What are your favourite Documentaries?

Zascar

I've been watching loads of really documentaries lately.. I wanted to put a few of my recommendations down here and see if you guys have any more to add.

Here are some of the Documentaries I have really enjoyed lately and a quick description on what they are about.

Zeitgeist - Religion, 911 and World Banking
Loose Change - 911 Conspiracy Theroy
The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara - War & US Defense
The War on Democracy - US invasion of Latin America
Islam - What the West needs to know - The foundations of the Muslim religion
Occupation 101 - Israeli Palestine Crisis
The Great Global Warming Swindle - Evidence against Global Warming theory
Frontline - The Meth Epidemic - Drugs - The Meth Crisis
American Meth - Ditto
Cocaine Cowboys - Growth of Cocaine use in America
In Pot We Trust - Benefits of Medical Marijuana
What we still don't know about the cosmos - The history of the universe

I'm not trying to say they are all perfectly factual, some are questionable by some, but they are all very enjoyable movies.

Most can be found on Google Video etc but I won't post any links.

Please let me know your favourites.
Thanks

Otis Driftwood

The Mondo Cane Series

http://www.sexgoremutants.co.uk/mondobox.html


Titicut Follies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titicut_Follies


All the above are not easy viewing and can de very difficult to track down but are well worth it especially Titicut Follies

senordingdong

Rambo 4.

Really opened my eyes to what was going on in Burma.

Galvasean

Pretty much anything from the BBC's natural history department, particularly the David Attenborough Stuff (Blue Planet, Life In Cold Blood, Planet Earth etc.)
Also most things Impossible Pictures Walking With Dinosaurs/Beasts/Cavemen/Monsters, Ocean Odyssey), although they arent technically documentaries, more 'mockumentaries'.

Photi

Etre et Avoir.

French documentary about a year in a tiny rural school run by a solitary teacher. The teacher's skills, patience and attentiveness are amazing and the kids are all fantastic.

johnny_ultimate

King of Kong - not only a great documentary, but one of the funniest and entertaining films of last year.
My Winnipeg - a truly fantastic achievement, although it tends to veer between documentary and outright surrealism on a number of occasions.
Grizzly Man - yes, Herzog proves to be an odd narrator, but it is fascinating story.

maquiladora

The Men Who Killed Kennedy...
Trinity & Beyond...
Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends...
King Of Kong...
Billion Dollar Secret...
Any of the Horizon docs...

,8,1

Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World - On the food additive aspartame, commonly used today as a sugar-substitute.
9/11 Missing Links - The involvement of Zionist Israelis in the 2001 terrorist attacks. Much more incisive and fact-based than Loose Change et al, IMO.
The World According To Monsanto - On the underhand tactics of the world's leading GMO corporation.
The Century of the Self - By the excellent Adam Curtis, on the development of mass psychology and consumerism in the 20th Century.
The Power of Nightmares - Again by Curtis, on the Islamic fundamentalist and neo-con movements.
The UN Deception - On the Internationalist, collectivist order being brought in by stealth by the United Nations. Produced by the John Birch Society.

Vamoose Killers

The King of Kong
Obcan Havel
Man on Wire
Murderball

mikemac

The Revolution will not be televised
Shows the events over a few key days in Venezuela.

I wouldn't agree with the politics of the show but it's extremely well made and was done by a Irish production crew which is good too

Valmont

Zeitgeist is a big huge pile of steaming ****. Absolute nonsense imo.

Grizzly Man by Werner Herzog would be my favourite documentary.

Zascar

I found the first part about religion very interesting indeed...

tommyboy2222

Man on Wire

Enron :The Smartest Guys in the Room ( may be worth revisiting this with regard to current events !)

+1 for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
King of Kong ofc
AMERICAN MOVIE
The Corporation
Sicko
The Universe


I honestly can't stress enough how much you all need to see American Movie though.

Ryanzo

The Root Of All Evil? - Richard Dawkins

keane2097

This is Spinal Tap...

Do Rockumentaries count?

Ciaran B

An Unreasonable Man

An excellent film about the life and work of Ralph Nadar.

L31mr0d

Man on Wire was pretty good, if a little drawn out.

Again, I'll recommend Earthlings, imo, everyone who eats meat should watch this. Has a great use of sombre narration by Joaquin Phoenix and a score by Moby.

Boo-yah

Man On Wire
Planet Earth
Dig
Capturing The Friedmans
Deliver Us From Evil
American Movie

Zascar

Watched King of Kong last night... Eh, ok that was very very weird. Some of the uber-nerds were just painfully funny.

