It's Real to Me - The Documentary Thread

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

I've been watching a lot of documentaries this year, and figured it would be a good topic for discussion. In the theater this year, I've seen Cropsey, Best Worst Movie and the Joan Rivers Documentary. From next flix over the past month I've seen Not Quite Hollywood, Capturing the Friedmans, Divine Trash, ClarkWORLD and Dear Zachary.

My favorite of the bunch has been Dear Zachary, which is one of the most heart wrenching documentaries I've ever seen. The idea of it was the guy making it was doing so for his friend that was murdered by his ex-lover. He made it since she had a baby from the guy. There is a lot more to it though. The woman fled from America to her home in Canada and after she was arrested, one of the judges let her out on bail. There is a custody battle between the man's parents and the woman that end horribly. It's really a must see.

I also loved Not Quite Hollywood, which is about the Oz-ploitation films of the 70's and 80's. It's certainly worth a watch. Capturing the Friedmans was a really twisted documentary, and all I can say is that if you saw Tod Solondz' film Happiness, this would be the documentary about Dillan Baker's character.

Divine Trash was about John Waters, and it's great. ClarkWORLD was about Bob Clark, director of Porky's, Black Christmas and A Christmas Story.

Of the ones I saw in the theater, Cropsey was fantastic. It was about a man that was arrested in the 80's for killing children on Staten Island who had downs syndrome.

Best Worst Movie was about Troll 2 and it had interviews with pretty much everyone who was in the cast and the director. It was very good, but the guy who played the father in Troll 2 comes off as a complete dick by the end of it.

I really loved the Joan Rivers documentary. It shows a different side of her as it follows her around in life and on her comedy tour. They showed footage of her from when she was younger, and she was very, very funny. After seeing this, I've gained a new respect for her.

 

[CBright7831]

I just watched Heart of Darkness - A Filmaker's Apocolypse earlier today. Great documentary about a film where everything went wrong but it ended up being a great film.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

I just watched Heart of Darkness - A Filmaker's Apocolypse earlier today. Great documentary about a film where everything went wrong but it ended up being a great film.

Sounds interesting. Just added it to my Netflix.

 

[KingPK]

Netflix instant is a fucking goldmine for documentaries. Just last night I watched two: American Grindhouse (about the rise of Grindhouse cinema) and Nightmares in Red, White and Blue (about American horror films, but it has this political bent that turned me off).

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

American Nightmare is a great one about horror films in 60's and 70's. Going to Pieces is another good one about the rise and fall of the slasher film. I forgot about Never Dream Again, the one about Nightmare on Elm Street. One of the best documentaries about a movie series I've ever seen.

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

Marjoe is a classic. Guy was a child preacher and years later shows a doc crew all his cons. The British 7( 14, 21, etc) Up series is really good though I haven't seen them all.

Fog of War - Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S McNamara is in my queue.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

Yea, Fog of War is really good.

I see a ton of documentaries. The Tillman Story is probably my favourite of 2010, just an infuriating story. Last Train Home was really good, too!

 

[CookieMueller]

I know 99% of the people on here are 18-35 males but "Paris Is Burning" is my favourite documentary and actually one of my favourite movies, full-stop. It's about the late 80s gay, black, drag scene in New York.

I also love that British 7-up (14-up, 21-up etc etc etc) series, which I'm pretty sure is on Netflix.

 

[Shooting Star]

While I am a big fan of Documentaries for their artistic value, I also despise them sometimes. Especially those based on history and politics. In this day and age, most people watch a 2 hour Documentary and instantly consider themselves experts on the subject being treated instead of going out and further investigating. This disgusts me greatly.

That said, I really enjoy the uber biased FMI: Complot en Latinoamérica series. It takes a look at the Washington concensus and the effects it had on Latin America. Funny how things change. Nowadays it is Europe that has out of control bankrupting debt whereas this area has fast growth and relative spending control.

 

[Jingus]

In this day and age, most people watch a 2 hour Documentary and instantly consider themselves experts on the subject being treated instead of going out and further investigating.

That's kinda true. Sometimes I don't want to watch a documentary for the same reason I rarely watch television news: when you have to squeeze the facts into the limited timeframe of a live-action program, there's an almost inevitable loss of depth and breadth in the material covered. Nine times out of ten, I'd rather just read a book on the same subject. You get much more sheer data from a book than almost any movie. The exceptions are the docs which are so incredibly well-made that I can enjoy them as a movie: like Paradise Lost or Grizzly Man or other films on that level. It's hard to imagine those stories working nearly as well without that footage.

When does Cropsey come out on DVD? Been wanting to see that one.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

When does Cropsey come out on DVD? Been wanting to see that one.

