What You Should Watch: Music Edition
One of the great things about being a library worker at home in isolation is that I finally have the time to catch up on some movies! And while music is a key element for all movies, for those who've identified themselves as a musician at some point in your life, when you find a movie where the music itself is one of the stars of the show, that becomes a real fun place to exist in creatively.
In case you're wondering, I'm the kind of person who reads the IMDB trivia after I see a movie I like. Or, back when we actually watched DVDs, I always wanted to watch all the extras after finishing the movie. In either case, if you're also the kind of person who wants more info about the movies I'm gonna talk about, I've linked the IMDB profiles. Most of them have soundtracks (on spotify and elsewhere) that are fairly easy to find, so I've only linked to a couple of them.
Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo are great in this- I might even call this my favorite movie performances for both of them. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's a drama/comedy and it's one of the coolest album ideas I've ever seen, I love how well the movie and the music are integrated together. I don't want to say anything more about it, but I've been talking about this movie since it came out in 2014, and I'll probably continue recommending it to people in the future. The songs they wrote for this movie are great, so I'd also recommend checking out the soundtrack.
Band Aid
This movie was a recent discovery and WOW. Not only does Zoe Lister-Jones write, direct, produce, and star in this movie, but she also had an all-female cast, which is still very much a rare occurrence! The movie itself is about a married couple who decide to turn their fights into songs. Watching them learn how to communicate their trauma and the cinematic rebuilding of their relationship through musical release is probably the most academically sounding description of this absolute gem of a movie.
I don't think I've ever seen a relationship portrayed like this in a movie before! So many movie relationships use the plot point of "bad communication" in exactly the same way- character A keeps something from character B, A starts acting weird because they're hiding something, B realizes something's up because they're not an idiot, B tries to get A to communicate with them, A continues acting up, goes off and does their own thing, comes back and tells B what they've been hiding, and now their relationship issues have been resolved. Idk about you, but storylines that rely solely on whether or not both members of a relationships are aware of an issue can start to feel really repetitive and shallow. This movie does not do that.
I could continue talking for ages about how fascinating and beautiful and funny this movie is (it actually is really funny!!), but I want to acknowledge that there's some triggering subject matter, but it's pretty integral to the plot, so I don't want to say exactly what it is. If you have the same trigger, you will be able to figure that out fairly quickly because they talk around the subject right from the beginning. Also, CW for depression.
I wouldn't listen to the music before watching the movie (because spoilers, obvs), but once you have seen it, here's the EP they made.
Yes, this movie did have great timing by coming out after I'd decided to write a thesis about the song BR. Okay, moving on. I honestly think this biopic is a really well done. Of course, everyone's an expert on Freddie Mercury now, but ignoring the choices they made in order to condense some of the timeline and characters (with approval from living band members!), it's a solid representation of Freddie Mercury's life in Queen from making Bohemian Rhapsody to performing at Live Aid. If you're curious about his sexuality though, don't believe any definitive assertion. Many researchers will claim that he is either gay or bisexual, and we just don't know. Just because he's dead doesn't mean that the public gets to decide what his label is. There's only so much we can assume from his public words and actions, and that would be that he definitely was not straight. If you don't like inconclusive narratives, work harder at normalizing non-straightness.
Rocketman
This came out not too long after BR, and while it's hard to see outside of my particularly biased perspective, it seems like there was a lot less public hubbub about this movie. I really liked how different this is as a biopic with fantastical elements. Not only did Elton John get to share his story by still being alive throughout the creation process of this biopic, but he got to tell his story in a truly honest way. I really love this movie.
The Sapphires
This is probably the least accurate biopic of the three, but no biopic is gonna be an exact representation of someone's life. However, this is a fun movie about aboriginal sisters singing for the US troops in Vietnam!
In case you're wondering, I'm the kind of person who reads the IMDB trivia after I see a movie I like. Or, back when we actually watched DVDs, I always wanted to watch all the extras after finishing the movie. In either case, if you're also the kind of person who wants more info about the movies I'm gonna talk about, I've linked the IMDB profiles. Most of them have soundtracks (on spotify and elsewhere) that are fairly easy to find, so I've only linked to a couple of them.
