Al's Top Rated Films: Music and Musician Biographies

Incredible music-inspired fantasy/drama from Alan Parker based on Pink Floyd's classic 1979 album “The Wall”. The story is centered around a distressed rock star named "Pink" who's eventually driven to a psychological breakdown stemming from a troubled childhood, an overprotective mother, an absent father who dies in the grips of World War II, ruthlessly oppressive school teachers, the impossibility of making a connection with his wife in marriage, and other psychological walls that stand in his way. As the film moves along in a wide array of live action and tripped out animation, troubling metaphors become thicker and Pink’s fantasies intensify as he falls closer into the hole of madness. “The Wall” is front man and bassist Roger Waters' magnum opus in every way, and has remained my favorite double album of all time since I heard it roughly 30 years ago. I discovered the film not long after that, and it has only increased my love for the album over the years. I don’t see how fans could possibly be disappointed with the film, as it astoundingly breathes life into one of progressive rock’s most inventive and monumental masterpieces in the history of music. The direction, production design, and acting is also all deserving of critical praise. Bob Geldof delivers a phenomenal lead performance as Pink. He captures all the depression, paranoia, and maniacal ravings of the music beautifully. Kevin McKeon was also very good playing Pink as a child. Jenny Wright, Alex McAvoy, Bob Hoskins, David Bingham, Eleanor David, Christine Hargreaves, and others also had very nice supporting roles. I'm still waiting on a remaster blu-ray/4k of this release. Fantastic film for Pink Floyd fans

Fantastic jazz-inspired drama from Damien Chazelle, and arguably the greatest music drama of all time. The story follows a talented 19-year-old drummer named Andrew Niemann who attends class at the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory of Music—which is considered the best music school in the country. The esteemed leader of the jazz band is named Terence Fletcher, and every musician in the school aspires to be a core member of his band. He's a ruthless teacher, who uses intimidation, fear, and negative reinforcement to push his students to their maximum potential. Terence soon recruits Andrew to his class after he meets a challenge of playing double time swing. Performing in class proves to be a terrifying challenge as Andrew becomes more obsessed with gaining Terence's acceptance and fulfilling his dreams of being an exceptional drummer. Terence ends up pushing Andrew so hard, that he reaches his breaking point after a number of dramatic and painful events. Excellent story, dialogue, music, sound, cinematography, production design, and the ending unfolded quite spectacularly. There's not a dull moment throughout the entire film. Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons are extraordinary together. Both deliver the best lead performances I've seen from either actor yet. Simmons in particular delivers one of my favorite characters I've seen in any film. Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser, Austin Stowell, Nate Lang, and Chris Mulkey had excellent roles among a solid supporting cast.

N.W.A is one of my favorite hip-hop groups of all time, and this film ended up being everything I had hoped it would be. Excellent direction from F. Gary Gray, a superb script, acting, great style and flair to the production, and one of the greatest soundtracks/scores of all time (R&B and Hip-Hop). Fantastic origin story about how these 5 promising young musicians formed the legendary hip-hop group in the gritty and turbulent streets of Compton, Los Angeles, California, circa 1987. The film did a great job mapping out their influence and revolutionary status in the game, as they face adversity, controversy, as well as their own egos and greed. O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube), Corey Hawkins (Dr. Dre), Jason Mitchell (Eazy-E), Neil Brown Jr. (DJ Yella), and Aldis Hodge (MC Ren) all delivered excellent lead performances. Paul Giamatti (Jerry Heller), LaKeith Stanfield (Snoop), Marlon Yates Jr. (D.O.C.), R. Marcus Taylor (Suge Knight), Carra Patterson, Alexandra Shipp, and many others had great supporting roles. I'd love to see a sequel about the Aftermath story after seeing this hip-hop infused masterpiece.

Outstanding music biography from Taylor Hackford on the life of legendary R&B, soul, blues, gospel, country, jazz, and rock and roll singer and musician, Ray Charles (1930–2004). The story starts in the early 1930s with Ray growing up in a poverty-stricken Florida community with his single-mother, struggling to cope with the tragic death of his younger brother, going blind at the age of 7, to becoming as independent as a blind black man can be in a turbulent time for civil rights. After a rocky start and being taken advantage of in his first music gig, he finally lands a deal with Atlantic Records in 1952, which leads to massive early success, and also finds Ray falling into a serious drug addiction which spills into a troubled marriage and personal life. After gaining massive popularity, he moves on to bigger a better things at ABC Records in 1959, where his genre crossover mastery garnered him worldwide fame and respect, and earns him the nickname "The Genius". The story was outstanding, the production design and music/sound was done perfectly, and the casting was spot on. I became a much bigger Ray Charles fan after seeing this film. Jamie Foxx blew me away with his incredible lead performance. He transformed into Ray Charles in every way I could have imagined. Kerry Washington, Regina King, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Bokeem Woodbine, Aunjanue Ellis, Sharon Warren, C.J. Sanders, Larenz Tate, Curtis Armstrong, Denise Dowse, Terrence Howard, Wendell Pierce, David Krumholtz, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Warwick Davis, Kurt Fuller, and others also had excellent supporting roles.

Fantastic music-inspired crime drama/thriller from Edgar Wright that follows an extremely talented getaway driver named Baby. While he's partially hearing impaired, he depends on his specially curated iPod playlists to keep him focused on the job. He's only participating in these jobs to pay off a debt to a major crime boss who he's crossed in the past. But when his debt is paid in full, the boss threatens to kill Baby and everyone he loves if he doesn't keep working for him. With plans fueled by his new found love Debora, he sets out to break free from the world of crime. The action and getaway scenes in this film were intense and superbly done. Couple that with most excellent interweaving of R&B, Funk, Rock, Hip-Hop, and Reggae; and it's become one of my favorite music-inspired films of all time. Whoever was picking the music did an incredible job of enhancing every scene of the film. I've never seen Ansel Elgort in a lead role before, and he delivered an amazing performance as Baby. Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Lily James, and Eiza González also had excellent starring roles. Jon Bernthal, Flea, Lanny Joon, CJ Jones, Hudson Meek, and others has excellent supporting roles.

Amazing music drama starring, directed by, and co-written by Bradley Cooper; that follows famous country musician Jackson Maine, who battles with alcohol and drug addiction stemming from a troubled childhood. When it seems that he has passed the prime of his career, he discovers a talented young singer named Ally in a drag bar after one of his shows, and falls in love with her. Believing in her abilities and talent to become a star, he brings her up on stage at one of his shows, and he literally makes her a YouTube sensation overnight, which blossoms into a beautiful marriage and working relationship. Trouble enters the picture when Ally starts gaining incredible fame, the direction of her music changes, and Jack gets back in his old pattern with alcohol and drugs. Amazing acting and writing overall. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga both delivered amazing lead performances. Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, Rafi Gavron, Anthony Ramos, Alec Baldwin, Barry Shabaka Henley, and many others had great roles among a fantastic supporting cast.

Bodacious music-inspired comedy adventure from Stephen Herek set in 1988 San Dimas, California, and follows two underachieving heavy metal loving high school seniors named Ted 'Theodore' Logan and Bill S. Preston 'Esquire', who must pass their oral history exam or else they won't graduate high-school. While cramming for their exam the night before, a phone booth-shaped time machine lands from the sky and a man named Rufus informs them that they are extremely important to the survival and well-being of the future as long as they graduate high school and aren't separated, and that he's there to help them complete their history report with the help of the time machine. Bill & Ted embark on a most excellent adventure as they travel throughout time and collect important historical figures to help them pass their exam and save the future. Bill & Ted are one of my favorite duos in cinema history. They just have those fun, kind, innocent personalities, and have great comedic chemistry together. I'd have to say it's my favorite film from Keanu Reeves (Ted), Alex Winter (Bill), and the great George Carlin (Rufus). And don't get me started on the soundtrack—one of my all-time favorites with cuts from Robbie Robb, Big Pig, and Shark Island (among others). The historical figures also all put on great performances: Terry Camilleri (Napoleon), Dan Shor (Billy the Kid), Tony Steedman (Socrates), Rod Loomis (Sigmund Freud), Al Leong (Genghis Khan), Jane Wiedlin (Joan of Arc), Robert V. Barron (Abraham Lincoln), Clifford David (Beethoven) were all great. Hal Landon Jr., Bernie Casey, Amy Stoch, J. Patrick McNamara, Diane Franklin, Kimberley Kates, and many others also had great supporting roles.

Hilarious music-inspired comedy from Rob Reiner and one of my favorite mockumentaries of all time. The story is a fictional biopic about an English heavy metal band named Spinal Tap. Since 1964, they have been rocking crowds with their brand of fan and critically acclaimed music. By time 1982 rolls around, they are completely washed up, but are still comically serious and boastful about the quality and message of their music, as well as their wild live shows. The story follows longtime Spinal Tap fan and film director Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner), as he directs and produces a documentary following Spinal Tap embarking on an American comeback tour after their latest album release, "Smell the Glove". Hysterical delusions by lead vocalist David St. Hubbins, lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel, bassist Derek Smalls, keyboardist Viv Savage, and drummer Mick Shrimpton occur as they are obliviously move ahead with concert mishaps, hysterical media interviews, disparaging album reviews, and their slight brushes of understanding the actual reality of each situation. Fantastic story all around with absolutely hysterical satire. While the music was made to sound a bit cheesy to match the story, it’s actually done perfectly for the film. Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer all delivered fantastic lead performance, along with their screenplay writing contributions. They are arguably the best roles of their careers. Tony Hendra and Rob Reiner also had great starring roles. R.J. Parnell, June Chadwick, Bruno Kirby, Fran Drescher, Paul Shaffer, Anjelica Huston, Fred Willard, Dana Carvey, Billy Crystal, Paul Benedict, Paul Shortino, Ed Begley Jr., and others also had great supporting roles.

Superb music biopic from James Mangold on the life of legendary country musician, Johnny Cash. Great story as it follows his early life during the Great Depression on an Arkansas cotton farm, his time in the air force when he gets more interested in music, his marriage and family troubles, his relationship with the gorgeous and famous June Carter and all the drama that follows it, drug and alcohol addiction, to his eventual rise to superstar fame. This film definitely made me a bigger Johnny Cash fan than I already was. Joaquin Phoenix delivered a fantastic performance as Johnny Cash...my favorite role from him yet. Reese Witherspoon also delivered one of her all time best Oscar winning performances as June Carter. Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Dallas Roberts, Waylon Payne, and many others had great supporting roles.

Fantastic music drama/romance from Scott Cooper that follows a 57-year-old chain-smoking alcoholic country music legend named Bad Blake. While Bad was once famous, he's seemingly washed up, hasn't written a new song in years, and travels around the country in a beat up truck to play concerts at small bars and bowling alleys to make ends meet. While alcohol and depression has a firm grasp on his life, he meets a beautiful young journalist named Jean Craddock who wants to interview him, and quickly falls in love with her and her young son, Buddy. As he finds inspiration to move on through Jean, he finally catches a break for a real concert. The problem is, the concert is headlining Bad's old apprentice Tommy Sweet from years back. He taught him everything he knows, they had a falling out, and Tommy became famous while Bad went the opposite direction. Now he soon must face his demons in his life to salvage the time he has left. Incredible story all around, which really stands out with exceptional acting from pretty much the entire cast. The music was also excellent, and I'm not a fan of country music. Jeff Bridges certainly earned his Oscar for best leading role. It's arguably his greatest lead performance. The same can be said for Maggie Gyllenhaal's excellent Oscar-nominated performance. Colin Farrell also had an excellent starring role. James Keane, Robert Duvall, Tom Bower, Jack Nation, and many others also had great supporting roles.

