Not sure if a topic has already been started, but here is a pretty good summery of "From the Sky Down" taken from ComingSoon.net (not what it sounds like)
. Enjoy!From the Sky Down (Showtime)
Directed by Davis Guggenheim
Rating: 8/10
From the Sky Down may be the closest Davis Guggenheim comes to a follow-up to It Might Get Loud, branching out from his look at U2 through their guitarist The Edge to do a film that explores U2 during a pivotal phase of their career, transitioning from "The Joshua Tree" through their tour of Americana in "Rattle and Hum" and into the '90s with "Achtung Baby."
As the band prepare to play the Glastonbury Festival earlier this year, they decide to revisit their 1991 album "Achtung Baby" on its 20th Anniversary, returning to the original Hansa Studios in Berlin where it was recorded to rework the songs for the show. This is the entry into a fairly candid look at the period after the making of "The Joshua Tree" where things started changing for the band and they started to achieve the stature where they're at right now.
Unlike "U2 3D" and "Rattle and Hum," this isn't strictly a performance film but more of a "making of" done in hindsight, blending old often never-before-seen footage and photos with interviews with all the key players including producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, as well as photographer Anton Corbijn who played such a large part in the band's early image.
Going to Berlin to record what would end up being "Achtung Baby" was a fairly friction-filled time for the band as Bono and the Edge were trying to create something inspired by German industrial bands and the growing club scene, something that wasn't easy to explain to the other half of the band. During this time was also when they tried to stop being so serious and earnest, writing songs about political issues, and turn into a band who realizes the importance of having fun.
For the most part, the movie gives the most screen time to Bono and The Edge, who as always, act as dual spokesmen for the band. At times, Bono comes off a bit pretentious, but other times, quite reflective, fully admitting they may have gone a bit off their original plan with "Rattle and Hum."
It's another well-made film by Guggenheim, although some of the decisions, like the style of animation used, seems a bit odd compared to the rest of it. One of his nicest touches is showcasing what a nice singing voice The Edge has as he performs a rendition of "Love is Blindness."
Obvious, this isn't something that's going to be of much interest to anyone who isn't already a U2 fan or at least interested in music, who will be the ones who most appreciate the way Guggenheim gets the band to open up about their past, as well as the archival footage and actual demos and studio recordings from that era. Hearing a bridge written for "Mysterious Ways" transform into "One" live as it happened is something that fans of the band will truly appreciate since it's rare to see their process for writing songs in such a fashion.
It's not the most enlightening film otherwise and you won't leave it thinking any particularly deep thoughts, but it's another way the fans are being allowed into the inner workings of a rock band that's spent so much of its time in secrecy.
Cheers
Z