Best Music Documentaries on Netflix Instant

Presented in no particular order, all films available as of 12/31/13

Who Is Harry Nilsson

An informative look at a mostly forgotten career.  He was one of those guys my mom collected- I listened to his music without knowing anything about him beyond what was expressed on vinyl.  Amazing songwriter and performer, tortured guy, good documentary.

Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon

Another guy I didn't know much about beyond his music and the murmur that he was "political". Of course with a nickname like 'Black President' that wasn't a surprise.  His music takes somewhat of a backseat to biography here, but it's an interesting ride.

I Need That Record!


A celebration of and elegy for the independent record store as an institution, and also the idea of music as a physical object.

Shut Up and Play the Hits


Concert film of LCD Soundsystem's final show at Madison Square Garden, bookended with interviews and studded with backstage footage.  Captures a scintillating performance with a crowd that spends the entire run time in a state of ecstasy- they're my second favorite concert doc crowd, just behind the lunatic hoards of Rush in Rio.

Ken Burns: Jazz

It's a Ken Burns film, so you're getting Ken Burns' notions of jazz history- heavy on the old timey traditional stuff, skimpy on anything more than a half-step outside the mainstream.  But it has a lot of excellent stuff on the people it does choose to cover, and in particular gave me an appreciation for just what a monumental figure Louis Armstrong was in the history of music.  A guy I thought of as a purveyor of quaint ragtime numbers and grandma-friendly novelty hits (What A Wonderful World) was actually a pivotal figure in music history.
Thanks for that, Ken.

A Band Called Death


A chronicle of pioneering black punk band Death, one of those influential groups nobody's ever heard of.  A happy resurgence of interest a few years back resulted in remastering, re-releasing and this documentary.

Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me


Another underexposed, hugely influential band, the Velvet Underground of the south.

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey


A plot that sounds like a high concept setup for a Hollywood comedy:  singer in Journey cover band gets job singing for Journey just before a huge world tour.
COME ON, with that setup you cannot lose.

The Other F Word

What happens when ravening punk rockers grow up, get married and have kids?
This engaging film gives you a glimpse, along with a look at how the digitization of music has affected bands that achieved a certain level of fame (Pennywise, who end up hogging most of the screen time) without achieving breakout success (represented by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers).   While I'd have liked them to get more in depth with how these guys who survived relatively monstrous fathers & awful family lives handle their duties as new parents, it's an interesting watch.


Neal Young: Heart of Gold

A straight up concert film.  If you love Young, you'll love this.

Fearnet's Best Horror of 2013 on Neflix Streaming

Having a child & a wife who reacts to horror films like Frankenstein to a lit torch has put a damper on my viewing.  But I still appreciate the genre and the burgeoning supply of top notch modern indie horror would have spoiled my younger self for choice.

I ran across this 'best of 2013' list on Facebook, which tipped me to the fact that Stoker, which I'd assumed was some galumphing big studio re-heat, was directed by Chan Wook Park.  And I missed it!  Bah!

That one isn't on streaming (yet), but several other members of the list are available.
While I haven't seen them, here are the details, which fellow horror lovers with less constrained home lives are urged to check out.


Resolution
Cold turkey rehab at a secluded cabin imposed by your estranged friend?
What could possibly go wrong!

Maniac
I'm prejudiced here because the original Maniac was one of my 80's splatter touchstones, with an over the top performance by Joe Spinell that I can't imagine Elijah Wood (!?!) recreating.  But maybe you've never seen the original, or maybe I'm wrong and Elijah owns the role?
Whatever, the price is right- check it out and let me know!

American Mary
Medical student resorting to underground body modification surgery to pay off school debt?
Now that's a timely setup for a horror flick!

V/H/S 2
I thought the American remake of The Ring was pushing the chronological envelope with it's 'possessed vhs tape' back in 2002...eleven years later, shouldn't evil have upgraded to D/V/D?

Ah well, it's an anthology flick, so there's bound to be a good segment in there somewhere.
And the first one is also available, so you can make it a double feature.


Berberian Sound Studio
As a big fan of Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci & the like back in the day, all you have to say to get me on board is 'giallo homage'.  Milquetoast sound engineer signs on for high profile Italian horror flick & things start getting weird?
Excuse me while I go add this one to my queue....


And as a bonus, while they haven't got Park's Stoker they *do* have his exellent Korean vampire opus Thirst.  Not 2013, but an excellent vintage nonetheless.