Best Music Movies of 2006

In Venice Beach, naive Midwesterner JB bonds with local slacker KG and they form the rock band Tenacious D. Setting out to become the world's greatest band is no easy feat, so they set out to steal what could be the answer to their prayers... a magical guitar pick housed in a rock-and-roll museum some 300 miles away.

A trio of female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960s, facing their own personal struggles along the way.

Troy, the popular captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella, the brainy and beautiful member of the academic club, break all the rules of East High society when they secretly audition for the leads in the school's musical. As they reach for the stars and follow their dreams, everyone learns about acceptance, teamwork, and being yourself.

A former professional dancer volunteers to teach dance in the New York public school system and, while his background first clashes with his students' tastes, together they create a completely new style of dance. Based on the story of ballroom dancer, Pierre Dulane.

Filmed in its entirety at London's Wembley Arena during her worldwide sold-out 25-city Confessions Tour (2006's top-grossing tour world-wide), this concert film features songs from throughout the queen's career but largely focuses on Confessions On A Dance Floor.

A look at what goes on backstage during the last broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show, where singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, a country music siren, and a host of others hold court.

When Drake and Josh accidentally send their little sister Megan on a plane to L.A., they soon find themselves in the middle of a dangerous situation.

Okonokos is a live album and concert film by My Morning Jacket released on October 31, 2006. The album was recorded during the band's fall 2005 Z Tour, over two nights at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California. This is the first My Morning Jacket album for which frontman Jim James does not receive a production credit; he is credited for "concept/story."

Life on the Murder Scene is the first live album by New Jersey's My Chemical Romance. It was released on March 21, 2006 (see 2006 in music). The release includes three discs (two DVDs and one CD) of the whole history documenting the band from the start to the present. Life on the Murder Scene is a predominantly live album, but also includes two demo tracks and a previously unreleased track. Models Jamisin Matthews and Jaime Andrews portray the demolition couple in the cover photo, booklet, packaging, DVD art, and DVD menus. One DVD documents the band on the road in the form of a diary and the other covers live footage, [email protected], MTV $2 Bill performance, and four of their videos with the behind-the-scenes "Making Of..." for three of them. The cover features a live version of "Demolition Lovers II" (the name of the album cover of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge).

In March 2005, Neil Young was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. Four days before he was scheduled for a lifesaving operation, he headed to Nashville, where he wrote and recorded the country folk album Prairie Wind with old friends and family members. After the successful operation and recovery period, he returned to Nashville that August to play at the famed Ryman Auditorium, once again gathering together friends and family for this special performance.

A documentary about Take That, a British boyband.

Real Live Roadrunning is a live album by Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris. Released in November 2006, it was recorded at the end of their summer tour in support of their critically acclaimed album, All the Roadrunning. The album is released by Warner Bros. Records (U.S.A only) and Mercury Records (Europe & Canada) as a DVD concert film, and as a deluxe CD/DVD combination.

Exciting music and entertainment special that sees a celebrity-packed audience and millions of fans at home screaming their tribute to international pop stars Take That.

Get Thrashed traces the rise, fall and impact of thrash metal; from its early years, through its influence on grunge, nu metal and today's heavy metal scene. It is the story of the heaviest, hardest music of the 80s and early 90s as told by the bands who lived it, the fans and bands that grew up on it and by the artists that carry the "thrash metal" flag today.

Digitalised video of live performance in Roma, the Lazio in Italy

Arriving Somewhere... is the first live performance DVD by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree. A full show from the Deadwing tour filmed by "Studio M" with nine HD cameras at Park West, Chicago on 11 & 12 October 2005, edited by Lasse Hoile, with the soundtrack mixed in stereo and 5.1 surround sound by Steven Wilson, and mastered by Darcy Proper.

Filmed during the tour for 2004’s Uh Huh Her (and directed by longtime collaborator Mochnacz), Please Leave Quietly intermixes live footage with backstage antics, street scenes, buggered sound checks and impromptu commentary from tour personnel and bandmates. Often interspliced and edited to a near distracting degree, the live performances are riveting, with Polly Jean displaying a venomous allure in her Oz-red high heels and short-skirted dresses.

