My favorite musicals, if you could call them that.
List activity
1.4K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
61 titles
- DirectorJohn CarneyStarsGlen HansardMarkéta IrglováHugh WalshA modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story.This the most beautiful movie I have ever seen. It is possibly the most realistic film I've seen in terms soundtrack, realaionships and musical interaction. I just keep watching it over and over again. Mainly just for the music but I keep getting sucked in by the story. There are so many spontanious moments of joy. This is the definitive musical for musicians. I can't recommend it highly enough.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsRob ReinerMichael McKeanChristopher GuestSpinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, is chronicled by film director Marty DiBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour.My baby fits me like a flesh tuxedo,
Can't wait to sink her with my pink torpedo.
This is what generally happens out on the road and whilst this road story is sad and tragic, it is also as hilarious as it can get. - DirectorJohn LandisStarsJohn BelushiDan AykroydCab CallowayJake Blues rejoins with his brother Elwood after being released from prison, but the duo has just days to reunite their old R&B band and save the Catholic home where the two were raised, outrunning the police as they tear through Chicago.From the age of about 7 years onward, I would watch this film almost ever day after school and on weekends. Now in my mid 30's I might only watch it a few times a year. As a professional guitarist, the Blues Brothers has influenced me greatly as a musician, a motorist and a human being. Possibly the greatest rhythm section ever assembled, even to this day I just can't get enough. I'm going to go and get it and watch it again right now.
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsRobert ArkinsMichael AherneAngeline BallJimmy Rabbitte, an unemployed Dublin boy, decides to put together a soul band made up entirely of the Irish working class.On the quest to jam with Wilson Pickett this Irish soul band go through hell and high water just to keep their *beep* together.
- DirectorChristopher GuestStarsChristopher GuestEugene LevyMichael McKeanMockumentary captures the reunion of 1960s folk trio the Folksmen as they prepare for a show at The Town Hall to memorialize a recently deceased concert promoter.To see Spinal Tap as an ageing folk band is absolutely hilarious. So many great characters and a wealth of inappropriate humor mixed with great music and arrangements makes this a firm favourite.
- DirectorScott CooperStarsJeff BridgesMaggie GyllenhaalColin FarrellA faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him.Depressing and invigorating at the same, a beautiful journey to redemption. Those early scenes where he drives a *beep* of miles from one crappy gig to another really hit hom with me. I've been there so many times before. Great songs throughout with a real tip of the hat to J.J. Cale. Jeff Bridges is one of those actors that really inhabits a character.
- CreatorJames BobinJemaine ClementBret McKenzieStarsJemaine ClementBret McKenzieRhys DarbyBret and Jemaine are Flight of the Conchords, a folk-rock band from New Zealand living in New York City in search of stardom.I love this series so much, the characters just remind me so much of people I have known. Murray is my favorite however. He is just too damn funny.
- DirectorLuis ValdezStarsLou Diamond PhillipsEsai MoralesRosanna DeSotoBiographical story of the rise from nowhere of early rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.
- DirectorLenny AbrahamsonStarsMichael FassbenderDomhnall GleesonMaggie GyllenhaalJon, a young wanna-be musician, discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank.
- DirectorJake KasdanStarsJohn C. ReillyJenna FischerDavid KrumholtzSinger Dewey Cox overcomes adversity to become a musical legend.I'm of the opinion that movie is about a million times better than both Ray and Walk The Line combined. John C. Riley is an unparalleled genius in terms of comedy and this film is his magnum opus. The music and the song writing in this film is so well put together that I never tire of watching it and I always smile throughout.
- DirectorSpencer SusserStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittDevin BrochuNatalie PortmanA young boy has lost his mother and is losing touch with his father and the world around him. Then he meets Hesher who manages to make his life even more chaotic.Joseph Gordon Levitt was a marvel in this film. To base a character on the vibe of Cliff Burton was and inspired piece of film making and this was a beautifully made film.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsForest WhitakerDiane VenoraMichael ZelnikerThe troubled life and career of jazz musician Charlie "Bird" Parker.This was a heavy movie, but of course Charlie Parker was a heavy duty guy. Incredible performance by Forrest Whittaker, I love the way he uses his lazy eye to depict drug addiction or insanity in certain roles.
