Rock'n'roll movies

[Dragan]

Isn't it strange?
When you want to watch some rocking movie about music, especially some rock'n'roll or heavy metal movie you have a bigger chance to be hit by a lightning as to find a fitting movie. Well, I don't know how it is where you live but here in Germany there are dozens of hip-hop-movies and documentations about Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears but only two or three rock'n'roll-movies. The only ones I know are 'Still crazy' and 'Detroit Rock City'. Perhaps I am too stupid to find an asskicking film but there are some other people who think the same.

 

[Board]

There's "The Commitments"!!
In a another field there's "Amadeus" which I think is actually pretty good!! It's about Mozart and worth seing. I'm interested in lots of different kinds of music (only 2 Mozart records), so it was interesting for me. I don't think you have to be a music geek to appreciate it though! It's from 1984 by the way and alongside "Back to the future" it's one of the earliest films that I truly like (besides "One flew over the cuckoo's nest", "Casablanca" and some of the James Bond series).
I have a documentary about Elvis, but I haven't seen it yet. It's 49 min. long. Maybe you can find that, but I don't know if it's rare.

 

[svenske kocken]

Spinal Tap is the best rock movie around.

 

[maestro_al]

Decline of Western Civilization: The Metal Years.

Hysterical when you think back to how bad people looked back in the 80's - especially the two fat overweight groupies...jeez.

And Ozzy with that sparkplug haircut...worth watching this just for the Megadeth live version of In my Darkest Hour - back in the day when songs like Breadline were considered gay.

 

[Nate The Great]

Ace Ventura has a small clip of Cannibal Corpse playing "Hammer Smashed Face"

 

[Alfonso]

Off the top of my head:

Rock N' Roll High School (1979). Features the Ramones!
Hated (1993). A documentary about the late, great G.G. Allin.
Strange Days (1994). Testament performs live in one of the cut scenes.
Hideaway (1995). Includes a Godflesh live performance!

 

[erich]

Bastard! I thought I was going to be te one to come up with RnR High School! It's a great film, althogh not as god as spinal tap.

There are a couple other good films about punk. Decline of Western Cvilization pt. 1 is pretty good, especially when Fear play. There's another that I've been tryng to remember the name of for months. It doesn't even seem to be on the IMDB. It's a doc following an eary Social Dstortion/ Youth Brigade Tour. They play a show wth Minor Threat in DC and we meet a Ian McKay as a 19 year old working in an ice cram shop. THer's another, mediocre film about punkcalled Hard Core Logo, which is basically a poor man's Spinal Tap.

Weird though. Ther are so many about punk, but not really any about metal, unless you count decline 2, which is mostly about cock rock. I'm surprised no one me a ducumentary on black metal back when all the church burnings and shit were happening.

 

[Alfonso]

Originally posted by erich

There's another that I've been tryng to remember the name of for months. It doesn't even seem to be on the IMDB. It's a doc following an eary Social Dstortion/ Youth Brigade Tour. They play a show wth Minor Threat in DC and we meet a Ian McKay as a 19 year old working in an ice cram shop.

Isn't that one called Another State of Mind??

Speaking of punk, how could I forget the Sex Pistols! After their legendary Great Rock N' Roll Swindle (which is a must, even if you're not into the band at all), they released another, up-to-date documentary called The Filth and the Fury. I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard it's a riot, specially since Johnny Rotten cries over Sid Vicious' death!!

 

[Board]

Spinal Tap is great, but only because it's so stupid! Hey, in "Back to the future 2" Michael J. Fox is playing guitar!

 

[xenophobe]

Speaking of the Sex Pistols... Sid and Nancy - Well not really a music movie, but a great one nontheless...

 

[erich]

Originally posted by Alfonso


Isn't that one called Another State of Mind??

Yes!! Thanks for ending some frustration.

 

[erich]

Originally posted by Board
Spinal Tap is great, but only because it's so stupid!

I think it's one of the cleverest satires I've ever seen or read.

 

[Board]

Yeah, that was kind of what I meant! It's stupid in a funny way!

 

[chileanmetal]

There's also a "blues" movie where Ralph Macchio (Karate Kid) competes versus Steve Vai for the best guitar player, and Steve lost!!!

 

[maestro_al]

Originally posted by chileanmetal
There's also a "blues" movie where Ralph Macchio (Karate Kid) competes versus Steve Vai for the best guitar player, and Steve lost!!!

It's a Robert Johnson blues-based film called Crossroads and all the music is done by Ry Cooder. Ralph Maccio just "mimes" over the playing on his Fender Telecaster - and he actually does a good job.

The end scene is fantastic though - for guitar players it is worth the rental alone - Steve Vai and Ralph Maccio (Ry Cooder playing) duel it out on their guitars, only for Ralph to win the contest by playing a piece called "Eugenes Trick Bag".

Ironically, the composition was written and played by Steve Vai, and has some of the most beautiful appreggio sections - if you find the transcription, it is worth the effort in learning only because it sounds so damn good.