PodBill Just what I expected

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

keyser27 First off, I'm a huge fan of documentaries. A lot of times I really enjoy them but am slow to recommend them to friends as broad appeal is sometimes limited. (American Movie being a huge exception). Rock School is just great, both as entertainment and certainly succeeds as a documentary. I would like to address the heavy handedness that others reviewing this film seem to take at the Zappa-heavy content or the tearing apart of Paul Green, the namesake of the Paul Green School of Rock. It is true that there is a lot of Zappa, a lot of fiery temper, and some harshness from the man himself. I guess I would ask those who attack the film with low ratings (because of the man) if they have ever had crowds bow down in front of them in a foreign country after performing so well? This film succeeds in its ability to deftly pull you into the reality of the school. You meet the kids, the instructor, and some parents and are constantly and linearly drawn to what feels like a very organic conclusion. I was very impressed at the rate at which you identify with the kids and the parents, and the ability of the director to edit in such a way to provide just the right amount of emphasis. Paul Green is completely right in his teaching technique. Paul Green is completely wrong in his teaching technique. Doesn't matter. Rock School is extremely entertaining and very interesting and compelling because of one thing Paul says early in the film... "It's easy to be a novelty act, a bunch of kids playing rock, but the goal is to do it very well..." The kids can indeed play. I especially enjoy the confession that "The Guitar teacher and the Guitar Player inside me are always at odds, as a teacher I want to make them better, but the player doesn't like that at all". The best part of the documentary is the way there is the prodigy juxtaposed with the sad emo kid, who was my favorite character... each has his own relationship to the instructor and each has a different outlook on life, on music, and on the school. I especially enjoyed Will O' Conner's (sad emo kid) candor in addressing a newspaper article in which he was misquoted. I felt that Mr. Green was indeed hamming it up in parts, but it didn't hurt the documentary at all. In fact, the character and role he has created for himself is one I find fascinating. I think and genuinely believe he cares about those kids. And wants them to succeed. And refuses to grow up. And gets results. The film itself is 1.78:1 and looks great, sounds great. Those of you used to docs looking and sounding sub-par despite being great (I'm looking at you, Paper Clips) and having genuinely fascinating moments but being very unevenly paced (Spellbound) will find this fresh and fun. The performance footage shown is just enough. Not so much you feel it's there to artificially pad the run time, and not so short you can't get a feel for their talent. The interviews are well placed, well directed, and very well edited. There are a lot of moments in the movie where you'll wish it were longer... but not so much you feel cheated. A good documentary is one, in my opinion, has got to show equal parts of an obvious passion for the subject material and those the camera capture as well as the courage to be honest. In today's land of multi-movie propaganda lectures, this is a great relief from the Greenwalds and the Moores... they could learn a lot from the masterful pacing and invisibility of Don Argott. You forget this is a documentary entirely... there is no agenda. Andrew Jarecki's BRILLIANT Capturing the Friedman's is one of the slight few other examples I can think of that play that card so well. Here it's raised to an art form. The exception being the last minute or two of the film that really tie it together in a very nice way. Kudos all around, I'll be keeping an eye out for more from Mr. Argott.

Midnightrun65 Rock school (more like a platform for a frank Zappa fan). not much rock other than Zappa. I love Zappa don't mistake it. I saw the film over a month ago so I don't recall the teachers name, however I think he is a idiot, i have to give him credit for being different...and sharing his love of music with kids but its outbursts seamed like a mimic of the classic "rock" artist. rebel, outcast, temper...the guys not on the road with frank Zappa, hes teaching music to kids. tough love works yes, but not in every case. I have been playing guitar for thirteen years, and as a guitar player I am sensitive, had a teacher treated me like that I would have whacked him upside the head with my guitar. Anyway There is a part where the ass**** teacher is playing a blues type jam, and had said he hates it when a student is better then him, well it seams that is easy cause he sucks, he had no licks, no soul and no vibrato...then the film seams to play him up as the "mentor" when your ear can tell you he blows.... what grounds then does he have for yelling at the kids, when his own playing fails to impress..The one kid I hope keeps rocking is the 12 year old who at the end plays a amazing solo, kids got it....(teacher don't) thats all oh yeah, most adults who act like the butt monkey teacher end up profiled as weird........aside from the yelling I act the same way its fine, however I play a meaner blues and I am not as much of a honker as said butt monkey....Ps I know my grammar sucks, then again this is not about me........Peace movie fans M.Run

pandabat Here we are taken inside Paul Green's School of Rock. Why are we taken in there? I don't know. The man himself is an obnoxious, immature wannabe who stopped trying to be and who know finances his life on the money paid by parents who want their kids to be rock stars or to find a new outlet or learning environment. This is no learning environment, at least no in the traditional sense. From what is shown, all the viewer can gather is that those who are already gifted are given the best opportunities and those who struggle are left to struggle but as long as the money keeps coming in, they can stay in the school to be shouted at and verbally abused. The documentary maker really failed for me in that he really made no point at all and failed to really question or press Paul Green at all. So we are guided through a time when some students are preparing for a Frank Zappa festival in Germany. We see toward the end that Mr. Green has no problem taking limelight and applause at the festival's end but what had he really contributed? Frank Zappa may have been revolutionary to some but his music is mostly aimless for me, rather like this film. I shall never watch it again, ever!

CaptionsGirl I love the guitar. I like rock music. I love seeing teenagers fulfill their dreams.I could not stomach watching this horrible teacher, Paul Green, crush kids spirits, cursing them, ripping instruments out of their hands, throwing them out of the room, making fun of students who obviously have depression issues, ridiculing them both in front of them and behind their backs. And the ridiculousness of it all is that he says he's not qualified to teach, but he's just a "really good teacher". It comes naturally to him.This man shouldn't be NEAR children, much less having parents pay him for his influence. And as for the statement he makes, "You know, I mean, it wasn't just like, 'Well, since my band didn't make it, I'll teach guitar and be all bitter.'" Um... I think it was.As for the quality of the documentary itself, it was average. Nothing apart from the skin-crawling teacher made it that interesting. There were a lot of very talented kids, and there seemed to be plenty of qualified music instructors in this show. This teacher seemed to be the glaring immature problem in this situation.