Mark Kermode's Secrets Of Cinema: Pop Music Movies (s3: e2/3)
Titles mentioned in this episode of the programme.
(titles repeated when referred to more than once.)
See also: Mark Kermode's "BBC News Review 2020: The Year In Film".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Kermode's_Secrets_of_Cinema
https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/80789
https://mubi.com/films/mark-kermode-s-secrets-of-cinema https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bbn5pt
series 3:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000r6gr
https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/80789-mark-kermode-s-secrets-of-cinema/season/3
episode:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000rgmw
https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/80789-mark-kermode-s-secrets-of-cinema/season/3/episode/2
(titles repeated when referred to more than once.)
See also: Mark Kermode's "BBC News Review 2020: The Year In Film".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Kermode's_Secrets_of_Cinema
https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/80789
https://mubi.com/films/mark-kermode-s-secrets-of-cinema https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bbn5pt
series 3:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000r6gr
https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/80789-mark-kermode-s-secrets-of-cinema/season/3
episode:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000rgmw
https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/80789-mark-kermode-s-secrets-of-cinema/season/3/episode/2
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- CreatorMark KermodeStarsMark KermodeBritish film critic Mark Kermode presents his guide to cinema.SERIES title page.
- DirectorNick Freand JonesStarsMark KermodeMark looks at a genre that combines his twin passions, music and movies. Pop movies encompass many forms, from drama and comedy to fantasy and documentary, producing some of the most potent and emotive moments in popular culture.EPISODE title page.
Episode 2 of 3. - DirectorRyan CooglerStarsChadwick BosemanMichael B. JordanLupita Nyong'oT'Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future and must confront a challenger from his country's past.
- DirectorRichard BrooksStarsGlenn FordAnne FrancisLouis CalhernA new English teacher at a violent, unruly inner-city school is determined to do his job, despite resistance from both students and faculty.Marshall Crenshaw's book "Hollywood Rock: A Guide to Rock 'n' Roll in the Movies", traces the genre back to Blackboard Jungle, when Bill Haley and the Comets B-side "Rock Around The Clock" featured in its opening credits.
Pop movie boom began... - DirectorJack ArnoldStarsRuss TamblynJan SterlingJohn Drew BarrymoreA tough kid comes to a new high school and begins muscling his way into the drug scene. This is a typical morality play of the era, filled with a naive view of drugs, nihilistic beat poetry, and some incredible '50s slang.
- DirectorWill PriceStarsAlan Freed and his Rock 'n Roll BandFran ManfredTuesday WeldDori is trying to get together enough money to buy a strapless gown; Daddy has cut off Dori's allowance, but gee, she's gotta go to the prom.
- DirectorFrank TashlinStarsTom EwellJayne MansfieldEdmond O'BrienA gangster hires a down-and-out press agent to make his airheaded girlfriend a singing star.Influential film, with both a rare at the time performance on film by a black artist (Little Richard and The Upsetters performance of track "Ready Teddy"), along with Eddie Cochran's performance of "Twenty Flight Rock".
The latter impressed John Lennon when he heard Paul McCartney cover it at a church fete skiffle gig – later asking him to form what would become The Beatles. - DirectorDudley MurphyStarsBessie SmithJimmy MordecaiIsabel WashingtonIn her only known film appearance, legendary blues singer Bessie Smith witnesses her lover's betrayal, then sings a powerful rendition of the title song.Earlier films laid the foundations of the pop movies to come.
Bessie Smith in her only screen role.
Credit states 'By special arrangement with W.C. Handy' – self-confessed 'Father of the Blues'.
Song featured with tough themes, later seen throughout future cinema. - StarsMilton CharlesPartially animated film in which organist Milton Charles sings about the Carolines.Warner Bros. produced "The Spoony Melodies", a series of films combining simple animation with live action. Visual inventiveness a precursor to modern pop videos.
- DirectorRussell MulcahyStarsJohn DeaconBrian MayFreddie MercuryMusic video for Queen: A Kind of Magic....video & animation, 50 years later.
- DirectorJohn Murray AndersonWalter LantzStarsPaul WhitemanJohn BolesLaura La PlanteAmerican Pre-Code color film starring Paul Whiteman and his Jazz orchestra.Popular musical performers got increasingly extravagant movies to showcase their talents.
