Critical response
The Sound City received positive reviews for what reasons?
Sound City (film)
Critical response. "Sound City" received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 100% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 41 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.7/10. The site's consensus states: "Smart, affectionate, and unabashedly sincere, "Sound City" pairs a great soundtrack with a well-argued ode to one of rock 'n' roll's most fondly remembered bygone eras." It was one of the highest rated limited release and documentary movies of the year on the website. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the film has a score of 76 based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Kenneth Turan from "Los Angeles Times" gave the film a positive review, saying "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." In a review for "The Daily Telegraph", Sebastian Doggart awarded the documentary five out of five stars and proclaimed it as "an exhilarating exploration of the creative process." Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" admits "In his directing debut, Dave Grohl shows the instincts of a real filmmaker. "Sound City" hits you like a shot in the heart." Bill Goodykoontz of "The Arizona Republic" remarks ""Sound City" is a music geek's dream, a rollicking look at a dumpy California studio where a lot of musicians found magic. It's also a bit of a mess, like all good rock and roll ought to be. ", while Elizabeth Weitzman of "New York Daily News" praised that "Grohl's aim is to explore the aura of a place, but what he winds up proving is that people make the magic. "Nevertheless in his review for About.com, Tim Grierson wrote that it "is just a fun collection of unlikely musical pairings that zips by in little less than an hour", and Phil Gallo from "Billboard" stated "Grohl's inexperience as a filmmaker only shows when the film makes a sharp turn out of history and into the more recent past: There's a sense that instead of celebrating great rock 'n' roll moments, a product is about to be pitched at the viewer. "The film received a Satellite Award for Best Documentary Film nomination in the 18th edition and the Cinema Eye Honor 2014 Audience Choice Prize.