I bought it directly from the movies website. I don't know when it's going to be released through stores or amazon.com. I was just to their site and it doesn't seem to be available anymore there. They are on facebook, so you might be able to contact them and let them know you are interested in seeing it.

 

[Baby Shoes]

Netflix instant is a fucking goldmine for documentaries. Just last night I watched two: American Grindhouse (about the rise of Grindhouse cinema) and Nightmares in Red, White and Blue (about American horror films, but it has this political bent that turned me off).

This. I have a ton in my instant streaming queue that I've been meaning to watch like Man on Wire, King Corn and a few others.

I haven't watched any in a while but on the streaming a couple months back I was on a mini-kick where I watched Super High Me, Who the &*%# is Jackson Pollock? and of course, the legendary film Impaler, about the vampire that ran for office (and was also a pro wrestler with several other problems).

A couple years back I got huge into documentaries and have a few I bought sitting on my shelf unwatched, including some big ones like Fog of War and An Inconvenient Truth.

 

[DMann1979]

Man on Wire is amazing, it plays like a cat-and-mouse thriller. And then there's King of Kong, which I love more and more everytime I see it.

The Thin Blue Line freaking freed a man from Death Row (granted he'd been commuted to life, but still).

 

[RedJed]

When does Cropsey come out on DVD? Been wanting to see that one.

I surprisingly noticed this is on Netflix now, even better, its streaming.

I ended up seeing it at a midnight showing up in the Twin Cities last month and it really freaked me out. I forgot to post about it because I was literally trying to forget about it for days afterwards. Really creepy and real shit there.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

When does Cropsey come out on DVD? Been wanting to see that one.

I surprisingly noticed this is on Netflix now, even better, its streaming.

I ended up seeing it at a midnight showing up in the Twin Cities last month and it really freaked me out. I forgot to post about it because I was literally trying to forget about it for days afterwards. Really creepy and real shit there.

It really hit me hard since I used to work at a home for people with developmental disabilities, and one of the men that lived at the house I worked at came from Willowbrook. The scenes where they showed the Geraldo footage hit me really hard. As scummy as he was, I'll give it Geraldo for getting people to realize what was going on over there.

The thing I loved about the documentary is the filmmakers didn't tell the viewer how they felt. They gave the facts that they had and allowed the viewer to make up their own mind about Andre Rand. They spoke to people on both sides, his friends and parents of the victims. I was surprised that there were a few people that knew the victims that didn't know if he did it or not. Tells you a lot about the case.

 

[RedJed]

I've also been pretty heavy in the documentaries this year.

The big one to note is Winnebago Man. This is so much more than just a funny piece on that guy from the Youtube videos.......but even that alone makes it fun. But it goes so much further into different emotional levels than I expected. I think I did a long winded post already here somewhere and I think even created its own thread because I thought it was THAT good. Everyone really needs to see it.....if there is one documentary worth checking out this year, I'd say this one is it.

Other random ones I can think of off the top of my head:

Bananas! - Piece on how harmful chemicals put on Dole bananas have fucked up a bunch of migrant workers. Its follows a trial and history of this bullshit.

Big River - Kind of an offshoot of Food, Inc.....talking about cornfields in Iowa and how the chemicals used to treat the corn is affecting the Mississippi River all the way down south through it.

Hugh Hefner biopic - A bit boring and lame at times, but still worth a view

Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue - I liked how thorough this one got with how horror developed in its early years, but once it passed the 70s, it was far from really solid. Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film is so much better overall.

Waiting for Superman - great documentary on the current state of the education system. As a teacher myself, I probably appreciated the honesty and exposure of the system more than most.

When I (try to) compile my entire movie list by the end of the year, I'm sure I will think of more I've seen, but those are the main ones.

And then there was Exit Through the Gift Shop, which was, I'd say 90 percent documentary and 10 percent mockumentary. That's another one that I think everyone needs to see, really.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

Exit to the Gift Shop ruled.

I didn't care for Man on Wire. There were too many filmes scenes, and 9/11 was too big of an elephant in the room to not mention

 

[chuck415]

Cropsey is on hulu.com

 

[wnyxmcneal]

Client 9: The Rise And Fall Of Eliot Spitzer
Enemies Of The People
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Gasland
Genius Within: The Inner Life Of Glenn Gould
Inside Job
The Lottery
Precious Life
Quest For Honor
Restrepo
This Way Of Life
The Tillman Story
Waiting for ‘Superman’
Waste Land
William Kunstler: Disturbing The Universe

--are the 15 finalists for Best Documentary.

I've seen 9 of these movies.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

I'm actually upset that Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work didn't get nominated.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

It wasn't even one of the finalists! I haven't heard of Prescious Life, Quest for Honor or This Way of Life.

Also, is Exit Through the Gift Shop really a documentary? I thought the whole movie was one elaborate prank. Either way, it was awesome.