Outstanding music biography on the life of “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” and R&B/funk music icon, James Brown (1933–2006). The story jumps around to pivotal eras in Brown’s life, with the earliest being his poverty-stricken childhood in the Augusta, Georgia, 1939, where he battles with an abusive father, an absent mother, and homelessness. In 1949 Brown is arrested and sentenced to prison for stealing a man’s three-piece suit, where he meets future collaborative music partner, friend, and right-hand man, Bobby Byrd. By 1955, Brown’s unique brand of music started taking the world by storm, when he meets manager Ben Bart, who helped Brown become the most influential Funk/R&B/Soul musician of all time. Fantastic story with great writing, dialogue, and extremely entertaining segways and musical performances. Chadwick Boseman (1976–2020) was an amazing young talent we lost way too early, and this is arguably the greatest lead performance of his career. He absolutely transformed into James Brown. I can’t imagine anyone playing the part better. Nelsan Ellis also delivered a great starring role as Bobby Byrd. Dan Aykroyd, Viola Davis, Lennie James, Octavia Spencer, Craig Robinson, Jill Scott, Brandon Mychal Smith, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Superb music biography/drama from Bill Pohlad that follows the painful and troubled life of one of the most innovative and outstanding musicians that ever lived—Brian Wilson. Much of his trauma stems from the relationship with his physically and verbally abusive father, which as troubling effects in the 1960s when his vision of the Beach Boys' music changes to the avant garde and inventive sounds of their classic Pet Sounds (1966) album, accompanied by experimentation with drugs. That soon results in sever depression and signs of paranoid schizophrenia, and losing control over his mind. Then there is a "future" aspect of the story, which follows Brian in the 1980s as he starts a relationship with a beautiful and caring Cadillac salesman named Melinda Ledbetter. This period of his life is equally disturbing, as his unethical legal guardian Dr. Eugene Landy has complete control over him and is systematically destroying his life for his own benefit. This film was unique for a biopic, and one of the finer examples I've see in the genre. The future and past shots with Paul Dano playing young Brian and John Cusack playing old Brian was surprisingly effect throughout. They both delivered a couple of their best lead performances. I'd also have to say that Elizabeth Banks delivered the best lead performance Ive ever seen from her yet. Paul Giamatti also had a great hard-hitting starring role. Jake Abel, Kenny Wormald, Brett Davern, Graham Rogers, Erin Darke, Bill Camp, and others also had great supporting roles.

Fantastic historical music drama and partial biography from George C. Wolfe set in 1927 and follows three veteran blues musicians who walk into a Chicago recording studio. The highly influential American blues singer Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, aka the "Mother of the Blues", heads up the band, and tensions immediately begin to rise as the record producer and studio executive are on a tight schedule, and are upset the Ma and trumpet player Levee haven't yet arrived. Levee arrives shortly after, and proceeds to get in powerful philosophical debates with the band about life as a black man. Ma finally arrives one hour late and immediately makes her presence known. She calls the shots, and won't take crap from anybody, and won't be bullied into anything she doesn't want to do. Struggles for control over the music and band comes from several different directions as Levee's rage and defiance fuels many heated arguments that ultimately produces very disturbing results. Fantastic story and great dialogue concerning music, racism, power, and acceptance. The film is almost as much about Ma Rainey as it is the young and determined trumpeter Levee, which really heightened the power of the film. Both Viola Davis (Ma Rainey), and Chadwick Boseman (Levee) arguably deliver their best and most powerful lead performances. Colman Domingo (Cutler), Glynn Turman (Toledo), Michael Potts (Slow Drag), Dusan Brown, Jeremy Shamos, and Taylour Paige all delivered excellent supporting roles.

Fantastic music drama from Steve Kloves that follows a pair of brothers and piano players named Jack and Frank Baker who’ve been playing music together for 31 years, and 15 years professionally. Their brand of lounge music has grown a bit tired over the years, so they decide to hire a female singer to breathe some life back into the band and become more successful. After they audition 37 candidates, they finally meet Susie Diamond, who has enormous talent and is perfect for the part, despite being a former prostitute. They instantly become a success and play a tour of high-paying shows, but trouble comes into play when Frank and Susie become romantically involved, which plagues the entire trio with drama that could tear them apart. Great story all around with well-placed comedy surrounding superb drama. The excellent production is highlighted by Oscar nominations for best cinematography, best film editing, and best original music score from Dave Grusin. The casting is what really makes the film great. It was awesome to see Beau Bridges sink his teeth into such a rare lead performance. Jeff Bridges delivers one of his best lead roles as well, and his interaction with his brother is excellent. Michelle Pfeiffer also arguably delivers her greatest Oscar-nominated lead performance, and had a superb singing voice, which was all her own in the film. Ellie Raab, Jennifer Tilly, and others also had great supporting roles.

Fantastic historical music drama/biography from Milos Forman that follows a well-respected dementia-stricken Italian classical music composer named Antonio Salieri (1750–1825) in the year 1823, attempting to commit suicide and begging for God's forgiveness for having killed the extremely inventive and influential classical composer and prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in 1791. Salieri recounts his story in the form of a confession, and tells a very detailed story of his life and Mozart's. Salieri struggles with jealousy and envy of Mozart's awe-inspiring musical mastery, which sends his life and relationship with God into a whirlwind of pain and torture. Meanwhile, the picture shows Mozart as an extremely troubled alcoholic and workaholic, who was broke almost his entire life; and was never given the true respect for his groundbreaking prowess. Powerful, epic, and thought-provoking film all around, which is evidenced by its enormous critical acclaim. The film won Oscars for best picture of 1985, best screenplay from Peter Shaffer, best directing from Milos Forman, best art direction, best costume design, best sound, and best makeup; and was also Oscar-nominated for best cinematography and best film editing. F. Murray Abraham (Salieri) delivered a fantastic Oscar-winning lead performance, along with Tom Hulce (Mozart), who Oscar-nominated for his excellent performance. Jeffrey Jones, Elizabeth Berridge, Charles Kay, Roy Dotrice, Simon Callow, Christine Ebersole, and others also had great supporting roles.

Superb music drama/biography from Oliver Stone set during the massively influential 1960s psychedelic/blues rock explosion, and follows the rise of the groundbreaking group The Doors, which is led by the eccentric and extremely talented lead vocalist, Jim Morrison. It follows Morrison’s early years as a UCLA film student in Los Angeles, where he met the rest of the band, and dives deep into his experimentation with drugs and alcoholism, as he controversially takes the band to new heights and super stardom. It all leads to his eventual psychological breakdown that led to his premature death at age 27, in July 1971. The story is excellent and much bigger than your standard musician biopic. The production has a really tripped out feel that really speaks to the band’s mood. The dialogue is excellent, the music is magnificently done throughout, and includes a perfect cast. Val Kilmer arguably delivers his all-time great lead performance. He was simply born to play the role of Jim Morrison. I can’t imagine anyone playing him better. Kyle MacLachlan, Kevin Dillon, and Frank Whaley also had great starring roles as the other band members. Meg Ryan as also excellent as his wife, Pamela Courson. Kathleen Quinlan, Michael Madsen, Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman, Crispin Glover, and many others also had very nice supporting roles.

Fantastic coming-of-age music drama from John Badham set in Brooklyn, New York, 1979. The story follows a cocky and self-centered 19-year-old Italian-American paint store employee named Tony Manero who lives a troubled home life with his frequently enraged and overcritical parents that don’t show him any love. While one of Tony’s big outlets is hanging out with his buddies and cursing around town, he’s a killer on the dance floor at the 2001 Odyssey disco club, and revered as a star by every patron in attendance when he commands the dance floor. He always catches the eyes of several women who would love to be with him in any way they can. But Tony generally brushes off most of them since he feels they aren’t good enough for him. One night he meets an exceptional dancer named Stephanie at 2001 who challenges him in every way possible, which sets off a chain of events that changes his path in life. Excellent story, beautiful production design with blown out oversaturated colors, and fantastic dialogue and casting. One thing that makes me rate this film so highly is the incredible funk and R&B soundtrack that drives the film along in an extremely entertaining fashion. I’d have to say it’s a top 5 soundtrack of all-time in my book. John Travolta arguably delivers his all-time greatest Oscar-nominated lead performance. Karen Lynn Gorney, Barry Miller, Joseph Cali, Paul Pape, and Donna Pescow also had excellent starring roles. Martin Shakar, Julie Bovasso, Bruce Ornstein, Sam Coppola, Denny Dillon, Fran Drescher, and others also had great supporting roles.

Fantastic music-inspired drama/romance from John Carney set in Dublin, Ireland, and follows a singer/songwriter street musician and vacuum cleaner repairman named Guy. Guy regularly plays his heart out on the street to earn some extra income, with songs inspired by a heart-breaking relationship he's been suffering with for years. He catches the eye and ear of a poor Czech immigrant and street flower salesman named Girl, who's immediately taken with his music and initiates a friendship. Their relationship grows organically when he discovers she is also a singer/songwriter/piano player, and they make gorgeous music together. While he begins to fall in love with her, Girl has a husband and a daughter, which complicates the situation for both of them as they continue to make beautiful music. Fantastic story with a great unknown cast that are directed perfectly by John Carney. None of the roles are overdone, and it's just a moving a fantastic love story throughout. Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová both delivered excellent lead performances, along with a great supporting cast.

Fantastic music documentary from D.A. Pennebaker that follows Bob Dylan's 1965 groundbreaking concert tour in England. This film shows Bob Dylan’s most historically important, progressive, and entertaining era of his career. This is when he changed up his traditional acoustic guitar set and switched to the full glory of electric guitar, which created a massive amount of controversy (as many felt he sold out). The greatest thing about this film is getting to see the inner workings of Bob Dylan’s thoughts and insight about music, as well as plenty of social matters. Watching him blow off reporters and giving eccentric answers to foolish questions and backwards thinking was very entertaining and thought provoking. Much of his sentiment is just as powerful by todays standards. The music throughout the film is superb, but the focus is on the story is definitely on the unconventional and free-spirited mind of Bob Dylan. One of the best rockumentaries I have ever purchased. The film also features Joan Baez, Donovan and Alan Price (of The Animals), and a handful of other figures of the time.

Underrated music-inspired war drama from Thomas Carter, set during World War II in Hamburg, Germany, 1939. The story follows a group of German teens who love jazz and swing music. They distract themselves from the horrors of war by dancing at a swing club named the Bismarck, which is on the verge of being shutdown by the Nazis who don’t approve of swing music and the non-German musicians that play it. Swing music was strictly forbidden at the time, and only traditional German music is allowed to be played in clubs, while many of them break the law and play swing music when the Nazis aren’t looking. The story mainly follows best friends Peter and Thomas, who generally sympathize with Jews and other minorities that their society teaches them to hate, along with all of their like-minded friends. Severe complications come into play when Peter and Thomas are forced to join the pro-Nazi youth league after stealing a radio from a local business. Nazi brainwashing and special privileges that exceptional Nazi youth league members receive, puts them add serious odds with each other, and has them them questioning what is actually right and wrong, and causes intense turmoil. I've loved this story since I was 12-years-old, and watched it all the time growing up. The story is powerful and very entertaining throughout, includes strong messages, an excellent production, and one of my all-time favorite soundtracks. This film was the sole reason I become interested in jazz and swing music as a kid, and I still play this soundtrack all the time today. It’s one of the best jazz soundtracks out there. Robert Sean Leonard delivers one of his all-time best lead performances, and Christian Bale also delivers a superb starring role. Frank Whaley, Barbara Hershey, Kenneth Branagh, Tushka Bergen, David Tom, Jayce Bartok, and plenty others have great supporting roles.

