100 Best Documentaries

2.

An extraordinary slice of life film. There's no way you won't find something here that you're familiar with from your own hometown. Gorgeously shot, beautifully intimate, and brilliantly observed. I really wish it would come out on DVD already.

Y'all better step up, 'cause I'm trying to restrain from doing this whole list myself.

3.

1992, dir. Fax Bahr & George Hickenlooper

The agony & the ecstasy of filming a cinematic masterpiece.

4.

2006, dir. Amy Berg

The sobering account & altogether damning documentary about a pedo priest & the church system that enabled & excused his abhorrent decades long rampage of abuse.

#5

6.

7.

Two unquestionable masterpieces by the genius Steve James. Both of them are epic in every sense of the word, from their scope to their length to their thematic richness. Hoop Dreams chronicles the journey of two young men trying to rise above their circumstances, and basketball is only part of their tale. The Interrupters is a gripping exploration of the nature of violence and follows a year in the lives of a few heroes trying to do their best to stem the tide. Both films feature unforgettable, fascinating characters whom you root for so hard it makes you ache. James' survey of urban decay and the people living in it are Wire-level in their blistering humanity.

Hoop Dreams isn't just one of the greatest documentaries ever, it's one of the greatest movies ever, period. The Interrupters will likely rise to a similar status as time goes by; I think it's the best film released this year. Fuck the Oscars, this is more worth seeing than all the films on their shortlist this year combined.

8) THE CORPORATION

The definitive documentary on corporate personhood examines the psychopathic evil ravaging our planet

9) RIVERS AND TIDES

Lovely, life changing - MUST SEE FOR ALL HUMANS

10) MICROCOSMOS

It is a wonderful world

11.

A stunning film about the obsession to get everything perfect when exicuting a creative vision. Could be shown as a double feature with Hearts of Darkness.

Placeholder for:

12. HEARTS AND MINDS 

13. HARLAN COUNTY USA

14. THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE

15. THE GREAT HAPPINESS SPACE: TALES OF AN OSAKA LOVE THIEF

16.

Werner Herzog specializes in the extremes of human nature, and he found his perfect subject in Timothy Treadwell, who explored the extremes of nature itself. A supremely bizarre and beautiful film, and my pick for the best doc of the 00's.

17.

How do you know when a documentary had done its job well? 

When it's banned by the US government because it exposed the deplorable conditions in a state run mental institution.

18.

All the excitement of a caper film, except it actually happened.

19.

2003

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense (& primary architect of the Vietnam War) Robert S. McNamara explains himself & shows the world how good intentions could lead to catastrophe in Errol Morris' riveting masterwork.

20.

2009

The world as we know it is going to end & one eccentric (perhaps crazy) man explains to us how in steady, logical, & disturbing detail. An absolute must see.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Dickson 

18.

 

All the excitement of a caper film, except it actually happened.

I'd rep this if I could. I saw this film for the first time this year, after the hype had finally died away, and though cliche in the film blurb world, it's a word a rarely use: this movie is uplifting as hell. Kind of makes you glad to be alive. Good choice, Dickson
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art Decade 

19.

2003

 

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense (& primary architect of the Vietnam War) Robert S. McNamara explains himself & tells the world how good intentions could lead to catastrophe in Errol Morris' riveting masterwork.

 

20.

2009

 

The world as we know it is going to end & one eccentric (perhaps crazy) man explains to us how in steady, logical, & disturbing detail. An absolute must see.

More good choices. After I saw FOG OF WAR, I began to really regret not going to see McNamara when he came to talk to my town a few yers before his death. Oh, and COLLAPSE has had me bumming all year - though in my heart of hearts I was basically on board with the hypothesis already

22.

A devastating gutpunch of a film. It's the rare doc you don't want spoiled for you at all going in, so as to have as pure an experience as possible. All the people who loved one man try to make sense of his death, and you come to feel for him and all of them.

23) RELIGULOUS

An angry, exasperated and often funny  plea for an end to the dark ages of thought

24. SENNA

Just incredible to watch, even for a non Formula 1 racing fan like me.

25.

I drafted it, might as well be the one to list it. I just watched this again last night, and it's really great. Seth Gordon stumbled on a fascinating culture that most of the world probably never knew existed, and the hardcore retro gaming enthusiasts make great characters. He also found a perfect villain in the unbelievably slimy Billy Mitchell, whose cockiness and slew of toadies make him deeply unlikeable (even his parents are perfect. The dad lounging back with his sunglasses on going "Billy Mitchell is a winner." Perfect). It's so much more fascinating than a documentary about Donkey Kong should be, and it's filled with great little moments like:

- Brian Kuh gradually coming unhinged as Steve is about to beat Billy's score

- Steve's daughter saying about the Guinness book of world records, "Some people sort of ruin their lives to be in there."

- Roy "Mr Awesome" Schildt. So, so funny.

26. Tabloid

It just kind of came and went this year without much fanfair, but I can honestly say that few films have a subject absolutely batshiat insane as Joyce McKinney.

27.

1998

The winner of the 1998 Oscar for Best Documentary, this Spielberg produced film details the experiences of 5 Jewish survivors of the Holocaust as they revisit the concentration camps they were once held in. Sobering & life-affirming in equal measure, the Shoah has never felt so palpably relatable.

28.

A repentant revivalist preacher / former child prodigy uses his last tour to provide an inside baseball view of the tricks of the evangelistic trade. It might as well be a prequel to Jesus Camp.

29.

