Favourite Documentary/Documentaries??

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  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    Queen of Versailles http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_que ... ersailles/

    interesting documentary (was supposed to see this at hotdocs but was movie'd out that day) ... anyhoo - it's an interesting documentary film that ultimately highlights what ails the american economy ... a family who built up enormous wealth on cheap credit, who lived the american dream by essentially living beyond their means and who continue to do so despite mass debt ... hard to feel sorry for this family ...
  • Has everyone seen grey gardens? The original and the movie with drew barrymore?
  • PJFAN13PJFAN13 Posts: 1,422
    I watched ETHEL on HBO last evening...
    What a fantastic documentary...Rory (the youngest of her & Bobby's 11 children) made a magnificent picture.
    If you are a Kennedy fan, this documentary shows a glimpse of a wonderful mother, wife and public servant who seemingly has put the needs of so many people ahead of her own.
    Bobby was a very lucky man...
    This documentary is a must watch for those who enjoy the Kennedy family history and for those of you who are mothers as well.
    I highly recommend this!
    11.30.93~10.2.96~9.13.98~9.1.00~8.25.00~7.3.03~7.5.03
    7.9.03~9.28.04~10.1.05~5.12.06~5.13.06~5.27.06~5.28.06
    8.5.08(EV)~10.9.09~5.21.10~6.20.11(EV)~7.5.11(EV)~7.9.11(EV)
    11.21.13~8.27.16(EV)~11.14.16(TOTD)~4.13.20~9.27.20~9.26.21~10.2.21
    2.15.22 (EV)~2.25.22 (EV)~2.27.22 (EV)~5.3.22~5.7.22~9.17.24~9.29.24
  • ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

    37f8494d919ca41d1bfee88e31a828d2.jpg?1347391613

    Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoVRetUMub0


    Watched this the other week. It's a good one. There was one made earlier called 'Ai Wei Wei: Without Fear or Favour', but this one's better. It makes you pretty angry when you see just how corrupt and stubborn the Chinese authorities are. But Ai Wei Wei is an inspirational dude.
  • HeisenbergHeisenberg Posts: 4,957
    Byrnzie wrote:
    Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

    37f8494d919ca41d1bfee88e31a828d2.jpg?1347391613

    Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoVRetUMub0


    Watched this the other week. It's a good one. There was one made earlier called 'Ai Wei Wei: Without Fear or Favour', but this one's better. It makes you pretty angry when you see just how corrupt and stubborn the Chinese authorities are. But Ai Wei Wei is an inspirational dude.

    Glad to hear this was good. Been wanting to see it
  • PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Posts: 49,889
    Just watched Reel Injun, 2009, directed by Neil Diamond, about how Natives were and are depicted in film. It is an EXCELLENT documentary!! Watch it of you can!
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • A few days ago I caught Park Avenue: Money, Power & the American Dream on Independent Lens on PBS. It's about the widening gap between rich and poor in the U.S. It knocks some pretty big holes in the theory that all you have to do to acquire wealth is work hard.
    "The stars are all connected to the brain."
  • Frozen Planet
    About a son
    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    About a son

    I have this on my hard drive. It's a keeper. Great interview with Cobain, and surprising that you watch the whole thing and only get to see some stills of him at the end.
  • Byrnzie wrote:
    About a son

    I have this on my hard drive. It's a keeper. Great interview with Cobain, and surprising that you watch the whole thing and only get to see some stills of him at the end.

    Yeah I got it on hard drive as well, yesterday I ordered the blu-ray from Amazon.
    I just had to have a physical copy in my library.
    Kurt is my most admired artist and this was just an amazing insight into the man.
    Such a gentle soul gone too soon, the stills at the end made me cry.
    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    Not sure why I've not mentioned this one before. I saw it last year. It's a great one. About 'The Lost Boys' of Sudan, who escaped the civil war there in the early 90's and fled 1000 miles by foot into Kenya, before being repatriated to the U.S ten years later. It shows them struggling to adjust to the modern World, whilst also carrying the burden of having witnessed war up close; many of them having seen their family members killed.

    God Grew Tired of Us

    GodGrewTiredOfUs.jpg


    Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh3YULZHtUQ&feature=fvst

    Full Movie: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/11878743


    From Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Grew_Tired_of_Us

    God Grew Tired of Us is a 2006 documentary film about three of the "Lost Boys of Sudan", a group of some 25,000 young men who have fled the wars in Sudan since the 1980's, and their experiences as they move to the United States. The film was written and directed by Christopher Dillon Quinn. Tom Walker was a co-director.

    Synopsis

    God Grew Tired Of Us chronicles the arduous journey of three young Southern Sudanese men, John Bul Dau, Daniel Pach and Panther Bior, to the United States where they strive for a brighter future. As young boys in the 1980s, they had walked a thousand miles to escape their war-ridden homeland, and then had to make another arduous journey to escape Ethiopia.