Excellent music drama based on a true story and set in 1986 about a married couple's struggles to reconnect with their estranged son after not seeing him for 20 years. He has a brain tumor which prevents him from forming new memories, but they soon find classic rock from the 60s and 70s (especially the Grateful Dead) brings him back to a time he was happy. It's a great story of redemption for the father, as he tries to make things right with his son, where he failed him in the past. Lou Taylor Pucci, J.K. Simmons, and Cara Seymour all deliver fantastic lead performances—arguably the best of their careers. Julia Ormond, Scott Adsit, Tammy Blanchard, Mía Maestro, and others had great supporting roles.

Fantastic music documentary/thriller that follows the preparation and presentation of an iconic free concert headlined by The Rolling Stones at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway on December 6, 1969. The film starts off a bit slow with the concerns in the preparation of the show; such as venue problems, parking issues, and media the surrounding the event. We get a good look at the inner thoughts of each bad member. As soon as December 6th arrives, the film is all thrills and presents people in the realest form possible. The Hells Angels infamously ran security for the event, which did not mix well with the drug-infested crowd of hippies. It results in horrifying tension, and and has tragic results that the show will forever be remembered for. This is arguably the most groundbreaking music documentary I’ve ever seen, and they way they filmed the audience was done exceptionally well, and really captures the time period in a gorgeous and disturbing fashion. The direction from Albert and David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin was fantastic throughout. The picture was clear and the sound is far better than some music films of the era. The film left me a bigger fan of The Rolling Stones than I ever was before.

Outstanding live concert and partial documentary on my favorite band of all time—Pink Floyd. The concert is set at the ancient Roman amphitheater in Pompeii, Italy, 1971. It’s an awe-inspiring location to setup a concert, and there’s no audience in attendance; which adds an extra eerie element to their already experimental and psychedelic early material. Aside from the incredible concert, the director’s cut DVD adds footage beyond the original film, and also adds about 10 minutes of documentary material shot in 1971, with some footage of them in the studio recording Dark Side of the Moon (1973). The whole concert is incredible, but I must say I love cuts like "Careful With That Axe, Eugene”, “A Saucerful of Secrets”, and “Echoes, Pts. 1 - 2”. Much of the live versions are arguably better than the studio material. While the interview material is interesting, you are definitely buying this set for the concert. It’s epic in every respect, and one of the finest live concert films I own. Pink Floyd fans can’t go wrong.

Fantastic live concert from Zane Vella that presents a fantastic show by alternative rock band Ween, at the Vic Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, November 2003. Ween has historically been known for their outstanding live shows, and this is their 5th live album to back that up (some are up to 3 full CDs in length). That said, this is the first DVD concert I’ve seen from Ween, and I loved every minute of it. Ween is my favorite live band, and they cleverly change up the studio versions of their set list for inspired live versions like they usually do. And I’m constantly stunned by their musicianship and deep connection with the audience and fans. Dean must be one of the greatest guitarists in music history. Some of his solos (on tracks like "I'll be your Johnny on the spot" and "Voodoo lady”) were totally killer. Also included is a great cover of Led Zeppelin's "All Of My Love”. The 5.1 surround mastering is great. This is a must purchase for Ween fans.

Outstanding live concert from Nick Wickham that presents a phenomenal show from the Red Hot Chili Peppers set on August 23, 2003, at the Slane Castle in Ireland. The venue is amazing, and home to many legendary concerts. The event comes well after their crazed drug-infested party days of their 1980s and 1990s early years, and finds them settling into the classic sound of their smash hit albums “Californication” (1999) and “By the Way” (2002). Simply put, they deliver a mind-blowing performance. In some cases, the live versions rival the studio versions. The whole band is in top form. John Frusciante was especially in top form, delivering a blistering performance, changing up riffs, adding guitar sections, and adding more funk to the show. His vocals are also more on point than ever. Not only is the performance arguably perfect, so is the production. This is probably the best sounding live concert I've ever purchased. The guitars, bass, and drums all sound crystal clear; and nothing over powers Anthony's incredible vocals. This DVD is worth every penny for Red Hot Chili Peppers fans.

Criminally underrated music-inspired comedy drama from Michael Schultz, set over the course of a day at the Dee-Luxe Car Wash in an urban area of Los Angeles. It starts out introducing the large assortment of lively employees getting ready to start their work day in the company locker room, and cleverly meanders through a wide array of oddball customers and troubled loiterers. Throughout the film we learn a lot about each character’s way of life, dreams and aspirations, and internal struggles. The film is driven by one of the all-time greatest funk soundtracks ever made, by R&B/funk greats Rose Royce. It’s a tremendous vehicle that makes the film wildly entertaining, while simultaneously keeping the story focused and on track. The story, production design, dialogue, and casting are fantastic all around. I have no idea how this film is rated so low by most viewers. Ivan Dixon, Bill Duke, Franklyn Ajaye, Otis Day, Henry Kingi, Melanie Mayron, Antonio Fargas, Pepe Serna, Ray Vitte, Darrow Igus, and James Spinks were all excellent among the starring ensemble cast. I loved Richard Pryor’s small part. I only wish he would have had more screen time (especially for such high billing). Leon Pinkney, Lauren Jones, Leonard Jackson, Clarence Muse, Garrett Morris, Sully Boyar, Richard Brestoff, George Carlin, Jack Kehoe, Irwin Corey, Tracy Reed, Michael Fennell, Lorraine Gary, Arthur French, The Pointer Sisters, and others also have excellent supporting roles.

Underrated music drama/romance from Martin Ritt set in 1960s Paris, which was a time and place when jazz musicians were celebrated and racism was mostly a non-issue, unlike the current turbulent times in the United States. The story follows American jazz musicians and best friends Ram Bowen and Eddie Cook living in Paris, who are on their way to see Wild Man Moore (played by jazz great Louis Armstrong), when they run into two beautiful American tourists (Lillian and Connie) spending their vacation in the area. They immediately start flirting with the girls, and Ram invites them to see them perform at the Club 33 later that evening. Ram ends up falling in love with Lillian, and Eddie ends up falling love with Connie. By time they reach the end of their two-week vacation, they must decide if they will drop their freedom-filled jazz life in Paris, or move back to the United States with their new loves. This movie beautifully tackles romance, drug abuse, race issues, and the historical take that many African-Americans went to Paris to escape from the corrupt racism in America. The only thing that could have made it better is if Ram got together with Connie, and Eddie got together with Lillian, which would have propelled some interesting talks about mixed race relationships. Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier both deliver excellent lead performances. Joanne Woodward and Diahann Carroll also had great starring roles, and had great chemistry with the leads (as Paul Newman should have with his real-life wife). Another part that makes this movie so cool is Louis Armstrong, who co-stars in the film, and has a fantastic musical scene. The soundtrack from Duke Ellington was also fantastic, which was Oscar-nominated for best music score. Barbara Laage and Serge Reggiani also had very nice supporting roles.

Fantastic sequel to the bodacious music-inspired comedy adventure classic, “Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure” (1989). Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon are back writing the story, which has a totally unique vibe and plot compared to the first film, making it a most triumphant follow-up. The story follows a most heinous and oppressive leader from the the year 2691 named Chuck De Nomolos, who creates evil robot replicas of Bill and Ted to travel back in time to 1991 and kill the real Bill and Ted and take their places, with intentions to carry out sinister plans laid out by De Nomolos. When the evil robots complete their initial mission, Bill and Ted are sent to Hell where they must duel the Grim Reaper to a contest of board games to get to heaven, then eventually back to earth where they work to destroy the evil Bill and Ted robots, save the babes, and perform a most spectacular set at the Battle of the Bands contest to secure their future legacy. Fantastic film all around and a great change of pace from the first film. They had double the budget to work with compared to the first film, and the production is epic in comparison. There’s quite a bit more going on and well, but the story stays excellently focused on Bill & Ted, and excels as a near-perfect sequel. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter both deliver outstanding lead performances and present the same great chemistry and magic from the first film. William Sadler (Death/Grim Reaper) also delivered a fantastic starring role, which is likely my favorite work in his entire filmography. Joss Ackland, George Carlin, Annette Azcuy, Sarah Trigger, Chelcie Ross, Pam Grier, Hal Landon Jr., Amy Stoch, Brendan Ryan, William Thorne, Frank Welker, and others also had great supporting roles.

Being a huge fan of Bill & Ted since 1989, this movie is everything I hoped it would be. Excellent story which finds Bill & Ted all grown up with teenage daughters of their own, and they are still struggling to write the song that will unite the world, which future beings said they would do 30 years earlier. When it seems they will never accomplish their dreams, an egg-shaped time machine appears out of nowhere, and Rufus' daughter Kelly steps out, and they travel to the future where they find out they must write their world-changing song in less than 80 minutes, or reality is doomed forever. Struggling to do so, they decide to travel into the future in the classic phone booth to obtain the song from their future selves, while their daughters hijack the egg-shaped time machine to collect historical figures with musical backgrounds, to help create the song. Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves bring Bill & Ted to life just as we've always known them. They were both superb. Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine also delivered excellent lead performances as their daughters. William Sadler was great as Death once again. Anthony Carrigan playing the Dennis Caleb McCoy was hilarious. Kristen Schaal, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, Hal Landon Jr., Jillian Bell, Jeremiah Craft, and DazMann Still all delivered great supporting roles. Overall, no characters or historical figures seemed out of place at all. This is a most non-heinous finale to the Bill & Ted trilogy.

Hilarious music-inspired comedy from Penelope Spheeris and Mike Myers set in Aurora, Illinois, in the early 1990s. The story follows a fun-loving and hard-rocking underachiever named Wayne Campbell who lives with his parents and has a blast running his public-access cable TV show out “Wayne's World" with his like-minded best friend, Garth Algar. The show has earned them celebrity status in local concert venues, Stan Mikita Donuts cafe, and elsewhere around the city. Their popularity catches the attention of a television producer named Benjamin, who purchases the rights to the show for an advance of $5,000 each, and has high hopes for its large success. However, we later learn that Benjamin has deceitfully corrupt plans to exploit the show and steal Wayne's girlfriend and new-found love Cassandra in the process. Since I'm an 80s baby and grew up with Saturday Night Live in the 1990s, this is just about my all-time favorite Saturday Night Live film (the vastly underrated “Coneheads” [1993] is my favorite). The story is excellent, the comedy is on-point, and the production is great all around. While it’s well-known that Mike Myers and Dana Carvey were very competitive and didn’t get along in real life, they undoubtedly make one of the greatest duos in cinema history, and deliver outstanding lead performances. Tia Carrere and Rob Lowe also had excellent starring roles. Brian Doyle-Murray, Kurt Fuller, Lara Flynn Boyle, Ed O'Neill, Chris Farley, Alice Cooper, Lee Tergesen, Sean Sullivan, Colleen Camp, Meat Loaf, and several others have great supporting roles.

Excellent indy music-inspired coming-of-age comedy/drama that follows a young girl who is the only hearing person in her family among her deaf parents and older brother. Now a senior in high-school, she learns she has a talent and passion for singing after joining the choir, and lands the opportunity to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music. However, being the only hearing person in her family brings a massive amount of stress and responsibility, as she is the main communicator with every sort of business they need to take care of in the family; which weighs heavily on her decision to leave home and pursue her dreams. The relatively unknown cast put on phenomenal performances all around. The power of emotion they pulled from some of the signing dialogue was phenomenal. Excellent story throughout. Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant were all fantastic, among a great supporting cast.

