Glen Matlock Movies
- 2003
- Add End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones to QueueAdd End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones to top of Queue
Filmmaker Michael Gramaglia's years-in-the-making biography of the legendary punk band the Ramones entitled End of the Century traces nearly all the various and sundry peaks and valleys which the seminal rockers experienced over the course of its 20-plus year career before disbanding in 1995. Beginning with the band's first concert performances in the mid-'70s, Gramaglia explores the eccentric and highly volatile band members -- in all the various line-ups that were presented over the years -- as the Ramones slowly gained fame for their high energy and high-tempo style of music that would later influence generations of punk rockers around the world. Mixing archival interviews with new interviews of the various surviving bandmembers, as well as interviews with a number of the Ramones' contemporaries, End of the Century encapsulates the East Coast underground music atmosphere of the 1970s and '80s that the band inadvertently shocked into existence. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, (more)
Although their career lasted a bit less than two years, few rock bands have made a more dramatic impact than the Sex Pistols, who quickly rose to international infamy as the best-known British punk band, then fell apart shortly after their first American tour in a tempest of drugs, ego, and infighting. Manager Malcolm McLaren began making a film about the group while they were at the height of their fame, but by the time McLaren and director Julien Temple completed The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, the group's best-known member, bassist Sid Vicious, was dead, and the remaining Pistols -- vocalist Johnny Rotten (aka John Lydon), guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook, and original bassist Glen Matlock were in litigation against McLaren and refused to participate. In 1998, Temple began working with the group's surviving members (who reunited for a brief tour in 1996) for this definitive documentary of the Pistols' career, which combines new interviews with footage of legendary live performances (such as their infamous Jubilee Day show on a ship sailing past the Houses of Parliament), as well as newsreels of the chaos that followed in their wake, including the TV appearance that changed them overnight from a little-known cult band to national pariahs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Punk rock's first great embodiment of the motto "live fast and die young," Sid Vicious joined The Sex Pistols when they were already established as the most controversial rock band in British history; and it soon became apparent that he couldn't play his instrument, had a magnetic attraction to chaos, and possessed a dangerous thirst for booze, drugs, and violence. Sid and Nancy opens shortly after Sid (Gary Oldman) joined the band, when he meets an obnoxious American punk groupie named Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb). Nancy claims that she can get drugs, and Sid naively gives her his money. Nancy doesn't show up with the goods, but when Sid runs into her a few days later, she has a tall tale about getting ripped off - and Sid sympathizes with her. Before long, Sid and Nancy have fallen in love, and while they argue with uncommon vehemence, they also depend completely on each other. When The Sex Pistols break up, Sid has few prospects and an increasingly voracious appetite for heroin, and Nancy's attempts to "manage" his career only hasten his downhill slide. Former Clash leader Joe Strummer wrote the film's theme song, "Love Kills," and The Pogues, The Circle Jerks, and Pray for Rain contributed to the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, (more)
Sex Pistols: Rock Case Studies documents the brief but influential history of the legendary punk band. In addition to archival footage of appearances by the band, the filmmakers utilize interviews with rock critics, historians, and other musicians who place the band's work in context. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
