Best Documentaries You've Seen ---->

[trader jake 1,718]

On 7/18/2020 at 2:18 PM, Klimtology said:

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

 

On 7/27/2020 at 11:18 AM, PlayaHata said:

Man on Wire (Roku Channel)

 

17 hours ago, PlayaHata said:

13th - Eye-opening, especially in today's political climate

The three docs above are very, very good - highly recommend any of them.  "Man on Wire" was probably the most captivating documentary I've ever watched.

The most revolting/compelling/jaw-dropping one of all may have been "Capturing the Friedmans".  It won the 2003 Academy Award for best doc, but could be a tough watch for some.  The director made a movie about NY kid's birthday clowns and found out one of those guys had two family members accused of sexual abuse...and that the family made a ton of home movies capturing the entire family ordeal, debates, and tensions behind the scenes.  So he made the doc and mixed those home movies in with the evidence and follow-up interviews.  There's a huge media onslaught and a rush to judgment, but was is correct?  Fascinating doc if the subject matter doesn't eliminate it from your viewing consideration.

[whoknew 9,133]

51 minutes ago, trader jake said:

 

 

The three docs above are very, very good - highly recommend any of them.  "Man on Wire" was probably the most captivating documentary I've ever watched.

The most revolting/compelling/jaw-dropping one of all may have been "Capturing the Friedmans".  It won the 2003 Academy Award for best doc, but could be a tough watch for some.  The director made a movie about NY kid's birthday clowns and found out one of those guys had two family members accused of sexual abuse...and that the family made a ton of home movies capturing the entire family ordeal, debates, and tensions behind the scenes.  So he made the doc and mixed those home movies in with the evidence and follow-up interviews.  There's a huge media onslaught and a rush to judgment, but was is correct?  Fascinating doc if the subject matter doesn't eliminate it from your viewing consideration.

 

I think Jiro may be my favorite of all time. The dedication to his craft was incredible. Plus it made me super hungry.

 

[whoknew 9,133]

Soul of America - I watched this the other day. I don't want to go into politics but it was pretty good. Not great, but Jon Meachem is definitely a smart guy and it was good to hear him compare some of the divisiveness of today's America with past times in US history.

[Osaurus 9,388]

I finally watched The Social Dilemma last weekend. HFS this is a disturbing yet accurate portrayal of social media today imo. I think it should be mandatory viewing for everyone. It’s fascinating (and messed up) to see what’s going on in politics right now reflect  many of the claims in this documentary. 4.5/5

Edited November 30, 2020 by Osaurus

[PlayaHata 334]

Now that HBO Max is finally available on Roku, I was able to watch Class Action Park and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Shocked that Action Park was able to stay open as long as it did, but then again the 1980s was a different time.  No way that kind of stuff would fly in today's world.

[MindCrime 644]

3 hours ago, PlayaHata said:

Now that HBO Max is finally available on Roku, I was able to watch Class Action Park and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Shocked that Action Park was able to stay open as long as it did, but then again the 1980s was a different time.  No way that kind of stuff would fly in today's world.

Just watched this yesterday, loved it. Beyond just the madness of the park, it showed a whole different world. As someone who was a teenager in the 80s, and now has teenagers myself, it really did make me reflect on how different the world was just 30-40 years ago. 

[Rodrigo Duterte 869]

On 10/29/2020 at 1:19 PM, PlayaHata said:

I'm on another documentary binge.  All of these are on Netflix.  Apologies if any have been posted before, they're all very good.

My Octopus Teacher 

Saw it, very good.  I don't think most people realize how cold those temps he was (free) diving in every day really were. The amount of commitment that whole thing took is just insane.  Had he used a wetsuit and oxygen on his journey, the footage would've been a million times better, but his decisions were obviously understandable and made it all truly unique.

[Osaurus 9,388]

The Story of Fairytale of New York

Timely story of the creation and development of the song with some interesting interviews. 4/5

[Osaurus 9,388]

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

I watched this last night and was very impressed. It doesn’t go into as much depth as it probably should for such a heralded band, but it covers The Bee Gees history pretty well. 4/5

[BeTheMatch 517]

The Belushi doc was pretty good. I think that's HBO.

