Movies like The Punk Rock Movie (1978)

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)

An exploration of the heavy metal scene in Los Angeles, with particular emphasis on glam metal. It features concert footage and interviews of legendary heavy metal and hard rock bands and artists such as Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Megadeth, Motörhead, Ozzy Osbourne and W.A.S.P..

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

The Velvet Underground (2021)

Experience the iconic rock band's legacy in the first major documentary to tell their story. Directed with the era’s avant-garde spirit by Todd Haynes, this kaleidoscopic oral history combines exclusive interviews with dazzling archival footage.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

The Beach Boys (2024)

A celebration of the legendary band that revolutionized pop music, and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream, captivating fans for generations and generations to come.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015)

Hailed as one of the most innovative and intimate documentaries of all time, experience Kurt Cobain like never before in the only ever fully authorized portrait of the famed music icon. Academy Award nominated filmmaker Brett Morgen expertly blends Cobain's personal archive of art, music, never seen before movies, animation and revelatory interviews from his family and closest friends.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

Bad Reputation (2018)

The life and career of rock n' roll icon Joan Jett from her early years ripping it up onstage as the founder and backbone of hard-rock legends The Runaways, to her long time collaboration with Kenny Laguna as Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and her enduring presence in pop culture as a rock pioneer and mentor. With her inimitable singles "I Love Rock n Roll," and "Bad Reputation" Joan Jett inspired a generation of young women to rock.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

Hated: GG Allin and The Murder Junkies (1993)

An overview of the life of the most shocking, vile, and notorious of punk rock legends.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

Until the Light Takes Us (2008)

Chronicles the history, ideology and aesthetic of Norwegian black metal, a musical subculture infamous as much for a series of murders and church arsons as it is for its unique musical and visual aesthetics. This is the first film to truly shed light on a movement that has heretofore been shrouded by rumor and obscured by inaccurate and shallow depictions. Featuring exclusive interviews with the musicians themselves, Until the Light Takes Us explores every aspect of the controversial movement that has captured the attention of the world.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022)

After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008)

At 14, best friends Robb Reiner and Lips made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, hailed as the "demi-gods of Canadian metal" influenced a musical generation that includes Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. Following a calamitous European tour, Lips and Robb, now in their fifties, set off to record their 13th album in one last attempt to fulfill their boyhood dreams.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap (2012)

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING: THE ART OF RAP is a feature length performance documentary about the runaway juggernaut that is Rap music. At the wheel of this unstoppable beast is the film's director and interviewer Ice-T. Taking us on a deeply personal journey Ice-T uncovers how this music of the street has grown to dominate the world. Along the way Ice-T meets a whole spectrum of Hip-Hop talent, from founders, to new faces, to the global superstars like Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Kanye West. He exposes the roots and history of Rap and then, through meeting many of its most famous protagonists, studies the living mechanism of the music to reveal 'The Art Of Rap'. This extraordinary film features unique performances from the entire cast, without resorting to archive material, to build a fresh and surprising take on the phenomenon that is Rap.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

Let It Be (1970)

A documentary chronicling the Beatles' rehearsal sessions in January 1969 for their proposed "back to basics" album, "Get Back," later re-envisioned and released as "Let It Be."

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell (2021)

Christopher Wallace, AKA The Notorious B.I.G., remains one of Hip-Hop’s icons, renowned for his distinctive flow and autobiographical lyrics. This documentary celebrates his life via rare behind-the-scenes footage and the testimonies of his closest friends and family.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

American Hardcore (2006)

Inspired by Steven Blush's book "American Hardcore: A tribal history" Paul Rachman's feature documentary debut is a chronicle of the underground hardcore punk years from 1979 to 1986. Interviews and rare live footage from artists such as Black Flag, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, SS Decontrol and the Dead Kennedys.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

The Sparks Brothers (2021)

Take a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers Ron & Russell Mael, celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band’s favorite band.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

Biggie & Tupac (2002)

In 1997, rap superstars Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G.) were gunned down in separate incidents, the apparent victims of hip hop's infamous east-west rivalry. Nick Broomfield's film introduces Russell Poole, an ex-cop with damning evidence that suggests the LAPD deliberately fumbled the case to conceal connections between the police, LA gangs and Death Row Records, the label run by feared rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary

Milli Vanilli (2023)