Fiction
Begin AgainKeira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo are great in this- I might even call this my favorite movie performances for both of them. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's a drama/comedy and it's one of the coolest album ideas I've ever seen, I love how well the movie and the music are integrated together. I don't want to say anything more about it, but I've been talking about this movie since it came out in 2014, and I'll probably continue recommending it to people in the future. The songs they wrote for this movie are great, so I'd also recommend checking out the soundtrack.
Band Aid
This movie was a recent discovery and WOW. Not only does Zoe Lister-Jones write, direct, produce, and star in this movie, but she also had an all-female cast, which is still very much a rare occurrence! The movie itself is about a married couple who decide to turn their fights into songs. Watching them learn how to communicate their trauma and the cinematic rebuilding of their relationship through musical release is probably the most academically sounding description of this absolute gem of a movie.
I don't think I've ever seen a relationship portrayed like this in a movie before! So many movie relationships use the plot point of "bad communication" in exactly the same way- character A keeps something from character B, A starts acting weird because they're hiding something, B realizes something's up because they're not an idiot, B tries to get A to communicate with them, A continues acting up, goes off and does their own thing, comes back and tells B what they've been hiding, and now their relationship issues have been resolved. Idk about you, but storylines that rely solely on whether or not both members of a relationships are aware of an issue can start to feel really repetitive and shallow. This movie does not do that.
I could continue talking for ages about how fascinating and beautiful and funny this movie is (it actually is really funny!!), but I want to acknowledge that there's some triggering subject matter, but it's pretty integral to the plot, so I don't want to say exactly what it is. If you have the same trigger, you will be able to figure that out fairly quickly because they talk around the subject right from the beginning. Also, CW for depression.
I wouldn't listen to the music before watching the movie (because spoilers, obvs), but once you have seen it, here's the EP they made.
Biopic
Bohemian RhapsodyYes, this movie did have great timing by coming out after I'd decided to write a thesis about the song BR. Okay, moving on. I honestly think this biopic is a really well done. Of course, everyone's an expert on Freddie Mercury now, but ignoring the choices they made in order to condense some of the timeline and characters (with approval from living band members!), it's a solid representation of Freddie Mercury's life in Queen from making Bohemian Rhapsody to performing at Live Aid. If you're curious about his sexuality though, don't believe any definitive assertion. Many researchers will claim that he is either gay or bisexual, and we just don't know. Just because he's dead doesn't mean that the public gets to decide what his label is. There's only so much we can assume from his public words and actions, and that would be that he definitely was not straight. If you don't like inconclusive narratives, work harder at normalizing non-straightness.
Rocketman
This came out not too long after BR, and while it's hard to see outside of my particularly biased perspective, it seems like there was a lot less public hubbub about this movie. I really liked how different this is as a biopic with fantastical elements. Not only did Elton John get to share his story by still being alive throughout the creation process of this biopic, but he got to tell his story in a truly honest way. I really love this movie.
The Sapphires
This is probably the least accurate biopic of the three, but no biopic is gonna be an exact representation of someone's life. However, this is a fun movie about aboriginal sisters singing for the US troops in Vietnam!
Documentary
Sample This
Another long time favorite of mine, this doc goes into the origins of hip hop to talk about the important of a single song... Apache by The Incredible Bongo Band. And if that name doesn't ring any bells, maybe you'll recognize of the 50-something songs that have sampled this song. I found someone who made a spotify playlist of them, and dear stranger- I adore you for creating this. Idk how to best describe the style of this documentary, so believe me when I say that this is a really fun watch that'll totally blow your mind.
