# Movies that rock

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 17, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387 "2010-02-17T20:14:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![uncle\_squeegee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b5e925/32.png) [@uncle\_squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uncle_squeegee)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/21 "2010-02-17T21:42:55Z")

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It’s a documentary, but I’ve always loved _Stop Making Sense_.  
A movie I’ve only seen snippets of, but it rocks because Devo is in it is _Human Highway_, directed by Neil Young.

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**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/22 "2010-02-17T21:45:28Z")

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\*\*Absolute Beginners

American Pop\*\* (Not good, but I include it for completists)

**Back Beat**

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**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/23 "2010-02-17T21:51:46Z")

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> [@Krokodil](#):
>
> **Back Beat**

Great movie - the Beatles beginnings up to Hamburg and the death of Stu Sutcliffe. And the band used to record the songs was full of legit punk/alt players so there was an energy and urgency to the versions…

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**Author:** ![Methyl\_Ethyl\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Methyl\_Ethyl\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Methyl_Ethyl_Death)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/24 "2010-02-17T21:55:41Z")

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Rock & Rule

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**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/25 "2010-02-17T22:12:23Z")

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Holy jeez: _[The Commitments](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101605/)_ (1991) is almost two decades old. Anyway, it rocks – and it’s a great, great movie.

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**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/26 "2010-02-17T22:21:33Z")

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Good call on the Commitments! I haven’t seen that in years. I think I’ll put it on the netflix list.

If you want to go with short-but-awesome, check out [Heavy Metal Parking Lot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_Metal_Parking_Lot). You can even pair it with [Decline of Western Civilization Part II](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decline_of_Western_Civilization_Part_II:_The_Metal_Years)and laugh yourself into a hair metal meltdown.

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**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/27 "2010-02-17T22:33:48Z")

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You guys rule. These suggestions are perfect! I’ve seen Heavy Metal Parking Lot, and it is jaw dropping.

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**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/28 "2010-02-17T23:44:10Z")

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> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#):
>
> Holy jeez: _[The Commitments](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101605/)_ (1991) is almost two decades old. Anyway, it rocks – and it’s a great, great movie.

[Once](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0907657/) showed me that at least one of the kids from that movie did okay.

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**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/29 "2010-02-17T23:49:23Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> **The Kids are Alright**

I wasn’t sure that the OP wanted to include documentaries/concert movies, but this is the greatest rock movie _ever._

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**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/30 "2010-02-18T00:34:55Z")

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> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#):
>
> I wasn’t sure that the OP wanted to include documentaries/concert movies, but this is the greatest rock movie _ever._

It is indeed excellent, but both The Last Waltz (The Band) and Stop Making Sense (Talking Heads) are just as good, if not even better…

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**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/31 "2010-02-18T00:50:11Z")

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Urgh: A Music War might be the best ever.

1. Opening credits
2. The Police – “Driven to Tears”
3. Wall of Voodoo – “Back in Flesh”
4. Toyah Willcox – “Danced”
5. John Cooper Clarke – “Health Fanatic”
6. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – “Enola Gay”
7. Chelsea – “I’m on Fire”
8. Oingo Boingo – “Ain’t This the Life”
9. Echo & the Bunnymen – “The Puppet”
10. Jools Holland – “Foolish I Know”
11. XTC – “Respectable Street”
12. Klaus Nomi – “Total Eclipse”
13. Athletico Spizz 80 – “Where’s Captain Kirk?”
14. The Go-Go’s – “We Got the Beat”
15. Dead Kennedys – “Bleed for Me”
16. Steel Pulse – “Ku Klux Klan”
17. Gary Numan – “Down in the Park”
18. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – “Bad Reputation”
19. Magazine – “Model Worker”
20. Surf Punks – “My Beach”
21. The Members – “Offshore Banking Business”
22. Au Pairs – “Come Again”
23. The Cramps – “Tear It Up”
24. Invisible Sex – “Valium”
25. Pere Ubu – “Birdies”
26. Devo – “Uncontrollable Urge”
27. The Alley Cats – “Nothing Means Nothing Anymore”
28. John Otway – “Cheryl’s Going Home”
29. Gang of Four – “He’d Send in the Army”
30. 999 – “Homicide”
31. The Fleshtones – “Shadowline”
32. X – “Beyond and Back”
33. Skafish – “Sign of the Cross”
34. Splodgenessabounds – “Two Little Boys”
35. UB40 – “Madame Medusa”
36. The Police – “Roxanne”
37. The Police – “So Lonely”
38. Klaus Nomi – “Aria (from Samson and Delilah)” (End credits)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/32 "2010-02-18T01:07:27Z")

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> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#):
>
> I wasn’t sure that the OP wanted to include documentaries/concert movies, but this is the greatest rock movie _ever._

