HBO’s JAGGED, directed by Alison Klayman (“The Brink,” “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry”) and executive produced by Bill Simmons (HBO’s “Andre The Giant,” “Showbiz Kids”), continues the Music Box series, taking viewers to 1995, when a 21-year-old Alanis Morissette burst onto the music scene with the first single off her ground-breaking album, “Jagged Little Pill.” With a rawness and emotional honesty that resonated with millions, and despite a commercial landscape that preferred its rock stars to be male, she took radio and MTV by storm and the album went on to sell 33 million copies. Featuring an in-depth interview with Alanis, as well as never-before-seen archival material, JAGGED explores her beginnings as a young Canadian pop star, the rocky path she faced navigating the male-dominated music industry, and the glass ceiling she shattered on her journey to becoming the international icon and empowered artist she is today.
JAGGED debuts THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO Canada and will be available to stream on Crave. It continues the MUSIC BOX documentary series created by Bill Simmons, which launched in July with “Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage.” The weekly series will air on subsequent Thursdays at the same time and will be available to stream on Crave.
[gap height=”10″]
Subsequent films in the series will continue airing over the next four weeks:
DMX: DON’T TRY TO UNDERSTAND (November 25), directed by Christopher Frierson, focuses on a year in the life of rapper Earl “DMX” Simmons as he is released from prison in early 2019 and attempts to rebuild his career in the music industry and reconnect with family and fans. Unfolding in cinéma vérité style and with unfettered access, the film bears witness to a man searching for reinvention and redemption, striving to stay true to himself while reestablishing his roles as a father, an artist and an icon.
LISTENING TO KENNY G (December 2), directed by Penny Lane, takes a humorous but incisive look at the saxophonist Kenny G, the best-selling instrumental artist of all time, and quite possibly the one of the most famous living musicians. The film investigates the artist formerly known as Kenny Gorelick, unravelling the allure of the man who played jazz so smoothly that a whole new genre formed around him, and questioning fundamental assumptions about art and excellence in the process. In his own words, Kenny G speaks candidly about his musical background, his stringent work ethic, and his controversial standing in the jazz canon.
MR. SATURDAY NIGHT (December 9), directed by John Maggio, chronicles the meteoric career of Australian entrepreneur Robert Stigwood, who gambled on a magazine article about the Brooklyn night club scene and turned it into the 1977 cultural touchstone “Saturday Night Fever,” making a global superstar out of John Travolta, and reinvigorating disco with a platinum-selling soundtrack album anchored by four number one hits from the Bee Gees. The film tracks Stigwood’s journey from managing artists such as Eric Clapton and the Bee Gees, to producing the hit shows “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Tommy,” and “Evita,” to forever changing the way film studios approached movie soundtrack synergy, leaving an indelible mark on American cinema and the record industry for decades to come.
JUICE WRLD: INTO THE ABYSS (December 16), directed by Tommy Oliver, is an intimate and often eye-opening exploration of the life and all-too-short career of wunderkind rapper Juice WRLD, told primarily though verité, his prolific music making, and his freestyles. A dynamic, real-time account of the Chicago native who was already heading for superstardom and streaming supremacy by the time he was 18 courtesy of his breakout hit, “Lucid Dreams,” the film includes a wealth of never-before-seen footage, unreleased music, and dozens of industry interviews as it details Juice WRLD’s struggles to navigate his meteoric rise to fame, his drug use, and mental health issues.
HBO Documentary Films’ presents a Ringer Films Production. MUSIC BOX series created by Bill Simmons; executive produced by Bill Simmons, Jody Gerson, Marc Cimino, co-executive produced by Geoff Chow, Sean Fennessey, Noah Malale; For HBO: senior producer, Tina Nguyen; executive producers, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller.
