Wednesday 4 May
This Is Spinal Tap
8:50pm, SBS 2
M
USA, 1984
Director: Rob Reiner
Starring: Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean
What's it about?
Turn it up to eleven and settle in for the best music doc ever made - albeit one about a fake Brit band embarking upon a disastrous tour of the US. Rob Reiner's clever satire of the glam rock scene is a regular fixture of Greatest Movies of All Times lists, largely due to its brilliant performances, quotability, and the teeny tiny Stonehenge. 
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
MA15+
USA, 2001
Director: John Cameron Mitchell
Starring: John Cameron Mitchell, Michael Pitt, Stephen Trask
What's it about?
Based on a hit stage play, John Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig is an energising ride. It tells the story of transsexual punk rocker Hedwig, who is left stranded in a Kansas trailer park following a botched gender reassignment (hence the 'angry inch'). Undeterred, she works to gain recognition as a rock singer and falls for another wannabe singer, who eyes his own shortcut to fame.
Source: SBS Movies
Wednesday 11 May
Tokyo Tribe
8:55pm, SBS 2
MA15+
Japan, 2014
Director: Sion Sono
Starring: Ryôhei Suzuki, Riki Takeuchi, Shôta Sometani, Tomoko Karina
What's it about?
Outrageous, crude and weirdly comic, Tokyo Tribe reclaims the yakuza genre, martial arts fight scenes and dirty dystopian futures from Western cinema, in the style of a hip hop musical. In a futuristic Tokyo, territorial street gangs form opposing factions collectively known as the Tokyo Tribes. The simmering tension between them is about to boil over into all-out war, and the gangs are forced to unite in the fight against a power-crazed Yakuza with diabolical intentions.
The wild Tokyo Tribe (2014), airing this Wed 29th May, 10:40PM on SBS VICELAND Source: SBS Movies
The Harder They Come
MA15+
Jamaica, 1972
Director: Perry Henzell
Starring: Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw
What's it about?
The first Jamaican-produced feature film made Jimmy Cliff an international star and popularised reggae all around the world. Ivanhoe Martin (Cliff), leaves his village for a crack at the music business. Like many real-life youths drawn to stardom, Ivanhoe encounters corrupt record producers and the drug pushers revolving around them. A must-see for any self-respecting reggae fan, The Harder they Come features music from Toots and the Maytals, Desmond Dekker and of course, Cliff.
Wednesday 18 May
Phantom of the Paradise
8:55pm, SBS 2
M
USA, 1974
Director: Brian De Palma
Starring: William Finley, Paul Williams, Jessica Harper, Gerrit Graham
What's it about?
Midnight movie Phantom of Paradise, a glam rock opera take on the classic horror tale 'The Phantom of the Opera', is Brian De Palma's (Scarface) insightful satire of the '70s rock world. Evil record producer Swan steals the music from gifted composer Leach in order to open his rock palace, The Paradise. Leach swears to exact his revenge on Swan and all the people who hurt him. After being disfigured after a freak accident, Leach dons a cape and a metallic mask and becomes The Phantom, haunting The Paradise and taunting its performers.
Source: SBS Movies
Streets of Fire
10:40pm, SBS 2
M
USA, 1984
Director: Walter Hill
Starring: Michael Pare, Diane Lane, Rick Moranis, Willem Dafoe
What's it about?
Acclaimed action movie director Walter Hill (The Warriors) dreamt about a movie which would celebrate all the elements that he loved as a teenager in the late '50s: custom cars, motorbikes, leather jackets, and kissing in the rain. The result was Streets of Fire, a rock 'n roll fable in which a gang of merciless bikers led by Raven Shaddock (Willem Dafoe, in his first film) kidnap a rock singer Ellen Aim. Ellen's former lover Tom Cody, a soldier-for-hire, will battle through dangerous cityscapes of neon-lit streets, fast cars, and killer assassins, to get her back.
Source: SBS Movies
Wednesday 25 May
The Broken Circle Breakdown
8:50pm, SBS 2
Available after broadcast at SBS On Demand
Available after broadcast at SBS On Demand
M
Belgium/Netherlands, 2012
Director: Felix Van Groeningen
Starring: Veerle Baetens, Johan Heldenbergh, Nell Cattrysse
What's it about?
This Belgian beauty puts the blues in bluegrass. The Broken Circle Breakdown follows the passionate love story between Elise and Didier over seven years, from their love at first sight, growing even closer through their bluegrass band, to their marriage and the joy of parenthood. Their bliss is shattered when their little girl Maybelle is diagnosed with a serious illness, and the stress and sorrow of undergoing treatment takes its toll on their relationship. Belgium's 2014 Oscar nominee will have you reach for your hanky more than once, but will also treat you to some great country and bluegrass tunes.
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Source: SBS Movies
Quadrophenia
10:55pm, SBS 2
MA15+
UK, 1979
Director: Franc Roddam
Starring: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Philip Davis, Mark Wingett
What's it about?
Based on the eponymous 1973 rock opera album by The Who, this quintessentially British musical encapsulated the atmosphere of '60s London and the rivalry playing between two major youth subcultures – the Mods and the Rockers. It centres on Jimmy, a '60s teenager who hates his parents and his job in a company's mailing division. He only feels free and accepted when he's with his friends, a 'Mod' clique, cruising London on his motor-scooter. However, it's a flight into an illusionary world. A classic which featured appearances by future music and film stars such as Sting, Ray Winstone () and Timothy Spall ().
Quadrophenia (1979) Source: SBS Movies