I do want to see Wasteland, and intend on seeing Inside Job on Tuesday

 

[RedJed]

I actually just saw Waste Land over last weekend and that might be my favorite of the year right up there with Winnebago Man.

Basic premise: Artist/photographer develops an idea to travel to Brazil and photograph garbage collectors in their element, and then use the actual trash in a really unique way after that. I'm not giving justice to the premise as it's as about as touching and powerful of a documentary than I have ever really seen before.

 

[RedJed]

Also, is Exit Through the Gift Shop really a documentary? I thought the whole movie was one elaborate prank. Either way, it was awesome.

I think it still was a docu, but post-production turned it into a documentary that the lead guy didn't know (or care?) that he was basically being made fun of the entire time. That would be something to see Banksy accept an Oscar.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

I want to see Waste Land, I know it's playing at the Cinema Village. Hopefully it will be there next time I go to the city.

After I saw Exit, I read a bunch of reviews and articles trying to find out what was real and wasn't, and it just made me confused. Wasn't Banky showing the stupidity of the art world by turning this guy into a star just by clever marketing, while conning the guy as well? Who knows.

Wait. A Film Unfinished didn't make the shortlist? How? It's a great doc, and the Academy loves the Holocaust

 

[RedJed]

Just kind of reviving this since I got to see Best Worst Movie finally not too long ago. Hell of a companion to the flick, I will say that much. I watched Troll 2 and that back to back (hadnt seen Troll 2 in well over fifteen years actually) and had completely forgot just how awful this film was. Abysmally absurd to say the least. But that's a good thing. It was so cool to find out (going into the docu blind) that it was done by the kid from the film, kind of as a way to do a big reunion thing of sorts that just got totally out of control.

I'd say it was a shame that this didn't end up getting an Oscar finalist spot as it was extremely fun and entertaining but I think its academy blasphemy for any docus on Hollywood, movie stars, general personalities in the entertainment field, or other documentaries like the sort to even ever make a cut typically. I think the academy finds that off grounds for criteria or something.

Gonna try to hit an Inside Job and the Elliot Spitzer documentary double feature this weekend or next........any word from anyone how those are? I'm guessing incredibly informative (factual or not is up to debate?), but not sure what else.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

Just kind of reviving this since I got to see Best Worst Movie finally not too long ago. Hell of a companion to the flick, I will say that much. I watched Troll 2 and that back to back (hadnt seen Troll 2 in well over fifteen years actually) and had completely forgot just how awful this film was. Abysmally absurd to say the least. But that's a good thing. It was so cool to find out (going into the docu blind) that it was done by the kid from the film, kind of as a way to do a big reunion thing of sorts that just got totally out of control.

I'd say it was a shame that this didn't end up getting an Oscar finalist spot as it was extremely fun and entertaining but I think its academy blasphemy for any docus on Hollywood, movie stars, general personalities in the entertainment field, or other documentaries like the sort to even ever make a cut typically. I think the academy finds that off grounds for criteria or something.

Gonna try to hit an Inside Job and the Elliot Spitzer documentary double feature this weekend or next........any word from anyone how those are? I'm guessing incredibly informative (factual or not is up to debate?), but not sure what else.

I thought this was really well made. I loved that the director thought he was making a classic, and still thinks of it as one. The only thing I didn't like was how by the end George Hardy came off as a bit of an ass. He goes to the different conventions, these are the same people that have kept the movie alive, and he makes fun of them. Also, the scene where he and the son, who is the director of the documentary, visit the mother was very creepy, and I felt bad for her. And they go on and make fun of her as well. I'm not surprised it didn't get a nomination, not like the Academy was going to give this movie any publicity.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

Inside Job was excellent, very well done. I have some quibbles with it, but it's pretty fair, and really does a good job of explaining how everything happened.

The Spitzer doc is good, though it's def a little too pro-Spitzer. Also, I don't know how accessible the movie will be to people unlike me, who don't follow NYS politics on a daily basis. At least they acknowledge that he sucked as governor.

 

[Baby Shoes]

Watched Exit Through the Giftshop on Netflix streaming tonight and it was awesome, as everyone has been saying. Really enjoyed it.

Looked for something short and have We Are Wizards on, which is a documentary about people in Harry Potter themed bands. Yep. So far its even more awkward than I expected.

 

[Gert]

Exit to the Gift Shop ruled.

I didn't care for Man on Wire. There were too many filmes scenes, and 9/11 was too big of an elephant in the room to not mention

I can see your argument for the first part, but totally diagree about 9/11. Why did that have to be in there at all? It was about the moment and trying to walk on a wire.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

I don't know, it was just weird watching a documentary about the Twin Towers and knowing bothering to bring up that they are no longer there.