Tuesday 5 January 2010

Sex & Drugs & Rock&Roll

Mat Whitecross' Ian Dury biopic Sex & Drugs & Rock&Roll opens in the UK this Friday and I urge you to see it. For starters, it's far better than Sam Taylor-Wood's inexplicably lauded Lennon pic Nowhere Boy which is as pedestrian and obvious as they come. In contrast, Sex & Drugs & Rock&Roll is edgy and ambitious and energetic, and features a phenomenal performance from Andy Serkis who completely captures Dury's anarchic spirit and persona. 

In many ways, the film feels like a companion piece to Michael Winterbottom's sensational 24 Hour Party People which is perhaps not surprisingI've known Whitecross since he was a runner for Revolution Films, Winterbottom and Andrew Eaton's production company, and you could tell back then that he was destined for great things. Winterbottom took Whitecross under his wing and taught him well; the pair co-directed the docu-drama The Road To GuantanamoSex & Drugs & Rock&Roll confirms Whitecross' promise.



Here's a Guardian interview with Serkis.

4 comments:

Roger Edwards said...

Is this a career defining performance for Mr Serkis? It certainly looks like it has potential to be.

Mark Salisbury said...

Hi Roger Thanks for dropping by.

I think so. Serkis is such an underrated actor. I thought he was terrific in Longford.

Unknown said...

This looks really good! Can't wait to see it. I've been a fan of Serkis for awhile and it's great to see him carry a film for a change.

Unknown said...

wow. it's a really incredible thing to see an actor go through such a wild range of emotions like that. and of course serkis pulls it off and it certainly looks like he'll pull the moviegoer right along with him.

brilliant.