Documentaries I want to see!
Most of these played at the local arthouse theater and I couldn't go see them. For a rainy day....
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- DirectorIan CheneyStarsSusan CarterIan CheneyPhilip ChiangWho was General Tso, and why are we eating his chicken? This feature documentary explores the origins and ubiquity of Chinese-American food through the story of an iconic sweet and spicy chicken dish.
- DirectorJuliano Ribeiro SalgadoWim WendersStarsSebastião SalgadoWim WendersLélia Wanick SalgadoThe life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has spent forty years documenting societies in hidden corners of the world.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsPaul HaggisJason BegheSpanky TaylorA documentary looking at the inner-workings of the Church of Scientology.
- DirectorBart LaytonStarsAdam O'BrianNicholas BarclayCarey GibsonA documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years.
- DirectorRory KennedyStarsRichard NixonHenry KissingerStuart HerringtonDuring the final days of the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance crumbled. An unlikely group of heroes emerged as Americans and South Vietnamese took matters into their own hands.
- DirectorJeff MalmbergStarsMark HogancampEmmanuel NnejiEdda HogancampDocumentary about Mark Hogancamp. After a vicious attack leaves him brain-damaged and broke, Mark seeks recovery in "Marwencol", a 1/6th scale World War II-era town he creates in his backyard. Inspired the movie Welcome to Marwen (2018)
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogJean ClottesJulien MonneyWerner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France and captures the oldest known pictorial creations of humanity.
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
- DirectorKurt KuenneStarsKurt KuenneAndrew BagbyDavid BagbyA filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.
- DirectorJosé PadilhaFelipe LacerdaStarsSandro do NascimentoRodrigo PimentelLuiz Eduardo SoaresOn June 12, 2000, a young man with a gun took the passengers aboard Bus 174 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hostage. This documentary examines the event itself, the resulting media frenzy, the police response, and the perpetrator's background.
- DirectorAndy BichlbaumMike BonannoKurt EngfehrStarsReggie WattsMike BonannoAndy BichlbaumTroublemaking duo Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, posing as their industrious alter-egos, expose the people profiting from Hurricane Katrina, the faces behind the environmental disaster in Bhopal, and other shocking events.
- DirectorStevan RileyStarsMarlon BrandoStella AdlerBernardo BertolucciA documentary that utilizes hundreds of hours of audio that Marlon Brando recorded over the course of his life to tell the screen legend's story.
- DirectorBelinda SallinStarsH.R. GigerCarmen Maria GigerStanislav GrofA look at the life the dark surrealist Swiss artist, H.R.Giger shot a year before his death.
- DirectorJem CohenStarsBrendan CantyJoe LallyIan MacKayeA collaboration between filmmaker Jem Cohen and the Washington D.C. band Fugazi, covering the 10 year period of 1987-1996. Far from a traditional documentary, this is a musical document; a portrait of musicians at work. The project mixes sync-sound, 16mm.
- DirectorShaun JeffordStarsLiu BaoNevin DomerShi Xu DongA film crew follows underground punks through Communist China in the year of the Olympics.
- DirectorTim NackashiDavid SamplinerStarsDarrell AllenBernard HolstonRuss PageDocumentarians David Sampliner & Tim Nackashi follow three men with odd, potentially unpleasant careers -- a bull semen collector, a sewage tank pumper, and an embalmer.
- StarsSigourney WeaverDavid AttenboroughNikolay DrozdovA documentary series on the wildlife found on Earth. Each episode covers a different habitat: deserts, mountains, deep oceans, shallow seas, forests, caves, polar regions, fresh water, plains and jungles. Narrated by David Attenborough.
- DirectorDavid MorrisJacqui MorrisStarsHarold EvansDon McCullinMichael ParkinsonTo many, Don McCullin is the greatest living war photographer, often cited as an inspiration for today's photojournalists. For the first time, McCullin speaks candidly about his three-decade career covering wars and humanitarian disasters on virtually every continent and the photographs that often defined historic moments. From 1969 to 1984, he was the Sunday Times of London's star photographer, where he covered stories from the civil war in Cyprus to the war in Vietnam, from the man-made famine in Biafra to the plight of the homeless in the London of the swinging sixties. Exploring not only McCullin's life and work, but how the ethos of journalism has changed throughout his career, the film is a commentary on the history of photojournalism told through the lens of one of its most acclaimed photographers.
- DirectorHeinz BütlerStarsHenri Cartier-BressonAlexander BrooksRobert DelpireArtist Henri Cartier-Bresson comments on several of his photographs. One of the last films shot with the photographer, also featuring Robert Delpire, Elliott Erwitt, Isabelle Huppert, Josef Koudelka, Arthur Miller, and Ferdinando Scianna.
- DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsChuck BerryKeith RichardsEric ClaptonThis documentary movie covers two concerts at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri, to celebrate Chuck Berry's 60th birthday, and also discusses his life and career.
