In Sound City, a raucous yet sweetly romantic documentary, dinosaurs do indeed rock the Earth again.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Jan 1, 2014

When getting into the nitty-gritty of tapes and tracks, Grohl makes a strong case for music docs directed by musicians.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 16, 2013

Dave Grohl's terrific new doc, Sound City, profiles the studio where some of the greatest music of the past four decades was born.

| Original Score: B+ | Dec 16, 2013

There's something rock about the film's messy, nostalgic imperfection.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 15, 2013

A joyous ode to a lost era of music making that will delight music buffs and those who appreciate a well-done documentary.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 21, 2013

Grohl has ... created both a fascinating account of the process of analogue recording and a tender tribute to the rock bands of yesteryear.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 19, 2013

A cocky, affectionate and very musical documentary that may make its central point a few times too often.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 7, 2013

In his directing debut, Dave Grohl shows the instincts of a real filmmaker. Sound City hits you like a shot in the heart.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Feb 2, 2013

Even if you don't know what [Grohl's] talking about when he says a room gives "great decay," or when somebody else extols "24-track sensibility," the passion of this project really pops right out of the groove.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 1, 2013

If it doesn't break any ground as a documentary, it's a heartfelt testament to a place he considers among the most hallowed halls of rock.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Feb 1, 2013

High-spirited, emotional and funny, "Sound City" is, of all things, a mash note to a machine. Not just any machine, however, but one that helped change the face of rock 'n' roll.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 31, 2013

A celebration of just how unbelievably awesome it is to make rock music for a living - not to mention being so successful at it that you can get your childhood heroes to come over and jam.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jan 31, 2013

Grohl's aim is to explore the aura of a place, but what he winds up proving is that people make the magic.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 31, 2013

I didn't jump out of my chair and pump my fist till 24 minutes in.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 31, 2013

Mr. Grohl has put a lot of affection into this film, and it shows.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 30, 2013

Given Dave Grohl's reputation for versatility and good taste, the film's sturdy sense of forward motion may come as no surprise.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 30, 2013

Grohl treats us to just more than an hour celebrating the history of Sound City, the Van Nuys dump where a clutch of rock's great records were bashed out-but the movie's 107 minutes long.

| Jan 29, 2013

The first-time director smartly sees Sound City as a surrogate for the overall industry at any given point in the past four decades, and he varies the tone of the interviews from fondly-regarded serendipity to deep-seated regret.

| Jan 29, 2013

The beautiful thing here is the way Sound City enlivens some fairly snobby ideas about the glories of analog tape without resorting to mere mansplaining.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 29, 2013

An exhilarating history of the studio that spawned countless rock classics, not to mention a welcome reminder to aspiring musicians to step away from the laptop once in a while.

| Jan 24, 2013