# Can you recommend a good documentary? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 15, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523 "2003-03-15T04:01:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![milquetoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@milquetoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milquetoast)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/1 "2003-03-15T04:01:52Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/2 "2003-03-15T04:25:03Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/3 "2003-03-15T04:26:22Z")
Oh! And Ken Burn’s documentary on Mark Twain. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/4 "2003-03-15T04:26:47Z")
[Atomic Cafe](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0083590)…The funniest and at the same time scariest documentary ever made. IMHO of course. ---
**Author:** ![B.Pants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@B.Pants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Pants)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/5 "2003-03-15T04:29:05Z")
I thought _Bowling for Columbine_ was very eye-opening. It’s a little jarring at times, though. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/6 "2003-03-15T04:34:08Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Zap\_Rowsdower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3da27b/32.png) [@Zap\_Rowsdower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zap_Rowsdower)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/7 "2003-03-15T04:43:21Z")
[Cinema Europe - The Other Hollywood](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6305837171/qid%3D1047703006/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/103-1806698-9859837/), an excellent documentary of silent films in Europe. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/8 "2003-03-15T04:49:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoe \* > \*\*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. > \*\* 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](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. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/9 "2003-03-15T04:55:26Z")
I thought the two _Paradise Lost_ films ([Part 1](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0117293) and [Part 2](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0239894) ) 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](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0181288), about a low budget (no budget really) filmmaker’s tragicomic efforts to get his masterpiece made. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/10 "2003-03-15T04:59:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*[Atomic Cafe](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0083590)…The funniest and at the same time scariest documentary ever made. > > IMHO of course. \*\* IMHO as well. Also [42 Up](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0164312) - 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](http://us.imdb.com/Title?Hearts+of+Darkness%3A+A+Filmmaker%27s+Apocalypse+(1991)) - 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](http://www.heavymetalparkinglot.net/) - A short film documenting the crowd outside a Judas Priest concert somewhere in Maryland. [Roger and Me](http://us.imdb.com/Title?Roger+%26+Me+(1989)) - 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](http://us.imdb.com/Title?When+We+Were+Kings+(1996)) - Documentary about the classic 1973 “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match between Mohammed Ali and George Forman. Happy viewing ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Mook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Mr.Mook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Mook)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/11 "2003-03-15T05:18:33Z")
“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). ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/12 "2003-03-15T05:46:03Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/13 "2003-03-15T06:01:58Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![SadTomato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@SadTomato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SadTomato)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/14 "2003-03-15T06:03:29Z")
[Shoah (1985)](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0090015) - THE definitive film about the Holocaust. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/15 "2003-03-15T06:44:15Z")
“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. ---
**Author:** ![beajerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@beajerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beajerry)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/16 "2003-03-15T10:56:45Z")
This is Spinal Tap was good. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zap\_Rowsdower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3da27b/32.png) [@Zap\_Rowsdower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zap_Rowsdower)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/17 "2003-03-15T13:59:48Z")
[Sex and Buttered Popcorn](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005MKK4/qid=1047736581/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-1806698-9859837?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846/) a documentary on early exploitation films. ---
**Author:** ![ASD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@ASD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASD)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/18 "2003-03-15T14:22:39Z")
Promises About children living in Palestine and Israel. Absolutely heartbreaking. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/19 "2003-03-15T16:29:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Cinema Europe - The Other Hollywood , an excellent documentary of silent films in Europe. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Elvis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@Elvis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elvis)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523/20 "2003-03-15T16:40:57Z")
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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-good-documentary/161523.md?page=2)