# Documentaries and Related Information... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2015, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902 "2015-07-12T00:07:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/81 "2015-07-22T15:37:14Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > _Plaster Caster_ > Documentary about Cynthia Plaster Caster, the legendary groupie who became famous for making plaster casts of rock stars’ penises, including Jimi Hendrix’s. > [Plaster Caster (2001) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287634) 😃 I’ve been looking for any evidence whatsoever to show Bobby Liebling had been approached by this woman, anywhere at any time, but it doesn’t seem to exist. What a brilliant tie-in that would have made. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/82 "2015-07-22T18:22:51Z")
The Teachings of Jon - A good watch. It’s been a few years on this one, but it stayed with me all this time. A family produced a retarded child, and immediately decided to place the boy in an institution in order to reserve contact with him (ouch, I know). But conscience may have gotten hold of them, so they reverse that decision by bringing him home after several years. He is a cool character despite experiencing neglect from day-one, and he proceeds to educate the family on the finer things in life (especially dad, who is with him every day). This one manages to raise lots of humor, even with its heaviness. All around great stuff. Gotta watch-out for our sisters and our brothers! Good intro: [Amanda Lukoff confronts the use of word 'retarded' in The R-Word documentary  | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3032271/Filmmaker-inspired-sister-syndrome-confronts-society-s-hateful-insulting-use-word-retarded-new-documentary.html) ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/83 "2015-07-22T21:01:18Z")
Some of my faves have already been mentioned: Mr Death Capturing the Friedmans Grizzly Man Louis Theroux stuff A few others: [ul] [li]Cropsy - Filmmakers interested in learning about a local urban legend find out more than they intended[/li][li]First Person - This was a series by Erol Morris on IFC i think? he had these 1 hour interviews with various subjects and all of them are very interesting[/li][li]Into the Abyss - Werner Herzog looks into a young man in solitary confinement for murder[/li][li]Paradise Lost - About the West Memphis Three murders in Arkansas[/li][li]This Film is Not Yet Rated - A look into how the movies rating system is broken in the US[/li][li]Room 237 - A bunch of crackpots share elaborate insane theories about what Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is really about[/li][li]Hell House - A look into the "hell houses put on by evangelical churches during Halloween[/li][li]Jesus Camp - A look into religious evangelical camps for children[/li][li]Atari: Game Over - The rise and fall of the Atari home console[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/84 "2015-07-22T22:07:01Z")
I thought of one more “Slasher” about a guy who gets brought in to car lots to help them liquidate overstock. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/85 "2015-07-22T22:48:35Z")
> [@BurnMeUp](#): > > [li]Room 237 - A bunch of crackpots share elaborate insane theories about what Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is really about[/li] I was going to mention this one. I thought _Room 237_ was great. It’s fascinating hearing the theories about _The Shining_. I really liked the visual style and the way the interviews were used by the director. ---
**Author:** ![danhanegan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb9ed0/32.png) [@danhanegan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danhanegan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/86 "2015-07-22T23:55:41Z")
I am very fond of _The Day the Universe Changed_, Edmund Burke’s 10-part documentary series highlighting interesting bits of the history of science and technological development. His theme is some discoveries are so ground-breaking they literally change the way we think about the world. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/87 "2015-07-23T00:01:17Z")
> [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](#): > > The Teachings of Jon - A good watch. It’s been a few years on this one, but it stayed with me all this time. > > A family produced a retarded child, and immediately decided to place the boy in an institution in order to reserve contact with him (ouch, I know). > > But conscience may have gotten hold of them, so they reverse that decision by bringing him home after several years. He is a cool character despite experiencing neglect from day-one, and he proceeds to educate the family on the finer things in life (especially dad, who is with him every day). > > This one manages to raise lots of humor, even with its heaviness. All around great stuff. Gotta watch-out for our sisters and our brothers! > > Good intro: [Amanda Lukoff confronts the use of word 'retarded' in The R-Word documentary  | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3032271/Filmmaker-inspired-sister-syndrome-confronts-society-s-hateful-insulting-use-word-retarded-new-documentary.html) Here’s the link I meant to post: [http://current.org/files/archive-site/doc/doc0522teachings.shtml](http://current.org/files/archive-site/doc/doc0522teachings.shtml) :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/88 "2015-07-23T00:42:43Z")
