Spotlight
Wondering which films to watch? Spotlight presents thematically grouped, must see films, hand-picked by Fandor's curators.
Smithereens
Punk Vacation
Everyday Sunshine
Desperate Teenage Lovedolls
Hey! Is Dee Dee Home?
Rage
Who Took the Bomp?
A Band Called Death
Blank Generation
Pig Death Machine
Patti Smith: Dream of Life
X: The Unheard Music
American Punk
More than music, the anti-establishment movement of Punk crashed onto the scene in the late 1960s to early 1970s and spread like wildfire around the world. But it all started in in Cleveland, OH. Or in Detroit, MI. Or in New York City. Regardless of where it started, punk is here to stay. The films in this collection celebrate the sub-culture with insightful rockumentaries of the early Punk scene and narratives made in the height of its popularity.
Selected Films
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Live at CBGB
On Christmas Eve 1982, Bad Brains began a three-day stint at a hardcore festival hosted by the legendary CBGB. The very best of these shows was culled from over four hours of footage. Though their live performances were legendary, their visual recordings were impossible to find. These powerful...Watch Movie
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Hey! Is Dee Dee Home?
Lech Kowalski's documentary feature is about the life and times of Ramones bassist and all-star burn out, Dee Dee Ramone (1952-2002). Dee Dee's life is a fascinating character study of a punk rock legend who never grew up. Listen to Dee Dee's account with director Lech...Watch Movie
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Punk's Not Dead
PUNK'S NOT DEAD is more than just a tribute documentary. It takes you on an era-by-era journey that puts punk rock's non-conformist reputation under the knife. Officially sanctioned by the bands in the film who donated personal photos, fliers and home videos, PUNK'S NOT DEAD follows the evolution...Watch Movie
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Blank Generation
A classic punk rock movie from 1980 starring Richard Hell, illustrating the end of the first wave of New York City punk rock better than any documentary. Nada (Carole Bouquet), a beautiful French journalist on assignment in New York, records the life and work of an up and...Watch Movie
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A Band Called Death
Punk before punk existed, three teenage brothers in the early '70s formed a band in their spare bedroom, began playing a few local gigs and even pressed a single in the hopes of getting signed. But this was the era of Motown and emerging disco. Record companies found Death's...Watch Movie
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Who Took the Bomp?
WHO TOOK THE BOMP? LE TIGRE ON TOUR follows iconic feminist electronic band Le Tigre on their 2004 to 2005 international tour across four continents and through ten countries. Supported by a community of devoted fans and led by outspoken Riot Grrrl pioneer Kathleen Hanna...Watch Movie
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X: The Unheard Music
The iconic L.A. band X changed the face of punk music with their vibrant, original style. We see the band at its peak in this legendary film, which took five years to make. As vital today as the day it was released twenty-five years ago, X: THE UNHEARD MUSIC, preserved by the...Watch Movie
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Pig Death Machine
After eating rotten meat, a brainless brunette is transformed into a dangerous genius, while in a Doctor Doolittle twist, a misanthropic-punk-rock-botanist-babe gains the power to "talk to plants." Dreams become nightmares as they choke on the sweet nectar of envy and desire.Watch Movie
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Desperate Teenage Lovedolls
DESPERATE TEENAGE LOVEDOLLS chronicles the rise and fall of Bunny, Kitty, and Patch (Hilary Rubens, Jennifer Schwartz, and Janet Housden), three teenage runaways who form an all-girl rock group, The Lovedolls. Their rise to fame from a nowhere, drug-filled street life, is...Watch Movie
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You Weren't There
YOU WEREN'T THERE: A HISTORY OF CHICAGO PUNK 1977-1984 looks back on the impact that the Punk movement had on the Windy City. Though overlooked in the annals of Rock history when compared to media-centric Los Angeles, New York and London, Chicago served as an important early...Watch Movie
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Alan Vega: Just a Million Dreams
This intimate portrait will reveal uncommon stories of groundbreaking visual artist and pioneer of minimalist electronic rock, Alan Vega, vocalist and composer for 1970s and 80s punk/post punk duo Suicide. Alan plays with the camera and enjoys the friendship of filmmaker...Watch Movie
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Rage
RAGE depicts the hope, anger and aggression of the early west coast punk rock scene. Punk was in its infancy in the late 1970’s. It was shapeless, gritty, honest and dishonest. It could be morphed into anything the imagination could conceive. The film relates how the punk scene originated through...Watch Movie
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Everyday Sunshine
From the shifting faultlines of Hollywood fantasies and the economic and racial tensions of Ronald Reagan's America, Fishbone rose to become one of the most original bands of the last twenty-five years. With a blistering combination of punk and funk they demolished the walls...Watch Movie