Shut Up and Sing is a documentary about the country band from Texas called the Dixie Chicks and how one tiny comment against President Bush dropped their number one hit off the charts and caused fans to hate them, destroy their CD’s, and protest at their concerts. A film about freedom of speech gone out of control and the three girls lives that were forever changed by a small anti-Bush comment

Score: 20th Anniversary World Tour Live with the Octavarium Orchestra is a live album, recorded on April 1, 2006 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. This is the final concert of their 20th Anniversary Tour, labeled "A Very Special Evening with Dream Theater". The entire second half of the concert features a complete symphonic orchestra, dubbed "The Octavarium Orchestra", conducted by Jamshied Sharifi.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd's reverence for his musical roots are center-stage on Ten Days Out...Blues From The Backroads. The guitar-slinger is featured with the Double Trouble rhythm section of bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton performing with some of the greatest blues players of our time as well as lesser-known but historically significant bluesmen. Traveling to their hometowns to record everywhere from juke joints to front porches, from New Orleans to Kansas, Shepherd celebrates and becomes part of blues history with Ten Days Out...Blues From The Backroads.

An animated retelling set to Prokofiev's suite. Peter is a slight lad, solitary, locked out of the woods by his protective grandfather

Yanni Live! The Concert Event, was recorded live at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas on November 06, 2004, and released in August 2006 as a CD and concert film on DVD.

An intimate and moving meditation on the late musician and artist Kurt Cobain, based on more than 25 hours of previously unheard audiotaped interviews conducted with Cobain by noted music journalist Michael Azerrad for his book "Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana." In the film, Kurt Cobain recounts his own life - from his childhood and adolescence to his days of musical discovery and later dealings with explosive fame - and offers often piercing insights into his life, music, and times. The conversations heard in the film have never before been made public and they reveal a highly personal portrait of an artist much discussed but not particularly well understood. Written by AJ Schnack

When college rock darlings the Pixies broke up in 1992, their fans were shocked and dismayed. When they reunited in 2004, those same fans and legions of new listeners were ecstatic and filled with high hopes. loudQUIETloud follows the rehearsals and live shows of the band as they struggle through the reunion tour "Sell Out"

Inspired by Steven Blush's book "American Hardcore: A tribal history" Paul Rachman's feature documentary debut is a chronicle of the underground hardcore punk years from 1979 to 1986. Interviews and rare live footage from artists such as Black Flag, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, SS Decontrol and the Dead Kennedys.

Live at Montreux

Sunken Treasure follows Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy on his February 2006 solo acoustic tour. The footage was recorded over five nights and features songs from three of his current and former bands: Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, and Loose Fur, plus an unreleased track, "The Thanks I Get." The film is directed by documentarians Christoph Green and Brendan Canty, himself the former drummer of Fugazi.

A live album and DVD recorded by the Finnish power metal band Sonata Arctica. It was recorded at Shibuya AX, Tokyo, Japan on February 5, 2005.

This film tells the tale of the Harper Affair, in which young Jimmy Harper finds his life of promise turn into a life of debauchery and murder thanks to the new drug menace marijuana. Along the way he receives help from his girlfriend Mary and Jesus himself, but always finds himself in the arms of the Reefer Man and the rest of the denizens of the Reefer Den.

On October 2nd 2006 Katie Melua performed a concert at the bottom of the North Sea. This 66 minute documentary film tells the story of that performance - from the conception of the dream by the gas platform manager, the planning, Katie and her band's rigorous safety training, the behind the scene logistics of moving 22 tonnes of equipment from land to the bottom of the rig - and conclude

A fading country music star (Keith) returns to his hometown, where he reunites with his childhood sweetheart and also meets his 16-year-old daughter for the first time.

This DVD contains footage from guitar virtuoso Zakk Wylde's band, Black Label Society, on their 2005 Tour of Europe. Featuring concerts at the Elysee Montmartre in Paris, and the Astoria in London, as well as candid behind the scenes footage.

A full-length feature documentary produced in 2006 which serves as a companion piece to and is included on the DVD of the 2004 film KILL YOUR IDOLS.

A celebration of the life of musical icon Tony Bennett on the occasion of his 80th birthday. The special charts Bennett’s career by faithfully re-creating venues from his past. Bennett is joined for each number by the artists that collaborated with him on his Duets album.