- DirectorRussell WallStarsChristopher LeeHazel CourtPhilip LeakeyThe Birth of Special Makeup Effects occurred at Hammer Films in the mid-1950's. Make-up wizard Phil Leakey was the first artist ever to be given on-screen credit for"Special Makeup Effects". Using unusual chemicals and materials, Leakey strived to create greater realism in his fantastic effects and in so doing engineered the transition from science fiction to full colour, gory, gothic horror. In this lively documentary, Phil takes us back to the Brat Studio years, and explains how the effects were achieved for Stolen Face, The Quatermass Xperiment, Quatermass 2, X The Unknown, The Curse Of Frankenstein, and Dracula. "Hammer had no laboratories or ovens or anything to cook rubber prosthetics with. I had to take them home and do it. I used to ring up my wife and say: don't cook anything tonight dear I'll need the oven to bake a rubber head." Phil Leakey Through interviews and makeup demonstrations, this great documentary provides a valuable and unique insight into the success and importance of what the world now calls Hammer Horror.
- DirectorAlan RavenscroftStarsEd Eales WhiteRitchie BlackmoreSteve LukatherDocumentary about legendary guitarist Richie Blackmore, who is best known for his work with rock bands Rainbow and Deep Purple.
- DirectorDavid M. ThompsonNick Freand JonesStarsCharles GrayJames BernardVeronica CarlsonA retrospective of the films of Britain's Hammer Studios, renowned for making stylish horror films in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Included are clips from Hammer productions and interviews with actors, actresses, directors and producers who worked on these films.
- DirectorTed NewsomStarsPeter CushingChristopher LeeRoy Ward BakerThe history of Hammer Films and their legacy, narrated by the studio's most beloved stars, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
- 20041h 23mNot Rated7.0 (343)TV Movie62MetascoreDirectorRuth LeitmanStarsGladys GillemJohn DalyMildred BurkeRing legends such as The Fabulous Moolah and Gladys "Kill 'Em" Gillem Long provide candid insights into the history of women's professional wrestling.
- DirectorMark HartleyStarsPhillip AdamsGlory AnnenChristine AmorThe story of the Australian exploitation genre cinema of 1970s and 80s.
- DirectorWiltrud BaierSigrun KöhlerStarsJimmy Carl BlackMonika BlackArthur BrownJimmy Carl Black, Texas Indian and drummer of Frank Zappas legendary band 'Mothers of Invention' in the sixties, nowadays lives in a little village in Bavaria, Germany. The filmmakers follow him his last 2 years of living and drumming. An international 'Heimatfilm' about sex, drugs, Rock'n'Roll and no old age support.
- DirectorRobert MuggeStarsTheresa AnderssonStephen AssafIn this acclaimed documentary narrated by Nick Nolte, experience the true story of the American master whose gonzo reportage defined an era while his depraved appetites forged a legend.
- DirectorRaymond PettibonStarsKim GordonThurston MooreMike WattA strange spoof in the worst taste imaginable, renowned artist Raymond Pettibon studies the interpersonal relationships among a group of urban middle-class terrorists in the early Seventies.
- DirectorRaymond PettibonStarsMike KelleyMike WattRicky LeeThree teenagers from the industrial part of Los Angeles try to form a punk rock band in Hollywood, in this short film by renowned artist Raymond Pettibon.
- DirectorVanessa GouldStarsBruce WeberWilliam McDonaldMargalit FoxWriters and editors from the New York Times discuss their unique approach to writing the obituaries of public figures.
- DirectorHermann VaskeStarsJean-Christophe AmmannSteven BelgardIsabel CoixetThe life and times of Dennis Hopper, showbiz maestro and Hollywood eccentric.
- DirectorKen BurnsStarsPaul RoeblingJulie HarrisArthur MillerThis documentary chronicles the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. The difficult construction process is described in interesting detail; later parts of the film interview current notables who describe the effects that the Brooklyn Bridge has had upon New York society and beyond.
- StarsPeter CoyoteHuy DucJames WillbanksA comprehensive history of the United States' involvement in the bitterly divisive armed conflict in Southeast Asia.
- StarsKeith DavidKatharine PhillipsTom HanksA seven-part series focusing on the many ways in which the Second World War impacted the lives of American families.
- DirectorSandi TanStarsJasmine Kin Kia NgPhilip CheahSophia Siddique HarveyA woman explores the events surrounding a film she and her friends began making with a mysterious stranger decades ago.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsJohn HustonOja KodarPeter BogdanovichAt a media-swamped party to celebrate his 70th birthday and screen his avant-garde film-in-progress, a legendary but jaded Hollywood director is faced both with voracious fans and unsettling questions about what became of his lead actor.
- DirectorMorgan NevilleStarsAlan CummingPeter BogdanovichOja KodarIn the final fifteen years of the life of legendary director Orson Welles, he pins his Hollywood comeback hopes on a film, The Other Side of the Wind (2018), in itself a film about an aging film director trying to finish his last great movie.
- DirectorBing LiuStarsKent AbernathyMengyue BolenNina BowgrenFilmmaker Bing Liu searches for correlations between his skateboarder friends' turbulent upbringings and the complexities of modern masculinity.
