New Amy Winehouse movie open in UK

A biopic of troubled British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse tracking her meteoric rise and very public downfall opens in U.K. cinemas today amid a swirl of controversy.

Even before its release, "Back to Black" has attracted backlash with criticism ranging from the casting to concerns it could exploit Winehouse's story.

"Given the vulture-like efficiency with which her life was picked over, it's near-impossible to think of a sincere reason to make a movie about Winehouse at least not one that isn't motivated by greed," wrote music editor Roisin O'Connor in The Independent.

Winehouse, who died from alcohol poisoning aged just 27 in 2011, was a distinctive figure with her beehive hairdo, heavy black eye makeup, multiple tattoos and smoky voice.

She shot to international fame with her Grammy Award-winning 2006 album "Back to Black" which included the track "Rehab," charting her battle with addiction.

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson's biopic is the second big-screen telling of Winehouse's story, coming nearly a decade after Asif Kapadia's 2015 documentary "Amy."

That film won an Oscar but was publicly condemned by her family, in particular Winehouse's father who claimed it tried to portray him as "money-grabbing" and "attention-seeking".

After the film became the second-highest grossing documentary at the British box office, Mitch Winehouse said it dwelled too much on the negative and not enough on his daughter's fun-loving side.

He hinted the family could collaborate with another filmmaker in future to correct the record.

Mitch Winehouse and his former wife Janis attended this week's premiere in London but Taylor-Johnson said the family had not contributed to her film.

"It was important to meet with...