    During the five years they walked in search of safety, thousands died from starvation, dehydration, bomb raids and genocidal murder. Finally, they found relative safety in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp. In 2001, 3,600 lost boys, including John, Daniel and Panther, were invited by the United States to live in America. Assisted by Catholic Charities International, the three boys uproot their lives and once again embark on a journey, leaving behind thousands of other refugees who, in the course of their traumatic odyssey, have become their adopted extended family. They must now learn to adapt to the shock of being thrust into the economically intense culture of the United States, learning new customs, adapting to new and strange foods, coping with the ordeal of getting, and keeping a job, or multiple jobs, while never forgetting the loved ones they left behind in Africa. They dedicate themselves to doing whatever they can to help those they left behind in Kakuma, and to discovering the fate of their parents and family.

    The title comes from a statement by John, in expressing that he thought the suffering and killings he saw during his countries civil war may have been the final judgment on the earth spoken of in the Bible, because "God was tired of us," "tired of the of bad things the people were doing."

    God Grew Tired Of Us was produced, written and directed by Christopher Dillon Quinn, executive produced by Brad Pitt and narrated by Nicole Kidman. The title of the documentary is a quote from John Dau discussing the despair he and other Sudanese felt during the civil war.

    Awards

    At the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, the film won both the "Grand Jury Prize: Documentary" and the "Audience Award" in the "Independent Film Competition: Documentary" category.

    The film also won best documentary at the Deauville Film Festival in France and the Galway Film Festival in Ireland.

    Christopher Dillon Quinn was awarded The Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award by the International Documentary Association in 2007 for directing God Grew Tired of Us.
  • ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    Just started watching 'Long Way Round' - the 7 part doc detailing Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman's motorbike ride from London to New York, via Europe, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Canada.

    240px-Long_Way_Round.jpg
  • morellomorello Posts: 6,212
    Byrnzie wrote:
    About a son

    I have this on my hard drive. It's a keeper. Great interview with Cobain, and surprising that you watch the whole thing and only get to see some stills of him at the end.

    Yeah I got it on hard drive as well, yesterday I ordered the blu-ray from Amazon.
    I just had to have a physical copy in my library.
    Kurt is my most admired artist and this was just an amazing insight into the man.
    Such a gentle soul gone too soon, the stills at the end made me cry.
    Wow. Just watched this for the 1st time. I hadn't heard of it before & wow, it definitely gave me a whole different understanding of Kurt. Sure, it's still just one angle but a different angle from anything I've known/thought before so cool, thanks for sharing this one. :)
    <hr>
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    EV - Canberra, Newcastle & Sydney 1&2 2011
  • Yeah I got it on hard drive as well, yesterday I ordered the blu-ray from Amazon.
    I just had to have a physical copy in my library.
    Kurt is my most admired artist and this was just an amazing insight into the man.
    Such a gentle soul gone too soon, the stills at the end made me cry.[/quote]
    Wow. Just watched this for the 1st time. I hadn't heard of it before & wow, it definitely gave me a whole different understanding of Kurt. Sure, it's still just one angle but a different angle from anything I've known/thought before so cool, thanks for sharing this one. :)[/quote]

    One of the best documentaries period. its unique, how many documentaries about famous musicians not only dont feature any footage of the artist or band, but also dont feature any music, and the movie is essentially atmospheric ambient music paired with music that inspired kurt and beautiful video of random things and just kurt and azaradd talking. The opening song by Ben Gibbard is one of the most evocative pieces of music ive ever heard and completely captures the whole subject the life and the death of kurt. you arent going to find alot of kurt love on this board.

    The documentary was touching, funny, insightful, interesting and made you think. When it premiered at sundance people exited the film sobbing.

    the photos at the end were stunning, i think it made a powerful impact precisely because of its placement in the film and the lack of any other visuals and pictures of kurt during the film.

    Kurt was a big deal for a reason. and i think the film could have gone all out. actors, kurt lookalikes, big budgets, nirvana soundtracks. instead they chose the understated, and quiet vibe, and i think that fits with who kurt was.
  • im surprised you hadnt heard of it before. thats what the come as you are book by azzaradd was based on. kurt trusted azerrad. one of the only journalists he trusted and saw as a friend. I think the film gave a more complete picture of who kurt was than probably any other film yet. Surprisingly for how important he was and how influential nirvana was, there really hasnt been many films about them. Youve got Kurt and Courtney, which wasnt out to really discuss kurt in any biographical way. the focus was how he died, and then the last days, which was damn good, i love gus van sant, but that essentially was a day in the life of kurt, it really didnt try to explain anything either.

    this film was kurt talking on various subject, unedited, unfiltered.

