Documentaries List Discussion & Suggestions (Genre Project)

[bamwc2]

My contributions will be a little more infrequent for awhile. I spent the last week trying to get my condo in shape to be put on the market. With that out of the way now, my family and I have to go house hunting out of state.

Viewing log:

Buena Vista Social Club (Wim Wenders, 1999): Wenders's documentary recounts the late 90s effort to recreate the pre-revolutionary Havana sound by having the era's greatest living musicians cut one last album together. While the music is the undeniable selling point of the film, I found it to be by far the least interesting aspect in it (to be fair, I'm generally not a fan of the Afro-Cuban sound). I found the best parts to be the examination of the elderly men who had lost touch with the outside world after the revolution's fist clenched down around them. The band members' tour of New york was the highlight of the film for me, where we see them recognize images of the jazz greats from the mid 20th century, but come up blank on the faces of other celebrities from a short while later. On the whole, I'd give it a pass, but fans of the genre will certainly find much to enjoy here.

A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman (Bill Jones, et al., 2012): When this opened in limited release a few months ago, it was mercilessly savaged by the critics for a variety of reasons (too disjointed, boring, giving no real insight into Chapman's life, etc.). As a fan of Chapman's work I hoped that this film was better than its reputation. Thankfully it was. In fact, I found this collection of animated snippets of Chapman's biography to be a good deal better than you would think if you only skimmed the headlines on Rotten Tomatoes. While it is true that the picture it gives us of Chapman's life is incomplete (and occasionally false), this isn't the least bit a of detriment to the film. It is the story that Chapman wanted to tell and is faithful to his vision. It is also a vision that I found enormously compelling. The narrative begins with a story that we've already heard a thousand times in British dramas: a young man from a working class background dreams of a world bigger than his parent's provincial vision. However, his life takes a turn for the less ordinary upon entering university at Cambridge where he not only takes up the two great passions of his life (comedy and medicine), but also comes to terms with his own sexuality. Surprisingly little time is spent on his Python days, but we do learn a great deal about his travails with alcoholism. And of course, there's the wonderful and multitudinous animation styles shifting from scene to scene. Some work better than others, but none are ever boring. This was a wonderful work, and certainly seems ripe for critical reappraisal in the future.

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia (Julien Nitzberg, 2009): Thankfully I missed the "From the creators of Jackass" selling point on the video cover or else I might not have given this fascinating look at small town deep fried Southern nihilism a chance. Nitzberg's documentary chronicles a period in the life of Boone County, WV's most notorious outlaw family: the Whites. With numerous homicides and assorted other crimes cluttering the branches of the White's family tree, it would be easy to descend into TLC level reality TV voyeurism by putting the cameras on the crew and watching them make fools of themselves or explode into violent anger. While both of the tendencies are on full display here, Nitzberg thankfully breaks away from the mayhem every once and awhile in order to provide sociological context to the situation in rural West Virginia by using local talking heads to explain the despair and hopeless that when combined with the rebel attitude boil over into the trouble that this kinfolk has had from one generation to the next. I've never seen any of the "Dancing Outlaw" trilogy, but I'll definitely check them out now. What a great documentary!

[Gregory]

^^ Buena Vista Social Club is great, and is interesting not only because of the music but because it was so politically "problematic." The film and the album were an international sensation, while Cooder was criticized for being the phenomenon's central figure despite all his humility. And the whole thing got a cool official response from Cuba. So the reception brings out many cultural and political dimensions of the music. Ultimately, the film is best seen primarily through a cultural rather than a political lens, because the backstory is how cultural forms such as the bolero, son, and danzón music are held back by politics but still ultimately survive and evolve, but the film itself does not explore this in detail.

I've seen and heard firsthand how the musicians in the film were criticized from both the virulent anti-Castro side (Cuban ex-pats in the U.S.) and the pro-Castro side, which marginalized their music as imperialist nostalgia for the pre-revolutionary era at best (which does explain some of its appeal), or counterrevolutionary at worst. Some reasonably questioned why Wenders and Cooder focused on this older era of music rather than the Cuban music of recent decades, but one could more legitimately ask why not choose that as a subject since the music is good and had been neglected for so long. Someone else should make films about the more recent music of Cuba and the U.S. embargo—different subjects—and if the embargo should prevent such films from being made, then all the more reason to finally abolish it, as if any further reason were already needed.

Cooder has not received sufficient credit for defying this horrible embargo, after having putting his ass on the line to carry out this project and being fined $25,000 by the U.S. Treasury just for having visited Cuba, If he'd funded the production himself, he'd be considered a felon and could have done time in prison.

I met pro-Fidel people who were politically offended by the scenes at the end showing the veteran musicians being so impressed at being in New York and finally performing there. I could go on and on with examples of critiques that have no merit, but as someone who supported neither the Castro government nor the U.S. government, I say a plague on both your State houses; keep musical traditions like these alive and free of constraints of state interests. Cooder's album with Manuel Galbán, Mambo Sinuendo, is a great example of the kind of music that could have been made if the culture hadn't been held hostage to Cold War politics.