[BeTheMatch 517]

42 minutes ago, Osaurus said:

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

I watched this last night and was very impressed. It doesn’t go into as much depth as it probably should for such a heralded band, but it covers The Bee Gees history pretty well. 4/5

Liked it as well.

[BeTheMatch 517]

On 10/15/2020 at 5:10 PM, Osaurus said:

Echo in the Canyon

Great documentary about the Laurel Canyon sound and influences. There was a miniseries too, but this is the documentary. 4.5/5

Loved this one

[Smack Tripper 2,748]

Dealt, about Card Mechnic Richard Turner.  If you watch it, just get it, don't read about it.  Great ride

[BroncoFreak_2K3 2,655]

46 minutes ago, BeTheMatch said:

The Belushi doc was pretty good. I think that's HBO.

Showtime

[belljr 11,470]

Go-Gos was great

[belljr 11,470]

On 12/23/2020 at 9:18 PM, MindCrime said:

Just watched this yesterday, loved it. Beyond just the madness of the park, it showed a whole different world. As someone who was a teenager in the 80s, and now has teenagers myself, it really did make me reflect on how different the world was just 30-40 years ago. 

I have family that was injured at this park lol.

The Alpine slide was basically a death race

[Smack Tripper 2,748]

On 11/21/2019 at 10:31 AM, hammerva said:

Have been through tons of documentaries and docu-series lately.  Here are ones that I have enjoyed

1.  The Ken burns series on country music was as great as expected.  Even if you aren't a country music fan

2.  AMC did a series called something like Hip Hop Songs that Changed the World and some really fun like Ladies First, the Queens/South Bronx "Bridge" feud, Jesus Walks, and others.  

3.  Showtime just did a documentary about Sonny Liston this week and man this guy's story is shady as hell and pretty fascinating.  Probably could have been much longer and I think there are a ton of stuff missing on it

4.  EPIX did a 4 part on the History of Punk which was fine for novice people but nothing most people didn't know already.  Funny watching them try to portray Green Day as punk.  

in this music vein, hearing this new Zappa doc by Alex Winter is great, its still an in the theater price on prime but I'll get it sometime this weekend 

[E-Z Glider 2,797]

Placeholder for the inevitable Qanon doc. I’m sure it will be fascinating. 

[CGRdrJoe 4,157]

Operation Odesa on netflix, I highly recommend this as it is a fun watch and truly outrageous

Quote

A Russian mobster, a Cuban spy and a smooth operator from Miami scheme to sell a Soviet submarine to a Colombian drug cartel for $35 million.

 

[⚡DEADHEAD⚡ 839]

The Dissident, about Jamal Kashoggi, by Bryan Fogel, who did (and won an Academy Award for) Icarus, which is also outstanding. Rentable on Amazon. Or buy it for $5 more.

The Joe Rogan podcast with Bryan is also a fascinating listen.

[PlayaHata 334]

On 12/30/2020 at 6:54 PM, Smack Tripper said:

Dealt, about Card Mechnic Richard Turner.  If you watch it, just get it, don't read about it.  Great ride

Watched this yesterday and his story is beyond incredible, but I was a little underwhelmed with the doc itself.

Edited to remove the spoiler since I can't figure out how to make the tags work LOL.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

Edited January 22 by PlayaHata

[EYLive 5,472]

I just watched "The Phenomenon" today. It's about the history of UFO's and the military coverups. The last third of it features a number of credible air force pilots, politicians and first hand witnesses that really makes you rethink the stigma around UFO sightings.
PM for a stream link if interested.

[Osaurus 9,388]

10 hours ago, EYLive said:

I just watched "The Phenomenon" today. It's about the history of UFO's and the military coverups. The last third of it features a number of credible air force pilots, politicians and first hand witnesses that really makes you rethink the stigma around UFO sightings.
PM for a stream link if interested.

I watched it a couple of months ago. It’s definitely enlightening. 

