One of the best rock docs nobody’s heard of, this hilarious feature tracks the history of the appropriately named Cosmic Psychos. Matt Weston’s film recounts how the Australian group went on to lay waste to clubs worldwide and influence the American grunge scene (Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam pays his respects). The heart of both the band and the documentary is the droll bassist and frontman Ross Knight, a big-hearted farmer with a passion for weight lifting and beer, and an open-to-anything outlook. The section about his dabbling in S&M belongs in the rock-doc canon, but beyond it, the film is a wonderful portrait of a down-to-earth man fighting for his music, family and livelihood.

Buy or rent it on YouTube.

1981

‘The Decline of Western Civilization’

When too many documentaries are held together solely by their subject’s charisma, it’s obvious that this 1981 feature was made by someone — Penelope Spheeris — with a deep understanding of both music and filmmaking. Shot in Los Angeles between December 1979 and May 1980, the film zeros in on that city’s punk scene like a guided missile: This is not archival footage, this is life as it’s happening. And it’s one classic scene after another — when the Fear frontman, Lee Ving, fights riled-up audience members, you may dodge reflexively.

Stream it on Amazon Prime and Tubi; buy or rent it on Amazon Prime, Fandango Now, iTunes and YouTube.

2018

‘Descent Into the Maelstrom: The Radio Birdman Story’