[JakeB]

Anyone a fan of Michelle Citron? A friend recommended me a book of hers called Home Movies and Other Necessary Fictions, which I haven't received yet. In the meantime, I've watched the film Daughter Rite, which I found quite interesting; Edited and looped home movie footage with journal passages read over the top, interspersed with slightly stilted interviews with Citron and her sister. I'm looking forward to reading the book now.

[matrixschmatrix]

^^ Buena Vista Social Club is great, and is interesting not only because of the music but because it was so politically "problematic." The film and the album were an international sensation, while Cooder was criticized for being the phenomenon's central figure despite all his humility. And the whole thing got a cool official response from Cuba. So the reception brings out many cultural and political dimensions of the music. Ultimately, the film is best seen primarily through a cultural rather than a political lens, because the backstory is how cultural forms such as the bolero, son, and danzón music are held back by politics but still ultimately survive and evolve, but the film itself does not explore this in detail.

I've seen and heard firsthand how the musicians in the film were criticized from both the virulent anti-Castro side (Cuban ex-pats in the U.S.) and the pro-Castro side, which marginalized their music as imperialist nostalgia for the pre-revolutionary era at best (which does explain some of its appeal), or counterrevolutionary at worst. Some reasonably questioned why Wenders and Cooder focused on this older era of music rather than the Cuban music of recent decades, but one could more legitimately ask why not choose that as a subject since the music is good and had been neglected for so long. Someone else should make films about the more recent music of Cuba and the U.S. embargo—different subjects—and if the embargo should prevent such films from being made, then all the more reason to finally abolish it, as if any further reason were already needed.

Cooder has not received sufficient credit for defying this horrible embargo, after having putting his ass on the line to carry out this project and being fined $25,000 by the U.S. Treasury just for having visited Cuba, If he'd funded the production himself, he'd be considered a felon and could have done time in prison.

I met pro-Fidel people who were politically offended by the scenes at the end showing the veteran musicians being so impressed at being in New York and finally performing there. I could go on and on with examples of critiques that have no merit, but as someone who supported neither the Castro government nor the U.S. government, I say a plague on both your State houses; keep musical traditions like these alive and free of constraints of state interests. Cooder's album with Manuel Galbán, Mambo Sinuendo, is a great example of the kind of music that could have been made if the culture hadn't been held hostage to Cold War politics.

Well, if you watch something like Louie Bluie, it's not just repressive state interests that can take apart these amazing musical traditions and leave their practitioners destitute old men- and I think in some ways, the places where a documentary is making statements merely in its selection of subject and what it chooses to show the audience are the most interesting to analyze, since they tend to be the least visible. Then, too, making a documentary about pre- and post-revolutionary Cuban anything couldn't possibly avoid politics without ignoring at least some of the story.

I do think it's dumb if you make that kind of analysis to give you an excuse to avoid watching something interesting, as this movie obviously is, but I think the critiques you bring up are themselves pretty interesting, if not ultimately compelling.

[Lowry_Sam]

Spotlight On: Coming Soon To A Theater Near You

I listen to a lot of public radio over the course of my work day & have a growing list of docs that might be coming to an arthouse/public television station/HBO channel/documentary film fest/public library near you. So if anyone has seen any of these, feel free to comment as the list is rather large & I'd love to pare it down some. Most seem to be better than average (ie. IMDB scores over 7) talking heads & found footage docs, w/ better than average ratio of revelatory info to filler.

In the news lately & airing on Epix on July 17 is TWA Flight 800 which sounds like a very thorough investigation into how the FBI, CIA & NTSB conspired to cover up the fact that the US Navy shot down (my conclusion) the non-stop NY-Paris commercial flight, killing all 230 people on board 17 years ago. In the interviews I've heard, the film makers are actually very conservative about drawing any conclusions about who blew up the plane & largely stick to documenting the evidence & the coverup. But the evidence is pretty overwhelming (US Navy Seals tamper with the crash site before investigators get there, FBI threatening witnesses & journalists, CIA producing a propaganda video on what happened before an investigation is even conducted, FBI confiscating & destroying eyewitness footage & evidence, NTSB officials speaking on record now that they've retired).
Here's the press release along with some clips.

We Steal Secrets is Alex Gibney's (Taxi To The Darkside, Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room, Casino Jack & The United States Of Money, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer...) doc on WikiLeaks & Julian Assange that has been attacked for its misleading title & for the fact that he never interviews Julian Assange or Bradley Manning (and Gibney claims that Assange asked for $1 million for an interview.) It's hard to tell from the mixed reviews whether it's because of the film itself or because of viewers' take on Wikileaks.

Citizen Koch links the Supreme Court's Citizen United ruling to the Koch Brothers' ability to buy elections & write state bills. The doc was censored by WNET & WGBH (the Koch brothers sit on their board of directors), but was successfully crowdsourced for the remaining funding. The trailer can be found here.

Gideon's Army profiles public defenders in the deep South and won the Sundance award for best editing. Trailer here

Gasland Part II is the sequel to the Academy-Award-nominated doc about fracking that featured people setting their tap water on fire.

The House I Live In covers the 40 years of the drug war & won best documentary @ Sundance.

The Invisible War covers rape in the US military & won the audience award @ Sundance.

Dirty Wars follows journalist Jeremy Scahill in his attempt to cover the effects of US drone wars on Afghanistan & Yemen. Trailer here.