So many memorable scenes and some fantastic music throughout makes this one of my favorite biopics. It's dark and brooding and gives a reasonable insight into the demons that drove him to incredible highs and lows throughout his fascinating life. - DirectorPaolo SorrentinoStarsSean PennFrances McDormandJudd HirschCheyenne, a retired rock star living off his royalties in Dublin, returns to New York City to find the man responsible for a humiliation suffered by his recently deceased father during W.W.II.Most hypnotic film with a fantastic musical performance from David Byrne. This is a movie I can happily watch repeatedly and I often do. So restrained and hypnotic. A new favorite.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsSean PennSamantha MortonWoody AllenIn the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.Sean Penn as a thieving, conniving guitar player player who's rather fond of going to the rubbish dump to shoot rats for relaxation is A alright with me. The two times he has ever met his hero Django Reinhardt, he's fainted. The same thing would probably happen to me.
- DirectorMartin DavidsonStarsTom BerengerMichael ParéJoe PantolianoA television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader Eddie Wilson may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album.Cool story about the cost of fame. I found all the music to be very Springsteen which can't be a bad thing.
- DirectorScott HicksStarsGeoffrey RushArmin Mueller-StahlJustin BrainePianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim.Powerful stuff.
- DirectorGiuseppe TornatoreStarsTim RothPruitt Taylor VinceMélanie ThierryA baby boy discovered on an ocean liner in 1900 grows into a musical prodigy, never setting foot on land.I worked on cruise ships for two years and the concept of someone never getting off the ship, never ever setting foot on land, I found quite haunting. The music and piano playing in this film is unbelievable. The piano duel between 1900 and jelly roll Morton is a highlight, on par with the guitar duel in Crossroads. A very European film in style, I can't recommend this film enough, it will stay in your memory for a very long time.
- DirectorSteve RashStarsGary BuseyDon StroudCharles Martin SmithThe story of the life and career of the early rock and roll singer, from his meteoric rise to stardom, to his marriage and untimely death.Gary Busey is awesome in this movie.
- DirectorAlan ParkerStarsBob GeldofChristine HargreavesJames LaurensonA confined but troubled rock star descends into madness in the midst of his physical and social isolation from everyone.Haunting, depressing and seriously epic.
- DirectorAdam RifkinStarsEdward FurlongGiuseppe AndrewsJames DeBelloIn 1978, four rebellious teenagers try to scam their way into a KISS concert.Good clean fun...
- DirectorAki KaurismäkiStarsMatti PellonpääKari VäänänenSakke JärvenpääSiberian rock band Leningrad Cowboys go to the USA in pursuit of fame.
- DirectorDaryl DukeStarsRip TornAhna CapriElayne HeilveilMaury Dann (Rip Torn, in one of his most memorable performances) is a not-so-nice country-Western singer. He ruthlessly manipulates everyone around him to suit his selfish needs...he even gets his limo driver to take the blame for the death of a fan whom he stabbed.Country, proper style. Mean, surly and fueled by pills.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsGeorge ClooneyJohn TurturroTim Blake NelsonIn the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.Epic.
- DirectorRolf de HeerStarsColin FrielsMiles DavisHelen BudayTraces the pilgrimage of John Anderson, an average guy with a passion for jazz, from his home in outback Western Australia to the jazz clubs of Paris, to meet his idol, jazz trumpeter Billy Cross.Sadly, not many people outside of Australia have had the opportunity to see this little gem of a film. For that matter, not many Australians have had the chance to see this movie. Miles Davis is one of the lead roles in this movie for christ's sake. There is the most surreal scene in the opening of this film where Miles and his whole band get off a plane in the middle of some nowhere hick town out in the outback and sets up an plays. The locals can only imagine he's some kind of alien, he is just so far removed from the reality of these outback folks. After a number or two, they pack up and leave, just as suddenly as they arrived.
I've been trying to find a copy of this for years but to no avail. I'm not even sure if it made release on DVD. - DirectorBrian GibsonStarsStephen ReaBilly ConnollyJimmy NailFame, fortune and fornication drove the British rock band in the '70s until a divine end. 20 years later, Strange Fruit reunites and goes on a tour with ups and downs on the continent.I've met these guys (the arctypal aging rocker) so many times before that it's just like bumping into old friends at the boozer. It wasn't a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, but I did thoroughly enjoy it.
- DirectorMilos FormanStarsF. Murray AbrahamTom HulceElizabeth BerridgeThe life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.I think that Milos Foreman painted a very accurated picture of the young Mozart as a very naughty boy. Dazzlingly rich music throughout and fascinating intrigue between the protagonist and Salieri.
Bravo indeed. - CreatorEric Ellis OvermyerDavid SimonStarsKhandi AlexanderRob BrownKim DickensLife after Hurricane Katrina as the residents of New Orleans try to rebuild their lives, their homes, and their unique culture in the aftermath of one of the worst natural disasters in the USA.Very cool TV with all of the great New Orleans popping up from time to time. So much very cool music is packed into each episode.
