Manchester, 1976. Tony Wilson is an ambitious but frustrated local TV news reporter looking for a way to make his mark. After witnessing a life-changing concert by a band known as the Sex Pistols, he persuades his station to televise one of their performances, and soon Manchester's punk groups are clamoring for him to manage them. Riding the wave of a musical revolution, Wilson and his friends create the legendary Factory Records label and The Hacienda club.
In 1997, rap superstars Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G.) were gunned down in separate incidents, the apparent victims of hip hop's infamous east-west rivalry. Nick Broomfield's film introduces Russell Poole, an ex-cop with damning evidence that suggests the LAPD deliberately fumbled the case to conceal connections between the police, LA gangs and Death Row Records, the label run by feared rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight.
This retrospective of Elvis Presley's life and career uses excerpts from his performances and interviews to chronicle how the swivel-hipped young man from Tupelo, Miss., rose from poverty to become an American icon. The documentary also includes archival footage of Elvis on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and other TV appearances, clips from his Army days and film of his wedding to paint an extensive portrait of the King's public and personal lives.
In 1972, Lou Reed's second solo album Transformer elevated him from a minor cult figure to one of the best known and most talked about artists in rock & roll, with its incisive portrait of the demimonde and the distinctive hit single "Walk on the Wild Side." Classic Albums: Lou Reed -- Transformer offers a look at the making of this landmark album, with Lou Reed and engineer Ken Scott offering an in-depth perspective on the recording sessions, and Herbie Flowers revealing how he came up with his memorable bass line for "Walk on the Wild Side."
A young music journalist's dark memories are awakened when he goes to interview a female rock singer, and both are forced to confront troubling secrets from their pasts.
The record label Death Row Records has, since its creation in 1993, been synonymous with the American hip-hop climate. Formed by ex-bodyguard Suge Knight, the label has released seminal rap albums from luminaries including Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and the famous hip-hop martyr Tupac Shakur. WELCOME TO DEATH ROW is a fascinating, well-researched documentary which explores the history of this intriguing and incredibly significant company.
This film traces the road of the Blues and takes us on a journey to mythical places: From the banks of the Niger to New Orleans, going up the Mississippi through Memphis to the skyscrapers of Chicago. It tells the story of this culture which faced the worst barriers and shows that Humanity can overcome barbarity.
Raw Spice is a fly-on-the-wall documentary like no other. It charts the formation of a girl band in 1994, a group who would go on to be the biggest selling girl band in history, five girls who became... The Spice Girls. This footage was shot two years before the girls had their first hit single. We see them living together in a tiny house in Maidenhead as they rehearse day in, day out, striving to become a success. We watch their rehearsals; and we discover their very distinctive personalities that we all know help make up the band. This includes never before seen footage of the girls speaking of their ambitions and fears, as well as their trademark outrageous behaviour and some titanic bust-ups. This is the girls before blockbuster hits, weddings, babies, and bust-ups. This is before stylists, PR People and make-up artists. THIS IS RAW SPICE.
Zubeidaa, an aspiring Muslim actress, marries a Hindu prince to become his second wife. Her tumultuous relationship with her husband, and her inner demons lead her to a decision which has fatal consequences for them all.
The Inspirator is an installation that incorporates projected video, a mirrored fountain and glitter ball/s. The filmed image is of someone dressed as a panda playing the trumpet in the forest. He bursts from a glittery explosion to play his badly synched performance for a few minutes before turning to retreat into the forest bubble. The footage repeats itself on a continuous loop. The footage is projected into a masked circular frame cut at the top and bottom by the wall's limits and the room is painted dark green outside this projected area. The fountain is filled with running water, the sound of which is amplified through speakers that are built into its sides, adding another layer to the installation's sound. The film's soundtrack was produced specially by Matty Skylab.
British mod rocker Steve Marriott had great stage presence, a unique voice and plenty of angst -- all on display in this docu-concert featuring clips from Marriott's days in bands the Small Faces and Humble Pie. Though Marriott remained a lesser-known musician throughout his abbreviated life, performance selections here, such as "Paradise Lost" "Black Coffee" and "Lazy Sunday," bring it all back for his fans.
Widowers Amos and Ben plot to romantically unite Amos' daughter Luiss and Ben's son Matt by pretending to feud and forbidding the teens to associate, knowing they will resist their fathers' interference. As the two youngsters fall in love, the fathers plot to end the 'feud' by hiring a traveling showman to fake an abduction and allow Matt to 'rescue' Luisa.
Biography of rock star Jimi Hendrix chronicles his early career, including a stint with Little Richard who fired him for getting too flamboyant, to his tragic early death.