In the spirit of the “What movies have you seen recently?” thread, I want to shift the spotlight to documentaries and docudramas. Whether single features or episodic series, share what you’ve been watching lately. Feel free to give it an old-school A-F grade and add a short review if you’re inclined.
I’ve been hooked on documentaries ever since I was a kid. It all started with “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau” (1968-1976) and Jane Goodall’s “The World of Animal Behavior” (1970-1980). Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos” (1980) was a game-changer, and I’ve been captivated by David Attenborough’s masterful work ever since.
Lately, I’m thrilled with the quality of streaming documentaries and docudramas. I genuinely believe we’re living in a Golden Age for these genres. The nature cinematography and thoughtful narration are simply stunning.
Here are a couple I’ve watched recently:
Living with Leopards A nature documentary that follows two leopard cubs as they journey from infancy to adulthood.
Grade: A-
This one hit all the right notes with its top-tier cinematography and compelling storytelling. It even brought a tear to my eye (those cubs have personality-plus, and Mom is amazing). The only reason it didn’t get a perfect score is the soundtrack—the music was a bit too jarring for my taste.
Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War A gritty docudrama that vividly reenacts the legendary feud between Wyatt Earp and Ike Clanton, culminating in the gunfight that defined an era.
Grade: A-
This docudrama nearly nailed it with a perfect mix of historical accuracy and gripping narrative. It pulls you straight into the wild world of the Old West. The only downside for me was some overly slick cutaway editing.
Now it’s your turn—what documentaries or docudramas have you seen recently? I’m all ears (figuratively speaking)!
I recently watched Bruce Brown’s surfing docs and his motorcycle one On Any Sunday
Agatha Christie’s England
The Columbia Space shuttle thing on CNN.
Jake Tapper did a thing on there about Scandals that’s good.
I watch any documentary on PBS. I always find something interesting about whatever subject.
Oh, one of my favorites is Ken Burns Baseball not really crazy about the game, but there are great people stories in there.
Of course, anything Ken Burns does is good.
I couldn’t agree more—Ken Burns is a master storyteller. I find myself watching all his documentaries, even on topics I didn’t think I’d be interested in, simply because his storytelling is so compelling.
Watched Remembering Gene Wilder the other night. More or less reasonable. Several funny clips from his movies. But which movies are used is very uneven. E.g., lots of stuff from lesser stuff like The Frisco Kid, The World’s Greatest Lover, and the post-Silver Streak movies with Pryor. But Silver Streak itself is barely shown. Fortunately they cover The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles well.
The real crime is I only caught one tiny clip from Start the Revolution Without Me. They could have cut out the Willy Wonka part altogether and used some stuff from that instead.
The best of the commentators was, of course, Mel Brooks. He recognized Gene’s comedic talent right away and they really bonded. I think they used some audio from Gene’s own book to have him narrating a lot of the movie.
Perfect Bid - The Price is Right documentary about the guy that studied pricing on the show and built data bases to study.
The Beastie Boys Story - basically Mike D and Ad-rock telling stories about their origin and showing clips in front of a live audience. Fantastic!
3 Identical Strangers - 3 identical triplets don’t find each other until they are adults.
Skywalkers: A love story - not related to Star Wars! about two Russian rooftoppers fall in love while taking unbelievable risks. The footage is actual footage of their exploits. Movie is part drama and part heist story.
Nazis, A Warning from History from 1997 still holds up as a rare WWII documentary that won’t just repeat what’s already been said. Viewable on Dailymotion, not YouTube
A former Road Vultures biker gang member, Mr. Rodriguez was a prolific artist whose most popular creation, Trashman, represented a rare foray into the superhero genre in underground comix. A committed leftist (“Fight the Oppressor!”), he was also properly accused of misogyny in his work (and life). Nevertheless, his art and dark humor transcend the dated themes…at least, for some readers. His later work includes a (disappointing) adaptation of Nightmare Alley.
I saw this too and it was quite good. I’ll give it a grade of B.
One that for me really stands out, well done and compelling, is NBA TV’s “The Dream Team” about the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics US Men’s basketball team. I give this a grade of A.