If you've never heard the term mockumentary before, I'm gonna assume you've also never seen this cult classic. If you've ever heard a variation of the phrase "put it up to 11" but never understand the context, you should know that this is where it came from.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Ideally, I'll never have to write a thesis again. But if I had to, and I could write about pop musicology again, I would totally use this movie. So maybe that's not the most relatable statement I could make, but I want you, dear reader, to understand how much I'm holding myself back on this post. If you don't immediately recognize the name The Lonely Island, just google them. The tl;dr is that they create comedic raps where they mostly make fun of themselves. Nobody else has the cred (and legitimate abilities) to make an entire movie making fun of the music industry and celebrity pop culture. There's an incredible amount of cameos in this movie, but that's not what we're there for. Their comedy has so many layers, despite it looking like all it's just dick humor.
I spent quite a while writing and rewriting my deeper thoughts on this movie, and none of the ways I wrote it made sense in a way that could be understood outside of my brain, so I'll leave it at that. I do plan on rewatching the movie with their commentary, so maybe I'll be able to discuss the movie more coherently after that. In the meantime, go watch it!
Reggie Watts is a special human, and no, that's not a euphemism. He is a truly weird (but talented) human. His humor is probably not for everyone, but A Song About Apples (Always Love Yourself) from this special is so good!! His TED talk is also a great watch and much shorter, so that's a good place to start if he's new to you.
Again, I haven't seen a lot that I'd put in this category, but The Lonely Island is known mainly for their comedic music, so any of their productions are great if that's what you're looking for.
Another long time favorite of mine, this doc goes into the origins of hip hop to talk about the important of a single song... Apache by The Incredible Bongo Band. And if that name doesn't ring any bells, maybe you'll recognize of the 50-something songs that have sampled this song. I found someone who made a spotify playlist of them, and dear stranger- I adore you for creating this. Idk how to best describe the style of this documentary, so believe me when I say that this is a really fun watch that'll totally blow your mind.
Bathtubs over Broadway
This was another recent discovery that completely baffled my brother when he came into the kitchen to me excitedly talking about appliances. If you're never heard of the category of non-broadway musicals called "industrial musicals," you're not the only one. In the age of information, this is subject in which we will likely never know most of what happened. Big companies (like General Electric or Xerox) back in the 50s-70s would pay for a professional musicals to be created and performed at their annual sales conferences to introduce their sales people to new products and hype them up for going out and continuing the wheels of capitalism for the next year. If that doesn't make sense, you read that correctly. Please go listen to at least some of this album, because their existence has been blowing my mind. Diesel Dazzle, 22 Slices of Bread, and My Bathroom are all gems for sure.
20 Feet from Stardom
This was an Oscar winner for best doc, but in case that's not reason enough to immediately watch this, I guess I'll tell you about it? This film tells the stories of several women who were mainly backup singers for some huge stars on a ton of really well known songs. Like everything else on this list, it's definitely worth the watch.
Grass is Greener
From a quick glance at this title, you might be wondering why I put this on my list, but here me out- this is not just a documentary about cannabis. Yes, it very much is about weed, but it's also the history of jazz and hip hop and America's relationship with race. The evolution of these genres of music is used as a through line to talk about how legislation has been and continues to be used to oppressed African Americans in this country, and if I can only convince you to watch one of these documentaries I've mentioned, I'd have you watch this one. We need to be having these conversations as we continue through the legalization process, and music is the perfect medium to bring up these topics.
This was another recent discovery that completely baffled my brother when he came into the kitchen to me excitedly talking about appliances. If you're never heard of the category of non-broadway musicals called "industrial musicals," you're not the only one. In the age of information, this is subject in which we will likely never know most of what happened. Big companies (like General Electric or Xerox) back in the 50s-70s would pay for a professional musicals to be created and performed at their annual sales conferences to introduce their sales people to new products and hype them up for going out and continuing the wheels of capitalism for the next year. If that doesn't make sense, you read that correctly. Please go listen to at least some of this album, because their existence has been blowing my mind. Diesel Dazzle, 22 Slices of Bread, and My Bathroom are all gems for sure.
20 Feet from Stardom
This was an Oscar winner for best doc, but in case that's not reason enough to immediately watch this, I guess I'll tell you about it? This film tells the stories of several women who were mainly backup singers for some huge stars on a ton of really well known songs. Like everything else on this list, it's definitely worth the watch.
