Endless Summer.
It's just about surfers and bitchin' surf spots.
I finished watching Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV available on HBO Max. As the title suggests, it's about the experiences that child actors had when they were working for Nickelodeon in the late 90s and early 00s. I found it very interesting and informative. Beware, it's not just about child labor...I wish it was.
I feel I must give a trigger warning. ::: spoiler It interviews many child-actors that are now adults, and they discuss first-hand experiences with predatory groomers, abuse, and resulting impact on their lives. If you have children, this documentary may be extra difficult to watch since they interview parents of the victims as well. :::
Really shows how the world took down China
I love docs about civil engineering, especially bridges and dams. Modern Marvels has a couple of good episodes on the subject, told/produced in that program's typical format, including the Golden Gate Bridge and The Hoover Dam.
But my favorite is a 1997 episode of Nova called Super Bridge ( https://thetvdb.com/series/nova/episodes/1357201 ). The footage is great, the narration is great (I think its Hal Holbrook!), the storytelling is great, and it showed a great deal of stuff I didn't know I would be fascinated by, while remaining down to earth.
King Corn great documentary couple guys lease an arce of corn and go through the process of how the majority of corn produce in this country (USA) is unbeatable and used for producing corn syrup.
This was going to be my recommendation, so I'm happy to see it.
Around the same time I also watched The Besieged Fortress. It's about an ant colony attacking a termite mound. It's staged, but handled as it might happen in real life, and narrated as if it's some massive siege in medieval times. It's fantastic.
Wow never heard of that one.
I enjoy documentaries where the footage comes from people who are shooting without a very good reason to be doing so. Top picks are likely:
- Exit Through the Gift Shop
- Grizzly Man
Very different reasons I liked these. And liked is maybe the wrong word for Grizzly Man.
Would love to suggestions of similar if anybody in this thread has favs.
I really liked Behind the Curve. A crew follows around some flat earthers to see how they got into it and what it's like living your life believing the Earth is flat. All of them talk about the friendship and comradery of the group more than why they believe the earth is flat. In fact, one of the members explains that if he was given definitive proof the Earth wasn't flat, he'd still pretend it was because he wouldn't want to lose his friends.
It really shows how people who hold extreme views often hold them because it gives them a group to be a part of. You'll never be able to get someone to leave an extremist organization without giving them another group to be a part of.
Going Clear, it's about scientology, how it started and spread, how they abuse their people, harass anyone who challenges them. It really shows the true power of money and manipulation, and also shows why freedom of religion should be restricted.
I went through an scientology phase (academic interest, not a follower) and have seen a ton of documentaries on the topic. This one is by far the best, and really just a well made documentary in general.
“Who killed the electric car?” A fascinating look at the EV1 — an electric car developed by GM in the early 90s and leased to customers in California. The customers then had to give it back when the lease was over… so that GM could crush them all into little pieces and pretend the car never existed. It will make you angry.
Second choice would be “Hands on a Hardbody” about a radio station giving away a truck in East Texas. It’s a great time capsule of its time and place. Both sad and funny.
Oh man Hands on a Hardbody is one of my favs. A true classic. I even saw it in the theater when it came out!
Wild Wild Country
A bit overlong (typical for Netflix), but it has that irresistible "Surely this won't get any crazier" thing going for it. It's also a bit unique among cult documentaries in that the cult leader (technically second in command I think, but the de facto leader for a time) is interviewed and is remarkably candid about everything.
Searching for Sugar Man
It's like a modern fairytale. An aging Latino day labourer from detroit with an assumed failed 1970's music career is unearthed to be utterly successful in South Africa without knowing it. And the music is great.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrFjCHGcIuMnq2Vg7nJei3ZVVxHeOnU8D&si=nM0CqQnDFW7wYbSn
Here's a YouTube playlist of some of his songs. Great movie.
If you like space/NASA
Good Night Oppy (2022).
It's about the Opportunity Rover on Mars. Great little doc about an amazing little rover.
The private life of plants, by David Attenborough. I love it because it shows plants living at our speed (timelapses) with clear explanation and interesting facts. The soundtrack is nice and weird with a lot of synths, which is different from the normal orchestral backing. Also I love David :)
So happy to see someone out on the webs that also enjoyed that documentary! It's an older one, if I'm not mistaken. I really really really enjoyed that one and it gave me a much different perspective on plant life. I still think of some of the stuff i saw on that series.
Ngl following the life of a plant sounds ultra boring, I don't think even Sir Attenborough can do that interesting for me.
I get where you are coming from, but you could not be more wrong. They fix the boring part because they speed up those parts by a factor of 30000 or more. I learned so much from this series of docu's. Also... It's Sir Attenborough, arguably one of the best in his class. He can do it, nobody. He can do it.
