Well, folks, a three-day holiday weekend is upon us, the unofficial start of summer, so you know what that means: time to stay indoors! Seriously, hot weather stinks, your clothes stick to you and you sweat and it’s all miserable, everybody’s going to the beach or the lake or whatever, who needs it? Netflix is losing a shitload of good movies come June 1st, so this is a fine, fine time to visit (or revisit) them. (Just click the title to view on Netflix.)
“Although what you are about to see is a work of fiction, it should nevertheless be played at maximum volume.” So begins this affectionate tribute to the glam rock era from director Todd Haynes, who uses a Citizen Kane structure and a well-curated soundtrack of vintage and original tracks to evocatively capture the feeling of being young and utterly consumed by music. And, of course, it’s got a lot to say about David Bowie, without technically being about Bowie. But it’s more than merely a thinly veiled biopic, or even an I’m Not There-ish scrambling of an icon; it’s an uncommonly rich examination of pop music, idolatry, celebrity, and sexuality.
