Your Favourite Documentaries (With Info)

Bootsy. · 03-03-2010 12:15AM

Excellent resource here: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com

My favorite documentary is "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown'.
It's basically the story of the musicians who played on all those great Motown hits. They were known as The Funk Brothers and dubbed "The best kept secret in the history of pop music".
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
"By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]F[/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]orty-one years after they played their first note an a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story in STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN.[/FONT]"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314725/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE1-ZW_CXvU

Blueboyd · 08-03-2010 01:14AM

Oh there are so many. Some has been mentioned already here like Fog of War.

Liked this one a lot

Have to think for a while for others

MeerKat17 · 20-03-2010 03:42AM

* Paradise Lost; an amazing documentary - now a trilogy, about 3 young teenagers living in the bible belt of America during the early 90's who were accused and subsequently sent to prison for murdering 3 little boys, blamed because they listen to metallica.
Well worth the watch, they are innocent, and still in prison to this day!

* Jesus Camp - scary doc showing the insanity of Christianity in the USA

Beeker · 16-04-2010 01:19PM

By far the greatest documentry of all time has to be Cosmos by Carl Sagan from 1980.

Astronomer Dr. Carl Sagan is host and narrator of this 13-hour series that originally aired on Public Broadcasting Stations in the United States. Dr. Sagan describes the universe in a way that appeals to a mass audience, by using Earth as a reference point, by speaking in terms intelligible to non-scientific people, by relating the exploration of space to that of the Earth by pioneers of old, and by citing such Earth legends as the Library of Alexandria as metaphors for space-related future events. Among Dr. Sagan's favorite topics are the origins of life, the search for life on Mars, the infernal composition of the atmosphere of Venus and a warning about a similar effect taking place on Earth due to global pollution and the "greenhouse effect", the lives of stars, interstellar travel and the effects of attaining the speed of light, the danger of mankind technologically self-destructing, and the search, using radio technology, for intelligent life in deep space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7n71pm0K04

Dave! · 16-04-2010 01:20PM

Haven't gotten around to watching Cosmos yet

Just bits and pieces. Looks class.

Beeker · 16-04-2010 02:26PM

Dave! wrote: »

Haven't gotten around to watching Cosmos yet Just bits and pieces. Looks class.

It's fantastic my friend. Life changing:)

fontanalis · 29-06-2010 06:02PM

Touching the Void.
Two English mountain climbers climb one of the highest peaks in The Andes. They get to the top no problem, the weather gets worse they start going down and things go wrong. Really has to be seen to be believed.

fontanalis · 29-06-2010 06:03PM

DaPoolRulz wrote: »

Life After People

Part-documentary, part-excuse-to-see-big-things-get-destroyed, it theorises what would happen to the world if every human being on the planet suddenly vanished. It shows things like what buildings would survive longer than others, how animals would evolve to adapt to their new surroundings, and whether there would be any trace of our existance in the future. It's quite humbling actually, and shows how insignifacant our existance really is in the long run.

When it aired originally, it became the most-watched documentary ever on the History Channel (which in itself is ironic since it shows a future without us, but presents events as if they happened in the past), and has spawned a spin-off series that goes into more detail.

You can get the original documemtary on DVD, the complete 1st Series was released recently as well, and AFAIK half of Series 2 has been aired in the US already.

AFAIK they are showing re-runs of Series 1 on the History Channel at 10pm on Mondays, and is worth a look at.

The book is very good aswell. I'm not too fond of The History Channel, they show too much nonsense; 2012 and The Rapture etc

Anonymous1987 · 29-07-2010 11:53PM

Two of my favourites

David Attenborough gives a short overview of evolution and Darwin himself
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/charles-darwin-tree-life/

The Cold War period is chronicled in its entirety with 24 hour-long documentaries beginning with the origins of the cold war and ending with the fall of the Berlin Wall
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/cold-war/

Beeker · 31-07-2010 06:35PM

fontanalis wrote: »

Touching the Void.
Two English mountain climbers climb one of the highest peaks in The Andes. They get to the top no problem, the weather gets worse they start going down and things go wrong. Really has to be seen to be believed.

Read the book...what a story!:eek:

barry711 · 30-09-2010 09:00PM

One of my fav docs is this. Philosophy – Guide to Happiness

We tend to accept that people in authority must be right. It’s this assumption that Socrates wanted us to challenge by urging us to think logically about the nonsense they often come out with, rather than being struck dumb by their aura of importance and air of suave certainty. This six part series on philosophy is presented by popular British philosopher Alain de Botton, featuring six thinkers who have influenced history, and their ideas about the pursuit of the happy life

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/philosophy-guide-to-happiness/

barry711 · 30-09-2010 09:11PM

strobe wrote: »

Ecstasy Rising:

I sampled some of the audio in this documentary in a track I made called "Rising" :pac:

Blueboyd · 16-10-2010 08:26PM

ARMADILLO - The best war documentary I have seen ever. Plus the music track was awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DDuRraJbOg

giddybootz · 25-10-2010 04:28PM

Jam (2006)

It's about older roller derby stars and their struggle to keep the sport alive. Really fascinating and sad in parts and was what introduced me to roller derby leading me to go on and help set up a modern league in Dublin

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770774/

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1020003097/ for the trailer.

Blueboyd · 12-12-2010 04:24AM

WikiRebels - A new SVT Documentary that is aired today in Sweden

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhTfOL9_HBE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRF3gYxz1XQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6TRb40Km6A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8imkYy_hJ4E

marienbad · 12-12-2010 05:18AM

Werner Herzog eats his Shoe.
Werner Herzoz promised Errol Morris he would eat his shoe if Morris ever finished his documentary. Morris did so Herzoz eat his shoe.

Murder On a Sunday Morning
Jean-xavier de Lestrade, one of a number of brilliant French documentarians working now, made this brilliant doc of a black kid doing an errand on a Sunday morning suddenly finds himself charged with murder. One of the all times greats. The same director also made 'Staircase'' where he has access to a murder case virtually from day 1 until the verdict, gripping stuff.

Etre et Avoir (To Be and to Have)
Another French one , Nicholas Philibert films a one room one teacher schoolhouse in the Auvergne for one year. Just great.

Hotel Terminus. The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie
Another French doc, this time by the great Marcel Ophuls about the butcher of Lyons , The SS Officer who evaded capture for 40 years before his final return to France. But it is not just another nazi on the run story, did he escape ? was he let go by the allies ?

Holybejaysus · 12-12-2010 05:24AM

I thought the Corporation was rather poor, tbh. And that woman commentator, the most boring monotonous voice I have ever heard!

For me, the best documentary is the 9-11 documentary by the Naudet brothers. They were recording the life of a probie firefighter and recorded the entire event. Unbelievable stuff.

Corsendonk · 24-12-2010 07:32AM

Kings of Pastry- 16 chefs doing 40 recipes take part in a 3 day pastry contest in France to be crowned among the top in their profession, it might sound a light hearted subject but the amount of effort and pressure the chefs put themselves under is compelling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ANUMYH07-Q

diddlybit · 24-01-2011 04:03AM

Thunderball and Jesus Camp have alraedy been mentioned which are both great. Really need to see Jam. But my favourite of all time has to be Grey Gardens about the Beales, an eccentric mother and daughter couple who lived in the Hamptons.

HBO did a remake recently of the documentray with addtional background story, which starred Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange which was phenomanal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW5ryhrzYC4

Also this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Threads:_Stories_from_the_Quilt, the story of the AIDS memorial quilt. Brilliant but a complete tear-jerker.

asmi18 · 07-03-2011 09:01AM

I love documentaries, here a few I really liked:
Enron - the smartest guys in the room
Riding Giants - (surfing)
First Ascent - (rock climbing)

I've also heard that the Fog of War is good, but I've yet to see it

There was one I saw a while back, about a terrorist cell that held parents, teachers and students hostage in a war torn school - it was terrific - It broke my heart, the footage was excellent and there were several poignant interviews with the children. I wish I could tell you the name, I can't recall it.
**Off to do research**

Also, one last mention
Death of a President is more of a mockumentary - but very good in my opinion. It's about the hypothetical assassination of Geroge W Bush - but it's shot like a documentary.

Neo Cricket Live| Football Highlights| Bollywood Movies

MagicMarker · 12-03-2011 02:23PM

Most of my favs have already been mentioned, but I recommend the following two...

Encounters at the End of the World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3leTaf2Txw

In the Shadow of the Moon (is available on youtube)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9d9-pHZzIE

MagicMarker · 12-03-2011 02:30PM

MeerKat17 wrote: »

* Paradise Lost; an amazing documentary - now a trilogy, about 3 young teenagers living in the bible belt of America during the early 90's who were accused and subsequently sent to prison for murdering 3 little boys, blamed because they listen to metallica.
Well worth the watch, they are innocent, and still in prison to this day!