- DirectorRichard CurtisStarsPhilip Seymour HoffmanBill NighyNick FrostA band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that wanted classical music, and nothing else, on the airwaves.
- DirectorJohn Cameron MitchellStarsJohn Cameron MitchellMiriam ShorStephen TraskA gender-queer punk-rock singer from East Berlin tours the U.S. with her band as she tells her life story and follows the former lover/band-mate who stole her songs.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsRalph MacchioJoe SenecaJami GertzA wannabe blues-guitar virtuoso finds an old blues player and hopes he can teach him a long-lost song by legendary musician Robert Johnson.What ever happened to poor little Ralph Machio. Whilst I never really enjoyed any of his movies I did rather like this one. Steve Vai played the devil's personal guitar shredder and Ry Cooder played all of the karate kid's guitar stunts. That's a pretty cool set of affairs right there. I much preferred black mr miyagi as well.
- DirectorLance MungiaStarsJeffrey FalconJustin McGuireKim De AngeloIn the post-apocalyptic world of 1990s Nevada, a rock 'n' roll samurai on his way to Lost Vegas takes a young orphan boy under his protection as Death and his metalhead Horsemen chase after them.This movie definitely has plenty of WTF?!? moments. Again the music (guitar) as a weapon concept really floats my boat.
- DirectorJulie TaymorStarsEvan Rachel WoodJim SturgessJoe AndersonThe music of The Beatles and the Vietnam War form the backdrop for the romance between an upper-class American girl and a poor Liverpudlian artist.
- DirectorCameron CroweStarsBilly CrudupPatrick FugitKate HudsonA high-school boy in the early 1970s is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies them on their concert tour.
- DirectorPeter CattaneoStarsRainn WilsonJosh GadChristina ApplegateIn the 1980s, a drummer is abandoned by his band just before they become rock superstars. Twenty years later, the drummer sees his second chance at stardom arise when he is asked to perform with his teenage nephew's high school rock band.On the whole, this was a rather lame move, but Rainn Wilson was hilarious throughout. The music was rather formulaic but in the I have to say I really enjoyed it. It could have been a disneyesque cheese fest but in the end it all came together quite nicely.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsJack BlackMike WhiteJoan CusackAfter being kicked out of his rock band, Dewey Finn becomes a substitute teacher of an uptight elementary private school, only to try and turn his class into a rock band.
- DirectorMichael WinterbottomStarsSteve CooganLennie JamesJohn ThomsonIn 1976, Tony Wilson sets up Factory Records and brings Manchester's music to the world.
- DirectorBrian GibsonStarsAngela BassettLaurence FishburneRaéVen KellyThe story of singer Tina Turner's rise to stardom and how she gained the courage to break free from her abusive husband, Ike Turner.Absolute killer soundtrack by Stanley Clarke. The movie was a little over the top and melodramatic but some of the arrangements were smokin! The main thing that really sticks in my mind was a dynamite version of Disco Inferno. I do however feel that Ike was a little hard done by in this film. Sure he was no angel, but for the purposes of dramatic license, I think they went a little hard on the old boy.
- DirectorRolf de HeerStarsNicholas HopeClaire BenitoRalph CotterillBubby has spent thirty years trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day, he manages to escape and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into a modern and nihilistic life begins.This was a musical road trip if there ever was one. If you can force yourself to sit through the first half hour of this film, you will be rewarded with the must unusual and uplifting film of all time.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsJoaquin PhoenixReese WitherspoonGinnifer GoodwinA chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins.The one scene I really loved from this movie was when the boys had finished a gig and were drinking hard into the early hours of the dawn, and June Carter walks in and makes a citizens arrest in the name of the fun police. I've been there a few times before. That's why wives and girlfriends are best not taken out on the road.
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsJamie FoxxRegina KingKerry WashingtonThe story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s.Technically well made and with a great soundtrack, but somehow felt hollow. With this film coming out and Walk The Line coming out so soon after, it kind of felt like the we're both the same movie. One the black version and the other the white version. It did have a great soundtrack however, how can you not love the music of Ray Charles.
- DirectorBill CondonStarsBeyoncéJamie FoxxEddie MurphyA trio of black female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960s, facing their own personal struggles along the way.I bit too cheesy for my palate, but the performance of Eddie Murphy made it all worthwhile.