Shadows Of Liberty is another critique of the continued monopolization over media outlets & its impact on news reporting.

War on Whistleblowers: Free Press and the National Security State is reviewed in Rolling Stone. Trailer here.

Bidder 70 covers the college student who posed as a bidder when the Bush administration decided to auction of public land to the oil industry & was subsequently jailed by the Obama administration.

Chasing Ice follows National Geographic photographer James Balog while recording climate change in the arctic.

Harvest Of Empire covers Latino immigration. Interview here.

Quite a few Black Power movement & related docs out this year:

Yet another doc on Muhammad Ali, The Trials of Muhammad Ali focuses just on his refusal to serve in Vietnam.

Yet another doc on Angela Davis, Free Angela and All Political Prisoners

A doc on Mumia Abu-Jamal, the United States' longest-serving political prisoner, Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu-Jamal looks like it might contain a lot of talking heads rather than the man himself, but probably contains at least some of his compelling radio programs/speeches.

Finally, Let The Fire Burn documents the Philadelphia police bombing the MOVE organization, killing 5 children & 6 adults, and destroying a city block of public housing. It won best doc at the Tribeca Film Festival.

TV:

The Central Park Five is Ken Burns' take on the 6 innocent teenagers who were charged & sentenced for the rape of a white woman in Central Park in 1989.

The Untold History of the United States is the television series by Oliver Stone that revisits US history with an eye for the details that get swept under the rug. Oliver Stone interview here.

Finally, Bill Moyers has been doing his own schtick after leaving PBS & has done a lot of good programming. One of the most notable is his coverage of ALEC, the Koch brothers attempts to bypass Congress & get states to pass pro-corporate bills, best summarized in The United States Of ALEC, viewable here.

[domino harvey]

Was reminded of an interesting doc I saw on the Sundance Channel probably seven or eight years ago, American Eunuchs (Gian Claudio Guiducci and Franco Sacchi 2003), about men who feel compelled to voluntarily castrate themselves, not always for strictly sexual reasons. It was, as you can imagine, a bizarre examination of fringe sexuality, one coupled with actual surgical footage of the act and a plethora of interviews with both those who've had the procedure done and those who make a living performing the act for others. I still remember one horrifying interview with a man who was showering and felt compelled out of nowhere to tie off and remove his testicles in the moment-- sans anesthesia or any form of preparation. The film took a non-judgmental stance which let its subjects approach something resembling honesty about their predilections and desires, even if ultimately the compelling nature of this urge to commit serious and permanent bodily harm of this nature to yourself remains unknowable to most (including myself). Unfortunately it looks like this was never released in any format and isn't even available on That Site Which Shall Not Be Mentioned. There is a trailer up on YouTube however. It'll make my list, but barring some sort of screening or internet reemergence (maybe one of the internet's many fetish sites is hosting a copy?), it seems almost destined to be an Orphan

EDIT: I see a DVD-R is being sold on Amazon

[zedz]

Some recent (i.e. 21st century) documentaries that are worth seeking out:

Marwencol: Perfectly pitched and expertly paced treatment of a fascinating subject: outsider artist Mark Hogencamp and his intricate doll-worlds. A lot of contemporary documentaries pile on stylistic conceits and artsy presentation as if the filmmakers were impatient to graduate to 'real' movies (or cable TV shows)*, and in 99% of instances it falls flat or fails to camouflage a lack of grip on the content of the film. This is a rare example where the level of style and stylization works for the subject matter and the story / subject remain the star. As we head towards the final stretch, it looks like we're in for a ghastly bromide about the healing power of celebrity (and how the filmmakers Really Made a Difference) which the film elegantly glides past into much more substantial and emotional territory.

* Alternatively, the filmmaker will crassly insert themselves into the film, because what they really want is their own talk show.

Tabloid: Errol Morris is the grandfather of the 'stylistic conceit' documentary, and is thus indirectly responsible for an awful lot of awfulness, but subjectivity and its dark shadow, moral relativity, are his great subjects, and that style is almost always appropriate to the material he's dealing with. I consider this the greatest of his recent films because it returns to the giddy goofiness of his early work, but explores the ridiculous ins and outs of the tale with a keen eye for their thematic resonances. By the end of the film, the themes have been obliquely orchestrated into a surprisingly profound philosophical exploration of personality and the ways it can be consciously and unconsciously manipulated.

The Order of Myths: At the other end of the spectrum, here's a modest film that tackles the 'inserted filmmaker' dilemma with aplomb. Just as there are a lot of aesthetically overblown docs out there, there are also a lot of 'stylistically neutral' ones like this one, and that's not necessarily a virtue. Sometimes unassuming filmmaking is just blank 'I have no idea what I'm doing' blandness; other times, it's a way of immersing the film and viewer in the subject / world of the film, as in this case. It's a mildly presentational, mostly observational film that shows the mechanics of American Racism at work in a completely ordinary and non-sensational context - which makes for utterly compelling viewing.

Chuck Close: 'Portrait of the Artist' documentaries are a dime a dozen, and range from formal, samey biographies to hands-off, reverent, samey 'artists at work' verite. This one falls somewhat in the middle and is driven by Close's marvellous personality. It's a really warm and entertaining portrait of a warm and entertaining guy.