Edited January 23 by Osaurus

[Osaurus 9,388]

On 1/21/2021 at 10:39 AM, CGRdrJoe said:

Operation Odesa on netflix, I highly recommend this as it is a fun watch and truly outrageous

 

This is so good. Highly recommend. 

[EYLive 5,472]

On 1/21/2021 at 7:39 AM, CGRdrJoe said:

Operation Odesa on netflix, I highly recommend this as it is a fun watch and truly outrageous

 

I lol'd reading the summary. Gonna check it out.

[Osaurus 9,388]

2 hours ago, EYLive said:

I lol'd reading the summary. Gonna check it out.

Truth is stranger than fiction. 

[EYLive 5,472]

On 1/23/2021 at 4:10 PM, Osaurus said:

Truth is stranger than fiction. 

What a wacky story, but a very fun and funny doc.
It got me thinking that some of these documentaries make dangerous criminals seem like nice guys.

[CGRdrJoe 4,157]

3 minutes ago, EYLive said:

What a wacky story, but a very fun and funny doc.
It got me thinking that some of these documentaries make dangerous criminals seem like nice guys.

Definitely, but who wouldn't want to buy a bunch of old soviet helicopters to fly out to a factory. Especially when you can just land in a random town with your helo and ask directions.

 

[EYLive 5,472]

4 hours ago, CGRdrJoe said:

Definitely, but who wouldn't want to buy a bunch of old soviet helicopters to fly out to a factory. Especially when you can just land in a random town with your helo and ask directions.

That jumbo jet full of choppers, motorcycles, tanks, ninjas and whateverthe*F*else is like a crazy soviet version of a Turducken.

[WDIK2 1,078]

On 1/21/2021 at 9:39 AM, CGRdrJoe said:

Operation Odesa on netflix, I highly recommend this as it is a fun watch and truly outrageous

 

I posted about this in the Netflix thread.  I'm very good friends with a couple who got to meet and party with Tarzan and Juan in all their 90s glory.  I texted them after watching the doc because they talked about Tarzan when they got back from their trip.  They watched the doc with their teenage daughter who was freaked out that her parents knew these people.   

They sent me photos of brochures they brought back from Juan's luxury rental car business.

Edited January 26 by WDIK2

[The Commish 14,365]

On 11/30/2020 at 9:08 AM, Osaurus said:

I finally watched The Social Dilemma last weekend. HFS this is a disturbing yet accurate portrayal of social media today imo. I think it should be mandatory viewing for everyone. It’s fascinating (and messed up) to see what’s going on in politics right now reflect  many of the claims in this documentary. 4.5/5

Now watch The Great Hack

[Osaurus 9,388]

59 minutes ago, The Commish said:

Now watch The Great Hack

On my list now 

[Brony 7,739]

20 hours ago, EYLive said:

What a wacky story, but a very fun and funny doc.
It got me thinking that some of these documentaries make dangerous criminals seem like nice guys.

Watched this (Operation Odessa) last night.  Yeah, pretty good and I appreciated the lighter tone as many docs always go for the dark and broody. 

[ghostguy123 4,090]

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.

On netflix.  About the missing girl who was acting all weird in the elevator then was found a couple weeks later in the water tanks on top of the roof.

I remember this from like 8 years ago.  That bizarre elevator video was all over social media and the news.  I remember at the time it being thought of as she was possessed or haunted or whatever, or murder.

It was worth a watch I think.

[Osaurus 9,388]

3 hours ago, ghostguy123 said:

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.

On netflix.  About the missing girl who was acting all weird in the elevator then was found a couple weeks later in the water tanks on top of the roof.

I remember this from like 8 years ago.  That bizarre elevator video was all over social media and the news.  I remember at the time it being thought of as she was possessed or haunted or whatever, or murder.

It was worth a watch I think.

Just got this. Sounds interesting. 

[ghostguy123 4,090]

Night Stalker was a fantastic watch as well

[mr. furley 12,744]

On 2/13/2021 at 1:42 PM, ghostguy123 said:

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.

On netflix.  About the missing girl who was acting all weird in the elevator then was found a couple weeks later in the water tanks on top of the roof.

I remember this from like 8 years ago.  That bizarre elevator video was all over social media and the news.  I remember at the time it being thought of as she was possessed or haunted or whatever, or murder.

It was worth a watch I think.

4 episodes in to this one

crazy to me how quickly the internet spins up conspiracy theories and how many hours people seem to have spent chasing down rabbit holes

[ghostguy123 4,090]

1 hour ago, mr. furley said:

4 episodes in to this one

crazy to me how quickly the internet spins up conspiracy theories and how many hours people seem to have spent chasing down rabbit holes

The people who flew several states away to visit the hotel to try and figure out what happened are just the worst kind of people.  

[ghostguy123 4,090]

On a bit of a documentary kick with netflix.

"Tread" is next on the list.  Guy bulldozes an entire town.  Should be fun.  I vaguely remember this one

Edit.....wow.  Bulldozer dude went straight up gangster on that town.  Jesus.  

Edited February 16 by ghostguy123

[mr. furley 12,744]

2 hours ago, ghostguy123 said:

On a bit of a documentary kick with netflix.

"Tread" is next on the list.  Guy bulldozes an entire town.  Should be fun.  I vaguely remember this one

Edit.....wow.  Bulldozer dude went straight up gangster on that town.  Jesus.  

Tread was excellent. that dude had his fill of ####.

[beer 30 3,558]

Probably been mentioned way back since it came out in 2016 but i just watched Zero Days about the Stuxnet virus. Thought it was really good. Also scary to think what's out there now that this gave birth to (Solarwinds?)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5446858/

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikzAcK0l-ZM

[Osaurus 9,388]

17 hours ago, ghostguy123 said:

On a bit of a documentary kick with netflix.

"Tread" is next on the list.  Guy bulldozes an entire town.  Should be fun.  I vaguely remember this one

Edit.....wow.  Bulldozer dude went straight up gangster on that town.  Jesus.  

Yup. I was living not too far away from Granby when it happened and was a real big deal. 

[Sand 6,418]

Not sure if mentioned in here, but Finders Keepers is freakin' hysterical.  Amazon Prime.  

Find out who gets to keep the leg...

Edited February 17 by Sand

[Ted Lange as your Bartender 2,804]

Anybody here subscribe to CuriosityStream?  Streaming service completely dedicated to documentaries.  They ran a deal over the weekend charging $12 for a year.

I haven’t gotten through looking at a ton of the titles yet but it seems like they have some pretty good stuff here.

[rockaction 27,748]

Man on Wire. Still one of the greatest movies I've ever seen. Just popping in again to recommend it. 

[HERBERT THE HIPPO 79]

Sunshine hotel on prime video.

[ghostguy123 4,090]

Staircase.  Wow is that Peterson guy unlikable.  And wow was that blood spatter guy a dunce.  That whole thing was a mess.  I fully believe he killed her, but wow they botched that crime scene and the prosecution.  Didnt matter though.  

Probably contravertial but jurys are stupid.   Hard to believe that's the best we got.  

Oh.  Three episodes into Making a Murderer.  Jesus wow.  

After seeing these last few documentaries ya wonder how many of these types of things are going on as we speak.  Good grief.  

[Osaurus 9,388]

Some Kind of Heaven

Documentary that looks at the senior citizen fantasy world that is The Villages (aka God’s Waiting Room) in FL. It follows different seniors and their experiences in this supposed idyllic community. It’s a pretty interesting film albeit a bit depressing. I recommend it. 4/5. 

[FairWarning 1,307]

On 2/16/2021 at 9:51 PM, Ted Lange as your Bartender said:

Anybody here subscribe to CuriosityStream?  Streaming service completely dedicated to documentaries.  They ran a deal over the weekend charging $12 for a year.

I haven’t gotten through looking at a ton of the titles yet but it seems like they have some pretty good stuff here.

I have it, its good.  

[El Floppo 30,117]

Been watching The Lady and the Dale. Pretty amazing story I knew nothing about- understandably about the Lady more than the Dale, but not sure it needs more ethan two episodes...feeling stretched.

Eta..it's on HBO

Edited February 28 by El Floppo