Great Documentaries

[Theremin]

I am a huge, huge fan of documentaries in general, and I'm always looking out for new ones.

I thought it would be nice to have a thread in which to list/recommend any documentaries or documentarians you really like.

Adam Curtis is one of my personal favourites, he makes twisting dreamlike pieces that make liberal and creative use of stock footage.

His best work, in my opinion, is The Century of the Self (Parts one, two, three, and four) which is about how the Freud familiy, and Freud's ideas, influenced the way governments and corporations thought about, and interacted with people.

Honourable mention should also go to The Power of Nightmares (Parts one, two and three) which is about the rise of the radical Islamist movement and the rise of the neo-conservative movement, and how politicians have tried to use fear as a tool of power.

Also, his latest thing, All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace (Parts one, two and three), is about how the emergence of computing technology has changed the way we view ourselves, and the world.

A doc you may not have heard of (but is utterly chilling and excellent) is Deliver Us from Evil, which is about a Catholic Priest who molested two dozen kids and whose crimes were allegedly covered up by officials within the church. Not for the weak of heart.

Another cool one is Small Town Gay Bar, which is on youtube in pieces (part one here. It's quite literally what it says on the tin, about how small communities of LGBT people use a social centre to cope in small (unwelcoming) towns.

***

And everyone else...GO. Points if you can find it online.

[AlexanderDitto]

Helvetica.

I mean...

[JackSlack]

"The Devil At Your Heels" is the best bad documentary ever. The story of a down on his luck stuntman with way less talent and acclaim than he believes, his delusion is only exceeded by his advisors (who are either even more in love with him or, more likely, taking him for a ride) and possibly the documentarians. Seriously, it's a laugh riot in a horrible, can't look away car crash kind of a thing.

Best actual documentary? I stand by "Hoop Dreams", which is an emotional powerhouse.

Oh! And I'm a big fan of "The Human Body" series of docos.

[Arius]

Obligatory

[Drinnik]

Anything by Louis Theroux, but especially his ones about the porn industry, the two about the Phelps family and the one with the Nazis. I also liked the Panorama about Scientology.

[xdeathknightx]

I really like American Movie, so many good quotes in that

Louis Theroux is very good indeed

[Lisra]

I very much second Louis Theroux.

"What the bleep do we know" is... interesting. The ideas it promotes are mostly rubbish or pseudoscience, but it is immensly entertaining to watch.

"The First World War" by the BBC is the best documentary on the subject I have ever seen.

[Gap Filler]

After forty odd years, The World at War remains the finest word on the Second World War and British documentary making (particularly that of the BBC).

Objectively, I didn't think Heavy Metal in Baghdad was a very good documentary. I've still got a soft spot for it given the subject matter, the manner said was explored and the circumstances surrounding the production.

There's also Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives, which chronicles Mark 'E' Everett of Eels learning about his father, Hugh Everett, by learning about his work in the quantum mechanics field. Its a great insight into quantum mechanics, particularly parallel dimensions, and lives of father and son Everett.

[Myrph]

I have to admit, I really enjoyed watching the BBC Horizon episode How To Kill A Human Being, which discusses the ethics and science behind the death penalty. What particularly fascinated me was how far Michael Portillo was willing to go, to experience some of the methods being considered.

[Evil Jim]

James Burke's Connections. A series on the history of inventions & how they all link up in the most interesting ways. Guaranteed to blow your mind. (It did mine. Ever wonder why I walk this way?)


Tim Hunkin's The Secret Life of Machines. A very entertaining & whimsical look into the history & how-it-works of the common household & office devices you use every day.

Notable moments:
recording voice on nothing more than sticky-tape & rust
using a pencil as a light bulb filament

[Wolfenbarg]

I really like American Movie, so many good quotes in that

Louis Theroux is very good indeed

Beat me to the punch. If you've ever tried making movies, this film will speak to your soul. It's touching, slightly depressing, and completely hilarious all at the same time. You want so badly for them to succeed even if their project is so obviously mediocre.

EDIT:

I have to admit, I really enjoyed watching the BBC Horizon episode How To Kill A Human Being, which discusses the ethics and science behind the death penalty. What particularly fascinated me was how far Michael Portillo was willing to go, to experience some of the methods being considered.

