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Recommend me some documentaries

Frantic Canadian

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I love documentaries and am always on the lookout for any good ones. Anybody have any good recommendations?
 

TV's Frink

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Pinocchio Sex Change.
 

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Hey, you started it. :p
 

Frantic Canadian

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Thanks for the list Adabisi. I've seen about half of them, the ones in bold, but I'll read up on the others. I'm a little surprised that they only included the first Paradise Lost film because I thought all four films were really good, and should probably be watched in a marathon viewing. I'm also surprised that none of Sam Dunn's documentaries on heavy metal, or Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster and Anvil: The Story Of Anvil, made the list. And despite not being included, which is shocking, I have seen, and own, American Movie.

50. Spellbound (2002)
49. Truth or Dare (1991)
48. The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)
47. One Day in September (1999)
46. Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1998)
45. The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)
44. Burma VJ (2008)
43. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006)
42. Catfish (2010)
41. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

40. When We Were Kings (1996)
39. Biggie & Tupac (2002)
38. March of the Penguins (2005)
37. Inside Job (2010)
36. Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)
35. Paragraph 175 (2000)
34. Brother’s Keeper (1992)
33. Tongues Untied (1989)
32. Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)
31. Jesus Camp (2006)
30. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

29. Man on Wire (2008)
28. Gasland (2010)
27. Tarnation (2003)
26. Murderball (2005)
25. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
24. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)

23. The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000)
22. Shut Up & Sing (2006)
21. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
20. Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
19. Touching the Void (2003)

18. Food, Inc. (2008)
17. Street Fight (2005)
16. Bus 174 (2002)
15. Crumb (1994)
14. Dark Days (2000)
13. The Fog of War (2003)
12. Bowling for Columbine (2002)

11. Paris Is Burning (1991)
10. Grizzly Man (2005)
9. Trouble the Water (2008)
8. An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
7. The Celluloid Closet (1995)
6. The War Room (1993)
5. Supersize Me (2004)
4. Waltz With Bashir (2008)
3. Roger & Me (1989)
2. The Thin Blue Line (1988)
1. Hoop Dreams (1994)
 

TV's Frink

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Chasing Ghosts
Special When Lit
The Parking Lot Movie
Hell House
Cleanflix
An Unreasonable Man
The War Room
 

DominicCobb

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I don't watch nearly as many docs as I probably should.

Off the top of my head:

Harlan County, USA (little depressing but very interesting)
The Last Waltz (great if you like Scorsese and/or The Band)
This Film Is Not Yet Rated (might make you think twice about basing your movie watching on the MPAA)
 

Adabisi

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Sam Dunn's metal docs are great, but I don't think they have much appeal outside fans of the genre. Check out Rush: Beyond the Lighted stage if you haven't.

The Anvil doc is amazing and easily appeals to fans outside the genre. One of the best "never give up" stories I've come across. Lips lives in my area - I see him around the neighbourhood every now and then. Permanent smile on face.

Some other good ones:

Dear Zachary - don't read anything about it. Watch it. If you're not bawling your eyes out by the end, you're not human.
Searching for Sugar Man - well-deserved Oscar. Great story, incredible life.
Hail Hail Rock and Roll - Chuck Berry. Worth watching for the scene with him and Keith Richards alone.
Heavy Metal in Baghdad - incredible story of a metal band trying to make it in Iraq.
Dreams of a life - searching for answers about a woman who lay dead in in her apartment with the TV on. For 3 years.
Gonzo - Hunter S. Thompson in the 70s.
 

Frantic Canadian

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TV's Frink said:
Chasing Ghosts

Do you have a link? Looked it up on the IMDB and the only thing that came up with an exact title match was this.

TV's Frink said:
Special When Lit

Ooh! That one sounds real interesting. Will definitely look for that one.

TV's Frink said:
Cleanflix

I remember reading about that, here I think. Definitely interested in that one as well.

DominicCobb said:
I don't watch nearly as many docs as I probably should.

