‘Amy’ leads boom in music documentaries

Music documentaries are having a moment.
The critically acclaimed documentary “Amy” about late singer Amy Winehouse is currently in theaters. It received 97% positive reviews, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Another highly praised documentary, “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck,” about the late grunge rocker was released earlier this year. It scored 98% positive reviews.
A second Cobain documentary this year, “Soaked in Bleach,” didn’t rate as well. It received only 30% positive reviews.
Then there’s the documentary about famed singer Nina Simone, “What Happened, Miss Simone?” It came out in June and racked up 79% positive reviews.
In May, Netflix started streaming the documentary “The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir,” about Weir and the Grateful Dead.
More music documentaries are on the way.
“Roger Waters The Wall” is set for theatrical release on Sept. 29. It’s a film version of the tour where Waters staged his masterwork, the classic Pink Floyd rock opera “The Wall.”
“Daft Punk Unchained,” a documentary about the French electronic music duo, is awaiting U.S. release after premiering in France last month.
A documentary about 1980s rock band Twisted Sister also is being prepped for release in August. Titled “We Are Twisted F—ing Sister,” the film was acquired last month by Music Box Films.
Producer-director Peter Berg is working on a documentary about pop superstar Rihanna, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Others are hoping to jump on the bandwagon.
Dunstan Bruce, former singer and percussionist for the British band Chumbawamba, has launched a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign for a documentary about the group. It would be called “I Get Knocked Down (The Untold Story of Chumbawamba).”

Photos: Posters from the music documentaries “Amy” and “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck.”