Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Mat Whitecross |
Based on | Coldplay |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Marcus Haney |
Edited by | Marc Richardson |
Music by | |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Trafalgar Releasing |
Release date |
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Running time | 115 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | $3.5 million |
Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams is a music documentary directed by Mat Whitecross about British band Coldplay, documenting their beginnings and rise to fame. The film received a single-day release on 14 November 2018 in select cinemas globally and was made available to stream on Amazon Video two days later. It combines previously unseen footage along with performance takes from the A Head Full of Dreams Tour. It was met with generally mixed reviews upon release.
The film documents the band's history, from their first rehearsal in a student bedroom to their A Head Full of Dreams Tour. [1] It was filmed over 20 years by longtime friend of the group Mat Whitecross and was compiled after he had directed Oasis documentary Supersonic . [2] In an interview with Vulture, Whitecross revealed that the lead singer of Coldplay, Chris Martin, was unenthusiastic about the idea of a film being made about the band. Martin eventually allowed it to be made, but was unwilling to watch it himself. [3]
Coldplay announced the documentary on their official website on 12 October 2018. [4] The film was released worldwide in 2,650 cinemas in more than 70 countries for a single day, 14 November 2018. [5] It grossed $3.5 million worldwide, [6] selling more than 300,000 tickets and reached number 1 at the box office in the Netherlands, number 2 in the United Kingdom, Australia and Italy and number 5 in the United States. [7] It was available to stream on Amazon Video two days later after three live songs had been premiered on Amazon Music on 26 October. [8] The film is also included as a DVD in Coldplay's sixth compilation album, The Butterfly Package (2018).
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 67% based on 6 reviews, and an average rating of 6.5/10. [9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average of 64 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [10]
Peter Bradshaw, writing for The Guardian , gave the film three stars out of five and wrote "This is a watchable, if blandly celebratory and unchallenging portrait of a massive rock institution." [11] Time Out's Phil de Semlyen gave the documentary the same score, saying "It may not win over the haters but this Coldplay doc-stroke-concert film packs in plenty of story and spectacle." [12] Owen Gleiberman was generally disappointed with the film, writing "Mat Whitestone[ sic ] shot footage of Coldplay for 20 years. His kaleidoscopic rock doc shows you a lot but reveals too little of the band's pop passion" and added "Even if you're a fan of the band (which I am), the movie may leave you wanting." [13]
David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a B+ grade, saying "While nothing in your life may come as easily to you as everything in Coldplay’s lives seems to have come to them, this delightful and unexpectedly inspiring documentary has a funny way of making your dreams seem closer than they might appear." [14] Ben Travis, writing for Empire, gave the film three out of five, summarized his review thus: "Mat Whitecross draws compelling lines between Coldplay’s past and present in a documentary as colourful and optimistic as its namesake album. It’s one for the fans — even the ones too reluctant to admit that they are." [15] Junkee and E! Online listed it among the best live music films available on streaming. [16] [17]
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey. They are best known for their live performances, and for impacting popular culture through their music, advocacy and achievements.
British rock band Coldplay have released 10 studio albums, 6 live albums, 12 compilation albums, 18 extended plays, 44 singles, 13 promotional singles, and 5 charity singles. According to Parlophone, they have sold over 100 million albums worldwide as of May 2021, making them the most successful group of the 21st century and one of the best-selling artists of all time. Luminate revealed that, in terms of pure sales, they have tallied 18.2 million albums and 33.6 million song downloads in the United States alone as of February 2015. Moreover, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) attributed the rise in British music exports to their success multiple times, adding that it boosted the balance of payments of the United Kingdom.
"Christmas Lights" is a song by British rock band Coldplay released on 1 December 2010, as a digital download single. According to lead singer Chris Martin, it was written in December 2008. The morning after he began work on the single, he performed a segment of the still in-progress song for Steve Kroft during an interview for 60 Minutes that aired on February 8, 2009. Described by the band as "a mid-tempo number" in the key of G major, "Christmas Lights" was released to generally positive reviews. It later got named as one of the best Christmas songs of the 21st century by Cleveland. The cover art was designed by Yu Matsuoka Pol.
"Moving to Mars" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their fifth studio album Mylo Xyloto. However, it failed to make the final track listing. Instead, it was released in the Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall iTunes exclusive EP. The first half of the song is a piano based ballad, while the rest of it is a mid-tempo number with progressive rock influences.
"Paradise" is a song by the British rock band Coldplay, released on 12 September 2011 as the second single from their fifth album, Mylo Xyloto. The song received its radio debut at 7:50 a.m. on The Chris Moyles Show on 12 September 2011. According to Coldplay's official website, the single was not initially chart eligible in the United Kingdom, because it was available on iTunes as an "instant grat" when pre-ordering the album. Following the release of the album on 30 October 2011, the song became chart eligible in the UK and entered the UK Singles Chart at number 14, before taking the number 1 spot on its tenth week, becoming the band's second number-one single after "Viva la Vida" in 2008.