End of an Era is a BluRay, DVD and double CD from the Finnish symphonic metal Nightwish. Recorded at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland on October 21st. 2005, the final concert of a long worldwide tour for their album Once. During the concert the band was joined on-stage by John Two-Hawks, who performed "Stone People" from his album Honor as an introduction to "Creek Mary's Blood", which featured his voice and cedar flutes. End of an Era is the final Nightwish production to feature Tarja Turunen. She and the rest of the band parted mere hours after this concert. Set-List: 1. Dark Chest of Wonders / 2. Planet Hell / 3. Ever Dream / 4. The Kinslayer / 5. The Phantom of the Opera / 6. The Siren / 7. Sleeping Sun / 8. High Hopes / 9. Bless the Child / 10. Wishmaster / 11. Slaying the Dreamer / 12. Kuolema tekee taiteilijan /13. Nemo / 14. Ghost Love Score / 15. Stone People / 16. Creek Mary's Blood / 17. Over the Hills and Far Away / 18. Wish I Had an Angel.

Feature length documentary about Jonathan Larson and "Rent"'s journey from Broadway to the screen. Featuring director Chris Columbus, the entire cast, and dozens of friends and family of Jonathan Larson.

Silent Shout: An Audio Visual Experience is a live DVD from The Knife, taken from the April 12, 2006 concert at the Trädgår'n, Gothenburg, Sweden, in their 2006 Silent Shout tour. It was released in Sweden in November 2006 on The Knife's Rabid Records label. The DVD features a 5.1 surround sound recording of the show (with visuals from Andreas Nilsson), as well as all 11 of their music videos. Their short film When I Found the Knife is also included. The DVD was included in a limited edition box set version of Silent Shout released in July 2007 along with an additional CD of the concert's audio.

"Schrei Live" is the first Tokio Hotel's live DVD.

Best friends Galleria, Chanel, Dorinda, and Aqua, A.K.A. the girl band "The Cheetahs," get the opportunity of a lifetime when they strut their way to Barcelona, Spain, to perform in an international music festival. Along the way, the "amigas Cheetahs" learn that, although their paths are not the same, they are lucky to have one another for the journey.

A BBC adaptation of the Victorian "penny dreadful" tale of 18th century "demon barber" Sweeney Todd, of Fleet Street, who cuts the throats of unsuspecting clients in his London shop.

This documentary mixes rare historic footage with review and criticism from experts, friends, fellow musicians who played with Bob, and even the odd enemy... covering the period 1966-1978.

Ripley is now an ordained minister and owner of the Chapel of Love. He's on a search for the prize that will bring him untold riches - the Jules Rimet trophy. But when glamorous Kitty De-Luxe is jilted at his altar, Ripley falls hopelessly in love.

"Danielson: a Family movie" is a documentary about unbridled creativity vs. accessibility, Christian faith vs. popular culture, underground music vs. survival, and family vs. individuality. The film follows Daniel Smith, an eccentric musician and visual artist, as he leads his four siblings and best friend to indie rock stardom, eventually facing the struggle to become viable as a solo act. Along the way he mentors an unknown singer-songwriter named Sufjan Stevens whose own subsequent success stands in stark contrast to the music world's uneasy reception of Danielson just a few years prior. Makes use of collage, direct cinema and animation. Written by Creative Arson

Follows the history of two robots, the members of Daft Punk, on their quest to become human.

Poet, singer / songwriter and ladies man Leonard Cohen is interviewed in his home about his life and times. The interview is interspersed with archive photos and exuberant praise and live perfomances from an eclectic mix of musicians, including: Jarvis Cocker, Rufus & Martha Wainwright, Teddy Thompson, Anohni, The Handsome Family and U2's Bono and The Edge.

Tamino, a handsome prince, and Papageno, a bird-catcher, are sent by the Queen of Night to rescue her daughter Pamina from captivity under the high priest Sarastro. Julie Taymor's abridged, English-language production of the classic Mozart opera.

Serious Moonlight is David Bowie's concert video from his 1983 "Serious Moonlight Tour" in support of his "Let's Dance" album. Filmed in Vancouver on September 12, 1983, it was released on video tape and laserdisc in 1984 and on DVD in 2006.

Seether released an acoustic CD/DVD set titled One Cold Night, recorded on February 22, 2006, at Grape Street in Philadelphia. Morgan, who had been suffering from a stomach ailment, decided to do an acoustic performance of their set-list rather than cancel the show.