Cool music movie selections -- 5 on me

Today I’m talking about music movies.
There have been many music movies and dramas, both Western and Japanese. After all, musicians and music have dreams, and the life of an artist is dramatic and everyone longs for it, so it is a theme that is often dealt with. However, when it comes to movies and dramas, it's not as easy as it sounds because of the hurdles that actors play (same for sports movies). Since the success of "Bohemian Rhapsody", other artists have been aiming for the next hit, but I think it's hard to see these as music movies, apart from human drama. It is impossible for any modern guitarist to play like Jimi Hendrix (Hmm? What about the movie JIMI: All Is By Glory?). Recently, the film technology has improved, so many films are doing well, but the current situation is that many of them are not enough for actual performers.
So, I would like to present to you five good music movies that I have watched. I wanted to make it Top 5, but it is the 5 best because I can’t put an order. In addition, the selection excludes documentary films featuring the stars themselves, such as Martin Scorsese's "The Rolling Stones Shine a Light," and Moro musical (self-assessed) films such as "West Side Story." I also chose to leave out anime films such as Disney and K-ON. Of course, music movies that I haven't watched yet are not included. Classic musical works such as "David Bowie: The Last Five Years" (amazon prime video) and "Singin'in the Rain" that inspired me to listen to David Bowie, which I didn't actually like very much, but they enrich the musical culture in me.
Then, I will announce them in order of seniority.

1, Bird (Clint Eastwood) 1988

Bird - Theatrical Trailer

It is about life and works of the Charlie Parker, a jazz giant, portrayed by Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood's love for jazz and country music and his depth of knowledge are reflected in other works. There are also works in which he makes his own theme music. The film shows Clint Eastwood's commitment to music, especially jazz. As for the performance scene, Forest Whitaker, who plays the lead role, can actually play the saxophone, and there are scenes where the actual live sound is used. The performance scenes are shot in the form of Charlie Parker's sound source ateleco performance, but the express a sense of tension and presence more than enough, and it may seem that they are actually playing if they are not a musicians. However, like Clint Eastwood, this is not a movie for jazz enthusiasts. It is neither a depiction of the official history of jazz nor a fan movie. It is a movie-like movie about a human being called Charlie Parker. Clint Eastwood is very good at drawing bad guy musicians. It's the sense of distance that isn't strangely cool or longed for.
I also love Clint Eastwood's first music-themed work "Sentimental Adventure" (Japanese title), but it was rejected from this selection as a music movie. Actually, he also shot a documentary film of Thelonious Monk this year. He’s doing it, but it was a little too enthusiastic to enter best 5. This work seems to be the oldest work in which I thought that the performance scenes could be taken realistically.

2, Jersey Boys (Clint Eastwood) 2014

Jersey Boys trailer

This is also the work of master Clint Eastwood. I can’t help it because I love Clint Eastwood, so I won’t accept any complaints.
This is a movie adaptation of the musical of the same name that won the Tony Award in the United States. Frankie Valli is the lead vocalist of The Four Seasons, a pop group (often called a pop group, although it can be called a band). I don't think there are many people who say "Four Seasons", but they released many hit songs in the 1960s. If you listen to hit songs such as "Sherry" and "Big Girls Don't Cry" (Japanese title "Koi wa Yase ga Man", this Japanese title), you may have heard them somewhere before. It has the atmosphere of old American film, and it has the comfort of pop music. And Frankie Valli's solo name "Can't take my eyes off you" was often played during the disco boom, and is still a masterpiece that goes beyond the scope of hit songs covered by various artists.
As for the movie, this is also a movie that is like Clint Eastwood. It has a bold direction, such as musical-like meta directing and final scene. If you’ve played a band seriously, you’ll find stories and people that you’ve experienced or heard somewhere in your past. It is also like Clint Eastwood, and the story goes on without having to put yourself in someone's position. The ending is refreshing, so it feels good after watching it, and it's a good music movie that you can easily watch and enrich your music culture a little. The performance scenes are real as they are actually playing, as if they were singing (maybe they can actually sing). And, like Clint Eastwood's later works, he masters the cast well. It feels like this is very real. As with "Mystic River", I think it's amazing that the atmosphere is created just by casting. It's just a master's skill. Clint Eastwood is a musical master at the cinema! It is a work with surprising memorable moments. This is a work I would like to recommend along with the music of the Four Seasons.