"Charlie Brown" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. The song was released as the third single from their fifth studio album Mylo Xyloto. The single was listed by Q magazine as their track of the day on 2 December 2011. The music video for the song was released on 2 February 2012, as well as a live version on 6 December 2011. Despite the name, the lyrics have no relation to the Peanuts franchise whatsoever.
"A Sky Full of Stars" is a song by the British rock band Coldplay. It was released in May 2014 as the second single from their sixth album, Ghost Stories (2014). An exclusive digital EP version of it, with the B-sides "All Your Friends", "Ghost Story" and "O (Reprise)", came out in the following weeks, being considered the band's eleventh extended play.
The Ghost Stories Tour was the sixth concert tour undertaken by British rock band Coldplay. It was announced on 17 April 2014 in support of their sixth studio album, Ghost Stories, and marked a return to live performing at more intimate venues following the stadium, arena and festival shows from Mylo Xyloto Tour (2011–12). The band performed all songs from the album's standard version and some of their previous material. Concerts began on 25 April 2014 at Germany's E-Werk and ended at the BMW Welt on 6 December 2014, being noted for combining live and pre-recorded content for small settings.
A Head Full of Dreams is the seventh studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 4 December 2015, by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and by Atlantic Records in the United States. Coldplay recorded the album from early to mid 2015, right after the completion of their previous album Ghost Stories, with a markedly different style and sound from its predecessors. For various songs, Coldplay collaborated with Beyoncé, Noel Gallagher, Tove Lo, Khatia Buniatishvili and Merry Clayton. The album was produced by Rik Simpson and Stargate. The album also features a sample of President Barack Obama singing "Amazing Grace" at Clementa C. Pinckney's funeral on the song "Kaleidoscope".
The A Head Full of Dreams Tour was the seventh concert tour undertaken by British rock band Coldplay. It was announced on 27 November 2015 in support of their seventh studio album, A Head Full of Dreams, and marked a return to live performing at stadiums following the intimate shows from Ghost Stories Tour (2014), which saw the band playing in venues such as the Beacon Theatre and Royal Albert Hall. With exception of "Fun" and hidden track "X Marks the Spot", all songs from the album were played. The band combined extensive use of laser light and pyrotechnic special effects with raw, acoustic segments between stages, complementing performances with a new version of the Xylobands from Mylo Xyloto Tour (2011–12).
"Adventure of a Lifetime" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 6 November 2015 as the lead single from their seventh studio album, A Head Full of Dreams (2015). The track reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top 20 in a number of countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Switzerland.
"A Head Full of Dreams" is a song by British rock band Coldplay from its namesake seventh studio album. It was produced by Rik Simpson and Stargate, being released as the fourth single from the record on 19 August 2016 with an accompanying music video.
"Hymn for the Weekend" is a single by the British rock band Coldplay from their seventh studio album A Head Full of Dreams (2015), featuring uncredited vocals from American singer Beyoncé. It was written by the band's members, while the production was handled by Rik Simpson, Avicii, Digital Divide, and Stargate. An indie R&B track, the single's music video showcases the culture of India.
"Everglow" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It is the fourth track from their seventh studio album, A Head Full of Dreams. It features uncredited vocals by Gwyneth Paltrow, who at the time was married to Chris Martin despite their separation being announced in 2014. The track premiered during Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show on 26 November 2015, and originally made available as a promotional single for the album on 27 November 2015. Variance ranked it among the best songs of the year.
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Live in Buenos Aires is the fifth live album by British rock band Coldplay. It was recorded on 14 and 15 November 2017 in La Plata, the final concerts of the A Head Full of Dreams Tour. The release happened on 7 December 2018 along with Live in São Paulo, which was filmed on 7 and 8 November 2017. They are assembled into the band's ninth compilation, The Butterfly Package, a set that also includes the Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams film, a career-spanning documentary directed by Mat Whitecross. This release marked the first time one of the band's concerts was released in full.
Apollo 11 is a 2019 American documentary film edited, produced, and directed by Todd Douglas Miller. It focuses on the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, the first spaceflight to land humans on the Moon. The film consists solely of archival footage, including 70 mm film previously unreleased to the public, and does not feature narration, interviews, or modern recreations. The Saturn V rocket, Apollo 11 crew, and Apollo program Earth-based mission operations engineers are prominently featured in the film.
Mat Whitecross is an English film director, editor and screenwriter. He began his career working for filmmaker Michael Winterbottom and producer Andrew Eaton at Revolution Films, being also known for directing The Road to Guantánamo, Ian Dury biopic Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, as well as music documentaries Oasis: Supersonic and Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams. Whitecross has also directed music videos for Coldplay, Take That and The Rolling Stones, being a long-time collaborator of the former band.
British rock band Coldplay have released 70 music videos, 5 video albums and 6 films, appearing in a wide range of television shows throughout their career as well. They were formed in London by Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, Will Champion and Phil Harvey (management). Before their recording contract with Parlophone in 1999, a music video for "Bigger Stronger" was shot and directed by Mat Whitecross, who ultimately became one of the long-time collaborators of the band. It was followed by the singles "Shiver", "Yellow", "Trouble" and "Don't Panic" from Parachutes (2000), with the third earning a MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction.