Rock School (R, 2005)

Since 1998, Paul Green has run his own school of rock music, teaching students to play serious rock, from Black Sabbath to Carlos Santana to Frank Zappa The film includes lively interviews with Green's students and their parents -- including Quaker Madi Diaz-Svalgard, nine-year-old twins Asa and Tucker Collins (whose mother is a self-admitted wannabe rock star who helps them get ready for performances by limiting the emblems they might wear: Mohawk okay, but no "666" temporary tattoos), and guitar prodigy C.J. Tywoniak, who offers up a terrific version of "Black Magic Woman." One former student, Will, describes his own experiences with Green, who invited him to be a student even though he calls Will "a piss-poor musician." Articulate and self-aware, Will is also clinically depressed; a Philadelphia Inquirer article calls him "the sad Eeyore of rock school," a line that understandably annoys Will and inspires Green to make more jokes at his expense. The film ends when the students perform at an international Zappa festival in East Germany, on stage with former Zappa vocalist Napoleon Murphy Brock.

A documentary about school doesn't sound like much fun. But Don Argott's ROCK SCHOOL is by turns boisterous, charming, and surprising. Focused on founder and teacher of the school, the movie shows Green to be bigheaded and foul-mouthed, the ideal star of his own show. "My ego," Green pronounces, "is as big as the whole universe. I invented something so I could be the best at it."

For all his obnoxiousness, Green is an effective instructor for many of his students. He is also always performing -- for Argott's camera, for his students and their parents, for himself. This makes him a fascinating character, a mix of arrogance and insecurity, generosity and narcissism. And in the end, he reveals himself to be a compassionate character despite his aggressive teaching style.

Studio: Newmarket Film Group
Director: Don Argott
Cast: C.J. Tywoniak, Paul Green, William O'Connor
Genre: Documentary
Run time: 93 minutes
Theatrical release: June 3, 2005
DVD release: September 13, 2005
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: language