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What is your favorite Documentary(s) and why?

From the Earth to the Moon, it's quite interesting to see what NASA went through in running the Gemini and Apollo missions.

I don't know the name of it but there was a really neat one in the 80's about mound termites in Africa. Mainly I just remember a scene where an aardvark ripped a hole in the mound then the termites and ants went to war. There is a more recent one showing driver ants and termites battle but it is not as interesting.

Then of course ;)...
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(Sorry I couldn't resist)
 
Jesus Camp and Wal Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices were both quite good documentaries that I didn't see anyone post above. Well worth a look and quite frightening.
 
OutThere said:
Jesus Camp and Wal Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices were both quite good documentaries that I didn't see anyone post above. Well worth a look and quite frightening.
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Jesus Camp was pretty wild. As a christian that didn't represent my personal belief. It's unfortunate that people get turned off by christianity by assuming this movie is how all christians may think. It's like putting christians in a box. You can never put god in a box. God is much greater than that. I just go back to my bible to find truth.

Maxed Out - covers north american perspective on money and how that is having an impact on your youth. Really a big eye opener on what happens with capitalism without restraint.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed In the Shadow of the Moon, which I was fortunate enough to see at Warwick Arts Centre a couple of years back.

More recently... and perhaps... perversely, Helvetica and Objectified.

I'm hoping to catch Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman at Warwick Arts Centre (by far and away my favourite cinema, its intimacy ensures it offers a more satisfying experience than both the Curzon and the BFI Southbank), but I've not checked to see if it's going to receive a limited theatrical release in the UK yet. I do hope so though.
 
what the bleep...

-> because if you take it seriously it can open you new ways of thinking and feeliing and experiencing your life and the world in general.
 
When We Were Kings, about the Rumble in the Jungle (Ali vs Foreman in Zaire in '74). The whole thing is amazing, and I'm not a boxing fan at all. For one, you see Ali in his charismatic prime, the music is fantastic (James Brown, BB King, many others all went to perform before the fight), and the whole scene is wild. Well worth seeing.
 
miles01110 said:
I enjoyed BBC's Planet Earth and March of the Penguins. Some very impressive camera work in both of them.
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BBC's Planet Earth is unbelievably beautiful in full HD.
Superb camera work, and very rare scenes captured in the utmost highest quality.
And all narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

Absolutely nr 1.
 
I always love NASA documentaries. "When We Left Earth" was good.

Another vote for "Anvil". That is a must see. The way those two bandmates held together in the face of rejection and disappointment was just amazing.
 
Going through my Netflix ratings, here are the documentaries with 4 or 5 stars:

  • Helvetica
  • Objectified
  • Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock?
  • Supersize Me
  • Les Paul: Chasing Sound
  • Modify
  • Welcome To Macintosh
  • The Rape of Europa
  • Blue Gold: World Water Wars
  • My Kid Could Paint That

I have about 10 more in my queue that have suggested ratings of 4 stars or more that I need to find the time to watch.

I have to add all the ones I have seen on Discovery/History/VH1/etc. to the list.
 
MacsRgr8 said:
BBC's Planet Earth is unbelievably beautiful in full HD.
Superb camera work, and very rare scenes captured in the utmost highest quality.
And all narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

Absolutely nr 1.
Click to expand...

+1 The fungus and the ants was jaw dropping. How intelligent nature really is!
 
'End of the Line' - The devastation left by over 50 years of overfishing.
'Dig!' - Chronicles the lives of the bands The Dandy Warhols (as they sign to capitol) and The Brian Jonestown Massacre (as they fail to sign to any labels) and their feud.
'Capturing the Friedmans' - Shot by a young boy as his family is embroiled in a sex scandal court case.
'Grizzly Man' - One man who lived amongst bears for 13 years, with self shot footage and interviews from friends, family and professionals.
 
Some of my favorites:
In the Street – Helen Levitt
Dont Look Back - Pennebaker
Night Mail – Basil Wright
Primary – Leacock/Pennebaker/Drew
Salesman – Maysles
Gimme Shelter - Maysles
My Girlfriend’s Wedding – McBride
Streetwise - Bell
Harlan County, USA – Barbara Kopple
Native Land – Strand
Thin Blue Line – Morris
Bowling for Columbine – Moore
Grey Gardens – Maysles
Hearts and Minds – Davis
Waiting for Fidel – Rubbo
The Times of Harvey Milk – Epstein
In the Year of the Pig – De Antonio
The City – Steiner
H2O -Steiner
Daybreak Express – Pennebaker
Happy Mother’s Day – Leacock

On the current list of Oscar nominees I would check out: the Daniel Ellsberg film, Cove, Food Inc. and Burma VJ. That's four of the five, so it's a pretty good year. Why Capitalism isn't on that list, I don't know.

Many of the above you can find snipets of on YouTube..
 
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