Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Megamind To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Vultural ~ Elusive documentary about famed Alabama studios, mother lode of Southern swamp 'n Delta blues. Lots of music clips, as well as recollections / thoughts from Jagger, Richards, Bono, Aretha, Pickett, Sledge, Wexler. Also the original Swampers and FAME studio chief, Rick Hall. After awhile, every time Hall started talking, we braced for the next tragedy: Ma, brother, wife, Pa, one by one the Reaper picked 'em off. Kept waiting for Old Shep to buy it. FAME began to dry up in the 70s, barely mentioned in doc. The Swampers' Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was sold in '85, likewise a scant mention. Incredible amount of hits referenced - "When A Man Loves A Woman" "Land Of 1000 Dances" "Brown Sugar" "Main Street" "Kodachrome" "Respect" "Patches" "Tell Mama" "Mustang Sally" and "Sweet Home Alabama" Highly entertaining, perhaps depending on your age and memories.

matt_malin Thank God that this documentary was made. There are interviews you're not going to see anywhere else with the people that made history. At one point I wondered why they were veering off into an Existential analysis of Rick Hall and it made sense as the narrative went on, it kept the documentary grounded and all the Muscle Shoals folks in focus. I've read articles where Nashville session players will get tracks through the internet. Spend 8 hours crafting a solo, record it and email it back and never set foot in the studio. I wouldn't say that studio's days are numbered but for session players the format that made Muscle Shoals so important may be waning.My only gripe is why is Bono in this film at all? He's a 'rock star' not a musician or artist.

AudioFileZ If you thought Sun Recording Studios defined the birth of American popular music you've never given Muscle Shoals adequate due. You can also reduce Stax Records and Recording Studios to a very potent, but lesser, footnote. Muscle Shoals is ground zero for what propelled the great colorless American music revolution. It took way too long for this to come to forefront in the guise of a big-screen movie, but it's here and it can't be denied.Truth is I always wondered why my little Alabama town never ascended to the musical heights of Muscle Shoals. I only live an hour and change away. In my life I'd seen more than a few local musicians that seemed to have some kind of gift. I'd even passed Hank Williams Jr. more than once on our city sidewalks. The thing I didn't realize, until watching this nigh on perfect documentary, is that we didn't have a river and we were lacking a native son along the lines of Rick Hall.Rick Hall's life story is that as a survivor against the darkest of odds. Growing up beyond poor, being beset by the personal tragedies of of both the loss of his younger brother and abandonment of his mother, Hall;s drive was forged by life's cruel hard knocks. All he had at his lowest point was his music. It's that music that saved him and created a world-class music mecca known simply as "the Muscle Shoals Sound". Hall parlayed that into one the all-time great American success stories. But, no man is an island. Rick had his compatriots in the journey that beat a path to the world's radios. His musicians, humbly known as "The Swampers" created a sound that wouldn't be denied.For a time in the 60's through 70's Muscle Shoals was, perhaps, the best known studio with a signature sound in the entire world. And, the world came. Diverse artists arrived and recorded ground-breaking albums that become not only hits, but touchstone recordings in each artist's canon at Muscle Shoals. What Rick Hall started grew exponentially beyond the man himself. You can't make up stuff like this. In the movie it is said it was a "perfect storm", and so it was.If you are emotionally stirred by music you simply must watch this. It is, in a nutshell, what music really is. It transcends time, places, and the differences of race and religion. It unifies, it bonds people and cements life's experiences. I've watched many music documentaries, of which the BBC has a wonderful cadre, but, I've never felt a connection and pure sense of love like the documentary "Muscle Shoals" enlightens me to. This is simply the best music documentary I've ever witnessed. A must see for all music lovers as well as a damn fine human interest story to boot!

Warren Cosford Fabulous.Quite different from Standing In The Shadows of Motown and The Wrecking Crew. To me, THEIR weakness was that the person responsible for creating them was missing.Berry Gordy created The Funk Brothers. Phil Spector created The Wrecking Crew.Each was AWOL in the documentary about their creation.Rick Hall created Fame Studio in Muscles Shoals Alabama. The Documentary is, essentially, about him. As it should be. And even after Jerry Wexler and Atlantic Records tried to destroy Hall by spiriting away his musicians to record in NYC and, later, building a studio for them in Muscle Shoals.......Rick Hall simply put together another group of musicians, without missing a beat......(pun intended)....and took The Legend of Muscle Shoals to The Next Level.The good news about that? The Muscle Shoals musicians are good friends today. They appreciate that the competition made each other better and Muscle Shoals as a destination....stronger.The Motown Documentary is about a "sound". The Wrecking Crew Documentary is about "Musicianship". Muscle Shoals is about a "Groove."A Groove that created Aretha Franklin where others had failed. A Groove that created The Allman Brothers where others had given up. A Groove that "rebooted" the careers of The Rolling Stones and other established "superstars".It's a remarkable story and an excellent documentary. Don't miss it.