- DirectorAlex ProyasStarsKick GurryMaya StangePia MirandaThe story of a young garage band in Sydney, Australia trying to make it big.Growing up in Sydney and spending most of my musical career there, I have to say that this film is rather accurate portrayal of the Sydney music scene. The guy who played the manager was fantastic, such a typical Aussie leb. It wasn't a great movie compared with Alex Proyas other films, but I really enjoyed it.
- DirectorKirsten SheridanStarsFreddie HighmoreKeri RussellJonathan Rhys MeyersA musically gifted orphan, Evan, runs away from his orphanage and searches New York City for his birth parents. On his journey, he's taken under the wing of the Wizard, a homeless man who lives in an abandoned theater.A very sappy Gorgonzola cheese fest that will have you suffering from cringe fatigue, but at the same time some beautiful music. With a certain amount of reluctance I shall include this movie into my list.
- DirectorJeremy SaulnierStarsAnton YelchinImogen PootsAlia ShawkatA punk rock band is forced to fight for survival after witnessing a murder at a neo-Nazi skinhead bar.
- DirectorJonas ÅkerlundStarsRory CulkinEmory CohenJack KilmerA teenager's quest to launch Norwegian Black Metal in Oslo in the early 1990s results in a very violent outcome.
- DirectorRobert RodriguezStarsAntonio BanderasSalma HayekJoaquim de AlmeidaFormer musician and gunslinger El Mariachi arrives at a small Mexican border town after being away for a long time. His past quickly catches up with him and he soon gets entangled with the local drug kingpin Bucho and his gang.
- DirectorLee UnkrichAdrian MolinaStarsAnthony GonzalezGael García BernalBenjamin BrattAspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsVal KilmerMeg RyanKyle MacLachlanThe story of the famous and influential 1960s rock band The Doors and its lead singer and composer, Jim Morrison, from his days as a UCLA film student in Los Angeles, to his untimely death in Paris, France at age 27 in 1971.
- DirectorDamien ChazelleStarsMiles TellerJ.K. SimmonsMelissa BenoistA promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.
- DirectorMark HermanStarsBrenda BlethynJane HorrocksMichael CaineA shy reclusive lady is convinced by an invisible entity to sing. Subsequently, she finds herself noticed by a sleazy talent agent and her talent being showcased on-stage. She also meets a kind but nervous man who becomes her best friend.
- DirectorAnton CorbijnStarsSam RileySamantha MortonCraig ParkinsonA profile of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of Joy Division whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to die by suicide at the age of 23.
- DirectorBill PohladStarsJohn CusackPaul DanoElizabeth BanksIn the 60s, Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson struggles with emerging psychosis as he attempts to craft his avant-garde pop masterpiece. In the 80s, he's a broken, confused man under the 24-hour watch of shady therapist, Dr. Eugene Landy.
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsOscar IsaacCarey MulliganJohn GoodmanA week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.
- DirectorFloria SigismondiStarsKristen StewartDakota FanningMichael ShannonA coming-of-age biographical film about the 1970s teenage all-girl rock band The Runaways. The relationship between band members Cherie Currie and Joan Jett is also explored.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsAdrien BrodyThomas KretschmannFrank FinlayDuring WWII, acclaimed Polish musician Wladyslaw faces various struggles as he loses contact with his family. As the situation worsens, he hides in the ruins of Warsaw in order to survive.
- DirectorTate TaylorStarsChadwick BosemanNelsan EllisDan AykroydA chronicle of James Brown's rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential musicians in history.
- DirectorBertrand TavernierStarsDexter GordonFrançois CluzetGabrielle HakerA troubled, but talented musician flees the US to escape his problems, finding refuge and support in Paris.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsSissy SpacekTommy Lee JonesLevon HelmThe fictionalized life of singer Loretta Lynn, a girl who rose from humble beginnings to become a country music star in the 1960s/70s.
- DirectorHal AshbyStarsDavid CarradineRonny CoxMelinda DillonThe early life of Woody Guthrie as a vagabond folk singer.
- DirectorDominic MurphyStarsMuse WatsonCarrie FisherWallace MerckDeep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia, where every man owns a gun and a moonshine still, abides living legend Jesco White, "the dancing outlaw". As a boy Jesco was in and out of reform school and the insane asylum. To keep him out of trouble, his daddy D-Ray taught him the art of mountain dancing, a frenzied version of tap dancing to wild country banjo music. After his father's death, crazy Jesco dons his father's tap shoes and takes his show on the road.
- DirectorDexter FletcherStarsTaron EgertonJamie BellRichard MaddenA musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John's breakthrough years.