Jump to content




Festival Search

eFestivals Camping Store

Recent Topics

The Documentary Film Thread


  • Please log in to reply
314 replies to this topic

#21 Alcatraz

Alcatraz

    Leaving for No Raisin

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 3,800 posts

Posted 05 February 2009 - 07:47 AM

View PostThe Nal, on Nov 12 2008, 10:19 AM, said:

Documentary on last night on the Thrilla in Manilla, great doc about one of the greatest rivalries in the history of sport.
Now that is very good. Make you realise that Ali wasn't all great

#22 Langdale Wolf

Langdale Wolf

    Matt Smith > David Tennant

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 10,391 posts

Posted 05 February 2009 - 09:49 AM

The Aileen Wournos documentary by Nick Broomfield is very good.  The  I watched Monster and realised just how bloody good Charlize Theron is in it.

#23 When Jokers Attack

When Jokers Attack

    Festival Freak

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,700 posts

Posted 05 February 2009 - 06:38 PM

The King Of Kong
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0923752/

Cocaine Cowboys
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380268/

#24 sadwitch

sadwitch

    hey i'm starting to feel ok

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 554 posts

Posted 05 February 2009 - 06:45 PM

Taxidermy: Stuff the World.

Amazing. I would love a copy of it but can't get hold of it anywhere despite repeated, if sporadic, efforts.

http://www.centuryfi...m/taxidermy.htm

Edited by sadwitch, 05 February 2009 - 06:47 PM.


#25 outtolunch

outtolunch

    steve the fishman

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 265 posts

Posted 05 February 2009 - 08:00 PM

I like the old classic such as 'Night Mail' and many others from the GPO Film Unit. released 1936, it only took 50 years for the sequal  'Night Mail II' to be commissioned

and a bit more up to date 1972 Crystal Voyager (with Pink Floyd soundtrack) classic surf movie. American surfer-cameraman George Greenhough rides the waves from California to Byron Bay

#26 .jay.

.jay.

    Festival Freak

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 834 posts

Posted 06 February 2009 - 12:36 AM

I'm a big documentary fan and i love Dogtown and the Z boys and i pretty much agree with all the recommendations in the thread and shall be looking into some of the ones I've not yet seen but you already have that i recommend

if you liked Dogtown and the Z Boys then check out this it is possibly my favourite documentary of all time it leaves you speechless!

Riding Giants -

you will also like this if you liked dogtown and the z boys

Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator - http://www.imdb.com/...y/vi1132855577/

two of the best music documentaries i've ever seen

Dig! -

Joe Strummer The Future is Unwritten - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGZeFox3StA

i think my other recommendations have been pretty much covered in this thread.

#27 .jay.

.jay.

    Festival Freak

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 834 posts

Posted 06 February 2009 - 12:41 AM

there's a documentary i saw years ago about a guy on death row and they film him as his date of execution draws near and as the get closer and closer to the date the documentary team start to think he may be innocent and it starts to unfold that he probably is, the execution goes ahead despite pleas to postpone it and after the documentary came out the governor of the prison that executed the guy quit and went on to become a staunch campaigner against the death penalty in the USA.

i cannot for the life of me remember the name of the documentary, it was made in the 80's maybe the late 70's and i think it won or got nominated for some big awards maybe even an Oscar i think the name is something like one day in may that isn't the name but it's something similar i think but i cannot for the life of me find any info about it anywhere i don't suppose any of you guys know what film i am talking about do you?

#28 philipsteak

philipsteak

    Festival Freak

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 919 posts

Posted 06 February 2009 - 12:45 AM

Man on Wire is a fantastic film. Its about the guy who tightrope walked between the twin towers back in 1973 (i think). The main guy is a little full of himself, but I suppose when you've done something  that damn cool, your entitled to be. He's also really, really, really French.

#29 .jay.

.jay.

    Festival Freak

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 834 posts

Posted 06 February 2009 - 12:51 AM

just remembered the name of that Documentary about the guy on death row.

14 days In May

well worth checking out if you can find it

#30 Johnthebar

Johnthebar

    Addicted

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 141 posts

Posted 06 February 2009 - 02:34 AM

Werner Herzog's latest one "Encounters at the End of the World" is well worth a watch.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093824/

It's a documentary about Antarctica, but as Werner says "It's not another penguin film", it focuses more on the many eccentric personalities that find themselves at the South Pole. There's also some stunning cinematography in it

#31 .jay.

.jay.

    Festival Freak

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 834 posts

Posted 06 February 2009 - 01:38 PM

Robert Blecker Wants Me Dead looks really good!



#32 Johnthebar

Johnthebar

    Addicted

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 141 posts

Posted 09 February 2009 - 12:57 PM

View Postsadwitch, on Feb 5 2009, 06:45 PM, said:

Taxidermy: Stuff the World.

Amazing. I would love a copy of it but can't get hold of it anywhere despite repeated, if sporadic, efforts.

http://www.centuryfi...m/taxidermy.htm

I managed to get a copy of Taxidermy... from a torrent site at the weekend. I'm looking forward to watching it, it looks interesting. I don't know if you use torrents or if we can discuss torrent sites on threads here, but if you want any info on where I found it please feel free to PM.

I embarked on a bit of a Documentary marathon most of the day yesterday, as I couldn't move due to being hungover and it was freezing outside. I got through:

Dig! - Already mentioned in this thread. But a great documentary about the friendship/rivalry/death threats between The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0388888/

Grizzly Man - Again already mentioned, but a great documentary about Timothy Treadwell's life and death with the grizzly bears in the Alaskan wilderness http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/

Jesus Camp http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0486358/ - A look at American evangelical Christian fundamental nutters and how they are trying to create their little foot soldiers for Jesus. Highly recommended although does contain scenes of extremely deluded people, brainwashed children and singing in tongues . It contains some cracking quotes too:

Quote

"If Harry Potter was alive in the old testament days he would have been put to death."

