Nirvana Movies

Inevitably recalling the shenanigans of Tom Green and Sasha Baron Cohen's Ali G, Canadian comedian Nardwuar the Human Serviette is essentially a provocateur who built his career out of shocking and offending politicians, actors, musicians, and other noteworthy public figures by pummeling them with outrageous and bizarre questions. Nardwuar particularly specializes in skewering anyone with an aura of self-righteous dignity or importance. Like Green, he rose to celebrity through the tunnels of public access television; the release Nardwuar the Human Serviette: Welcome to My Castle presents a "best of" compilation of interview footage from Nardwuar's 1990s local access series, in which he does Q&A with such guests as Pierre Eliot Trudeau, Ron Jeremy, Timothy Leary, Gerald Ford, Nirvana, Tony Robbins and many others. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Alternative rock, the nervy younger brother of punk rock, was relegated to the margins of the record industry through the 1980s, but that changed dramatically in 1991, when Nevermind, the second album from a noisy Seattle trio called Nirvana, unexpectedly became one of the biggest sensations of the year. The album would eventually sell ten million copies in the United States alone, spearheading the grunge revolution, and changing conventional wisdom about what sort of music had the potential to be "commercially viable." Nirvana: Nevermind is a documentary from the Classic Albums series that offers an in-depth look at the making of this highly influential record. Featuring exclusive interviews with surviving bandmembers Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, the film also includes contributions from producer Butch Vig, Jonathan Ponneman, and Nils Bernstein from Sub Pop Records (the label that released Nirvana's first album), Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth (a friend and tourmate of the band), and others who discuss the creation of this landmark album, and the life and career of frontman Kurt Cobain. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This presentation from the David Geffen Company offers viewers a look at a live performance by one of the most critically acclaimed rock acts of all time. Directed by Kevin Kerslake, Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! not only features Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist Noveselic performing their greatest hits on-stage, but also behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and exclusive home videos. Released in 1994, the program includes the songs "About a Girl," "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and "Territorial Pissings." ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Nirvana: Unplugged in New York captures the grunge band's legendary appearance on the then popular MTV program. The setlist includes originals such as "All Apologies," and "About a Girl," as well as covers of David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World," and Leadbelly's "In the Pines." ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

In 1991, pioneering noise rockers Sonic Youth were about as big as a punk rock band was supposed to get; they'd become one of the most acclaimed bands on the American rock underground, they were signed to a prestigious major label, Geffen, and seemed poised to edge into the commercial mainstream. As it happened, punk rock was about to invade radio and MTV in a big way, but Sonic Youth weren't the ones to lead the charge. In the summer of 1991, Sonic Youth spent two weeks playing large clubs and music festivals, with an up-and-coming band called Nirvana on hand as their opening act. Both bands found themselves playing to some of the biggest and most enthusiastic audiences they'd experienced thus far, and it was a preview of what Nirvana was to experience when their album Nevermind was released a few months later. Musician and filmmaker Dave Markey tagged along to chronicle the tour with a Super 8 sound movie camera, and 1991: The Year Punk Broke was assembled from the footage he shot that summer, as a handful of alternative bands were enjoying a working holiday in Europe, unaware that they'd all be a lot closer to the spotlight in six months. Along with performances from Sonic Youth and Nirvana, 1991: The Year Punk Broke includes appearances by Dinosaur Jr., Babes in Toyland, Gumball and The Ramones. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi