Best Rock Flick Ever?

Don't Look Back? The Last Waltz? Purple Rain?

Rock 'N' Roll High School? (Surely we have some filthy P.J. Soles fans in this crew.) Stop Making Sense? Heavy Metal?

Saw a press screening yesterday of Neil Young: Heart of Gold, the mesmerizing new concert flick by Jonathan Demme, a guy who knows a thing or two about music in movies and movies about music. It's good stuff, a cleverly crafted film that'll work for both Neil Young fans and, say, my mother, strictly a Neil Diamond fan.

Anyway, made me start thinking about other classic concert and rock movies. It also made me start thinking about Appollonia.

So let's hear it: What's your favorite rock movie?

School of Rock? Spinal Tap? Rocky Horror?

Xanadu? A Hard Day's Night? Jailhouse Rock?

Clambake?

Comments

[Guy]

Under the Cherry Moon. Sure, Purple Rain gets all the props, but this overlooked gem from the Prince canon did not deserve the fate bestowed upon it by the fickle movie-going public.

[chilledbongo]

ill be looking for the neil young film, provided it even plays locally.meanwhile, though it has its dated moments, theres still nothing quite like 'a hard days night.' timeless.

[Sean Daly]

Good to have you back, CB. And indeed, "Heart of Gold" opens this Friday at the Tampa Theatre. Of course, seeing as how TB is a cinematic backwater -- and seeing as New York is 10 years ahead -- Demme's flick has been out for ages most everywhere else.More rock flicks:"The Rutles""Madonna: Truth or Dare""Rock Around the Clock"Thinking outside the box, we'll even accept "Eddie and the Cruisers."

[Rick Gershman]

Yeah, I can't wait to see the Neil Young fan, especially because I love almost everything Demme does, Stop Making Sense in particular (though honestly, The Truth About Charlie blew).Best rock film of all time is a damn hard call, and contrarian that I am, I have to go with Spinal Tap.It's still insanely funny after all these years, one of the most quotable films of all time, and yet it's so oddly true-to-life that most of the original test screening audiences thought it was an actual documentary about an actual band.How they didn't recognize Lenny I'll never know.Plus, the songs actually are good. Well, okay, entertaining might be a better word than good. But who doesn't love Big Bottom? (Talk about mud flaps, my girl's got 'em...)

[Rick Gershman]

Uh, I meant Demme "film," of course. Really have to lay off the paint thinner so early in the.... afternoon? When did it get to be afternoon?

[Sparky]

No commentary about this topic could leave off the best of the best: Spinal Tap.

[P-Train]

Don't forget my favorite:"The Decline of Western Civilization: The Metal Years"(do I have the title right?)For anyone who's seen it, you will recall:"Odin! Odin!"Man, whatever happened to Odin?I don't know where you could find this movie, but it would be awesome to see again now.I also love Spinal Tap:"HELLO CLEVELAND!!!"And thirdly, I love Appolonia.Not exactly my thing, but has anyone mentioned "The Band" concert film...what's the name again? It escapes me.And of course, it's a no brainer, but "Woodstock".

[Sean Daly]

"Decline of Western Civilization"!! Brilliant. The best scene is Ozzy trying to make breakfast. He's splashing orange juice all over the kitchen. I also recall the dude from W.A.S.P. (?) on a raft in his pool. He has all his clothes on and his mother is talking to him. Did I dream that? Crazy heavy-metal bastards.The Band movie is Scorsese's "The Last Waltz." Rhino released a box-set tie-in a few years ago. Check it out.

[Sparky]

Two good movies The Buddy Holly Story shows the story about of one of Rock and Roll's pioneers.Another is Dead Man's Curve the story of Jan & Dean who were equals to The Beach Boys.

[Sean Daly]

Gary Busey in "Buddy Holly." Good one, Spark. Because this is a Los Lobos-friendly site, I'll also toss "La Bamba" in the mix.Am I the only person with fond memories of P.J. Soles' shower scene in "Rock N Roll High School"? Much more enjoyable than her nude meeting with Michael Myers in "Halloween."

