As a young budding punk (15 in 1987) Return of the Living Dead was my favorite. I knew it line for line I watched it so many times. I loved the cheesy sarcasm, and humor, never taking itself to serious.
Punk rock, Japanese Cinema, messed up movies. Wow, UA-cam recommendations finally knows me. Only a day after too! Quite possibly the most meaningful UA-cam video I have seen that is not a music video or live show footage. I would call you a deity amongst content creators, but you are probably too humble too appreciative it. How about just my current favourite? 12 movies added to my watchlist, 3 added to my Amazon cart. Can’t thank you enough. Oh, (edited), most definitely subscribed
"bomb city" is a great punk movie, telling the true story of a punk teen who was ran over and killed by a high school jock during a brawl in Texas. The story focuses on the injustices punks faced by the cops town people and court hearings. It's a gritty, violent, film but beautifully made, and also shines light on a tragic story most people have never heard of.
I was one of those pre teen girls who caught Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains on cable TV, in bits and pieces on Night Flight. It changed my life, and damn near re-wrote my personality. I was such a sad, lonely kid, with no hope for the future. Nobody ever told me I could fight back before this.
SAME!!!! I scoured the internet, waiting for the day it would be out on DVD. I am so happy to have my own copy. I previously only had a crappy VHS I had recorded off of Night Flight, but by the end of 88, it was just gone. ❤
When you find something that speaks to you, that gives you something you never had, or never even knew existed...well, they are things you hold close. Thanks for the comment. Really appreciate you sharing something that means so much to you. D
@@discellany It's kind of funny how that movie is two things at once. The director wanted it to focus on the band getting swept up in commercialism, and the writer wanted to focus on women's empowerment. And somehow it does both. And "Join the Professionals" is a blast.
The Return of the Living Dead was it for me! I had gotten into punk in 84 and Return came out in 85. I went to the theatre about 5 or 6 times to see it when it came out and it’s still one of my favorite movies of all time. The soundtrack is awesome and featured a few of the bands I was already listening to and I had already been watching horror movies before I was in my teens. What’s better than Punk Rock,sexy girls and zombies all in one movie!
"Hard Core Logo" is my favorite punk film. If you haven't seen it, I totally recommend it. It's a mockumentary, but it's played straight and it works so well.
I was interested to watch this video, and as it started I had an idea of what films I would include…. Was pleased to see that several of those showed up, was THRILLED that you included ‘Dinner in America’ and am really intrigued by several I have never heard of and am now dying to check out. Well done all around, in my opinion! 👍🏻
Great list, seen Jubilee, Rock 'n' roll high school, Repo Man, Suburbia, Night of The Living Dead, Wild Zeros, We are the best and Green Room. Pretty much think you nailed them all in your descriptions.
I had Class of 1984 on VHS. I watched it last about 20 years ago. Was it the one with Michael J. Fox? I watched it once or twice. I may have it mixed up with another movie.?
@@IamIUrU77 It certainly was Michael J Fox credited as just Michael Fox if I remember. It's out uncut in the UK on a great looking Blu ray from 101 Films and if your stateside, it's released by Scream Factory. Brilliant film.
A really interesting list impressively offered up. It’s done its job. Makes me want to track some of those down. Unique and enjoyable presenting style. Keep up the great work
Really brilliant video. Great to see that its blown up too. I consider myself a bit of a pop culture junky...but I was not aware of a few of these of these. I cant think of anything you've missed.
Oh yeah. That was an early cable tv staple. That one changed me. Suburban discontent. I actually lived in a trailer park at that time, in real time. From what I understand, Kurt Cobain was a big fan of that flick. It definitely fits on this list.
Quite possibly, I've not seen it in a long time. I definitely remember Cheap Trick on the soundtrack. UK TV in the 70s-80s used to show loads of great cult/obscure movies.
Enjoyed this and thanks for turning me on to We Are the Best and Dinner in America, both of which went immediately to my Tubi and Hulu watchlists. Alas, Fish Story doesn’t seem to be currently available on streaming, but I’ll keep an eye out. Strong recommendation for you: Good Vibrations (2012), the dramatized story of Terri Hooley as he founds the titular punk record label (Undertones, Rudi, etc.) out of his record shop in late 70s Belfast during the height of the troubles. It’s a true gem underdog story and gets the time & place right.
Fish Story is a real gem. First caught it on TV here in the UK...an early-hours slot on Film4, and fell for it instantly. "Good Vibrations" is a nice call. I have seen it, and you're right, it would fit in seamlessly onto this list! Cheers, D
Toyah was no amateur, a trained actor and already a veteran of the National Theater at that young age. Jarman offered her any part she wanted in the script, she took the part of "Mad" because it had the most lines
No shade cast! I think most would think of her as a musician first, actor second, but I'll accept that she was by no means the most amateurish performer in Jubilee. My comment was more trying to tie the whole production, the chaotic/dystopian/jarring aesthetic, into the decisions Jarman took regarding casting and whatnot. Cheers, D
Chanced upon your video yesterday. Great content, thoroughly enjoyed. Look forward to seeing more. Maybe one on punk documentaries at some stage? I share your love of Green Room, it was good to see hardcore punk get a good airing. Another movie that could be considered 'punk rock' is Pump Up The Volume (1990) - Descendents, Bad Brains & Rollins.
I would highly recommend "Good Vibrations" from 2013. Story about Terri Holey, the founder of Good Vibrations record shop and label, also about the Belfast punk scene in late '70s. Some great bands in there, The Undertones, Rudi, Outcasts, Stiff Little Fingers
Thank you. I'm usually doing straight-up music talk, so I took a bit of a leap with this video. Glad I did...it was fun to make, and it's attracting a lot of new viewers and positive comments/feedback. All the best, D
I love the Wild Zero DVD. I was fortunate to have Guitar Wolf sign my copy before Billy passed away. My favorite thing about the DVD was the drinking game that was programmed into the disc. Whenever someone yells Rock And Roll, Fire Shoots out of something, Someone combs their hair, Someone drinks, Anything explodes, or a Zombie's head explodes, take a drink. It's a fantastic way to drain a thirty pack with your friends.
Very nice, Green Room is one of my favourite all-time films. I'm super excited to track down the Fish Story, thanks, ✨️. I saw Jubilee when it came out. In retrospect, it's not as terrible as I had initially thought, though it was definitely not what was wanted or expected at the time. Like deployed 👍
Thanks. Yeah, had to be quite focused on features only for this one, and wanted to see how it went down before committing to more. First 12 hours or so have gone great, so I'll probably return to this format again in the future. D
Loved this. Great list. Repo Man and Suberbia are in my top 10 all-time fav movies. there is a great covers version lp of the repo man soundtrack. I actually saw SLC punk in the cinema back when and liked it !!
Great video. I´d recommend Rude Boyy (1980). One of my favorites, feat The Clash, showing the subculture of roadie in the punk scene by hand of The Clash. Definitely a must wacht.
Great list! Got yourself a new subscriber! You're so spot on about Suburbia; that mosh pit scene with the girl in the pink dress has Corman written all over it. A great film otherwise though, it'd be great if Spheeris someday went back to her roots.
Someone down here brought up a Spheeris commentary track where she said that scene was based on a real-life incident. Even so, the staging is (to these jaded old eyes) pure Corman. Thanks for the sub! Generally music-focused content on the channel, but I'm very keen to do more of these music/movie/pop-culture crossover videos in the not-too-distant future. D
What a great video! Thanks for this. I have most of these films in my collection, but I had never heard of Jubilee, Smithereens, Fish Story, We Are The Best!, and Dinner In America. Now I've got them to find and watch. In your review of Ladies & Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, you forgot to mention LA legends Black Randy & The Metro Squad doing 'I Slept In An Arcade'. Oh, and have you never seen MY favorite Punk film of all time? Bruce McDonald's HARD CORE LOGO out of 1996 Canada! What a film, and the songs are GREAT! Check it out if you haven't seen it.
Two more films… Class of 1984 and What We Do Is Secret. Thank you for your list. A couple I haven’t seen yet. Suburbia and Repo Man had scenes that mirrored my life.
I have a few to add, although since I'm at work and can't rifle through my VHS tapes, I'll have to add an update once I get home... First pic is Roadside Prophets. Biker movie starring John Doe from X and Ad-rock from the Beastie Boys on a motorcycle journey to bring a dead man's ashes back to his favorite place on earth. Along the way they have several adventures and meet some interesting people, w/ cameo's from Arlo Guthrie, David Carradine, and John Cusak (EDIT: and Timothy Leary! Also Dick Rude of Repo Man fame has a tiny appearance). Although the opportunity presents itself to feature music from X or the Beastie Boys, neither materializes. The second movie, which I will find the title for when I get home, is about an aging punk band on one last tour across America, and how everything kind of goes wrong despite their best efforts. EDIT: Found it! Forgot that this is actually a Tarantino film... Hard Core Logo. Cameo with Joey Ramone! Great film, I highly recommend it! Bomb City isn't a bad addition either, about punks growing up in a factory town whose business is the manufacture of high explosive munitions for the government, and how despite they're all being pro-peace, they owe their lives and livelihoods to the production of weapons of war and death.
My favorites are Suburbia, Repo Man and SLC Punk. All three contain a level of disillusionment around what their life was supposed to be like versus the reality of their situations. Suburbia I remember seeing the year it came out and it contains some of my favorite songs of the genre Darker my Love, Richard Hung Himself...actually a pretty epic soundtrack all around. I randomly ran across a documentary that is close to my heart called Scratch and it wasn't until about a year later while watching it for the umpteenth time did I discover the director was Penelope Spheeris.
Really great picks there, thanks for linking where to find them. A similar video on books would be great, spending a lot of time on trains commuting to work at the mome t and always looking for something to read
Cheers Allan. I did mention the internet archive, too...but didn't want to link through to those in case of *ahem* issues. Suffice to say though, you would probably be able to find both The Fabulous Stains and Wild Zero there, without too much difficulty! Books are something that would interest me, too. I'd probably have to limit choices by some kind of criteria (before things got silly), but it's something give some thought for the future. D
As Canadian cinema tends to get overlooked its not surprising Hard Core Logo (1996, Bruce McDonald) didn't make it. For my money it's the best touring punk band film ever made.
Yeah, it's got a few other mentions BTL, so I'm going to be checking it out ASAP. Can't believe I've missed it over the years...I'm a huge fan of his movie "Pontypool". Cheers, D
@@discellany it's great, but you can skip the sequel. I think his Road Kill definitely has a punk rock feel, even if it's not exactly punk. (Joey Ramone has a cameo and that must count for a lot.)
I was LUCKY to be on vacation in Toronto the weekend HARD CORE LOGO debuted in theaters in 1996. Saw it at Eaton Center and was BLOWN AWAY how great it was. Love that film!!!
Thanx, great selection. Wrote some down to check out. I like to throw in 2020s 'Uncle Peckerhead'. Combining the modern punk vibe of Green Room with goofy and gore horror.
I can't believe I have never seen Ladies and Gentleman The Fabulous Stains with Diane Lane and a 15 year old Laura Dern. Only 2 years later a still not 20 yet Diane Lane would sing a little in The Cotton Club; and was stunning ( lip synching very well) in the rocknroll fable Streets of Fire. Yes, not punk music but the Streets of Fire soundtrack was an inspired album in its own right. Songs written by Tom Petty and Mike Campell, Bob Seger, Stevie Nicks. The band The Blasters (who did have some early 80s success in LA as well as the England "punk scene") received some screen time in the bad guys bar, while Walter Hill collaborator Ry Cooder also added 2 cool songs for SOFire. Great list discellany. I have not seen a mention for the 2004 movie Prey For RocknRoll starring Gina Gershon as an aging rocker in an all girl band called Clam Dandy who have yet to make it out of the LA club scene. Lori Petty and, especially, Drea de Matteo are also memorable as the band members: one a lesbian the other the party heavy girl. Cheri Lovedog wrote the autobiographical screenplay.
The Almighty Algorithm dropped me here. Good selection of movies, even a coulple of new ones! And yeah Ramones did re-record all those "live" songs in R'n'R Highschool for the film.
Cheers Mike. Of the more recent ones on the list, Dinner In America is great, and I have a massive soft spot for Fish Story, which is a little harder to source on streaming. Green Room is very good, too, but not everyone's cup of tea...My wife refused to watch it, and left me to it! D
Green Room is a brilliant little but seriously intense movie. When things kicked off, I was at the edge of the seat never knowing how it would play out. The reason I checked it out was off the strength of director Jeremy Saulnier 'The Blue Ruin' which is absolute gem.
Ditto. "Blue Ruin" is, I think, as good (maybe better) than "Green Room". Macon Blair's been a constant in his films too...I think they have been friends since school. Cheers, D
It's a good one, but it was a toss-up between that and "Suburbia", and I had to go for one of them. Wanted to leave room for a handful of great non-English language movies, and was mindful of the runtime ballooning if I expanded my list to include too many movies! Cheers, D
Great video! A lot of films I need to watch now. I'm surprised you didn't include Sid & Nancy. I know it has issues, but I love the way it portrays the scene. I would like to suggest the punk-drenched, trans-themed "Hedwig & The Angry Inch". It's a musical but the music is fantastic and references it's roots (Lou Reed, the Ramones & others) by name. And although you might qualify it as glam, Velvet Goldmine feels very punk to me and has great music too.
Great list! Personally, I gotta throw down for Hard Core Logo. It's a Canadian film from 1996, released in the U.S. as 'Quentin Tarantino's Hard Core Logo' because his company got the rights to distribute it.
So glad I'm not the only one who thought Hard Core Logo had to be on the list. It's a classic. You could also argue for Bruce McDonald's first film, Roadkill. Joey Ramone actually shows up in that one.
Great list Darren! I believe I've seen the first 9 (well maybe not Jubilee) and nr. 11 out of your 12 picks! and agree they're all worth watching. Some of them are brilliant time capsules that we can thankfully revisit. Definitely will look for Dinner in America. Outsider, a 1997 movie from Slovenia deals with the forbidden punk scene under Tito in Yugoslavia. It's on UA-cam but unsubtitled. Hardcore.
