The Beatles aren’t the only musicians getting documentaries
This fall promises an embarrassment of riches of streaming music documentaries.
From some of the biggest bands and albums of all time, to more niche interests, there’s a wealth of material coming to streaming services this November and December, so here’s a list of the best rockumentaries to stream soon.
Just in time for your Thanksgiving viewing, director Peter Jackson will unleash six hours of restored footage of The Beatles recording “Let it Be” over the course of three nights, starting today, Nov. 25, on Disney+. “The Beatles: Get Back” is a three-episode miniseries edited from restored footage that was recorded for Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 doc “Let It Be” (the working album title was “Get Back”). During the editing process, Jackson discovered that unlike the contentious process depicted in “Let It Be,” the footage revealed that there was much less discord than what the cultural myth has become. Created with the cooperation of the surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as the widows and children of John Lennon and George Harrison, “The Beatles: Get Back” covers 21 days in the studio of rehearsal for the album, concert and film, and ends with a 42-minute rooftop concert. The documentary
directed by Alison
Klayman, is a deep dive into another massive, culture-changing album, Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill.” After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, “Jagged” arrived on HBO Max last Thursdsay, Nov. 18, kicking off a month of rock docs as a part of the Music Box Series on HBO Max, produced by The Ringer honcho Bill Simmons and his Ringer Films imprint, which previously debuted “Woodstock 99: Peace Love and Rage” on HBO Max over the summer.
“Jagged” follows the phenomenon that is the bestselling rock opus “Jagged Little Pill,” and gives Morissette her due for claiming space in mainstream rock culture for confessional singer-songwriters who happened to be women. In interviews in the film, Morissette is charming and radiant, and Klayman
has crafted a beautiful and nuanced portrait of this album, and Morissette’s meteoric rise to fame in the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, Morissette has subsequently disavowed the film for including references to potential sexual abuse that may have occurred when she was teen pop star in Canada. Nevertheless, for those who came of age with “Jagged Little Pill,” the film is a gorgeous and nostalgic musical trip.
Four more music docs will bow on HBO Max every week through November and December, including “Don’t Try to Understand: A Year in the Life of Earl ‘DMX’ Simmons,” directed by Chris Frierson and premiering today, Nov. 25, following the late rapper as he attempts to rebuild his life after being released from prison in 2019. On Dec. 2, check out the legendary Penny Lane’s film to Kenny G,” about the king of smooth jazz, and on Dec. 9, John Maggio’s doc
about Bee Gees manager and “Saturday Night Fever” producer Robert Stigwood. Finally, on Dec. 16, the Music Box series wraps up with “Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss,” directed by Tommy Oliver, about the young rapper who died far too soon at the age of 21 in 2019. “Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss” recently snagged an award at AFI Fest.
Currently available to stream on Apple TV+ is Todd Haynes’ dense, abstract documentary “The Velvet Underground,” about the legendary 1960s New York City rock group. Haynes, the acclaimed director of “Carol,” “Far From Heaven” and “Dark Waters,” has quilted this nonfiction portrait out of a wealth of archival footage and interviews, as well as Andy Warhol factory films.
Finally, “The United States of Insanity,” directed by Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez will be available on VOD Dec. 10. This doc explores the subculture of the Juggalos, the fans of Michigan rap duo Insane Clown Posse, known for their distinctive white and black face paint. The film takes a look at the FBI’s designation of the Juggalos as a gang, and the subsequent legal battle against this label, with the American Civil Liberties Union on board.