Documentary, Music
Over a decade in the making, Swagger of Thieves follows rock band Head Like a Hole from the top of the charts to the bottom of a needle. Staring down their age, two pals and the main guts of HLAH, frontman Nigel Booga Beazley and 'co- conspirator' Nigel Regan strut the hard road out of hell, fighting to reconnect and return their band to past glory, amidst disgruntled band mates, a changed music industry, and disappointed wives. Struggling to place past addictions and sabotaged dreams behind them in their continuing quest for rock music relevance, the ever-collapsing binary stars of any Head Like a Hole lineup, are certain (not) to polish their legacy here. Swagger of Thieves captures what it means to be in a band with a reputation. Unrelentingly raw, wild and honest, to the point of being one of the most insightful music documentaries ever made. Essential viewing. New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF), Melbourne International Documentary Film Festival (MIDFF)
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
Four Minutes
Songs About Fucking
School of Rock
Still Crazy
Kolya
All Up in the Biz
Rudderless
Parchís: the Documentary
Lambert & Stamp
Billy Elliot
Mystify: Michael Hutchence
Nile Rodgers: Secrets of a Hitmaker
Low Down
Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man
U2: Rockumentary
Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers Live
Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Airheads
SIMILAR MOVIES
Four Minutes
IMDB 6.8 | Jun , 2006
Jenny is young. Her life is over. She killed someone. And she would do it again. When an 80-year-old piano teacher discovers the girl’s secret, her brutality and her dreams, she decides to transform her pupil into the musical wunderkind she once was.Songs About Fucking
IMDB 0 | Jun , 2023
Artist, showman, and robe-clad raconteur Marc Rebillet embarks on one of the first live music tours after COVID-19 lockdown.School of Rock
IMDB 7.1 | Oct , 2003
Fired from his band and hard up for cash, guitarist and vocalist Dewey Finn finagles his way into a job as a fifth-grade substitute teacher at a private school, where he secretly begins teaching his students the finer points of rock 'n' roll. The school's hard-nosed principal is rightly suspicious of Finn's activities. But Finn's roommate remains in the dark about what he's doing.Still Crazy
IMDB 6.7 | Oct , 1998
In the seventies Strange Fruit were it. They lived the rock lifestyle to the max, groupies, drugs, internal tension and an ex front man dead from an overdose. Even their demise was glamorous; when lightning struck the stage during an outdoor festival. 20 years on and these former rock gods they have now sunk deep into obscurity when the idea of a reunion tour is lodged in the head of Tony, former keyboard player of the Fruits. Tony sets out to find his former bandmates with the help of former manager Karen to see if they can recapture the magic and give themselves a second chance.Kolya
IMDB 7.3 | May , 1996
After a fictitious marriage with a Russian emigrant, Cellisten Louka, a Czech man, must suddenly take responsibility for her son. However, it’s not long before the communication barrier is broken between the two new family members.All Up in the Biz
IMDB 10 | Jun , 2023
Acclaimed director Sacha Jenkins shines a spotlight on the life and rhymes of the 'clown prince of hip-hop', Biz Markie, best known for his Top 40 hit, "Just a Friend." A who's who of legends like rappers Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Doug E Fresh and actor/comedian Tracy Morgan share how Markie's playful approach to the genre made him a hip-hop icon and left an indelible mark in the world of music.Rudderless
IMDB 7.2 | Oct , 2014
A grieving father in a downward spiral stumbles across a box of his recently deceased son's demo tapes and lyrics. Shocked by the discovery of this unknown talent, he forms a band in the hope of finding some catharsis.Parchís: the Documentary
IMDB 6.7 | Mar , 2019
The spotlight's on Parchís, a record company-created Spanish boy/girl band that had unprecedented success with Top 10 songs and hit films in the '80s.Lambert & Stamp
IMDB 7.2 | Jan , 2014
In this crazy, chaotic gospel of chance, aspiring filmmakers Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert set out to search for a subject for their underground movie, leading them to discover, mentor, and manage the iconic band known as The Who and create rock 'n' roll history.Billy Elliot
IMDB 7.6 | Sep , 2000
