Favorite Documentaries
Submitted by karasu on Sat, 06/24/2006 - 02:30
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- 1. The Kid Stays in the Picture
- The Kid Stays in the Picture traces the meteoric rise, fall, and rise again of legendary Hollywood producer Robert Evans. Adapted from Mr. Evans's tell-all autobiography, the movie takes the audience on an intimate journey into the mind of this Hollywood legend.
- 2. A Single Blow
- Naoki Eiga isn't as tall or as young as many other kenshi?-the men and women devoted to kendo "the way of the sword"-but Eiga is fiercely competitive. As captain of the Japan Men's Team at the World Kendo Championships, he shoulders a heavy responsibility. Japan has never lost the men's team event, and Japan is also expected to show the world that kendo is more than mere victory and defeat. Eiga faces the ultimate challenge: he must demonstrate true nobility of spirit by overcoming his burning desire to win ?\ yet at the same time he simply mustn't lose.
- 3. The Kids Are Alright
- A dazzling visual diary of legendary performances, THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT chronicles the development of the Who from angry young mod upstarts to worldwide arena rock icons. Director Jeff Stein (who was just 21 at the time) was given unlimited access to archives of the Who, occasionally butting heads with famously strong-willed guitarist/songwriter Pete Townsend over the direction of the film.
- 4. The Five Obstructions
- With THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS, notoriously mischievous director Lars von Trier performs yet another cinematic experiment. This time around, the Danish prankster tries to outwit his mentor, director Jorgen Leth, forcing him to remake his classic 1967 short, "The Perfect Human," five different times, with a series of increasingly outlandish guidelines. His goal is to break down the abnormally stable Leth, teaching him a valuable life lesson in the process.
- 5. Death in Gaza
- In the Spring of 2003, filmmaker James Miller and reporter Saira Shah, the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning duo behind the Afghanistan documentaries UNHOLY WAR and BENEATH THE VEIL, traveled to the Gaza Strip to look inside the lives of children growing up in a war-torn world of unremitting violence, death, and racial and religious hatred. The documentary examines the lives of 12-year-old Ahmed; his best friend, Mohammad; and Najila, a 16-year-old girl who lives in a particularly dangerous neighborhood surrounded by Israeli sniper towers. Though Mohammad's mother makes a desperate plea for peace, the boys throw rocks at Israeli tanks, build homemade bombs, and are recruited by a paramilitary group. Meanwhile, Israeli tanks roll into Najila's neighborhood, crushing and exploding homes in a search for militants.
- 6. The Big One
- Another of Moore's subversive journeys in search of an answer to this question: at a time when corporations are posting record profits, why are so many Americans still in danger of losing their jobs? Searching America's heartland, armed only with a camera, a biting sense of humor and sympathy for the American worker, Moore embarks on a one-man campaign to persuade Fortune 500 companies to consider their downsizing decisions. At last, Moore comes upon one high-profile CEO willing to talk...but the meeting doesn't go exactly the way either had planned.
- 7. Dear Fidel: Marita's Story
- Holocaust survivor, lover of Fidel Castro, secret agent, unwilling witness to the Kennedy assassination inquest. As she tells it, Marita Lorenz's bizarre life story combines pages from spy-thrillers with hush-hush tabloid gossip. At age 61, Lorenz recounts her fling with Cuba's revolutionary leader, tells of her role in a misguided murder plot, and claims she trained in a CIA-backed terror unit alongside Lee Harvey Oswald. Now, with her son and filmmaker Wilfried Huismann in tow, Lorenz returns to Cuba and attempts to see Fidel one last time. TV14
- 8. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
- Three years in the making, this new film from acclaimed documentary filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (the team that created BROTHER'S KEEPER and PARADISE LOST) provides a fascinating, in-depth portrait of the most successful heavy metal band of all time, as they faced monumental personal and professional challenges while recording their first studio album of original songs in five years. In the tradition of such seminal music documentaries as DON'T LOOK BACK and GIMME SHELTER, METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER seeks to transcend the conventions of the "rock ‘n' roll movie" genre, trading rock-star posing for truthful introspection, and revealing an intimate portrait of the individuals behind a legendary band and their unique creative journey.
- 9. Koyaanisqatsi - Life Out Of Balance
- Titled from a Hopi Indian word meaning "life out of balance," this unusual, lyrical film suggests that humanity is an ugly blight on the face of this beautiful planet. An awesome epic undersold by an adjective like "powerful."
- 10. The Gift
- A new documentary, The Gift, by filmmaker Louise Hogarth is a timely investigation into a fascinating phenomenon -- the eroticization of deliberate HIV infection -- that shines a balanced yet uncompromising flashlight on the effectiveness of HIV prevention strategies and the mixed messages that continue to dangerously fuel a psychologically complex and potentially deadly game . Evenly presented yet unapologetically honest, Hogarth’s film wades through very tricky and fragile political waters without being preachy or judgmental.
still trying to find a copy of number 1 as I really want to see it and I also want to read the book.
Have seen number 4. I found it really enjoyable in a painful way.
Have you seen Life and Debt ?