, while Bale is fairly convincing. Crazy, crazy music videos too!
Only downside was that I didn't find the characterisation entirely compelling... at least I didn't feel sympathetic when lives became so marred and ruined by the lust for greed and fame. Perhaps we aren't supposed to.

A very interesting and personal view into the era of glam rock. While the pacing can be a bit sluggish at times, the overall dreamlike mood and carefully detached touch help to make this more than just another historical recap.

Velvet Goldmine is something of a gay Citizen Kane. 6 parts infamous to 4 parts obscure, it is easily the most fantastically realised movie with a gay subtext ever created. Though it lacks the romance and the subtlety of more modern gay works of cine... (read more) Velvet Goldmine is something of a gay Citizen Kane. 6 parts infamous to 4 parts obscure, it is easily the most fantastically realised movie with a gay subtext ever created. Though it lacks the romance and the subtlety of more modern gay works of cinema such as Brokeback Mountain or Milk, the triumph of Goldmine lies within it's more outrageous and harsh tones. Both fantastical and cruelly cynical and realistic, the plot leaps nimbly through time (and even space at one point!) to convey a story of 70's glam rock, its idols and its followers. The movie centres around the legend of Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust doppelganger, and his rise and disastrous fall as a 70's pop idol. But not content to be a music story, the movie captures this epic journey through the eyes and experiences of a British journalist (Christian Bale - before he became a diva himself). Arthur, having grown up during the height of the glam-rock years, is sent by his newspaper to conduct an investigative feature on the disgraced pop-sensation Slade ten years after the incident that destroyed his career. Through interviews with Slade's contemporaries he drags up often times unpleasant memories of his own turbulent adolescence. Featuring remarkable performances from Ewan MacGregor, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Bale, the final message of Velvet Goldmine is one of grim realism tempered by the hope of fantasy