Trilogy? What's the latest one, haven't seen it.

Oh yeah, they are not conclusively innocent! But their guilt is not so convincing.

randomchild · 02-04-2011 02:21PM

Just watched two amazing documentaries recently, though I should share them:

The Doors: When Your Strange (PBS masters series):
Well edited bio of Morrison, with lots of live footage and readings of his own poetry. An absolute must for anyone who is a fan of the band or has seen the Oliver Stone film and wants a more accurate picture. Must check out the rest of this series as this one is absolute quality. Narrated by Johnny Depp
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1333667/

Home (Yann Arthus-Bertrand)
Absolutely stunning nature documentary. Comprised entirely of aerial shots of the earth, it shows the beauty of nature and the effect humans have had on it. Great narration that calls the viewer to action. Best part? Its all youtube:

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

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014762/

Sea Devils · 23-04-2011 11:22PM

Earthlings - Something everyone should see. Some footage is a little dated. Incredibly hard to watch. Will change the way you view food.

The End of the Line - Good documentary exposing the effect of the global demand has on the world's fish supply.

The Revolution will not be televised. One of my favourite documentaries It's an inside look at the coup of Hugo Chavez and the subsequent uprising that brought him back into power.

A Thin Blue Line Errol Morris has a unique way in putting together a story. The score and story coalesce into one of the greatest documentaries of all time. This is one of those that get your blood boiling over how badly the system can fail.

The Art of the Steal is a great documentary about the Barnes Foundation; arguably the worlds top collection of modern art and how it's founder's will gets circumvented by those trying to exploit his collection. It's a story of greed and corruption by local government and the rich, truly a microcosm of the greed and corruption of higher levels.

Confessions of a Superhero. I found this very interesting. It's about those people down in Hollywood that dress up as characters on the Walk of Fame and hang out at the Chinese Theater and across from the Jimmy Kimmel Show.

dvcireland · 24-04-2011 10:39PM

Channel 4's 1998 Equinox Documentary - Near Miss
This programme takes a look behind the scenes of air traffic control in New York, the world's busiest airspace. There has a dramatic rise in the number of near misses, but is this due to the sheer volume of traffic or to some other factors?

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/equinox/4od#2920046

Sea Devils · 07-05-2011 11:58AM

Some other ones that I've watched recently.

Who killed the electric car. A very interesting documentary that shows the rise and fall of the Electric car and how it was all the rage in the mid 1990's. Certainly an eye opener in places.

Word Wars I liked this one a lot.It's about the serious Scrabble tournaments that take place around America. Definitely worth checking out .

180° South Really good documentary about a man who journey's to Patagonia. Some great wisdom throughout and a lot more thought provoking than I anticipated. Also, very pleasing to the eyes.

A/K/A Tommy Chong Very depressing stuff. It's about the US governments attempts to apprehend the "elusive" Tommy Chong -for selling bong-like glass pipes over the Internet. The lengths they went to to bust Tommy was absurd. He was the coolest, calmest character, and these nutjobs stopped at nothing to put him in jail just to further their political careers and agendas.

MeerKat17 · 07-05-2011 01:21PM

MagicMarker wrote: »

Trilogy? What's the latest one, haven't seen it.

Oh yeah, they are not conclusively innocent! But their guilt is not so convincing.

I heard a while back that they were in the process of making a third, haven't heard anything about it since though.

MeerKat17 · 07-05-2011 01:33PM

I watched this last night;
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/nuclear-eternity/4od

Nuclear Eternity, its about the storage of nuclear waste for the future, its really well worth a watch.

Also;
Gasland (2010); its a shocking story about the gas companies in America. it was nominated for an Oscar this year I believe.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1558250/

And I second Earthlings, its very hard to watch though!

Tracy Lee · 18-05-2011 02:58PM

touching the void
hoop dreams
the cove
when we were kings

are some of my favourite all time documentaries.

barone · 19-05-2011 03:06PM

watched earthlings :eek:

was fuming during it and raging after,was on my mind all night,all of today..

one scene is haunting me...

there is no need for suffering,i get the need to kill to consume,but needless suffering and pleasure some derived from it was appaling to me..

its hard to watch..and leaves an deep impression,at least it did on me.

humans suck.

Your Favourite Documentaries (With Info)

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