Can you recommend a good documentary?

As of late, I’ve been rekindling my interest in documentaries. The last couple of times I rented movies, I rented a documentary. These include American Movie and Crumb, both of which I thought were excellent.

I’m wonder what other documentaries are out there I should consider watching. So that you have an idea of my tastes*, past documentaries that I’ve really enjoyed include:[ul][li]Brother’s Keeper–the story of a 59-year-old dairy farmer that could barely function at an adult level who was accused of killing his terminally ill brother (definately my all time favorite documentary)[/li][li]Hoop Dreams–the renowned documentary about two Chicago youths and their pursuits of careers in the NBA[/li][li]Bingo! The Documentary–a film about people’s obsession with bingo[/li][li]American Hollow–a film about an extended Appalachian family and how they deal with life (Directed by Rory Kennedy, the cousin who was getting married when JFK Jr’s plane crashed)[/li][/ul]I enjoyed Ken Burns’ American Civil War documentary, and hope to some day see his documentary Jazz. But I’m more interested in feature-length documentaries in this post, not mini-series.

Thank you for your input,
–toast

*I think a common theme across all of these films is how they capture people’s reactions to the trials and tribulations they face. Regardles, everyone is, of course, free to express their own tastes.

The most mind-blowing documentary for me was the thirteen part series Cosmos. It is available on DVD.

There is one documentary about the forced liquidation of a farm that really got to me. Does anyone know the one I’m thinking of?

There’s another where a young woman profiles her mother who committed suicide. The title MAY be Daughter of Suicide.

I am horrid at titles. One of the best is about a pet cemetery. Siskel and Ebert gave it two thumbs up and Ebert, on his own, gave it four stars. FASCINATING.

I love documentaries and look forward to reading the list. I hope someone can remember the title of these…

Oh! And Ken Burn’s documentary on Mark Twain.

Atomic Cafe…The funniest and at the same time scariest documentary ever made.

IMHO of course.

I thought Bowling for Columbine was very eye-opening. It’s a little jarring at times, though.

My fave kind of movie.

Grey Gardens and anything Les Blank ever did is a good start. American Movie is one of the best, as you know. They did another called American Job I never saw. Wonder if it is as good as AM?

Cinema Europe - The Other Hollywood, an excellent documentary of silent films in Europe.

That would be Gates of Heaven, which I’ve never seen, but I’ve heard it’s quite good. Ebert’s review is here:
http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/greatmovies/gates.html

The best documentary I’ve ever seen is Roger and Me, Michael Moore’s account of the closing of car factories in Flint, Michigan. It’s depressing and hilarious at the same time. Especially noteworthy is the scene where Moore interviews a beauty queen who appeared in Flint for a parade and obviously didn’t expect to be asked about her feelings regarding the layoffs.

I thought the two Paradise Lost films (Part 1 and Part 2 ) were outstanding. Thought provoking and disturbing though they both are, I thought the 1st was a little better. The 2nd seemed like they were actually less observers and more participants in the case. YMMV, of course

Another good one is American Movie, about a low budget (no budget really) filmmaker’s tragicomic efforts to get his masterpiece made.

IMHO as well.

Also
42 Up - A documentary based on the proverb “Give me a child at 7, and I will show you the man”. The film-maker took a group of 7 year old English boys and girls and has interviewed them at 7 year intervals. Very interesting studies of race, class and gender, as well as being genuine human interest stories.

Hearts of Darkness - A documentary made by Eleanor Coppolla during the filming of Apocalypse Now. Watch as Francis Ford Coppola goes way off the deep end. He makes a better Kurtz than Brando did.

Heavy Metal Parking Lot - A short film documenting the crowd outside a Judas Priest concert somewhere in Maryland.

Roger and Me - A very funny, yet thought provoking, documentary about the Michael Moore’s attempt to get an interview with the CEO of General Motors. GM is closing it’s plant in Flint, Michigan (the film-maker’s home town), causing great economic hardship and turmoil

When We Were Kings - Documentary about the classic 1973 “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match between Mohammed Ali and George Forman.

Happy viewing

“When We Were Kings” is excellent. It’s about the Ali-Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” heavyweight boxing match in the early '70s. It started out a documentary on all of the black bands and musicians who accompanied the boxers, but turned into a look at the fighters, particularly Ali. It’s amazing how badly Foreman was treated (outside the ring).

Well, besides seconding many suggested above (When We Were Kings, Roger And Me), I’d like to nominate:

Just, Melvin: Just Evil - Melvin Just terrorized his own family for years. The documentary is a revelation of just how bad one man can be, with tales of extensive, pervasive sexual abuse, physical abuse, and even murder. The documentary was directed by Just’s grandson, and it’s a revealing look into the lasting impact that sexual abuse has on a family as children become adults.

Leona’s Sister Gerri - the story of Gerri Santoro, a desperate pregnant woman who died during an illegal abortion attempted by a man with inadequate tools and a medical textbook. The picture of Gerri lying dead and abandoned on a hotel room floor became a powerful icon for the freedom of reproductive choice.

Any of the films of Errol Morris, which include the afore mentioned Gates of Heaven as well as The Thin Blue Line which got a falsely convicted criminal freed from prison, Fast, Cheap and Out of Control about unusual occupations, A Brief History of Time, the movie of the Stephen Hawking book and a very interesting film called Mr. Death about a man who repairs electric chairs and is also a holocaust denier*.

I’d also recommend the HBO Paradise Lost movies.

Shoah (1985) - THE definitive film about the Holocaust.

“Hands on a Hard Body” is a wonderful documentary with a lighthearted subject. It traces the events and contestants of an annual local Texas car dealership contest. Contestants must keep their hands on the body of a new pickup; the last contestant standing wins the truck. Utterly, utterly hillarious! With a nail-biter ending too.

“A Good Day in Harlem” is fun too.

This is Spinal Tap was good. :wink:

Sex and Buttered Popcorn a documentary on early exploitation films.

Promises

About children living in Palestine and Israel. Absolutely heartbreaking.

Also, if you can find it, check out Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film an excellent 1980 documentary series on silent films in the US.

Nothing new to add, but two big thumbs up for The Thin Blue Line, possibly the most terrifying documentary about the american justice system I’ve ever seen. Also enjoyed the aforementioned Gates of Heaven, which contains at least one unforgettable scene involving a stoner pet undertaker and his electric guitar.