The story of Stuart Sutcliffe, the fifth Beatle, is the basis for this superior bio-pic. In 1960 the Fab 5 set off for Hamburg, where they discover that sex and drugs go hand in hand with rock n' roll. But when Stu falls in love with Astrid, his close friendship with John Lennon and indeed his whole future, is threatened. A brilliant film. find out more...

Detailing the turbulent life of the founder and former frontman of Joy Division, Ian Curtis, photographer Anton Corbin's debut feature Control is a tour-de-force of the rise and fall of one of the most iconic and influential bands in British musical history. A gritty un-romanticised depiction of a tortured soul with a blinding central performance from Sam Riley. find out more...

Marcus, once an orphaned street kid, always knew he was going to be a rapper. However, when his mother is murdered, his life begins to spiral out of control. It's only a matter of time before he's hustlin' and selling drugs to pay the rent. Only his music keeps him alive, as he madly scribbles the lyrics that fly around his troubled mind. Only when another tragedy strikes does Marcus begin to change his life. 'Fiddy' makes his motion picture debut in Get Rich Or Die Tryin'!, by Oscar-nominated d find out more...

Winner of an Oscar for "Best Documentary", this film (beautifully shot in black and white) recaptures the life and music of the late, great jazz trumpeter Chet Baker. The founder of the Californian school of "Cool Jazz" this film is in itself remarkably cool and stylish. find out more...

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A mesmerising dramatisation of one of the kings, Ray Charles. Unsurprisingly the soundtrack is pure bliss, but it is Jamie Foxx in the title role that pulls everything together, an hypnotic performance of a music legend, through all his highs and lows, and one of those increasingly rare examples of a leading actor Oscar that actually makes sense. find out more...

A wonderful portrait of Ian Dury - he the polio crippled lyricist and front man for punk icons The Blockheads and a self-pitying, class conscious, angry, supremely talented loud mouth - struggling to relate to his pre-teen son and familial duties.
'Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll' is a top notch drama about a real life person, warts, foul language and all, and you neither need to love his music, punk generally nor, indeed, any form of music to appreciate this gem of a film. find out more...

It's all sweetness and light in this moving music biopic classic of Glen Miller's impressive rise to fame with June Allyson playing his childhood sweetheart and James Stewart outstanding as the man himself. It's got all the great arrangements from 'Pensylvania 6-500' to 'Moonlight Serenade', all scored by Henry Mancini in homage to Miller's style, plus Louis Armstrong makes an appearance playing 'Basin Street Blues' and Frances Langford does 'Chattanooga Choo-Choo'. find out more...

A journalist in search of a story meets a mentally ill musician, Nathaniel Ayers, on the streets of LA and, through a succession of stories, attempts to better his and all the homeless community's lot. This isn't just a sincere movie about community politics and the need to help the less fortunate, it's a vibrant telling of the basic insanity of city life adapted from the memoirs of LA Times columnist Steve Lopez. find out more...

Before Iraq, before the Bush Administration, before the Dixie Chicks, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and before Sir Bob and Bono.... there was John Lennon, the celebrated musical artist who used his fame and fortune to protest against the Vietnam War and advocate for world peace. Filmmakers David Leaf and John Scheinfield trace Lennon's metamorphosis from loveable mop-top to anti-war activist to inspirational icon as they reveal the true story of how and why the US tried to silence him. There are find out more...