Fun list. Couple ones I’ve been aware of remotely but haven’t tracked down; a couple new to me. I’m guessing I’m roughly the same age as you so I saw a few of these in the theater, a bunch on cable/vhs. But Repo Man, I was in Boston when it was one of like 3 cities in the US that it opened in and I went in knowing nothing about it. I went back 3 times, dragging new friends each time. Also, …Fabulous Stains isn’t hard to find these days. It’s been released on BuRay and a good print shows up on streaming services. Great movie.
I've probably come across as thinking Sid and Nancy is a bad film. Not at all. It has a lot to recommend it. It looks great and the central performances are excellent. It's just the way it ties the squalid druggy side of the story, of the circumstances surrounding Nancy's death, onto a kind of fantastical fairy-tale afterlife ending. Never sat too well with me. D
Although it is a film regarding New Romantics/No Wave, I personally would have included Liquid Sky (1982.) Its premise is in the order of being as whacked out as Repo Man and just as entertaining and fascinating with the protagonist and male antagonist both played by Anne Carlyle. Though not about guitar based ‘thrash and roll,’ it could be argued that the music is inspired by Suicide and bands of that order. Great list!
Downtown 81 A near documentary following Jean Michel Basquiat around the LES in 1981, where he plays an artist trying to scrape up rent money. Features some music from a couple of bands. What happened was, somebody was offloading a bunch of hot 8mm or 16mm cameras in the LES around 79 or 80, and they were scooped up by the likes of Susan Seidelman and Jim Jarmusch and various other artists in the area at the time, so there's a whole bunch of no budget films from the scene at the time.
Cool! Thx a lot for a list, some new worth to check it. I recommend 'Punk Syndrome' - real story of unique punk band on the tour, which members are down syndrome patients in middle age ;o) Really touching, not only for punks...
I'd add a 2015 German film called Berlin Punk (called that at least here in the West) Film has same tone as Repo Man, a demented dark comedy featuring a young punk wondering through West Berlin's post punk scene in the 80s. Notable cameos include actors portraying Nick Cave and Blixa of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Crazy fun
I may be the only fan of this flawed but criminally underrated film, but I have to say that, Made in U.S.A. [1987], with its soundtrack by Sonic Youth, is the one film I'd love to see restored to a director's cut and re-released more than any other. Rumor has its commercial cut might be viewable on a fairly popular streaming video service.
Glad you enjoyed the video! Was thinking of taking the same format and trying it with post-punk, but there's probably scope for another punk list at some point in the future (documentaries maybe?). Cheers, D
It's a tough, energetically-made film, for sure, and Russell Crowe's breakout, too...but definitely more concerned with the knucklehead skins/white-power side of things, than anything else. Haven't seen it in years, but did catch it in my local arthouse cinema on first release. The Anti-Nazi League were very respectfully flyering attendees on the way in, and I had a good long chat with them about the movie. They were very open about it being an entirely valid subject for a movie, but just wanted to highlight any issues it brought up with movie-goers. Very respectful, courteous, just representing. God knows how a movie like that would be received now, thirty years down the line. Cheers, D
Romper Stomper was about skinheads. Which were a thing around in the late 70s early 80s. Punks hated skinheads and were regularly bashed on sight by them, something I can attest to
@@originalsusserI don’t think I knew anyone who hadn’t had a run in with skin eds in 1980s Sydney. Some were ex punks who joined the national front, cause they were stupid.
There was a recent British movie, don't remember the title, but it was about a young kid from a broken family who had to try to look after his younger sister and earn some money driving his dad's taxi, and befriended a posh girl who lived a second life as a young punk fan. It was quite a sweet film really. The kid kept running into a fictional Joe Strummer, who became a kind of mentor. Ultimately a feel good film set in punk era London.
@@intentionallyleftblank3016 OK I did a google search and found it. The film is called London Town and was made in 2016 with a limited release. You could get it on DVD so you might find a copy somewhere out there...ebay?
My favorite punk rock film is 'Liquid Sky' from 1982. It's a sci-fi alien looking for a particular type of high amongst punk rockers. I found it to be hilarious.
I have five of these ("Rock 'n' Roll High School," "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains," "Smithereens," "Repo Man," "The Return of the Living Dead") and have seen "Jubilee" and "Wild Zero." Would love to see or even own the others. Although this list didn't cover documentaries or concert films, I wouldn't mind seeing a separate list for those. I would hope it would include such films as "Urgh! A Music War," "X - The Unheard Music," and probably a double feature tie for "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" / "The Filth and the Fury."
Summer of Sam a is good one, although its less "about" punk than about the blackouts of 77 with punk scenes in it. But L.E.S. Stitches have a great performance! Also, 24 Hour Party People is really "about" New Order and Factory Records but has some punk scenes particularly for the first third. The first season of FLCL is NOT a movie, but has awesome tunes, animation, feel and vibe. And La Bufadora (2023) is absolutely worth everyones attention (currently screening in Arizona and New York) a supernatural western starring Emotron (from NC) as Daythan, a homeless drifter in search of meaning and craft beer.
Out of The Blue by Dennis Hopper is a great movie about a kid wanting to be a part of a punk rock scene. Even though the movie is super depressing I think that it holds up really well. Shame that it's very underrated.
Thanks for the recommendation. Don't think I've seen this one, but Hopper was always interesting (even in "lesser" movies) so I'll definitely seek it out. Cheers, D
re: 'Out Of The Blue' features The Pointed Sticks from Canada, wonderful suggestion!! I would love to nominate 'Hard Core Logo' for a Top Punk Movie as well, cheers!
@@discellanyI was just scrolling down to recommend Out of the Blue, when I saw someone did it for me. It’s punk as fuck, and Dennis Hopper’s journey to how he got to direct it is fascinating. Btw thank you for recommending Dinner in America. It’s the best. The polar opposite of Out of the Blue, but it’s the best too, just in a really negative sorta way..
Yet another movie I'm stunned I have never seen. Gotta gotta check out 😎 Out of the Blue directed by Dennis Hopper. And Hard Core Logo (?) ok. this turned into a good site. Anyone seen Prey For RocknRoll? Stars Gina Gershon and the girl that played the younger sister in A League of their Own with Geena Davis, ... Lori Petty. Gershon and Petty portray 30 something rockers in an all girl band that are, maybe, getting too old to still be playing in the LA punk scene. Gershon insisted on doing her own singing for authenticity sake. Lori 's character is in a lesbian relationship. The story was written by Cheri Lovedog. Prey for RocknRoll seems to ring true.
As an SLC native I would agree with your assessment of SLC Punk. I love the movie but it never feels like it's set in the 80's. I think if it was set in '97 or '98 it would have worked better. I knew some young punks in high school in the 90's who were a lot like the main characters so maybe that's why it feels that way, but it never seemed to deliver on being 1985. Otherwise it's great list and I look forward to watching some of those I haven't seen yet.
