15. “A Band Called Death” (2012)
An unfairly overlooked film about an unfairly overlooked band, “A Band Called Death” was overshadowed somewhat by the more genial “Searching For Sugar Man,” but contains a story that’s just as amazing. Mark Convino and Jeff Howlett’s doc tells the story of Death, a band made up of the three Hackney brothers formed in Detroit in the early 1970s that kicked against the dominant Motown sound with a rock’n’roll feel that prefigured punk. Unable to get much in the way of airplay and record-store interest, partly due to being an African-American rock band and partly because of a refusal to change their name, Death went mostly unknown before being rediscovered by vinyl collectors decades later. Convino and Howlett tell the story with flair, confidence and a punk-rock energy, effortlessly demonstrating not just the band and their influence but also the stories of the three men involved. A must-see little gem.
14. “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” (2014)
A tapestry of never-seen-before home movies, performance footage, animations, behind-the-scenes videos and interviews with friends and family and accompanied by an access-all-areas soundtrack that melds classic Nirvana recordings with orchestral/choral arrangements of their back catalogue, “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” is the rare musician bio-doc that gives an impression of the man without diminishing his legacy. Director Brett Morgan reclaims a Cobain that had been neglected in favor of the splashier details of his death and mythos, seen via his kindred-spirit interactions with Courtney Love and his fond times with daughter Frances (who serves as the film’s producer). But he also embraces the paradox of Cobain’s discomfort with the trappings of fame and the deep fragility that was both a wellspring of creative genius (though by no means the only one), and a source of great grief and torment. Walking just the right line between expose and hagiography, ‘Montage of Heck’ feels like the definitive word on a defining artist.
13. “Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster” (2004)
It turns out that the world’s biggest heavy metal band isn’t so tough. The definitive Metallica documentary from Joe Berlinger (“Paradise Lost”) probably wasn’t what fans were hoping for, but the film, one of the better warts-and-all docs, is doubly interesting for chronicling the internal-band strife and issues around their eighth and most widely reviled record “St. Anger.” The doc features many things you wouldn’t think you’d see in a Metallica film, among them Dave Mustaine from Megadeth shedding tears when discussing his ousting from the band 20 years prior, and the revelation that drummer Lars Ulrich‘s father is some kind of spiritual guide/ thumbs-up, thumbs-down musical consultant for the band. It’s a raw and unsparing look at a group that, even if you’ve never heard a Metallica record in your life or do not want to, is more than worth the watch.
12. “The Possibilities Are Endless” (2014)
Almost the most recent film on this list —so recent, in fact, that it hasn’t yet received a U.S release— “The Possibilities Are Endless,” from filmmakers Edward Lovelace and James Hall, is an outstanding look at the moving story of Orange Juice frontman/“A Girl Like You” solo artist Edwyn Collins, who suffered a crippling stroke in 2005 and has gradually fought his way back with the help of his wife Grace Maxwell. But this isn’t your average documentary: it’s closer to a tone poem and a meditation on the human brain and its wonders, effectively capturing not just Collins and his music, but also his memories and the effect of his cerebral haemorrhage, making you feel that you’ve been alongside Collins as he reclaimed his ability to speak and sing. It’s a beautiful, beautifully made film, at once abstract and unbearably moving, and a fitting tribute to an extraordinary story
11. “Standing In The Shadows Of Motown” (2002)
Motown; the record label so great that it became the byword for an entire genre. But the label was not so good at giving credit where it was due —The Funk Brothers, the house-band who played on the majority of Motown’s records in the 1960s, weren’t credited by founder Berry Gordy until 1970. Paul Justman’s excellent film attempts to address this injustice by reuniting the surviving Funk Brothers, and proves that they were so much more than session musicians —they were the beating heart at the center of some of the greatest records of the 20th century, playing on more number one hits than The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys combined. The doc’s version of “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” adding each instrument one-by-one, is, quite frankly astounding. Less successful are the clips from a reunion concert in Detroit in 2000, due to the low caliber of the modern artists teamed with the Funk Brothers (Ben Harper? really?) but it’s a rare misstep for an otherwise terrific film.