Rock School
February. 27,2005 RIt is about a music school in Philadelphia, The Paul Green School of Rock Music, run by Paul Green that teaches kids ages 9 to 17 how to play rock music and be rock stars. Paul Green teaches his students how to play music such as Black Sabbath and Frank Zappa better than anyone expects them to by using a unique style of teaching that includes getting very angry and acting childish.
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Reviews
Please don't spend money on this.
Absolutely brilliant
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.
Well-intentioned with a couple of superb shots, but the real star is C.J. Tywoniak, the guitar prodigy, not Paul Green. I feel the filmmaker should have been more open to the documentary's organics and he would have seen this. I wish the camera had followed C.J. backstage, doing his homework, more of his parents, etc. And much, much more of his playing. Looking back, I feel ripped off a little. That kid has GOT to be headed for legendhood.I waited and waited for the payoff -- the Germany concert -- which was good, but by then I was ticked off at the stuff in between. Made me wait too long and I lost interest. All in all, 20 or 22 minutes of story ironed out into an hour and a half. Great kids, tho.
Whenever I watch a documentary, I am amazed that the subjects are so candid with cameras rolling. "Rock School" was no exception to that rule. This was the story of a young man (he acts like a big kid) who teaches kids (ages 5-17) how to be rock and roll musicians. He is quite enamored with Frank Zappa and other groups of the 60s and 70s; less so with any more contemporary acts. Many of the kids are misfits who find their place at the Rock School. However, the teacher has quite a foul temper and there are many scenes where he is losing his cool with the kids and quite frankly ridiculing them or cussing them out. As a musician, I have dealt with people having similar personalities, and even though the teacher in this film insists that he inspires the kids with the temper tantrums, I have found that I generally do NOT play better when someone is screaming at me. I concluded that if I had a child at this school, he or she wouldn't be there very long! However, the film itself is worth a look; as a documentary it is informative and entertaining.
Very few votes so far, but I can't understand why they're so low. This is an excellent, throughly entertaining documentary that lets you make your own mind up about a very interesting individual's teaching methods, and the results he gets.I guess a lot of people just didn't approve of Paul and, as such, have given low ratings to register their disapproval. Idiots. How would you have come to feel so passionately about him if you hadn't seen such and insightful documentary? Speaking of which, this is one of the best I've seen in recent times. A love of the music involved will enhance your enjoyment I suppose, but it's not really about that. Check it out.
No one at Sundance had the temerity to ask director Don Argott if he began his documentary of the real-life School of Rock before or after Jason Black's eponymous comedy became a smash hit. In any event, it is fascinating to meet Paul Green, the school's founder, up close and personal. Green is a 30-something adolescent that has never recovered from his dream to be a rock star. So he lives his life vicariously through the kids, teaching them, getting them gigs and trying to mold his place as the greatest developer of young rock 'n roll talent in the world. (It's a nice moniker, but probably doesn't impress the chicks nearly as much as "Rock Star.") Imagine if you will parents paying good money for an after-school program where their children learn the music,history and culture significance of bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Metallica. Watch Mom join in the fun by dressing up her nine-year-old boy like Ozzy Osbourne, with a fake cross tattoo on his forehead? (Being something of a traditional parent, Mom couldn't quite be convinced to allow her child to wear the pentagram and other satanic symbols he requested, but it was a close call.) Student Council this is not. But it must be worth it, right? Some of these kids can make their Stratocaster riff like Jimmy Page. And if they're lucky, maybe they can even be rock stars some day, which I'm sure will make them model citizens and bring unbridled happiness and contentment into their lives.Pardon the cynicism. I do love rock 'n roll. And the fact is, this is an entertaining film that flies bywhich is a little unusual for a documentary. The kids seemed to like and respect Green, and I think he genuinely cares for them. But as a parent, I can't say that I'd wish the lifestyle on my kids. And I couldn't help but have a sick feeling hearing Mr. Green launch into profanity-filled tirades, or hearing some of the kids return fire.I'm sure that some good comes out of the experience. But at what cost?