Documentary Recommendations

I know we have some documentary fans on here. Anyone have some good recommendations? I've recently watched two fantastic ones

The Cove (2009) - a documentary about the organized dolphin slaughter in Japan which plays like a good spy movie.

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008) - warning, this movie will pull your heart out and stop on it. I loved how it was edited with the hyper-editing making it feel even more intense.

Not sure if they qualify, but pretty much anything by Ken Burns.

Undefeated - set in inner-city Memphis. A white coach has to take over and deal with a whole lot of issues. Great, great story.

20 Feet From Stardom - about backup singers and their challenges.

Sirius - The Earth has been visited by advanced Inter-Stellar Civilizations that can travel through other dimensions faster than the speed of light. They use energy propulsion systems that can bring us to a new era. Humans have also developed these systems but those in power have suppressed them in order to keep us at the mercy of fossil fuels. It is time for you to know…and this documentary will let you in.

http://www.siriusdisclosure.com/

It is on Netflix.

Blackfish was pretty good

Sirius - The Earth has been visited by advanced Inter-Stellar Civilizations that can travel through other dimensions faster than the speed of light. They use energy propulsion systems that can bring us to a new era. Humans have also developed these systems but those in power have suppressed them in order to keep us at the mercy of fossil fuels. It is time for you to know…and this documentary will let you in.

 

http://www.siriusdisclosure.com/

 

It is on Netflix.

Spellbound - follows kids in spelling bees and their families. Very interesting.

Biggie and Tupac

Brooklyn Castle - follows NYC public school kids who are taught the game of chess.

Last Waltz - The Band

Muscle Schoals - history of the Muscle Schoals music scene

Paradise Lost - about the "Memphis 3" case.

When We Were Kings - Ali and Foreman Zaire fight background and history

Something From Nothing: Art of Rap - really good look into the history of rap

Mad Hot Ballroom - NYC public school kids are taught ballroom dancing which leads up to a city-wide competition.

Notorious B.I.G. Bigger than Life

Nas: Time Is Illmatic

Searching For Sugarman: Interesting story of a singer named Rodriguez from Detroit who was famous in South America and how he then disappeared.

Standing In The Shadows of Motown - About the Motown house band Funk Brothers.

What Happened, Miss Simone? - Nina Simone doc that just came out on Netflix

A few I've seen in the last year or so I really liked:

"Room 237" - a documentary detailing the various fan theories over the meaning of certain symbols and imagery in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining". The theories range from the notion that the film is secretly about the American government genocide of the native population to hints that Kubrick directed a fake Apollo 11 moon landing.

"Jodorowsky's Dune" - explores the never-filmed adaptation of the science-fiction classic "Dune" by Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky. In his attempt to get the film made in the mid-1970s, he had already approached Pink Floyd to do the music, had set pieces and character designs by film legend HR Giger, and had already spoken with Orson Welles, Gloria Swanson, and even Salvador Dali about starring in the film. The entire film was storyboarded before production stopped and those storyboards circulated around Hollywood in the 70s and 80s and inspired dozens and dozens of other projects.

"Inside Job" - about the 2008 financial crisis and the things that led up to it. One's enjoyment of this film probably depends on your own beliefs as to why the crash happened. This is far from definitive, but it's really good and for a documentary about the financial industry, the pacing is great.

We Could Be King

180 degrees South

Undefeated

Walking On Dead Fish

Without question...... It' Time : The Brad Gaines/Chucky Mullins Story. The SEC Storied documentary "It's Time," centered on the the inspirational friendship between former Vanderbilt football player Brad Gaines and former Ole Miss football player Chucky Mullins

Have Kleenex handy.

http://www.olemisssports.com/blog/2014/09/espns-chucky-mullins-documentary-premieres-thursday.html

A few I've seen in the last year or so I really liked:

 

"Room 237" - a documentary detailing the various fan theories over the meaning of certain symbols and imagery in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining". The theories range from the notion that the film is secretly about the American government genocide of the native population to hints that Kubrick directed a fake Apollo 11 moon landing.

 

"Inside Job" - about the 2008 financial crisis and the things that led up to it. One's enjoyment of this film probably depends on your own beliefs as to why the crash happened. This is far from definitive, but it's really good and for a documentary about the financial industry, the pacing is great.

These are both really good.

I wish there was a way I could easily pull up the documentaries I've watched on Netflix. I'll think of some more later.

These are both really good.

 

I wish there was a way I could easily pull up the documentaries I've watched on Netflix. I'll think of some more later.

Agreed. I know I am missing a bunch.

Fracking docs - for and against

Gasland

FrackNation

Trying to think of a few I've watched recently that I liked.

Fed Up was very good. Strong argument about the overload in sugar and junk in the American diet as a result of the "low fat" trend.

Gideon's Army. If you haven't seen this one then you ought to right away. It follows a few public defenders in the South through their day-to-day work. I make it sound dull and boring, but it's actually very gripping and emotional. I recently watched it for the second time a few months ago.

Culture High was pretty well done. Basically an argument for legalizing marijuana. Probably featured one or two too many comedians, but it made a powerful case.

Rich Hill is hard to put my finger on. It follows the live's of four boys in a poor, rural Missouri town as they deal with their lives and growing up. It's depressing, but I guess hopeful in their resiliency too.

Money For Nothing is an examination of the Federal Reserve. It definitely has an agenda, but it's well done, informative, and has a lot of insight from both sides of the debate.

A few more on the "quirkier" side.

The Art of the Steal examines an art collection left behind by an eccentric collector and how his wishes for the collection have been ignored. Both interesting and infuriating.

Killer Legends tries to trace a few popular urban legends back to the real events that inspired them. Probably the least "professionally" done documentary I've listed here in terms of production quality, but I found it really interesting. Turned it on as background noise to go to sleep one night and ended up staying up to finish it.

Harlan County USA

Hearts Of Darkness

The US vs John Lennon