[Sean Daly]

"Tommy" "Festival Express" "Hedwig and the Angry Inch""Gimme Shelter""I Just Wasn't Made for These Times""The Commitments"

[Sean Daly]

"American Graffiti""Head""The Blues Brothers""Josie and the Pussycats""Hard to Hold" (Rick Springfield alert!)

[Sean Daly]

"Rock Star""Some Kind of Monster""The Girl Can't Help It""Grace of My Heart"Discuss...

[Guy]

Does "The Wiz" count?

[Sparky]

Josie and the Pussycats. Great cartoon awful movie.And Guy, who could forget Nipsy Russell in the Wiz!

[Sean Daly]

Heck yeah "The Wiz" counts.As do: "Concert for Bangladesh""No Nukes""Urban Cowboy" (country division)

[sparky]

"The Jazz Singer"

[Chase Squires]

The Wall

[Anonymous]

Quadrophenia

[Anonymous]

Quadrophenia

[sparky]

Rattle and Hum

[lockBull]

From the Punk world"Rude Boy" - The Clash"The Great Rock and Roll Swindle" -Sex PistolsThe original "Decline of Western Civilization" - with Black Flag (pre Rollins) Fear, Circle Jerks"The Year Punk Broke" - Nirvana, Sonic Youth, et al."We Jam Econo" - The Minutemen (Recently at the SPOT of Tampa)"URGH! A Music War" - (more New Wave than anything), UB40, Squeeze...Of course no moment in any of these movies comes close to Spinal Tap playing "Big Bottom"...

[Anonymous]

You only mentioned one of the Beatles flix - "Help" and the animated "Yellow Submarine" are two more. Another rock flick is Led Zeppelin in "The Song Remains the Same."

[Sean Daly]

Good lord, I can't believe we went that long without a mention of "The Wall." I consider that good news.Figures it'd be Squires who chirped up. Little known fact: The Times TV critic has a tattoo of "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" on his butt.Hey Chase, maybe you could post of a picture of THAT on your blog.

[Chase Squires]

Uh, yeah. Actually funny story, I do have a tattoo on my derrier ... I pasted here on the right ... what do you think?

[dingle_berry]

"Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park"Kiss had special powers they used to battle the evil amusement park phantom. I think Paul's special powers were shitting rose petals out his corn hole. Paul's gotta be a turd burglar, right? And Peter Chris was such a drug bag they had to have an actor dub his lines. It was a bad dub, like Kung-Fu movie bad.God Bless Rock N' Roll!

[lilbrianorloff]

oh, hands down:"Stop Making Sense." i mean, that suit, come on.

[Rick Gershman]

Geez, 27 friggin' comments! And like 23 of them are from Daly!...Man, that guy likes to hear himself talk.Huh... reminds me of somebody...Oh, come on. I actually worked the phrase "filleted penises" into a blog entry. Gotta get some eyeballs for that...Chase made me pee myself with that last comment. (Well, that's a perfectly believeable thing to blame it on, at least.)Oh, and Some Kind of Monster definitely deserves inclusion. Has anyone tossed in I Am Trying to Break Your Heart?I love films about the recording process... the Jay-Z flick Fade to Black had about 10 minutes of that. Should have been the whole film.

[Anonymous]

200 MotelsIt's the best music flick ever, if just for the music.

[Steve Spears]

Rock Star with Mark Wahlberg.Steel Dragon rules!

