BoardChiri
Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay
InformationRap
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
Neive Bellamy
Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
Haven Kaycee
It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
Horror
Kings of Leon are a great band and this is a great documentary. Shows you how they came from a pretty poor religious background to become one of the biggest bands in the world. It also shows you great on and off stage footage of great performances and some epic family fighting.
suite92
The Followills are family: deeply religious, poor, with musical traditions in the church. Their relatives are interviewed. There are extensive snapshots of the band on its way up, coupled with footage of the reactions from within the family during that process.Segments of the film compare and contrast: the family's poverty versus the successful band's enormous wealth; the stern religion of many of the family versus the drug use, sexual freedom, and foul language of the band; the political conservatism of the family versus the relatively PC outlook of the band.These disparities have all sorts of fallout, as one sees throughout the film. Many of the family are happy for the band; some worry for their welfare. Much of the white hot energy of the band's music and lyrics come from these harsh differences. Some of the band members deal with these issues consciously, and the process seems not to be over.In the long run, how well will the band's members keep dealing with the family issues? If they reach resolution, will the band still have the same level of fire and creativity? -----Scores-----Cinematography: 5/10 Varies quite a bit. Most of it is fairly bad. It was nice to see some of Oklahoma again.Sound: 6/10 I expect hugely wonderful sound on a movie about a successful rock group. Compared to the sound in Metallica: Through the Never, this is just week-old porridge. In addition, there is very little music actually played from the Kings of Leon: two partial songs at the end, which was only a little redemption.Acting: z/10 Documentary; this does not apply.Screenplay: 7/10 To my mind, there were too many cuts and joins. The same points could have been made with three examples instead of twenty. On the whole, though, the exposition was still effective, just redundant.
marlene-traywick
I'm not sure where to begin. I just watched this movie and I'm still reeling a little.It's raw. Emotional. Brings up adult conflicts many of us have that are colored by childhood experiences.I'm sure the lady reviewer from the UK doesn't get the religion part. If you didn't grow up in the US bible belt and don't know what pentecostal religion is and the pull/effect it has on a person (not to mention growing up in poverty) - well, you miss a lot of the intent and context of this documentary.It's not a spit-shined, glossy example of a band's rise to super-stardom. It's an opportunity. An opportunity to know a little about the background of some talented young men who escaped...but not totally. Because they didn't want to . . . at least not up until the time this movie was filmed. Unlike many of us, they accept their past and their family. They use what has shaped them. That's not an easy thing to do and get away with cleanly.It was fun to watch their interactions on the road and in the recording studio, as well as on-stage and backstage. The ending interview with Caleb was remarkable in the honesty of his comments.Like a lot of other people, I've loved their music for a long time and wish them continued success . . . but I can't help but wonder how much they've changed since the film...
dont-walk
I was not a fan-boy, but now have huge respect for Kings Of Leon.I attended to movie and Q&A at the Vue in Plymouth. I laughed, I cried, I learnt, I nodded ... The documentary was superb, but the Q&A well legendary. Ends in a near riot only prevented by two burly security men.I do not want to give anything away ...Going to cry again, must stopGuideline tell me to continue. OK, quote from Almost Famous:"Listen to Tommy with a candle burning and you will see your entire future..."Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon was my entire life, in Dolby Surround Sound.Thanks to all at IMDb