Echoing the praise for Crumb, and also suggesting:
and
You mentioned Herzog, have you seen Little Dieter Needs to Fly ?
Louis Malle’s Phantom India is definitely worth checking out.
For those in a head-banging mood, there’s Air Guitar Nation .
A couple making the festival circuit right now; hopefully, they’re destined for wider release:
Restrepo–about US soldiers in the Korangal Valley (companion piece to Sebastian Junger’s War) .
Do It Again–the story of one man’s attempt to reunite The Kinks.
Another fun one is Year of the Yao (2004), about the Chinese basketball player Ming Yao.
And speaking of Werner Herzog, his recent Encounters at the End of the World (2007) was good.
You wouldn’t happen to know of any interesting and/or notable English-language docs about Thailand, would you? I’m sure someone must have made something (or is in the process of making something) about the recent unrest.
Not really. I have to say the Thai film industry is a complete and total embarrassment. Even the wife won’t watch a Thai film, documentary or otherwise. And the recent troubles are so politically charged that I doubt any outsider would be given permission to work on that, or at least cooperation.
I recently re-subscribed to Netflix basically because I could stream to my computer and have been avidly going through all the documentaries as this is my favorite film genre. I would highly recommend the following:
Into the Arms of Strangers
Story of the Kindertransport that got Jewish kids out of Eastern Europe during WWII
The Education of Shelby Knox
About a girl in Lubbock, Texas that bucks the system by trying to update sex education to include not only abstinence only programs.
Girl 27
About a Hollywood scandal back in the ‘30s that is mostly fascinating because the woman involved (girl at the time) is very reluctant to discuss the incident and her bond with the filmmaker is very touching.
Crips and Bloods: Made in America
Very insightful history of African Americans in L.A. Goes much deeper than your ‘typical’ gang doc
Inside Deep Throat
Fascinating look at the making, distribution and complications related to this classic porn film.
Waco: The Rules of Engagement
Excellent doc about Waco and what really happened there.
**A Family Undertaking: POV **
Beautiful explanation of alternatives provided by home burial.
**One Nation Under God **
Religion vs. homosexuality and the programs that are supposed to ‘cure’ this ‘condition’
Very Young Girls
Stories about young girls who have gotten involved in prostitution through virtually no choice of their own and their struggles.
Jesus Camp
Already mentioned: a CLASSIC.
Hell House
I didn’t like this one as much but it is interesting how over-the-top this Hell House thing goes and how many people buy into this shite.
The Last Word
Mentally retarded man convicted and executed in…shocker…Texas.
Second Skin
Great doc about computer games (especially WoW) and the effects it has on several lives.
Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon
The making of DSOTM. What could be better?
After Innocence
What happens to some men who have been exonerated by DNA evidence after serving years and years in prison for crimes they were innocent of.
Harlan County, U.S.A.
One of the best docs EVER. Very tense story of a coal miner’s strike in Kentucky. I was most impressed with the women. They ROCKED!!!
Trumbo
Writer exiled by HUAC and his story.
Lord, Save Us from Your Followers
All around interviews about peoples views on religion
Every Little Step
Casting A Chorus Line for a national run. Great look at the inside and how long the process takes!
Nuyorican Dream
Puerto Rican family and their issues in NYC.
A State of Mind
North Korean children prepare for a show! Scary place, North Korea!
Witch Hunt
Another story of a community gone crazy with child sexual abuse charges.
A Certain Kind of Death
Great doc about a man’s quest to euthanize himself.
Fall from Grace
The story of the Phelps clan. Ew. Creepy.
**Go Tigers! **
Crazy high school footballers and their fans in Ohio.
**Deliver Us from Evil **
Pedophilic priest. Who always has this bizarre smile on his face. Another slap in the face of the Catholic church.
Word Wars
Scrabble fanatics! So much fun!!!
Dear Zachary
A heartbreaking tale of a nutso woman who causes unbelievable grief for her husband, son and in-laws. Warning: not for the faint of heart.
**
Old Partner**
A touching tale of an old Korean farmer and his trusty ox.
Simon Schama’s done a couple of excellent documentary series: A History of Britain and The Power of Art. He’s also done a couple of others, The American Future and Rough Crossings, which I haven’t seen yet.
Can’t believe I’m the first to suggest Street Fight.
The Up Series, starting with 7Up, is pretty interesting. It follows a group of kids growing up in Britain, starting in the 60s. The filmmaker goes back every 7 years and interviews them again, I believe the last instalment was when they were 49. It’s an amazing feat just to follow the same people for so long, but it’s also an interesting look at how kids grow up and life in various social backgrounds.
Haynesville is a not bad documentary about how the new shale gas pays in NW Louisiana are affecting peoples’ lives.
Does Shoah count for the OP? How about Victory at Sea?
I also liked Step Into Liquid. Another vote for The Smartest Guys in The Room
I want to get into more documentaries, so I’ll bookmark this thread. Two of the best I’ve seen so far haven’t been mentioned, and both are probably ones that you would either very much want to see or not want to see at all:
9/11 (2002) - famous documentary shot by two French brothers, my jaw was on the floor for most of the film not just because of what they captured but the amazing circumstances that led to them capturing so much on film.
Madonna: Truth Or Dare (1991) - my favourite music documentary, a pretty fascinating insight into one of the most famous women in the world at the peak of her stardom.
Also, no one has yet mentioned the deservedly iconic The Last Waltz.
PeacePlease, A Certain Kind of Death isn’t the one you’re thinking of - it’s the one about people who die with no family.
You’re absolutely right. Still an awesome doc though!!!
i’ll second BBC’s Planet Earth.
Dancing Outlaw is hilarious and slightly disturbing.
Pumping Iron is about obsession and Arnold Schwarzenegger is fascinating.
The Decline and Fall of Western Civilization Part 2 is a great portrait of a time and place. The scene with the musician in his pool drinking a bottle of vodka while his mother watches is unforgettable.
The Ritchie Boys****-World War II doc about a group of Jewish guys who having escaped from Europe to the US, volunteered to go back (not as soldiers) behind enemy lines and wreak psychological havoc. This was great and remains one of my favorite docs along with Harlan County USA.
I don’t know how interested the OP would be in it but I watched “Second Skin” on netflix recently and was very impressed.
It’s about online gaming culture specifically with games like Everquest and Warcraft.
It just so happens that there is a documentary on HBO tonight called GasLand, which is an expose of the gas drilling companies and the misery they have wreaked on communities across the country. It could be very interesting.