Your top 5 documentaries?

Post by **steve hyde** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 9:54 pm

...I'll list mine later..

Post by **mattias** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:50 pm

Paradise lost, addicted to acting, the mods trilogy, biggie and tupac, shark weekend on discovery, tbc... /matt

Post by **steve hyde** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 6:35 pm

There have been some great ones lately:

Grizzly Man
My Own Flesh and Blood
Phantom Limb
Murderball
Fog of War

I like some of Kieslowski's docs:

"Talking Heads"
"Seven Women of Different Ages"

Two great docs on the filmmaking process:

"Burden of Dreams"
"Heart of Darkness: A filmmaker's Apocalypse"

I like Diane Keaton's documentary:

"Heaven" , 1987

...I'm not sure what my top five are..

STeve

Post by **Evan Kubota** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 7:16 pm

Grizzly Man is one of the most frightening films ever made. Surely one of the best docus. I haven't seen nearly as much of Kieslowski's docu work as I'd like, but 'Hospital' (on the Veronique DVD) looks extremely promising. The crew followed doctors at an understaffed hospital for two days and captured a lot of footage. 'From a Night Porter's Point of View' is very good. 'Personnel' is an interesting mix of docu-style footage with staged events and some scripted dialogue.

Post by **steve hyde** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 7:22 pm

Evan Kubota wrote:Grizzly Man is one of the most frightening films ever made. Surely one of the best docus. I haven't seen nearly as much of Kieslowski's docu work as I'd like, but 'Hospital' (on the Veronique DVD) looks extremely promising. The crew followed doctors at an understaffed hospital for two days and captured a lot of footage. 'From a Night Porter's Point of View' is very good. 'Personnel' is an interesting mix of docu-style footage with staged events and some scripted dialogue.

...I saw both of these when the Kieslowski celluloid was in town recently. It's great to see these older docs in silver. I agree they are both interesting. That Night Porter is an idiot.

Post by **steve hyde** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 7:45 pm

Grizzly man is in my top five documentaries to be sure. I have been thinking a lot about my attraction to this kind of documentary and I have come to realize that the best new documentaries, perhaps the defining quality of the new documentaries, is that they are character-driven.

Herzog has had a long-standing interest in characters that exist in the margins with big, wild, fantastical, idealist dreams. Timothy Treadwell is one of many "Fitzcaraldos" that have come to the American West to wander out into the wilderness in search of sanity and peace from the cruelty of society. I have known a few Treadwell characters myself.

Through Treadwell's own biographical films, Herzog brings us the domain of Treadwell..."king of all the bears and foxes". We learn how Tim was the King of this domain and we learn why - without being told.

It is a great documentary.

Steve

Post by **mattias** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 7:49 pm

so has anyone seen addicted to acting? it's a real gem about people applying to an acting school in germany. tells us more about what it's like being a teenager today than any doc about "normal" people, or pot smoking sexually abused white trash teens for that matter, or any fictional piece.

/matt

Post by **steve hyde** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 7:53 pm

mattias wrote:so has anyone seen addicted to acting? it's a real gem about people applying to an acting school in germany. tells us more about what it's like being a teenager today than any doc about "normal" people, or pot smoking sexually abused white trash teens for that matter, or any fictional piece.

/matt

No, in fact I haven't seen any of the docs you referenced. I will check this stuff out. I am getting ready to go on a documentary bender and I hope to root out lots of great stuff.. keep the lists coming if you think of any more..

Steve

Post by **mattias** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 8:24 pm

the arm wrestler from solitude (armbryterskan frÃƒÂ¥n ensamheten) is a really good swedish one that i think has some kind of international distribution. the mods trilogy i'm sure is available, the best swedish documentary/ies ever. here's a link where they talk about it:

http://www.yidff.jp/docbox/18/box18-2-e.html

you *have* to see paradise lost. it will change your life. i promise.

/matt

Post by **steve hyde** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 8:31 pm

..thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into these..

Steve

Post by **npcoombs** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 9:54 pm

steve hyde wrote:
Who in their right mind would not feel shattered by the state of the world today? Tim was shattered. Are the Timothy Treadwell's of the world crazy or is it the larger society that is exhibiting insanity?

I don't understand this kind fo thinking - we live in a time of unrivaled peace and material prosperity.

The critical voice feels the need to disparage the presents rather than see the opportunities it presents.

Post by **steve hyde** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 10:18 pm

npcoombs wrote:
steve hyde wrote:
Who in their right mind would not feel shattered by the state of the world today? Tim was shattered. Are the Timothy Treadwell's of the world crazy or is it the larger society that is exhibiting insanity?

I don't understand this kind fo thinking - we live in a time of unrivaled peace and material prosperity.

The critical voice feels the need to disparage the presents rather than see the opportunities it presents.

Depends on who and where you are.....tell that to Bela Tarr...

Steve

Post by **steve hyde** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:46 am

I do highly suggest you guys check out Diane Keaton's excellent documentary "Heaven". It is a fascinating look at religious fanaticisms and the wild, yet imaginative, fantasies people concoct about what the after life might be like.. It's a great 16mm film. It's a shame she did not keep directing films.

Steve

Post by **npcoombs** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:56 am

steve hyde wrote:
npcoombs wrote:
steve hyde wrote:
Who in their right mind would not feel shattered by the state of the world today? Tim was shattered. Are the Timothy Treadwell's of the world crazy or is it the larger society that is exhibiting insanity?

I don't understand this kind fo thinking - we live in a time of unrivaled peace and material prosperity.

The critical voice feels the need to disparage the presents rather than see the opportunities it presents.
Depends on who and where you are.....tell that to Bela Tarr...

Steve

I just get a little fed up with this kind of apocalyptic talk all the time from politicians, columnists, punditry of all types - "the dangerous and uncertain 21st century"...the world is burning up, terrorism is out of control....

People seem to forget that 20 years ago every major city in the world had nukes aimed its way, 2 million died in the Iran-Iraq war, millions in Vietnam, millions starved in China etc. etc.

This is not to say the present is perfect, but doom-mongering is the enemy of all progressive change.

Post by **Evan Kubota** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 3:40 pm

People seem to forget that 20 years ago every major city in the world had nukes aimed its way, 2 million died in the Iran-Iraq war, millions in Vietnam, millions starved in China etc. etc.

Even more, consider the world 1,000 years ago. Think about the mortality rate from common diseases, a twenty five-year life expectancy, and consider how much better life, in general, is now.