Fantastic documentary from John Edginton, and a must-see for Pink Floyd fans from. It maps out the story for their 1975 classic album "Wish You Were Here", which was largely inspired by early former member Syd Barrett. Being the follow-up to "The Dark Side Of The Moon" (1973), they were at the top of their artistic and critical acclaim. Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Richard Wright, and others deliver great interviews and stories, as well as some behind-the-scenes that examine the master tapes and how the songs were constructed.

Fantastic live concert and the first official DVD release from The White Stripes. The film covers 26 tracks recorded at The Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens in Lancashire, England, on January 27 and 28, 2004. The White Stripes were so much more than another “The” band of the early 2000s, and this performance is more undeniable proof of that fact. Jack jams out a heartfelt show with filled with soulful grooves and highly energetic solos. Meg accompanies Jack perfectly, swaying her head around in tranquility and feeding off his energy. The unity between the two really stands out. The sound and picture is excellent, and since this film came out in 2004 and only captured tunes off their first 4 classic albums, the set list is incredible. There were also a handful of solid covers in the mix. While the DVD doesn’t present and special features whatsoever, this is still top-notch material for fans of the The White Stripes and garage rock revival.

Outstanding live concert from Zane Vella that presents a phenomenal show by the alternative rock band Incubus, recorded at Red Rocks, Colorado on July 26, 2004. The Red Rocks venue is one of the most legendary concert venues of all time, and it’s the perfect setting for this show. This concert is very much a celebration of their latest album "A Crow Left of the Murder" (2004), which happens to be my favorite in their entire catalog. All the material that comes before that is quality, so the set list is top-notch all around. Everyone in the band pulls their weight flawlessly. Every member gets their jaw dropping moments to shine and show off their skills. Brandon Boyd has never sounded better; hitting those highs, lows and everything in between cleaner and clearer than ever. Guitarist Mike Einziger was also phenomenal while belting out solos on songs like "Priceless" and "Sick, Sad Little World". Overall, it shows Incubus in a more progressive stage of their career, as much of "A Crow Left of the Murder" is more complex than their earlier work. I must say they really succeeded in bringing that album and their older material to life as a whole. No die hard Incubus fan would be missing this DVD is their discography.

Excellent music drama/biography from Brian Gibson on the the life of the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", Tina Turner (1939–2023). The story follows her troubled childhood in a broken family, to her early-to-mid R&B success with her extremely abusive and manipulative husband and bandleader Ike Turner. 16 years of a brutally abusive and controlling marriage continues until Tina finds the courage to get out of the relationship. That reignites career as she makes a wildly successful comeback at the age of 41. Incredible story that's powerfully executed throughout. The scenes with Ike bullying and beating Tina are ruthless and terrifying at times. The dialogue, casting, and music (all performed by Tina Turner) was perfect all around. Angela Bassett arguably delivers her all-time best lead performance as Tina Turner. I can't think of another role she was more perfect for. Laurence Fishburne was also fantastic as Ike Turner, which is arguably his best lead performance to date. Vanessa Bell Calloway, Jenifer Lewis, and RaéVen Kelly, Khandi Alexander, Barry Shabaka Henley, John Fink, Rudolph Willrich, O'Neal Compton, and others had great supporting roles.

Fantastic music biography/drama from Sidney J. Furie on the groundbreaking career and troubled personal life of jazz singer and songwriter Billie Holiday (1915–1959). The story starts in the 1930s, and follows Billie’s early problematic poverty-stricken life after being raped and working as a cleaner and prostitute in brothels. After escaping that life, she gets her chance to pursue her love for music by singing jazz in a small nightclub where she reaches local success and hooks up with a wealthy black businessman named Louis McKay. After getting her chance to join a band and tour the country to make a name for herself, a severe heroin addiction derails her career, lands her in prison, and nearly ends her life before the world really gets to discover her undeniable talent. Underrated film all around with a powerful story and a superb cast. Diana Ross delivered an outstanding Oscar-nominated lead performance as Billie Holiday. I couldn’t imagine anyone playing the role better. Billy Dee Williams also delivered one of his finest starring roles. Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan, Paul Hampton, Sid Melton, Virginia Capers, Paulene Myers, Scatman Crothers, and others also had great supporting roles.

Fantastic and underrated music drama from Spike Lee set in 1980s Brooklyn, and follows the life of an extremely talented jazz trumpeter and composer named Bleek Gilliam. While he's caring for his friends and the two women in his life, he's mostly selfish and puts his well-being and success above everyone else. When his childhood friend and band manager screws up his business affairs and gets himself into big trouble from unpaid gambling debts, Bleek intervenes and things subsequently take a disastrous turn as he's forced to reevaluate what's actually important in life. Excellent film willed with Spike Lee's signature superb writing/dialogue throughout, and also one of the best jazz soundtracks ever made. Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Wesley Snipes, and Joie Lee all delivered excellent lead performances. Cynda Williams, Bill Nunn, Giancarlo Esposito, Robin Harris, John Turturro, Nicholas Turturro, Dick Anthony Williams, Samuel L. Jackson, Leonard L. Thomas, Charlie Murphy, and others had great supporting roles.

Excellent music-inspired comedy drama from Richard Curtis set in 1966 Britain, when bands like The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones were the future of music; and helped start the aptly named British Invasion of rock 'n' roll. At that time, various pirate radio stations broadcasted to the United Kingdom from boats and ships in international waters since BBC Radio was not allowed to play rock and pop music. The London government minister Sir Alistair Dormandy is determined to shutdown pirate radio stations, and sets his sights on the most popular station of them all—Rock Radio. This film really excels from the great cast of lively characters that all shine throughout various parts of the picture. Great comedy, drama, music, messages, and a superbly dramatic ending. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nick Frost, Chris O'Dowd, Kenneth Branagh, Rhys Ifans, Tom Sturridge, Bill Nighy, Tom Brooke, Rhys Darby, Will Adamsdale, Ralph Brown, and Katherine Parkinson has excellent starring roles. Talulah Riley, Tom Wisdom, Jack Davenport, Ike Hamilton, January Jones, Emma Thompson, and several others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent music biopic from Clint Eastwood on the unsettling life of jazz musician and saxophone player extraordinaire, Charlie "Bird" Parker. Starting in 1940 New York City, he wowed audiences with his wildly inventive improvisations, while troubles brew simultaneously when he falls victim to heroin and alcohol addiction starting at about age 15—making it much tougher for him and his band to find steady work. It also follows his loving wife Chan, who stuck with him and supporting him throughout his entire short-lived life. Very honest and powerful biography, and beautifully done overall. Forest Whitaker delivers his all time best performance as Charlie Parker, and the same could be said for Diane Venora as Chan Parker. Michael Zelniker, Samuel E. Wright, Keith David, and several others had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent fictionalized biopic on the life and music of jazz/social music pioneer Miles Davis from Don Cheadle. While the actual story in the film did not actually happen, you still learn a lot about the personality, mindset, life, and music of Miles Davis throughout the picture. The story mainly focuses on Davis' later struggling years in the 1970s after he quit making music for a period of 5 years. At the height of his cocaine addiction he's greeted by a Rolling Stone reporter who wants to write a story on his comeback. But when the only tape of music he's recorded in 5 years is stolen, they go on a dangerous and deadly mission to retrieve it. It's a wild story overall, but very entertaining throughout. Don Cheadle gives one of his best and most memorable lead performances as Miles Davis. Ewan McGregor and Emayatzy Corinealdi also had a great starring roles. LaKeith Stanfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, and others had very nice supporting roles.

Fantastic music drama from Yaron Zilberman that follows the members of a world-renowned string quartet, who've shared an amazing 25-year run together. Cellist Peter Mitchell is the oldest member of the group, and becomes diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The pain, worry, and fear of the future's quartet is immediately questioned, and sets off a domino effect of insults that stem from past baggage, bruised egos involving who will lead the band, and infidelity. After so much damage has been done, they must decide if keeping the quartet together is worth it, especially to tribute their dear friend and bandmate, Peter. Excellent drama with great dialogue and acting from the entire cast. Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Mark Ivanir all delivered fantastic lead performances and had great chemistry together. Imogen Poots also had a great starring role among a great supporting cast.

Hilarious and uniquely done comedy and fictional biopic from Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan, about legendary musician Dewey Cox. Starting with brutal childhood trauma in 1946, the film tells the story of Dewey's rise to fame, his innovation of music styles, drug addiction, marriage problems, and his pursuit of his gorgeous loyal backup singer, Darlene. The movie is hysterical throughout with excellent dialogue and great characters. I'd have to say it's my favorite performance from John C. Reilly yet. He handles this epic role perfectly, and the songs he performs are actually quite excellent as well—giving the film a superb soundtrack that can be listened to on its own. Jenna Fischer was also fantastic as Darlene. Chris Parnell, Matt Besser, Tim Meadows, Kristen Wiig, Raymond J. Barry, Margo Martindale, Craig Robinson, Jack White, and others had great roles among a solid supporting cast.

Excellent psychedelic and tripped out animated adventure that follows The Beatles as they join Captain Fred in his yellow submarine to stop the music-hating Blue Meanies' takeover of Pepperland, after they freeze everyone within it, including the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It's a mind-bending journey that is full of interesting ideas. If you love the Beatles, this is essential watching material. It really features the very best of the Beatles' discography, circa their golden era 1966–1968. The story is a ton of fun, and it's easily the best Beatles movie I've seen. One of my favorite Music films of all time.

Hilariously underrated music inspired crime comedy from Michael Lehmann set in Los Angeles during the peak of the grunge/alternative rock movement. The story follows a band known as "The Lone Rangers" led by guitarist and lead vocalist Chazz, and backed by bassist Rex and drummer Pip. They are starved to get their music on the radio and score a record deal, so they decide to break into the most popular rock station in town in hopes of getting their demo played live on the air. When their initial plans go awry, they hold everyone hostage as many things comically go wrong with their demands and attempts to get their music to the people. This film is perfect for 90s alternative rock/grunge fans and still holds up today. The story is solid, the comedy and dialogue is excellent, and the casting is perfect. Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler all deliver fantastic lead performances. Joe Mantegna and Michael McKean also deliver great starring roles. Michael Richards, Judd Nelson, Chris Farley, Ernie Hudson, Amy Locane, Nina Siemaszko, Marshall Bell, Reg E. Cathey, David Arquette, Michelle Hurst, Harold Ramis, and many others have great supporting roles.

Excellent music-inspired biopic from Peter Farrelly filled with great comedy and drama. Great story that follows a tough working-class Italian-American ex-bouncer named Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga, who is hired to be the driver of an African-American classical pianist Don Shirley as they make their way through the segregated deep south states for a concert tour during the 1960s. While the odd paring gets off to a rocky start, they eventually find mutual respect for each other as they endure atrocious injustices along the way. Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali both delivered excellent lead performances, and had great chemistry together. Linda Cardellini, Dimiter D. Marinov, Mike Hatton, Sebastian Maniscalco, Frank Vallelonga, and many others had great supporting roles.

