Here is my list of the 5 best music documentaries from the past year that you could/can watch on the boob tube.
Television
Arts Feature: According to Our Critics — The Best That TV Offered in 2021
After a brief respite, we were driven indoors (again) and told to stay there, so we turned to our screens for entertainment.
Television Review: “Station Eleven” — Dadaesque Déjà Vu
For those looking for a humane alternative to the media panic, to steady themselves during a period of uncertainty, Station Eleven comes along at the right time.
Television Review: “Brooklyn Inshallah” — A Marginalized Community Fighting for a Voice
An in depth look at the injustices the Arab American community faces — even in Brooklyn, the most liberal of places.
Film Review: “Death to Metal” — Heavy Metal Hijinks
Death to Metal is the best sort of low-budget exploitation flick because its ideal balance of ridiculously excessive gore and self-aware humor makes up for its technical and budgetary shortcomings.
Television Review: “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything” — Episodes 5-8
The series gives a fine overview of its selected artists, and it does an even better job of introducing the turbulence, torments, treasures, and trippiness of 1971 to audiences who didn’t live through it (or who can’t remember much of it, for whatever reason).
Television: “Back to the Outback” — Our Heroes, the Icky and the Ugly
Netflix may have yet to create an animated hit on the scale of Frozen, but this entry in the sweepstakes suggests that the streaming platform is moving closer towards that goal.
Television Review: “Single All the Way” — The Usual Holiday Ooey Gooey
Single All the Way is a Hallmark Christmas movie with two gay men inserted in, which means they have just as little chemistry as the straight couples in these films do.
Television Review: “The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For” — Past Its Expiration Date
As it chronicles the rise and fall of the titular Von Dutch brand, the series tries to exploit nostalgia and true crime at the same time.
Television Review: “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything” — Episodes 1-4
There are three key words in the title: “music,” “change,” and “everything.” At its best, the series convincingly shows how they are linked. Other times, it embraces too much of one at the expense of the other two.