County Durham, England, 1984. The miners' strike has started and the police have started coming up from Bethnal Green, starting a class war with the lower classes suffering. Caught in the middle of the conflict is 11-year old Billy Elliot, who, after leaving his boxing club for the day, stumbles upon a ballet class and finds out that he's naturally talented. He practices with his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson for an upcoming audition in Newcastle-upon Tyne for the royal Ballet school in London.Mystify: Michael Hutchence
IMDB 7.2 | Apr , 2019
Michael Hutchence was flying high as the lead singer of the legendary rock band INXS until his untimely death in 1997. Richard Lowenstein’s documentary examines Hutchence’s deeply felt life through his many loves and demons.Nile Rodgers: Secrets of a Hitmaker
IMDB 6.7 | Apr , 2015
King of disco in the 70s with the band Chic, producer of Bowie, Mick Jagger, Madonna, Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams and many others... Nile Rodgers is today pursuing his fascinating career. We take a behind-the-scenes look at the genesis of some of the greatest hits, and at the complex alchemy between Nile Rodgers and the biggest stars of the last 35 years: Madonna, David Bowie, Diana Ross, Duran Duran, Bryan Ferry, Grace Jones, Michael Jackson, INXS, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart and David Guetta. What are the secrets of this genius of the music world, who has succeeded in transcending successive eras, reinventing himself every time?Low Down
IMDB 5.6 | Jan , 2014
The daughter of jazz pianist Joe Albany witnesses her beloved father's struggle -- and failure -- to kick his heroin habit.Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man
IMDB 5 | Nov , 2020
It took his whole life to live and three full years to film Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man. Filmed in four countries with more than 80 interviews from artists with a combined 58 Grammy Awards by the artist included, “Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man,” an Allen Farst film, is the cinematic documentary that shines a light on one of the greatest rock’n roll pianists and keyboardists over the last 40 years. Not just known for his musical influence, Leavell is also one of the biggest names in environmental forestry and was selected the National Tree Farmer of the Year in the United States. -His commitment to the planet and his strong family ties are refreshing reminders to be kind and treat your neighbor with respect. As Leavell puts it, “if you cut a tree down, plant two for the next guy.”U2: Rockumentary
IMDB 3 | Apr , 2022
A cliche start: 4 teenage boys form a rock band in the drummer's kitchen. 45 years, 14 albums, 24 concert tours, 22 Grammies. U2 raises millions to fight hunger, disease and poverty. Music transcends melody. It means mission.Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers Live
IMDB 7.9 | Oct , 2013
Filmed in Melbourne, Australia in 1984, this concert video is the only full length concert film of the band at this time. A stunning concert with the band in incendiary form, the setlist mixes then new tracks from the 'Perfect Strangers' album with favorites from the early seventies culminating in the brilliant 'Smoke On The Water' finale.Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions
IMDB 8.5 | Nov , 2020
An intimate concert film, in which Taylor Swift performs each song from her album 'folklore' in order, as she reveals the meaning and the stories behind all 17 tracks for the very first time.Bohemian Rhapsody
IMDB 8 | Oct , 2018
Singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bass guitarist John Deacon take the music world by storm when they form the rock 'n' roll band Queen in 1970. Hit songs become instant classics. When Mercury's increasingly wild lifestyle starts to spiral out of control, Queen soon faces its greatest challenge yet – finding a way to keep the band together amid the success and excess.The Devil and Daniel Johnston
IMDB 7.7 | Mar , 2006
This 2005 documentary film chronicles the life of Daniel Johnston, a manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist, from childhood up to the present, with an emphasis on his mental illness and how it manifested itself in demonic self-obsession.Airheads
IMDB 6.1 | Aug , 1994
The Lone Rangers have heavy-metal dreams and a single demo tape they can't get anyone to play. The solution: Hijack an FM rock radio station and hold the deejays hostage until they agree to broadcast the band's tape.