Excellent music-inspired showbiz drama from Elia Kazan set in the 1950s, and follows an eagerly ambitious female radio personality named Marcia Jeffries who runs into a drunken folk-singing vagabond named Larry Rhodes, who's recording a song in a rural Arkansas jail. After witnessing his musical potential and dazzling personality, she invites him to grab his guitar and play a song on her program. The response is so overwhelming that she immediately gets him his own radio program and nicknames him Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes, and it certainly appears he’s built for show business. As time moves forward and he reaches incredible fame in radio, television, and even politics; he loses the initial sprit and special charm that once made him famous, and becomes manipulate and cynical. It all builds up to a tension-filled ending, which finds Marcia going through turmoil when Larry’s destructive personality starts effecting her own life. Compelling story about the potential dangers that could come with the downfall of fame and power. The dialogue was excellent all around, and the subject matter remains extremely relevant to his day. The production is excellent, but the cast is arguably the greatest part of the film. While I grew watching Andy Griffith on television, I never imagined him playing such a powerfully complex role like this. He delivered an amazing lead performance and was perfect for the role. Patricia Neal also delivered an excellent starring role and had great interaction with Griffith. Walter Matthau, Lee Remick, Anthony Franciosa, Marshall Neilan, Paul McGrath, Howard Smith, Kay Medford, and others also had great roles among the solid supporting cast.

Excellent music drama from Walter Hill that follows a 17-year-old classic guitarist named Eugene Martone who becomes engrossed with blues music after attending Juilliard School for Performing Arts in New York City. He dreams of becoming a famous blues guitarist, and sets out to learn about a long lost song by legendary blues musician Robert Johnson. After learning that Johnson's longtime friend Willie Brown is still alive (and also a legendary blues musician), he decides to track Willie down so he can teach him the ways of Johnson's music as they make their way to the Mississippi Delta to learns the origins of the music. Lovely story with an absolute epic ending. Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca, and Jami Gertz all deliver fantastic lead performances. Joe Morton, Robert Judd, Guy Killum, Steve Vai, Allan Arbus, Tim Russ, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent music drama/tragedy from Darius Marder that follows a heavy metal drummer and former heroin addict named Ruben who travels the country with his girlfriend and lead singer Lou playing small concerts and living out of an RV. Life is good until Ruben's hearing starts to go out during a live show, which quickly results in him becoming completely deaf. With no money or resources to pay for surgery, Lou is forced to leave, while Ruben checks himself into a community for deaf recovering addicts to help him cope with his new disability and way of life. While Ruben strives in the community, he longs to get his old life back with Lou, and makes extreme sacrifices to do so. Unique and fantastic story all around, which definitely earned its Oscars for film editing and sound. Riz Ahmed delivered the best (Oscar-nominated) lead performance I've seen from him yet. Olivia Cooke and Paul Raci also had excellent starring roles. Lauren Ridloff, Mathieu Amalric, Chelsea Lee, Shaheem Sanchez, and many others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent music drama/biography from Michael Curtiz set on the life of fictional star jazz trumpeter Rick Martin, who is loosely based on the influential American jazz cornetist, pianist, and composer, Bix Beiderbecke (1903–1931). The story is set during the Jazz Age of the 1920s, and starts with Rick’s early life when he fell in love with his first trumpet, to meeting legendary trumpeter Art Hazzard, who taught him everything about playing jazz. Rick eventually rises to super-stardom, but trouble comes into play when his ego and explosive personality become a problem, and he decides he only wants to play jazz and abandons the sound and songs of the bands he works for. The struggles of falling in love with a gorgeous (but toxic) woman named Amy North and trying to make their impossible relationship work, further complicates matters as he deeply struggles to cope with the stresses of life. Powerful and beautifully crafted story all around with a superb production driven by an excellent jazz score/soundtrack from Doris Day & Harry James. The casting is also notably fantastic all around. Kirk Douglas delivers one of this best and most complex lead performance of his career. Lauren Bacall also delivered one her best starring roles (without Humphrey Bogart), along with Doris Day. Hoagy Carmichael, Juano Hernandez, Orley Lindgren, Walter Reed, and others were also very good among the supporting cast.

Excellent music-inspired comedy drama from Cameron Crowe set in heart of the grunge music scene in early 1990s Seattle. The story focuses on a young single environmentalist named Linda Powell who has been burned so many times in her previous relationships that she she'd prefer to be alone. That's until a charming man named Steve Dunne who's had similar experiences enters her life. They both fall in love, but it quickly turns very complicated. The story also follows a beautifully sweet young waitress named Janet Livermore who's obsessed with her grunge rock star boyfriend Cliff Poncier, while Cliff sees their relationship as being more casual. It also follows several other singles and potential couples, and speaks on the necessity of love and the freedom of living alone. Great story all around with great dialogue and clever character development. It was also awesome to see Eddie Vedder and other Pearl Jam members as actors, along with Chris Cornel, and musical appearances from Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. Kyra Sedgwick, Campbell Scott, Bridget Fonda, and Matt Dillon all deliver excellent lead performances. Sheila Kelley, Jim True-Frost, Bill Pullman, James Le Gros, Ally Walker, Eric Stoltz, Jeremy Piven, Tom Skerritt, Paul Giamatti, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent music drama and biography from Wes Craven that follows the life and career of violinist, music educator, and mother of two sons, Roberta Guaspari. The story starts in 1981 New York City, with Roberta struggling with life after a messy divorce. With help from her old friend Brian, she relocates to a poor area of East Harlem to become a violin teacher at Central Park East School. While there are plenty of challenges that lie ahead, Roberta is determined to win these kids over and live a happy life again. After 10 years, the program is a complete success, and is greatly supported by the community. But trouble comes in to play when the New York City Board of Education decides to axe the program due to financial reasons, which fuels a battle to help reinstate the program. Excellent inspiring story all around. Meryl Streep delivers another fantastic lead performance, and holds the whole film together beautifully. Angela Bassett, Aidan Quinn, Cloris Leachman, and Jay O. Sanders also had great starring roles. Henry Dinhofer, Michael Angarano, Charlie Hofheimer, Kieran Culkin, Gloria Estefan, and many others had great supporting roles.

Excellent music drama from the Coen brothers set in New York City's Greenwich Village 1961, and follows a poor and struggling folk singer and guitarist named Llewyn Davis who's fallen hard times after the death of his band partner, and grapples with personal relationships. He crashes on couches of friends and accountancies as often as he can and attempts to pick up any gig to make ends meet, while the world around him is seemingly caving in around him as bad breaks continue to plague his life. The story was fantastic, and the production design and cinematography gave the story a perfect feel. The music was also very nicely done throughout. Oscar Isaac definitely delivered my favorite lead performance of his to date. He was ideal for the role, and was able to drive the film nicely. Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, Justin Timberlake, Adam Driver, Stark Sands, Ethan Phillips, Robin Bartlett, Jeanine Serralles, F. Murray Abraham, and many others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent historical biography from Rob Cohen on the life of the famous jazz collective "The Rat Pack", which featured Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr.. The film also dives fairly deep into the controversial lifestyle of President John F. Kennedy and his brother-in-law, Peter Lawford. The film takes place in the 1950s and 1960s, with Frank Sinatra's relationships with the mafia, his friendship and overwhelming support for John F. Kennedy campaign, and his time with Ava Gardner. It also follows Sammy Davis Jr. and his struggles with racism, and his controversial marriage to white woman, as well as Dean Martin's easy-going and quick-witted life as a family man. Ray Liotta gets the most screen time in the film, and he delivered one of his very best lead performances. Joe Mantegna and Don Cheadle also nailed their roles. Angus Macfadyen and William Petersen also has great starring roles. Zeljko Ivanek, Bobby Slayton, Megan Dodds, Deborah Kara Unger, Veronica Cartwright, Dan O'Herlihy, Robert Miranda, Barbara Niven, Michelle Grace, Tyrees Allen, and many others had great supporting roles.

Fun-loving and light-hearted music-inspired romantic comedy from Billy Wilder set in 1929 Chicago, and follows two struggling musicians who witness the gang-related St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and must go on the run to escape the same fate. The only cover they can find is to pose as women in an all-girl band, which unravels lots of great comedy and a romance with the lead singer and ukulele player Sugar Kane Kowalczyk. This was my first time seeing Marilyn Monroe in a film, and she played the ditzy blonde to perfection. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon also delivered a couple of their very best lead performances. George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Nehemiah Persoff, Joan Shawlee, George E. Stone, Mike Mazurki, Harry Wilson, Beverly Wills, Barbara Drew, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent music drama on the fictional life of Lydia Tár—a world-renowned composer/conductor, the first female director of a major German orchestra, and also a EGOT victor (winner of the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards). It displays her dominating personality among a male-dominated industry as she shapes and molds her musicians to fit her interpretation of the music. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing in the background after one of her ex-students accuses her of sexually grooming students to advance placement in her orchestra, while her personal and professional relations simultaneously crumble. Cate Blanchett delivered one of her all-time best lead performances. She nailed every part of her role. Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer, Noémie Merlant, Allan Corduner, Mark Strong, Zethphan D. Smith-Gneist, Julian Glover, and others had great supporting roles.

Great music-inspired drama/romance from Herbert Ross that follows a hip big-city music-loving teenager named Ren who moves from Chicago to the small conservative town of Bomont, and quickly learns that the religious leaders in town have banned Rock 'n' Roll and dancing. Ren tries to fit in, but it's not until he meets a beautiful girl named Ariel Moore before he starts to enjoy life in Bomont. However, she's the daughter of the town's bible-thumping preacher, Reverend Shaw Moore, who strongly objects to their relationship and the toxic music Ren is bringing to their nice quiet town. Kevin Bacon delivered an excellent lead performance. Lori Singer, John Lithgow, and Dianne Wiest also had fantastic starring roles. Chris Penn, Sarah Jessica Parker, John Laughlin, Elizabeth Gorcey, Frances Lee McCain, Jim Youngs, Arthur Rosenberg, Timothy Scott, and many others had very nice supporting roles.

Hilarious and classic marijuana-inspired spliff-smokin' flick written by comedy greats Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, and directed by Lou Adler. The story is set in California during the 1970s, and follow two stoners named Pedro and Man who randomly meet up and become friends on the highway, and soon find themselves getting into all sorts of comical situations and disasters. When they are accidentally deported to Mexico, they unknowingly agree to driving/smuggling a van entirely made of marijuana from Mexico to Los Angeles so they can hopefully make it back for a rock concert they're set to play. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong both deliver superb and iconic lead performances. Stacy Keach, Zane Buzby, Strother Martin, Edie Adams, Mills Watson, Karl Johnson, Arthur Roberts, Christipher Joy, Tom Skerritt, and others also had great supporting roles.

Bob Dylan is one of my favorite musicians and songwriters, so this movie was a no-brainer. Great biopic and the concept of taking 6 different actors to portray the many different sides of Dylan's music, career, and life, was very well done overall. All the actors do a great job, and cover different eras: Christian Bale (1963: acoustic/protest era), Cate Blanchett (1965-1966 electric era), Marcus Carl Franklin (Woody Guthrie inspired era), Richard Gere (covering the 1973 western Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid), Heath Ledger (1975–1777 era), Ben Whishaw (Arthur Rimbaud inspiration). Very nicely done overall.

Excellent music biopic on the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. While they have never been one of my favorite bands, I found them wildly entertaining as a pre-teen. And that proves to be evident in this crazy wild ride of drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll. Band leader Nikki Sixx narrates the story and adds a lot of personal touches, making it a great in-depth biography to be enjoyed by all. Douglas Booth (Nikki Sixx), Machine Gun Kelly (Tommy Lee), and Daniel Webber (Vince Neil), and Iwan Rheon (Mick Mars) all deliver excellent lead performances. Katherine Neff, Kathryn Morris, Vince Mattis, Mark Ashworth, Joe Chrest, Elena Evangelo, and plenty others have nice supporting roles. One of Netflix's best original films.

Great music biopic on the famous British rock band Queen. It mainly follows eccentric lead singer Freddie Mercury starting in the early stages of meeting the band and working through relationship and social issues, while simultaneously breaking through barriers as a bisexual man in a very controversial time. And also smashing expectations with their inventive direction and arrangements. Very nicely done biography overall. Rami Malek delivered an excellent lead performance as Freddie Mercury. Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Allen Leech, Tom Hollander, Mike Myers, Aaron McCusker, and many others had great roles among a solid supporting cast.

Powerful and uniquely made biopic about the "King of Rock and Roll"—Elvis Presley. It also tells the story of his greedy and controlling manager, Colonel Tom Parker—who helped launch Elvis too superstardom, but ultimately kept him playing the venues he wanted, keeping him out of international tours, and getting extremely rich off his brand of entertainment. Austin Butler was absolutely amazing as Elvis. The music renditions, the dancing, and the interaction with the women was spot on. Tom Hanks also delivered a complex and great performance. Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and many others had nice supporting roles. My only big criticism of this film is the soundtrack/score. There are too many modern hip-hop and pop songs mixed into a film that should have more period music, or at least more throwback renditions of classics by modern artists. The background music could have been much better.

Very powerful World War II music drama and biopic from Roman Polanski about Polish Jewish musician Wladyslaw Szpilman. Based on his autobiography covering years 1939–1945—it follows his life as he works as a radio station pianist and his struggles to survive in the poverty-stricken Warsaw ghetto as the terrifying war rages on. Adrien Brody delivered an excellent lead performance. Frank Finlay, Ed Stoppard, Maureen Lipman, Jessica Kate Meyer, Julia Rayner, Emilia Fox, and others had a great supporting roles.

Beautiful music drama/biography from Anthony Mann on the life of American trombone player and bandleader Glenn Miller (1904–1944). The story starts in 1929 and follows Glenn struggling to form a band a signature sound of his own, and is continually pawning his instruments to make ends meet. He finally catches a break when a friend gets him a spot in band-leader Ben Pollack’s band, who’s immediately impressed with Glenn. It also follows his happy marriage to his wife Helen Berger, and finds them moving to New York. Glenn has his own band now, and becomes a worldwide success after with his hit "Moonlight Serenade" in 1944, and lives a happy life with his wife and children. However, Glenn’s life is devastatingly and mysteriously cut short after he enlists in the U.S. Army during World War II. This was a charming and gorgeously crafted biography all around, with a beautiful production highlighted by an Oscar win for best sound, and Oscar nominations for best writing/screenplay from Valentine Davies and Oscar Brodney, and best music scoring from Joseph Gershenson and Henry Mancini. The music really was excellent throughout. James Stewart delivered a fantastic lead performance, and June Allyson also had a great starring role. Harry Morgan, Louis Armstrong, Charles Drake, George Tobias, Barton MacLane, Sig Ruman, Kathleen Lockhart, Ben Pollack, and others were also great among a very solid supporting cast.

Excellent music biography/drama from Steven Soderbergh set in 1977, and follows an impressional 18-year-old animal trainer for films named Scott Thorson. He meets a Hollywood producer named Bob Black in a Los Angeles gay bar, and is soon introduced to the famous pianist, singer, and actor—Liberace. Liberace immediately finds Scott extremely attractive, which begins an explosive 6-year romance between the two. Liberace' possessiveness of Scott begins to smother him, which creates considerable tension as Scott falls into a dangerous pill and cocaine addiction to mask his pain. Fascinating story, and the lead performances from Michael Douglas (Emmy winner) and Matt Damon (Emmy nominated) drove the film perfectly. They has great chemistry for interaction, especially considering all the nude and sex scenes they had together. The film won 11 Emmy's, and it's easy to see why with the gorgeous production design. Scott Bakula, Dan Aykroyd, Rob Lowe, Jane Morris, Garrett M. Brown, Debbie Reynolds, Cheyenne Jackson, Paul Reiser, and others also had great supporting roles.

Exceptional coming-of-age music-inspired comedy drama/adventure from Cameron Crowe set in 1973, and follows a San Diego based 15-year-old high school student, social outcast, and aspiring music journalist named William Miller. His love for music ends up landing him a job interviewing a talented new band named Stillwater. Leaving a worried mother behind, William hits the road and heads out on tour with the band and their excitable bunch of beautiful and fun-loving groupies, and witnesses the behind-the-scenes excitement and downfalls that the rock 'n' roll life has to offer. There is plenty of drama along the way, which stands as the most eye-opening experience of young William’s life. Excellent Oscar-winning screenplay and matching direction from Cameron Crowe, and a great production overall. Patrick Fugit delivered an excellent performance as the young reporter, William Miller. Kate Hudson (Oscar-nominated), Billy Crudup, Jason Lee, Noah Taylor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Frances McDormand (Oscar-nominated), Anna Paquin, Fairuza Balk, Zooey Deschanel, Michael Angarano, and many others had great supporting roles.

Beautiful classical music inspired melodrama from Jean Negulesco set in 1940s New York City, and follows a gifted violinist from a working-class neighborhood named Paul Boray, who aspires to become a great concert violinist. While he is talented, he doesn’t have the connections to make his dream come true, much like many of his other musician peers he trains with at the National Institute Orchestra. However, he ends up meeting a wealthy, influential, gorgeous, and unhappily married woman named Helen Wright, who helps him earn fame and critical acclaim as a concert violinist with her vast connections and money. When they fall in love, Helen falls into a dark whirlwind of loneliness, depression, and self-doubt; which greatly threatens Paul’s career and both of their future lives. Fantastic story with a gorgeous production and an excellent cast. Since this film is centered around music, I’m pleased to say the Oscar-nominated music score from Franz Waxman was absolutely fantastic, and really helped drive the story along nicely. Joan Crawford and John Garfield both deliver superbly complex lead performances. They are a couple of the finest roles of their careers. Oscar Levant (who also played all his own music) also delivered an excellent starring role, and provided great comedy relief. Joan Chandler, J. Carrol Naish, Ruth Nelson, Paul Cavanagh, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent music biography/drama directed by and starring Bradley Cooper, which follows the life of one of the most important American composers and musicians of all time—Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990). The story follows his break into the music industry, followed by the meeting and falling in love with actress Felicia Montealegre. While things are great in the beginning, resentment and disconnection soon comes into play as Leonard pursues a bisexual relationship with other men throughout their marriage, which was not a surprise for Felicia going into the relationship. The story is filled with musical triumphs, family tension, and tragedy. Not knowing much about Leonard Bernstein, I thought the story was fascinating, the cinematography and editing was very inventive, and the dialogue was excellent. Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan are both fantastic actors, and deliver excellent lead performances. Matt Bomer, Vincenzo Amato, Greg Hildreth, Michael Urie, Brian Klugman, Mallory Portnoy, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent music drama/biography from Joe Wright set in 2005, and follows Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, who's eager to find the next best story for his column. One day he comes across homeless man named Nathaniel Ayers who's playing a violin in the park, and appears to be mentally ill after introducing himself to him. But after learning he once attended the extremely prestigious Juilliard Music School, he knows he has a story the public will find interesting. One small article about Nathaniel sparks a local interest campaign and a great friendship between the two, helps reunite him with his instrument of expertise, the Cello; finds him an indoor place to live, but also boasts lots of attention that dramatically affects his mental state. Since I'm not that big into Marvel movies, Robert Downey Jr. delivered one of my favorite lead performances of his to date. Jamie Foxx also delivered a dynamic lead role as Nathaniel. Catherine Keener, Justin Martin, LisaGay Hamilton, Tom Hollander, Nelsan Ellis, Jena Malone, and others had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent music-inspired comedy from Richard Linklater that follows a hard-rocking guitarist and layabout named Dewey Finn, who gets kicked out of his own band, and pretends to be a substitute teacher at a private school full of wealthy and privileged kids when he pretends to be his substitute teacher roommate, who was really called on for the job. He has a big influence on the kids, and decides to teach them the only thing he knows—rock music. And eventually gets them into the "Battle of the Bands" competition at a chance to win $10,000. Jack Black delivered one of his best lead performances, and his interaction with all the kids was superb. The film has aged even better with time. Joan Cusack, Jordan-Claire Green, Miranda Cosgrove, Sarah Silverman, Mike White, and many others had very nice supporting roles.

Excellent music biography/crime drama from David Mamet which follows the 2010 murder case that finds revolutionary music producer Phil Spector the prime suspect of killing actress and model Lana Clarkson in his home, by sticking a gun in her mouth and pulling the trigger. Defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden is the one working the case for Spector, and finds many doubts in the possibility of Spector committing the murder, and fights for his freedom while the media and public is stirred into a major frenzy. Fascinating story all around with a great cast of actors. Al Pacino and Helen Mirren both deliver excellent and gripping lead performances. Jeffrey Tambor, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rebecca Pidgeon, John Pirruccello, James Tolkan, David Aaron Baker, Matt Malloy, and several others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent music-inspired drama about an abused, sex-crazed, drug-addicted nymphomaniac that is beaten and left for dead on the side of the road in a small town of rural Tennessee, when a religious bluesman finds her and decides to help her through deep psychological trauma and helps her move forward with her life, while simultaneously working out things in his own life. Both Ricci and Samuel L. Jackson both deliver excellent lead performances. Justin Timberlake, S. Epatha Merkerson, John Cothran, David Banner, Michael Raymond-James, Adriane Lenox, and Kim Richards had nice roles among a great supporting cast.

Hilarious nostalgic music inspired comedy/romance about a waitress and a singer who performs 1980s hits at a wedding venue they both work at. When both of them become engaged to different people, it becomes clear they're actually made for each other, through a string of comical situations. Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore prove to have nice chemistry together. They both deliver excellent lead performances. Christine Taylor, Allen Covert, Matthew Glave, Billy Idol, Ellen Albertini Dow, Angela Featherstone, Alexis Arquette, Christina Pickles, Frank Sivero, Steve Buscemi, and many others have great supporting roles.

Excellent music inspired Pixar comedy adventure that follows a New York middle-school band teacher who's dream of becoming a respected jazz musician never worked out. One day he's lucky enough to land a gig with an exceptional band at the Half Note Club, and the success of the show makes it a magical night for him. He leaves the club happy as can be, and suddenly falls into a manhole—which transports him to a strange realm between Earth and the afterlife—and learns what it means to have "Soul" in the process. Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey both delivered excellent lead voice performances. Angela Bassett, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Questlove, Daveed Diggs, and others had great supporting roles.

Excellent Day of the Dead music-inspired Pixar comedy adventure set in Guanajuato, Mexico, and follows a young boy named Miguel who wants nothing more than to be an extraordinary guitar palter and musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. However, his family has a mysterious historical ban on music which blocks his dreams. When an accident occurs on the Day of the Dead, Miguel is magically sent to the distant and Land of the Dead where he sets out to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer. Great story and great writing all around. One of the best Disney films. Anthony Gonzalez was great as Miguel. Gael García Bernal, Alanna Ubach, Renee Victor, Benjamin Bratt, Herbert Siguenza, Alfonso Arau, Jaime Camil, and others had great roles among a solid supporting cast.

