Movies Similar to Frank Zappa: Phase II - The Big Note

Swallowtail Butterfly(1996)

The struggles of a group of outcasts living in "Yentown", in an alternate-future Japan.

The Making of Michel Petite

The film shows the behind-the-scenes process of making a documentary about an author known for their autofiction stories. By including its own behind-the-scenes footage, it mirrors the author's storytelling approach, blending the documentary’s creation with the author's narrative technique. In this way, the relationship between reality and fiction is questioned.

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Cadillac Records(2008)

The story of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950s Chicago, and the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James and Chuck Berry.

7.1

Night and Day(1946)

When his first stage show fails, songwriter Cole Porter goes off to fight in WWI until, injured, he lands in a hospital. He impresses nurse Linda Lee with his creativity, but their budding romance must wait as Cole heads home. Back in New York, he mounts a series of popular shows, and when his work brings him back to Europe, he eventually marries Linda. But success doesn't spare him from marital complications or bad news about a beloved relative.

5.7

Rhapsody in Blue(1945)

Fictionalized biography of George Gershwin and his fight to bring serious music to Broadway.

6.4

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One(1968)

In Manhattan's Central Park, a film crew directed by William Greaves is shooting a screen test with various pairs of actors. It's a confrontation between a couple: he demands to know what's wrong, she challenges his sexual orientation. Cameras shoot the exchange, and another camera records Greaves and his crew. Sometimes we watch the crew discussing this scene, its language, and the process of making a movie. Is there such a thing as natural language? Are all things related to sex? The camera records distractions - a woman rides horseback past them; a garrulous homeless vet who sleeps in the park chats them up. What's the nature of making a movie?

7.0

Campus A Go-Go(1965)

Young Guy (Kayama) competes in an electric guitar competition and plays American-style football. Released alongside Invasion of Astro Monster.

7.7

Radioactive Vampire Teeth(2023)

A short documentary exploring Calgary noise-rock band, Radioactive Vampire Teeth.

0.0

The Girl Can't Help It(1956)

A down-and-out gangster hires a down-on-his-luck agent to make his girlfriend a recording star within six weeks.

6.2

aespa LIVE TOUR 2023 ‘SYNK：HYPER LINE’ in JAPAN -Special Edition-(2023)

SM Entertainment girl group aespa launched their first worldwide tour SYNK: HYPER LINE in 2023. For the Japan leg of the tour, the girls held 12 concerts including shows in Osaka, Saitama, Nagoya and Tokyo. This release features full recordings of two aespa performances at Saitama Super Arena in April and Tokyo Dome in June!

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You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story(1990)

Biographical portrait of one of Broadway's most brilliant songwriters. Told through the use of archival material and interviews with the rich and famous that knew him, this portrait concentrates on his career and his public life events.

0.0

Now and Then - The Last Beatles Song(2023)

The story of The Beatles' last song featuring exclusive footage and commentary.

7.3

Orlando(2024)

With an original staging of text and music, Orlando follows the trail of one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance: Orlando di Lasso (also known as Roland de Lassus). His life and masterful oeuvre continue to move people to this day. Although he was a European star at the time, di Lasso had to endure the indignities of his social status as a servant. This documentary explores the relationship between art and power, musically accompanied by the ensemble La Tempête.

8.0

Living Bach(2023)

There are more than 300 Bach choirs and Bach ensembles worldwide, most of which are made up of amateurs. For many, their lives are inextricably linked with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. What do people seek and find in his music? What connects them across continents? What fascination lies in the music of the famous German composer, which manages to transcend borders, cultures, religions and centuries? The film embarks on a journey through six continents to meet amateur musicians and singers who have made Bach their "centerpiece".

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60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero(2011)

An anthology of one-minute films created by 51 international filmmakers on the theme of the death of cinema. Intended as an ode to 35mm, the film was screened one time only on a purpose-built 20x12 meter public cinema screen in the Port of Tallinn, Estonia, on 22 December 2011. A special projector was constructed for the event which allowed the actual filmstrip to be burnt at the same time as the film was shown.

3.8

The Great Waltz(1972)

A musical based on the life and music of Johann Strauss, Jr.

5.0

When the Masks are Taken Off(1975)

A satirical anthology film transforms popular humorous and sarcastic stage songs into standalone vignettes that lampoon the absurdities of bureaucratic officials and the liberal attitudes that were systematically targeted and suppressed in that era.

0.0

Rock N' Roll(2007)

Chandramouli, an international drummer, goes to Chennai to help his friend in his new project. However, his life turns upside down when he falls in love with a playback singer.

4.0

Rush - A Show of Hands(1989)

For a band with high standards, a perfect show is impossible, and an excellent show is rare. You hope that the norm is "good". To deliver a really exceptional, comfortable performance before a recording truck or film crew has been our unfulfilled dream of many years. Always it seemed that as soon as the machines started rolling, we forgot how to play and our equipment forgot how to work. But for these two nights, the gods smile. And the film becomes not just a concert, but a symbol - for the band a scrapbook, an autobiography, an era frozen in glacial clarity. For the audience, it can be an enduring souvenir, and if it can't quite capture what it was like to be there, it is a way of seeing through many pairs of eyes, of shifting one's vantage-point around and above the players in a way no mortal could. Hands perform, and hands respond. Hands gesture, and hands respond. A show of ears and eyes, a show of hearts and minds. A Show of Hands. - Neil Peart

7.7

Wealth of a Nation(1964)

"This film explores how freedom of speech — including dissent — is afforded to all Americans, and shows freedom of expression in art, music, dance, architecture, and science. The film also emphasizes the importance of the individual’s contribution to the whole of society and demonstrates how a productive and creative society is formed by the open and respectful exchange of ideas. The film was written, produced, and directed by William Greaves" (National Archives).

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