Ydessa, the Bears & etc.: All of Agnes Varda's recent documentary work is worth checking out, and I'm sure The Gleaners and I will attract the potato's share of attention, but this low-key charmer would be my pick. What could be a simple quirkfest (what's up with that chick who collects all the teddy bears?) is deepened into a whimsical, personal, moving portrait of both Ydessa and of Agnes.

Boxing Gym: If I'm limiting myself to one film per filmmaker, my Wiseman pick will probably be Welfare, but don't let that stop you tracking down this wonderful example of one of the world's great filmmakers working at the height of his powers. The high-gloss Crazy Horse is also terrific, but it's at the opposite end of the opulence spectrum from this quiet charmer.

Finally, don't overlook two of the greatest working documentary filmmakers -

Kim Longinotto: A handful of her films have been released on Second Run (of those, Gaea Girls would be my pick). Her stock in trade is stories of women struggling for expression in male-defined worlds, whether they be occupational (law, wrestling) or institutional (Iran's nightmarish divorce courts), but anything she's involved with is guaranteed to be terrific. My favourite at the moment is probably her (unavailable on DVD?) Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go, about a school for emotionally disturbed children, but the celebrated and more accessible Sisters in Law is also a must-see.

Heddy Honigmann: Honigmann also has a diverse but thematically consistent and highly impressive body of work behind her. She tends to examine lives disrupted by war / geopolitical upheaval, but she also has a strong musical thread running through her work, and often those threads coincide. My favourite film of hers, Crazy, is all about that intersection. In it, she talks to (oh, and Honigmann's secret strength is that she might just be the world's greatest interviewer) UN peacekeepers about their experiences, and asks them to select a piece of music that helped them deal with them. We watch them listen to the music, then watch what happens. It's an incredible film, and it's one of the most astute treatments I've ever seen about how people actually use music as an integral part of their lives (which theme is something of a Honigmann speciality). The sequence in which we hear the title track is the best example I know of identification with somebody I don't know managing to transmute shit into gold - to the extent that thirteen years later I can't hear that song without it hitting me in the sinuses. (On the other hand, no amount of emotional alchemy can affect the rank turd that is Guns 'n' Roses cover of 'Knocking on Heaven's Door'!) As far as I know, this film isn't available on DVD. Her excellent Forever is (Heddy chats to people she finds in Pere-Lachaise cemetery), so don't delay. I'd also highly recommend O Amor Natural (Elderly Brazilians read out love poems, then talk about their own love lives) and The Underground Orchestra (busking exiles in Paris).

[knives]

I'm with you vis a vis Varda. I've felt for a while now that her shorter works are some of her best with her documentaries also having a greater level of consistency so combining the two of course is going to make just perfect magic.

[bamwc2]

Viewing Log:

The Arbor (Clio Barnard, 2010): Going in to the viewing I knew nothing about the life or works of Andrea Dunbar, but after seeing this extraordinary documentary which interweaves talking heads into actors inhabiting the roles of her plays on the street, I would love to learn even more about her. This unique approach to telling her story in the first half of the film is unlike anything that I have ever seen before, but this experiment pays off beautifully in the end with a vibrancy brought to her portrait that would not have been present in a more conventional method. The second half of the film shifts focus from Andrea's short life to the lives of her three children, particularly that of Lorraine, whose life in and out of prison has led her to drug dependency, abuse, and the loss of a child. Holy cow! Looking it up on imdb now I see that the talking heads (children included) were actually actors playing the real people. Remarkable! I had no idea. This one seems like a sure bet to be on my final list.

The Horse Boy (Michel Orion Scott, 2009): At the other end of the spectrum we get the the contemptible The Horse Boy, a nasty little piece of new age nuttery that holds that shamanism can "heal" autism so long as we let mystics run their hands over the afflicted's skull and pretend to pluck out the disorder. Even if we ignore the insanity of that thesis, the film would still be a complete train wreck thanks to the egomaniacal patriarch, Austin based journalist Rupert Isaacson. Despite his thick British accent and more than passing resemblance to Virgin's Richard Branson, Isaacson seemingly embodies all of the worst traits of the ugly American abroad. Often dressed in his AC/DC t-shirt (or some other piece of bro attire), Isaacson makes sure that he is center stage in every shot and is often heard waxing about his tremendous skills as a father. By the end we see Rowan, the couple's son two years later, and learn that he's overcome his meltdowns and his incontinence. We're told that it was all the result of their Mongolian odyssey. Really? Nothing else could have helped Rowan in the intervening span? Unwatchable trash.