I just watched this. It was very, very good. I'm actually kind of appalled at the guy who thinks the suggested solution for executions was horrible because of the fact that it was painless. Justice and vengeance require very different methods in killing someone. Death is the penalty, not dying. Torturing someone to death is never a good thing.

[Trymantha]

I found "The September Issue" quite interesting and it changed the way i view the fashion industry

[LogicSword]

I recommend anything Charlie Brooker does. They're really funny, but they're also really interesting insights into how TV etc. work. They can all be found here http://www.youtube.com/user/zthemusic

[Alja-Markir]

Just watched it, cannot recommend it enough - Exit Through The Gift Shop, by Banksy.

~Alja~

[Wolfenbarg]

This Film is Not Yet Rated is a brilliant piece of work. It's about the MPAA and their hold on the film industry, most importantly on independent film. The system works in a way that would be utterly baffling to most people, especially the appeals process to get a lower rating. We're all so used to precedents being set in order to defend oneself, it really is a shock that if you try to use a precedent with the MPAA, they throw your ass out on the spot. That's not the only cruel little trick though. If you have any interest in movies at all, you really need to see that film, it's incredible.

[njsykora]

Anything Paul Merton does about old films. The Birth of Hollywood was one of the best series' I've ever seen since he has such a passion for the subject and you get swept up in his enthusiasm.

[CancerBottle]

Collapse, Inside Job, Control Room, Who Killed the Electric Car?, Restrepo, Food Inc., Casino Jack and the United States of Money, From Beirut to Bosnia. Heavy-hitting, often depressing stuff, but incredibly important.

Kudos on the Connections suggestion. James Burke is a wonderful host. It's like going on a kick-ass field trip with that teacher who showed you how That One Subject You Hated was awesome.

EDIT:

Man on Wire is a great piece on the guy who walked a tightrope between the Twin Towers in 1974. An absolutely amazing, inspiring documentary.

EDIT 2:

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold from Morgan Spurlock, the guy who made Super Size Me. It's a hilarious and insightful movie about advertising.

[Gap Filler]

Just remembered Last Chance to See. Both the Douglas Adams radio version and the Stephen Fry TV version are essential viewing.

[Ergo]

Tim Hunkin's The Secret Life of Machines. A very entertaining & whimsical look into the history & how-it-works of the common household & office devices you use every day.

One of my all-time favourites too.

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by Carl Sagan is more than deserving of a mention. It's a solid overview of a fairly broad portion of scientific history through to more modern endeavours.

I'm inspired and enthused each time I watch it; an absolute classic. It looks as though the whole lot is on YouTube at the moment. The DVD box is entirely worth the asking price though in my opinion.

[Drinnik]

I've heard good things about Grey Gardens, a doc from the 70s about Jackie O's (I think) sister and mother.

I'm also enjoyting Mark Gatiss' History of Horror on BBC 4.

[sdhonda]

Dreams With Sharp Teeth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmfzKKM49uY

[Myrph]

Dreams With Sharp Teeth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmfzKKM49uY

So much this. Harlan Ellison is a genius and is utterly, brilliantly insane! I really need to watch it again some time soon!

[sdhonda]

I also recently watched a Kevin Burns doc on Frank Llyod Wright (also a controversial genius).

[Raven_Glory]

Just watched it, cannot recommend it enough - Exit Through The Gift Shop, by Banksy.

~Alja~

Seconded, and in a similar vein, F For Fake, by Orson Welles, which seriously might be the best documentary I've ever seen. It has a similar meta-narrative to Exit through the gift shop and you can tell that Banksy was inspired by Welles.

And Ken Burn's War, its an America-centric look at WW2, but really hits home with the personal stories and life in wartime america. Maybe the best WW2 doc ever, and thats coming from someone who watches a lot of history channel.

Also I have to agree with those that have alreadt mentioned to check out Charlie Brooker, in particular How TV ruined you life. And Louis Theroux

[SecretsOfMoon]

Anything about space and cosmology, and anything with Stephen Fry in it. The Top gear trio have each also made some decent documentary type shows about engineering, technology and history.