Recommended Documentaries

Recommended Docs

  • Public

This is a topic where you can say which documentary has really impressed you, and why people should see it. Can be a recent one or an all-time favourite. Can't be your own though, sorry...

Praise the work of others, not your own. If you want to beat the drum for your own documentary, please don't do it here. Professionals have their own Shameless Self-Promotion topic.

We also have a Documentary Films topic for our Professionals where the debate is private and possibly more controversial. This topic here is for recommendations to the documentary-interested public.

Jason Perdue

I was just about to post about The Arbor in Doc Films. It's playing at SF Int'l later this month. Can't wait to see it.

And thanks for the recommend on Kinshasa Symphony as it's playing close by next weekend and I wasn't planning to see it.

Papagena Robbins

I recently saw Brian Winston speak in support of a (very expensive) documentary on Robert Flaherty, ”˜A Boatload of Wild Irishmen,' for which he wrote the script. There is a little interview with Leacock in the film where he talks about working as Flaherty's cameraman on "Louisiana Story." Leacock's career was a truly expansive one.

Here's a link to Leacock's recollection of this experience of working with Flaherty from his website:

http://www.richardleacock.com/21188/On-Working-With-Robert-and-Frances-Flaherty

RIP

John Frisbie

Brett Morgan did one of the ESPN 30 On 30 pieces about the historic day in sports in which OJ was chased through LA, the NBA Finals were taking place and Arnold Palmer was playing his last round of golf. Good storytelling and he only used available footage. Also, just watched 'Weather Underground' – couldn't believe how well-paced it was. A few holes, but it moves so well.

James Longley

I finally saw Inside Job this evening. Very worthy film – does a good job of laying out the financial crisis and its roots. I hope everyone sees it. However, style-wise I felt the same kind of sinking feeling I get in so many issue docs these days – a kind of Inconvenient Truth slideshow malaise, where all cinematic feeling is lost. Honestly, though, I am at a loss to imagine how else he might have made this particular doc-as-indictment film, so I probably shouldn't complain too loudly. It's another one of those movies I hope other people watch, even though I feel it continues the trend of documentary-as-lecture that has been degrading the genre from the point of view of cinematic experience over the last decade or so. It was a film you could have playing in the living room while you make dinner in the kitchen without missing much.

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James Longley James Longley (Mon 11 Apr 2011)
Christopher Wong Christopher Wong (Thu 21 Apr 2011)
John Frisbie John Frisbie (Wed 25 May 2011)
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