Mr 'King of Jazz', Paul Whiteman, got his own feature (a box office bomb, despite its interesting visuals), as many white acts appropriated Afro-American forms like Jazz or Blues. - DirectorAndrew L. StoneStarsLena HorneBill RobinsonCab Calloway and His Cotton Club OrchestraThe relationship between an aspiring dancer and a popular songstress provides a retrospective of the great African-American entertainers of the early 1900s.Music provided early black performers a way to the big screen, giving them a chance to showcase their obvious talents. Seen later in the rock'n'roll era.
Cab Calloway featured in this foray... - DirectorJohn LandisStarsJohn BelushiDan AykroydCab CallowayJake Blues rejoins with his brother Elwood after being released from prison, but the duo has just days to reunite their old R&B band and save the Catholic home where the two were raised, outrunning the police as they tear through Chicago....then he featured later on in his career in this cult musical classic.
(NB: Notice the cut... CC spins from SW straight into TBB! ;-) - DirectorMark SandrichRobert AllenStarsBing CrosbyFred AstaireMarjorie ReynoldsAt an inn which is open only on holidays, a crooner and a hoofer vie for the affections of a beautiful up-and-coming performer.Biggest pop music stars used movies as promotional vehicles, dramatic narrative built around set piece performances.
Here Bing Crosby headlined. - DirectorGordon DouglasStarsFrank SinatraDoris DayGig YoungThe life of the youngest of three sisters in a musical family is complicated by the separate arrivals of a charming composer and a cynical music arranger.Frank Sinatra was a regular leading man, here in musical performance mode.
- StarsTommy DorseyJimmy DorseyThe June Taylor Dancers1. The Pop Star Vehicle.
April 1956 Elvis Presley topped the billboard charts with track "Heartbreak Hotel", becoming a media sensation through all the usual forms of media (live performances, newspaper interview, radio, and TV shows). - DirectorRobert D. WebbStarsRichard EganDebra PagetElvis PresleyAt the end of the Civil War, a Confederate team is ordered to rob a Union payroll train but the war ends leaving these men with their Union loot, until the Feds come looking for it.Just a few months later, in November 1956, a Western-Musical hybrid would bring him into the movie theatres too. The only time he didn't get top-billing.
- DirectorRichard ThorpeStarsElvis PresleyJudy TylerMickey ShaughnessyAfter serving time for manslaughter, young Vince Everett becomes a teenage rock star.Not one...
- DirectorHal KanterStarsElvis PresleyLizabeth ScottWendell CoreyA musician and a publicist help a delivery man achieve stardom....nor two...
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsElvis PresleyCarolyn JonesWalter MatthauA troubled youth's singing sets New Orleans rockin'. With a sweet girl to love him and nightclubbers cheering, it seems he will shake off his past and head for the top. But will a mobster and his man-trap moll snare him in a life of crime?...but three, films showing his movie star credentials.
Before his time in the army, these early film outings were as powerful & profitable as any tour, promoting his image & brand (selling thousands of tie-in records; a merchandising precedent seen in any number of modern day media vehicles). But they also proved he really could act. - DirectorLaslo BenedekStarsMarlon BrandoMary MurphyRobert KeithTwo rival motorcycle gangs terrorize a small town after one of their leaders is thrown in jail.Presley famously idealised Marlon Brando, wanting to be a serious actor. Thinking rock'n'roll was a passing fad.
- DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsElvis PresleyGig YoungLola AlbrightAfter completing his military service, Walter Gulick takes a job as a sparring partner at a gym, the owner of which sees potential in Walter as a professional fighter and takes him under his wing.Unfortunately, post-military service, his manager Colonel Tom Parker had tied him into a series of lucrative yet typically cheap/trashy movies; appeasing fans, but crushing Elvis' acting ambitions.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsJohn LennonPaul McCartneyGeorge HarrisonOver two "typical" days in the life of The Beatles, the boys struggle to keep themselves and Sir Paul McCartney's mischievous grandfather in check while preparing for a live TV performance.Meanwhile in the UK, this soundtrack movie & album from The Beatles (their first movie), was seen as a solid commercial idea by company United Artists.
