Ben Harper Movies

Blues-influence slide guitarist and songwriter Ben Harper and legendary gospel vocal group the Blind Boys of Alabama teamed up for an outstanding album in 2004, There Will Be a Light, and followed it up with a concert tour. A camera crew was on hand to record the performance by Harper and the Blind Boys at Harlem's historic Apollo Theater, and this home-video release captures the magic of this inspired collaboration on-stage. Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama: Live at the Apollo includes the songs "I Want to Be Ready," "Church House Steps," "Satisfied Mind," "Give a Man a Home," "Where Could I Go," and more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A lot have people have opened rock clubs for a lot of different reasons, but Larry Bloch is one of the few to have opened a music venue as a medium for social change. In 1989, Bloch and a handful of friends, none of whom had experience running a nightclub, opened Wetlands in New York City's Tribeca district, and as part of their business plan, each month a percentage of the club's proceeded were to be donated to a nonprofit Center for Social and Environmental Justice, with the annual payout often exceeding 100,000 dollars. In addition to the club's success as an avenue for fundraising, Wetlands helped give a home to a new breed of bands whose music suited the hippie-esque vibe of the club while opening new territories in improvisational rock, and Phish, Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler, and Gov't Mule were among the acts who were regulars attractions at Wetlands before finding worldwide fame. Dean Budnick, a senior editor at Relix Magazine (a journal that frequently covers the jam band scene) makes his directorial debut with Wetlands Preserved: The Story of an Activist Rock Club, which examines both the music and the message behind this fabled venue. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

From three days in June, 2003, the second annual installment of the Bonaroo Music Festival took over Manchester, Tennessee, serving up performances by dozens of the wolrd's best jam-rock and roots musicians. 270 Miles from Graceland: Live from Bonnaroo 2003 features live performances from the show by twenty-two of the artists and bands. Among the songs are "Temporary Remedy" by Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, "Sugar Magnolia" by The Dead, "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robot" by The Flaming Lips, "I Should've Known Better" by Nickel Creek, and "Desdemona" by The Allman Brothers Band. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Pearl Jam was one of the only bands from the grunge rock boom of the early '90s who not only survived the public's fading interest in the Seattle scene, but earned greater critical respect with the passage of time. Pearl Jam: Live at the Garden is a performance video that captures the band's memorable appearance at New York City's Madison Square Garden on July 8, 2003, and includes guest appearances from slide guitar wizard Ben Harper and punk rock legend the Buzzcocks. The 30-song set list includes "Do the Evolution," "Betterman," "Evenflow," "In My Tree," "Wishlist," "Spin the Black Circle," "Yellow Ledbetter," and many more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Ben Harper is a singer, songwriter, and virtuoso slide guitarist who blends rock, blues, folk and reggae flavors into passionate, provocative songs which address both political and personal issues with equal force and intelligence. Ben Harper: Pleasure + Pain is a documentary on the musician featuring extensive footage from a concert in Clairmont, California, as well as backstage glimpses of Harper and his band the Innocent Criminals, and two songs from a studio session Harper recorded with legendary gospel blues group the Five Blind Boys of Alabama. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Actors and political activists come together to take a long, hard look at the State of the Union during the 2000 U.S. Presidential election in this documentary, a follow-up to 1993's The Last Party, in which actor Robert Downey Jr. followed the 1992 presidential campaign. In The Last Party 2000, with Robert Downey Jr. unavailable due to drug convictions (he does make a brief appearance, and his legal problems as well as the current state of American drug laws are discussed), Philip Seymour Hoffman takes his place as he visits the 2000 Democratic and Republican National Conventions and talks to politicians and activists both famous and obscure as a pitched battle is fought between supporters of democratic candidate Al Gore, republican nominee George W. Bush, and the many voices who believed neither candidate represented a worthwhile or reasonable choice. Along with Downey and Hoffman, celebrities speaking out on the issues in this film include Courtney Love, Rosie O'Donnell, Reese Witherspoon, and David Crosby; the rock band Stone Temple Pilots also appear at a political rally. The Last Party 2000 was directed by actor and musician Donovan Leitch, who served as a producer on the first film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

For Ever Mozart is an episodic film that follows a theater troupe from France attempting to put on a play in Sarajevo. Along their journey they are captured and held in a POW camp, and they call for help from their friends and relations in France. Director Jean-Luc Godard presents stories about this troop to ask how one can make art while slaughters like the one in Bosnia are taking place, and he throws in a strong critique of the European Union. For Ever Mozart is one of Godard's most disjointed and difficult films. Its stories sometimes seem to form a whole and at other times the links among them are unclear. One gets the impression that in each episode Godard attempts to start a film only to come to the conclusion that it is impossible to continue. It features some of the most beautiful shots of tanks in the cinema. ~ Louis Schwartz, All Movie Guide