[SoManyJs]

"Who cries for the children? I do"...and with those words from Ronnie James Dio, so starts the single best music documentary of the past 30 years..."Hear N' Aid: The Sessions. The Making of the song 'Stars'"From the arrival of the metal elite including members of Dio, Dokken, and (what the?) Blue Oyster Cult (in fact, shouldn't a few of them of have been worried when the Spinal Tap actors showed up in costume)...to Ronnie's James criticism of Don Dokken's fairy voice....to the 32 minute guitar solo featuring every "guitar face" imaginable (and that's only when the guitarists are watching Yngwie J. Malmsteen), this is the quintessential music video to which all videos should be judged.Relive the heartwrenching video here...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue1gFitEDVE...and wonder if the Nuge today wishes he had spent that weekend hunting.

[Anonymous]

What?! No mention of "No Direction Home"? Lots of other great rock movies listed here, but the best IMHO is the Scorcese/Dylan masterpiece.

[chilledbongo]

all this blather, and no one mentions the greatest rock movie of all time.....hasnt anyone ever seen woodstock?

[Tonka]

What about "Detroit Rock City" or "School of Rock." The extra's on "School of Rock," when Jack Black and the fans literally beg Led Zeppelin to let them use "Immigrant Song" is awesome! And I thought "Detroit Rock City" was a good, fun movie.

[Sean Daly]

Now it's getting good. Check out these dregs:1978's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" starring...the Bee Gees.Trivia Time: Who played Billy Shears?My brain also coughed up this cinematic furball:1982's "The Pirate Movie" starring...Christopher Atkins and Kristy McNichol.The tagline to "The Pirate Movie"?"Buckle Your Swash and Jolly Your Roger for the Funniest Rock 'N Rollickin' Adventure Ever!"Good lord, it's a wonder we made it this far.

[james]

"TRIBUTE"doco about small-town tribute bands.http://www.tributethemovie.com/Cheap costumery, crushing existentialism, a black Paul Stanley.and of course the great Justine Bateman Trilogy. Well it should be a trilogy, but theyve only made 1 so far:"Satisfaction"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096037/

[cornonmylip]

As a big Zep fan, it would be easy to say, "The Song Remains the Same", but the fantasy sequences are a bit cheesy and the music is solid, not their best. I love "Spinal Tap" (I call it "Lick My Love Pump")and "School of Rock" for laughs, but am a big fan of " The Wall" by Floyd. Great concept album and the movie perfectly captures the mood of the album. Great to watch late at night after a party.

[KC]

Hi SeanI didn't see Grease or Grease 2. Two of my favorites are Evita (I know, I know) and Moulan Rouge.

[Sean Daly]

Nice work, KC. You managed to reference a movie starring Adrian Zmed, which is always cause for celebration in these parts.Oh, and thanks to you, too, Cornonmylip. We're looking forward to your comments when we host the "Nicest Rock Star in Bed" poll question.

[KC]

So you've seen them? My husband (who you know rather well) refuses to see Grease, much less Grease 2. He also refuses to see Dirty Dancing and Footloose!! Can you imagine?

[P-Train]

Nice Daly...The "Sgt. Peppers" movie...I was too young to realize how much that movie sucked...I LOVED IT.And, I should add, I was officially seduced by Rock n Roll when they showed Aerosmith play "Come Together". I believe in the movie they were called the "Future Villains"?? How cool.That was the moment I wanted to pick up a guitar, and try to be the next Steel Dragon.SomanyJ's - Nice nod to the "Stars" documentary. "We are magic in the night, we are shadow, we are light...We're STARS!!"

[P-Train]

Daly - You did not dream it...in "The Decline of Western Civilization...Metal years", the guitarist from WASP, Chris Holmes, floats around his pool on a raft pouring vodka down his gullet, straight from the bottle...while his mother looks on in disappointment. That's an F'n movie. I better get on E-Bay and find a copy.

[Sean Daly]

Speaking of your husband, KC: I was never quite sure why he's so proud of his "No Grease" rule. There's a lot to gain from the wisdom of Kenickie.(Zmed AND Kenickie mentioned in the same blog? It's like like Hailey's Comet!)

[Anonymous]

"Hard to Hold," with Rick Springfield and ... well, Rick Springfield.

