A month after their legendary Ed Sullivan appearance, The Beatles collaborated with director Richard Lester on this revolutionary, utterly delightful musical. Set during the height of Beatlemania, the film follows The Fab Four -- all playing versions of themselves -- as they travel by train to London. "It has not aged and is not dated; it stands outside its time, its genre and even rock. It is one of the great life-affirming landmarks of the movies." (Roger Ebert)
Perhaps the greatest concert film ever made, Stop Making Sense documents an electrifying, brilliantly staged performance from the Talking Heads. Shot over the course of three nights on the band's 1983 Speaking in Tongues tour, the film was directed by by Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs). "The overwhelming impression throughout Stop Making Sense is of enormous energy, of life being lived at a joyous high." (Roger Ebert)
This new documentary delves into the life and music of Rahsaan Roland Kirk, a jazz legend who played multiple instruments simultaneously and in harmony. Director Adam Kahan's film, which premiered at this year's SXSW Film Festival, incorporates animation and a wealth of outstanding clips. "Highly recommended. Visually ambitious, yet Kahan never pursues style at the expense of his subject." (Joe Bendel, Libertas Film Magazine)
In this glam rock riff on Phantom of the Opera, a smarmy music mogul (Paul Williams, who wrote the film's Oscar-nominated score) tricks a talented songwriter named Winslow Leach (William Finley) into handing over his rock opera. Winslow seeks revenge in this glorious satire. "De Palma thrives on frowzy visual hyperbole. When he sets up a highly stylized paranoid fantasy with gyrating figures on a stage and an audience that is having its limbs hacked off, you can practically hear him cackling with happiness, and the scene carries a jolt ... I loved Phantom of the Paradise." (Pauline Kael, New Yorker)