Cinéma vérité style black & white, owing much to the French New Wave. - DirectorGeorge SidneyStarsElvis PresleyAnn-MargretCesare DanovaA race-car driver preparing for the Grand Prix wiles his time in Las Vegas working as a waiter to pay for his new engine and soon strikes up a romance with a beautiful young woman.Despite being released just two months earlier than The Beatles AHDN, Elvis' latest effort seemed completely dated, with both films feeling like they almost came from different planets.
Old fashioned star vehicle, with old hat choreographed dance pieces, big sets, vibrant colours, and bright lighting. - DirectorRichard LesterPeter SellersStarsRichard LesterPeter SellersDick BentleyThere is no plot as such. This is a slapstick comedy. It shows a lots of gags.AHDN director Richard Lester got the gig, as the band loved this wacky film he did, featuring Peter Sellers.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsJohn LennonPaul McCartneyGeorge HarrisonSir Ringo Starr finds himself the human sacrifice target of a cult, and his fellow members of The Beatles must try to protect him from it.The surrealism continued, now with several times the budget to play with, filmed all over the world to a rather daft story.
One visual gag, of the four separate house doors leading to one living room... - DirectorBob SpiersStarsMel BEmma BuntonMelanie CWorld-famous pop group the Spice Girls zip around London in their luxurious double-decker tour bus having various adventures and performing for their fans....would be emulated in this movie vehicle three decades later, in the girl groups' communal tour bus.
- DirectorSusan SeidelmanStarsRosanna ArquetteMadonnaAidan QuinnA bored New Jersey suburban housewife's fascination with a free-spirited woman she has read about in the personal columns leads to her being mistaken for the woman herself.Like Elvis in his first feature, "Love Me Tender (1956)", Madonna's first outing also didn't garner her top-billing.
But she stole the show from Rosanna Arquette, with her look being just as copied... - DirectorWoody AllenStarsWoody AllenDiane KeatonTony RobertsAlvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer, which ended abruptly just like his previous marriages....as Diane Keaton's from iconic film "Annie Hall" (1977).
- DirectorAlbert MagnoliStarsPrinceApollonia KoteroMorris DayA young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise.One of the most ambitious films, conceived by its star, Prince.
Prince reportedly insisted to his manager Robert Cavallo that he wouldn't fulfil his contract until he starred in a big movie. As no studio was willing to do this, Cavallo produced it himself.
Costing $7M, yet grossing $70M worldwide, it established Prince as a superstar and enigmatic genius. - DirectorGerard BryantStarsTommy SteeleHumphrey LytteltonChas McDevittThis is the story of the early life and rise to fame of Tommy Steele. His manager wanted him to be a tough rock'n'roller and so challenge Elvis Presley but Tommy is too nice. He becomes famous anyway!!
- DirectorVal GuestStarsLaurence HarveySylvia SymsYolande DonlanSleazy talent agent Johnny Jackson discovers teenager Bert Rudge singing in a coffee house. Despite Bert's protestation that he really is only interested in playing bongos, Johnny starts him on the road to stardom. The deal they cut, however, is highly exploitative of the young singer, and their relationship begins to go bad.Cliff Richard's movie big break came soon after, with this adaptation of the stage musical (said musical itself drew heavily on the real life story of Tommy Steele).
One of several Rock films about the cynical world of manufacturing pop stars... - DirectorFrank TashlinStarsTom EwellJayne MansfieldEdmond O'BrienA gangster hires a down-and-out press agent to make his airheaded girlfriend a singing star.
- DirectorJulien TempleStarsMalcolm McLarenSid ViciousSteve JonesFilmmaker Julien Temple chronicles the Sex Pistols' tumultuous rise to fame, as told by their manager, Malcolm McLaren.
- DirectorBob SpiersStarsMel BEmma BuntonMelanie CWorld-famous pop group the Spice Girls zip around London in their luxurious double-decker tour bus having various adventures and performing for their fans.
- DirectorDexter FletcherStarsTaron EgertonJamie BellRichard MaddenA musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John's breakthrough years.The ruthless manager authority figure, identifiable with those most obvious of authority figures: parents.
