Movies About Music / Musicians

Alex-B-Broadway · 2012-07-07T16:22:36+00:00

A list of movies about music / musicians - some are concert films, some are straight documentaries and others are fiction. These are only the ones I've seen...

Movies About Music / Musicians

Bob-Dubery

V8 wrote: Black Snake Moan - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462200/ - One of my favourites, maybe because Samuel L Jackson is really playing guitar in this one ?

Some actors are musicians too. Bruce Willis and Russell Crowe both have bands. Johnny Depp and Stephen Segal are both good guitar players. Clint Eastwood is a very fine piano player.

And, these days, when the actor can't play he gets taught. The first instance of this I recall was the guys who acted in Olive Stone's "The Doors". They all got tuition so that the concert scenes would look realistic.

Nitebob

X-rated Bob wrote:
V8 wrote: Black Snake Moan - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462200/ - One of my favourites, maybe because Samuel L Jackson is really playing guitar in this one ?
Some actors are musicians too. Bruce Willis and Russell Crowe both have bands. Johnny Depp and Stephen Segal are both good guitar players. Clint Eastwood is a very fine piano player.

And, these days, when the actor can't play he gets taught. The first instance of this I recall was the guys who acted in Olive Stone's "The Doors". They all got tuition so that the concert scenes would look realistic.

Okay, but blues guitar isn't a easy thing to play. How can he just "learn to play" in a way it takes other people years to invest into? You think it was actual in depth learning and understanding, or "here's the lick, learn how to play it"?

Bob-Dubery

Nitebob wrote:
X-rated Bob wrote:
V8 wrote: Black Snake Moan - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462200/ - One of my favourites, maybe because Samuel L Jackson is really playing guitar in this one ?
Some actors are musicians too. Bruce Willis and Russell Crowe both have bands. Johnny Depp and Stephen Segal are both good guitar players. Clint Eastwood is a very fine piano player.

And, these days, when the actor can't play he gets taught. The first instance of this I recall was the guys who acted in Olive Stone's "The Doors". They all got tuition so that the concert scenes would look realistic.
Okay, but blues guitar isn't a easy thing to play. How can he just "learn to play" in a way it takes other people years to invest into? You think it was actual in depth learning and understanding, or "here's the lick, learn how to play it"?

Good questions.

Of course there is the possibility that Jackson, like Depp, who did his own guitar playing in the movie "Chocolat", is actually a good guitar player.

I don't know. They may not have to play entire songs. They may get taught specific parts for planned close up shops. The Commitments looked pretty real, but a lot of the playing was recorded by session musicians and a lot of the vocals were done by the actors but not in front of the cameras. They may not have to perform, just look like they are.

The publicity won't tell you this, so I'm guessing. The publicity will just say that so-and-so was taught such-and-such an instrument.

V8

X-rated Bob wrote:
V8 wrote: Black Snake Moan - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462200/ - One of my favourites, maybe because Samuel L Jackson is really playing guitar in this one ?
Some actors are musicians too. Bruce Willis and Russell Crowe both have bands. Johnny Depp and Stephen Segal are both good guitar players. Clint Eastwood is a very fine piano player.

Stephan Segal? Heh, would never have guessed - Didn't Tom Hanks have a band? I've seen footage of Steve Martin playing a banjo like a demon. It helps having multiple talents to call on in the entertainment industry - so much competition.

Nitebob wrote: Okay, but blues guitar isn't a easy thing to play. How can he just "learn to play" in a way it takes other people years to invest into? You think it was actual in depth learning and understanding, or "here's the lick, learn how to play it"?

I sat through the 'making of' - He did invest some time - apparently 8mths on the guitar alone and with his history & experience in the industry I reckon he knows a little bit about the blues which I thought he did express with some autheticity?

Alex-B-Broadway

Johnny Depp's a pretty decent player. He originally wanted to pursue music before he settled on acting, if I remember right.

I watched "When You're Strange" today, another documentary on The Doors. Here's the Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_You%27re_Strange

jt

How Music Works with Howard Goodall

great little 3 part series, i found it very informative. There are some other series by him that I am yet to watch.

Shibbibilybob

Metalocalypse ?

Doomsower

What, no one mentioned the mighty Electric Apricot ?
=

On a more serious note there is Heavy Metal in Baghdad

It's a pretty sad film but also really inspirational, especially looking at what happened after the film.

doc-phil

Shibbibilybob wrote: Metalocalypse ?

+1... best thing Adult Swim has ever aired. The Klok Opera was also fantastic.

I haven't read through this whole thread, but I assume somebody would have mentioned Sound City, quite an enjoyable documentary, apart from the fact that the focus was more about Dave Grohl and how awesome he thinks he is from about 35 minutes in.

Another great movie is Empire Records, an excellent movie for those who get all nostalgic about the 90s, starring, amongst others, Liv Tyler.

Edit: I saw The Story of Anvil mentioned. That is definitely the best music documentary I have ever seen. It nearly brought me to tears it was do depressing in parts.

V8

A necro-bump for this thread - it's great to dig through these and re-visit a few gems...

Also wondering what musical related fiction/non-fiction movies/doccies have ying'ed your yang lately?

peterleroux

Standing in the shadows of motown

V8

peterleroux Guess what I'm watching after having my ears melted at band practice tonite...Thanks Peter!

@studmissile - That Johnny Winter one is cued up right after that! ?

studmissile

Watched that Lemmy Doc witch Í thoroughly enjoyed. Also check out.

studmissile

Also saw this a while back. Excellent.

studmissile

Honorable Mentions