Music, Documentary
Copyright Criminals examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law, and (of course) money. This documentary traces the rise of hip-hop from the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibillion-dollar industry. For more than thirty years, innovative hip-hop performers and producers have been re-using portions of previously recorded music in new, otherwise original compositions. When lawyers and record companies got involved, what was once referred to as a “borrowed melody” became a “copyright infringement.” The film showcases many of hip-hop music’s founding figures like Public Enemy, De La Soul, and Digital Underground—while also featuring emerging hip-hop artists from record labels Definitive Jux, Rhymesayers, Ninja Tune, and more.
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
Night Ranger - 35 Years and a Night in Chicago
Woodstock
Shukranallah
Hearts Beat Loud
Hustle & Flow
L7: Pretend We're Dead
Center Stage
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda
Soundz of Spirit
Moulin Rouge!
Britney Spears: Workin' It
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me
Mr. Holland's Opus
Once
You, the Living
BABYMETAL Live LEGEND 1999 - APOCALYPSE
As It Is in Heaven
The Blues Brothers
Hillsong United: Of Dirt and Grace (Live From the Land)
SIMILAR MOVIES
Night Ranger - 35 Years and a Night in Chicago
IMDB 7 | Feb , 2017
In celebration of their 35+ year career, this new live album, featuring all their classic and most recent hits, sees the band at the top of their game, delivering a superb performance not to be missed! Recorded May 7, 2016 concert at the the House Of Blues in Chicago, Illinois.Woodstock
IMDB 7.5 | Mar , 1970
An intimate look at the Woodstock Music & Art Festival held in Bethel, NY in 1969, from preparation through cleanup, with historic access to insiders, blistering concert footage, and portraits of the concertgoers; negative and positive aspects are shown, from drug use by performers to naked fans sliding in the mud, from the collapse of the fences by the unexpected hordes to the surreal arrival of National Guard helicopters with food and medical assistance for the impromptu city of 500,000.Shukranallah
IMDB 5 | Jan , 2016
Salim and Sulaiman Merchant are the stars of this documentary celebrating their music, lives and the highs and lows of years of touring.Hearts Beat Loud
IMDB 6.8 | Jun , 2018
In the hip Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, single dad and record store owner Frank is preparing to send his hard-working daughter Sam off to college while being forced to close his vintage shop. Hoping to stay connected through their shared musical passions, Frank urges Sam to turn their weekly jam sessions into a father-daughter live act. After their first song becomes an internet breakout, the two embark on a journey of love, growing up and musical discovery.Hustle & Flow
IMDB 7.2 | Jul , 2005
With help from his friends, a Memphis pimp in a mid-life crisis attempts to become a successful hip-hop emcee.L7: Pretend We're Dead
IMDB 7 | Oct , 2017
A real time journey witnessing the rise, fall, and ultimate redemption of the fierce feminist pioneers of American grunge punk: L7.Center Stage
IMDB 6.9 | May , 2000
A group of 12 teenagers from various backgrounds enroll at the American Ballet Academy in New York to make it as ballet dancers and each one deals with the problems and stress of training and getting ahead in the world of dance.Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda
IMDB 7.4 | Nov , 2017
Oscar winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto weaves man-made and natural sounds together in his works. His anti-nuclear activism grew after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, and his career only paused after a 2014 cancer diagnosis.Soundz of Spirit
IMDB 8 | Feb , 2005
Award winning documentary by Joslyn Rose Lyons exploring the relationship between spiritual connection and the creative process in hip-hop music.Moulin Rouge!
IMDB 7.5 | May , 2001
A celebration of love and creative inspiration takes place in the infamous, gaudy and glamorous Parisian nightclub, at the cusp of the 20th century. A young poet, who is plunged into the heady world of Moulin Rouge, begins a passionate affair with the club's most notorious and beautiful star.Britney Spears: Workin' It
IMDB 8.3 | May , 2014
With the release of her eighth studio album, Britney is back and she's workin' it! This documentary chronicles the career of international superstar from her more innocent years with the release of "Baby One more Time" to being the highest paid judge on US X Factor and collaborating with Will.i.am on her latest album. She is worldwide a pop icon, who continues to grow and deliver to her fans. This is her inside story.Dave Chappelle's Block Party
IMDB 6.8 | Sep , 2005
The American comedian/actor delivers a story about the alternative Hip Hop scene. A small town Ohio mans moves to Brooklyn, New York, to throw an unprecedented block party.Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me
IMDB 7.2 | Nov , 2009
Commemorating the centennial of Mercer's birth, this documentary is part biography, part archive, and part recontextualization, taking Mercer's tunes and putting them in the hands of modern singers like Jamie Cullum and Dr. John to show they are still relevant today. Host Clint Eastwood also interviews artists who collaborated with Mercer or performed his songs, including composer John Williams, Blake Edwards, Andre Previn, Tony Bennett, and Julie Andrews.Mr. Holland's Opus
IMDB 7 | Dec , 1995
In 1965, passionate musician Glenn Holland takes a day job as a high school music teacher, convinced it's just a small obstacle on the road to his true calling: writing a historic opus. As the decades roll by with the composition unwritten but generations of students inspired through his teaching, Holland must redefine his life's purpose.Once
IMDB 7.4 | Mar , 2007
A vacuum repairman moonlights as a street musician and hopes for his big break. One day a Czech immigrant, who earns a living selling flowers, approaches him with the news that she is also an aspiring singer-songwriter. The pair decide to collaborate, and the songs that they compose reflect the story of their blossoming love.You, the Living
IMDB 7.1 | Sep , 2007
In the Swedish city of Lethe, people from different walks of life take part in a series of short, deadpan vignettes that rush past. Some are just seconds long, none longer than a couple of minutes. A young woman remembers a fantasy honeymoon with a rock guitarist. A man awakes from a dream about bomber planes. A businessman boasts about success while being robbed by a pickpocket, and so on. The absurdist collection is accompanied by Dixieland jazz and similar music.BABYMETAL Live LEGEND 1999 - APOCALYPSE
IMDB 10 | Jun , 2013
LEGEND "1999" YUIMETAL & MOAMETAL Birthday Festival (LEGEND "1999" YUIMETAL & MOAMETAL 聖誕祭; LEGEND "1999" YUIMETAL & MOAMETAL Seitansai) was a concert held on June 30, 2013 at NHK Hall in Tokyo, Japan. This show celebrated the 14th birthdays of YUIMETAL and MOAMETAL. The concert started with BABYBONES, followed by the appearance of the KAMI BAND beginning with NO RAIN, NO RAINBOW. At the concert's end, it was announced that the LEGEND "1997" SU-METAL Birthday Festival would be held on December 21st.As It Is in Heaven
IMDB 7.1 | Sep , 2004
A musical romantic tragedy about a famous composer who moves back to his small hometown after having had heart troubles. His search for a simple everyday life leads him into teaching the local church choir, which is not easily accepted by the town yet the choir builds a great love for their teacher.The Blues Brothers
IMDB 7.7 | Jun , 1980
Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts his old band back together to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised.Hillsong United: Of Dirt and Grace (Live From the Land)
IMDB 10 | Jul , 2016
The essence and inspiration of the album Empires was the beatitudes and it was always an aspiration to film where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount – and to present the songs in a live format. Filmed in Jerusalem and surrounding areas, this is a unique take on many of the songs from United’s most recent release, Empires. With breathtaking imagery and impacting visuals and audio, this live project is one of the most unique to come out of Hillsong.