CONTROL MY DISGUST

I'm looking forward to seeing Control, as I stated earlier. But after I saw this on the official site, and I'm voting it for the Worst Movie Poster of the Year:

Poster art for "Control."

Almost as bad as the Velvet Goldmine DVD US artwork vs. the European one.

This design is even worse when you consider über-photographer Anton Corbijn directed it. What, is he James Dean? I had no idea cigarettes killed Ian Curtis, I thought he hanged himself. And pink letters? PINK??? I even hate the rakish angle of the cigarette--it's barely in his mouth! It's so prominent and unnecessary, it's as if it was Photoshopped in by RJR Nabisco at the last minute. Thank You For Smoking!

In fact, just about any still frame taken from the trailer would have been better than that.

Or this:

Or anything else would have worked.

My friend Phil had this to say about the about the "selling" of this film in the US: "You'll like this: the American distributor of the film tried to get JOY DIVISION to play at the premiere. Think about that. That must - MUST - mean that the US distributor of the film doesn't know how the film ends." Oh sweet fancy Moses, I hope he's kidding--but I know he's not. Actually, I heard the original ending didn't test well with American focus groups, so they "tweaked" it and now he drives off into the sunset with that replicant chick. No, wait, how about Ian Curtis eating onion rings at a diner, listening to Iggy Pop on the jukebox--and then the screen goes black. (I would have picked "Don't Stop Believin'" as the song, but it hadn't been written yet.)

UPDATE: Nope, he wasn't kidding. Here's an excerpt from the article.

Losing Control: America forgets Ian Curtis is rather R.I.P.
Shortlist magazine has revealed that distributors in the US, working the new Anton Corbijn film Control, asked if Joy Division could perform live at the US premiere. Says Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook: "Someone from the film's US distributor's office phoned up saying that the New York premiere was on 25 September and would Joy Division play?" I replied, 'Well, the last I heard, the lead singer was dead but I'll give them a ring and see if anything has changed'."

Wow, that's shitastic. Man, do I want to slap one of those douchebags in the face. Still, it's nice to see the NY Times put a few articles in the Sunday edition about Joy Division, even though it's a bit of revisionist history at its best.

Music to Brood by, Desolate and Stark By SIMON REYNOLDS, October 7, 2007, NY Times
The Cult of the Lads From Manchester By DENNIS LIM, October 7, 2007, NY Times

Back in 1987, Jon Pareles wrote off the entire genre as being "mope-rock" (GLUM ROCK: MOPE AROUND THE CLOCK), a term he's apparently proud of since he's trotted out for the last 20 years, up to and including the latest Interpol concert last month (Glum as Can Be, but Those Suits Sure Are Natty). Yes, I never forget a douchebag's name.