Man on Wire tonight methinks

Monkey61

I can't say enough good things about Capturing the Friedmans. Really incredible. I also love Bowling for Columbine. It may be manipulative but it's still a wonderfully put together piece of entertainment. And until he pulls out the injured kids at the end, Michael Moore isn't even as offensive as he has become.

Paddy Samurai

I watch a lot on the history and discovery channels , but out of the ones i own my favourites are:

Holy Warriors (Richard the Lionheart & Saladin)

One day in september by lionsgate

Ancient rome Rise and fall of an empire(bbc)

byte

I wasn't expecting much from March of the Penguins, but it was not too bad.

Alicat

Loved the BBC's The Blue Planet. Some of the animals they found in the deep sea were just mental! :eek:

Also love the Who Do You Think You Are series. The new BBC one is starting on Monday and there's an American one starting in April I think.

Suppose they're more Tv rather than films but meh

Roar

Lost In La Mancha

absolutely fuppin brilliant.

kraggy

Capturing the Friedmans
murderball
bus 174

Overheal

Planet Earth Series.

Showdown: Air Combat. I've only seen the episode which dealt with the Battle of Midway, but it was done brilliantly, and kept me glued to my seat.

Reefer Madness. Propaganda gone wrong.

That_Guy

Man On Wire.

Can't say I've watched a lot of film documentaries but I found this one highly entertaining.

Auvers

cant believe no one mentioned When We Were Kings

Diogenes

Zascar wrote: »

I've been watching loads of really documentaries lately.. I wanted to put a few of my recommendations down here and see if you guys have any more to add.

Here are some of the Documentaries I have really enjoyed lately and a quick description on what they are about.

Zeitgeist - Religion, 911 and World Banking
Loose Change - 911 Conspiracy Theroy

Yeah Loose Change, any film were the documentary makers had to admit that there were massive factual errors in their film (it works out at one fundamental error per minute over 90) cannot be considered a documentary. They also mispelt "written by" in the titles. Morons.

Ditt all bull**** subpar 911 conspiracy ****e documentaries, on google video.

Zascar

True, I don't believe most of what they say but I still think its entertaining. Does raise some interesting questions though.

Diogenes

Zascar wrote: »

True, I don't believe most of what they say but I still think its entertaining. Does raise some interesting questions though.

Horsemanure.

http://www.lolloosechange.co.nr/ Is a documentary that exposes just how much stuff they get intentially wrong, mislead, and out right lie. It also exposes how they frequently use anti semitic and neo nazis as sources for their facts.

The fact that you're putting this garbage on a par with Errol Morris' work, shows how little you understand about what makes a good documentary.

Zascar

Read my original post "I'm not trying to say they are all perfectly factual, some are questionable by some, but they are all very enjoyable movies."

no need to be insulting ffs

Diogenes

Zascar wrote: »

Read my original post "I'm not trying to say they are all perfectly factual, some are questionable by some, but they are all very enjoyable movies."

Yeah, er do you know what the word "documentary" means?

doc⋅u⋅men⋅ta⋅ry
Movies, Television. based on or re-creating an actual event, era, life story, etc., that purports to be factually accurate and contains no fictional elements: a documentary life of Gandhi.

Documentaries are supposed to be factually accurate, admitting that you enjoyed the film as a documentary while admiting that you suspect you are watching fiction and enjoying it as entertainment, and don't think they are real is an insult to the actual documentary filmakers mentioned on this thread.

no need to be insulting ffs

Let me explain. I've walked off a documentary called the "complete history of my sexual failures" because I thought the director was disingenious. I've worked and contributed to one documentary mentioned on this thread, and am currently working with the team behind another documentary mentioned on this thread.

So you'll pardon me if I find the turid pile of horsecrap that is loose change among people I respect and admire, and work with.

Offalycool

Origins Of Aids

Documentary about how AIDS began, which highlights the oral polio vaccine (OPV) hypothesis and the attempts to suppress it.

ronnie3585

I watched the Fog of War yesterday. I thought it was superb. Always thought Robert McNamara was an interesting guy and the documentary gave a really good insight into his life.

Diogenes

Offalycool wrote: »

Origins Of Aids

Documentary about how AIDS began, which highlights the oral polio vaccine (OPV) hypothesis and the attempts to suppress it.

Jesus wept, are we going to have to chisel the concept of "documentary" and what that word actually means to people here.

I have friends, people, who dedicate their lives to UN AIDs agencies, and bull**** like the above keeps up the spread of ignorance and misrepresentation of the greatest threat to africa that lives tody. Y'know there are places were sex with a virgin is considered a cure for AIDs.

Bravo Offaly you're a middle aged mind, why don't you find a witch who weighs as much a duck.

