Christmas is the perfect time to catch up on all the films you missed out on through out the year. 2015 has been a great year for film, and hopefully this list will help you pick out a few DVDs for your Christmas viewing.
Amy (directed by Asif Kapadia) There was a lot of talk surrounding the release of 'Amy', a film following the career of soul and RnB singer/songwriter, Amy Winehouse. I made sure to pen this in my diary and wasn't disappointed when I saw the bio-pic. It makes an enlightening insight into the influences and thought processes behind her music. Not only does it document the development of Winehouse's career as an artist, but also the hard-hitting reality of her fragile emotional state with problems involving drugs and alcohol, which eventually lead to her tragic death in 2011.
Northern Soul (directed by Elaine Constantine)Although released in late 2014, I don't feel that this film was given enough time on the big screens. As you can probably tell by the name, its set in Northern England during the 1970s underground Northern Soul movement. It follows the friendship of Matt and John as they discover American soul music and dream of becoming the best DJs on the scene. It opened up my eyes to incredible Northern soul music and the unique dance moves, which I definitely want to be able to do one day...
Cobain: Montage of Heck (directed by Brett Morgen)Morgen uses unseen material from personal archives to create this rock documentary on Nirvana's frontman, giving a detailed insight into the life of the most iconic Grunge artist. It shows how the people and places had such a huge impact on the music Cobain wrote and I found it gave me a greater understanding of his songwriting. This is a must-see for any Nirvana fan and also for people generally intrigued by the thinking behind the man and the music.
20 Feet to Stardom (directed by Morgan Neville)
This documentary follows the careers of longtime backing singers such as Merry Clayton and Darlene Love, who sung behind the spotlight for the most famous artists and musicians of the time. It made me aware of great talent that I hadn't paid much attention to before and first hand interviews with the singers telling their stories in such an honest and real way made it a very inspiring film for me. I can recommend it for everyone as I think the anecdotes are entertaining for anybody and it ends on a very uplifting and positive note.
Jimi: All is By My Side (directed by John Ridly)This bio-pic tells the story of the revolutionary guitarist Jimi Hendrix and his rise to fame. It is shot in a very aesthetically pleasing way with a lot of work clearly being put into the cinematography. Although I found this film quite slow and it took me a while to grasp, I would still recommend giving it a watch as Outkast member Andre Benjamin does a good job of adopting Hendrix's characteristics and charm.
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