So, what's your favorite band movie?

[cynical1]

I just dragged out "The Commitments" and watched it again last night. I forgot just how good that movie was.



It's funny, the music is incredible (and the actors all play their own instruments and do their own singing), it moves along, it shows the realistically less glamorless side of starting a band...it's a movie I never get tired of watching. The language is a little rough...okay, so it's a lot rough, but if that doesn't bother you then IMHO this is a must see for anyone who's been in a band, or wondered what it was like.

Ok, this one's mine. What's yours?

Happy Trails

Cynical One

[ashcatlt]

That's a tough one!

I think I'd have to say Sid and Nancy, with Dogs in Space as a very close second. I really wanted Control to be great, but it fell short in a number of ways.

[ijustwannastrat]

What entitles a movie?

I would say the Led Zeppelin DVD. The one with the desert/sand dunes on the front. The acoustic set on the second disc makes my spine tingle


Speaking of, This is Spinal Tap

[lpf3]

Eddie And The Cruisers


-lpf3

[newey]

"A Hard Days Night" is one of my faves. Richard Lester's understated cinema verite style fits nicely with the behind-the-scenes stuff with the Beatles. And he basically invented the music video in the movie . . .

"Almost Famous" is another one I like. Cameron Crowe has an ear for dialogue, and the film captures the '70s feel dead-on.

I think you have to differentiate between "Concert Films" like the Zep DVD and "Movies About Bands" (real or fictitious) that have characterization, plot and so forth.

Also, have to give a nod to "True Stories" (David Byrne's film). Wacky weirdness abounds. And, who knew John Goodman could sing?

[Yew]

Dont forget the Def leppard movie!

[gumbo]

...The Commitments....

...and not quite a band movie (but close!)..

..."Once"

....which incidentally stars Glen Hansard, who as a much younger guy, was also in The Commitments.....

[irwired]

Thanks to C1 for a great thread topic

The Commitments was a great movie. Here's a little info courtesy of Wikipedia:
"The film won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for Best Film, as well as BAFTA Awards for Best Director, Best Editing (Gerry Hambling), and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. The Commitments was voted best Irish film of all time in a 2005 poll sponsored by Jameson Irish Whiskey[7] and launched a generation of Irish musicians and actors."



I gotta put in a plug for The Last Waltz The Band and company put on a hellava show.



And on a lighter side let's not forget the Pre-Fab Four.......... The Ruttles ;D



Cheers
IRW

[JFrankParnell]

Electric Apricot - the Quest for Festeroo is pretty damn funny
www.imdb.com/title/tt0482499/

[Teleblooz]

Cyn, you nailed mine right off - The Commitments. It was a big inspiration for getting my last band together.

[Yew]

if anyones bored, most of the def leppard movie is on youtube...

[4real]

When I was a teen, I used to go to this flea pit theatre that used to show back to back theme days...this was pre-MTV and music on TV...so I saw all that stuff like Monterey and Woodstock and Song Remains the Same and The Last Waltz and such that way...there were some strange but good stuff out there.

I'll have to think about a lot of these kinds of things...the commitments were great of course...what about the "blues brothers"!!! I play a lot of soul music and this was a time that brought this music back to the popular consciousness and a new appreciation.

If you like the beatles, though technically not a fictional band movie really, I really recommend the movie/musical "Across the Universe" that does some stunning rearrangements...the young stars sing a lot of the stuff but there are cameos like Joe Cocker doing "Come Together" and a lot of asides to the era.


I do like a good concert and I have a few of them.

I watched the Peter Gabriel Movie again yesterday..."Growing Up Live" and he certainly knows how to put on a production and great songs and playing. You can get it cheap as a box with all his hits and video clips.

I have a wide taste though, some bio's like clint E's "Bird" on charlie parker is quite good as I recall. There are some good blues docos such as "Red, White and Blues" that has some good performances and includes Jeff Beck. There are a number of good BB king shows, all kinds of things. Some of the G3 things can be fun in that style. "Miles Davis in Paris" was kind of cool. The Aussie movie "dingo" was a bit of a weird concept...starred Miles not long before his death.

There are a lot of bad movies out there, but even then they have their charms in a way. In that I'd include the wacky production on LZ's 'song remains the same'...Ive seen it in theaters a few times once with an entire audience know every scene in some weird 'rocky horror show' thing...spontaneously jumping up and doing the violin shtick...bang/bang...LMAO.

There are also a third category...the instructional video. Some of those can be good to watch. I quite like the "how to get that fender sound" or whatever it's called with just two good players sitting down with all the classic guitar and amps and having a jam. The Malsteen video is one of the funniest things..."ok, I'll slow it down for you" and he goes and plays the thing faster...hahaha. Danny Gatton's two vids are good, one of the few that gets into rhythm guitar. Johnny A's "tone taste and touch" is a good one. Tuck Andress for the super advanced solo guitar thing is always good for a kick in the arse. For something more approachable Eric Johnson's "total guitar(?)" is great and covers a lot of bases.

There is a lot of good movies out there that work on different levels...Spinal Tap is required...for the rap version...check out "fear of the black hat" for a laugh as well!

[ashcatlt]

You asked for my favorite, and I answered that.  Here are some honorable mentions in no particular order:

U2s Rattle and Hum
The Doors
Tom Waits Big Time is more of a concert/performance piece, but...
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
And my father wants me to mention The Mighty Wind

Oh, and Truth or Dare. Yeah, that's right, Madonna!

[irwired]

Here is a little cover by a well known band ;D




Happy Thanksgiving
IRW

[gfxbss]

For me, I have to go with 24 hour party people(Starts w/ the band Warsaw, who turns into Joy
Division, who turns into New Order).

Also, another one of my favs although not technically a music movie, just a movie that is heavily influenced by music(and has many cameos from musicians) would be, Singles

Tyler

[sumgai]

Scrubbing out the innerwebs, I found the Cliff Notes version. but remember, just like c1 says:

Nov 21, 2010 15:55:11 GMT -5 cynical1 said:

.....
The language is a little rough...okay, so it's a lot rough.....

I think they're committed alright, but I'm not too sure that it's to music!

HTH



sumgai

[lpf3]

sumgai wrote:

Scrubbing out the innerwebs, I found the Cliff Notes version.

Nice.
You ain't lived until you've had that word directed at you- in a heavy Irish brogue- by a female bar owner in Lake Havasu, Arizona....

Well, that's what I've heard, anyway......




-lpf3




P.S. Happy Thanksgiving, fellow Nutz!