We truly live in the new media age, hey?
“What do you want to watch tonight?” has transformed from a mere casual inquiry into a profound question now heavy with existentialist despair. What do you want to watch when you have one of the greatest audio-visual libraries of all time beamed directly into your living room; when you can access services like Netflix and Stan with ease, and dive straight into an entire world of film, TV and documentary goodness? I dunno, what do you want to watch?
We get it: it’s hard being a traveller in the new world. To that end, we’ve curated a list for all you music doco lovers out there: a series of flicks you can catch on both Netflix and Stan, all of ‘em classics. Never say we don’t look after you.
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20,000 Days On Earth(Netflix)
Nick Cave isn’t only one of the most important musical artists of our time, he’s also a profoundly fertile interview subject. This year’s One More Time With Feeling was one of the key artistic achievements of the last 12 months, just as 20,000 Days On Earth was a standout when it was released back in 2014.
By embracing a semi-fictional plot structure, directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard transform what could be a fairly routine exercise in artistic analysis into something truly important, a film that works like a fugue, returning again and again to questions about creativity and life.
Whether you’re a Nick Cave fan or not, this is one to catch – a film that deeply mines what it means to be an artist, tapping into both great pains and joys in the process.
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Glass: A Portrait Of Philip In Twelve Parts(Netflix)
Another intimate look at an artist whose work veers towards the grand and hyperreal,Glass: A Portrait Of Philip In Twelve Partsrevolves around the revolutionary composer Philip Glass. Director Scott Hicks uses the framework of a year of the artist’s life, and the film’s blocky, chapter-based structure is a direct imitation of the composer’s own rigid, repetitive style.
There’s a lot to be loved here, from Glass’ evident kindness and warmth, to the profound insights delivered by friends and colleagues, with talking heads ranging from Martin Scorsese to Errol Morris. Ignore the mixed, lumpy critical reception this one was unfairly afforded upon first release: it’s a keeper.
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What Happened, Miss Simone?, Available on Netflix
2016’s Nina, a fictional account of the life of Nina Simone, is a lot of things: it’s mean-spirited, desperate to paint its central character as an uncouth villain; it’s racist, with lead actress Zoe Saldana applying skin-darkening make-up to play the role; and it’s almost completely irrelevant.
Nobody needed to submit a treatise on Simone, given that 2015’sWhat Happened, Miss Simone?is the absolute zenith of films on the artist. Not only was it endorsed by the Simone estate, it focuses on both the artist’s lifeandhow she fits into the greater scheme of her times, analysing her advocacy work alongside her powerful records.
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Dig!(Stan)
An acerbic portrait of two of contemporary indie music’s biggest egos, Dig! concerns itself with an initially promising friendship and subsequent rivalry between members of The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Over the years since its release, the film’s impartiality has been questioned, particularly by the Massacre’s Anton Newcombe, who has argued that director Ondi Timoner went out of her way to defame him. And yet despite such concerns, the flick is still relentlessly enjoyable, a clusterfuck of egos defined by freakouts and failures.
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Autoluminescent: Rowland S. Howard(Stan)
Richard Lowenstein is a veteran of both the Australian film and music scene, a stalwart who has helmed countless classic rock videos as well as muso-centric features like Dogs In Space. Such a legacy put him in a prime position to co-directAutoluminescent, a fascinating portrait of the man behind standout Aussie classic Teenage Snuff Film, as well as the legendary Boys Next Door track ‘Shivers’. Frustrating and tragic in equal measure, given Howard never quite received the fame he so deserved, the work is a warts-and-all stroke of genius, and a true Aussie doco classic. Check it.
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The Stone Roses: Made Of Stone (Stan)
If you’re unaware of the work of Shane Meadows, boy are you missing out. The director is one of the true treasures of Britain’s contemporary film scene, the genius behind acclaimed fare like This Is England as well as more unconventional, darker work like revenge classic Dead Man’s Shoes and Somers Town.
He is also a massive Stone Roses fan, and as a result his 2013 doco on the eminent British group smacks of a very real love and affection. He cares deeply for his subject, revealing a more tender side to the group’s mercurial leader Ian Brown, and capping off the film with a triumphant show at Manchester’s Heaton Park. This one’s from a fan for the fans, and a joyous watch to boot.
Any others we’ve forgotten? Drop ’em down in the comments below!
