The Documentary Thread

Let's talk about documentaries. Just got done watching Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures and Only The Dead See The End of War on HBO Go, both are excellent in their own ways.

 

Might fire up the documentary on Alien 3 tonight in honor of Alien Day. If you ever wanted to know what executive meddling looks like, the doc lays it out perfectly.

 

Finding Vivian Meyer
Dear Zachary
The Jinx
Searching for Sugar Man
The Imposter
Artifact

I love all of these

 

Dear Zacuary is such a gut punch, hell of a movie.

 

Last night I saw Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things. It isn't out on DVD or digitally yet but it is worth watching the trailer and pre-ordering if it sparks your interest.

 

Today I watched Boy Interrupted and I cried omg. Last night I watched Child of Rage. I've def known a kid or two that, while not as severe, remind me a lot of that little girl so I just wanted to give her a hug. I also watched the one on the Cheshire Murders and omg the fact that she told someone her family was held hostage and the police did nothing as they were tortured and killed is so infuriating.

I tried watching Just Melvin, Just Evil but I couldn't keep all the family and ppl interviewed straight so I stopped and read the wiki summary and I'm kinda glad I didn't finish cause it's messed up af

 

watched Team Foxcatcher a couple nights ago

 

I'm trying to watch more documentaries. I always add them to my watchlists and rarely take the time to watch them.

Here's what I've watched recently:

Virunga - A wildlife refuge in Congo, home to critically endangered mountain gorillas, is threatened by a British oil company seeking to exploit the land and the involvement of a military rebellion. It details the park rangers' sense of duty to the park and their relationship with the gorillas, and explores the political and economic climate of the region and how colonialism and racism still affect it.

Happy People: A Year In The Taiga - Werner Herzog narrates an account of the lives of fur trappers living in an isolated region of Siberia. Rugged.

Food, Inc - It's been a while since I watched it. But this was a really informative one on how corporate agriculture has affected the food we eat and the farmers who grow it. Bad stuff.

 

some I enjoyed
Murderball
March of the Penguins
Stories We Tell
The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Amy
Montage of Heck
Blackfish

always meaning to watch more

 

was thinking of starting a documentary thread myself! i love documentaries

* Detropia - a look at Detroit as it tries to repair after the economic collapse

* Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room - most know this one by now. some of the shadiest, worst people in the world.

* Room 237 - documentary about The Shining with several people giving their opinions / thoughts on what The Shining is 'really' about. It's interesting and kind of out there. It could certainly use some editing, but if you enjoy the film / Kubrick, this should be watched / will be enjoyed.

* Making a Murderer - the Netflix 10-part doc about an alleged Wisconsin murderer who has a significant history with the shady local police force of his county. note: very one-sided doc.

* Four Days in October - fans of baseball / Boston Red Sox / anyone who hates the Yankees will love this. the greatest comeback of all time and leads up to the breaking of the curse in place since 1908.

* Fed Up - a look at the obesity epidemic in the US and now the rest of the world. basing off of foods / sugar companies and how even when someone tries to make a change (Michelle Obama), suspiciously the campaigns change course. what happens when everyone has diabetes and heart disease by the time they turn 20?

* Sugar Coated - a remarkable and sad documentary about the amount of sugar intake in the US and now in the rest of the world and how it is killing us and how sugar companies are far too powerful.

* GMO OMG - another food documentary that investigates the gross farming techniques, the side effects we're just starting to see what exactly a GMO is and why it's so hard to find food without GMO's.

* Heart of Darkness - documentary about the terrific film, Apocalypse Now. a fascinating inside look at one of the most difficult films to be created.

 

Room 237 is so great

 

I added The Imposter and Artifact to my list above. Both great.

 

Currently watching I Am Thor, what a sad yet inspiring film.

 

I watched The Battered Bastards of Baseball last night and enjoyed it. I also recently watched Killer Legends and it was entertaining enough.

 

Was just about to make this thread, glad I searched first!

Watched Racing Extinction last night, really great/eye opening stuff.
Just recently saw Finders Keepers which was a ton of fun, some eccentric stranger than fiction fare.

In the past couple months I've watched The Hunting Ground, The King of Kong, Deliver Us from Evil, Welcome To Leith, Going Clear and The Nightmare -loved em all.

Just went and grabbed Mea Maxima Culpa, Deep Web, Leviathan, Prophet's Prey, Root of All Evil, The Corporation, The Institute, Greatest Movie Ever Sold, This Film is Not Yet Rated...excited to dig in

 

I watched No-No: A Dockumentary last night. Wasn't quite as wild as I was expecting but it was more sincere.

 

Have you seen American Movie? One of my favorite docs

 

Recently watched:

Amanda Knox - Just okay, the guy from DailyMail had me laid up with a case of the douchechills and it certainly wasn't as gripping as some of the other true crime docs that have come out recently, but it was well produced.

The Imposter - Loved it.

Sky Ladder - While I felt it was poorly paced in parts, Cai is such an awesome guy and I was totally unexposed to his art and had multiple "wow out loud" moments while watching.

Man vs. Snake - Oh man, this was a trip. Watch the trailer if you're uninitiated. The editing of this thing captured the unintentional humor of the situation so well. About twenty minutes in I thought "how in the world do they get another hour out of this story", and then they do! I'm pretty sure watching this caused a kind of frustration I've never felt before, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes to observe eccentric people.

Queen Mimi - Such a sweet little story, enjoyed it.

 

@electro haikus just looked up MvS and saw some of the same faces from an earlier doc King of Kong that I absolutely loved, definitely watching this

Billy Mitchell is such a douche

 

Awesome, I'll have someone to talk about it with lol. I actually have not seen King of Kong which is insane, I should rectify that.

 

My favorite docs so far this year have been Weiner and Zero Days.

Zero Days (about the Stuxnet Virus and the implications of large scale cyber warfare by nation states) scared the shit out of me. I'm hoping it gets an Oscar nom.

 

I watched The Thin Blue Line for the first time the other day and have been on a documentary kick ever since. Just finished Dear Zachary. It was absolutely crushing. St. John's, where most of the story takes place, is my hometown, so I'm not sure how I never heard about this case, but being able to put a place to all these events made it even more powerful. I don't travel much, and being from Canada, I often can't relate to a lot of the stuff I see in movies and TV on that level, and it sometimes become easy to forget that these are real people and real places.

I think I'm going to watch The King of Kong tomorrow morning to give myself a breather.

 

Just watched Tickled. What a rabbit hole that movie was

 

Always mean to watch more of these.

Seeing I Am Not Your Negro today. Loved O.J. Made in America recently. And Koyaanisquatsi if you count it.

 

Does anybody know if Kedi is available to watch anywhere? Even for rent or whatever, don't really know how to watch shit legally but I'd pay for this one haha