[sparky]

DalyAnswer to the trivia question - Who is Peter Frampton?Can I have Obscure & Useless Information for $400? Alex

[Guy]

Looks like a record-breaker, Daly, although not if we subtract your 20 posts. All we need is for your old pal Ramo to post and we can shut this down.Can't believe no one suggested "Pure Country." Sure, the script is cliche and George Strait exudes the charisma of a stone, but the soundtrack is Desert Island Disc-quality.

[Anonymous]

Come on, where's Led Zeppelin The Song Remains The Same.That ROCKS!!!Or the 2 disc Led Zeppelin DVD.

[allie]

oh seanie boy... you asked for it. school of rock, phantom of the opera, hairspray, moulin rouge, rocky horror, but the best is that thing you do. come on liv tyler in the 60's. plus the guy who plays guy just plays the drums so darn well. sooo good. love that movie. too bad spamalot's not a movie, because if it was, then i'd pretty much be obsessed with it.

[SoManyJs]

How have we gone almost 50 posts (almost 10 if you elimate Daly's submissions)....and nobody has mentioned the second best rock movie of all-time (next to Hear N' Aid: The Sessions. The Making of the Song 'Stars')......"Heavy Metal Parking Lot"!"Robert Halford, I don't know about you, but the rest of you are dynamite." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es7Q99agHEg&search=Heavy%20Metal%20Parking%20Lothttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTWJQwO9DPg&search=Heavy%20Metal%20Parking%20Lot

[Chase Squires]

Anonymous wrote: "What?! No mention of "No Direction Home"? Lots of other great rock movies listed here, but the best IMHO is the Scorcese/Dylan masterpiece."---- Huh? That think STUNK.

[Guy]

How about the Doors movie? While the band itself tops any and all "Most Over-rated" lists, Val Kilmer channels the spirit of Morrison. Kudos to Oliver Stone for getting Meg Ryan to reveal her womanly charms.

[smfoy]

These postings remind me of the near-sightedness of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame selection committee. How is it that in some 50-odd postings, not one mentions Yessongs? This movie of live concert footage from the most legendary progressive rock band ever was the first of its kind, and the best! This band spans 36 years of musical virtuosity and is constantly overlooked! Roundabout, Close To The Edge, All Good People, Owner of a Lonely Heart - you all know the songs! Why the ignorance?

[lordrunningclam]

Breaking GlassI don't even remember the name of the band or the star of this movie, but it was a great study of the rise and fall of a band with good original music.

[Six]

Not exactly my thing, but has anyone mentioned "The Band" concert film...what's the name again? It escapes me.The Band's film is "The Last Waltz". Sparky said......The Buddy Holly Story shows the story about of one of Rock and Roll's pioneers.Yeah, I'm gonna go with the Sparkster and vote for "The Buddy Holly Story" as my favorite. Busey did an awesome job at portraying Buddy Holly! He did a lot of the singing and the playing in that film and was GREAT, plus, he totally transformed himself to look like Buddy. Buddy didn't have those God-awful choppers, but Busey damn sure got the general look and the feel right. An underrated gem, in my opinion. "Spinal Tap" is by far the funniest parody of rock bands ever. I've watched that movie about 20 times!For other faves, I'm gonna go gay and choose:The Rocky Horror Picture ShowHedwig & the Angry InchLight of Day (because of Joan Jett - in case you didn't get the "gay" reference and because the guy from Spinal Tap was in it)lordrunningclam said...Breaking Glass - I don't even remember the name of the band or the star of this movie, but it was a great study of the rise and fall of a band with good original music. The star of that movie was Hazel O'Connor. Breaking Glass was a good, but not a great movie, IMHO. I generally tend to like punk rock movies, so she can stay. :)Other honorable mentions:Rock Star (kicka** soundtrack!)The Rose (hella good performance by Bette Midler)American Pop (an animated 80s flick - a must see!)