Into the Abyss (Werner Herzog, 2011): Herzog, who needless to say is one of the world's greatest living documentarians, crafts another masterful examination of a highly personal subject, this time its the crimes of Texas death row inmate Michael Perry. He, along with a group of friends, murdered three people over a car about a decade ago that now sits as a junker in an impound lot with a tree growing through the bottom of it at one point. As I've stated on the board before, I'm a death penalty abolitionist and despite the truly horrific nature of Perry's crimes (there's little doubt of his guilt), there's nothing here to make me change my mind. Perhaps that's because Herzog also voices his opposition to capital punishment at one point in the film, but I doubt that he set out to make a polemic nor does the film ever come off as one. Regardless, end of life questions are never easy to answer and Herzog does everyone a service by taking a complex look at a difficult problem.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (David Gelb, 2011): Gelb's documentary tells the tale of 85 year old Jiro Ono, whose 10 seat $300 a plate sushi restaurant is routinely booked over a year in advance. Jiro's masterful preparation of the seafood wins him international acclaim, but places a heavy onus on the backs of his two sons who both seek to follow in his footsteps. Although I don't think that I enjoyed quite it as much as the chorus of critics that lavished praise on it last year, the film works well in its exploration of Jiro's lifelong obsession with crafting the perfect piece of sushi. I've never been much interested in his craft itself. Even back in my omnivore days over a decade ago now, I was never one for sea food, but the I was moved by his single minded quest to perfect his skill. I suppose that it also helps that Jiro comes off as a genuinely nice guy who is very humble in his own self appraisals. Despite the fact that he's recognized as a master in his field, he still looks up to the French chef with the perfect sense of smell and the rice dealer who knows everything that there is to know about rice. My biggest gripe here is a general one. As one who abhors unnecessary animal suffering, I couldn't help but be turned off by the tuna and other aquatic life butchered during the making of the film. Otherwise, it was a fairly enjoyable journey.

Rivers and Tides (Thomas Riedelsheimer, 2001): Released to the kind of critical adoration that most documentarians can only dream of, Thomas Riedelsheimer's documentary about the ephemeral works of nature-based artist Andy Goldsworthy features some truly stunningly beautiful works of art. However, aside from its undeniable aesthetic charm it really doesn't have much going for it. I found Goldsworthy's work far more interesting than the artist himself and the movie seemed to come to a screeching halt every time it shifted focus from his art to him talking. I suppose that it's worth seeing for the beauty of his pieces, but I wouldn't expect anything profound from this wafer-thin work.

We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks (Alex Gibney, 2013): Looking into this film, it seems that there is a good deal of ire (not to mentioned fantastic conspiracy theories) directed at Alex Gibney for what strikes me as a fairly straight forward and even handed documentary. The story behind the documentary is likely common knowledge, but on the slim chances that someone here is not familiar with it, Wikileaks is a website that sought classified information from around the world and gained notoriety upon the publication of documents supplied by Army private Bradley Manning. The film traces the inception of story with the meglomaniacal Julian Assange's days as an Australian computer hacktivist through his recent criminal charges in Sweden and subsequent holding up in London's Ecuadorian embassy. The film is well made and the details of Manning's treatment continue to break my heart. Even though I generally agree with his doings, Assange does not come off looking well in this documentary. In fact he comes off as a conceited asshole who is more concerned with his own self-importance than the lives of anyone who might be affected by his data dumps. We also get to see what a terrible dancer he is. Definitely recommended.

[Gregory]

^^ Rivers and Tides, like Buena Vista Social Club, above, is one I would go out of my way to defend, and for some similar reasons. Both are works which provide a privileged glimpse into art being made by people who are driven creative spirits and without pretense, and are works in which one can see the filmmakers being inspired by their subjects. In Wenders' film, the smooth camerawork and unobtrusive documentary style shows his ability to adapt to the elegance of the music and find a suitably natural and simple way of documenting them. In Rivers and Tides, the filming of the settings in which Goldsworthy works seems even more inspired by his way of viewing natural settings and changing them by introducing order to them. And rarely if ever have I heard an artist speak in such profound ways about the way they conceive their own work that is totally unpretentious and humble. Goldsworthy's observations about the work were almost koan-like in their apparent simplicity that is thought-provoking for the viewer. I was familiar with Goldsworthy before seeing the film but not a major fan, and the film really deepened my appreciation for what he does, and has paid off just as much on a second viewing (for the blu-ray). To me, those are hallmarks of great documentary filmmaking.

[bamwc2]

Gregory, I'm afraid that we'll have to agree to disagree since I got none of what you found in either film.

[Lemmy Caution]

I hadn't really thought of The Arbor as a documentary but more a creative biopic. But I guess it is a quasi-documentary. Interesting, imaginative film. I was a bit confused at times on who the people were. It helped to watch it a second time.

For Marwencol, I'd rec watching the deleted scene where the name of the town/film is explained. I found it peculiar that that was left out of the film (unless I'm misremembering).

Some 21st C Recs:
Talhotblond (2009) really impressed me. Very well paced and put together, with a rather bizarre true story to tell. I have no idea why the rather bland and mediocre Catfish garnered so much attention the following year for a somewhat similar true internet identity tale.

Facing Ali (2009) is a masterful doc which went straight to video and basically no one saw. Ten ex-fighters, all ex-Ali opponents, reminisce about their careers and lives. It's really poignant as most are at a reflective stage of life and talk about their regrets and mistakes and triumphs. Excellent. I watched it three times, and being Mr Kevyip, I don't re-watch much.

On The Ropes (1999) is essentially a boxing equivalent of Hoops Dreams. A powerful film following three fighters (one female) who are trying to make it in the toughest of professions. They also battle a variety socio-economic pathologies. Great film.