Excellent coming-of-age music-inspired comedy drama from Allan Moyle set in an ordinary and uneventful suburb of Phoenix, and follows a recluse high school student named Mark Hunter who recently moved to town, has trouble socializing with his peers, and consequently has no friends. Instead, he broadcasts an underground FM pirate radio station from his parents’ basement, which captures the distress and struggles his peers and all teenagers go through as they make they make their way through their high school years. He lets his true colors fly as his sex-crazed music-loving maniacal character “Happy Harry Hard-on” as he faces a potential love interest, the school faculty and FCC trying to uncover his identity and shut him down, and a variety of other challenges. Great story all around with some powerful messages, great dialogue, and excellent music from the era. Christian Slater delivers one of his very best lead performances. Samantha Mathis also had a great starring role. Cheryl Pollak, Annie Ross, Andy Romano, Ellen Greene, Billy Morrissette, Lala Sloatman, Holly Sampson, Seth Green, Mimi Kennedy, Scott Paulin, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent coming-of-age romantic drama/musical from Vincente Minnelli set over the Christmas holiday season in 1903 St. Louis, Missouri. The story follows the 17-year-old daughter of the loving Smith family, Esther, who’s very supportive of her 19-year-old sister Rose’s romantic life, and the possibility of her becoming engaged to be married soon. Meanwhile, Esther falls deeply in love with her next door neighbor John Truett, as other heartwarming storylines are populated with mother Ann, her 7-year-old sister Tootie, her brother Lon Jr., her Grandpa, and their wise-cracking maid Katie. Drama enters the picture when her father Alonzo gets a big promotion at work, which threatens to move the entire family to New York after their Christmas holiday. The Oscar-nominated screenplay and superb direction also boasts a delightful Oscar-nominated musical score, and an epic big-budget production with gorgeous Oscar-nominated cinematography and a beautifully vibrant color picture. Judy Garland delivered an excellent lead performance. Lucille Bremer, Mary Astor, Margaret O'Brien (winning the Academy Award for best child actor), and Leon Ames also delivered excellent starring roles. Tom Drake, Marjorie Main, Harry Davenport, and others also had great supporting roles.

Hilarious music-inspired comedy that appears to be a be a biography of music-comedian extraordinaire 'Weird Al' Yankovic; when it's actual exactly what we should expect from Al—a hilarious spoof on your typical star biopic, that runs a completely fictional storyline. I certainly wasn't expecting that direction, but it succeeded beautifully. The story and acting was great throughout. Daniel Radcliffe delivered a great lead performance as Weird Al. Rainn Wilson, Evan Rachel Wood, Julianne Nicholson, Richard Aaron Anderson, Toby Huss, Tommy O'Brien, Jack Black, 'Weird Al' Yankovic himself, and many others had great supporting roles.

Excellent biography/musical from Michael Curtiz that follows the life of renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer, and singer, George M. Cohan (1978–1942). The story starts with his early childhood years, as he performed part of the vaudeville act “The Four Cohans” with his parents and sister from 1890 to 1901. By 1904, Cohan had wrote, produced, and starred in his first musical entitled “Little Johnny Jones”. But his biggest achievement may have come later in his life, when he received the Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions to World War I morale in 1940. This film was excellent all around, and it would rank higher if I was actually fond of musicals. Nevertheless, I watched the film because James Cagney is one of my favorite actors, and his acting, singing, and dancing was absolutely phenomenal. He was perfect for the role, and definitely deserved the Oscar he won for it. The beautiful production was also highlighted with Oscar wins for best sound and best music scoring from Ray Heindorf and Heinz Roemheld; and received Oscar nominations for best picture of 1943, best direction from Michael Curtiz, best screenplay from Robert Buckner, and best film editing. Joan Leslie, Walter Huston (Oscar-nominated), Richard Whorf, Irene Manning, Rosemary DeCamp, Jeanne Cagney, S.Z. Sakall, and others also had great supporting roles.

Great 80s hip-hop inspired comedy drama from Michael Schultz that's based on the early days of the highly influential hip-hop and R&B label, Def Jam Recordings. The story follows manager Russell Walker as he's signing all the early rap artists like Run-D.M.C., Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and Kurtis Blow, with Rick Rubin handling the production. Being in the early stages of business, trouble comes into play when Russell doesn't have money to press the records, and instead borrows the money from a local street hustler. Sheila E., LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, New Edition, The Fat Boys, Chaka Khan, Debbie Harry, The Gap Band, and Full Force also make appearances. Great material for old-school hip-hop fans. Blair Underwood, Russell Simmons, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Richard Gant all had great performances along with the aforementioned musical acts/artists.

Superb documentary about the invention and history of turntablism. It's mainly centered around hip-hop DJs, and how many have re-invented the game when it comes to scratching, beat-juggling, and creative production. Great interviews and commentary from several legends of the game. DJ Q-bert, Rob Swift and the X-ecutioners, Steve Dee, Cut Chemist and NuMark (of Jurassic 5), DJ Craze, The Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters, The Beat Junkies (including Babu of Dilated Peoples), Z-trip, DJ Premier (Gang Starr), DJ Swamp (Beck), MixMasterMike (Beastie Boys), Jazzy Jay, GrandWizard Theodore, and many other legends weigh in on the topic.

Hilarious comedy from mockumentary greats Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy. The story is set in the fictional town of Blaine, Missouri, and follows an extremely eccentric aspiring director and a lackluster amateur acting cast setting up production on a musical chronicling the town's history titled “Red, White and Blaine”, to celebrate the town’s 150th-anniversary. It’s an exciting event, since a representative from the New York based Oppenheimer Organization is in attendance, and they have a chance to take their play to Broadway. Clever story all around with a perfect unconventional cast. The documentary style mockumentary setup is top notch like you’d expect from Guest. I would rate this film higher if I were more into musicals and the subject matter. Christopher Guest delivers one of his best lead performances and was perfect for the part. Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara, and Parker Posey also had excellent starring roles. Bob Balaban, Linda Kash, Lewis Arquette, Matt Keeslar, Michael Hitchcock, Larry Miller, David Cross, Brian Doyle-Murray, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent hip-hop inspired crime drama that follows a Memphis pimp in his 40s who's running out of time to do something worthwhile with life, and decides to channel his effort to become a rapper with the help of a his friends and prostitutes. The direction of the music is pure southern crunk bangers with conscious street raps, which is done very well, even if it isn't my favorite style of hip-hop. Terrence Howard delvers an excellent a complex real-life portrayal of a hustler and pimp. Easily the best role I've seen from him. Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson, DJ Qualls, Ludacris, Paula Jai Parker, Elise Neal, and Isaac Hayes all have very nice roles among the supporting cast.

Great music inspired crime drama from Robert Altman set in 1930s Kansas City, and follows a brash woman named Blondie O'Hara whose husband Johnny makes a mess of robbing some black folks that are connected to a black mob kingpin named Seldom Seen, and is subsequently kidnapped by Seen’s men. Blondie springs into action and kidnaps the unstable wife of a powerful politician, and holds her for ransom until her people are able to help her husband Johnny escape from Seen’s captors. Solid story overall, and the film really excels at infusing great music from a slew of young musicians playing throwback 1930s style jazz and covers. It gave the film a great feel and ambiance throughout. Jennifer Jason Leigh delivered a great and lead performance. Miranda Richardson, Harry Belafonte, Dermot Mulroney, Steve Buscemi, Michael Murphy, Brooke Smith, Jane Adams, and others had nice roles among a solid supporting cast.

Excellent live concert from alternative pop/rock band Ben Folds Five recorded on June 9, 1997, for the Sessions at West 54th American television program set in Manhattan, New York. Their 1995 self-titled debut and Whatever and Ever Amen (1997) were their only albums released at the time, and they are easily two of my favorite albums of the 1990s. That alone makes this set very appealing to me. The setting is intimate and the sound engineering is clear as a bell. Fantastic cuts like "Battle of Who Could Care Less”, "Brick”, "Steven's Last Night in Town”, "Smoke”, "Philosophy”, "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces”, "Underground”, and "Song for the Dumped" are just as good, and possibly rival the studio cuts of the originals. The DVD also contains some documentary material, and it’s a solid package overall. Ben Folds fans can’t miss with this release.

Excellent live concert and partial documentary that looks back on the Jimi Hendrix led Band of Gypsys concerts held at the Fillmore East, New York City, from December 31, 1969 to January 1, 1970. This is the only know footage of the band in concert, as Jimi died later in the year and did not get enough time with the band. Due to that fact, the footage of the concert isn’t the best, but the DVD remasters it nicely and makes it an engaging set overall. What can I say about the music? It’s my favorite Jimi Hendrix material of all time, and I wish I could have heard him explore more of this side of his music. The documentary material is also solid. Viewers will be left wanting higher quality, but it is still an impressive piece of rock history and a DVD that I have watched a good handful of time and still enjoy.

Excellent music documentary on the now defunct independent hip-hop record label, Definitive Jux (1999–2010). Underground rap/hip-hop was taking the world by storm in the early 2000s, and Def Jux was on the top of their game, releasing abstract hip-hop classics like “ Aesop Rock – Labor Days” (2001), “Cannibal Ox – The Cold Vein” (2001), “El-P – Fantastic Damage” (2002), “Mr. Lif – I Phantom” (2002), “Murs – The End of the Beginning” (2003), “The Perceptionists – Black Dialogue” (2005), and many more. The label is founded by Jaime "El-P" Meline (who’s gone on to have much more fame with Killer Mike on the Run The Jewels albums), who waxes philosophical on his brand of hip-hop and the climate of the genre, along with Vast Aire and Vordul Megilah (Cannibal Ox), Mr. Lif, Cage, Copywrite, Aesop Rock, C-Rayz Walz, RJD2, and more. Excellent behind the scenes interviews, performances, and some great music videos (see Murs "Risky Business”) make this a very worthwhile ride for and Def Jux or underground hip-hop fan. This was definitely one of my favorite DVDs back when I was a massive Def Jux fanboy.

Excellent concert film from the groundbreaking English progressive rock band Yes. The set was recorded at Rainbow Theatre, London, December 15–16, 1972. Yes was at the height of their creative talents at this time, having just created their all-time best album, Close to the Edge (1972). The film is short, but the set list is excellent. Classic long-cuts like “I’ve Seen All Good People”, "And You and I”, and "Roundabout" are included. But the star of the show is the 20-minute 4-part epic “Close to the Edge" title track, which was my main reason for watching the film. The sound quality is what I expected for a 1970s release, which is not even close to the CD quality. However, I watched this to see their performances and the way they improvise on stage. After being lucky enough to see Yes perform live in 2003 and hearing them play all of these cuts, it was very cool to see the 1972 version of these performances. Great film for Yes fans.

Excellent live concert from Joe Escalante that presents a live Zebrahead show recorded at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California, October 21, 2003. Zebrahead is one of the most underrated punk metal bands of the late 1990s/early 2000s. Unlike so many of their counterparts, they had a lot of music talent. This show is mainly a release party for they 2003 album “MFZB” and all the material is excellent since they have only released their first 3 and best albums at this time. They put on a solid 20-song set, and the DVD also includes band commentary, extra footage (off the stage), 5.1 surround sound, and multi-angle camera shots. Zebrahead fans will walk away knowing these can create all the great sound the make in the studio, live on stage. Great little forgotten concert DVD.