This film's set pieces owe much to Hollywood's earlier musicals, with a modern twist. Though where they depart is in others, modelled on Elton John's real life live performances. - DirectorSteve RashStarsGary BuseyDon StroudCharles Martin SmithThe story of the life and career of the early rock and roll singer, from his meteoric rise to stardom, to his marriage and untimely death.Actors are able to show their own musical talent.
Here, Gary Busey did a great job performing all vocals himself. - DirectorJim McBrideStarsDennis QuaidWinona RyderJohn DoeThe life and career of wildly controversial rock 'n' roll star Jerry Lee Lewis.But unfortunately, the opposite can be true.
While actor Dennis Quaid did a good physical turn as Jerry Lee Lewis, the latter insisted he himself do new vocal recordings, saying to Quaid 'son, you just can't sing like Jerry Lee'. - DirectorTate TaylorStarsChadwick BosemanNelsan EllisDan AykroydA chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.The physical performance is as important to authenticity.
Chadwick Boseman got James Brown's moves to a T. - DirectorAnton CorbijnStarsSam RileySamantha MortonCraig ParkinsonA profile of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of Joy Division whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to die by suicide at the age of 23.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsSissy SpacekTommy Lee JonesLevon HelmThe fictionalized life of singer Loretta Lynn, a girl who rose from humble beginnings to become a country music star in the 1960s/70s.Sissy Spacek both sang and acted her way to an Oscar (actress), as country star Loretta Lynn.
- DirectorF. Gary GrayStarsO'Shea Jackson Jr.Corey HawkinsJason MitchellThe rap group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.Sometimes it takes someone close to the person to get the role right. Here O'Shea Jackson Jr., son of Ice Cube, got it just right.
- DirectorSidney J. FurieStarsDiana RossBilly Dee WilliamsRichard PryorThe story of the troubled life and career of the legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday.Apart from performance highs, highs of another kind need to be portrayed.
Here, Diana Ross managed that, with the drugs & dependancy aspects of legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday's life. - DirectorJames MangoldStarsJoaquin PhoenixReese WitherspoonGinnifer GoodwinA chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins.Joaquin Phoenix showed the monkey on Johnny Cash's back.
- DirectorAlex CoxStarsGary OldmanChloe WebbDavid HaymanThe relationship between Sid Vicious, bassist for British punk group Sex Pistols, and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen is portrayed.While having a visceral intensity of the drug addled couple, this movie also portrays their tenderness, thanks to both lead performances.
- DirectorBrian GibsonStarsAngela BassettLaurence FishburneRaéVen KellyThe story of singer Tina Turner's rise to stardom and how she gained the courage to break free from her abusive husband, Ike Turner.The film does well showing a turbulent and abusive relationship, while following singer Tina Turner's journey from gospel choir singer to international stardom.
- DirectorBill PohladStarsJohn CusackPaul DanoElizabeth BanksIn the 60s, Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson struggles with emerging psychosis as he attempts to craft his avant-garde pop masterpiece. In the 80s, he's a broken, confused man under the 24-hour watch of shady therapist, Dr. Eugene Landy.Curiously, the abusive relationships follow a different strand here.
Initially that of singer Brian Wilson's controlling relationship with his father, followed by years of domination from supposed svengali Dr. Eugene Landy, played by Paul Giamatti.
More than a one trick pony, the film also managed to highly effectively show the music making process, without cringeworthy faux-ness seen in most other attempts. - DirectorAllison AndersStarsIlleana DouglasJohn TurturroSissy BoydEdna wins a recording contract singing her own song at a competition in 1958. After trying to make it as a singer/songwriter for 11 months in NYC, she has success writing songs for others at the Brill Building.Fictional biopics: based on stars who don't exist, but loosely based on those who did, with greater dramatic licence.
Here we had an almost Carole King story. - DirectorRichard LoncraineStarsDon PowellJim LeaNoddy HolderLight the Rock n' Roll spark with a Flame in the guise of Dave, Noddy, Jim and Don and their showcase of the rise and demise of rock band Flame.Actual legendary British Glam-rock band Slade, play another Black Country fictional band, Flame, that are uncomfortably close in story to themselves.
