The Awesome Documentary Thread

[dhokarena56]

As I write this, I'm starting the last episode of New York: A Documentary Film, by Ric Burns (Ken's brother). It absolutely knocks my socks off. It's without a doubt the very best documentary I've ever seen.

So, what other documentaries have you all seen?

[charliepanayi]

I'll mention Senna, since I saw it last year and thought it was fantastic. Left me in tears by the end. Even if you have no interest in Formula 1 at all, it's still compelling.

[folkhero]

Hoop Dreams is probably the best documentary of all time. The scope of it is incredible, they followed two young basketball players for 6 years of their lives. You watch these boys grow up, watch them have successes and failures. You see the adults in their lives sacrifice to help them, let them down by their own failings, use them for personal benefit and everything in between. It's somewhat of a cliche that athletics is 'the only way out' (that is out of cycles of poverty, under-education, the ghetto, etc.) for a lot of young people in this country, but this film gives a real since of what that really means and how that can leave people with so little control over their own lives.

[niridanat]

As I write this, I'm starting the last episode of New York: A Documentary Film, by Ric Burns (Ken's brother). It absolutely knocks my socks off. It's without a doubt the very best documentary I've ever seen.

So, what other documentaries have you all seen?

What's it about?
Might wanna check it out..

There is one documentary movie that i love. You can type it on youtube to search for Soi Dog the movie.

I just burst into tears every time i watch it.

[dhokarena56]

It's a history of New York City.

[clockworkmonk]

There is this serious discussion on American Hobos during the depression

More seriously, there are ones consistently produced by Nova, a series I love for its treatment of science, Intelligent Design on Trial being one of my favorite of theirs.

[hetas]

This thread needs to get longer. I'll throw in some I've liked enough to keep. Recording from TV is my main source for documentaries.

Classic Albums -series.
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Atomic Café
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Martin Scorseses "The Blues"-series
The Woodstock Diary
The Yes Men Fix The World
Hammer & Tickle: The Communist Joke Book
First Kill
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
...

Anyone seen The Decline of Western Civilization? I've been waiting for this to come out on DVD or BD but is doesn't seem to happen.

EDIT: Got to add New York Doll. For me this was one of those "You could't make this stuff up"-moments.

[Talk]

Lake of Fire
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b6h0lsiQcw

I'm sure the black and white presentation seems like gratuitous navel-gazing, but there is some truly breath-taking content in there. Yes, it delves way more into the sensationalist, homicidal anti-choice crowd, but it does give some anti-choice people of a more moderate stance to have their say. And anyway, single sound bytes like a pro-choice volunteer saying "I have held the hands of dozens of women having abortions, and no one has taken it lightly" are quite haunting IMO.