Great music comedy drama written, directed by, and starring Tom Hanks. The story is set in 1964, and follows an early rock and roll band from Erie, Pennsylvania, that scores a huge #1 hit single called “That Thing You Do!”. After getting massive radio airplay, they eventually sign a deal with Play-Tone Records by an A&R representative named Mr. White, who renames the band “The Wonders”. The film covers their massive success, which comes with large egos and arguments about creative control. They are seemingly on top of the world, but all that will change if their narcissism messes with the formula. Very nice story all around with great production design and music. While we do hear the same hit song over and over again, that is the point of the film (although it can get a bit monotonous). Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Steve Zahn, Johnathon Schaech, Tom Hanks, and Ethan Embry had excellent starring performances. Charlize Theron, Giovanni Ribisi, Bill Cobbs, Chris Ellis, Chris Isaak, Kevin Pollak, Bryan Cranston, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

Very nice music biopic on the life of The Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Christopher Wallace)—who was brought up in a rough are of Brooklyn (New York) with a broken family, and lands himself in jail for hustling and dealing drugs early on in life. After meeting Puff Daddy and learning he has a promising and marketable talent, he emerges as one of the most skillful and top rappers in the world with his 1994 debut. It also follows the friendship-turned-feud he had with west coast rapper 2Pac and his manager Suge Knight, which is met with deadly results. Jamal Woolard delivered a great lead performance as Biggie. Derek Luke, Angela Bassett, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Naturi Naughton, and others had very nice supporting roles.

Very funny crime and music-inspired comedy from Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker (creators of Airplane!) that follows an American rock star named Nick Rivers who travels to East Germany to perform at a festival, and later hooks up with a resistance movement to rescue a brilliant scientist who is being held in prison. Very nice story with plenty of very clever comedy throughout. The film mainly spoofs Elvis and World War II films. It's an ambitious role for Val Kilmer, and he delivers an excellent lead performance, especially for being his very first film. Lucy Gutteridge and Omar Sharif also had great starring roles. Michael Gough, Jeremy Kemp, Ian McNeice, Warren Clarke, Billy J. Mitchell, John J. Carney, Orla Pederson, Peter Cushing, and many others had very nice supporting roles.

Great music-inspired comedy from Jason Moore that follows an aspiring music producer and freshman at Barden College named Beca, who's only attending because her father (also a Barden professor) is paying her way so she can see how great college can be. He quickly pushes her to join an extracurricular activity, and she chooses to join the all-girls a cappella singing group named The Barden Bellas. The mismatched group face several hilarious debacles as they work their way to becoming champions of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella competition. The story was very funny and the cast delivered great performances, but I personally didn't care for 90% of the music. If I had, this movie would be rated higher. It's definitely a film for those of a younger generation who are mainly into pop music. Anna Kendrick delivered an excellent lead performance. Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Alexis Knapp, Skylar Astin, Adam Devine, Ben Platt, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee, Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins, and others also had great roles.

Hilarious music comedy and another great mockumentary from Christopher Guest. The story surrounds the reunion of 1960s folk trio "The Folksmen" as they assemble a show at New York City's Town Hall with Mitch and Mickey, and The New Main Street Singers, to pay homage to a recently deceased concert promoter. As usual, it's very cleverly written and acted throughout. Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Catherine O'Hara, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, John Michael Higgins, Bob Balaban, Paul Dooley, Jim Ortlieb, and many others had nice performances throughout. I would like this movie more if I were more into folk music.

Very funny music-inspired comedy that follows Jack Black and Kyle Gass (JB & KG) as they form their band Tenacious D, and embark on an adventure to find the renowned Guitar Pick Of Destiny. It's a silly story, but JB & KG undoubtedly have great comedic chemistry, and it was refreshing to see such a unique film that is clear they had a ton of fun creating. Even some nice cameos from Amy Poehler, Tim Robbins, Dave Grohl, and Ben Stiller (among others) help elevate the film. Great for fans of Tenacious D.

Solid sequel to the classic SNL original from 1992. This time Stephen Surjik handles the direction, and follows Wayne and Garth after moving out of their childhood homes, and now hosting their show from an abandoned factory. After going to an Aerosmith concert and Wayne having a vision of Jim Morrison, they are inspired to organize and huge rock festival and call it "Waynestock". Many troubles come into play, while Wayne must also fight off another record producer that's after his girl, Cassandra. While nothing about this story is as good as the first film, it's still plenty of fun and has plenty of qualities that make it a fine film. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey delivered great lead performances as usual. Christopher Walken and Tia Carrere also had very nice starring roles. Kim Basinger, Chris Farley, Ralph Brown, James Hong, Steven Tyler, Lee Tergesen, Heather Locklear, Michael A. Nickles, Kevin Pollak, Olivia d'Abo, Drew Barrymore, Ed O'Neill, and many others had very nice supporting roles.

Fun 80s hip-hop flavored comedy from Reginald Hudlin that follows a high-schooler named Christopher "Kid" Robinson Jr. who decides to go to his buddy Peter "Play" Martin's house for a party while his parents are on vacation. Tension comes into play when the school bully Stab and his brothers Pee-Wee and Zilla show up to teach him a lesson after an altercation earlier in the day. The story and characters were a lot of fun all around, with some undoubtedly great music involved. Christopher Reid and Christopher Martin delivered great lead performances, with Robin Harris, Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, A.J. Johnson, Paul Anthony, Bowlegged Lou, B-Fine, Kelly Jo Minter, Clifton Powell, Desi Arnez Hines II, Mike Pniewski, and plenty others delivering nice supporting roles.

Very nice comedy/drama/musical from Spike Lee that follows many different students of the African-American university Mission College in Georgia. From bizarre fraternities to pro-black revolutionaries, the story finds them all struggling to find their identities. I'm not that into musicals, so this one fell a point shy for me, even though there is some great signature dialogue and stirring controversy that Spike Lee is known for throughout the picture. And as usual, it is uncompromisingly radical and unique in its approach. Laurence Fishburne and Giancarlo Esposito both delivered very nice lead performances. Tisha Campbell, Kyme, Spike Lee, Bill Nunn, Joe Seneca, Ossie Davis, Roger Guenveur Smith, and many others also had nice supporting roles throughout.

Hilarious comedy based on the original Saturday Night Live sketches starting in 1996. Nice story about two foolish brothers who are all about the late-night club life, and dream of running the coolest and most exclusive in town, since they are often turned down at all the most glamorous clubs in town. Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan both delivered great lead performances just like the classic sketches. Molly Shannon, Dan Hedaya, Loni Anderson, Jennifer Coolidge, Michael Clarke Duncan, and plenty others have nice supporting roles.

Very funny music comedy/mockumentary that follows pop and rap star conner4real as he strives to be relevant again after his new solo album bombs. He's willing to do just about anything, except what all the fans want—for him to reunite with his former crew, "The Style Boyz". Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer all deliver great lead performances. Sarah Silverman, Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph, Chris Redd, and many others had very nice supporting roles.

Very interesting biography and music drama that follows the life of famed piano rock 'n' roll star Jerry Lee Lewis (1935–2022). The story is set mainly set in 1956, and follows his break into show business, creating a signature rock sound, and faces questions of morality from religious folks; especially after his scandalous marriage to his 13-year-old cousin. Nicely done story all around and really speaks of the times of the south in the 1950s. Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder and very nice lead performances. John Doe, Stephen Tobolowsky, Trey Wilson, Alec Baldwin, Steve Allen, Lisa Blount, and others also had nice supporting roles.

Very nice music-inspired comedy adventure from John Landis that follows a man named Jake Blues, who gets released from a 3-year prison sentence, meets up with his brother Elwood, and heads out to meet Sister Mary Stigmata, who's the last remaining nun that raised them at the Catholic orphanage they grew up in. They learn that it will close in 11 days if $5,000 in back property taxes aren't paid, so they set out to reform their R&B band and book a gig that can save the orphanage. While being an iconic film for Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi—and often hailed as the very best Saturday Night Live movie of all time—it simply doesn't do much for me even though I love the cast involved. It's well done, just not really my thing.

Great showbiz/music-inspired drama/thriller from Mick Jackson that follows a tremendously popular Academy Award-nominated actress, musician, and singer named Rachel Marron who begins receiving death threats from a clever and maniacal stalker, and hires a professional bodyguard named Frank Farmer on the advice of her manager. Frank is a former Secret Service agent who served under presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and upholds an efficiently uptight level of security that quickly aggravates Rachel, her family, and crew. However, his far-reaching methods soon become necessary when her stalker attempts to murder her and her son. Entertaining by-the-book thriller all around, but not one of the finer thrillers of the 90s. Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston both delivered great lead performances and were very nice together on screen, and the Oscar-nominated soundtrack was also excellent. Bill Cobbs, Gary Kemp, Tomas Arana, Mike Starr, Michele Lamar Richards, DeVaughn Nixon, and others also had very nice supporting roles.

This music biopic may be a little hard to track down since it was a TV movie, but I saw it a couple of times back in the day on VH1, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and learned a lot about the life of legendary rock musician Meat Loaf—from his humble beginnings to his massive success. W. Earl Brown had a nice lead performance among a solid supporting cast.

Very nice biopic on the life of American R&B and Jazz singer Miki Howard. The story starts off with her being kicked out of her home by her mother after accusing her of being a slut. After struggling more with home issues, she eventually hooks up with R&B group Side Effect singer and producer Augie Johnson, which brings her early success. After branching out and reaching major success on the charts, a turbulent portion of her life comes into play with failed relationships, and abusive husband, and drug addiction. And after things really fall apart, she's left to reignite her career independently, while also providing for her children. The production value of the film could have been better, and some spots are pretty rocky, but Teyonah Parris delivered an excellent and complex lead performance, which is the reason I watched the film. Amari Cheatom, Darius McCrary, Milini Khan, Gary Dourdan, LisaRaye McCoy, and others also had nice supporting roles.

Very nice tripped-out animated psychedelic heavy metal adventure from a team of well-known animators and directors. The story follows a radiate green orb from deep space known as Loc-Nar. The orb contains ultimate evil, and starts wreaking havoc throughout the galaxy, and makes it way to Earth. A female warrior known as Taarna may be the only one that can Loc-Nar and bring peace to the universe. The story is nice and the animation is great. John Candy, Eugene Levy, Richard Romanus, Don Francks, Susan Roman, Harold Ramis, and several others had great voice performances. All in all, this film really excellent with music from Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Devo, Donald Fagen, Don Felder, Grand Funk Railroad, Sammy Hagar, Journey, Nazareth, Stevie Nicks, and others.

Great gospel music inspired crime comedy from Emile Ardolino that follows a vibrant nightclub singer named Deloris Wilson who witnesses her lover Vince LaRocca killing one of his employees in the club she works at. She flees and ends up being hidden in a church convent as part of the witness protection program, where she poses as a nun and inspires the rest of the nuns to be Motown style singers to attract more visitors. They end up being a hit and filling the church pews, which puts them all at risk when Vince learns of Deloris' whereabouts. Solid story with great music. I liked this film a lot as a kid, but not quite as much as an adult. Whoopi Goldberg delivers one of her best lead performances. Harvey Keitel, Bill Nunn, Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy, Wendy Makkena, Mary Wickes, and plenty others had very nice performances.

Bizarre musical fantasy drama from Ken Russell and The Who, which is a rock opera of the renowned English rock band The Who’s classic 1969 album, “Tommy”. After seeing tons of films about music, this one really missed the mark for me. While I’m a big fan of the album, nothing about the “rock opera” format was doing for me. The production design and choreography was impressive. I did enjoy Elton John and Marilyn Monroe parts the most out of an impressively large supporting cast of stars like Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, and Jack Nicholson. Perhaps rock operas were popular at one time in our history, but I’d have to say this turned out pretty cheesy in my book. Possibly good material for hardcore fans of The Who, but I can’t imagine this has aged well in the eye of many classic rock lovers.