Brian Eno Movies

Explore the life and career of a musical artist who penned some of the biggest hits of the 1960s before turning his back on fame and completely reinventing himself as a reclusive outsider artist. In the mid-'60s, few bands rose higher up the British pop charts than the Walker Brothers, and as the front man of the group, Scott Walker was constantly in the spotlight. In the years that followed, the American-born Walker would split from the group to establish himself as a successful solo artist while inspiring such popular musicians as David Bowie and Bono. Now, as the release of Walker's 2006 solo album, The Drift, draws near, the existential crooner notorious for not granting interviews allows filmmaker Stephen Kijak to follow along for tantalizing glimpse at one of the world's most enigmatic musicians. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Quebec-born artist/singer-songwriter/record producer/filmmaker Daniel Lanois explores the true nature of creativity by inviting the viewer into the very studio where he has recorded some of the best work of his illustrious career. To Lanois, improvisation is an essential part of creativity, and it is this aspect of the creative process on which he and co-directors Adam Vollick and Adam Samuels focus most of their attentions. In the comfort of his self-described "sonic temple," Lanois and such famed musicians as Garth Hudson, Brian Blade, and longtime collaborator Brian Eno embark on a creative journey the likes of which have rarely, if ever, been captured on camera before. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Renowned pop philosopher and psychoanalyst Slavoj Zizek takes a closer look at the sexual history of films spanning the spectrum from Charlie Chaplain to David Lynch in filmmaker Sophie Fiennes' indulgent look at some of the silver screen's most sublime features. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Ordinary music soars to extraordinary heights as gifted keyboardist Herbie Hancock joins forces with a variety of well-known music superstars to offer a completely original listening experience. As Hancock collaborates with such artists as Paul Simon, Annie Lennox, Sting, and John Mayer, the cameras are permitted into the studios and behind-the-scenes to show just what happens when some of the greatest music minds of a generation converge. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A troubled war veteran tries to unlock his memories of a terrible crime in this stylish thriller, the first American project for British filmmaker John Maybury. In 1991, Jack Starks (Adrien Brody) was an American soldier serving in the Persian Gulf when he was shot in the head; pronounced dead by a field surgeon, Starks somehow returned to life, though with no small number of psychological problems to show for his troubles. A year later, Starks is walking through the snowy Vermont wilderness when he discovers a woman whose truck has broken down, Jean (Kelly Lynch). Starks tries to help Jean and her young daughter, and later flags down a car for a ride into town; however, the car is being driven by a criminal on the run from the police (Brad Renfro), and not long after the car is cornered by police, Starks' memory goes blank. When he comes to, Jack is accused of killing a patrolman in the violent standoff that followed, and is told the woman, her daughter, and the criminal existed only in his imagination. Declared insane in his murder trial, Starks is sentenced to a mental institution run by Dr. Becker (Kris Kristofferson), who seems to believe that the more brutal the treatment, the better. As Starks suffers frequent beatings and long spells in a frozen locker, his mind drifts from his harrowing past into the future, where he visits with Jackie (Keira Knightley), who once was the young girl Starks tried to help. The Jacket also features Jennifer Jason Leigh as Dr. Lorenson, a compassionate doctor who tries to help Starks and his fellow patients. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Political proverb states that a population in fear is a population that is easily controlled. In this documentary exploring the climate of fear that existed in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, filmmaker Adam Curtis explores the possibility that Western neoconservatives used anxiety as a tool to manipulate the masses into behaving in a predictable and controllable manner. By claiming that contemporary Western Democracy relies more on propagating the myth of an all-powerful al-Qaida just waiting for the right time to strike rather than focusing on domestic issues and the bettering of the people, as previous generations of politicians had done, Curtis suggests that Washington is intentionally manipulating the population into a defensive stance that gives those in charge more power than necessary. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Legendary filmmaker Wim Wenders returns to the screen with this loosely structured murder mystery. The Million Dollar Hotel unites Wender's obsession with cool music, lost souls, and American trash culture. Set in 2001, the film opens with Tom Tom (Jeremy Davies) taking a flying leap off the roof of the Million Dollar Hotel, an ironically titled dive in the seedy section of L.A. Told in an extended flashback, Tom Tom recounts the murder investigation of a down-and-out artist and son of a media mogul, Izzy Goldkiss (Tim Roth), who also fell off the hotel. FBI special agent Skinner (none other than Mel Gibson), sporting a neck brace, looks into the death only to discover that the building is teeming with weirdos and losers. There is Vivien (Amanda Plummer), who claims to be the fiancée of the rock star; Geronimo (Jimmy Smits), a huckster trying to make a buck by selling Izzy's abstract painting; Eloise (Milla Jovovich), a burned out prostitute with a passion for intellectual literature; and Dixie (Peter Stormare), who swears up and down that he is the fifth Beatle. As the film progresses, Skinner proves to be just as much of a freak as the hotel tenets -- he was born with a third arm that was surgically removed from his back. Just as in his Until the End of the World (1991), Wenders features a fantastic soundtrack including songs from Bono, Daniel Lanois, and Brian Eno. The Million Dollar Hotel opened the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

