OT: Great Documentary Films?

[merlinmurph]

One for the skiers

Swift, Silent, Deep - about the Jackson Hole Air Force, BITD

[David in Maine]

Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?
Is sad and very good. Also, loved Grizzly Man which moved me deeply.
Edit: forgot to mention Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser and LuLa Rich
David

[.RJ]

Jurrasic Park

[fiamme red]

Harlan County, U.S.A. from 1976 is still very powerful and moving for me, even after I've seen it quite a few times.

I recommend anything directed by Les Blank. Someone already mentioned his Burden of Dreams, but I especially like his films about American music (blues, jazz, Appalachian, Cajun, Creole, Tex-Mex, polka, etc.) and cuisine. Two of my favorites are J’ai Été Au Bal (Cajun music) and Always for Pleasure (New Orleans music and traditions, especially Mardi Gras).

Watching Claude Lanzmann's Shoah is an essential and overwhelming experience. His shorter documentaries are also great.

[quickfeet]

It’s blowing my mind that a Sunday In Hell is the only cycling documentary 5 pages into this thread so I’ll do it justice.

Cyclocross: all three have been watched at least a few dozen times on the trainer
9 Ball Diaries
Transition 1 and 2

Road:
The road uphill-follows the 2011 Leopard-Trek team
The quest
Overcoming (dopers delight)
Wonderful losers

MTB:
24 Solo
Off road to Athens
Won’t back down (Steve peat story)
The circus- if you have even seen this VHS and remember it we would probably be instant friends!

Outside bikes pretty much any Patagonia films doc gets me wound up
Damnation
Jumbo Wild
Artifishional

[commandcomm]

Some of the ESPN 30 for 30 documentaries are really good.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by username

In no particular order:

Brooklyn Bridge -- Ken Burns before he became Ken Burns

The Donner Party -- by Ken's more talented brother Rick

Burden of Dreams -- if you're into Herzog but would rather not watch Herzog

The Times of Harvey Milk

Hoop Dreams -- still the best sports doc I've ever seen

The Sorrow and the Pity -- (not super uplifting!)

When We Were Kings -- still the second best sports doc I've ever seen

Steve James also directed “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail” which chronicles the trials and tribulations of a Chinese immigrant family and their community bank, which was the only bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

You can’t help but root for the family at the center of the crisis. The relationship between the father and his daughters brought me to tears. It’s an incredibly moving film.

[72gmc]

Originally Posted by quickfeet

It’s blowing my mind that a Sunday In Hell is the only cycling documentary 5 pages into this thread so I’ll do it justice.

Cyclocross: all three have been watched at least a few dozen times on the trainer
9 Ball Diaries
Transition 1 and 2

Road:
The road uphill-follows the 2011 Leopard-Trek team
The quest
Overcoming (dopers delight)
Wonderful losers

MTB:
24 Solo
Off road to Athens
Won’t back down (Steve peat story)
The circus- if you have even seen this VHS and remember it we would probably be instant friends!

Outside bikes pretty much any Patagonia films doc gets me wound up
Damnation
Jumbo Wild
Artifishional

Hell on Wheels—sure, Rolf and Erik were bending the rules, but still a well made look into the profession at that time.

Chainsmoke!

[LegendRider]

I'm a mafia buff and found this series to be good. As the title suggests, it focuses on leadership within the families from pre-prohibition to around 2005.

https://www.history.com/shows/americ...-five-families

Netflix has two documentaries that are also well done.

Fear City
https://www.netflix.com/title/80218338

Getting Gotti
https://www.netflix.com/title/81628150

[pdonk]

Here are a few that stand out in my mind, most are older as I used to go to Hot Docs Festival every year, plus the TJFF.

Searching for Sugarman - introduced me to a musician I would never otherwise known
K*ke like me - an interesting exploration into being Jewish
Anvil - The story of Anvil - dream chasing and its outcomes
Picture My Face - the story of teenage head - another band that I knew of but not about. Another story of dreams and desperation
El Bulli - Cooking in Progress
Super Amigos - (pretty sure it is the title) it was about luche libre wrestlers who use wrestling as social commentary and activism.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by pdonk

Picture My Face - the story of teenage head - another band that I knew of but not about. Another story of dreams and desperation

Any idea where to stream this?

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by pdonk

Here are a few that stand out in my mind, most are older as I used to go to Hot Docs Festival every year, plus the TJFF.

Searching for Sugarman - introduced me to a musician I would never otherwise known
K*ke like me - an interesting exploration into being Jewish
Anvil - The story of Anvil - dream chasing and its outcomes
Picture My Face - the story of teenage head - another band that I knew of but not about. Another story of dreams and desperation
El Bulli - Cooking in Progress
Super Amigos - (pretty sure it is the title) it was about luche libre wrestlers who use wrestling as social commentary and activism.

Forgot about that one. Just fantastic.

[cgolvin]

I can't recommend it personally because I haven't been able to find it on any of the streaming services to which I subscribe, but I've heard very good things about The Gatekeepers, interviews with the former leaders of Shin Bet.

[echappist]

Originally Posted by BdaGhisallo

Ric Burn's documentary on the history of New York was fantastic:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0220924/

Hear, hear.

That docu series is magnificent.

[pdonk]

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

Any idea where to stream this?

I watched it recently on TVO.

Try https://www.tvo.org/video/documentar...eature-version