I really enjoyed this documentary. Gene Wilder has always been a favorite of mine, ever since his unforgettable debut in Bonnie & Clyde, where he magically turned a small role into comedic gold. He was not just a brilliant comic actor, but by all accounts, a genuinely good person. This documentary did him justice. B+
I just watched it again. Full disclosure: I played the game a little bit and was a fan of Bird and the Celtics. The rivalry with Magic and the Lakers in the 1980s was gripping. I watched NBA games and as a fan I am familiar with every player on the team. To see these separate players come together to put aside their rivalries and sometimes hatred to form a cohesive team was fun to watch. So it might help to be a basketball fan to enjoy this documentary. If you’re a fan or even just a fan of sports I think you’ll enjoy this.
I was a huge fan of the 1992 Dream Team. I was glued to their Olympic games live and still find myself rewatching clips now and then. I’ve never been one to root for the underdog in pro sports—I want to see the best of the best, and that team was exactly that. I’ll definitely check out that documentary.
The only sporting performance that tops it? Secretariat at the 1973 Belmont Stakes. Now that was pure greatness.
If you do watch please let me know your thoughts. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
I’ve watched several documentaries about Secretariat and especially his 1973 Triple Crown. I was a young 11 yo boy and tuned in for the first time to the TC races on TV. I did not grow up around horses or even horse racing, so this was quite the introduction. His crushing victory in the Belmont Stakes was something to behold!
And in his Kentucky Derby, he ran every furlong faster than the previous. In other words, he was accelerating throughout the entire race.
Secretariat set track records for all 3 races, and those records still stand to this day.
We’ve been watching Turning Point: The Bomb And The Cold War on Netflix, an interesting and well-made look at the Cold War and its aftermath, especially for us members of the Duck and Cover generation.
It’s been a long time since I’ve watched Bonnie and Clyde. So I didn’t remember him being in it. That it was Gene’s idea to make his character goofy was interesting. As well as Penn letting him get away with it. The scene shown with him and Michael J. Pollard (one of my favorite actors) in the back seat of car was a treat.
It tells the story of two ‘Hollywood’ chaps taking over a struggling football club in Wales and how they turned things around.
The series includes interviews with the owners, management, players and fans. It covers the history of the club and the town and looks at many aspects of the game.
Highly recommended.
I attended a documentary film festival back in April - hope that’s recent enough to share some of my recommendations. I’ll try to include where the film is streaming if I know.
Every Little Thing - A woman in Hollywood cares for injured hummingbirds; her care and passion for the birds comes through the screen. A well done feel good documentary, although not every bird’s story ends happily. On Amazon Prime.
Sugarcane - tells the story of one particular Indian residential school in British Columbia, and the impact on the former residents, their families and their communities. Very well done; part of a story every American and Canadian should know more about. Still in theaters, I think.
Girls State - by the directors of Boys State which was made back in 2020, this documentary tracks several high school girls attending the Girl’s State convention run by the American Legion in Missouri. Not all the focus characters are compelling, but one key story comes to the forefront - the disparity between how Girls State and Boys State are run and funded. Apple TV+.
The Bitter Pill - tracking a lawyer from West Virginia leading a class action suit against opioid makers and distributors. An important story and insight into the legal and political processes behind this fight. Don’t think this is streaming yet.
Daughters - my favorite film from the festival. Four girls and their incarcerated dads get ready to attend a Daddy-Daughter dance held at a DC prison. The film has both touching personal stories about the girls, their fathers, and the power of family; as well as putting a spotlight on the ugly side of the American penal system. On Netflix.
Happy Clothes - A Film about Patricia Field - a representative of one of my favorite subgenres of documentaries, films about fascinating older women from New York (see also Iris and Ask Dr. Ruth). Patricia Field is best known as the costume designer for Sex and the City; but she’s had a varied and interesting career and life. Doesn’t seem to be available to stream.
False Positive - tells the story of track and field athlete Butch Reynolds, whose drug suspension by the IAAF caused him to miss the 1992 Olympics. His long fight to overturn his suspension and clear his name continues to this day. On ESPN+.
This is a fascinating documentary about the 2 different tribes of chimpanzees in Uganda’s Ngogo forest. Filmed over a 25-year period it really shows how complex chimpanzee society is, the hierarchy of it & how their relationships work. 8 episodes with a smooth dramatic flow, much joy and sadness like any society. The parallels between chimp and human behavior, while not expressly stated until the very end, are unmistakable throughout and add depth to an already astounding effort.
I recently watched Chimp Empire, and I completely agree—it’s a captivating look into the complex social dynamics of chimps. Their intricate relationships and behaviors are truly fascinating. If you enjoyed this, I think you’d also find Living with Leopards equally intriguing. The social lives of big (and small) cats are just as mesmerizing.
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