- DirectorStephen MaingStarsManuel 'Manny' GomezSandy GonzalesRukia LumumbaA group of brave NYPD officers risk it all to expose the truth about illegal quota practices in police departments.
- DirectorKimberly ReedStarsJon TesterDebra BonogofskyJim PetersonDARK MONEY, a political thriller, examines one of the greatest present threats to American democracy: the influence of untraceable corporate money on our elections and elected officials. The film takes viewers to Montana--a front line in the fight to preserve fair elections nationwide--to follow an intrepid local journalist working to expose the real-life impact of the US Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. Through this gripping story, DARK MONEY uncovers the shocking and vital truth of how American elections are bought and sold. This Sundance award-winning documentary is directed/produced by Kimberly Reed (PRODIGAL SONS) and produced by Katy Chevigny (E-TEAM).
- StarsJosé FerrerAuguste Rodin's masterpiece The Gates of Hell is an epic achievement: a massive portal to Hades inspired by Dante's Inferno, its towering doors covered with nearly 200 individual figures. Commissioned in 1880, the project was to be the main entrance to the museum of decorative arts in Paris, a museum that was never built. A century later, legendary New York businessman and philanthropist B. Gerald Cantor and his wife, Iris, convened a team of experts to attempt the first-ever bronze casting of The Gates of Hell using the painstaking "lost wax" method that Rodin himself had favored. The finished piece would stand 21 feet high and 12 feet wide, and weigh eight tons. This award-winning film chronicles Rodin's struggles and sacrifices in creating a monumental work of art -- and the extraordinary modern-day effort to give it the final form he envisioned.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsDave HooverGeorge MendonçaRodney BrooksAn exploration of the careers of four unrelated professionals: a lion tamer, a robotics expert, a topiary gardener, and a naked mole rat specialist.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsRobert McNamaraJohn F. KennedyFidel CastroThe story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsMichael RuppertA documentary on Michael Ruppert, a police officer turned independent reporter who predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter, From the Wilderness.
- DirectorHoward S. BergerSusan StahmanStarsDave AdamsJake ArnottMike BerryThis documentary chronicles the rise, fall and resurrection of Joe Meek. It shows, due in equal measures to his pioneering DIY recording techniques, hit-making philosophy and a life full of social, psychological and sexual obstacles.
- DirectorPeter AdairStarsPeter AdairBrenda LanhamMichael LanhamA study on a small Pentecostal congregation in Scrabble Creek, West Virginia.
- DirectorMidge CostinStarsGary RydstromSteven SpielbergTeresa EcktonAn exploration of the history and emotional power of cinema sound, as revealed by legendary sound designers and visionary directors, via interviews, clips from movies, and a look at their actual process of creation and discovery.
- 19962h 50mNot Rated7.0 (126)TV MovieDirectorHermann VaskeStarsDennis HopperJon AmielRowan AtkinsonIn this unique film, Dennis Hopper sends Hermann Vaske on a mission around the world to find out about the crossover between creative disciplines, and how this is changing the creative and commercial arts.
- DirectorNick MeadStarsDennis HopperMichael VartanWendy AbramsBased upon Mick Farren's book,'The Black Leather Jacket', this documentary explores the history of this garment from it's utilitarian beginnings through to it's 'bad boy' reputation and considers whether it has now become emasculated by pop culture.
- DirectorSam BlairJean-Louis SchullerIn Hong Kong and Macau, four gamblers take us on a journey into the world of winners and losers created by a culture of speculation, addiction and debt. Gambling has long been part of Chinese life, but, with a society increasingly divided by rich and poor, an obsession with winning easy money has intensified, with more and more people pinning their hopes on games of luck and fortune. Through personal stories High/Low reveals an emotional search for belief and identity in money-centric modern China.
- DirectorSteve YeagerStarsJohn WatersPat WatersJohn Waters Sr.The life and times of Baltimore film maker and midnight movie pioneer, John Waters. Intercut with a 1972 interview of Waters are clips from his first films and recent interviews with his parents, his brother, Divine's mom, actors and crew, other directors, film critics, a film curator, psychologists, and Maryland's last censor, who shudders at the memory of Waters's pictures. Also included is footage of Waters making his early movies, culminating in an up-close and in-depth look at Pink Flamingos: the script, the set, the filming conditions, its editing, its distribution, and its impact. In sweet ways, this documentary is also a celebration of Divine (1945-1988).
- DirectorLuis Fernandez de la RegueraStarsGary RayRockets RedglareWillem DafoeDocumentary on Rockets Redglare (aka Michael Morra), a colorful figure on the New York City art scene up until his death in 2001. In his life, Redglare was the bodyguard/drug dealer to Sid Vicious and Jean Michel Basquiat, a stand-up comedian (he toured with Steve Buscemi), and an actor in over 30 films, including "Stranger Than Paradise", "Down by Law", and "Mystery Train". Redglare died from liver failure and hepatitis C, which was brought on by years of heroin abuse and plenty of other drugs.