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Entertainment & Arts

Pictures: 5 most explosive music documentaries

A classic from legendary documentarian D.A. Pennebaker, this behind-the-scenes look at the 23-year-old Dylan set the standard for this kind of film. It's got all that famous imagery: the black-and-white verite photography, Dylan standing there tossing away cue cards with the lyrics to "Subterranean Homesick Blues." All impish charisma and childish impulse, Dylan tours England in 1965 with Joan Baez and Donovan, tussles with reporters and forges one of the many facets of his persona we'd come to know, or at least think we know. "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" parodies this time in Dylan's life with dead-on hilarity.

A classic from legendary documentarian D.A. Pennebaker, this behind-the-scenes look at the 23-year-old Dylan set the standard for this kind of film. It’s got all that famous imagery: the black-and-white verite photography, Dylan standing there tossing away cue cards with the lyrics to “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” All impish charisma and childish impulse, Dylan tours England in 1965 with Joan Baez and Donovan, tussles with reporters and forges one of the many facets of his persona we’d come to know, or at least think we know. “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” parodies this time in Dylan’s life with dead-on hilarity.  (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Associated Press

There are music documentaries that are all about the music -- concert films that focus solely on the artistry and thrill of live performance -- and then there are juicy ones that are all about backstage ego and volatility.

Here are some other examples of serious rock-star behavior:

By Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

"Metallica: Some Kind of Monster" (2004)

A riveting look at a turbulent time in the monstrously popular metal band’s history. You don’t have to be a Metallica fan to enjoy this movie (though there are plenty of recording sessions to watch if you are). Through the group’s brutally honest therapy sessions, filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky tell a story of loyalty, communication, redemption and the challenges that come with continuing a career in your 40s. The members of Metallica fight, record their album “St. Anger,” fight some more, and eventually find some kind of peace. The film is so nonjudgmental -- and often so insightful -- it never falls into “Spinal Tap”-style parody.  (Photo by Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images)

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