In The Realms of The Unreal (2004)
Amazing, obsessive outsider art. With Dakota Fanning narrating the tale of the Vivian Girls.

Born Into Brothels (2004)
A mix of heartbreak and uplift from the power of art and creativity. Amazing film. A nice comment on the possibilities inherent in every individual, and how the harsh adult world tends to crush the spirit.

[MichaelB]

I hadn't really thought of The Arbor as a documentary but more a creative biopic. But I guess it is a quasi-documentary. Interesting, imaginative film. I was a bit confused at times on who the people were. It helped to watch it a secodn time.

I think it absolutely qualifies as a documentary. Granted, it's hugely unconventional in form (but that's hardly a demerit or a disqualification), but it's based on historical fact to the extent that a huge chunk of its soundtrack is made up of audio recordings of the actual people being portrayed. So it's arguably much closer to its original source material than a huge number of other documentaries - and also rather more faithful to it.

[domino harvey]

In The Realms of The Unreal (2004)
Amazing, obsessive outsider art. With Dakota Fanning narrating the tale of the Vivian Girls.

Yeah, this is an interesting one. I saw it when it first came out because I'd confused Henry Darger with the story of "Saint James" Hampton (sidenote: fascinating read if you aren't familiar with St James), but Darger's story is almost as peculiar!

[bamwc2]

In The Realms of The Unreal (2004)
Amazing, obsessive outsider art. With Dakota Fanning narrating the tale of the Vivian Girls.

Yeah, this is an interesting one. I saw it when it first came out because I'd confused Henry Darger with the story of "Saint James" Hampton (sidenote: fascinating read if you aren't familiar with St James), but Darger's story is almost as peculiar!

I'll second (third?) this recommendation as it was on my animation list. Yes, the material on Darger himself is probably the most fascinating part of the documentary.

[zedz]

For Marwencol, I'd rec watching the deleted scene where the name of the town/film is explained. I found it peculiar that that was left out of the film (unless I'm misremembering).

I'm pretty sure that information is in the film somewhere, but maybe not as explicitly. I know that I was aware of its etymology after I saw the film in the cinema, and I didn't do any extra research.

[Lowry_Sam]

^^ Rivers and Tides, like Buena Vista Social Club, above, is one I would go out of my way to defend,

I didn't realize either film had vocal detractors, Rivers & Tides played in my local theater when it came out for close to a whole year. Rivers and Tides will definitely be on my list without having to revisit it, guess I'll have to check out BVSC, which I've only avoided because I've listened to the soundtrack so much, I never felt the need to actually watch it, whereas R&T is quite the visual experience (& I've only been waiting for a price drop to pick up the blu-ray).

I'll also be including Exit Through The Gift Shop which not only gives a peek into the world of street art/graffiti but also maintains Banksy's sense of play, by not taking the documentary vehicle so seriously.

I found the art in In The Realm Of The Unreal, as well as, the artist's story quite interesting, but I'm not sure I'll include it, as it didn't have as much of a "rewatch" value for me as the other artist's films.

I just revisited Gimme Shelter, and while I still enjoyed the extent to which the Mayles focused on all that was going on around the event, I had forgotten how little musical performance there actually was in the film & not sure the other stuff is enough to carry it into my list. Much preferable is one of their documents of Christo's art installations, which both predates & probably inspires Rivers and Tides. I enjoyed Umbrellas most, followed by Running Fences, which does a better than Gimme Shelter (perhaps because of the haphazard editing) in documenting the difficulty in staging such an event.

Ballets russes might be a bit more conventional in style, but it certainly makes up for it in content and is probably one of the most compelling histories of an artist/performance group that I've seen (though I have yet to see Wiseman's). With very skillful editing, the filmmakers compile interviews, old dance footage and new "where are they now" now scenes into a 2 hour history of one of the most important ballet troups that never drags.

Ryan is an Academy Award winning animated short that I neglected to include on my animation list. It's similar to In The Realm Of The Unreal in its subject matter (documenting a troubled artist, while incorporating his art into the documentary itself), but does so in a much more succinct manner (ie. 14 min.) and is available on Youtube here

Finally, speaking of alcoholic troubled artists, Bukowski: Born Into This is probably the best portrait of the writer (though I haven't seen Barbet Schroeder's Charles Bukowski Tapes yet)

[Lowry_Sam]

I
Born Into Brothels (2004 Documentary)
A mix of heartbreak and uplift from the power of art and creativity. Amazing film. A nice comment on the possibilities inherent in every individual,a dn how the harsh adult world tends to crush the spirit.

This one also goes beyond the usual documentary. They actually give the children in Calcutta cameras to document their own world & the film doesn't just exploit their plight for the sake of Western eyes, but it has a (positive) impact on their lives as well.

[bamwc2]

^^ Rivers and Tides, like Buena Vista Social Club, above, is one I would go out of my way to defend,

I didn't realize either film had vocal detractors...

Just for the sake of clarity, I'd like to reiterate that I never said that either film was particularly bad, but seemed to me to fail to live up to their reputations for the reasons that I outlined in my previous posts.

[Gropius]

Just saw The Act of Killing (dir. Joshua Oppenheimer, 2012), which is receiving considerable word-of-mouth and internet hype (see this Vice item in which executive producers Werner Herzog and Errol Morris sing its praises), but doesn't seem to have been discussed in this thread so far.