    Personally i think the sort of atmospheric ambient lost and lazy feeling i got from the film, reminded me of both the book and movie virgin diaries. All 3 seem to have this overarching sadness and meloncholy, and all try to comprehend why such tragedies could occur.
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  • morellomorello Posts: 6,212
    ^^^^ Hmmm musicismylife78. Lots of good points. Again, thanks for sharing. :)
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    PJ - Auckland 2009; Alpine Valley1&2 2011; Man1, Am'dam1&2, Berlin1&2, Stockholm, Oslo & Copenhagen 2012; LA, Oakland, Portland, Spokane, Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle 2013; Auckland 2014
    EV - Canberra, Newcastle & Sydney 1&2 2011
  • rhcpjam1029rhcpjam1029 Posts: 1,968
    "Every Fucking Day of My Life"

    it's a documentary about a woman who killed her abusive husband in order to save herself and her family. it documents her final five days before she goes off to jail.

    very powerful stuff.
    Beavis: All my friends are brown and red? What does that mean?
    Butthead: It means that his friends are like turds and that they like suck.
    Beavis: Heh heh. Oh yeah. Yeah! Get those spoons out of my face before I shove them up your butt!
    Butthead: Huh huh.
  • smarcheesmarchee Posts: 14,539
    just watched the first part of Ken Burn's The Dust Bowl last night

    fascinating stuff
    1998 ~ Barrie
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    2019 - Chicago X 2
  • ByrnzieByrnzie Posts: 21,037
    smarchee wrote:
    just watched the first part of Ken Burn's The Dust Bowl last night

    fascinating stuff

    Cool. I didn't know he had a new one out.
  • Last-12-ExitLast-12-Exit Posts: 8,661
    I like anything by ken burns.
  • Leezestarr313Leezestarr313 Posts: 14,352
    We watched a documentary from the series American Experience last night. It was called The Donner Party. It might be a bit older, but I've never seen it before. It was about a group of immigrants who went on a treck to California in 1845. Their journey in the end took them almost a year and all kinds of terrible things happened to them. They had to wander through a salt desert and then cross the mountains in winter. There, they got stuck. Without enough food or any outlook to get out there, they started eating the people who died :? It was very interesting, but also very disturbing. I am always so amazed at what people managed to do in those days without the amenities we have today, just by determination and the wish to fulfill their dream.
  • Who PrincessWho Princess Posts: 7,305
    We watched a documentary from the series American Experience last night. It was called The Donner Party. It might be a bit older, but I've never seen it before. It was about a group of immigrants who went on a treck to California in 1845. Their journey in the end took them almost a year and all kinds of terrible things happened to them. They had to wander through a salt desert and then cross the mountains in winter. There, they got stuck. Without enough food or any outlook to get out there, they started eating the people who died :? It was very interesting, but also very disturbing. I am always so amazed at what people managed to do in those days without the amenities we have today, just by determination and the wish to fulfill their dream.
    I've seen that one a couple of times. Fascinating story, especially the reasons why they took an alternate route from most pioneers.
    "The stars are all connected to the brain."
  • Who PrincessWho Princess Posts: 7,305
    smarchee wrote:
    just watched the first part of Ken Burn's The Dust Bowl last night

    fascinating stuff
    That one's very good. If you get interested in the subject, you might want to read The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan.
    "The stars are all connected to the brain."
  • Netflix must have known I was wondering why the hell kids would join the military these days and offered up Where Soldiers Come From for viewing.

    We seriously need to give kids better options.
    I carried a watermelon
  • Kel VarnsenKel Varnsen Posts: 1,951
    We watched a documentary from the series American Experience last night. It was called The Donner Party. It might be a bit older, but I've never seen it before. It was about a group of immigrants who went on a treck to California in 1845. Their journey in the end took them almost a year and all kinds of terrible things happened to them. They had to wander through a salt desert and then cross the mountains in winter. There, they got stuck. Without enough food or any outlook to get out there, they started eating the people who died :? It was very interesting, but also very disturbing. I am always so amazed at what people managed to do in those days without the amenities we have today, just by determination and the wish to fulfill their dream.


    I have seen that one and it is super interesting. It is one of those things where it seems like a ton of things went wrong, and if you take any one of those things out of the chain of events they probably would have been ok. If you have a kindle there is a free book about the donner party, that was published in the 1880's and actually interviews a bunch of the survivors.

    http://www.amazon.com/History-Donner-Pa ... the+Sierra

    As far as the American Experience goes, there are a ton of interesting episodes. Some of the other ones I liked were the one about the 1919 Influenza outbreak, the 1929 stock market crash, the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, Dinosaur Wars, the on on Whaling and the one about the Amish.

    You can watch a lot of them here:
    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/
  • Leezestarr313Leezestarr313 Posts: 14,352
    I have seen that one and it is super interesting. It is one of those things where it seems like a ton of things went wrong, and if you take any one of those things out of the chain of events they probably would have been ok. If you have a kindle there is a free book about the donner party, that was published in the 1880's and actually interviews a bunch of the survivors.

    http://www.amazon.com/History-Donner-Pa ... the+Sierra

    As far as the American Experience goes, there are a ton of interesting episodes. Some of the other ones I liked were the one about the 1919 Influenza outbreak, the 1929 stock market crash, the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, Dinosaur Wars, the on on Whaling and the one about the Amish.

    You can watch a lot of them here:
    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/

    Oh, thanks for the link, I will definitely check it out! I enjoy this series a lot, I'm new to America, and it tells some stories that I never heard of before of events that shaped the country in one or the other way :thumbup:
  • HeisenbergHeisenberg Posts: 4,957
    Just saw "Sound City". Absolutely fantastic. There are more insightful documentaries out there, but I haven't had this much fun watching one since PJ20 came out.
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