Documentaries

[Documad]

What makes a good one?

I just saw Dig! and I didn't like it. (I don't know why someone would follow the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre around for so long.)

I like documentaries that expose me to people or a community that I wouldn't normally be exposed to. I don't have to admire the people who are featured, but I have to kind of care what happens to them. I didn't care about anyone in Dig!

[buddylee]

"Educating Peter" was great I would tell everone to check it out.

[TonsOfFun]

Nicotine, valium, vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy and alcohol. Co-co-co-cocaine.

[ms.peachy]

I like documentaries that expose me to people or a community that I wouldn't normally be exposed to.

You might like this, then. (http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=201747)

It's a very sweet, superficially simple film about people who collect or even subsist on the things others leave behind or throw away; but it's got surprising depth to it, in the way it comments on historical and contemporary French society, the artistic process and the nature of filmmaking, and the whole notion of what is 'valued'.

[Documad]

You might like this, then. (http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=201747)

It's a very sweet, superficially simple film about people who collect or even subsist on the things others leave behind or throw away; but it's got surprising depth to it, in the way it comments on historical and contemporary French society, the artistic process and the nature of filmmaking, and the whole notion of what is 'valued'.
Oh, that's been on my list for a while but I couldn't remember why I put it there. That does sound up my alley.


On the other end of the spectrum, Paris is Burning was not a particularly well made film, but it showed me a subculture I didn't know anything about (drag queen communities at a point in time in NYC) and it hooked me.

[Nuzzolese]

The best documentaries always tightly focus on at least one individual person, or a group, so these are your main people to follow - then you have something like a personable home base to come back to, between footage and coverage of a larger view of the situation.

[Qdrop]

well, there seems to be 2 kinds of documentaries....
there are those that take no stance, just roll the film, ask objective questions, don't edit to "an agenda", show all sides, and take none.
they let the viewer decide or take from it what the want.
(capturing the friedmans)

then there are ones that START off with an opinion or stance, ask opionated/loaded questions, edit the film to their liking and views, and take a clear side.
(anything by m.moore)

both can be entertaining and educational, but the second should really be called an opinion piece, not a documentary....in my opinion.

[ms.peachy]

then there are ones that START off with an opinion or stance, ask opionated/loaded questions, edit the film to their liking and views, and take a clear side.

I think we should call those qdropumentaries.

[Nuzzolese]

well, there seems to be 2 kinds of documentaries....
there are those that take no stance, just roll the film, ask objective questions, don't edit to "an agenda", show all sides, and take none.
they let the viewer decide or take from it what the want.
(capturing the friedmans)

then there are ones that START off with an opinion or stance, ask opionated/loaded questions, edit the film to their liking and views, and take a clear side.
(anything by m.moore)

both can be entertaining and educational, but the second should really be called an opinion piece, not a documentary....in my opinion.

Sometimes it's not quite clear which one you're watching. I wish I could think of good examples. I mean, some documentaries are meant as a tribute to a person or an activity or a sport, so it obviously is meant to make it look good, but then they also want to honestly portray it and that honesty is part of giving the tribute. Like Crumb, for example. They didn't edit out all the weird, crummy aspects of his life and family - then again, Robert Crumb never did either, in his comics.

[Documad]

The best documentaries always tightly focus on at least one individual person, or a group, so these are your main people to follow - then you have something like a personable home base to come back to, between footage and coverage of a larger view of the situation.
I agree. I has to be difficult to decide who to follow around. You either get very lucky (Hoop Dreams) or you don't (Dig!).


I don't know if films ever don't have an agenda. I didn't like Capturing the Friedmans because I felt manipulated. It was trying to make characters sympathetic even when it was pretending not to. Then I later saw the extras on the DVD release it made a lot more sense. A lot of the story was omitted, which made the family look less responsible. It appears that the true story was far more disturbing. It's hard because typically the cops and prosecutors and judges can't or shouldn't talk on camera so you're missing an important part of the story even if the filmmaker was trying to be balanced.