I have a feeling it will indeed rocket into many people's Top 50s when they see it. I can't give an adequate synopsis, but imagine something of the thematic heaviness of Night and Fog or Shoah (in this case, it's the Indonesian massacre of suspected communists during the 1960s, subcontracted to local gangsters by the military regime), except that one of the surviving executioners, apparently still proud of his deeds, wants to participate in zany re-enactments, with musical interludes that might have been staged by Tsai Ming-liang. By turns disturbing and comically grotesque, it presents a worldview so alien to 'civilised' liberal morality (although of course the US govt backed these people - there are several moments where Western piety is challenged) as to leave most viewers dumbfounded.

[domino harvey]

I've been working on compiling a preliminary list and here's more recommended docs from my list that deserve some consideration (though this no doubt will be, as it always is for me in these projects, Orphan-palooza):

the Curve of Forgotten Things (Todd Cole 2011) As I wrote in my thumbnail back in 2011, this is a short film concerned either with the fashion of aesthetics or the aesthetics of fashion, you pick. An advertisement for Rodarte's Spring 2011 line featuring Elle Fanning prancing wordlessly through a deserted farmstead, this is marketing at its most sublime and effective, and while it's probably a borderline case (if that) for most, it'll undoubtedly finish high on my own list regardless (Available on YouTube in 1080p!)

FTA (Francine Parker 1972) Capturing a bizarro-world USO show where the US govt is mocked, not bolstered, this documentary splices in entertaining stage footage featuring stars Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland doing community theatre satirics for a responsive crowd of draftees with insightful interviews of the everyday men and women who found themselves involved in Vietnam against their will. Features some great tunes by Lew Chandler, especially the opening ditty "My Ass Is Mine" (R1 DVD Docurama)

Teeth (Dir. Uncredited 1973) As much a document of the generational gap of the early seventies as Taking Off, this supremely ineffective dental film mixes is so much groovy psychedelics and hip chick posturing that its message is virtually imperceptible aside from what it reveals about the clueless adults who created it. The end result is surreal: an educational film with nothing to learn and no possible audience (R1 Kino DVD Classic Educational Shorts Vol 6: Troubled Teens)

I've already said that Louis and the Nazis will be my number one, but there's a lot of great Louis Theroux material available out there. Any episode of Weird Weekends is probably good enough to recommend out of hand, for starters. But these are some of the best, all of which could reasonably make my list as well (all are available either on R2 DVDs or YouTube):

Weird Weekends: Black Nationalism (1999) / Gangsta Rap (2000) Theroux is always willing to evade his comfort zone and with these two episodes of his short lived series he encounters specific black communities in America. Seeing Theroux invariably treated with hostility, contempt, and/or bemusement by most he encounters sells the outsider status of the documentarian, and yet he's again able to get under his subject's skins and capture something approaching the truth. One of the finest moments in Gangsta Rap finds Theroux led on a tour of a rap studio and his guide stopping to alert him as to how many CD covers on the wall represent artists now incarcerated for the very crimes they boasted about

African Hunting Holiday (2008) One of the sublime pleasures of Louis Theroux's docs is found in his ability to get people to drop their guard and inadvertently reveal something about themselves. This one does one better by ending with an epiphany by the owner of a big game hunting safari that is as dramatic and stirring as any fiction film could offer, but which is only alluded to with a sad futility that makes it all the more powerful

Law and Order in Johannesburg (2008) There are times in Theroux's specials where the audience becomes legitimately fearful for his safety, but I don't think he's ever put himself in as much harm as he has here, hobnobbing with kingpins and dealers and one point evading an actual firefight in the streets. Tense and enlightening in equal measure!

[Minkin]

Law and Order in Johannesburg (2008) There are times in Theroux's specials where the audience becomes legitimately fearful for his safety, but I don't think he's ever put himself in as much harm as he has here, hobnobbing with kingpins and dealers and one point evading an actual firefight in the streets. Tense and enlightening in equal measure!

Surprisingly, he seems to rarely be too concerned for his own safety/scared in most of these situations. I think the only occasion where he really feared for his life was the Most Dangerous Pets episode, with the chimpanzee (an absolute must watch). Of his other specials, I'd recommend Ultra Zionists and Extreme Love: Dementia

I actually prefer Weird Weekends to his television specials, since he tries to join the activity, rather than be an outside observer. This leads to Louis seemingly accepting the odd activities (though several episodes seem like "how far out of Louis' comfort zone will he go?") From Weird Weekends, I'd recommend Swingers, Demolition Derby (this is perhaps the other occasion where you see Louis fear for his life), and UFOs (the meeting with the pastor/ET contact is just too over the top to handle. Plus he tries to book an interview with some cult, but they had a mass suicide before he could speak with anyone).

[colinr0380]

While a lot of episodes from his seemingly more sedate "When Louis Met..." series following and interviewing eccentric British celebrities a little past their prime (the magician Paul Daniels and his wife/glamorous assistant Debbie McGee; the boxer Chris Eubank; disgraced former MP Neil Hamilton and his wife Christine, who parlayed their tabloid notoriety into a kind of Osbornes-style reality soap opera, and so on) would probably not travel as well outside of the UK, it might be worth noting that the episode Theroux did on one of the BBCs biggest 1970s light entertainment figures, Jimmy Savile, has come into relevance again quite recently in the wake of Savile's death and with allegations of abuse by Savile coming to light.

