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Good documentaries

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 10:06 am
by vern
This was asked on another thread so here are some of my favorites in no particular order. (Add your own.)

-Salesman, a forty year old film about bible salesmen by the Maysles brothers. Watch a man's career grind to a halt.

-Dark Days, about people living under the subways in New York. This kind of proves that old Frank Herbert 'humans can adapt to anything' deal.

-Little Dieter Needs to Fly, the incredible true story of the only American to escape from Laos during the war.

-American Movie, watch an alcoholic take four years to make a 30 minute horror movie.

-Roger and Me, nobody should be allowed to graduate from high school without first watching this movie. (Moore's only non-partisan film.)

-Hearts of Darkness, about the making of Apocalypse Now.

-Driver 23, is about a metal band in Minnesota that is determined to get a cd out.

-The Farmer's Wife, this is a 6 1/2 hour epic about a family struggling to make it on a farm in Nebraska. It got huge ratings when it aired on PBS about 10 years ago and is not to be missed.

-Heavy Metal Parking Lot, a short (15 min.) doc. shot outside a Judas Priest concert in 1986. A great time capsule. (Don't miss the 'TVs From Outer Space' video on the dvd extras.)

-Wisconsin Death Trip, OK this is not a verite doc, but its worth renting just for the title. It features re-enactments of events in a small town in the 1890s.

-The Bukowski Tapes, four hours of Bukowski talking, drinking, and beating his wife. (Seriously.)

-Word Wars, about professional Scrabble players. Wow.

-Game Over, Kasparov's loss to Deep Blue is covered in depth. You don't have to be a chess dork to enjoy this, its mostly about AI and whether IBM cheated or not.

-Project Grizzly, a great show about a Canadian who makes a bear-proof suit eh.
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Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 2:41 pm
by Eric B
I mentioned King of Kong elsewhere, about a thirtysomething man who is laid off in the 1990s and decides to beat the world high score on Donkey Kong.

Dear Zachary is a fucking roller coaster. Don't read anything about it, just know it's a message to the unborn son of a murder victim. Very powerful.

I Like Killing Flies was fun, just a quirky guy who owns and runs a little mom-and-pop restaurant in Queens, NY.

All three, I think, are available for instant viewing on Netflix.

Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 12:59 am
by T200
3 off the top of my head: Grizzly Man (yeah, another awesome grizzly bear movie), Man on Wire, Tyson.

Don't remember what it's called but the movie about Gator Mark Ragowski...maybe called Stoked.

Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:51 am
by Bram
I love documentaries, I second American Movie (funny), and Roger and me and have heard great things about King of Kong and Man on Wire.

Some that I like:

Bigger, Faster, Stronger == great documentary on steroids in America, people chasing their dreams and the supplement industry

Trekkies == totally hilarious job of capturing freaky Star Trek fans, the Klingon mating scene comes to mind off the top of my head

And a few that I want to see:

Anvil! The story of Anvil! == supposed to be like Spinal Tap, yet real life, funny and I believe a little heart-breaking from what I've heard

Murderball == about wheelchair basketball players, heard it's great but don't know much more

Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:27 am
by Fat Cat
Fog of War

Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:34 am
by vern
Yes, Tyson was a great new one, and Fog of War is worth it just for the LeMay stories. "You lost your wingman, but we destroyed Tokyo."

I forgot to add Alone in the Wild. Even though I own the dvd, I still stop and watch it like a deer on headlights when it comes on TV.

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Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 3:29 pm
by DARTH
I saw the Anvil doc this weekend.


At times you want to tell these guys to give it up, other times you have respect for their refusal to give up.

Some of it is sad, some of it is inspiring.

I want to buy the new CD just so they make $2.00.

Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:14 pm
by Ronald RayGun
Excellent thread, gents.

Here's some of my favorites:

Crumb
American Pimp
The Great Happiness Space
Bus 174
American Nightmare
Cocaine Cowboys
Super High Me

Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:02 pm
by Fat Cat
Ronald RayGun wrote:American Pimp
"Bitch are you ready for this? I'm a motherfucking pimp." Great movie.

Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:46 pm
by Kazuya Mishima
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Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:49 pm
by Kazuya Mishima
You'd think this one would be great...it AIN'T.

To think that a movie about Hunter S. Thompson would be boring.

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Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:54 pm
by T200
Yeah, Gonzo is fucking terrible.

I totally forgot about Crumb...an all-time classic.

Murderball is good but I didn't think it was great. But then wheelchairs make me depressed in general.

More:

Unforgivable Blackness - the Jack Johnson movie. Pretty good.

Whatever the title was of the Emile Griffith doc a couple years ago. Maybe Ring of Fire or Ring of Fury?

Hoop Dreams

The Thin Blue Line

Streetwise

If you know who Daniel Johnston is then The Devil and Daniel Johnston is good. If you don't know who he is then you probably wouldn't care.

There is a good Flaming Lips doc too but again, I forget what it is called.

And here's a good site in general for online docs: http://www.esoterictube.com/

Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:53 pm
by Bedlam 0-0-0
Choppertown

Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:55 pm
by Kazuya Mishima
Another classic, albeit depressing as hell.

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Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:00 pm
by Kazuya Mishima
Saw this about a month ago, and I thought it was exceptionally good.

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Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:49 pm
by Fat Cat
Kazuya Mishima wrote:Another classic, albeit depressing as hell.

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I didn't see it but my wife LOVED this movie.

Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 5:40 pm
by Turdacious
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Re: Good documentaries

Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 4:27 am
by vern
I showed Grey Gardens to my mom a few years ago. She said, "This is very difficult to watch."
I replied, "Exactly."

Crumb was great. Poor Charles.

Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, and Baraka are also great films to see if you don't get out much.

Touching the Void if you are into mountain climbing. Unbelievable story.

The Cruise is about a homeless tour guide in New York. He has the most irritating voice on the planet, but he just may have life figured out.

And don't miss Werner Herzog's My Best Fiend, about the films he made with that nut Klaus Kinski.

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