Let's watch Awesome Documentaries, 201X edition

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > Let's watch Awesome Documentaries, 201X edition

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

MRC48B posted:

Has anyone seen "Central Park Five" yet?

Yes, it is really saddening. Watch it with a crowd if possible, the reactions of the outraged audience were priceless.

# ¿ Feb 8, 2013 21:51

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# ¿ May 4, 2024 04:20

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

I picked up Grey Gardens on a whim from the library, and I highly recommend it if you're in the mood for watching some very ~~bizarre~~ unique people for an hour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrnrafC1fHI

# ¿ Feb 25, 2013 20:22

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

Just watched Queen of Versailles - equal parts hilarious and pathetic.

And of course the subject of the doc tried and failed to sue the filmmaker for defamation... http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/queen-versailles-lawsuit-filmmaker-wins-415325

# ¿ Feb 28, 2013 03:25

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

SEX HAVER 40000 posted:

Queen of Versailles is loving ludicrous. These people have the hugest blinders, it's almost pitiable. It's sort of a cautionary tale about how loving damaging and gross capitalist excess can be. The only person whom I actually like and care for is the Filipino housekeeper. Her talked about repurposing the kids' huge playhouse into a quiet space for herself is like a glimmering diamond of sanity.

At first I was really surprised that she would choose to stay with them in spite of being away from home. But maybe it's simply because selfless people are so rare?

# ¿ Mar 9, 2013 02:27

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

Thanks to whoever recommended War Photographer, that was some extremely powerful and moving imagery. Also checked out Streetwise, but it didn't get to me like James Nachtwey's work did.

They are both on youtube, and I am forwarding the recommendation in case you guys haven't seen 'em.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eescl-Sa5wU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj7UM-KWJS8

# ¿ Mar 13, 2013 04:14

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

Great Horny Toads! posted:

Hyper Parents and Coddled Kids

All about special snowflakes and helicopter parents. People sign their kids up for ~~pre~~ prep school before they even have the drat kid!

I think the video is only available in canada.

acephalousuniverse posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfDbTgb6uyc

ANTIFA - Chasseurs de skins
This is a pretty killer doc about French antifa skinheads in the 80s.

Agreed. Thanks for the rec!

# ¿ Mar 15, 2013 04:10

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

Ropes4u posted:

Documentary
adjective
1 : being or consisting of documents : contained or certified in writing <documentary evidence>

2 : of, relating to, or employing documentation in literature or art; broadly : factual, objective <a documentary film of the war>

Copy and paste some more stuff, you'll be sure to win the internet.

rotinaj posted:

The Killing of America is one of those documentaries that came out in the early 80s with a lot of graphic footage of Bad Things Happening. They use the Zapruder film of JFK's assassination, actual footage of the famous "Shooting a dude through the head in Vietnam" picture, footage of all sorts of riots and things...

What the Killing of America is about is that is forwards a thesis that America has become a super-violent nation, since the death of JFK up until the film was released in 1982. It covers riots, suicides, sniper attacks, massacres and weird violent crimes like when a guy took a banker hostage, wired up a shotgun so if it was removed from his grasp, the gun would go off, or if it was removed from being against his hostage's neck, it'd go off.

It was oddly fascinating, but I'm more interested in how the docu showed different crimes not just to shock and gross you out, but to show how America has been getting its crimes and violence more and more publicized. A couple different people who committed these crimes just wanted to be known. So, here's the thing.

Anyone have any other recommendations for documentaries to watch, that maybe show vignettes about crimes and dramatic incidents after '82? I doubt a sequel was made of this particular film, but something in the spirit of it(Bowling for Columbine is close, but not perfect) would be interesting.

Thanks for the link, I also think serial killers are fascinatingly horrifying.

As for recommendations: If a Tree Falls takes a look at eco-terrorism incidents. Invisible War covers rapes in the military. The Corporation and Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room talk about various white-collar crimes. America's Largest Street Gang is a fake doc with a bunch of police brutality clips (it's been awhile but that's what I remember). Taxi to the Dark Side is a carnival of horribleness about the US troops abusing detainees in Afghanistan and Iraq. The House I Live In has something to do with prisons and the war on drugs (I have not seen it yet).

nocal posted:

Bowling for Columbine was unfairly attacked because it was big and successful, and some people didn't like its message. What about The Thin Blue Line or Paradise Lost, where the filmmakers make an extremely convincing case for the innocence of someone who was convicted by "documentary" evidence?

It wasn't unfairly attacked. The film is chock full of faulty argument techniques.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2013 04:21

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

Popelmon posted:

I just watched "The Inside Job". I knew about all the things in the movie from books etc but seeing it compressed in one movie is just loving depressing .

