Rock School and Punk:Attitude

It was 87 degrees today in Seattle, so what better way to spend the afternoon than sitting in the EMP's air-conditioned JBL theater catching up on SIFF films?

The first film we saw this evening was Rock School (not to be confused with School of Rock). Rock School is a documentary about Paul Green's Pennsylvania music school where he coaches kids from age 9 to 17 on the finer points of being a rock star. The film follows Green's students as they prepare for a big gig at Zappanale, a Frank Zappa tribute festival held in Germany. The star of the film is Green who's verbally abrasive, tough love, Lean on Me-esque teaching style at times seems like genius and at other times seems like insanity. In addition to Green, keep an eye out for young guitar virtuoso C.J., and twin 9-year olds Asa and Tucker who rock out to Black Sabbath. I definitely enjoyed this one and would recommend seeing it if you get a chance. If you'd like to learn more about the film, I'd recommend checking out the press kit or the NYT review.

The second film we saw was Punk: Attitude, by famous DJ/music documentary director Don Letts. Punk:Attitude could be called Punk Rock 101: Intro To Punk as it provides an excellent survey course of the history of punk rock. The documentary begins with the roots of the punk movement, moves on to the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, spends the bulk of the film chronicling the New York and London punk explosions, and then moves on to the Washington D.C. hardcore scene, Nirvana, and modern 'punk' music. The film features lots of great live footage of punk bands throughout the years and interviews with Henry Rollins, Jim Jarmusch, Thurston Moore, Chrissie Hynde, Jello Biafra, Tommy Ramone, Legs McNeil, Siouxsie Sioux and former members of bands such as The Clash and The Slits . This film should be required watching for all Rock School applicants and every 13-year old kid out there wearing their freshly printed Ramones shirt. You can find a more detailed review on MovieWeb.