At the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, American independent director Todd Haynes (Safe) received the "Artistic Achievement" award for this re-creation of the UK glam rock scene of the early '70s. Glam rock star Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), who does a character named Maxwell Demon, predicts his own death onstage. As per his prediction, this happens, but when the killing is exposed as a hoax, it marks the end of Slade's stardom. A decade later, in 1984, Brit reporter and former Slade fan Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale), who witnesses the hoax murder, gets the assignment to do a "Whatever Happened To..?" article, and the film's plot suddenly goes into a prismatic Citizen Kane mode, reflecting various angles on Slade's life and career. Arthur visits the wheelchair-bound Cecil (Michael Feast), who discovered Slade, and then tracks Slade through his early life and his initial encounter with outrageous, maniacal American singer Curt Wild (Ewan McGregor). Slade's rise begins as manager Jerry Divine (Brit comedian Eddie Izzard) moves in to take over the performer's career. Ex-wife Mandy Slade (Toni Collette), interviewed by Arthur in a dimly lit nightclub, has memories going back to their initial 1969 Sombrero Club encounter. Their marriage paralleled his Bowie-like ascent to fame as an innovative, bisexual rock star pushing the limits. Idolized by teens, Slade teamed up for a while with the drug-addicted Wild. Eventually, the marriage of Mandy and Slade comes to an end, and she hasn't seen him in seven years when she's interviewed by Arthur. The soundtrack features vintage music by Bryan Ferry, Lou Reed and Brian Eno, plus new tunes. Some background on the making of Velvet Goldmine is documented in producer Christine Vachon's book Shooting to Kill: How an Independent Producer Blasts Through the Barriers to Make Movies That Matter (Avon, 1998) by Vachon with Slate film critic David Edelstein. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

This British film represents the farewell of author/director Derek Jarman who died of AIDS in March 1994. It is considered to be the companion piece to Jarman's film Blue. Without a traditional plot, the film chronicles Jarman's life before AIDS with a series of free-flowing images gleaned from over 15 hours of Jarman's home movies taken between the years 1970-1985. London provides the central image, but other places seen include Italy, Spain, and rural England. The glittering parties filled with drag queens, drugs, and interesting people before the onset of AIDS are also chronicled. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This program profiles the innovative musician Brian Eno. Originally a member of the band Roxy Music, Eno turned his visionary sights on the art world. Using his talents to create electronically generated music video art, Eno produced works that have been featured in art museums throughout the world. An in-depth interview with the artist is interspersed with a sampling of his mind-expanding works. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

Of all the forest-laden jungle locations in Southeast Asia, Maylasia's Borneo region was for a very long time one of the rainforests least damaged by the worldwide appetite for wood products. No longer. This documentary contrasts the earth-centered lives of the Penang, a rainforest tribe, through the daily life of a Swiss man (Bruno Manser) who has lived as one of them for many years. Contrasting with that is the work of government "environment" ministers and clear-cutters who will have destroyed their habitat in about five years' time. As is the case throughout the rest of the so-called third world, the job of environment ministers is to sell off "undeveloped" natural resources as swifly and lucratively as possible, on terms which benefit those who hold political power. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Isolde (Pia With is a lovely, sensitive girl, recently divorced from an ambitious and unscrupulous politician (Claus Flygare). She has grown fond of her gentle hunk of a boyfriend (Kim Jansson), a mercenary soldier who is in some trouble with the law. When Isolde's ex-husband finds out about this, he takes advantage of the situation to blackmail her boyfriend into doing an "errand" for him. This is a romantic thriller with high production values which features two relative newcomers (With, Jansson) in its cast. The film makes many allusions to works of literature, particularly the medieval classic, Tristan and Isolde. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide