startup.com, about two friends that start an internet company right before the big dot-com bust.
Beyond the Mat, though it helps to have had a passing interest in pro wrestling at one time (just to understand a couple of the people).
You could try Theremin the strory of tyhe world’s first electronic instument and it’s inventor.
And try Idi Amin Dada. A great fly on the wall look at a totally fruit loopy dictator.
For people struggling through hard times, there is Dark Days, a film about the down and outs living in the New York subway.
Tere are loads of good documentaries about making films. Hearts of Darkness is the story of Apocalypse Now. Burden of dreams is the story of the making of Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo.
Best Boy – Astonishing and extremely moving, it’s the story of a mentally retarded man and his growing independance. Philly is unforgetable.
Murder on a Sunday Morning won an Oscar, and was very good. I saw it on HBO, but I woud think it is available for rent somewhere.
The plot (from IMDB): “Oscar-winning documentary that documents a murder trial in which a 15-year-old African-American is wrongfully accused of a 2000 murder in Jacksonville, Florida.”
How about Southern Comfort, a documentary on transexuals living in the southern United States. More specifically, on a female->male transexual dying of ovarian cancer. Ironic, aint it. It was on HBO a bit ago.
My all-time fave is The Crusades by Terry Jones, a co-production of A&E and the BBC. He’s very respectful of the Islamic view of the Crusades and the subject matter just couldn’t be timelier (although it does raise the question: Why are Islamic radicals still revanching a semi-ancient war that they won?).
Another vote for startup.com . An amusing and revealing look at the dotcom culture.
Though it isn’t feature length: Joseph Cambell and the Power of Myth is excellent.
I’d recommend any films by Nick Broomfield. He’s any extrememly thoughful filmmaker who tackles some very controversial subjects. The only criticism I have towards him is that he tends to inject himself pretty deeply into his films. He’s not one of those silent, objective documentarians–instead Broomfield tends to become a character in his own documentaries. In fact, his films are more like movies about him making his movies. That said, I still highly recommend him–you won’t get a dry boring film with him.
He’s made a ton of films–the ones that stand out (IMO) are:
Kurt & Courtney* (1998)* --Broomfield examines the conspiracy theory that says Courtney Love had a hand in the death of Kurt Cobain. His interviews with Love’s father are pretty outrageous.
**Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer ***(1992) *–An interesting look into all of the people who used the trial of Wuornos for their own selfish purposes.
**Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam ***(1995) * --The most amazing thing about this film is that it gives us an original, fresh look at this overhyped sensation.
I still haven’t caught his latest film, Biggie and Tupac* (2002)*, but it’s gotten some great reviews. In this film, Broomfield re-examines the murders of rappers Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur. He uncovers evidence linking the two homicides. I’ve heard that he conducts a jailhouse interview with Suge Knight that’s absolutely explosive!
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! Now I have a great list of films to look forward to viewing.
Splanky’s suggestion of Southern Comfort, reminds me of another one I enjoyed: Paris Is Burning–it’s about gay Blacks and Latinos and their underground Drag Queen balls in New York.
Another vote for American Movie.
Also, a Canadian documentary called Talk 16 that follows the lives of a handful of 16-year-old girls in the 1980’s. There was a follow-up, Talk 21, I think, but nothing since. I wish they’d make another one.
Haven’t seen it yet, but Hell’s Angel, a 1994 documentary that dares to cast Mother Theresa in a negative light, sounds fascinating.
Everything by Errol Morris is recomended. And, in the vein of American Movie, Trekkies is good for a larf or two.
My Best Fiend is Werner Herzog’s documentary about his experiences with the late Klaus Kinski over the course of their lives and the five films they made together. Fascinating view of the madman Kinski, and a great companion film to Burden Of Dreams.
Trinity and Beyond, on the history of Nuclear Weapons and their atmospheric tests, has always been a favorite of mine. Beautiful footage, wonderful music.
And there’s an old National Geographic documentary on Pompeii thats an old standby. You can’t miss it: The cover has a photograph of an ancient woman’s skeleton, embedded in ash, with a ring still on one of her fingers.
I’ve seen two documentaries on Sundance within the last year that I thought were fascinating.
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Sunshine Hotel - about the inhabitants of the last remaining flophouse in the bowery. From the mouths of bums. Incredible.
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Muleskinner Blues - amazing story of how the odd inhabitants of trailer park in Florida came together to make a movie after having been inspired by the filming by professionals of a music video. Fricking riveting and hilarious.