I have a tough time with documentaries based on criminal investigations in general. Paradise Lost movie made the defendants look so guilty but most of the audience apparently felt the opposite.

I've beat it to death, but Murder on a Sunday Morning is the most accurate portrayal I've seen, along with some of the Frontline episodes.

[Qdrop]

I think we should call those qdropumentaries.

okay, i'm just gonna blame that on the hormones and let it pass!









could i patent "Qdropumentaries" i wonder?

[Qdrop]

i can\'t wait till marty\'s new dylan documentary comes on telly (y)
i can't wait till you get banned again.

[Documad]

I think that Some Kind of Monster was meant to make Metallica look good, even in divulging all that personal crap. I think they knew that they would appear to be fucked up but real. I don't think they knew they would look pompous and that it would be unintentionally funny.


Hitting closer to home, I think that in American Dream, the participants were sure that the striking union members would look sympathetic, but I thought they came off badly. Now, the crowd I saw it with was full of people with ties to Austin, MN and to Hormel, and so they were out of hand, but despite that, I thought that the union management and even the company came of more sympathetic than you would expect. That might have been Kopple's plan though.

[Nuzzolese]

There are the serious, harrowing, message touting documentaries to bring public awareness to something serious.

Then there are the fun tributes to sports which just highlight and educate for the built-in audience of those who already love it or have an interest in it. I think these kinds of films don't try quite as hard to make their subject relevant outside of its on context, because like I said it already has a built-in audience and they are mainly trying to please those who know it best, to show it warmly and accurately like you would introduce your own brother to your boyfriend at a family dinner. Step Into Liquid, The Endless Summer, and Riding Giants are all like this.

[TAL]

Has anyone seen that one about doll collectors in Utah?

[Documad]

Has anyone seen that one about doll collectors in Utah?
I'm dying to! :p

btw, doll collectors are FREAKS.

[jabumbo]

but nothing good comes out of utah

[Nuzzolese]

Oh and Pimps Up Hoes Down that was a good one.

[guerillaGardner]

Favourite documentaries:

1) The Coconut Revolution - story of self sufficient people in New Guinea (as I recall) dealing with embargo on resources.

2) Outfoxed - expose on Fox News.

3) Documentary about the coup against Hugo Chavez, by two Irish guys who happened to be filming at the time - can't remember the name.

4) Bowling for Columbine.

[DIGI]

I saw AMERICAN MOVIE a long-ass time ago and have watched many docs since, but it still remains my favorite. I think you all should see it. Very entertaining.

[Nuzzolese]

I saw AMERICAN MOVIE a long-ass time ago and have watched many docs since, but it still remains my favorite. I think you all should see it. Very entertaining.


I love that so much. Was it really a documentary? I thought it was a MOCKumentary of documentaries. Kind of like Man Bites Dog, or This is Spinal Tap.

[Kid Presentable]

I liked when the old lady died in 'Man Bites Dog'.

Who's seen 'Spellbound'? The cooler you are, the more likely you are to have a kid like the one on the cover.

[DIGI]

I love that so much. Was it really a documentary? I thought it was a MOCKumentary of documentaries. Kind of like Man Bites Dog, or This is Spinal Tap.


Good question. I'm not sure. Like I said, it's been a long time since I saw it. I was always under the impression it was true to life, but who knows. Dammit, I need to own it. I have an imaginary list of flicks I need to pick up and never do. shit.

[King PSYZ]

scratch is a great doc. on hip hop and dj culture.

[Dr Deaf]

scratch is a great doc. on hip hop and dj culture.


agreed. i bought 'scratch' bundled with 'dark days' (http://www.palmpictures.com/videos/darkdays.html), which i'd like to recommend in this thread.

$15.99 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005NSY6/102-0748653-0612955?v=glance)

[Brass_Munkey]

My health class hs been watching super size me over the past few days

I find it enjoyable and quite informative

spurlock did a good job and really gutted it out despite medical warnings