+1

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**Author:** ![by-tor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/by-tor/32/266_2.png) [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/33 "2010-02-18T01:13:14Z")

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Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny

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**Author:** ![QuardleOodleArdleWardleDoodle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecccb3/32.png) [@QuardleOodleArdleWardleDoodle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuardleOodleArdleWardleDoodle)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/34 "2010-02-18T02:07:01Z")

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> [@HoboStew](#):
>
> My SO & I recently re-watched Rock & Roll Highschool, which was more enjoyable than I thought it would be so long as you go in with the right frame of mind. We also love Spinal Tap like all red blooded mammals, and now we are looking for more enjoyable (not necessarily Good, although we aren’t opposed) movies that bring the ROCK. Or the RAWK, if you prefer. Any recommendations?

[Bad News](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_News) was like an English Spinal Tap - it was coincidenttly made at almost the same time - is the cast of the Young Ones as a terribel heavy metal band on tour. Its as good as Spinal Tap, although it was overloked because od Spinal Tap at the time. I think it’s on DVd as part of the Comic Strip Presents series.

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**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/35 "2010-02-18T03:33:46Z")

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[Head](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063049/) starring The Monkees rocks.  
[Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478209/) totally rocks.  
[Get Thrashed](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780524/) totally fucking rocks.  
[Breaking Glass](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080469/) rocks so much you will never forget it.  
[Saving Silverman](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0239948/) rocks, especially considering that most of the soundtrack is Neil Diamond songs.  
[Rize](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436724/) rocks, even though it’s mostly about a type of hip-hop music (krump) and a style of dance that grew up around it.  
[Six String Samurai](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118736/) has everything you need to rock: a Buddy Holly look-a-like who’s traveling thru a post-apocalyptic wasteland to become the new King of Las Vegas.  
[CB4](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106500/) will Rock your world (see what I did there?).  
[Groove](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212974/) is one of very few fictional movies set in rave sub-culture, and it freakin’ rocks.

I just went over my shelves and I didn’t bother posting every documentary or raw concerts, although if you’d like those, I can post again and include all the stuff about The Clash, The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Butthole Surfers, Refused, The Mentors, etc. I have quite an extensive collection of old punk/hardcore videos/concerts as well, but it seemed you mostly wanted movies about rock or incorporating the rock into a story, so I didn’t post those.

And to sum it all up:

[Repo Man](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087995/) pwns everything.

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**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/36 "2010-02-18T04:23:03Z")

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> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> [Six String Samurai](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118736/) has everything you need to rock: a Buddy Holly look-a-like who’s traveling thru a post-apocalyptic wasteland to become the new King of Las Vegas.

I came in to post this, but you forgot to mention the The Red Elvises, they rocked independently of the rest of the movie!

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**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/37 "2010-02-18T04:35:35Z")

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> [@outlierrn](#):
>
> I came in to post this, but you forgot to mention the The Red Elvises, they rocked independently of the rest of the movie!

That movie has so much awesome in it, I would have to make another movie just to list it all! 😕

> [@Jonathan Chance](#):
>
> Urgh: A Music War might be the best ever.

BONUS! It was (finally) [released on DVD](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002WJHBEU?tag=imdb-adbox) last year! Many of us thought this film would never make it onto any new media formats, due to licensing problems and the fact that some of the artists featured in the film are now deceased, but it’s out! WOOHOO!

ETA: They left **Splodgeness Abounds** out of the DVD… wtf???

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**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/38 "2010-02-18T04:40:14Z")

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> [@QuardleOodleArdleWardleDoodle](#):
>
> [Bad News](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_News) was like an English Spinal Tap - it was coincidenttly made at almost the same time - is the cast of the Young Ones as a terribel heavy metal band on tour. Its as good as Spinal Tap, although it was overloked because od Spinal Tap at the time. I think it’s on DVd as part of the Comic Strip Presents series.

The movie _[Still Crazy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0149151/)_ is a lot of fun. A rock band from the 1970s is asked to get back together to play a 20th anniversary show. Stephen Rea, Billy Connolly, Jimmy Nail, Timothy Spall and Bill Nighy. Well worth watching.

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**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/39 "2010-02-18T04:54:45Z")

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A Psychedelic movie festival… [Heavy Metal](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082509/), followed by [The Wall](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084503/), and to soften it and begin to bring you down from the first and scond stages of the grainy trip…[Yellow Submarine](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063823/), [The Hobbit.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077687/)… then you watch Beavis and Butthead, Aeon Flux, and Ren and Stimpy, in that order…will get you through the night.

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**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-rock/529387/40 "2010-02-18T16:26:23Z")

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…and add a few grams of mushrooms to that, I doubt you’ll ever return. 🙂

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