john32935 Unbeknownst to the music-consuming public, Sound City was a studio in LA's San Fernando Valley where some of the greatest rock music in history was recorded. But as the analog age slipped into the digital age, the uniqueness of the sound provided by Sound City's facilities fell by the wayside until Dave Grohl, with the help of some legendary musical performers, made the effort to restore and preserve the essence of Sound City.This well-made documentary (by novice film director Mr. Grohl) is an ode to those days where music was more the product of people rather than music as a product of digital manipulation. Interviews with rock's luminaries are interspersed throughout and add a personal touch that this documentary could have easily missed and would have been the lesser for.Recommended to fans of rock music everywhere.

Chris Nelson The first half of the movie is great. It documents a slummy old studio that produced some of the greatest music ever, in part because of a finely crafted analog audio mixer. Director Dave Grohl interviews some big names, who have great stories from this little studio. This is what the entire film should have been.But maybe halfway through, everything changes. Suddenly Grohl goes from interviewer (often times on camera conducting the interviews) to the interviewee. He's the director, so is he interviewing himself? Usually in documentaries, the crew documents something without getting involved. Here, he's feeding himself soundbites for the movie he's making. Keanu Reeve's role in Side By Side, about digital filmmaking, is a good example of how it's supposed to be done. This just seems like as a filmmaker, he decided he's not getting what he needed, so he jumped in front of the camera to do it himself.The last half hour forgets about Sound City and just becomes Grohl making a movie about himself looking good and recording music. He buys the soundboard from Sound City and starts his own studio, where he and his bandmates bring in big names and play with them (are you required to play with Grohl if you record at his studio?). One song cuts between Grohl rocking out on guitar, and Grohl behind the glass banging his head to what's being recorded. The song ends with him declaring, "That was f'ing awesome. That was so f'ing beautiful." He might as well write his own reviews for the film too.This documentary starts out strong, but slowly rolls downhill into one big Dave Grohl self-congratulation. If you're interested in the history of Sound City and the evolution from analog to digital music recording, there is some good info in here. You just have to separate it from all the times Grohl is telling you how great he is.

Instance Variable A heartfelt documentary that reminds how special times like these were…it however falls short in the second half where it transitions into Grohl's pet project.Growing up listening to many of the bands that recorded at Sound City in the 90's, it was a treat to watch footage from the musicians, and especially Rick Rubin and Butch Vig share their experiences. The film essentially breakdowns the magic and success of Sound City into three components: the acoustics of the recording room, the unique Neve sound board, and the people who worked there; this is where the film excels.Where it falters is that the documentary of Sound City ends at one point and becomes the "making of" video for the OST. It begins by rescuing the Neve soundboard. I can understand the inherent need and the emotional desire to keep recording on tape (I kept thinking how I can relate with the satisfaction and pleasure I get driving with a manual transmission or executing the perfect heel-toe shift). The objective of the second half, I believe, attempts to define the creative process, but the range of answers are limited to "it feels right" or that the jam, "nailed it". This is poor and certainly doesn't do the craft justice as it barely scratches the surface. I wanted some appreciation or reason, some "how" and "why" of the composition process. It was pure waste to have an extraordinary talent like Trent Reznor and not get more from a guy who worked as a janitor by day and composed (all instruments) the demo for Pretty Hate Machine by night. Now I can accept that defining the process can become convoluted, and out of scope very quickly but isn't that what any good documentary should strive for, focus and shed insight and/or impart knowledge on a subject? That savouring feeling from the first half faded in the second despite it resonating amongst the artists in the studio. No matter the pedigree, the jams are alright, but ultimately forgettable.

iamdarren73 I am an enormous fan of music and devour all things related, even if not the style of music I enjoy. Having said that I was unsure I would like this movie as I am generally not a fan of Nirvana or Foo Fighters. While working late on a data migration project and watching validations occur each 5-minutes I went to Amazon and looked for movies. This was never top on my list but I am happy I watched it. The history and musical weight behind this project was astounding and well worth a viewing. I will watch it again and again. The history, talent, music and sheer joy shown by those in the film are worth the 1.5-hours invested. The artists who appeared in the film (not light-weights but heavy hitters) showed great respect for Sun City and the art produced there. If you are even a tangential fan of music this is appointment viewing. Dave G put together a compelling and historical piece with great respect and reverence. I went out and found some great recordings as a result and walked away with new respect for Dave and the passion he and others truly have for the craft that has allowed them to make a living. Well done, sir.