The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0430484/ - A 3 part BBC documentary about how and why governments try to instil terror into society. The focus is on the rise of the Neo Conservatives in America and Islamic Fundamentalism in the East. It shows that Cheney, Rumsfeld and co were putting together dodgy dossiers and evidence as early as the 70s and that there isn’t a big bad co-ordinated Al-Qaida organisation operating out of cells that we need to be scared of; the real terror comes from an ‘idea’ that radicalises young Muslims anywhere in the world.

It’s a bit out of date as it was originally aired in 2004 before 7/7 tube bombings, but the arguments in the film still seem very plausible and the people interviewed are high calibre. I was very surprised to see a BBC film approaching global politics from this kind of direction. Highly recommended

#33 suchacharmer

suchacharmer

    Addicted

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 232 posts

Posted 09 February 2009 - 06:45 PM

Best documentary I've ever watched was "American Movie" about a small time horror film maker with really interesting burnout friends.  It was shot around my hometown so there are a lot of parallels with my childhood and wanting to escape the vast nothingness of Northern America.  It's really funny and I highly recommend it if you want to see a part of the country that doesn't get represented in media very often.

Another great one is "The Target Shoots First" which is about a recent college grad who takes a job at Columbia House Record Club and has to fight with his desire to fight the corporate side of the music industry and survive within it at the same side.  It takes place during the rise of grunge and alternative music in the 90s and is a really interestig take on the modern music industry.

#34 t8yman

t8yman

    Heathen

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 3,314 posts

Posted 09 February 2009 - 06:49 PM

View Postsuchacharmer, on Feb 9 2009, 06:45 PM, said:

Best documentary I've ever watched was "American Movie" about a small time horror film maker with really interesting burnout friends.  It was shot around my hometown so there are a lot of parallels with my childhood and wanting to escape the vast nothingness of Northern America.  It's really funny and I highly recommend it if you want to see a part of the country that doesn't get represented in media very often.

Another great one is "The Target Shoots First" which is about a recent college grad who takes a job at Columbia House Record Club and has to fight with his desire to fight the corporate side of the music industry and survive within it at the same side.  It takes place during the rise of grunge and alternative music in the 90s and is a really interestig take on the modern music industry.


that sounds great, gonna check that one out for sure.

#35 .jay.

.jay.

    Festival Freak

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 834 posts

Posted 09 February 2009 - 06:56 PM

View PostJohnthebar, on Feb 9 2009, 12:57 PM, said:

Grizzly Man - Again already mentioned, but a great documentary about Timothy Treadwell's life and death with the grizzly bears in the Alaskan wilderness http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/

ooh yes this is a great documentary! it disturbed me a little how much i wanted to hear that recording of his final moments!

#36 t8yman

t8yman

    Heathen

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 3,314 posts

Posted 10 February 2009 - 07:51 AM

I simply cannot find "The Target Shoots First" anywhere, any pointers would be greatly appreciated. I can do torrent, usenet, rapidshare, anything!

#37 nightcrawler13

nightcrawler13

    Consumer of Pez and Souls

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 911 posts

Posted 10 February 2009 - 09:11 AM

The Bridge - it averages out that someone kills themselves once a fortnight by throwing themselves off the Golden Gate Bridge. So some docu makers set up some cameras for a month and filmed a series of people taking their own lives. Interviews with the relatives, friends, witness' and a survivor. Strange look into the world of suicide.

Taking Liberties   -   this will make you very angry, especially the first three minutes where a coach of Green Party members are not allowed to take part in an antiwar protest because they had some scissors on the coach :lol:    really good docu about how our liberties are being destroyed to "protect" us from "terrorists"


#38 Johnthebar

Johnthebar

    Addicted

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 141 posts

Posted 10 February 2009 - 10:28 AM

View Postt8yman, on Feb 10 2009, 07:51 AM, said:

I simply cannot find "The Target Shoots First" anywhere, any pointers would be greatly appreciated. I can do torrent, usenet, rapidshare, anything!

It's not on usenet, not sure about rapidshare, but if you are a member of karagara there's a torrent of it on there (I haven't got any invites I'm afraid). It looks like an interesting doc and I'll grab a copy and hopefully up a torrent of it somewhere more accessible (probably this weekend)

This is the reason it's so hard to find

karagara said:

Because Wilcha included a few minutes of Nirvana footage, The Target Shoots First remains unavailable on commercial DVD due to licensing issues

Basically it never got distributed or released, it just made a few festivals and a handful of tv screenings

Edited by Johnthebar, 10 February 2009 - 10:30 AM.


#39 t8yman

t8yman

    Heathen

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 3,314 posts

Posted 10 February 2009 - 11:53 AM

thanks for that John, would really appreciate a seeding if you could when you've got it!

#40 jonbob

jonbob

    i'm picking out a thermos for you...

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 112 posts

Posted 10 February 2009 - 12:48 PM

View PostThe Nal, on Nov 12 2008, 10:19 AM, said:

Documentary on last night on the Thrilla in Manilla, great doc about one of the greatest rivalries in the history of sport.

Yeah, saw that, great documentary. Its hard to find a non-biased Ali documentary, and that one wasn't particularly flattering for a change.

I'm a huge fan of "When We Were Kings" (The Rumble in the Jungle), which shows Ali in the opposite light. Best sports documentary ever and one of the best in ANY subject. Norman Mailer has a great way of getting you right in the moment.




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users