Stardust (2020) - Friggy Starburst and the Spy-Durrs from Marrs

[Blumf]

FFS guys! This obviously needs it's own thread.

From the "This'll be shit, I reckon" thread:

Trailer for the Bowie biopic Stardust. I mean, where to start?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U82heDabn5k

None of the music, half the taste!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stardust_(2020_film)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9694312/

I don't think you even need to know anything about Bowie to see how crap the trailer looks. For a dyed in the wool fan, it must be some uncomfortable mix of laughable and insulting.

[Ferris]

I see this was filmed in Toronto and is therefore an excellent film and I retract all previous criticism.

[Jerzy Bondov]

The Wikipedia page says they get around the whole 'DO NOT use David's music for your crap film, yours sincerely Iman' issue by having him perform covers that the real Bowie did around the time. Bowie was crap at covers

[frajer]

The Wikipedia page says they get around the whole 'DO NOT use David's music for your crap film, yours sincerely Iman' issue by having him perform covers that the real Bowie did around the time. Bowie was crap at covers

Jesus wept. Is this one of those deliberate flops that's done purely so the investors can evade tax?

[Bazooka]

The Wikipedia page says they get around the whole 'DO NOT use David's music for your crap film, yours sincerely Iman' issue by having him perform covers that the real Bowie did around the time. Bowie was crap at covers

The subplot is that everyone including Bowie forgot his songs, so he makes up new ones.

[Ferris]

The subplot is that everyone including Bowie forgot his songs, so he makes up new ones.

Richard Curtis remembers them, but in this reality he is born as a 13th century farm labourer. The songs haunt him every night until he can bear it no longer and confides in the deacon.

He is immediately grassed up to the townspeople and exiled for witchcraft.

[Jerzy Bondov]

Can't wait for the bit where everyone is chanting for Ziggy and he comes out on the stage with the Spiders and launches into a Jacques Brel cover

[Head Gardener]

Bowie was crap at covers

bollocks, Pin-ups is great!

[BlodwynPig]

Mercury, John, Bowie...who next? Jim Croce, that's who.

[amputeeporn]

The Wikipedia page says they get around the whole 'DO NOT use David's music for your crap film, yours sincerely Iman' issue by having him perform covers that the real Bowie did around the time. Bowie was crap at covers

This is fucking hilarious if true. Nearly want to see it now...

[BlodwynPig]

Watched the trailer, is this Queen II or Night at the Flopera?

"You must be Freddie Mercury, I'm from Bowie Records"

[Blumf]

Mercury, John, Bowie...who next?

Chesney Hawkes. It's going to be epic!

[Dex Sawash]

Jesus wept. Is this one of those deliberate flops that's done purely so the investors can evade tax?

With nazis

[zomgmouse]

I notice Marc Maron is in it which must mean half the film is him interviewing fake Bowie for his podcast

[Sin Agog]

I notice Marc Maron is in it which must mean half the film is him interviewing fake Bowie for his podcast

"So Blavid Fauxey, who are your guys?"

[Custard]

Ive heard from my Hollywood sources that the last third is devoted to the "David's dead" drama from Celebrity Big Brother

[George White]

Jesus wept. Is this one of those deliberate flops that's done purely so the investors can evade tax?

Is the Canadian tax shelter cheat still a thing?

[George White]

The Wikipedia page says they get around the whole 'DO NOT use David's music for your crap film, yours sincerely Iman' issue by having him perform covers that the real Bowie did around the time. Bowie was crap at covers

That's what Backbeat did, but with Backbeat, it's set at the point where the Beatles were just a cover band who played to German sailors.

[Icehaven]

So just to clarify, they can't even use their own versions of Bowie's music, just songs that Bowie himself covered? Won't they need permission from whoever wrote them too?   

[Custard]

The Jimi Hendrix biopic with Andre3000 did a similar thing, but kinda got away with it as it was him at the start of his career. It didn't really need Purple Haze

It isn't a bad film, that. Apart from when he beats up Hayley Atwell with a phone and then stage invades Cream

"You guys say you love the blues, but don't know Killing Floor?!"

[frajer]

"It's a godawful shit affair" - 2 stars, The Telegraph

[Custard]

"Life On Mars? The lead actor will be more like Life In Cars once this comes out. (He's gonna be a taxi driver)"

[the science eel]

That's what Backbeat did, but with Backbeat, it's set at the point where the Beatles were just a cover band who played to German sailors.

that's a great film

[buzby]

So just to clarify, they can't even use their own versions of Bowie's music, just songs that Bowie himself covered? Won't they need permission from whoever wrote them too?

Usually to release a cover version you don't need to ask the original writer's permission as the rights are administered by their publishing company, but some artists do have an approval clause for cover versions. Bowie was pretty well known for being quite astute business-wise after being ripped off by his first manager Tony Defries (who took 50% of all his earnings). They split in 1975, but one of the things Defries had done in his contract when he signed to RCA was to retain the copyright of all his recordings, something which Bowie carried on doing, licencing his music to record labels for release. He also owned his own publishing company (Bewlay Brothers Music, set up after the split, so presumably had the ability to veto covers.

[crankshaft]

Have we learned nothing from Jackie Jormp-Jomp?

[olliebean]

So just to clarify, they can't even use their own versions of Bowie's music, just songs that Bowie himself covered? Won't they need permission from whoever wrote them too?

Yes, they'll need synchronisation rights (these apply to the use of a song in an audio-visual release, as opposed to mechanical rights which just apply to an audio release and aiui can't be refused), but they won't have a blanket refusal like with Bowie's own songs. If one rights holder refuses, they'll just use a different song. But I'd imagine these are rights that are granted by default in most cases unless the right holder has a particular objection.

[El Unicornio, mang]

I was surprised when I heard a few Michael Jackson songs in Finding Neverland. Does fair use extend to any documentary? No way the Jackson estate would have signed off on that.

[the science eel]

I was surprised when I heard a few Michael Jackson songs in Finding Neverland. Does fair use extend to any documentary? No way the Jackson estate would have signed off on that.

Isn't there that rule that ten seconds or less is permissible?

[greenman]

Noel Fielding not playing Bowie at least means its not the worst possible biopeic.

[jobotic]

With Ricky Gervais as the older version.