From The Sky Down » Moneyball p10
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REVIEWED BY LEONARD KLADY
While the Dublin-bred U2 have had envia- ble success and endurance in contemporary music, the band’s cinematic excursions have been — at best — spotty. The latest, From The Sky Down, is a con-
fused hash of history and musical philoso- phy that comes close to jeopardising whatever goodwill the band have accrued with fans over three decades. Produced for the US cable channel Showtime, it served as a curious curtain raiser for the Toronto International Film Festival whose patrons hardly comprise the group’s core audience. The film appears destined for a brief win-
dow in cable and satellite exploitation and, perhaps, extremely limited specialised big- screen engagements. From The Sky Down begins with the band
about to perform for the first time at the prestigious British music festival, Glaston- bury. Subtitles attempt to convey the signifi- cance of the event and the opportunity it provides the group to reflect on past mate- rial as well as all the things that kept them vital and united. But the evolving film cannot keep on
track. The quasi focus is the production of their 1991 recording Achtung Baby and it is
» Into The Abyss p18 » Sons Of Norway p22 » The Love We Make p22
certainly implied that the album tested the group’s mettle. The members provide pieces to the puzzle together with commentary from Achtung Baby’s producers and others associated with the session. Following ini- tial global success, U2 had a reversal of for- tune and its members felt they had lost their way artistically. Achtung Baby was their attempt to explore new musical forms and more personal material. It sounds relatively straightforward and
cohesive on paper but that is hardly reflected on screen. There is a wholly arbi- trary ping-ponging between contemporary rehearsal sessions and archive material that provides a not-so-brief band history. Considerable time is spent explaining the
band’s decision to record Achtung Baby in Germany while the apparently significant break-up of The Edge’s marriage at that time is briefly noted as if details were read- ily familiar. Fans will also be disappointed by the
absence of actual performance. Such songs as One, Mysterious Ways and The Fly are heard in pieces or in rough form as the songs were being written and produced. Apparently produced on a breakneck sched- ule, From The Sky Down seems more a work in progress rather than a final take.
OPENING NIGHT GALA
US. 2011. 88mins Director Davis Guggenheim Production company 2011 Documentary Partners International sales Mercury Records/ Universal Music Group Producers Davis Guggenheim, Ted Skillman, Belisa Balaban, Brian Celler Executive producer Paul McGuinness Cinematography Michael Brook Editor Jay Cassidy Music Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr, Adam Clayton, Brian Eno
VANGUARD PROGRAMME OSLO, AUGUST 31ST DRAMA 95 min DIRECTOR Joachim Trier
THURSDAY, SEP 8 11:45 AM TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 5 P&I FRIDAY, SEP 9
09:30 PM SCOTIABANK 2
SATURDAY, SEP 10 09:45 AM AMC 1 SUNDAY, SEP 18 03:45 PM AMC 3
SPECIAL PRESENTATION HEADHUNTERS THRILLER 100 min DIRECTOR Morten Tyldum
SATURDAY, SEP 10 09:45 PM SCOTIABANK 1 SUNDAY, SEP 11 09.15 PM AMC 4 SUNDAY, SEP 11 03:00 PM SCOTIABANK 11 P&I
CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA SONS OF NORWAY DRAMA/COMEDY 88 min DIRECTOR Jens Lien
THURSDAY, SEPT 8 01:30 PM SCOTIABANK 2 P&I FRIDAY, SEPT 9 09:45 PM SCOTIABANK 3 SATURDAY, SEPT 10 12:45 PM AMC 3 TUESDAY, SEPT 13 01:45 PM SCOTIABANK 7 P&I SATURDAY, SEPT 17 07:00 PM SCOTIABANK 11
With support from:
www.norwegianfilms.no
September 10, 2011 Screen International at the Toronto Film Festival 11 n
NORWEGIAN FILMS
TORONTO 2011
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