2004

A BBC documentary film series, The Power Of Nightmares is the dual history of the rise of the Neo-Con movement in America & the radical Islamist movement in the Middle East. Comparing & contrasting the two, the film lays out in captivating detail how these competing brands of thought came to essentially ruin the world over the course of 60 years.

The film is available in it's entirety on Google video. It is essential viewing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim K 

24. SENNA

 

Just incredible to watch, even for a non Formula 1 racing fan like me.

Brilliant. Easily one of the top 5 features (not just docos) of 2011. With a subject whose life was a real version of a sports film they couldn't fail.

30. Manda Bala

A stunning, controversial, maddening, duplicitous and searingly honest portrayal of modern day Brazil. Worth it for the soundtrack alone, not to mention a cast of characters too wonderful to be fake. 

31.

1996

Pacino's passion project. A deeply fascinating examination of & investigation into the power & historical relevance of Shakespeare. A stunningly good film.

33.

One of if not the funniest docs yet made, this movie is a razor-sharp assault on the fast food industry and America's obesity epidemic. People who complain about the validity of Spurlock's experiment are missing the real point: we're fat, we're fat because of the food we eat, and the people providing that food are lying to us about what's in that food.

34. WIm Wenders touching and life-afirming documentary following Ry Cooder's exploration of Cuban music.

Why we fight.

dir.  Eugene Jarecki

http://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight/

the whole documentary is on google video.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9219858826421983682

36.

2006

The definitive document of the rise & mysterious fall of a musical genius. Endlessly inspiring & fascinating, the film includes interviews with David Bowie, Radiohead, Brian Eno, & Damon Albarn, among others.

Inside Job

dir. Charles Ferguson

if you don't get angry after watching this.......

38.

Errol Morris is a master of bringing out the most poignant stuff from the unlikeliest of people. A capital-G Great film about life, death, pets, and people.

39.

2007

The blood boiling, Oscar nominated expose that details the disastrous Bush administration led occupation of Iraq. This is essential viewing.

40. Exit Through the Gift Shop

Is it a Documentary or a Mocumentary?

Either way it's enormously entertaining and thought provoking. What is art? And is it still Art if it was created for no other reason than to trick people into mistaking it as Art?

Me? I think Thierry is a front for all other street artists (I think most of his works were not created by him, but were "donated" to him by other famous street artists). He is a Frankenstein's Monster, something Banksy created as an experiment to test how badly the Art world has fallen for the Street Art movement. Through Thierry, Banksy removed all meaning from the term "Street Art" and found that the world fell for it hookline and sinker. So much so that Banksy himself was repulsed at how everyone was so eager to salivate over his Monster.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art Decade 

39. No End in Sight

2007

 

The blood boiling, Oscar nominated expose that details the disastrous Bush administration led occupation of Iraq. This is essential viewing.

 

+ 1,000,000

if you ever meet anyone that is apologetic about GW Bush and his admin......make them watch this documentary.....if the are still Bush supporters afterwards, give them a good, strong smack upside the head.

41.

2006

Arguably the most moving documentary on the subject, this is the astonishing story of just how the US won the space race in the late 60s. After viewing it you can't help but think, mouth agape, "Holy shit...we actually went to the fucking moon!".

42.

1988

Errol Morris' landmark masterpiece that redefined modern documentary filmmaking.

I'm getting the feeling that Art and I will end up filling half this list.

43.

44.

More Werner Herzog goodness. LDNtF is a moving little film that takes the most offbeat, least-expected route to explore a man's trauma, and is all the more special for it. Encounters, meanwhile, manages to find something like the core of life and humanity itself in a place where life and humanity are scarce. It's one of those films that makes you really THINK about... well... everything.

seeing as the goal is '100', I'm gonna include this

it's a little bit docu, it's a little bit concert film

45.  X- The Unheard Music

Leonard, you better speak up soon about your batch picks. Just sayin'.

46. Sherman's March (1986, Ross McElwee)

McElwee scores a grant to make a documentary about the Civil War general and re-trace the path of the infamous March to the Sea. Just before he starts shooting, his girlfriend breaks up with him. The result is a catalogue of contemporary Southern single women, with interludes starring his favorite grade-school teacher and the inescapable legacy of Burt Reynolds...

47. "Under Pressure- making 'the Abyss' "

 IMO, this is almost equal to "Hearts of Darkness" as far as movie documentaries go.

looks like it's on YouTube

Yo, VTRan - number your picks, please.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art Decade 

Yo, VTRan - number your picks, please.

okeedokee

I just was thinking that like some of the other "best of" threads, the numbering scheme eventually gets all out of whack as more people end up posting their choices at the same time.....

Can you only post one youtube per post?

No Scorsese up in this bitch?

48. Italianamerican

He's got better ones, perhaps, but this is my favorite.  It so reminds me of my maternal grandparents and their generation, (Chicago Croatians, as opposed to New York Italians, but there were plenty of similarities.)

49. Nanook of the North

The one that started it all. A documentary about Inuit life in Northern Canada that went on to be so popular and influential that it could be said all documentaries owe some of their format to Nanook. It is also worth knowing that like many of the documentaries that it inspired almost all of Nanook was staged and re-enacted mainly because the film required a ton of light.  They had to build the Igloo cut in half and wait for sunny days to get the best picture. 

Everyone should see it. Aside from being all historical and inaccurate it is still a very interesting and watchable film.

50. Overnight (2003, d: Tony Montana, Mark Brian Smith)

I've never seen Boondock Saints, and judging by this film it's OK if I never do. But the story of how Miramax, in its quest to double down on the Kevin Smith/Quentin Tarantino phenomenon, bestowed its graces upon the most egotistical and ungrateful douchebag imaginable is absolutely compelling.