Thank you. I didn't want to come across like one of those boring types that watches WWII films and loudly complains "well, actually the Germans weren't deploying these specific tanks on the Eastern front in 1942"...y'know that kind of thing. But in a lot of ways the 80s and 90s felt almost like different worlds to me, and it sounds like your experience of SLC (the city) bears that out, too. Anyway, hope you find something to enjoy in some of the other selections! Cheers, D
While I wasn’t in SLC, I was in high school in the US in the 80s and hung out with punk kids (I was super into some punk but was more of a post punk kid) and, yeah, SLC Punk didn’t feel authentic to me. I enjoyed it well enough for what it was, and some of the details were bang on. But regional US punks scenes at that time were very small. And the kids who dressed in clichéd punk attire at all times would have been, like, a dozen or so. So a big group of perfectly outfitted mod kids on vintage European mopeds? It seemed like it aspired to be a gritty portrait of outsider kids but felt more like a standard issue bio-pic.
I get your point about SLC Punk, it was all over the place, but the scene where they go to Wyoming for a beer run is hilariously close (right down to the Mickey's malt liquor) to experiences I had at a couple gas station/rest stops in 1979 Illinois/Wisconsin when my band was on the way to a gig in Milwaukee. Our singer was 6'4" with a buzz cut with leopard spots dyed into it and neon green wraparounds and the rest of us were scuzzy spiky-haired weirdos. In '79 there were still a vast amount of everyday schmoes who had no context whatsoever for "punk rock" and we might as well have been from Venus as far as they were concerned. Good times!
Just to clarify, my issues with SLC were mostly regarding the feel/execution of it. The writing and performances were all OK...but it's very much a '90s movie trying for an '80s feel, and never quite sticking the landing. For me, the anarchist and scene elements of the main characters didn't jive with the signature late-90s slacker vibe that permeates the film. It just felt a bit off. Does that make sense? Cheers, D
@@discellany Absolutely makes sense. I found a lot of it enjoyable and pretty relatable but also completely full of shit a lot of the time. Having been immersed in the scene for so long it's hard to not get all bent out of shape about "authenticity", but I can let a lot of stuff slide now. It's like the old joke "Q: How many old-school punks does it take to change a lightbulb? A: You weren't THERE, man!!!"
Great list! I loved We Are The Best. I'm surprised The Great Rock'n'roll Swindle didn't make the cut. Although it is a mess of a flick and Johnny Rotten turned into a knob so maybe I don't fault you.
Swindle's an odd one. It is a complete mess, but has some great live material. It would have been a shame to lose an objectively better movie from the list just to accommodate it. YMMV. Cheers, D
This gets my holy trifecta of positivity- yes, hell yes, and f%*& yes. (fun fact, it was due to shooting The Fabulous Stains that Paul Simonon was absent from several sessions for Sandinista! and was replaced by Norman Watt Roy from The Bolckheads, most notably on "The Magnificent Seven")
So glad you enjoyed this, Chris. I'd caught a few of these movies in fairly quick succession a month or two back, and thought punk movies would make a great theme for a video. Always wary of deviating too much from "pure" music content ("stick to your niche!", they say), but I needed a break from the LOL treadmill, and this was it. (Thanks for the Stains trivia, too...was not aware of this fact!) D
Shit, I was on a roll of "seen that, seen that, seen that" until we hit #8. Have not seen #8 through #12. Gotta rectify that. Thanks for the great list!
As a young budding punk (15 in 1987) Return of the Living Dead was my favorite. I knew it line for line I watched it so many times. I loved the cheesy sarcasm, and humor, never taking itself to serious.
Punk rock, Japanese Cinema, messed up movies. Wow, UA-cam recommendations finally knows me. Only a day after too! Quite possibly the most meaningful UA-cam video I have seen that is not a music video or live show footage. I would call you a deity amongst content creators, but you are probably too humble too appreciative it. How about just my current favourite?
12 movies added to my watchlist, 3 added to my Amazon cart. Can’t thank you enough. Oh, (edited), most definitely subscribed
"bomb city" is a great punk movie, telling the true story of a punk teen who was ran over and killed by a high school jock during a brawl in Texas. The story focuses on the injustices punks faced by the cops town people and court hearings. It's a gritty, violent, film but beautifully made, and also shines light on a tragic story most people have never heard of.
I loved Bomb City. I thought it was beautiful, too. 🖤💔🖤
Good one.
I was one of those pre teen girls who caught Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains on cable TV, in bits and pieces on Night Flight. It changed my life, and damn near re-wrote my personality. I was such a sad, lonely kid, with no hope for the future. Nobody ever told me I could fight back before this.
i love you dude
SAME!!!! I scoured the internet, waiting for the day it would be out on DVD. I am so happy to have my own copy. I previously only had a crappy VHS I had recorded off of Night Flight, but by the end of 88, it was just gone. ❤
When you find something that speaks to you, that gives you something you never had, or never even knew existed...well, they are things you hold close. Thanks for the comment. Really appreciate you sharing something that means so much to you. D
@@vagabondbombshell I have it on dvd too. I need to watch it again.
@@discellany It's kind of funny how that movie is two things at once. The director wanted it to focus on the band getting swept up in commercialism, and the writer wanted to focus on women's empowerment. And somehow it does both. And "Join the Professionals" is a blast.
The Return of the Living Dead was it for me! I had gotten into punk in 84 and Return came out in 85. I went to the theatre about 5 or 6 times to see it when it came out and it’s still one of my favorite movies of all time. The soundtrack is awesome and featured a few of the bands I was already listening to and I had already been watching horror movies before I was in my teens. What’s better than Punk Rock,sexy girls and zombies all in one movie!
I absolutely adored "We Are The Best!" I found the dvd in my local library and was blown away!
Glad that We Are The Best made the cut. It captures the enthusiasm of being a music fan more than any other movie I can think of.
Surprised not to see "Breaking Glass" on this list.
Breaking Glass is more Post Punk. But yes - it would certainly be on my personal top ten of any music centered movie list
Agreed. Oh, and SLC Punk
DINNER IN AMERICA is fantastic! Great list of some flicks I hadnt seen or heard of, cheers!
Return of the Living Dead is, hands down, THE greatest zombie flick ever made. "Trash is taking her clothes off again!"
agreed!!!
Do you wanna party??!!….,ITS PARTY TIME !!!!
YES!
You think this is a costume? This is a way of life!
"Hard Core Logo" is my favorite punk film. If you haven't seen it, I totally recommend it. It's a mockumentary, but it's played straight and it works so well.
I was interested to watch this video, and as it started I had an idea of what films I would include…. Was pleased to see that several of those showed up, was THRILLED that you included ‘Dinner in America’ and am really intrigued by several I have never heard of and am now dying to check out. Well done all around, in my opinion! 👍🏻
Great list, seen Jubilee, Rock 'n' roll high school, Repo Man, Suburbia, Night of The Living Dead, Wild Zeros, We are the best and Green Room. Pretty much think you nailed them all in your descriptions.
Mark Lester. Class of 1984. Great upload though dude.
Seriously. Glad somebody else caught what was missing!!