The film showing more of that seedy side of the industry. - DirectorD.A. PennebakerStarsOtis ReddingJimi HendrixRavi ShankarA film about the greatest pre-Woodstock rock music festival.3. The Rockumentary.
Documentary makers try to capture the atmosphere of the live event. - DirectorD.A. PennebakerStarsBob DylanAlbert GrossmanBob NeuwirthDocumentary covering Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England, which includes appearances by Joan Baez and Donovan.D.A. Pennebaker was one film maker, where behind the stage was as important as what was actually on it.
- DirectorMichael WadleighStarsJoan BaezRichie HavensRoger DaltreyOscar-winning musical chronicle that brilliantly captures the three-day rock concert and celebration of peace and love that became a capstone for the Sixties.This Oscar-winning documentary was almost as interested in the audience as the performers.
- DirectorAlbert MayslesDavid MayslesCharlotte ZwerinStarsMick JaggerKeith RichardsMick TaylorWhen three hundred thousand members of the Love Generation collided with a few dozen Hells Angels at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway, the bloody slash that transformed a decade's dreams into disillusionment was immortalized on this film.Ill-fated The Rolling Stones' Altamont Speedway concert, captured the horror as events unfurled at the show.
- DirectorAlan ElliottSydney PollackStarsAretha FranklinJames ClevelandAlexander HamiltonA documentary presenting Aretha Franklin with choir at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972.This January 1972 gig was captured by director Sydney Pollack, as a film to Aretha Franklin's album of the same name. But his inexperience in this type of recording showed, as he didn't use clapper boards.
Due to having no way to sync the audio to the video, the project remained on shelves until long after Pollack's 2008 death, before director Alan Elliott was finally able to use modern digital techniques to finish it in 2018. - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobbie RobertsonMuddy WatersNeil YoungA film account and presentation of the final concert of The Band.Director Martin Scorsese interspersed the performance, with off-stage interviews he did with the band members.
Funnily the template lead to the definitive rockumentary... - DirectorRob ReinerStarsRob ReinerMichael McKeanChristopher GuestSpinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, is chronicled by film director Marty DiBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour.Tropes galore given with true surgical precision.
– the often inane interviews.
– tedium of life on the road.
– tension backstage.
– acoustic interludes.
...while adding a dramatic narrative. - DirectorSacha GervasiStarsRobb ReinerSteve 'Lips' KudlowTiziana ArrigoniSince 1978, Anvil has become one of heavy metal's most influential yet commercially unsuccessful acts. In 2006, after a fledging European tour Anvil sets out to record their thirteenth album and continue to follow their dreams.Spinal Tap... yet real.
- DirectorJerry RothwellA year in the life of punk band, Heavy Load, whose members include some musicians with learning disabilities.Uplifting British punk band's inspirational fight for equal rights for musicians with disabilities.
- DirectorAsif KapadiaStarsAmy WinehouseMitch WinehouseMark RonsonArchival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse.Most celebrated yet heartbreaking musical doc of recent years, as it traces the highs and lows of her career echoing bio-pics we see, but as events actually unfolded.
- DirectorFrank PiersonStarsBarbra StreisandKris KristoffersonGary BuseyA has-been rock star falls in love with a young, up-and-coming songstress.4. When Pop Stars Act.
Dramatic melodrama featuring two big music stars who were also accomplished actors.
Elvis Presley was in frame for the role, but again his manager refused to let him take second billing to Barbra Streisand. - DirectorAlan CroslandStarsAl JolsonMay McAvoyWarner OlandThe son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.
- DirectorLewis MilestoneStarsFrank SinatraDean MartinSammy Davis Jr.Danny Ocean gathers a group of his World War II compatriots to pull off the ultimate Las Vegas heist. Together the eleven friends plan to rob five Las Vegas casinos in one night.Here with Rat Pack members.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanJack ConwayVictor FlemingStarsJanet GaynorFredric MarchAdolphe MenjouA young woman comes to Hollywood with dreams of stardom, and achieves them only with the help of an alcoholic leading man whose best days are behind him.Each generation has their version of the film. Career arcs woven into the history of the pop movie.
