Link to Part 2
These movies are my personal favorite band movies. Although some are certainly better than others, all of them are fun and unique in their own way and I would recommend every single one of them. Here, they are listed in alphabetical order. But before we start:
Honorable Mentions
Control, Syd and Nancy, I’m Not There, Sweet and Lowdown, Idlewild, Hustle and Flow, Once, Blues Brothers,Walk the Line, 8 Mile
10. Almost Famous
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
IMDb: 8.0/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181875/?ref_=nv_sr_1
“Almost Famous” makes being in a band on tour just as wild and outrageous as you’d expect it to be. A 16 year old journalist named William Miller makes a deal with Rolling Stone magazine to write a story on the up and coming rock band, Stillwater, as he accompanies them on their American Tour. This movie is filled with outlandish moments like the guitarist crying out, “I AM A GOLDEN GOD!” on some strangers roof at a party. It also has more subdued moments like sing alongs of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” and “Cover of a Rolling Stone” by Dr. Hook. This film has long been a favorite of mine and would recommend it to rock musicians both older and younger.
9. The Doors
Rotten Tomatoes: 54%
IMDb: 7.2/10
I like the Doors Movie because Oliver Stone, the films director, gives the story a filtered re-envisioning of how one would expect the career of Jim Morrison and The Doors to be. With that being said, Ray Manzareck has discredited the film for making Jim out to be an alcoholic, drunk weirdo, and strange poet. His words. It still incredibly enjoyable to watch Val Kilmer closely portray the singer on his quest to open his own doors of perception with plenty of acid and alcohol accompanying. The other band members are unfortunately given little screen time, turning this movie into 2 hours and 20 minutes of Val Kilmer bouncing off the walls as a drunken Jim and hanging from the ceiling. Regardless, this is a fun movie that paints a semi-accurate picture into the lives of the famous acid rock band, The Doors.
Stay away from the angel dust kids. You’ll start to think you can fly.
8. Detroit Rock City
Rotten Tomatoes: 46%
IMDb: 6.8/10
There came a period in the 20th century when music stood at a crossroad. There was kinder path, more paved out and user friendly known as disco. Then there was rock and roll, edgy and dark, with no direct route. The characters of Detroit Rock City have choose the latter path. Detroit Rock City is about four friends in a Kiss cover band called Mystery, who win tickets on a radio to see their favorite band play live in Detroit. Little do they know that their lead guitarist-vocalist Trip hung up on the radio host before he could get his information. They then spend the rest of the night, aimlessly searching for other ways to get Kiss tickets since none of them have enough money. This is a really fun movie and I’m sure plenty of people who ever had to squander for band tickets before can somewhat relate to this movie, although the methods they go to in order to get tickets ranges from pathetic to down right sexy, but it’s cool. You got to lose your mind in Detroit Rock City.
7. Frank
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
IMDb: 7.0/10
Frank is one of the most recent and enjoyable films that I’ve seen lately. It focuses on an experimental band in which the singer refuses to take a big papier-mâché mask off of his head. So naturally, this is a quirky comedy. It follows the band’s new keyboardist Jon as he makes a record with the band after their first keyboardist went crazy and tried to drown himself in a lake. called, The Soronprfbs. Note the six consonants stuck together that make any attempt at correctly pronouncing it impossible. Although the purpose of Jon and their singer Frank is to show the world their music. They still wish to stay true to the absurd oddity of their sound and take a years time to perfect it.
6. Inside Llewyn Davis
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
IMDb: 7.5/10
I think of this film by the Coen brothers to be an anti Bob Dylan film. For everything that Bob Dylan stood for and brought to the folk scene, from his charismatic charm and socially conscious lyrics, Llewyn Davis had the opposite. This film is a character study of the struggling folk as he tries to make his music known. He is not really the most likable person, which is start of his shortcomings. He is a rude dinner guest to friends who invited him and had asked for him to play music. He also give off the impression that his songwriting is God’s gift to man. His friend and connection to the music industry gets him nowhere because he Llewyn is critical toward his friends music. He is the most identifiable character on this list however, because his problems aren’t as detached from society compared to the more “godly” musicians on this list.
Link to Part 2
☮
Broken Lungs
Pictured: Steve Wade (left) and 
Making the Band Broken Lungs 