I had Class of 1984 on VHS. I watched it last about 20 years ago. Was it the one with Michael J. Fox? I watched it once or twice. I may have it mixed up with another movie.?
@@IamIUrU77 It certainly was Michael J Fox credited as just Michael Fox if I remember. It's out uncut in the UK on a great looking Blu ray from 101 Films and if your stateside, it's released by Scream Factory. Brilliant film.
We are the best is so close to home. It made this grown man cry happy tears
A really interesting list impressively offered up. It’s done its job. Makes me want to track some of those down. Unique and enjoyable presenting style. Keep up the great work
Great recommendations! Some of these movies remind me of all my friends who have come and gone. Live young, die fast! Punk rock! 🤘😎
Really brilliant video. Great to see that its blown up too. I consider myself a bit of a pop culture junky...but I was not aware of a few of these of these. I cant think of anything you've missed.
Thanks, mate. There's gaps sure, but I covered as many of the issues and facets as I could in the course of a
Interesting list, I will definitely check out several of these. I was surprised to not see Liquid Sky somewhere on the list.
I love Liquid Sky. The music's maybe not Punk but the attitude is, ramped up to the max!
I agree, liquid sky had a punk mentality, it's still a cult classic,
I'd recommend Over the Edge (1979) great soundtrack too. Not really a punk rock movie but teenage suburban alienation which is pretty much punk rock.
Oh yeah. That was an early cable tv staple. That one changed me. Suburban discontent. I actually lived in a trailer park at that time, in real time. From what I understand, Kurt Cobain was a big fan of that flick. It definitely fits on this list.
I saw that movie a long time ago. It was crazy at the end what they did to the parents. I did enjoy the movie though.
“Oooooh child, things are gonna get easier…”
Was that the movie that cast no actors? And that is how/where Matt Dillon was discovered? I could google but I just asked.
Quite possibly, I've not seen it in a long time. I definitely remember Cheap Trick on the soundtrack. UK TV in the 70s-80s used to show loads of great cult/obscure movies.
Thanks!
Enjoyed this and thanks for turning me on to We Are the Best and Dinner in America, both of which went immediately to my Tubi and Hulu watchlists. Alas, Fish Story doesn’t seem to be currently available on streaming, but I’ll keep an eye out.
Strong recommendation for you: Good Vibrations (2012), the dramatized story of Terri Hooley as he founds the titular punk record label (Undertones, Rudi, etc.) out of his record shop in late 70s Belfast during the height of the troubles. It’s a true gem underdog story and gets the time & place right.
Fish Story is a real gem. First caught it on TV here in the UK...an early-hours slot on Film4, and fell for it instantly.
"Good Vibrations" is a nice call. I have seen it, and you're right, it would fit in seamlessly onto this list! Cheers, D
@@discellany I'd co-sign 'Good Vibrations' as a Top Punk Movie 💯
Liked that a lot, ty.
Cheers. Makes a nice change from album talk, and it was a great excuse to use my non-UA-cam downtime to watch/rewatch stuff in prep for this. D
Toyah was no amateur, a trained actor and already a veteran of the National Theater at that young age. Jarman offered her any part she wanted in the script, she took the part of "Mad" because it had the most lines
No shade cast! I think most would think of her as a musician first, actor second, but I'll accept that she was by no means the most amateurish performer in Jubilee. My comment was more trying to tie the whole production, the chaotic/dystopian/jarring aesthetic, into the decisions Jarman took regarding casting and whatnot. Cheers, D
Chanced upon your video yesterday. Great content, thoroughly enjoyed. Look forward to seeing more. Maybe one on punk documentaries at some stage? I share your love of Green Room, it was good to see hardcore punk get a good airing. Another movie that could be considered 'punk rock' is Pump Up The Volume (1990) - Descendents, Bad Brains & Rollins.
Thanks! Yes, Punp Up The Volume was directed by the same guy who made Times Square (Alan Moyle), and is a far, far better movie IMO. D
Spot on. Loved and subscribed. Fish Story is a beautiful film. As is Wild Zero. Not enough people have seen a spaceship destroyed by a guitar.
That i HAVE to see😂🎸
I watched Fish Story last night. Great film. Thanks for the recommendations.
I’m glad you mentioned Green Room. It’s a fantastic thriller that nails the punk backdrop
The gymnastics movie Stick It does not appear to be punk rock at first, but the attitude and defiance is all there and I love it.
I would highly recommend "Good Vibrations" from 2013. Story about Terri Holey, the founder of Good Vibrations record shop and label, also about the Belfast punk scene in late '70s. Some great bands in there, The Undertones, Rudi, Outcasts, Stiff Little Fingers
1983's Get Crazy (also directed by Allen Arkush) would be a good choice to throw on the next list.
Cool video!!!
excellent video mate.....a really interesting list most of which I was unfamiliar with.....subscribed 👍
Thank you. I'm usually doing straight-up music talk, so I took a bit of a leap with this video. Glad I did...it was fun to make, and it's attracting a lot of new viewers and positive comments/feedback. All the best, D
I love the Wild Zero DVD. I was fortunate to have Guitar Wolf sign my copy before Billy passed away. My favorite thing about the DVD was the drinking game that was programmed into the disc. Whenever someone yells Rock And Roll, Fire Shoots out of something, Someone combs their hair, Someone drinks, Anything explodes, or a Zombie's head explodes, take a drink. It's a fantastic way to drain a thirty pack with your friends.
great list of punk films thank you!!
Nice video. You even came up with a title I'd never heard of - Fish Story. Will check it out, and also explore your channel. Cheers.
Excellent video and list. Definitely gives me some ideas of what to watch throughout the week
Very nice, Green Room is one of my favourite all-time films. I'm super excited to track down the Fish Story, thanks, ✨️.
I saw Jubilee when it came out. In retrospect, it's not as terrible as I had initially thought, though it was definitely not what was wanted or expected at the time.
Like deployed 👍
Great idea for a list and great list, too. I enjoyed Smithereens and loved Repo Man (many times). Haven’t seen any of the others.
Great video. Nice change of pace. Would love one of these on punk docs.
Thanks. Yeah, had to be quite focused on features only for this one, and wanted to see how it went down before committing to more. First 12 hours or so have gone great, so I'll probably return to this format again in the future. D
@@discellany I would love to see more of this style, please do more if you can
Loved this. Great list. Repo Man and Suberbia are in my top 10 all-time fav movies.
there is a great covers version lp of the repo man soundtrack.
I actually saw SLC punk in the cinema back when and liked it !!
I thought I was the only one who knew fish story, really enjoyed it
Pretty cool list. Thank you for the recommendations. I would love to see you more speaking about more rock & roll videos.
Missing, "Rude Boy" (1980) with The Clash. Hard to beat that one.
He didnt say this list was comprehensive, just 12 notable films
@@oldghostbilly Oh, certainly, I'm just suggesting a good one that I think is underseen.
Great list brother! I had a feeling DINNER IN AMERICA would be in there! And you introduced me to a couple too. Thanks!
Great stuff. I'll check out a few of those. I would have included RoadKill from 1989, one of my favourites.