The 1937 non-singing version. - DirectorGeorge CukorStarsJudy GarlandJames MasonJack CarsonA film star helps a young singer and actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career on a downward spiral.The 1954 singing classic.
- DirectorFrank PiersonStarsBarbra StreisandKris KristoffersonGary BuseyA has-been rock star falls in love with a young, up-and-coming songstress.
- DirectorBradley CooperStarsLady GagaBradley CooperSam ElliottA musician helps a young singer find fame as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.
- DirectorMick JacksonStarsKevin CostnerWhitney HoustonGary KempA former Secret Service agent takes on the job of bodyguard to an R&B singer, whose lifestyle is most unlike a President's.ASIB's mix of set-pieces and off-stage drama, is cut from the same cloth as this movie.
- DirectorDonald CammellNicolas RoegStarsJames FoxMick JaggerAnita PallenbergA violent East London gangster undergoes a transformation of identity while hiding from his former colleagues in the home of a jaded Bohemian rock star and his two girlfriends.Pop stars playing pop stars, is not just a mainstream Hollywood phenomenon.
- DirectorKen RussellStarsRoger DaltreySara KestelmanPaul NicholasComposer and pianist Franz Liszt (Roger Daltrey) attempts to overcome his hedonistic life-style while repeatedly being drawn back into it by the many women in his life and fellow composer Richard Wagner (Paul Nicholas).Roger Daltrey portrays Franz Liszt as perhaps the first pop superstar.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsMichael CrawfordJohn LennonRoy KinnearAn inept British World War II commander leads his troops through a series of misadventures in North Africa and Europe.Then there are the roles where pop stars attempt to play non-musical roles.
Here John Lennon appeared in his first role after leaving the The Beatles. - DirectorJohn DexterStarsLynn RedgraveHywel BennettNigel DavenportA group of young British soldiers billeted in Singapore of the year 1950 dreaming about winning the love of the daughter of the Regimental Sergeant Major....David Bowie's split-second first film appearance in another war film.
- DirectorNicolas RoegStarsDavid BowieRip TornCandy ClarkAn alien must pose as a human to save his dying planet, but a woman and greed of other men create complications.But he soon landed a starring role here, after director Nicolas Roeg saw him in BBC documentary "Cracked Actor (1975)".
- DirectorNagisa ÔshimaStarsDavid BowieTom ContiRyuichi SakamotoDuring WWII, a British colonel tries to bridge the cultural divides between a British POW and the Japanese camp commander in order to avoid bloodshed.Bowie launched into a second career in mainly non-musical acting roles, featuring in many idiosyncratic films.
- DirectorJim HensonStarsDavid BowieJennifer ConnellyToby FroudSixteen-year-old Sarah must solve a labyrinth to rescue her baby brother when he is taken by the Goblin King.One exception was this musical playful outing.
- DirectorPerry HenzellStarsJimmy CliffJanet BartleyCarl BradshawWishing to become a successful reggae singer, a young Jamaican man finds himself tied to corrupt record producers and drug pushers.5. Hits, Misses, And Misfits.
Capturing a moment on screen, before it's already out of date.
Hit: Featuring Jimmy Cliff, this brought Reggae to the masses, and is the gold standard in musically-driven 1970s youth pics. - DirectorRichard LesterStarsHelen ShapiroCraig DouglasJohn LeytonTwo teens organize a jazz festival despite objections from the mayor.Miss or misfit?
Some films' ship arrives so out of date, they help sink it. - DirectorNancy WalkerStarsRay SimpsonDavid HodoFelipe RoseA pseudo autobiography of disco's The Village People.Miss. Arriving during the dying days of mainstream disco, just in time to...stop the music.
- DirectorBrian GibsonStarsPhil DanielsHazel O'ConnorJon FinchA rock singer is determined to rise to the top of the profession, letting nothing stand in the way of that goal.Miss... or not? Coming out in 1980, deemed by most critics at the time to have missed the punk era. However, with its dystopian themes, perhaps looks better today then at the time.
- DirectorBob RafelsonStarsPeter TorkDavy JonesMicky DolenzThe Monkees frolic their way through a series of musical set pieces and vignettes containing surreal humor and anti-establishment social commentary.And the just weird...
