Documentaries

Tools    







Excellent documentary. I had no idea where salt originally came from.
__________________
I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.





Excellent. Subject matter is the disappearance of thousands of Spaniards during their civil war.



The trick is not minding
Watched The Last Waltz. Haven’t watched many Concert Films yet, this being second along with Stop Making Sense, but with all the hype around The Last Waltz, I was very disappointed.
Stop Making Sense was much better in comparison.



Currently watching this: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2319938/
Why They Sank The Titanic
Also known as Titanic: The Shocking Truth

The ADR of the presenter is a little skewy, but it's a fascinating, erm, docu-theory and well written.
Worth a look.

Edit... it's on YouTube too





Interesting & disturbing. Fertility specialist decided to impregnate his patients with his own sperm without their knowledge or consent. Nobody knows how many children there are just from this one doctor. Other doctors have done it too.





Interesting 4-part documentary. Madison Hamburg has spent the last 8 years trying to find his mother’s killer. To no avail.





Never been a huge Bee Gees fan, but, boy, they sure did have some great hits. Some of which I had forgotten about.

Barry Gibb, the sole remaining brother, is very gracious here. Looking his age, but not trying to hide it. Lots of cameos from Clapton, Chris Martin, et al.

Very interesting & am gonna watch it again.



Love me a good documentary, so here are some thoughts on a few favorites for anyone interested...

Cameraperson (2016) was recommended to me by someone on RT/Corrie (was it you, @SpelingError?) Anyway, it is a semi-biographical account of the career of director/cinematographer Kirsten Johnson. The way she splices bits and pieces of the films, shorts, and documentaries she has worked with slices of her personal life is nothing short of beautiful. One of my favorite films of 2016, and all-time, period.

Hoop Dreams (1994) is known by a lot of people and was probably mentioned here, but anyway, it follows the lives of two young and aspiring basketball players as they try to get out of their neighborhoods and into stardom. Probably thought by some as a "sports documentary", this is so much more as it crosses into the grounds of racial and socio-political struggles, the matters of goals and purposes, and what we do in life. Equally harrowing and inspiring.

Back to Bosnia (2005) Saw this one earlier this year. It follows a young, aspiring filmmaker as she chronicles her family's return to Bosnia after the 1990s war, while trying to reclaim their place (literally and figuratively). As I saw it, I didn't think it was as great as the above, but towards the end something clicked and it hit me hard. The way you see this family trying to regain what little they could get from their past and how wars can break families apart, it's just something else.

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years (2016) is a very insightful piece on the early years of the greatest band on Earth. From their rise to fame, to the mass hysteria that followed, I think it perfectly captures the way the mindset from each individual member and the group as a whole changes. I appreciate Howard's decision to focus on these years, however, I was left wanting to see a bit more from *after* that period, considering it's what one would say their most experimental and controversial period. Still, a must for Beatles fans.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) is probably one of the most engaging and entertaining documentaries I've seen. Following the rivalry between two video game players, it succeeds not only in perfectly capturing their tension and clashes, but also serves as a snapshot of that 80s video game craze. Much have been said about the way certain "characters" are portrayed, but I think time has set that score straight. Even if it's not my favorite documentary, it's probably the one I would mostly recommend, if that makes any sense.

Three Identical Strangers (2018) should be seen knowing as little as possible. The documentary follows three teenagers that discover by accident that they're identical triplets that were somehow separated at birth. However, what starts as a crazy happy reunion turns quickly into a disturbing mess as they discover more and more about their past.

Catching Hell (2011) This documentary follows the events surrounding the infamous Steve Bartman and the Chicago Cubs run for a championship in 2003. I suppose that the enjoyment of this one would depend on your enjoyment of baseball, but being a fan and having lived this episode, I'm always amazed by the events around it. I love how the documentary uses the incident to examine the way fans talk about curses and scapegoats. I think what amazes me more is the mystery behind Bartman himself and the way he has handled the situation, which I strongly admire.
__________________
Check out my podcast: The Movie Loot!



Cameraperson (2016) was recommended to me by someone on RT/Corrie (was it you, @SpelingError?) Anyway, it is a semi-biographical account of the career of director/cinematographer Kirsten Johnson. The way she splices bits and pieces of the films, shorts, and documentaries she has worked with slices of her personal life is nothing short of beautiful. One of my favorite films of 2016, and all-time, period.
Yep, I did. Cameraperson is one of my favorite documentaries as well (I'll see if I can assemble a list for this thread later today), and I'm glad I bought the Criterion disc. My mom really liked it as well.

Speaking of which, did you see Johnson's second film Dick Johnson is Dead? I plan to write some more on it later this week or so and I was thinking of pinging you with my write-up as you're the only person I know of at Corrie/RT who's seen and loves Cameraperson. I actually watched it yesterday after I saw its high ranking on Sight & Sound's Best of 2020 list, and I really liked it. Not sure I connected with it as much as I did with Cameraperson, but I plan to watch it again later this week. I found its themes of "Joking about mortality to help you to cope with it" really powerful as I've done a similar thing for past traumas I've suffered in the past. Well, not in the "stage your trauma" way, but ya know.
__________________
IMDb
Letterboxd



I haven't seen that one. I think I saw ads for it, but I don't even know what it's about. Now that I know that it's from Johnson, I might consider it.



Speaking of which, did you see Johnson's second film Dick Johnson is Dead?
Too bizarre for me. I bailed out.



Too bizarre for me. I bailed out.
An acquired taste, I suppose. I love bizarre films though. it was right up my alley!

Overall though, I could relate to the central premise of "Joking about your mortality to help you to cope with it", so that was what kept me on board throughout it. Like, I haven't joked about the past traumas I've experienced in the same way they were doing, but I do think that, depending on the person, this behavior can actually help you cope. Like, is it bizarre? Sure. Do I find it effective though? Absolutely. Not sure I like this film more than Cameraperson, but I connected with it a great deal.



Ha! Now that I read what it really is about I'm more intrigued.
The premise was sufficiently interesting for me, but the actual footage was boring as heck.



Here's my top 10 which I meant to post yesterday:

American Movie (1999)
Cameraperson (2016)
The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (1987)
Hoop Dreams (1994)
F for Fake (1973)
The House is Black (1963)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Man With a Movie Camera (1929)
Night and Fog (1956)
Shoah (1985)