Oil City Confidential

The title of filmmaker Julien Temple's amusing documentary about the British band Dr. Feelgood—who pretty much invented the pub rock genre in 1971—refers to a below-sea-level enclave about an hour east of London called Canvey Island, home to massive refineries that share space with ramshackle cottages and a close-knit community that spawned Dr. Feelgood. Oil City Confidential is hosted by original guitarist Wilko Johnson, a manic, bullet-headed whirlwind who tells the story of both Canvey Island and the band's origins with wacky charm and a touching sense of nostalgia. Temple (who made the acclaimed Sex Pistols opus, The Great Rock ‘N' Roll Swindle) directs with a snappy, frenetic style, combining archival concert footage, home movies, real and faux film clips, and contemporary interviews with both the band's surviving members (singer Lee Brilleaux died in 1994) and other sixtysomething characters who were in Dr. Feelgood's dizzying orbit. Although their music was a punky mixture of American southern blues, R&B, and straight ahead rock, it was flavored by the culture of Canvey Island. DVD extras include bonus interview clips. A solid profile likely to appeal to older punk rockers and fans of Temple's other music docs, this is recommended. (T. Fry)