3, “Session” (Damien Chazelle) 2014

Movie "Session" trailer (released 4/17)

This is a well-known work. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 5 categories and won 3 categories. Even at that time, it became a hot topic among music lovers. The director, Damien Chazelle, further solidified his reputation with "La La Land" the following year, and a movie of this kind is so Damien Chazelle. But this work is the best among them for me. I feel that the power and realism of the performance scenes have reached a certain upper limit here. Well, they’re done really well. The sound is also good.
Since it is a famous work, I will not add any commentary, but I think that the slightly over-directed performance scenes are easy for amateurs to understand, sensational and interesting. Everyone thinks that jazz is maniac and difficult to understand, so I thought this was the best production.
I think it's an indispensable work when talking about recent music movies.

4, "Ricki and the Flash" (Jonathan Demme) 2015

Movie "Ricki and the Flash" Latest Notice

This may be a movie that is not well known. Not long ago, I tried to find it on Amazon prime and Netflix subscription to recommend to a friend, but I couldn't find it. It may be there now, but it's not a big movie. I happened to see it on CS broadcast, and it was an unexpectedly good and impressive work. However, it may be a little less impressive if you are not someone who has spent your life in a rock band. Or if there was no such a person nearby. Well, this is my selection.
The story is not that difficult. It's a story about a female vocalist who devoted her life to rock. She got married once and had a child, but she threw it away for a rock band, and now she’s a singer in a live house band at the end of the movie, and her life is already crazy. Meanwhile, her ex-husband asked her to encourage her daughter, and the story begins when she returns to her family. The ending is the choices of the characters' lives, and it feels like "rock". Rock is not a genre of music, it's a way of life, I'm sorry for those who understand the story. For me, it is a movie that I can cry about next to "New Cinema Paradise". Probably not so much for ordinary people, but…
Well, the first thing I have to talk about when talking about this movie is the acting of Meryl Streep. Was she in a rock band a long time ago? It smells like rock vocals. For me, I felt the cleanliness and dedication to beautiful rock like Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac). The guitar and vocals of the live scenes can only be seen as realistic. This is acting. She felt like she was able to show off the awesomeness of acting actresses alongside Robert De Niro. Also, since the role of the daughter is her real daughter, the reality is increased (they look so much alike). Without Meryl Streep’s good performance, this movie would have been just a humanity movie and would have been called a habit movie by rockers like me. I would like people who watch movies, mainly for acting, to watch it. It wasn’t nominated for any awards, but it's a gem of a rocker movie for you.

5, Sidemen: Long Road to the Stars (Scott Rosenbaum) 2016

[Sideman: Men who made the stars shine] Notice

Lastly, it's actually a documentary movie that appeared in book format, but I thought it was good because it wasn't about a star. This is my selection
Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. I think people who hear these names and someone actually comes to mind is a considerable blues enthusiast. They’re names that I recognize for some reason or another. There was a time I watched these kinds of blues movie, and I also had a DVD of Lightnin 'Hopkins. To be clear, I was wondering if an otaku blues movie had been released again, but humans cursed by the devil of the crossroads still watch it.
They supported others with their music as sidemen in the back-up bands of blues superstars Muddy Waters and Howlin 'Wolf. No matter how good a player is, after all, no matter how much he contributes to their music as one of the back-up band members, the honor will be that of the star. Also, music has never stayed in one place, and the times change mercilessly. This draws the glory and sorrow of Sideman's life through himself. After all, the bluesmen of this age are actually people who worked in plantations or lived in the United States before the civil rights movement, so the meaning of blues is different from what we know it as. I feel something like human strength. I think my troubles are insignificant, really.
At the time of shooting, all of them were dying, but just looking at their faces made me feel like I saw the ending of this story. So did Les Paul, who died at 90. I really like the performances of the happy old guys. All three died after shooting, but it was an enviable blues life. R.I.P. It is a film that makes you want to immerse yourself in the blues of death, and it's a good movie that makes you think about the happy ending of your own life.
Interviews with deceased legends such as Gregg Allman and Johnny Winter, Derek Trucks, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, etc. were also included, making it a happy movie for blues fans.

I chose these 5 works this time. "Young Heart", which I removed because I thought it was not really in this category, is also a very good work. The biographical film "All eyes on me" about the legendary rapper 2Pac was also a runner-up candidate. There are many good big movies such as The Greatest Showman, and musicals are popular these days. I think it is also related to the recent movie situation, where it is becoming impossible to draw customers to movie theaters without a large screen and high volume. Also, I feel that Japanese movies are a little weak in this genre. Movies like "Swing Girls" with young actors are good, but other than that… I mean American music culture is just too rich for Japanese to compete. Watching musicals are also very helpful in deepening your musical culture. I hope this will be helpful for you.

Thank you for reading.
This is just my opinion.