Popular Music Movies on Kanopy - Page 17

Last Shop Standing

2012

Last Shop Standing

2012
6.1
Last Shop Standing, inspired by the book of the same name by Graham Jones, takes you behind the counter to discover why nearly 2000 record shops have already disappeared across the UK. The film charts the rapid rise of record shops in the 1960's, 70's and 80's, the influence of the chart, the underhand deals, the demise of vinyl and rise of the CD as well as new technologies. Where did it all go wrong? Why were 3 shops a week closing? Will we be left with no record shops with the continuing rise of downloading? Hear from over 20 record shop owners and music industry leaders as well as musicians including Paul Weller, Johnny Marr, Norman Cook, Billy Bragg, Nerina Pallot, Richard Hawley and Clint Boon as they all tell us how the shops became and still are a part of their own musical education, a place to cherish and discover new bands and new music.
Pick It Up!: Ska in the '90s

2019

Pick It Up!: Ska in the '90s

2019
8
Pick It Up! is an independent documentary film about the rise in popularity of ska music in the 1990s and the subsequent return to the underground. The film features members of Reel Big Fish, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, No Doubt, Sublime, Save Ferris, Goldfinger, The Specials, Less Than Jake, Hepcat and many more.
The Family Jams

2011

The Family Jams

2011
5
A young group of influential musicians tours the country, living and singing together in a Utopian expression of togetherness and family.
Jacqueline du Pré: Genius and Tragedy

2025

Jacqueline du Pré: Genius and Tragedy

2025
Yo-Yo Ma narrates a documentary about the remarkable cellist Jacqueline du Pré, whose life and career were cut short by multiple sclerosis.
Hard Way: The Action Musical

2017

Hard Way: The Action Musical

2017
7.2
In the world's first Action Musical, Jake and his SWAT team raid an abandoned factory in order to bring down the country's most dangerous terrorist. Naturally singing and dancing.
Good Ol' Freda

2013

Good Ol' Freda

2013
7.1
The story of Freda Kelly, a shy Liverpudlian teenager asked to work for a young local band hoping to make it big: The Beatles. Their loyal secretary from beginning to end, Freda tells her tales for the first time in 50 years.
20,000 Days on Earth

2014

20,000 Days on Earth

2014
7
A semi-fictionalized documentary about a day in the life of Australian musician Nick Cave's persona.
Betty: They Say I’m Different

2017

Betty: They Say I’m Different

2017
7.1
An aspiring songwriter from a small steel town, Betty Mabry Davis arrived on the scene to break boundaries for women with her daring personality, iconic fashion style and outrageous funk. She befriended Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, wrote songs for the Chambers Brothers and The Commodores and married Miles Davis, turning him from jazz to funk and then went on to ignite stages in the 70s with her sassy sexed up mix of hard rock and bluesy funk, inspiring artists from Prince to Erykah Badu to Karen 0 and Peaches. Then she vanished…
Tiny Tim: King for a Day

2020

Tiny Tim: King for a Day

2020
6.1
The story of Tiny Tim’s improbable rise to stardom is the ultimate fairytale - and so is that of his downfall. For a brief time, the shy and truly unusual outsider artist was the biggest star in the world.
The Christmas Toy

1986

The Christmas Toy

1986
6.7
It's Christmas Eve and the playroom is alive with excitement for the new toys that will arrive the next day. Balthazar, the old and wise bear, explains to the other toys that they must welcome the newcomers even though each of them may be replaced as one of the children's new favorite toys.
Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School

1990

Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School

1990
Worse than having your glove stolen, worse than Chinese water torture, even worse than the earth spinning off its axis and careening into Mars, your mom enrolls you in Marilyn Hotchkiss' program. Not only do we have to wear a tie and jacket, but you have to be polite... and dance... with girls! What Steve and Peter didn't know was that this was to become the biggest day in their lives, because, for the first time, they were about to like girls...
From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China

1981

From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China

1981
5.7
A beautiful expression of two differing cultures brought together by the warmth and dedication of a great musician and humanitarian. In 1979, as China re-opened its doors to the West, virtuoso Isaac Stern received an unprecedented government invitation to tour the country. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2000.
Punk in Africa

2012

Punk in Africa

2012
7.2
Three chords, three countries, one revolution...PUNK IN AFRICA is the story of the multiracial punk movement within the recent political and social upheavals experienced in three Southern African countries: South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas

2017

Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas

2017
8
An offbeat, irreverent musical documentary that tells the story of a group of Jewish songwriters, including Irving Berlin, Mel Tormé, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans, Gloria Shayne Baker and Johnny Marks, who wrote the soundtrack to Christianity’s most musical holiday. It’s an amazing tale of immigrant outsiders who became irreplaceable players in pop culture’s mainstream – a generation of songwriters who found in Christmas the perfect holiday in which to imagine a better world, and for at least one day a year, make us believe.
We Are The Thousand

2020

We Are The Thousand

2020
8.4
Together impossible goals can be reached. Like playing a song as a tribute to your favorite rock band, putting together 1000 musicians playing perfectly in synch. It’s what Rockin’1000 achieved, a group of Italian friends who became a global community bringing musicians from all around the world. We Are The Thousand is the story of how the largest band on the planet came to be: over nineteen thousand musicians, amateurs and pros from every age group and social background, united by one passion: rock’n’roll. This is the story of how the idea of virtuous community can positively influence every single member, encouraging them to pursue their dreams while giving the best they have to offer.
Midnight Revue

1962

Midnight Revue

1962
5.9
Despite the fact that production manager Kruse doesn't have the actors or the crew for the job, he recklessly boasts that he could direct a revue film. To prevent him losing face, Kruse brings together four people - a dramaturg, a composer, a writer and an architect - and gives them the thankless task of turning his idea into a film. Except for the relatively unknown composer Alexander Ritter, who is enthusiastically committed to the project, the other members of the team find themselves stuck in this mess.
Country: Portraits of an American Sound

2015

Country: Portraits of an American Sound

2015
7.5
'Country: Portraits of an American Sound' is a documentary film that explores the history and culture of country music through the lens of photography, which has portrayed the ideals, lifestyle and personalities of country music artists for over 80 years. The film features imagery and commentary from Grand Ole Opry photographer Les Leverett, the late celebrity photographer Leigh Wiener, documentary photographer Henry Horenstein, iconic music photographers Henry Diltz and Raeanne Rubenstein, and contemporary photographers David McClister and Michael Wilson. Over a dozen country music artists also appear, including Rosanne Cash, Roy Clark, Merle Haggard, Lyle Lovett, Charley Pride, LeAnn Rimes, Kenny Rogers, Tanya Tucker, The Band Perry and Keith Urban. The film weaves iconic images, historical footage and over 25 country music hits into a dynamic look at this uniquely American sound.
Cream – Farewell Concert

1969

Cream – Farewell Concert

1969
5.2
On November 26, 1968, London's illustrious Royal Albert Hall was jammed to its gilded rafters with rock fans ready for the final concert of what many still consider the greatest band that ever played. That band, Cream, featured the legendary Eric Clapton (aka "Slowhand") on lead guitar, the great drummer Ginger Baker (also of the classic rock band Blind Faith), and lead singer-bassist Jack Bruce in a trio that made some of the most amazing rock songs of the Sixties.
Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché

2021

Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché

2021
6.7
The death of punk icon and X-Ray Spex front-woman Poly Styrene sends her daughter on a journey through her mother's archives in this intimate documentary.
Sons of Steel

1989

Sons of Steel

1989
5.2
The film is set in Australia, where an accidental future time traveler finds himself going back in time to change events to prevent a calamity.