GENERAL MOVIE NEWS

I bet not that many people thought they’d see Michael Fassbender in a film where he spends most of his time wearing a giant papier mache head, but that’s exactly what he does in Frank. The film see Fassbender as Chris Sievey’s creation, Frank Sidebottom.

Sidebottom is a strange figure, who isn’t that well known to the old or the young, but to a certain generation of Brits (and Irishmen, as Fassbender) who were young in the mid-80s through the early 90s, he something of an unexpected icon. With his unique voice, giant spherical head, musical stylings and endless idiosyncracies he became beloved by many. And now he’s got a movie.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Acclaimed Irish director Lenny Abrahamson follows up his award-winning films Adam & Paul, Garage and What Richard Did with an offbeat comedy about a young wannabe musician, Jon (Domhnall Gleeson), who finds himself out of his depth when he joins an avant-garde pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank (Michael Fassbender), a musical genius who hides himself inside a large fake head, and his terrifying bandmate Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

‘Written by Jon Ronson (The Men Who Stare At Goats) and Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Men Who Stare At Goats), FRANK is based on the memoir by Jon Ronson. It is a fictional story loosely inspired by Frank Sidebottom, the persona of cult musician and comedy legend Chris Sievey, as well as other outsider musicians like Daniel Johnston and Captain Beefheart.’

Frank is out in the UK in May.