Watch Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon For Free

Great Film overall

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Kings of Leon are a great band and this is a great documentary. Shows you how they came from a pretty poor religious background to become one of the biggest bands in the world. It also shows you great on and off stage footage of great performances and some epic family fighting.

The Followills are family: deeply religious, poor, with musical traditions in the church. Their relatives are interviewed. There are extensive snapshots of the band on its way up, coupled with footage of the reactions from within the family during that process.Segments of the film compare and contrast: the family's poverty versus the successful band's enormous wealth; the stern religion of many of the family versus the drug use, sexual freedom, and foul language of the band; the political conservatism of the family versus the relatively PC outlook of the band.These disparities have all sorts of fallout, as one sees throughout the film. Many of the family are happy for the band; some worry for their welfare. Much of the white hot energy of the band's music and lyrics come from these harsh differences. Some of the band members deal with these issues consciously, and the process seems not to be over.In the long run, how well will the band's members keep dealing with the family issues? If they reach resolution, will the band still have the same level of fire and creativity? -----Scores-----Cinematography: 5/10 Varies quite a bit. Most of it is fairly bad. It was nice to see some of Oklahoma again.Sound: 6/10 I expect hugely wonderful sound on a movie about a successful rock group. Compared to the sound in Metallica: Through the Never, this is just week-old porridge. In addition, there is very little music actually played from the Kings of Leon: two partial songs at the end, which was only a little redemption.Acting: z/10 Documentary; this does not apply.Screenplay: 7/10 To my mind, there were too many cuts and joins. The same points could have been made with three examples instead of twenty. On the whole, though, the exposition was still effective, just redundant.

I'm not sure where to begin. I just watched this movie and I'm still reeling a little.It's raw. Emotional. Brings up adult conflicts many of us have that are colored by childhood experiences.I'm sure the lady reviewer from the UK doesn't get the religion part. If you didn't grow up in the US bible belt and don't know what pentecostal religion is and the pull/effect it has on a person (not to mention growing up in poverty) - well, you miss a lot of the intent and context of this documentary.It's not a spit-shined, glossy example of a band's rise to super-stardom. It's an opportunity. An opportunity to know a little about the background of some talented young men who escaped...but not totally. Because they didn't want to . . . at least not up until the time this movie was filmed. Unlike many of us, they accept their past and their family. They use what has shaped them. That's not an easy thing to do and get away with cleanly.It was fun to watch their interactions on the road and in the recording studio, as well as on-stage and backstage. The ending interview with Caleb was remarkable in the honesty of his comments.Like a lot of other people, I've loved their music for a long time and wish them continued success . . . but I can't help but wonder how much they've changed since the film...

i saw the premier of the film in the cinema,as a kings of leon fan i was really excited to see it.first off,surely by now everyone knows who they are right? The backbone of the film is based around their annual week-long family reunion in Talihina, Oklahoma. This underlines the parallel throughout the film of the stark contrast between their childhood to their current rock-star status. As this film opens at the reunion you are initially introduced to a multitude of their extended family from cousins and uncles to their Grandfather, and namesake of the band, Leon. with intimate childhood footage to present day filming of life on the road,laughs,arguments and interviews with the localsThe ending of the film combines the two scenes which are by far the strongest moments in the film, an extremely open and insightful interview with Caleb and the band playing the song 'talihina sky' acoustically. The interview is raw and messy, with an extremely honest late night conversation in which Caleb opens up to his experience of confusion with his past, to getting past the rebellion of leaving that world and now finding some resolution between the two. Throughout the film, beyond the comparison between past and present, the other extreme seems to be the attitude of the family remaining as humble as they have always been despite the enormous success of the younger family members, and the morphed rock star attitudes that the band seem to often adopt. This final scene brings both together and the honesty of Caleb's interview, combined with the stripped down performance brings the film full circle to a place in which you feel the real theme of the film, which seems to be the conflict of a life of two extremes and how to find a way to handle both.i thoroughly enjoyed the film and having a rare peek into the lives of the band and there family,a must see for all music fans