Not really interested in movies anymore. Documentaries FTW

[Narmer]

What are your favorite crime documentaries? I love the ones where they explain how people pull off big heists.

Capturing the Friedmans
Cocaine Cowboys
Cocaine Cowboys II
Mafia: A History of the American Mob (http://docufans.com/index.php/host/everything-else/crime.html)

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Anyone know of a Guns Germs and Steel type of Documentary?

I thought GG&S was kind of boring to be honest. If you want a more "natural history" doco then Carl Sagan's Cosmos is the perennial favourite. I haven't really seen too many docos about world history.

 

[Spacehead]

There are some good ones out there. Touching the Void is one of the scariest/most intense things I've ever seen.

An awesome movie :thumbsup:

a good war documentary was Battlefield. Loads of information.

Another good one. I've only seen the WW2 parts though.



Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
Brother's Keeper
Alone in the Wilderness
Dream Deceivers: The Story Behind James Vance vs. Judas Priest

 

[0roo0roo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogfights_%28TV_series)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascent_of_money
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commanding_Heights
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_to_Choose
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_(TV_series)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Art_Made_The_World
http://sharetv.org/shows/modern_masters_uk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_We_Left_Earth

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_Machines
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Schama's_Power_of_Art

 

[Narmer]

I love this thread. Watching Supervolcano right now
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/supervolcano/

 

[Ichinisan]

Watching King of Kong right now thanks to this thread. Enjoying it so far.

Report back when you're done.

Still waiting... :whiste:

 

[TheGardener]

I agree with the OP about movies. Perhaps he is right about the age thing, but my guess is that Hollywood just cranks out mostly crap. I've been watching some documentaries on PBS lately. This week I saw one about solving the mystery of how ancient King Tutankhamun may have died, and why his tomb survived intact for 3,000 years. A few weeks back I saw a Ken Burns documentary on the Prohibition movement in the US. It covered the beginning years in the 1800's, into the 1900's when the Constitution was amended, how the US culture was damaged, how a movement started to repeal it and continued through the aftermath of the repeal. Was about 5.5 hours. All fascinating. You can either educate yourself, or watch an Adam Sandler movie, that will make you want to end your life early, like Mayne.

 

[Kaido]

Wow, awesome necro!

I actually got into documentaries not too long ago. I don't know why they are appealing now, just getting older I guess. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is the one that got me hooked, as I'm really into food right now. I've watched a ton of them on food, then started branching out. Well-done documentaries are like going down the rabbit hole on google & wikipedia when a topic strikes your fancy, only someone has already done all of the footwork for you & is presenting it in an interesting way. Watched a really good one on North Korea not too long ago. Vice actually has some really excellent ones:

https://www.vice.com/tag/documentary

If you google "imgur documentaries" you will get pages of lists with links. Here's one with a TON of links to watch them on Youtube:

http://imgur.com/gallery/hBuRxOK

 

[Red Squirrel]

The Day Before Disclosure
Documentary about alien sights or encounters and how the government is secretive about it and knows a lot about such encounters/sights but not willing to share.

I personally don't really believe there are any but open minded to the fact that it could very well be possible, and documentaries like that really make you think.

 

[Ns1]

"Fresh Dressed" and "In Search of General Tso" were both pretty interesting to me.

I've probably seen "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" 5+ times already.

 

[KeithTalent]

Allow me to recommend:

Touching the Void (already referenced in this thread)
Open Water
We Live In Public
Mr. Death
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
Paradise Lost II
The Staircase

You have excellent taste. These are all amazing. We Live in Public and Mr. Death are very under-viewed and need to be seen by more people.

The Staircase is one of the greatest docs ever made. Blowpoke ftw.

KT

 

[Ichinisan]

Of course, The Jinx (HBO) came out since the last time this thread was active. That was AMAZING.

Then we also have Making a Murderer.

Citizenfour (HBO)
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (HBO)

...HBO absolutely killed it last year.

 

[Kaido]

I've probably seen "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" 5+ times already.

If I had the cash & no responsibilities, I would have hopped on a plane to go eat at his shop same-day

 

[Ichinisan]

What We Do in the Shadows - now THAT'S a documentary!
not really -- it's a mockumentary

 

[KeithTalent]

Of course, The Jinx (HBO) came out since the last time this thread was active. That was AMAZING.

Then we also have Making a Murderer.

Citizenfour (HBO)
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (HBO)

...HBO absolutely killed it last year.

Man, I could only make it through about 20 minutes of Citizenfour. The subject matter is interesting enough I guess, I just thought it was a poor documentary and it could not hold my attention.

KT

 

[CraKaJaX]

I find myself in the same boat. Mostly music documentaries. Some great ones:

Beware of Mr Baker
Twenty feet from stardom
Kansas: Miracles out of nowhere
Muscle Shoals
Ain't in it for my health
Soaked in bleach

 

[Ns1]

Twenty feet from stardom is awesome.

 

[BUTCH1]

I love Doc's myself. One of my favorites was "The Moon machines" series which interviews the engineers who had to build the Saturn V, LEM, Command module, ect. The first in the series was "Saturn V", an amazing story of the obstacles these guys had to overcome to build such a monstrous beast, to this day it is/was the most powerful machine ever built by mankind, link.

 

[CraKaJaX]

Twenty feet from stardom is awesome.

That's probably my favorite out of all of them just because it's someone you can almost relate to. They are just everyday people.

'Gimme Shelter' will never be the same.

 

[Ns1]

'Gimme Shelter' will never be the same.

Here's some crazy range - the chick that does backup for Jager also did backup for NIN

 

[CraKaJaX]

Just watched 'Touching the Void' per some posts here. Oh my God. Really unbelievable story. I think I liked this better than the most recent movie 'Everest'

 

[KeithP]

Most of the political documentaries are pure propaganda.

FTFY

-KeithP

 

[Charlie98]

There is very, very little mainstream TV I've watched in, probably, 30 years. I find most season-based TV absolutely unwatchable and responsible in some small measure to the general moral and societal decay (no, I'm not kidding.) When we did have cable, I watched mostly documentaries, biographies, and science stuff. I've always thought programs on actual things, people, and/or events are far more interesting than made up shit.

That probably explains why my bookshelves are full of the same stuff...

FTFY

Yes, you have to understand who is responsible for any 'documentary' or such, and adjust your perception appropriately.

 

[luv2liv]

None of us are getting younger
Found myself loving documentaries too. Hated them when I was younger!
The house I live in, a really nice doc on the war on drugs

 

[nCred]

Deep Water

Apparently there's a movie based on this coming out this year.