Top 10 Films That Rock
As we count down to the 2011 festival, we look back at the films that rocked Sundance!
10. ODDSAC
Brought to you by the band Animal Collective and director Danny Perez, this ''visual album'' is certainly unique, if nothing else. It's one of those, ''Let's get high and watch it'' things. For the record, I wasn't high, so it's only #10 on my list. It still beat out the Metallica documentary, ''Some Kind of Monster,'' but that's only because ODDSAC is an hour-and-a-half shorter in duration. And Metallica look like a bunch of babies in ''Some Kind of Monster'' as if we needed any reminders after the whole Napster thing. Yeah, that doesn't rock. But I digress.
Photo Credit: Flavorwire.com9. SLC PUNK
An ''oldie'' but a goodie. Writer/director James Merendino's take on suburban ''punks'' of the 1980s has just about everything a movie that rocks should have. It's an unlikely coming-of-age story with a pretty kick-ass soundtrack. It's funny, it's got its sad moments - like when Heroin Bob dies - and it's got plenty of angry punks. And by the end of it, the main character - played by Matthew Lilard - learns a valuable life lesson on growing up. It's not the greatest film ever, but it definitely rocks.
Photo Credit: Scenestealers.com8. YOUNG @ HEART
Directors Stephen Walker and Sally George follow a chorus group of senior citizens led by their younger, middle-aged director, Bob Cilman. Sounds boring right? Did I mention this chorus group only sings rock songs? Everything from Jimi Hendrix to Sonic Youth to The Clash to James Brown, these folks can actually rock in their own sort of way. But what's truly moving about this film is the enthusiasm and dedication shown by the chorus members, most of which who would otherwise be confined to their nursing homes. You will laugh and you will probably cry, too - I did - as you watch the chorus on their personal and collective journeys.
Photo Credit: PBS.org7. JOE STRUMMER: THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN
Julien Temple's documentary on the life of The Clash front man, Joe Strummer, is as much of a tribute to him as it is a biography. Narrated by Strummer, via old interviews and tapes from his radio show, it celebrates the life of one of punk rock's most influential songwriters. Supplemented with interviews with his friends and some famous fans, it depicts Strummer as a brilliant, yet emotional, legend of all things rock. While the film includes plenty of Clash recordings and live performances, it also opens a window into Strummer's troubled personal life through home videos. Overall, it's a solid piece of work on a man who should never be forgotten.
Photo Credit: Indiewire.com6. AMERICAN HARDCORE
A great narrative of the early-to-mid-80s hardcore punk movement, with interviews from all its key players. Director Paul Rachman gets the scene's most influential figures, like Henry Rollins (Black Flag), Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat) and H.R. (Bad Brains), to provide an unfiltered take on a movement that went out as fast as it came in. Any self -proclaimed member of the ''counter culture'' should be required to watch this film. While hardcore punk may be dead, the ''Do-It-Yourself'' philosophy created by these musicians has forever changed the face of the music industry. Watch the movie, learn a couple guitar chords, and go start a band.
Photo Credit: Themoviedb.org5. AWESOME!; I FUCKIN' SHOT THAT
Directed by Adam Yauch, but filmed by 50 Beastie Boys fans given high-definition video cameras to record a live performance at Madison Square Garden, this project is one-of-a-kind. After some solid editing by Neal Usatin, the finished product is undeniably ass-kicking. I didn't think I was in to the Beastie Boys anymore, but after watching this, within moments, I was blasting Ill Communication in my room. Sorry, mom. By itself, it's just a great concert, as the set-list is unrelenting. And when you throw in 50 different camera
Photo Credit: bbs.beastieboys.com4. THE RUNAWAYS
Based on the book by lead-singer, Cherie Currie, this Floria Sigismondi biopic is pretty rockin' indeed. All the sex, drugs and rock and roll in this film will catch the eye of even the most casual music fan. Michael Shannon's depiction of flamboyant music producer Kim Fowley is enough to make this one stand on its own, but throw in Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as Currie, and you've got not only great performances, but also some sexy girl-on-girl action as well. Yeah, they totally make out. More than once.
3. WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE
Indie legend Tom DiCillo tries his hand at his first documentary and succeeds with this one about The Doors. Using only stock footage, DiCillo pieces together a narrative of the band through concert footage, interviews and their home movies to create a film that renders Oliver Stone's early 90s drama all-but useless. Even the remaining members of The Doors have gone on the record supporting DiCillo's 2008 documentary over the supposedly exaggerated Stone version, which starred Val Kilmer and Meg Ryan. But if it's modern, sexy actors you need, Johnny Depp does provide the narration on this one.
Photo Credit: Collider.com2. IT MIGHT GET LOUD
David Guggenheim takes three generations' signature guitar gods, Jimmy Page, the Edge and Jack White, and throws them into the same room for a discussion on - what else? - guitar playing. Oh, there's guitars, too. Anybody who loves rock music will love this film, as it's a documentary not only on guitar playing, but also each guitarist's rise to fame. And they all jam together, too. Even if you slept through the entire movie and woke up for the final minutes, if you have a pulse, you will surely be entertained, as the three play an acoustic rendition of The Band's ''The Weight'' to the closing credits.
Photo Credit: Dailytitan.com1.DiG!
Writer/director Ondi Timoner provides any wannabe musician, myself included, with a valuable insight into what it takes to make it or break it in the music industry. The film documents the infancy of two promising mid-90s bands, The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and their respective success and failure to break into the mainstream. While the Warhols enjoyed moderate success, the more-talented (in my opinion) Brian Jonestown Massacre, led by their self-sabotaging mastermind Antone Newcombe, provide the real entertainment via on-stage fist fights, heavy drug usage and starving-artist lifestyle required to fulfill all the typical rock band clich's. What separates the BJM from any other run-of-the-mill rock band, however, is Newcombe's psychotic brilliance for songwriting, no matter how disturbing and embarrassing he may act throughout the film. It's like having an orgasm during a ten-car pileup on the freeway. Definitely a rare, must-see experience.