Great video. I´d recommend Rude Boyy (1980). One of my favorites, feat The Clash, showing the subculture of roadie in the punk scene by hand of The Clash. Definitely a must wacht.
Great list! Got yourself a new subscriber! You're so spot on about Suburbia; that mosh pit scene with the girl in the pink dress has Corman written all over it. A great film otherwise though, it'd be great if Spheeris someday went back to her roots.
Someone down here brought up a Spheeris commentary track where she said that scene was based on a real-life incident. Even so, the staging is (to these jaded old eyes) pure Corman.
Thanks for the sub! Generally music-focused content on the channel, but I'm very keen to do more of these music/movie/pop-culture crossover videos in the not-too-distant future. D
What a great video! Thanks for this. I have most of these films in my collection, but I had never heard of Jubilee, Smithereens, Fish Story, We Are The Best!, and Dinner In America. Now I've got them to find and watch. In your review of Ladies & Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, you forgot to mention LA legends Black Randy & The Metro Squad doing 'I Slept In An Arcade'. Oh, and have you never seen MY favorite Punk film of all time? Bruce McDonald's HARD CORE LOGO out of 1996 Canada! What a film, and the songs are GREAT! Check it out if you haven't seen it.
I really think SLC Punk deserves to be on your list.
Agreed.
Most definitely. My name is Bicycle Bob and I approved this message.
He mentions it at the end, and kind of explains why it's not on his list.
Two more films… Class of 1984 and What We Do Is Secret. Thank you for your list. A couple I haven’t seen yet. Suburbia and Repo Man had scenes that mirrored my life.
I have a few to add, although since I'm at work and can't rifle through my VHS tapes, I'll have to add an update once I get home...
First pic is Roadside Prophets. Biker movie starring John Doe from X and Ad-rock from the Beastie Boys on a motorcycle journey to bring a dead man's ashes back to his favorite place on earth. Along the way they have several adventures and meet some interesting people, w/ cameo's from Arlo Guthrie, David Carradine, and John Cusak (EDIT: and Timothy Leary! Also Dick Rude of Repo Man fame has a tiny appearance). Although the opportunity presents itself to feature music from X or the Beastie Boys, neither materializes.
The second movie, which I will find the title for when I get home, is about an aging punk band on one last tour across America, and how everything kind of goes wrong despite their best efforts.
EDIT: Found it! Forgot that this is actually a Tarantino film... Hard Core Logo. Cameo with Joey Ramone! Great film, I highly recommend it!
Bomb City isn't a bad addition either, about punks growing up in a factory town whose business is the manufacture of high explosive munitions for the government, and how despite they're all being pro-peace, they owe their lives and livelihoods to the production of weapons of war and death.
My favorites are Suburbia, Repo Man and SLC Punk. All three contain a level of disillusionment around what their life was supposed to be like versus the reality of their situations. Suburbia I remember seeing the year it came out and it contains some of my favorite songs of the genre Darker my Love, Richard Hung Himself...actually a pretty epic soundtrack all around. I randomly ran across a documentary that is close to my heart called Scratch and it wasn't until about a year later while watching it for the umpteenth time did I discover the director was Penelope Spheeris.
Slc punk is awesome.
Really great picks there, thanks for linking where to find them.
A similar video on books would be great, spending a lot of time on trains commuting to work at the mome t and always looking for something to read
Cheers Allan. I did mention the internet archive, too...but didn't want to link through to those in case of *ahem* issues. Suffice to say though, you would probably be able to find both The Fabulous Stains and Wild Zero there, without too much difficulty!
Books are something that would interest me, too. I'd probably have to limit choices by some kind of criteria (before things got silly), but it's something give some thought for the future. D
Was wondering if you considered the movies Desperate Teenage Lovedolls or Lovedolls Superstar?
I thought I knew it all but you introduced me to We Are the Best and Fish Story, also props for Wild Zero!
Thought you knew it all? What an ignorant arrogant statement you must be an American
As Canadian cinema tends to get overlooked its not surprising Hard Core Logo (1996, Bruce McDonald) didn't make it. For my money it's the best touring punk band film ever made.
Yeah, it's got a few other mentions BTL, so I'm going to be checking it out ASAP. Can't believe I've missed it over the years...I'm a huge fan of his movie "Pontypool". Cheers, D
@@discellany it's great, but you can skip the sequel. I think his Road Kill definitely has a punk rock feel, even if it's not exactly punk. (Joey Ramone has a cameo and that must count for a lot.)
I was LUCKY to be on vacation in Toronto the weekend HARD CORE LOGO debuted in theaters in 1996. Saw it at Eaton Center and was BLOWN AWAY how great it was. Love that film!!!
Yessssss!!! 🦃✊🦃
I totally forgot about that one!...yes, that is an awesome movie and definitely should be on that list!!!
Thanx, great selection. Wrote some down to check out.
I like to throw in 2020s 'Uncle Peckerhead'. Combining the modern punk vibe of Green Room with goofy and gore horror.
Thanks for the great recommendations!
Great vid!!
Thanks, I’ve see quite a few but you’ve peaked my interest on a few that I’ll definitely seek out
Now seen Fish Story and We Are The Best, loved them both, thanks again
Another punk connection in Repo Man is that Circle Jerks bassist Zander Schloss plays Otto's nerdy friend Kevin.
The whole Circle Jerks were in that Lounge scene. 🙌
@@crosswalklarry yeah, he mentioned that in the video.
@@danooc1So you mentioned it again too? 😂
@@crosswalklarry Zander wasn't in the band yet. They met making the film.
I can't believe I have never seen Ladies and Gentleman The Fabulous Stains with Diane Lane and a 15 year old Laura Dern. Only 2 years later a still not 20 yet Diane Lane would sing a little in The Cotton Club; and was stunning ( lip synching very well) in the rocknroll fable Streets of Fire. Yes, not punk music but the Streets of Fire soundtrack was an inspired album in its own right. Songs written by Tom Petty and Mike Campell, Bob Seger, Stevie Nicks. The band The Blasters (who did have some early 80s success in LA as well as the England "punk scene") received some screen time in the bad guys bar, while Walter Hill collaborator Ry Cooder also added 2 cool songs for SOFire.
Great list discellany.
I have not seen a mention for the 2004 movie Prey For RocknRoll starring Gina Gershon as an aging rocker in an all girl band called Clam Dandy who have yet to make it out of the LA club scene. Lori Petty and, especially, Drea de Matteo are also memorable as the band members: one a lesbian the other the party heavy girl. Cheri Lovedog wrote the autobiographical screenplay.
The Almighty Algorithm dropped me here. Good selection of movies, even a coulple of new ones! And yeah Ramones did re-record all those "live" songs in R'n'R Highschool for the film.
Nice list! I have only seen a handful of these so I have some homework to do!
Cheers Mike. Of the more recent ones on the list, Dinner In America is great, and I have a massive soft spot for Fish Story, which is a little harder to source on streaming. Green Room is very good, too, but not everyone's cup of tea...My wife refused to watch it, and left me to it! D
Green Room is a brilliant little but seriously intense movie. When things kicked off, I was at the edge of the seat never knowing how it would play out.