The film features manufactured pop band, The Monkees, systematically dismantling their kooky image. - DirectorHugh GladwishStarsThe Spencer Davis GroupNicholas ParsonsJack HaigUnbeknownst to the Spencer Davis Group, their manager is upper class, grew up in a haunted manor, and is called Algernon. When they visit his home, they find out that the family is broke, they don't have the money to pay the servants, and their home is going to ruin. Spencer suggests that they advertise the home (and the ghost) and charge admission.The Spencer Davis Group in nutty supernatural slapstick comedy.
- DirectorDennis AbeyStarsPeter DenyerFreddie JonesSheila SteafelIn the late 1970s, rock 'n' roll was banned from television. One young man, our hero, led the battle against the TV ban. He searched the country for the biggest rock groups to perform at a concert in support of his cause. But the enemies of rock 'n' roll had other plans.A world where pop music is outlawed, while glam-rock band Mud play their track "Tiger Feet" in the middle of a food fight.
Part of a bizarre sub-group of British movies mixing, music+comedy+science fiction. - DirectorRobert Hartford-DavisStarsKenneth ConnorTerry ScottFrank ThorntonBizarre sixties fable resembling Romeo and Juliet, but instead of Montagues and Capulets, there are two musical communities, one who like rock and roll and one who like ballads, who become reunited through the love between a couple who love across their grouping. It features little furry puppets called Gonks.Another of this sub-genre.
- DirectorBarry ShearStarsChristopher JonesShelley WintersDiane VarsiA young man gains significant political influence as the leader of a counterculture rock band with his rallying cry of voting rights for teenagers.This film poignantly examined the dangerous power of celebrity...
- DirectorPeter WatkinsStarsPaul JonesJean ShrimptonMark LondonBritain's biggest pop singer, Steven Shorter (Paul Jones), receives unwavering adulation and possesses total control over his rabid fans, which includes nearly the entire population. Yet Shorter is not an autonomous performer -- he is little more than a puppet for the government, promoting whatever agenda they see fit. When a beautiful artist, Vanessa Ritchie (Jean Shrimpton), is commissioned to paint his portrait, she pushes Shorter to question his obedience to his manipulative handlers....while this is presented documentary style, examines the use of idolatry.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsMatt DamonJessica ChastainKristen WiigAn astronaut becomes stranded on Mars after his team assume him dead, and must rely on his ingenuity to find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive and can survive until a potential rescue.6. Here Comes The Future.
Newer science fiction films, livening-up a film by putting a few pop songs on the soundtrack.
Here as a running gag, as the protagonist only has a selection of mainstream 1970s disco tracks available to listen to, counterpoint to the movie's themes of isolation & survival. - DirectorJames GunnStarsChris PrattVin DieselBradley CooperA group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.Retro mixtape also appears here, though not just as a counterpoint, but also as way of the cast bonding over the songs.
- DirectorNick CaveStarsNick CaveNick Cave performs solo at the piano, at Alexandra Palace, playing songs from his extensive catalog, and including rare tracks that most fans will be hearing for the first time.The 2020 lockdown meant that both cinema going and concerts were replaced by streaming, music films proved they could still capture the moment.
- DirectorEmmanuel AdjeiIbra AkeBlitz BazawuleStarsBeyoncéTina KnowlesJay-ZVisual album from Beyoncé inspired by 'The Lion King'.The 2020 Black Lives Matter zeitgeist was perfectly captured here by no other than Beyoncé, draws upon the afro-futurist aesthetic, that also inspired "Black Panther (2018)".
- DirectorBeyoncéKahlil JosephDikayl RimmaschStarsBeyoncéBrittani AlexanderJasmine BadieA view of a woman's journey through life.BIK was similarly immersive and eclectic an experience as her 2016 film.
- DirectorEmmanuel AdjeiIbra AkeBlitz BazawuleStarsBeyoncéTina KnowlesJay-ZVisual album from Beyoncé inspired by 'The Lion King'.Amazing to see the contrast and continuity between Beyoncé here, and Bessie Smith in "St. Louis Blues (1929)" – showcasing two black female artists in a perfect union of film and popular music.