The story of Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, who became fast friends during their youth in Germany. With Rob coming from a broken home and Fabrice having left an abusive household, they shared a similar upbringing, as well as a future goal: to become famous superstars. In a few short years, their dreams came true. Rob and Fab, better known as Milli Vanilli, became the world's most popular pop duo in 1990 and won the GRAMMY for Best New Artist. However, their ascension to success came with a devastating price that ultimately led to their infamous undoing.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & documentary

Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage (2021)

Explore Woodstock 99, a three-day music festival promoted to echo unity and counterculture idealism of the original 1969 concert but instead devolved into riots, looting and sexual assaults.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

The Filth and the Fury (2000)

Julien Temple's second documentary profiling punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols is an enlightening, entertaining trip back to a time when the punk movement was just discovering itself. Featuring archival footage, never-before-seen performances, rehearsals, and recording sessions as well as interviews with group members who lived to tell the tale--including the one and only John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten).

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

Joy Division (2009)

A chronological account of the influential late 1970s English rock band.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

Chasing Happiness (2019)

From humble roots as pastor's sons in New Jersey, through their meteoric rise to fame, the Jonas Brothers' bond was unshakeable-until a surprising and painful breakup led Joe, Kevin and Nick down very different paths. With deeply personal interviews, previously unreleased footage and exclusive music, this is the Jonas Brothers as never seen before.

Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary & music

Crass: The Sound of Free Speech (The Story of Reality Asylum) (2023)

The film dives into 1970's Britain; the birth of punk and the formation of Crass, with an in-depth look at their art, music and ethos.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music

Outlawed: A Punk Rock Uprising in the Basque Country (2021)

A sonic journey through Basque punk rock and the turbulent past that defined its sound, chronicling the rise of the gaztetxe movement.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music

DEADCHAIN - Kawakami Forever (TBA)

A documentary showcasing a series of tributes to deceased D-beat legend, Kawakami.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music

Minor Threat - Live: DC Space-Buff Hall-930 Club (2003)

Minor Threat played one of its last shows at Washington DC's 930 Club in June of 1983; they would only play once more in DC. Two years later, the tapes from the 930 show were edited together and Dischord Records released them as the Minor Threat Live VHS video in 1986. Along with the 40 minute 930 performance, the DVD includes a 1982 Minor Threat show in Camden, NJ, a clip of Minor Threat's 2nd ever show at DC Space in December 1980, and excerpts from a 1983 interview with vocalist, Ian MacKaye.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & documentary

The Go-Go's (2021)

As the first all-female band to play their instruments, write their songs and have a No. 1 album, The Go-Go’s made history. Underpinned by candid testimonies, this film chronicles the meteoric rise to fame of a band born in the LA punk scene who became a pop phenomenon.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music

Sex Pistols: Decade... A Look Back (Unlimited Supply) (1989)

Featuring portions of over a dozen songs, humorous British 'punk' ads, opinions, Ronnie Biggs, Malcolm McLaren (of course!), and a fantastic not-so-candid Lydon interview.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & documentary

Die Toten Hosen - 3 Akkorde für ein Halleluja (1989)

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music

Razing the Bar: A Documentary About the Funhouse (2014)

Razing the Bar documents the development and eventual demolition of a well-loved fringe punk rock Seattle venue through interviews of employees, friends, and a multitude of local musicians.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary & music

Green Day: The Early Years (2017)

"Green Day: The Early Years" chronicles the rise of the world's most influential punk band, from their origins playing shows at Berkley's notorious Gilman Street venue in the late 80s, through the release of the platinum-selling Dookie in 1994.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both music & documentary

I Really Get Into It: The Underage Architects of Sioux Falls Punk (2020)

Largely ignored and left to their own devices, a group of unassuming teenagers in late 80s and early 90s Sioux Falls, South Dakota created their own culture, community, and economy. And when they moved out into the world at large, they brought what they learned along with them. I Really Get Into It: The Underage Architects of Sioux Falls Punk is a story about the tenacity and ingenuity of youth, finding and following your convictions, and how the kids you least expect often make the most noise. Shot on location in eight cities and assembled from dozens of hours of archival video and hundreds of photos, the documentary features interviews with Larry Livermore (Lookout. Records), Ian MacKaye (Fugazi), Mike Park (Skankin' Pickle), Rebecca Hanten (Cadillac Blindside), Terry Taylor (Hammerlord), and dozens of current and former members of the Sioux Falls all ages music scene.

Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary