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Always been a fan of docs. The last 3 years I've gotten the doc channel which has a allowed me to watch a bunch more. Trying to find some new ones to check out.
Anybody else into them? What have you seen? What did you like/hate?
Bustin' Down the Door is a sweet one about the first white people to go surf North Shore, and about the first wave of pro surfers. A bunch of crazy shit happens with the locals and its narrated by Edward Norton.
Banksy's documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop is insane. It just goes to show what one man can do armed with ambition, some disposable income and a touch of mental instability.
I just watched Copyright Criminals on Netflix. Fucking awesome, it's all about sampling and 80s/90s hip-hop. Legit as fuck, give it a watch if you're into that shit. Documentaries are awesome if they about the right thing.
My list of documentaries I've been hype on lately (all on netflix):
If you enjoy documentaries then you have to make sure you see SHERMAN'S MARCH by Ross McElwee. No bluffff.
Released in 1986 and became one of the biggest and most popular documentaries of its type made ever! It is pretty long, but if you have any intelligence, curiosity and appreciation for cinema outside of the "Michael bay" type hollywood blockbusters... then it is a must see.
It is still shown and studied at universities all over the US and world, and has influenced a great deal of filmmakers since then... Even highly popular mainstream icon's like "Entourage" Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), I was bored in a waiting room picked up the only magazine next to me and read a quick interview with him, and he listed Sherman's March as of one his favorite movies of all time.
Recently a major Hollywood studio picked up the rights to make it into either an HBO Special Mini Series or a full budget mainstream film.
The full DVD collection was released a couple years ago too - 5 great and influential films for a now discounted price on Amazon! Support the AR5 fam!!!
McElwee released a new documentary this year (wayy different than any of his works), which is still tour-premiering Europe and then the major festivals in the US before it's available for purchase, but definitely check out the trailer (#1) just released!
Saw this at the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam back in 2009, definitely a good watch. It is about Pablo Escobar's Son and his life:
Also on a semi related note. Drove through part of pa on the road trip home. Saw some lovely coal billboards again.
COAL
Increasingly green, and always red white and blue. I wanted to burn that shit down. It's amazing what people will believe if they see enough billboards.
Also another one on the way out about how high electricity is due to restrictions on coal. Basically to encourage people to vote to make it so the whole country can burn coal anywhere anytime because it will save you money. Thought that was fucked too.
Two of my all time favorites are "Please Vote For Me" and "Promises."
"Please Vote for Me" is about a first or second grade class president election in China. It is one way that the students are introduced to democracy, obviously not in a good light. There's a decent amount of corruption and bullying and bribing even at this level.
"Promises" interviews several Israeli and Palestinian children about their views of each other. The filmmaker, tries to get them to meet kids from the other side, and most are surprised to find that despite their differences they are very much alike.
Two of my all time favorites are "Please Vote For Me" and "Promises."
"Please
Vote for Me" is about a first or second grade class president election
in China. It is one way that the students are introduced to democracy,
obviously not in a good light. There's a decent amount of corruption and
bullying and bribing even at this level.
"Promises" interviews
several Israeli and Palestinian children about their views of each
other. The filmmaker, tries to get them to meet kids from the other
side, and most are surprised to find that despite their differences they
are very much alike. http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/promises/
I just watched it a couple weeks ago. Def recommend it. It's awesome how much footage they actually have.
I like pretty much everything Ken Burns has done. If you like history they're very interesting. If you hate history it will probably bore the hell out of you.
Considering they aren't action packed and are 4 and 5.5 hours long they might not be for everyone. I thought they were awesome. Both of these and Senna are on netflix as well.
I think BBC panorama investigated the Burzynski clinic, which showed that he offers false hope and some times get's results, but often making patients worse, pretty much making money from hope. Gasland as well, pretty sure that's a crock of shit. I love documentaries but they are as fact based as tabloid newspapers, interesting to watch but hardly trustworthy. Including panoramas investigation. Peer reviewed journal articles for the win.
I mean I don't blindly trust documentaries as truth it's just an interesting perspective sometimes. They're made from the point of view of the person making the film.
Saying " they are as fact based as tabloid newspapers" is pretty ridiculous.
"Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills is a 1996 documentary film directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky about the trials of three teenage boys who came to be known as the West Memphis Three in West Memphis, Arkansas. They were accused of the murder and sexual mutilation of three prepubescent boys. The boys on trial for the crime were Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin. The film was followed by two sequels: Paradise Lost 2: Revelations and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory."
this one is good too
I saw one about a female prison in Afghanistan a few days ago, "Freedom behind bars", and it was really good. Dont know if its available in english though.
They are sentenced to like 5-15 years for running away from home, either because they didnt want to get married to someone their family choose, or because their husbands beat them. They basically have a way better time in jail than in the real world, and they are scared to be released because they know that their relatives probably will kill them when they come out. So fucked.
I heard about it a couple years ago and wanted to watch it but forgot all about it. Just scrolling through netflix and it popped up.
Also I mentioned some Ken Burns ones before. I just watched the Civil War and recommend that if you're into history. It's over 11 hours long so know that going in. Well worth it though.
mccdiggityThe Woman who Wasn't There
Park Avenue Money Power and the American Dream
The Central Park 5
Place at the Table
God loves Uganda
180 degrees South
all 6 are on netflix and super good in my opinion
I've seen those except for uganda and park ave. Good stuff.
I'm re watching stuff now that I've only seen once. Watching "Limelight" at the moment.