[Six]

sean daly said..."Tommy""Festival Express""Hedwig and the Angry Inch""Gimme Shelter""I Just Wasn't Made for These Times""The Commitments""American Graffiti""Head""The Blues Brothers""Josie and the Pussycats""Hard to Hold" (Rick Springfield alert!) These are all some great choices, Sean! I would've said "Hard to Hold" also, but I was afraid of being abused by the other posters. I'm surprised (and impressed) that you had the stones to list it. It's kind of a "girlie movie". Kudos! You're an enlightened man. ;DHere are some more good ones:Still CrazyAlmost FamousAnother Honorable Mention:Queen of the DamnedNot a rock movie, per se, but it had a GREAT soundtrack and a great scene where the lead singer, The Vampire Lestat, gets attacked on stage by vampires who've come to kill him for revealing vampire secrets to humans. Vampires, martial arts, and rock n' roll go together like popcorn, franks and soda!How could I have forgotten Woodstock? Slam that one down on the table for me, will ya?

[Sean Daly]

Damn, Six, you've taken the art of the "blog comment" to a whole new level. Nice work. By the way, the FF just thought of another rock movie: "Sugar Town." She says John-loving Duran Duran fans will know what she's talking about.

[ghoster111]

No contest- "Tommy," the rock opera featuring the Who. Oh, maybe there is some competition- Ken Russel's "Lisztomania," featuring the Who, or perhaps Frand Roddam's "Quadrophenia."If you haven't seen these, check'em out, you'll be stunned!Ghoster

[ghoster111]

No contest- "Tommy," the rock opera featuring the Who. Oh, maybe there is some competition- Ken Russel's "Lisztomania," featuring the Who, or perhaps Frand Roddam's "Quadrophenia."If you haven't seen these, check'em out, you'll be stunned!Ghoster

[Steve Spears]

Holy crap! I forgot all about Almost Famous. That is now my final answer. Also the answer to: What's Cameron Crowe's best movie? (Also the answer to: After which movie did Kate Hudson disappear from the face of the earth? At least as far as movie critics are concerned)

[Janet K. Keeler]

That makes two of us who saw Lisztomania. I've seen Tommy 20 times, 10 in the theater when it first came out. How about the Kids are Alright?Hedwig was a lousy movie. The musical is much, much better.

[Six]

Steve Spears said...Rock Star with Mark Wahlberg. Steel Dragon rules! *sings along with Steve*Risk my soul, test my lifeFor my breadSpend my time lost in spaceAm I dead?So, let the river flowThrough my calloused handsAnd take me from my ownThe eyes of the damnedIt makes my stomach turnAnd it tears my flesh from the boneHow we turn a dream to stoneAnd we all die younnnnnnnng!!!!!!!!!!!

[Six]

Sean Daly said...Damn, Six, you've taken the art of the "blog comment" to a whole new level. Nice work.Why, thank you, Sean! *blushes*And does anybody remember these cult classics:Thunder Alley (1985)Phantom of the Paradise (1974)Cotton Candy (1978)

[Six]

Janet K. Keeler said...Hedwig was a lousy movie. The musical is much, much better. ...and cue the psuedo-intellectual.The play/book is always better than the movie... yada yada yada... ad nauseum.

[stpeteczar]

Loved "Rock and Roll High School", and now ...as we blog, Joey Ramones' twin - Howard Stern- is producing a remake. The question is(without knowing any details of the new versions content) what band will fill the filthy Chuck Taylors of the Ramones? Will it be a New Monkees version of Da Bruddas, or hopefully a band that is just bubbling under the radar? (Bubbling under the radar?)There's a blog topic for ya, mateys. (sorry...whenever I read "blog", I hear a very piratey "Aaargh!") My pick- MORNINGWOOD! Yes, the wonderfully monickered Morningwood, fronted by a chick that's just slutty and ballsy enough to fire up the teens and irk the living hell out the parents.