Grass is Greener
From a quick glance at this title, you might be wondering why I put this on my list, but here me out- this is not just a documentary about cannabis. Yes, it very much is about weed, but it's also the history of jazz and hip hop and America's relationship with race. The evolution of these genres of music is used as a through line to talk about how legislation has been and continues to be used to oppressed African Americans in this country, and if I can only convince you to watch one of these documentaries I've mentioned, I'd have you watch this one. We need to be having these conversations as we continue through the legalization process, and music is the perfect medium to bring up these topics.
Mockumentary
This Is Spinal TapIf you've never heard the term mockumentary before, I'm gonna assume you've also never seen this cult classic. If you've ever heard a variation of the phrase "put it up to 11" but never understand the context, you should know that this is where it came from.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Ideally, I'll never have to write a thesis again. But if I had to, and I could write about pop musicology again, I would totally use this movie. So maybe that's not the most relatable statement I could make, but I want you, dear reader, to understand how much I'm holding myself back on this post. If you don't immediately recognize the name The Lonely Island, just google them. The tl;dr is that they create comedic raps where they mostly make fun of themselves. Nobody else has the cred (and legitimate abilities) to make an entire movie making fun of the music industry and celebrity pop culture. There's an incredible amount of cameos in this movie, but that's not what we're there for. Their comedy has so many layers, despite it looking like all it's just dick humor.
I spent quite a while writing and rewriting my deeper thoughts on this movie, and none of the ways I wrote it made sense in a way that could be understood outside of my brain, so I'll leave it at that. I do plan on rewatching the movie with their commentary, so maybe I'll be able to discuss the movie more coherently after that. In the meantime, go watch it!
Popumentary
I got the terminology for this category from The Lonely Island. It doesn't seem like the internet has caught on to the term yet, and idk why not, because it's perfect for the category of new music docs that have been filmed during album creation and tours of popular artists that kinda act like large scale vlogs. I haven't watched many of these, mainly because I don't actively listen to a lot of the modern artists who are currently putting out these docs.
Taylor Swift: Miss Americana
This is the only one I've seen entirely. It was immediately popular on the internet when it came out enough for me to be aware of it (who has the time to pay attention to all of pop culture?!) so I watched it after I started writing this post. I thought it was super interesting, and I appreciated that she talked about politics, eating disorders, and mental health. It's enjoyable to watch even if you're not obsessed with Taylor Swift, and I think we should be having more conversations about the relationship between celebrities and the general public.
Taylor Swift: Miss Americana
This is the only one I've seen entirely. It was immediately popular on the internet when it came out enough for me to be aware of it (who has the time to pay attention to all of pop culture?!) so I watched it after I started writing this post. I thought it was super interesting, and I appreciated that she talked about politics, eating disorders, and mental health. It's enjoyable to watch even if you're not obsessed with Taylor Swift, and I think we should be having more conversations about the relationship between celebrities and the general public.
Musical Comedy Special
Reggie Watts: SpatialReggie Watts is a special human, and no, that's not a euphemism. He is a truly weird (but talented) human. His humor is probably not for everyone, but A Song About Apples (Always Love Yourself) from this special is so good!! His TED talk is also a great watch and much shorter, so that's a good place to start if he's new to you.
Again, I haven't seen a lot that I'd put in this category, but The Lonely Island is known mainly for their comedic music, so any of their productions are great if that's what you're looking for.
What's in my watchlist?
Of course, I haven't watched every music-related movie there is out there, so here are some of the ones that I have been meaning to watch but haven't gotten around to. If you've seen them, what do you think? If you haven't, do you plan to? What else should I watch?
- The Get Down: I'm intentionally giving this a special mention because it's the only series/show I have on here, and I haven't watched it all! I've talked to a number of people who seen it, and I've seen an episode, but I definitely want to see the whole show.
- Sing Street
- A Star is Born
- Jersey Boys
- What Happened, Miss Simone?
- Who The F**k is That Guy? The Fabulous Journey of Michael Alago
- Homecoming: a film by Beyonce (I have seen Lemonade)
- Gaga: Five Foot Two
- Fred Armisen: Standup for Drummers
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