Spoken by a person who is almost infinitely interested in everything, hahaha.
You haven't lived until you see two vines desperately trying to choke the shit out of each other in "real time" for them which is like 20x speed for us.
Earthlings (2005) was life-changing for me, opening my eyes to veganism. A more recent version is Dominion (2018).
But these deal with a gruesome topic. Planet Earth (2006) is more suitable for "favorite". It blew me away, because I've never seen wildlife footage like this before.
Ghenghis Blues
American musician with a short wave radio hears Mongolian music for the first time and it changes his life.
He goes on a trip 1/2 way around the world to discover it in person.
Oh, and he's blind.
An Honest Liar.
World-renowned magician and escape artist James "the Amazing" Randi dedicates his life to exposing fake psychics and others who claim paranormal powers, while keeping a secret of his own that takes up the latter portion of the Documentary.
The "Alone in the Wilderness" videos by Dick Proenekke. Middle-aged guy gives up on the rat race and heads to a remote spot in Alaska, builds a cabin, chills there for 30-years.
The man is amazing. Using hand tools he packed in by himself, he builds a nice cabin, hunts and fishes, all that. Dick needs a spoon or a table or a shelf? He makes one. He makes everything he needs.
No video has ever brought me such peace as listening to the narrator.
He's my hero but have you seen the one's he narrated himself? His voice is a little funny
I started watching it because the guy was making a spoon for himself and I thought it was so cool that he was so self sufficient
Then I turned on one of the episodes and we was going into his HOUSE that he made for himself, mucking around with the door and trying to make a good way of doing the hinges
This started my love for watching folk build cabins by themselves, I must have seen a hundred by now!
Touching the Void
It's a wild ride that showcases just how strong humans really are. Definitely worth a watch!
In 1985 two friends, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, set out to climb Siula Grande in Peru via the West Face, a hitherto unaccomplished feat by any climber. After a tough ascent they succeed but on the descent they run into significant problems. Soon they are both in dire danger and the chances of surviving are slim.
https://youtu.be/sRlvDKcDvsI?si=C6nf9dL3A7j32tEL
The Realms of the Unreal. It's a documentary about a hermit named Henry Darger who created his own little world while living alone all his life. The guy could read and write, but lacked an education on just about everything else.
I just find it neat that this entire world he created could have been easily thrown away, never to be discovered if his landlord wasn't curious. The guy had some serious mental issues, but it's still fascinating.
Thanks for the suggestion. The documentary seems intriguing.
Supposedly there is another one that doesn’t make it sound quite so awesome and emphasizes more for balance purposes the negligence and corruption that killed a bunch of people aspect. But many people who were around at the time seem to like this one.
Also, “Kunuk Uncovered” from Documentary Now on Netflix.
Is this the same as "Class Action Park"?
Not the same documentary, as far as I know, but the same park
There are other more professional ones on the same park but this video is by far the best I’ve seen in terms of getting to the heart of things
BBC The People’s Century. Goes over history from 1900-2000. Has actual interviews with 100 year olds at the time, like a guy who stormed the palace with Lenin.
This sounds fantastic... and it's on YouTube. Sweet.
The wonderful whites of West Virginia.
Just watch it.
This sounds WILD!
The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia 2009 1h 26m
A year in the life of the White family, well known for Jesco White, the star of the "Dancing Outlaw" documentary.
Sex and nudity: Moderate
Violence and gore: Severe
Profanity: Severe
Alcohol, drugs and smoking: Severe
Frightening and intense scenes: Moderate
Recently found out about Toxic Puzzle, a doc about how a guy, searching through cultural medicines for cancer cures, switched to finding causes & help against ALS & how that search led to new information about cause of Alzheimers.
Cyano-bacteria is a terror!
Vital Medical information & forward movement not pursued by pharmaceuticals (cause they can't figure out how to market it).
Senna. I care not for formula 1 or any other racing but that was amazing. Brilliant music too. I always think it's the best documentary I've seen because of how little I care for the subject topic and how much I got from the movie. The guy was just really cool and the film makers told his story so well.
+1
The Most Unknown (2018). Described as ""nine scientists... who visit one another blind-date style", it follows a scientist of one field/ discipline and they nerd out, travel to another scientist of a completely different field, and talk to them about their work next. But they have a discussion, and you can see how different these minds are, yet how they can value the insight of the other. The next scientist travels to another, and it daisy-chains until 9 scientists' work are explored.
It's quite neat, and it just brings a feeling of the joy of curiosity and the wonder of the universe we live in. It's an easy watch, I'd say. Here's the Wiki.
I liked that documentary
If you're looking for a 'wild ride,' watch Wild Wild Country mini TV series.
If you're looking for a music-related documentary, watch Metal Evolution. (You can find most of the episodes on Youtube.)