The weirdest part is that the same econonomists are still calling the shots, so we're just making more bubbles.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-07/bankers-warn-fed-of-farm-student-loan-bubbles-echoing-subprime.html

Check out Maxed Out for a similar doc.

# ¿ May 26, 2013 05:28

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

El Gallinero Gros posted:

Because I like the cut of yer jib, here's TV ruined Your Life, an examination by Brooker of how TV has corrupted various concepts of Humanity:

Thanks for sharing, these are funny/sad.

# ¿ Aug 20, 2013 05:14

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

nocal posted:

And I am completely hooked on the TV series The First 48, which follows actual homicide detectives during the first 48 hours after a murder (after which, it's said, the chances of solving a murder decline by more than 50%). It shows interrogations, arrests, confessions, and sometimes the case is solved in 30 minutes.

I am hooked on it now too. Thanks!

# ¿ Sep 9, 2013 18:03

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

Check out One Life if you like nature docs. It's charming and quite varied.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbZlXiXKWTk

# ¿ Sep 15, 2013 05:36

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

ulvir posted:

Can anyone recommend any good documentaries about old subcultures, Akin to Filth and the Fury, Headbanger's Journey and the like? Anything about punk, skinhead, mod and early goth would be greatly appreciated.

No need to bring up anything about black metal, however.

This one was posted earlier in the thread. It's about French punks who went around beating up skinheads in the 80s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dn2NRvrR-U

And if you have a really strong stomach you could watch the GG Allin documentary. I couldn't make it all the way through.

# ¿ Oct 6, 2013 02:18

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

Everyone who hasn't already should check out Hands on a Hard Body. It's a completely friendly competition and the participants are wonderfully odd and unique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzj-vb7Lj0A

# ¿ Jun 29, 2014 16:38

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

outlier posted:

While we're on classic documentaries, I just saw Grey Gardens. It's a remarkable piece but maybe difficult to recommend due to being arguably exploitative, little background or setup being given, and a bit disturbing: two slightly crazy and unhappy people tear into each and then reconcile for 90 minutes. It's exhausting.

Any of you guys watched the sequel - Beales of Grey Gardens? It's a special feature on the criterion blu-ray, but I haven't gotten around to checking it out yet.

# ¿ Jun 30, 2014 02:29

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

Duzzy Funlop posted:

Basically, I'd wish for a documentary that neither goes "FRACKING IS HITLER", nor "FRACKING IS JESUS, BECAUSE THIS DOUCHEBAG SAID IT'S HITLER!".

Exactly, it's such a polarizing issue but the rhetoric on both sides is complete nonsense.

In other news, Finding Vivian Maier FINALLY came out and it is absolutely wonderful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o2nBhQ67Zc

# ¿ Jun 30, 2014 15:56

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

zenintrude posted:

I did, it's very good... had to go twice because my first screening had a crazy person yelling at the screen, which I now realize would have probably enhanced the movie had I stuck around.

Were they yelling at Refn for being too smug?

"I'm the only one who's actually seen the movie" :smuggo:

# ¿ Jun 30, 2014 16:55

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

I think I would kick my TV out the window if i had to sit there and watch that smug fucker for an hour.

It is pretty rough, but you can see why people bought into his BS - he buys into it himself! Several times we are shown archival footage of him stating the exact opposite of the viewpoint he is expressing during the interview.

# ¿ Aug 7, 2014 22:05

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

I'd heard good things about Hoop Dreams, and it definitely lives up to the reputation. Check it out on Netflix Instant.

However, I looked on wikipedia to see how the fellas were getting along after 94, and was horrified to find out that Arthur's father and William's older brother were both murdered! :gonk:

# ¿ Sep 2, 2014 21:33

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

I like the look of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCH4fAHtKBo

# ¿ Sep 4, 2014 18:25

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

Is Citizen Koch worth checking out?

# ¿ Oct 2, 2014 21:32

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

Watching Frontline: Losing Iraq on Netflix. Most of the information here can be found in other documentaries, but I think it does a great job gathering together many pertinent details in a tidy package.

Now I just have to convince people to watch it. Probably a fool's hope. :smith:

# ¿ Feb 5, 2015 01:32

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

Streetwise is essential viewing!

# ¿ Mar 19, 2015 18:38

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# ¿ May 4, 2024 04:20

fenix down: Jan 12, 2005

Kull the Conqueror posted:

Maidan is on Netflix. Not sure how well it'll play on a smaller screen, but it's totally worth checking out, especially if you're into people-watching.

Loving the netflix reviews saying that it isn't a real documentary.

# ¿ Jul 1, 2015 19:51

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > Let's watch Awesome Documentaries, 201X edition