Off the top of my head:

Harlan County, USA (little depressing but very interesting)
The Last Waltz (great if you like Scorsese and/or The Band)
This Film Is Not Yet Rated (might make you think twice about basing your movie watching on the MPAA)

I've seen Harlan County, USA and This Film Is Not Yet Rated. I haven't seen The Last Waltz but if I'm not mistaken it's a concert film and I'm not a fan of The Band so I'll pass on that one. And I never said I was basing my movie watching on the MPAA. It's just that if I were to avoid any and all films approved by the MPAA I'd be relegated to only watching independent and foreign films. Even documentaries are viewed and approved by the MPAA. I just thought it would be a fun thing to do and also perhaps a way to keep track of what I watch, aside from my yearly viewing list.
 

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A couple more:

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia - rural American outlaw family
One Day in September - hostage taking at the '72 Olympics. Much better than Munich, IMO.
 

Frantic Canadian

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Adabisi said:
Sam Dunn's metal docs are great, but I don't think they have much appeal outside fans of the genre. Check out Rush: Beyond the Lighted stage if you haven't.

I don't know if that's true, but then again I've been a metalhead for about 25 years now and I love documentaries about all genres of music. I haven't seen Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage yet but I'll put it on my list.

Adabisi said:
The Anvil doc is amazing and easily appeals to fans outside the genre. One of the best "never give up" stories I've come across. Lips lives in my area - I see him around the neighbourhood every now and then. Permanent smile on face.

That is pretty cool. I saw the film just recently but I also have the book. Haven't gotten around to reading it yet though.

Some other good ones:

Adabisi said:
Dear Zachary - don't read anything about it. Watch it. If you're not bawling your eyes out by the end, you're not human.
Searching for Sugar Man - well-deserved Oscar. Great story, incredible life.
Hail Hail Rock and Roll - Chuck Berry. Worth watching for the scene with him and Keith Richards alone.
Heavy Metal in Baghdad - incredible story of a metal band trying to make it in Iraq.
Dreams of a life - searching for answers about a woman who lay dead in in her apartment with the TV on. For 3 years.
Gonzo - Hunter S. Thompson in the 70s.

I've seen Heavy Metal In Bagdad but not the others. Dreams Of Life sounds real interesting though.
 

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Gaith said:

I saw Last Train Home recently at the library but I didn't check it out. I'll be sure to reserve a copy though. I recently got Good Hair though so I'll be watching that one soon.
 

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In case anyone is looking for recommendations from me, aside from the ones I've already mentioned, I definitely recommend the following:

- Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

If you're a fan of the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise then you must own this film. It's a four hour documentary on the entire franchise, including the Freddy's Nightmare series and the remake. Four hours may seem like a long ass time for a movie but the time just flies by. By the end I was left wanting more as I felt that they could/should have spent a lot more time on each film. There's also plenty of deleted/extended scenes iirc.

- His Name Was Jason

Interesting documentary on the Friday The 13th franchise, but ultimately it pales in comparison to Never Sleep Again. Never Sleep Again should be the benchmark for which documentaries on film franchises are made.

- Halloween: 25 Years Of Terror

Documentary on the Halloween franchise, but like His Name Was Jason, it pales in comparison to Never Sleep Again.

- The Psycho Legacy

Documentary on the Psycho franchise.

- Going To Pieces: The Rise And Fall Of The Slasher Film
- American Hardcore (documentary about hardcore punk rock)

I've got more, I just need to think a little. :lol:

Has anyone seen I Am Nancy? I really want to see that one.
 

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Frantic Canadian said:
I haven't seen The Last Waltz but if I'm not mistaken it's a concert film and I'm not a fan of The Band so I'll pass on that one.

I'm a massive metalhead, but I'll be the first to admit The Last Waltz is the best concert film ever made. You've got the best musicians of the 20th century sharing the stage for one night. Give it a shot.
 

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TV's Frink said:

Sweet! I love old school gaming docs.

Adabisi said:
I'm a massive metalhead, but I'll be the first to admit The Last Waltz is the best concert film ever made. You've got the best musicians of the 20th century sharing the stage for one night. Give it a shot.

Even better than The Song Remains The Same? I am a big Scorsese fan though so I think I'll give it a shot.
 

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Frantic Canadian said:
Even better than The Song Remains The Same? I am a big Scorsese fan though so I think I'll give it a shot.

Yes, and by a huge margin. And I love LZ.

And speaking of old school gaming documentaries, King of Kong is great.
 
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