> [@BurnMeUp](#): > > I thought of one more “Slasher” about a guy who gets brought in to car lots to help them liquidate overstock. Directed by John Landis. That’s interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/89 "2015-07-23T01:46:32Z")
Totally new to me about The Shining and the theories. I had no idea. :eek: Here are the “Ten Best”: > **[The Shining: 10 best conspiracy theories](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/10253283/The-Shining-10-best-conspiracy-theories.html)** > > Doctor Sleep, Stephen King's long awaited sequel to The Shining, is released next week. Will it spark the same unhinged intellectual obsessions as Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of the first book? Let's hope so. Here, we round up the best Shining... ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/90 "2015-07-23T04:20:32Z")
> [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](#): > > Totally new to me about The Shining and the theories. I had no idea. > > :eek: > > Here are the “Ten Best”: > > [The Shining: 10 best conspiracy theories](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/10253283/The-Shining-10-best-conspiracy-theories.html) OT: This guy, Rob Ager, has a site with a bunch of psychological movie analysis. He has a lot of stuff about _The Shining_ and lots of videos on YouTube. > **[Collative Learning - Rob Ager](http://www.collativelearning.com)** > > Rob Ager's website features videos and articles on psychology, creativity, film analysis, film making, politics and social / philosophical issues. Here’s his analysis of the meaning of the twin girls in _The Shining._ [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6enBqFjWbhs/maxresdefault.jpg "The Shining - Mystery of the Twins (film analysis by Rob Ager)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6enBqFjWbhs) ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/91 "2015-07-23T11:59:09Z")
[http://www.vanishingsail.com/](http://www.vanishingsail.com/) I guess you can’t watch it unless you attend a screening at the moment, but you can watch the trailer. It’s about wooden boat building and trading in the Caribbean. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/92 "2015-07-23T23:31:42Z")
[quote=“Accidental\_Martyr, post:90, topic:724902”] OT: This guy, Rob Ager, has a site with a bunch of psychological movie analysis. He has a lot of stuff about _The Shining_ and lots of videos on YouTube. > **[Collative Learning - Rob Ager](http://www.collativelearning.com)** > > Rob Ager's website features videos and articles on psychology, creativity, film analysis, film making, politics and social / philosophical issues. Here’s his analysis of the meaning of the twin girls in _The Shining._ [/QUOTE] I wouldn’t have imagined any of this existed, or at least not on such a scale. What do you make of it all, A.M.? ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/93 "2015-07-24T00:24:09Z")
Have you seen Titicut Follies? Here’s what I said about it in [this earlier thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=668346) about documentaries: > [@me](#): > > Probably the most powerful documentary I ever watched, and certainly the most unsettling, is Titicut Follies. > > Maybe “unsettling” isn’t the best word. ‘Shocking’ (admittedly a very hackneyed adjective in this type of context) would be totally appropriate. Whatever term is used, the bottom line is that this is a very difficult documentary to watch - the images and scenes it contains are, at once, terribly sad and viscerally frightening. > > What’s it about? . . . the bottom line is that the film depicts the (haunting and haunted) daily existence of inmates in a state institution for the criminally insane. Filmed in the mid-sixties, the film’s stark black and white footage itself creates a mood that can only be described as depressing and disturbing. FWIW, [here’s the Wiki article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titicut_Follies). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/94 "2015-07-24T01:16:15Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > I was going to mention this one. I thought _Room 237_ was great. It’s fascinating hearing the theories about _The Shining_. I really liked the visual style and the way the interviews were used by the director. > [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](#): > > Totally new to me about The Shining and the theories. I had no idea. > > :eek: > > Here are the “Ten Best”: > > [The Shining: 10 best conspiracy theories](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/10253283/The-Shining-10-best-conspiracy-theories.html) I’m going to brag. I actually got a couple questions answered by the director of the movie Room 237. It was on reddit, but he wrote me back specifically. It was cool. [I mentioned it back here in this post, but I’ll repost the q’s and a’s’.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16997006&postcount=23) Here was our exchange: > [@](#): > > Question 1 : > > Mahaloth: In your opinion, is your movie more about the theories on the Shining, or is it more a study of how far people will go to over-analyze something they feel passionate about? > > Rodney Ascher: It started as the former and sort of morphed into the latter. Though whether they (or we) are “over” analyzing things is up for debate. > > Question 2: > > Mahaloth: Oh, and do you have a favorite Shining theory? Thanks! > > Rodney Ascher: There’s a new one I saw that proposed that everything that happened after the “donner party” scene is a hallucination by a woman freezing in the snow who ate them after discovering their wrecked car in a snowy mountain pass. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/95 "2015-07-24T02:48:16Z")
> [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](#): > > I wouldn’t have imagined any of this existed, or at least not on such a scale. What do you make of it all, A.M.? A lot of it needs to be taken with a large grain of salt, of course, but I still find all of the different theories interesting to hear. Without Kubrick telling us exactly what he was attempting to do, we really don’t know what, if any, his intended interpretation was. Maybe he deliberately put lots of stuff in there that could be open to different interpretations or maybe it’s all just baseless speculation. I think one of Kubrick’s assistants has said that a lot of the stuff that people have cited as clues to explain their theories really have no deeper meaning and some are merely the result of continuity errors. Regardless, I really enjoyed _Room 237_ even though much of the stuff the interview subjects put forth was pretty far-fetched. I thought it was very well done and fun to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/96 "2015-07-25T00:31:40Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Have you seen Titicut Follies? > > Here’s what I said about it in [this earlier thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=668346) about documentaries: > > FWIW, [here’s the Wiki article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titicut_Follies). Yeah, you’ve convinced me. Will watch and comment. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/97 "2015-07-25T00:36:43Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’m going to brag. I actually got a couple questions answered by the director of the movie Room 237. It was on reddit, but he wrote me back specifically. It was cool. [I mentioned it back here in this post, but I’ll repost the q’s and a’s’.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16997006&postcount=23) > > Here was our exchange: That is too cool. Excellent, excellent. Yeah, so on the particular one he commented on: I wonder what the theorist would claim is the greater meaning behind it. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/98 "2015-07-25T00:38:14Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > A lot of it needs to be taken with a large grain of salt, of course, but I still find all of the different theories interesting to hear. Without Kubrick telling us exactly what he was attempting to do, we really don’t know what, if any, his intended interpretation was. Maybe he deliberately put lots of stuff in there that could be open to different interpretations or maybe it’s all just baseless speculation. I think one of Kubrick’s assistants has said that a lot of the stuff that people have cited as clues to explain their theories really have no deeper meaning and some are merely the result of continuity errors. Regardless, I really enjoyed _Room 237_ even though much of the stuff the interview subjects put forth was pretty far-fetched. I thought it was very well done and fun to watch. When I think about this, for some reason my mind goes to the case of The Wizard of Oz - Pink Floyd (and how it turns out Dark Side of the Moon was synchronized with the movie). ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/99 "2015-07-25T02:51:26Z")
> [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](#): > > When I think about this, for some reason my mind goes to the case of The Wizard of Oz - Pink Floyd (and how it turns out Dark Side of the Moon was synchronized with the movie). Sort of like playing _The Shining_ forwards and backwards. [http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/10/01/fantastic-fest-review-the-shining-forwards-and-backwards](http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/10/01/fantastic-fest-review-the-shining-forwards-and-backwards) [https://vimeo.com/53766925](https://vimeo.com/53766925) ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@Anonymous\_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_6de399d1a341c23c3c84f98e7f743e0e)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902/100 "2015-07-29T14:04:23Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > Sort of like playing _The Shining_ forwards and backwards. > [http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/10/01/fantastic-fest-review-the-shining-forwards-and-backwards](http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/10/01/fantastic-fest-review-the-shining-forwards-and-backwards) > [https://vimeo.com/53766925](https://vimeo.com/53766925) Yeah, great one. Damn. I see some people will try to explain this by saying he was a balance freak. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/documentaries-and-related-information/724902.md?page=6)