Way OT - Best documentaries to watch

Submitted by Mp1228 on
With the recent board post about best tv shows and movies to watch, how about best documentaries? Sports AND non sports related as well. Some of my favorites are “The Jinx”, “wild wild country”, the Paradise Lost trilogy (its 3 parts over the course of 15 years or so I believe?) “Dear Zachary: a letter to his son about his father” is heartbreaking, and many more. Disclaimer: This is my first board post, so please excuse my ignorance if I didn’t do something correctly, or violated a board rule, thanks

PoseyHipster

April 27th, 2018 at 1:29 PM ^

Two great music documentaries:

"Standing in the Shadows of Motown" - about the Funk Brothers

"20 Feet from Stardom" - about backup singers

Both are well worth watching.

Mp1228

April 27th, 2018 at 1:38 PM ^

Yes if the topic is intriguing enough I prefer the series doc format. The keepers was the one about the nun who was murdered correct?
And yes the slender man one was good, honestly everything HBO does documentary wise is gold

BeatOSU52

April 27th, 2018 at 2:02 PM ^

Correct regarding what the Keepers is about.    Even though it's real clique at this point, I am assuming you've probably seen A Making of a Murderer ? .  But anyway, if you liked that , you'd like The Keepers.  It has that "WTF!?" moments like it.

Mp1228

April 27th, 2018 at 2:12 PM ^

Yes i thoroughly enjoyed making of a murderer, especially it’s style. I’ll definitely have to check out the keepers then. Have u seen “the jinx” the one about Robert Durst? The ending is incredible, so if u haven’t seen it, don’t look up anything online about it. It’s the ultimate WTF moment. Wild wild county was like that as well.

Hammer of Thor

April 27th, 2018 at 6:07 PM ^

Ric Burns' "New York" is also fascinating and on Amazon Prime for free.

Some of my other favorie docs:

Biographical: 42 grams, The Last Magnificent, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Somm

Music: Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, Foo Fighters docuseries: Sonic Highways, Score: A Film Music Documentary

Most ESPN 30 for 30 films (Especially The Brady 6).

panthera leo fututio

April 27th, 2018 at 1:43 PM ^

Anything by Errol Morris. Wormwood is his most recent documentary project, and I thought it was really fantastic. Morris is extraordinarily good at dealing with narrative uncertainty and people's responses to uncertainty -- he's got this really weird pre-film background as a student of the history and philosophy of science and as a private investigator, and both skillsets are on display in a lot of his work.

Also, Hoop Dreams and The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (I'm serious)

drjaws

April 27th, 2018 at 1:48 PM ^

Prescription Thugs is a great look into how big pharma is essentially intentionally making addictive drugs and pushing doctors to prescribe addictive drugs.

 

Also some good ones out there that expose the US govts absolutely asinine stance on cannabis.  One is 420: The Documentary.  It is very good and so is the 3 part series called Weed that originally aired on CNN from Dr. Sanjay Gupta.