If you're looking for something more biographical and about someone intriguing, and have some laughs while doing it, watch George Carlin's American Dream.
I really liked Wild wild country. It was very well put together and told Osho's story in a way that showed all the bits and pieces.
HyperNormalization by Adam Curtis. It recounts decades of world events to shape a picure of how the world as we see it has been carefully cultivated. "You were much a part of the system that it was impossible to see beyond it." It's foundational to my entire worldview.
The Power of Nightmares was very good as well.
Adam Curtis is a style all it’s own
Dear Zachary - the most uniquely produced and one of the most heart-wrenching docs I've ever seen.
Once Upon a Time in Iraq - Interviews with Iraqis, describing the war with their own eyes.
The Corporation - if everyone watched this perhaps people would be more concerned about Big Cor'prit than Big Guv'mint.
Man! Dear Zachary hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't stop crying at every turn of events. Absolutely heart breaking.
Does This Is Spinal Tap count? It's hilarious!
It is a mockumentary, but a good one at that. recommended
Even if it didn't quite invent the genre - The Rutles predates it by half a decade, there could be earlier examples - it most definitely defined it.
A homely, DIY look at Siberian wildlife, people, country, and culture. I like the view into an area I am so far from, and previously knew nothing about.
- It is 20yrs old and in Russian language. Not meant to push any agenda, I just like the animals and countryside.
A monument to one of the most rebel writers who ever walked amongst us.
The Fire Within Werner Herzog has a more well known volcano documentary but this one is better.
He uses footage filmed by a couple who died in a pyroclastic flow (imagine Herzog saying that!) in Japan. Essentially it’s Herzog watching them watching volcanoes.A Certain Kind of Death. It's a very stark and dry documentary about what happens to the bodies of people who die with no next of kin. It follows the journeys of three people who die alone, with no heirs, and no relatives to come pick up their stuff.
I remember the guy in charge of the place talking about how very often he'd call the family of a decedent and the survivor would say something like "Oh... well, we always wondered what happened to him." It struck me, made me realize that this is how I was going to go at some point if I didn't change my ways.
I have yet to change my ways.
Good luck getting to some place you're happy being.
The Barkley Marathons
Very goofy race rules, I rewatch it every year or two
If you're looking for a documentary combined with a horror, David Farrier's Tickled makes for a great watch.
Team foxcatcher.
Great storytelling and has many interesting elements: Professional athletes, millionaire heir, family life, etc. It is a wild ride. I had never heard about this case until I watched the documentary.
Not my favorate to watch, but the one I prefer to recomend.
Vernon, Florida
I happened to live near there for a couple years. When I went online, to see if I could show some proof of the things I witnessed there, to friends not from there, this documentary came up. Though it takes place like 15ish years before I was there, it still was a good overview of my experience there. Basically the documentarian went there to make a film about the very high rate of lost limbs there, and ended up just showcasing the strange white-trashness of the place.
This documentary is way under appreciated. I highly suggest it.
Not so much as a single documentary, but a topic. Lance Armstrong and doping, specifically in endurance sports. It's a fascinating topic.
Kind of an obvious one, but Free Solo. Even knowing what happens, it's one of the most tense things you'll ever watch.
The Social Dilemma
Ironic, I know.
Cane Toads: An Unnatural History.
Air Guitar Nation.
Icarus was insane. From an amateur cyclist trying to up his game that leads him on a journey of discovery into the world of performance enhancing drugs and escalates to literally the highest echelons of the sporting world leading to global ramifications, maybe a war.
This one was insane, I have to agree.
American Movie. Sweet film about a quirky but determined film maker to make a movie and hit it big. The characters are fantastic slices of Americana.
Anvil. Film about a heavy metal band who almost made it and try one last time. The crazy part is the night I watched it they were playing in my home town. I regret not going to see them. They are just a few normal guys who are lived by their community and once rocked out on the same stage as Metallica.
Dig! It is a fascinating rockumentary.
Hold Fast. A documentary by Moxie Marlinapike (Founder for signal amongst other things).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lwbHYOFD-4
Its a wonderful look behind the curtains. Gives a good impression who he is as a person long before he had any success.
I love the shows about Laurel Canyon.
When we left earth, a multi part history of the space program.
The Farthest is excellent, too
- The Magic of Mushrooms
- The Power of the Placebo
First two that come to mind.
Nuclear Nightmares, a documentary about our fear of radiation:
Return of the scorcher
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105248/
“this film discovers an evolving bicycling renaissance, exploring bike culture and lifestyles around the world with beautiful and inspiring scenes of bike use in China, The Netherlands, Denmark, and the U.S.”
When animals attack. A 90s shockumentary. Or more of a TV show? It only had like 4 eps.
Space Jam. I grew up with it even if didn't knew who Michael Jordan was, he had a interesting career.