The reason I checked it out was off the strength of director Jeremy Saulnier 'The Blue Ruin' which is absolute gem.
Ditto. "Blue Ruin" is, I think, as good (maybe better) than "Green Room". Macon Blair's been a constant in his films too...I think they have been friends since school. Cheers, D
I'd also throw in Penelope Spheeris' Dudes (1987). It has been years since I've seen it, but I foundly remember it.
It's a good one, but it was a toss-up between that and "Suburbia", and I had to go for one of them. Wanted to leave room for a handful of great non-English language movies, and was mindful of the runtime ballooning if I expanded my list to include too many movies! Cheers, D
Hell yeah can't go wrong with Lee Ving
Great video! A lot of films I need to watch now. I'm surprised you didn't include Sid & Nancy. I know it has issues, but I love the way it portrays the scene. I would like to suggest the punk-drenched, trans-themed "Hedwig & The Angry Inch". It's a musical but the music is fantastic and references it's roots (Lou Reed, the Ramones & others) by name. And although you might qualify it as glam, Velvet Goldmine feels very punk to me and has great music too.
Did and Nancy is bopic that's why
New jesus lizard album really good. Great vid
Yeah, it's so much better than anyone had a right to expect after such a long layoff. Thanks! D
a punk rock movie list without a single note of music, that's punk in itself. Thanks.
Great list! Personally, I gotta throw down for Hard Core Logo. It's a Canadian film from 1996, released in the U.S. as 'Quentin Tarantino's Hard Core Logo' because his company got the rights to distribute it.
I was looking for this. Hard Core Logo presents a strong case for the best band movie of all time and is as punk as they come.
So glad I'm not the only one who thought Hard Core Logo had to be on the list. It's a classic. You could also argue for Bruce McDonald's first film, Roadkill. Joey Ramone actually shows up in that one.
The last two films are fantastic. Not easy watching but essential viewing.
Great list Darren! I believe I've seen the first 9 (well maybe not Jubilee) and nr. 11 out of your 12 picks! and agree they're all worth watching. Some of them are brilliant time capsules that we can thankfully revisit. Definitely will look for Dinner in America. Outsider, a 1997 movie from Slovenia deals with the forbidden punk scene under Tito in Yugoslavia. It's on UA-cam but unsubtitled. Hardcore.
One of my favorites growing up was a movie called Wassup Rcokers. I dont hear about it a lot but its a killer movie for punks and skaters.
Fun list. Couple ones I’ve been aware of remotely but haven’t tracked down; a couple new to me. I’m guessing I’m roughly the same age as you so I saw a few of these in the theater, a bunch on cable/vhs. But Repo Man, I was in Boston when it was one of like 3 cities in the US that it opened in and I went in knowing nothing about it. I went back 3 times, dragging new friends each time.
Also, …Fabulous Stains isn’t hard to find these days. It’s been released on BuRay and a good print shows up on streaming services. Great movie.
Sid and Nancy is brilliant !
I've probably come across as thinking Sid and Nancy is a bad film. Not at all. It has a lot to recommend it. It looks great and the central performances are excellent. It's just the way it ties the squalid druggy side of the story, of the circumstances surrounding Nancy's death, onto a kind of fantastical fairy-tale afterlife ending. Never sat too well with me. D
Although it is a film regarding New Romantics/No Wave, I personally would have included Liquid Sky (1982.) Its premise is in the order of being as whacked out as Repo Man and just as entertaining and fascinating with the protagonist and male antagonist both played by Anne Carlyle. Though not about guitar based ‘thrash and roll,’ it could be argued that the music is inspired by Suicide and bands of that order. Great list!
Downtown 81
A near documentary following Jean Michel Basquiat around the LES in 1981, where he plays an artist trying to scrape up rent money. Features some music from a couple of bands.
What happened was, somebody was offloading a bunch of hot 8mm or 16mm cameras in the LES around 79 or 80, and they were scooped up by the likes of Susan Seidelman and Jim Jarmusch and various other artists in the area at the time, so there's a whole bunch of no budget films from the scene at the time.
Cool! Thx a lot for a list, some new worth to check it. I recommend 'Punk Syndrome' - real story of unique punk band on the tour, which members are down syndrome patients in middle age ;o)
Really touching, not only for punks...
this was cool. i should crack into this list when my youtube-wrecked attention span is ready
I'd add a 2015 German film called Berlin Punk (called that at least here in the West)
Film has same tone as Repo Man, a demented dark comedy featuring a young punk wondering through West Berlin's post punk scene in the 80s. Notable cameos include actors portraying Nick Cave and Blixa of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Crazy fun
I've seen Repo Man dozens of times... and every time I do, I discover something new. Now, let's go get sushi and not pay.
I may be the only fan of this flawed but criminally underrated film, but I have to say that, Made in U.S.A. [1987], with its soundtrack by Sonic Youth, is the one film I'd love to see restored to a director's cut and re-released more than any other. Rumor has its commercial cut might be viewable on a fairly popular streaming video service.
Any chance of a part 2? My friends, old punk-rockers from south Brazil and me are enjoying very much some of those whom we didn't already knew.
Glad you enjoyed the video! Was thinking of taking the same format and trying it with post-punk, but there's probably scope for another punk list at some point in the future (documentaries maybe?). Cheers, D
I'd recommend Romper Stomper if you are in the mood for a depressing drama about Australian Nazi punks
It's a tough, energetically-made film, for sure, and Russell Crowe's breakout, too...but definitely more concerned with the knucklehead skins/white-power side of things, than anything else. Haven't seen it in years, but did catch it in my local arthouse cinema on first release. The Anti-Nazi League were very respectfully flyering attendees on the way in, and I had a good long chat with them about the movie. They were very open about it being an entirely valid subject for a movie, but just wanted to highlight any issues it brought up with movie-goers. Very respectful, courteous, just representing. God knows how a movie like that would be received now, thirty years down the line. Cheers, D
Romper Stomper was about skinheads. Which were a thing around in the late 70s early 80s. Punks hated skinheads and were regularly bashed on sight by them, something I can attest to
Nazi Punks Fuck Off
@@originalsusserI don’t think I knew anyone who hadn’t had a run in with skin eds in 1980s Sydney. Some were ex punks who joined the national front, cause they were stupid.
@@kurtdiedforyoursins I hate the fucking country don't I?
There was a recent British movie, don't remember the title, but it was about a young kid from a broken family who had to try to look after his younger sister and earn some money driving his dad's taxi, and befriended a posh girl who lived a second life as a young punk fan. It was quite a sweet film really. The kid kept running into a fictional Joe Strummer, who became a kind of mentor. Ultimately a feel good film set in punk era London.
Have you remembered the title? If so, please share.
@@intentionallyleftblank3016 OK I did a google search and found it. The film is called London Town and was made in 2016 with a limited release. You could get it on DVD so you might find a copy somewhere out there...ebay?
My favorite punk rock film is 'Liquid Sky' from 1982. It's a sci-fi alien looking for a particular type of high amongst punk rockers. I found it to be hilarious.
Ha, I remember wagging school to watch it at a friends house
Well done,Professor!
Good choices!
