My Top 5 – Favorite Rock and Roll Movies

powerpopaholic My Honest Opinion

This weekend, I wanted to list my favorite rock and roll movies. Some on Blu Ray, others still on DVD.

1. Purple Rain

This movie not only brought Prince into the mainstream and spawned multiple hit songs, it altered the musical landscape as we knew it back in 1984. The screenplay is compelling, and the supporting cast is stellar, especially Morris Day and The Time. Prince is also at his narcissistic best, preening and rocking throughout the entire flick. Next to the recently departed MJ you’d be hard pressed to find an artist who brought more changes to mainstream rock/pop/hip-hop/soul. Why is it at the top of this list? The Academy Award-winning film grossed more than $80 million in the US alone, and has proved to be Prince’s biggest cinematic success. Nothing else here can make that claim. (and “Saturday Night Fever” is a disco movie so it doesn’t count here).
The Lotus Flower site (official) | Let’s Go Crazy

2. This is Spinal Tap

Fresh on the heels of a new album “Back From The Dead” – see the movie that takes it up to “11” on the best “rockumentary” ever filmed. See this legendary British heavy-metal group, featuring lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), lead singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), and a succession of ever changing drummers. The Blu Ray has a bevy of extras: almost an hour of deleted scenes, videos, trailers, and commentary to die for. An keep in mind prior to Tap, they were called The Pudding People, a power poppy hippy band, playing “(Listen To) The Flower People.” If we are talking about rock comedy, this one is number one on my list. Remember “Mime is money!”
MySpace | The Spinal Tap Site

3. That Thing You Do!

This is Tom Hanks love letter to the mid 60’s rock and roll era. The movie tells the story of a one-hit wonder rock band, called “The Wonders”, following their whirlwind rise to the top of the pop charts, and just as quickly, their dissolution. The film also resulted in a real life hit with the song, “That Thing You Do” by Fountains of Wayne frontman Adam Schlesinger and played by Mike Viola. This is maybe the ultimate “power pop” movie where the soundtrack parodies several sounds of the era, including The Beach Boys, the Beatles’ Hard Days Night and some of the band’s songs resemble The Dave Clark Five as well. Add on to this Liv Tyler (at her peak) and Charlize Theron and you’ve got everything you need to add this one to the list.
The Song | The Trailer

4. High Fidelity

Nick Hornby’s book, turned into a movie with Rob (John Cusack) as a record store owner and a self-confessed audiophile, who has no clue on how to deal with women. For me this film feels a little bit biographical and that’s why it’s on the list. But I never worked in a record store (just hung out there). Rob spends his days at his record store, Championship Vinyl, where he holds court over the customers that drift through. Helping Rob in his task of musical elitism are Dick (Todd Louiso) and Barry (Jack Black), the “musical moron twins,” as he refers to them. They compile “top five” lists for every conceivable occasion and so in that spirit, this list was made. Although why did they use Elvis Costello’s “Shipbuilding” and not “High Fidelity” in the soundtrack?
The opening scene of the flim

5. Xanadu

One man’s guilty pleasure is another man’s cinematic torture. A movie so bad it’s good, and it helps if you grew up in the 80’s and were obsessed with Olivia Newton John and ELO. Heck, if you didn’t have a crush on ONJ after Grease, this movie sealed the deal by making her a goddess. Lots of dated 80’s things (roller skates, leg warmers and neon, oh my!) makes you look back fondly at this film musical so cheesy, it should’ve been sponsored by Kraft. Or maybe Sid & Marty Kroft. Basic plot: A Greek muse named Kira inspires an male artist to open up a nightclub called Xanadu. But complications arise when she finds herself falling in love with the human artist which is against the rules. Jeff Lynne and ONJ’s excellent soundtrack is the reason you can see this again and not cringe at Michael Beck’s acting. Hey, if it’s so bad how come it’s considered a cult classic and spawned a Broadway show?
The Broadway Show
The best of the rest: 6. Almost Famous 7. Hedwig and The Angry Inch, 8. A Hard Day’s Night, 9. La Bamba 10. The Doors/The Buddy Holly Story/The Who’s Tommy
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9 thoughts to “My Top 5 – Favorite Rock and Roll Movies”

  1. Pingback: New Talent: Miss Guy, Catholic Girls, Spastic Hearts | Powerpopholic

  2. great list! I did a similar post on Rock and Roll movies but gotta admit I haven't seen most of these.. will surely check em out 🙂

  3. Don't forget the embarrassing cameo appearance by The Tubes in Xanadu – I don't think Fee and the boys will ever live that down.

  4. Xanadu is the greatest movie. Not only because we've got ELO, Olivia, Gene Kelly, and the leader of the Warriors in the mix. BUT the movie represents an advent of technology (at the time, the use of animation and mixing junk was innovative in the way it was used), old and new, the most extensive storyboarding and costume design, and oh my god i love olivia newton john.

  5. As much as I love the Ramones, R&R HS is more of an SNL skit mix with a Ramones music video than a movie. So yes, another guilty pleasure, but not in my top ten. maybe #11?

  8. Both movies are decent, but not in the top 10. I would probably add The Idolmaker somewhere up there, but it hasn't been widely seen and remains a "cult" film as well.

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