I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Thanks for the memories!

Such a frustrating disappointment

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

The mosaic of photographs from the life of Nick Cave, from early childhood through adolescence to mature performing age, marriage to Susie Bick, children ... On the other side of the screen is a timer which starts from 1 and rises to 20,000, following days Cave spent on Earth. Let's say that it's close to 55 years. The film takes us through an "ordinary" day in the life of famous musicians, poets, artists, that is, that coincides with you that day anyway, "round". We see him as he awakens in a dark room, as he writes on an old typewriter, from some sort of semi-hokey "jam sessions" and improvisation on the theme of Lionel Ritchie and Short coffee with milk, until serious work on serious songs in the now last album Push The Sky Away. Good thing about 20,000 Days on Earth is that it is not a documentary about the famous musician on which we are accustomed. Again, this is not some sort of simulation of his ordinary day in which we were, though under strict control, introduced in intimacy. In fact, everything is false, arranged, construed.

Review: I really liked the documentary about the weird and wonderful mind behind Nick Cave's work which began in 1973, when I was born, and he is still coming out with music today. He became a chart topping artist when he made the song with Kylie Minogue called Where The Wild Roses Grow but he has mostly stayed underground with a selective audience. The Australian born 57 year old has a very a different look in life, which you will see in this documentary and his music comes from a place which is unique and very complex. This documentary is extremely well put together and it shows different sides of his life, even though it's only based on one day. I must admit, I had only heard a couple of songs from this artist before I watched this documentary but now that I have seen it, I am intrigued about his earlier work. The epic ending song, which I can't help rewinding, is really impressive because of the violins and kids singing. It made me laugh when he was sitting with his young kids, eating a pizza and watching Scarface, which is politically incorrect for this day and age but that just shows that Nick Cave really isn't bothered with those type of things. I wish that more artist would come out with documentaries like this because it will make them seem more human and you'll be able to see the process behind there writing and musical methods. There is a part in the documentary were he goes through his personal pictures which would also be great to see from other artists at different periods of there life. Personally, I watched this movie on TV and then I rented it the next day because I couldn't get the ending song out of my mind so I'm obviously impressed with this film. You don't have to be a Nick Cave fan to enjoy this documentary because of the different elements that it covers so I will highly recommend it to people who want to see a day in a life of an artist . Enjoyable.Round-Up: I was shocked to see Ray Winstone in this movie. I couldn't really see why he was in this film and it was a bit strange when he was asking Nick Cave some questions and he wasn't answering them but the natural conversation in the car seemed very realistic. I was also surprised to see Kylie Minogue in the film and the conversation between the two of them in the car was a great insight into a period in his life when there collaboration exploded on the music scene. The interview with the psychologist, also gives you an insight into his strange upbringing and the relationship with his father which shows a more personal side to Nick Cave. I do find his lyrics a bit weird and very Jim Morrison like but he is an unique artist who doesn't get the recognition that he deserves because he doesn't follow trends and he stays true to his music.Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $2millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their biopics about a day in the life of Nick Cave. 7/10

If there's one thing this film stands out for, it's its originality. The idea to make a portrait of a rock musician by filming his 20.000th day on earth is quite unique, and it works well. After spending 24 hours with Nick Cave (crammed into 97 minutes, of course), you think you know the man a lot better than you did before. We see Cave waking up, visiting his psychiatrist to whom he tells a lot about his childhood memories, visiting the studio where he rehearses and jams with his fellow musicians, and visiting an archive where he remembers the days with his former band The Birthday Party, and shows pictures about the various stages in his career. In between, we see him driving around Brighton, chatting with some 'ghost passengers' from his past, including Blixa Bargeld and Kylie Minogue. It is quite entertaining and original. But it's also a bit self-indulgent, because this is not really a 'fly-on-the-wall' documentary, but a fully scripted and rehearsed fictional film. To hear Cave philosophizing about his work as if it's something out of his own control, comes across as a bit over the top. These are rock songs, for heaven's sake, not literature! (Although Cave might argue that these two categories don't exclude each other). So my feelings about this film are a bit mixed. On the one hand, it's a nice way to dig into the soul of a rock singer, on the other hand you've got to be really interested in the person Nick Cave to enjoy the whole movie from start to finish.

Documentary profiles of famous musicians are ubiquitous and they are mostly rather repetitive, but this is a breath of fresh air. This unique and challenging gem goes for a different approach about the much celebrated Australian musician and writer, Nick Cave, who in this film is marking his 20,000th day on Earth. One of the unique things about this documentary is that in many ways, it is not a documentary as some of it is fictional and scripted. It is generally difficult to tell if it is fictional or if it is genuine Nick Cave. I cannot imagine this kind of approach suiting any other musician other than Nick Cave as he is a rather odd character who probably sees a world where fiction and reality blur.On the 20,000th day, we see Nick Cave playing a version of himself going about his day in a nicely shot and artful account of what is routine. He drives around Brighton first going to an interview, then visiting his friend and band mate, Warren Ellis, in his idyllic seaside home for a seafood lunch. He has what seems like imagined conversations with random celebrities who appear in his passenger seat as he drives and he goes to his archive studio where he examines photos and bits of writing he did in the past. Interspersed between these scenes are a mixture of studio performances and live concert footage of Nick Cave performing mainly new material from his last album 'Push the Sky Away' with the Bad Seeds.The documentary starts off with a surreally beautiful timeline of Cave's life filled with quick appearances of personal stock footage and various pop culture since 1955 all edited at a rapid fire pace. As it progresses, we see Nick Cave ponder many things like existence, the creative process, inspiration, memories and other philosophical and poetic musings. This coming out of the mouth of a less experienced musician would sound like a pretentious fart, but since Cave is notorious for his dark eccentricity, it is pretty much expected from him. The interview near the start shows this very well as it is a revelatory and candid conversation as he talks about very personal memories which make him who he is today. Nick Cave does have a darkly poetic perspective, and the imagery supporting his powerful voice make this experiment something of a cinematic experience. One chief example in particular is a spoken word piece which he wrote many years ago. I remember reading it when it was on display at the Nick Cave Exhibition in Perth, Australia and thinking it was a particularly well worded expression of love at first sight which stuck in my head. It is about how he first met his wife and the feelings experienced at that moment completely exceeded any other experience of women through real life and pop culture (Cave worded it far better). It was interesting to see this written text come to life with the rapid edit of stock footage with Cave's voice reading it.The scenes in Cave's car are surreal, especially when notorious British actor, Ray Winston appears in his passenger seat to discuss performing art. Cave discusses his form of expression from a musicians perspective while Ray Winston makes comparisons to his acting experience and complaining about the weather! Also, Kylie Minogue, a one time collaborator with Nick Cave, appears in Cave's rear view mirror much like the character Betsy in the closing scene of 'Taxi Driver'. Her and Cave discuss audience connection.It may be a partially fictional documentary but somehow it seems less self-aggrandizing with this approach as Cave seems to be playing a version of himself where he could only be perceived as weird and interesting, playing up to an image which already exists. In my opinion, I think it helps to appreciate his music in order to enjoy the film as there are extended performances of what is an acquired taste. I generally find his music interesting, but that was not the most interesting thing about it. I felt it was not just a film about Nick Cave, but about existence in this convoluted, manic and complex world and how one fits into and draws inspiration from it. It can be seen as unique and original, albeit a little pretentious in parts, but I have never seen any profile of a musician done this way.Check out my film blog - www.projectionistreview.wordpress.com