Offalycool

Bravo Offaly you're a middle aged mind, why don't you find a witch who weighs as much a duck.

You may have noble friends, but you are an ass-hole.

Diogenes

Offalycool wrote: »

You may have noble friends, but you are an ass-hole.

And you like spreading ignorance and false information and claim it is true.

I might be an asshole, but you are someone spreading lies and misinformation that is killing people. So I suspect I'll sleep better at night than you should.

Offalycool

I never said it was all true, or true at all.

PullMyFinger!

You two need to calm it down and one of you needs to apologise before you're banned.

Back on topic and in keeping with 9/11 is September Clues. This definitely isnt for everyone and its not necessarily my viewpoint, but its all put together so convincingly that if you're into 9/11 conspiracies you'll be into this, even if its just to ridicule it.

The maker is basically saying that no planes hit the buildings on 9/11 and he does a damn good job of trying to prove such an outlandish, even ludicrous, point

For balance there is this video, the last shot of the plane is one Ive never seen before on any 9/11 documentary and it'll give you chills.

Another pro No Planes Theory documentary on 9/11 is 9/11 Octopus, this goes further with the exposing of actors used on the news on the day of the accident.

See below for an example

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqq4xWLot0Q

Whichever side of the fence you sit on, if you're into 9/11 stuff Id recommend all 3 documentaries.

delbertgrady

Bowling for Columbine
Capturing the Friedmans
Guerilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst
Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport
Man on Wire
One Day in September
The Times of Harvey Milk
Touching the Void
Waltz with Bashir

Nick_oliveri

Zeitgeist Attendum (the money one)
And another mention for Power of Nightmares.

Zascar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLpx_yioYik

Diogenes

PullMyFinger! wrote: »

You two need to calm it down and one of you needs to apologise before you're banned.

Back on topic and in keeping with 9/11 is September Clues. This definitely isnt for everyone and its not necessarily my viewpoint, but its all put together so convincingly that if you're into 9/11 conspiracies you'll be into this, even if its just to ridicule it.

The maker is basically saying that no planes hit the buildings on 9/11 and he does a damn good job of trying to prove such an outlandish, even ludicrous, point

For balance there is this video, the last shot of the plane is one Ive never seen before on any 9/11 documentary and it'll give you chills.

Another pro No Planes Theory documentary on 9/11 is 9/11 Octopus, this goes further with the exposing of actors used on the news on the day of the accident.

See below for an example

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqq4xWLot0Q

Whichever side of the fence you sit on, if you're into 9/11 stuff Id recommend all 3 documentaries.

This is effing retarded. The above aren't documentaries they are exercised in immense stupidity.

They ignore the facts that the planes crashed into the sides of buildings on one of the most densely populous landmasses on the planet.

Honestly the sheer witlessness displayed on this thread about what a documentary is, or is supposed to be, beggars belief.

It's like trying to compare AA Milne and John Pilger. if you cannot grasp the difference between winnie the fecking poo, and journalism, well then we need to redefine the definition of terminally stupid.

Look let me spell this out, if you suspect the facts of a documentary, or if you outright know that the "documentary" director is lying, or mispresenting the facts then you are watching fiction or a Michael Moore film. If you suspect the film isn't an accurate representation of the facts you are watching fiction or propaganda.


Quick fact check.

Is star wars fiction or documentary?

Is the A Team fiction or documentary?

Do you do doubt the credibility of what you are watching, Do you think it should be classed as a documentary? Or Fiction?

If you answered yes to the former question on any the above, you have no business commenting as to what makes a good documentary because you do not have the ability to discern between fiction and documentaries.

Offalycool

http://www.answers.com/documentary

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: documentary

Fact-based film that depicts actual events and persons. Documentaries can deal with scientific or educational topics, can be a form of journalism or social commentary, or can be a conduit for propaganda or personal expression.

Diogenes

Offalycool wrote: »

http://www.answers.com/documentary

Would you like to have a conversation about the difference between a documentary, a polemic, and propaganda? i know one of us is playing premier league football and the other is using jumpers for goalposts.

Can you guess which one of us is which?

Zascar

Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha well done Offaly
Discussion over

Unless anyone has got any more recommendations for Documentaries - in any interpretation of the word.

enfant terrible

Is Scientology Above The Law?

http://quicksilverscreen.com/watch?video=44191

weemcd

Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby

keane2097

Diogenes wrote: »

Would you like to have a conversation about the difference between a documentary, a polemic, and propaganda? i know one of us is playing premier league football and the other is using jumpers for goalposts.

Can you guess which one of us is which?

Oh no...