THE MOVIE MICRO-BINGE

MUSIC BIOPICS

The next best thing to great music is the true story about how great music was made. Here’s where you can quickly stream yourself behind the wall of sound …

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (2018) Foxtel or Rent

This sugary rendition of the life and times of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury is part group hug, part greatest hits jukebox. In scenes where Freddie is pushing Queen to excavate monster earworms like Another One Bites the Dust, We are the Champions and, yes, the rock-opera masterpiece Bohemian Rhapsody, Rami Malek’s bravura performance shifts the whole movie from first gear up to fifth in seconds flat.

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (2015) Binge, Foxtel

Hip-hop pioneers NWA’s landmark 1988 debut album (from which this biopic takes its name) still sounds like a live broadcast from a war zone. This movie hits maximum impact in a gripping first half: where the rap collective rapidly get their abrasive act together, then rush headlong at an unsuspecting world.

This is where the likes of Ice Cube and Dr. Dre got their start.

RAY (2004) Binge, Foxtel

The soul-stirring sounds of music legend Ray Charles keep saving the day for this straightforward, safe-bet biopic. Jamie Foxx truly channels the spunk and spirit of Charles when swaying behind the keyboard during a multitude of exhilarating song sequences. In one hell of a hurry for a 152-minute flick, but has to be to match the exuberant rush of a wonderful soundtrack. NEEDING MORE?

LOVE & MERCY (FOXTEL, SBS ON DEMAND); ROCKETMAN (FOXTEL, AMAZON); WALK THE LINE (FOXTEL OR RENT).