And very entertaining!
I have five of these ("Rock 'n' Roll High School," "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains," "Smithereens," "Repo Man," "The Return of the Living Dead") and have seen "Jubilee" and "Wild Zero." Would love to see or even own the others. Although this list didn't cover documentaries or concert films, I wouldn't mind seeing a separate list for those. I would hope it would include such films as "Urgh! A Music War," "X - The Unheard Music," and probably a double feature tie for "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" / "The Filth and the Fury."
Summer of Sam a is good one, although its less "about" punk than about the blackouts of 77 with punk scenes in it. But L.E.S. Stitches have a great performance! Also, 24 Hour Party People is really "about" New Order and Factory Records but has some punk scenes particularly for the first third. The first season of FLCL is NOT a movie, but has awesome tunes, animation, feel and vibe. And La Bufadora (2023) is absolutely worth everyones attention (currently screening in Arizona and New York) a supernatural western starring Emotron (from NC) as Daythan, a homeless drifter in search of meaning and craft beer.
Really great summary of many special films. Repo Man and Green Room are my (very obvious) favourites. 👍🧷✌️
Great list! I would highly recommend you watch Out of The Blue by Dennis Hopper. Definitely belongs in this list.
Yeah, it's the one film with multiple mentions so far that I can't believe I've never caught. Will be remedying that ASAP. Cheers, D
Out of The Blue by Dennis Hopper is a great movie about a kid wanting to be a part of a punk rock scene. Even though the movie is super depressing I think that it holds up really well. Shame that it's very underrated.
Thanks for the recommendation. Don't think I've seen this one, but Hopper was always interesting (even in "lesser" movies) so I'll definitely seek it out. Cheers, D
re: 'Out Of The Blue' features The Pointed Sticks from Canada, wonderful suggestion!!
I would love to nominate 'Hard Core Logo' for a Top Punk Movie as well, cheers!
In the sequel to Rock N Roll High School, Rock N Roll High School Forever they refer to Dennis Hopper as the greatest actor of all time
@@discellanyI was just scrolling down to recommend Out of the Blue, when I saw someone did it for me. It’s punk as fuck, and Dennis Hopper’s journey to how he got to direct it is fascinating. Btw thank you for recommending Dinner in America. It’s the best. The polar opposite of Out of the Blue, but it’s the best too, just in a really negative sorta way..
Yet another movie I'm stunned I have never seen. Gotta gotta check out 😎 Out of the Blue directed by Dennis Hopper.
And Hard Core Logo (?) ok. this turned into a good site.
Anyone seen Prey For RocknRoll? Stars Gina Gershon and the girl that played the younger sister in A League of their Own with Geena Davis, ... Lori Petty. Gershon and Petty portray 30 something rockers in an all girl band that are, maybe, getting too old to still be playing in the LA punk scene. Gershon insisted on doing her own singing for authenticity sake. Lori 's character is in a lesbian relationship. The story was written by Cheri Lovedog. Prey for RocknRoll seems to ring true.
As an SLC native I would agree with your assessment of SLC Punk. I love the movie but it never feels like it's set in the 80's. I think if it was set in '97 or '98 it would have worked better. I knew some young punks in high school in the 90's who were a lot like the main characters so maybe that's why it feels that way, but it never seemed to deliver on being 1985.
Otherwise it's great list and I look forward to watching some of those I haven't seen yet.
Thank you. I didn't want to come across like one of those boring types that watches WWII films and loudly complains "well, actually the Germans weren't deploying these specific tanks on the Eastern front in 1942"...y'know that kind of thing. But in a lot of ways the 80s and 90s felt almost like different worlds to me, and it sounds like your experience of SLC (the city) bears that out, too.
Anyway, hope you find something to enjoy in some of the other selections! Cheers, D
While I wasn’t in SLC, I was in high school in the US in the 80s and hung out with punk kids (I was super into some punk but was more of a post punk kid) and, yeah, SLC Punk didn’t feel authentic to me. I enjoyed it well enough for what it was, and some of the details were bang on. But regional US punks scenes at that time were very small. And the kids who dressed in clichéd punk attire at all times would have been, like, a dozen or so. So a big group of perfectly outfitted mod kids on vintage European mopeds? It seemed like it aspired to be a gritty portrait of outsider kids but felt more like a standard issue bio-pic.
Great list!
I´ll add "Good Vibrations" and "Sons of Norway".
Is 'Burst City' (aka. Bakuretsu Toshi) by Sogo Ishii a musical?
I get your point about SLC Punk, it was all over the place, but the scene where they go to Wyoming for a beer run is hilariously close (right down to the Mickey's malt liquor) to experiences I had at a couple gas station/rest stops in 1979 Illinois/Wisconsin when my band was on the way to a gig in Milwaukee. Our singer was 6'4" with a buzz cut with leopard spots dyed into it and neon green wraparounds and the rest of us were scuzzy spiky-haired weirdos. In '79 there were still a vast amount of everyday schmoes who had no context whatsoever for "punk rock" and we might as well have been from Venus as far as they were concerned. Good times!
Just to clarify, my issues with SLC were mostly regarding the feel/execution of it. The writing and performances were all OK...but it's very much a '90s movie trying for an '80s feel, and never quite sticking the landing. For me, the anarchist and scene elements of the main characters didn't jive with the signature late-90s slacker vibe that permeates the film. It just felt a bit off. Does that make sense? Cheers, D
@@discellany Absolutely makes sense. I found a lot of it enjoyable and pretty relatable but also completely full of shit a lot of the time. Having been immersed in the scene for so long it's hard to not get all bent out of shape about "authenticity", but I can let a lot of stuff slide now. It's like the old joke "Q: How many old-school punks does it take to change a lightbulb? A: You weren't THERE, man!!!"
@@discellany Just checked out Dinner in America, by the way; loved it, thanks for the recommendation!
Great list! I loved We Are The Best. I'm surprised The Great Rock'n'roll Swindle didn't make the cut. Although it is a mess of a flick and Johnny Rotten turned into a knob so maybe I don't fault you.
Swindle's an odd one. It is a complete mess, but has some great live material. It would have been a shame to lose an objectively better movie from the list just to accommodate it. YMMV. Cheers, D
This gets my holy trifecta of positivity- yes, hell yes, and f%*& yes.
(fun fact, it was due to shooting The Fabulous Stains that Paul Simonon was absent from several sessions for Sandinista! and was replaced by Norman Watt Roy from The Bolckheads, most notably on "The Magnificent Seven")
So glad you enjoyed this, Chris. I'd caught a few of these movies in fairly quick succession a month or two back, and thought punk movies would make a great theme for a video. Always wary of deviating too much from "pure" music content ("stick to your niche!", they say), but I needed a break from the LOL treadmill, and this was it. (Thanks for the Stains trivia, too...was not aware of this fact!) D
Shit, I was on a roll of "seen that, seen that, seen that" until we hit #8. Have not seen #8 through #12. Gotta rectify that. Thanks for the great list!
I would have put in Bomb City, Dudes (with John Cryer) Godmoney and a New Zealand movie Queen City Rocker. But this is still a killer list