Film Junk Poll: What is the Best Rock Doc?

Posted by on April 16th, 2009   Filed under: Documentary, Music, Polls

pollbestrockdoc

In honour of Anvil! The Story of Anvil (which apparently had a better per-screen average than Hannah Montana: The Movie last weekend), I thought this week we’d talk about some of the best rock n roll documentaries of all time. Clearly there are a lot of great ones out there, but your enjoyment of the film can depend a lot on your enjoyment of the featured band. It is for this reason that I tried to steer clear of ones that are strictly concert films. I’m sure some of you will take issue with my choices in the poll below, so cast your vote and then feel free to tell me what’s missing from the list. What is your favourite rock doc of all-time?

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  • TheAllKnowingGod

    ABBA: The Movie

  • Nice to see my favourite – “Gimme Shelter” – is in the lead.

    Major omissions would be “Monterey Pop” and “The Kids are All Right”.

  • bickle

    Let’s not overlook
    I’m Trying To Break Your Heart – Wilco
    I blows away half the docs on that list

  • RJ

    I voted for Some Kind of Monster just because it is hilarious. Others on my list would be You’re Gonna Miss Me: A Film About Roky Erickson, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Driver 23/Atlas Moth, Friends Forever, and Monterey Pop just for the Otis Redding performance.

  • Ian

    My favorite is Radiohead: Meeting People is Easy but that’s not on the list. Does that make me cool? I sure hope not.

  • Some Kind of Monster from this list, but if Global Metal was included instead of AHJ, it would have been tougher. Some Kind of Monster is an amazing movie though.

  • Still haven’t seen Global Metal but I noticed it on TMN on Demand recently so I might have to check it out.

    The Wilco, Radiohead and Daniel Johnston docs were all considered, I just wasn’t sure how many people out there had seen them.

  • I highly recommend Global Metal, it gets better each time I watch it.

    Didn’t Goon review it 4/4 on the site as well?

  • Yes he did. Does it matter if you’re not a huge metal fan though? ;)

  • Phil G

    DON’T LOOK BACK is not only an important movie historically, not only for docs but for the overall history of film, it captures an artist at the peak of his skills and popularity, and on the brink of a transition to something new in their career.

  • Lia

    Can’t you wait until the release of ‘Lemmy: the Movie’ to ask this one again? :p

    ‘Ramones: End of the Century’ made me cry, but it’s not on the list. Oops!

  • Goon

    “Does it matter if you’re not a huge metal fan though?”

    I’m not entirely sure, but I brought 2 people with me who probably aren’t any bigger fans of metal than you are adn they loved it. I’m not sure Marina’s a metalhead either, she loved it.

    Global Metal uses the more famous bands to tell stories from around the world, bands specific to that area to basically tell the story of being a metal dude in a place like that, and then theres the fans who have hard times and family issues rebelling in that area. So its not really like “You must know this many Lamb of God songs to enter”

  • Goon

    I voted for Metallica (my no 1 movie of that year). Dig would have been my second choice.

  • I definitely think you can enjoy it with a moderate appreciation and understanding of Heavy Metal, though you might not want to pick up the soundtrack right after you see the movie.

  • Xu

    The Joy Division document from last year is also wonderful

    If counted TV docu in, I would choose the beatles’s ANTHOLOGY

  • Oh, you young people. You must watch and list one of the greatest of all time!

    Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense!!!!!!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Making_Sense

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUjjFETMTxE

    this film is the mother to all the docs. that followed