(The episode was on YouTube but looks to have been removed recently, but is still up on Vimeo)

[domino harvey]

I must admit, as a non-Brit, all the When Louis Met... episodes that were on the first DVD set were wasted on me (the Saville one's on disc, FYI). Though the only one that was good to my American eyes didn't even make it on the DVD, the one where he hangs out with Joe Jackson! As for Weird Weekends, in addition to my earlier recs and those offered by Minkin, the ep with religious fundamentalists is also quite interesting, especially in how several do not cease to try to convert a clearly skeptical Theroux!

[domino harvey]

More recs from my provisional list:

the Atomic Cafe (Jayne Loader, Kevin Rafferty and Pierce Rafferty 1982) Splicing together dozens of educational films, histrionic news casts, and found footage, this history of the nuclear warfare era is quite clever, especially in how it juxtaposes much of its fabulous material into a narrative without the use of any framing or narrative devices. And of course, one should consider adding some of the originals to their list: LBJ's "Daisy" ad and Duck and Cover will also prob make mine (R1 DVD Docurama / Free on Amazon Prime)

Capitalism (Dir. Uncredited 1948) Bit of a biased vote since I teach this every year so I've seen it more than a lot of other docs, but this is some A+ anti-communist propaganda wherein a bunch of swell teenage radio show hosts (?) hold an astonishingly inauthentic "debate" on the merits of Capitalism. No, not whether or not it's a good thing, but rather over which aspect of Capitalism is the best! I suppose this one has some camp value now but I think it offers some keen insight into the nation post-WWII with regards to indoctrination and fostering the eventual Red Scare (On YouTube here)

the Fairy Faith (John Walker 2000) Another accidental viewing from my college days when Sundance Channel and IFC were the closest thing I had to That Site Which Shall Not Be Mentioned. This doc examines otherwise sane and rational people who fervently believe in fairies and are greatly concerned for a local Irish government's plans to destroy a tree believed to house the magical creatures in order to advance a work order. In watching "normal" people espouse such ludicrous ideas, one can't help but equate their beliefs with other, more "acceptable" positions! The film doesn't mock these people but approaches them with curiosity.

High School (Frederick Wiseman 1968) I've written about this one before but man, the more things change, the more things stay the same (R1 DVD-R from Wiseman)

Microcosmos (Claude Nuridsany and Marie Pérennou 1996) I originally saw this under the best possible conditions: late at night (prob around 4 AM) on Sundance following a screening of Dead Alive / Braindead! I was so exhausted from laughing at Peter Jackson's film, which I'd never seen before, that I was ready to pack it in when I started watching this and could… not… stop. The film was like cinematic drugs-- calming, disorienting, and utterly alien to my day-to-day existence. I know lots of nature docs have captures images of insects before and since, but none have filled me with the queasy awe of this masterpiece (R0 Blu-ray)

Roger and Me / Sicko (Michael Moore 1989 / 2007) I know, we all love to hate Michael Moore. Yes, his tactics are often silly and unnecessarily boisterous. And much of his self-righteousness has a short shelf life. And yet, Roger and Me still holds up fabulously. Easily the best thing Moore's ever done and a high water mark of class consciousness and vibrant liberalism which he'd never reach again-- though many of the segments for TV Nation and to a lesser degree the Awful Truth came close. Sicko is probably his next-best film, a horror show parade of real and valid concerns that found itself overshadowed in the press by Moore's raconteur tendencies in the finale (R1 DVD Warners OOP / Weinstein Company)

Take Away Show: Dirty Projectors (La Blogotheque 2007) The internet has given rise to all manner of novel approaches to filming a band's performance, but French outfit La Blogotheque were among the first to come up with the now somewhat trite concept of performing impromptu sets in public spaces. However, no band took to the task with more novelty and audacity than Dirty Projectors, recorded here a few months before Rise Above was released. To see Dave Longstreth sing "This fucking city is run by pigs" five feet from a police officer or Amber Hoffman and Angel Deradoorian hit high notes during "Depression" while inside a McDonalds is to see raw, juvenile, energetic musicianship at its finest. Both parts are up on YouTube, but I don't know why LB uploaded them in such horrendous quality. Back in 2007 both were available for free in 720p from their website, though the nice quality files have long since left. I've got a copy on an external harddrive somewhere of these in HQ if anyone really loves this, but for most these links may suffice: Part One / Part Two

Unforgivable Blackness: the Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (Ken Burns 2004) I know most of y'all are snobs and hate Ken Burns but this one's worth a look if just for what it reveals about lower class society at the turn of the century. No, not in the racist displays, but in how intelligence is expounded in the letters and articles brought into evidence by Burns-- more than anything, what I took away from this fascinating look at one of the best boxers who ever lived was how far education as a whole has fallen when even the most uneducated borderline illiterate everyman is able to express himself in a manner far outfoxing most scholars of today! (R1 DVD PBS)