Directed by Penelope Spheeris | 100 mins | 1981
Without doubt one of the great rock docs, Penelope Spheeris’s headily discordant portrait of West Coast punk—her directorial debut—showcases such hardcore luminaries as X, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Germs. As pure and pungent a time capsule as they come, it’s only fitting that the premiere—a jam-packed and rambunctious affair—was followed by a letter from the Los Angeles Chief of Police requesting that the film never be screened in the city again.