Listmania!
FAVORITE DOCUMENTARIES OF 2000+
By an Amazon.com customer
Deliver Us from EvilDeliver Us from Evil
Buy new: $14.49 / Used from: $3.76
A profoundly disturbing chronicle of a wolf in sheep's clothing, the film builds a clear-eyed case against pedophile priest Oliver O'Grady, and the Catholic bureaucracy that protected him. The recollections of O’Grady's victims are nothing short of shocking and heartbreaking.
Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock? (Documentary)Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock? (Documentary)
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Documentary filmmaker Harry Moses explores the hidden life of iconic painter Jackson Pollock.
Dark DaysDark Days
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The film focuses on a group of homeless people that live deep underground in an abandoned New York City railroad tunnel. During the daytime they scavenge for food on the streets of New York. At night, they retreat to the tunnel where they have built homes out of scrap metal, plastic, and plywood.
Twist of FaithTwist of Faith
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Veteran documentary filmmaker Kirby Dick (DERRIDA) provides a focused look at child molestation perpetrated by Catholic priests and the associated cover-up by the church hierarchy in TWIST OF FAITH.
Easy Riders, Raging BullsEasy Riders, Raging Bulls
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Inspired by comments from moviemaking luminaries such as Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader, former Premiere Magazine editor Peter Biskind set about chronicling the work of 1970s filmmakers in his 1999 book EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS.
Z Channel - A Magnificent ObsessionZ Channel - A Magnificent Obsession
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From 1974 to 1989, Z Channel graced the Los Angeles airwaves as one of the country's first pay-television stations. Though its subscription rate barely reached into the hundred thousands, the cable station presaged later channels such as Sundance and IFC.
Iraq for Sale: The War ProfiteersIraq for Sale: The War Profiteers
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Acclaimed director Robert Greenwald (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Outfoxed, and Uncovered) takes you inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq.
The Cult of the Suicide BomberThe Cult of the Suicide Bomber
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This documentary by terrorism expert Bob Baer explores the origins of suicide bombing, and the virus-like spread of its use as a tactic in guerilla warfare.
7 Days in September: A Powerful Story About 9/117 Days in September: A Powerful Story About 9/11
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Director Steven Rosenbaum compiles footage of the tragic September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on New York City and the ensuing several days for a chaotic, harrowing, and ultimately moving portrait of massive loss and how people cope with tragedy.
The Flaming Lips - The Fearless FreaksThe Flaming Lips - The Fearless Freaks
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Director Bradley Beesley's revealing documentary THE FEARLESS FREAKS fashions an insightful portrait of eccentric Oklahoma City rock band the Flaming Lips.
Galapagos (IMAX)Galapagos (IMAX)
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Presented by the Smithsonian Institution and Imax Ltd., and using IMAX 3D technology, Galapagos vividly documents an eight-week expedition to the islands and surrounding waters.
New York in the FiftiesNew York in the Fifties
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The soundtrack was jazz, the drug of choice was booze, the paper of record was The Village Voice, and the written word was sacred.
McLibelMcLibel
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McLibel is the true story of a postman and a gardener who took on McDonald's and wouldn't say "McSorry," in a legal battle since described as "the biggest corporate PR disaster in history."
Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black DeathCongo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death
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This startling, dramatic documentary from director Peter Bates--which caused considerable controversy in Belgium on its original release--focuses on the rule of that country's King Leopold II, who turned the Belgian colony of the Congo into a forced labor camp of shocking brutality between 1885 and 1908.
My Father, The GeniusMy Father, The Genius
Buy new: $26.99 / Used from: $7.00
When long-estranged father, dreamer and visionary architect, Glen Small bequeaths his daughter the task of writing his biography, she answers instead with an irreverent film about his unstable career and rocky private life - while he is still alive.
HacksHacks
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Leading national journalists assigned to cover the underworld of stand up comedy are followed by a crew of filmmakers willing to document their findings
Andy Warhol: A Documentary FilmAndy Warhol: A Documentary Film
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"I think he's a touchstone of the culture--and I mean more than simply painting and art history. I think he's a touchstone of the culture we live in--a touchstone for the entire culture of the post-war period. I think he is probably the most important artist of the second half of the 20th century, maybe the most important artist of the 20th century.
Project Human WeaponProject Human Weapon
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For those unsatisfied with sensational television coverage featuring "terrorism experts," HUMAN WEAPON provides the first sober, in-depth examination of the complexities of the suicide bombing phenomenon.
La SierraLa Sierra
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A real-life City of God, the award-winning documentary La Sierra traces a year in the life of a neighborhood in Medellín, Colombia ruled by a paramilitary gang.
The Rape of Nanking (Disc 1 Side A). Unit 731, Sex Slaves & Comfort Women, Japanese War Time Atrocities, Hiroshima, and more (Disc 2, Side A). Tiananmen Massacre (Disc 2 Side B).The Rape of Nanking (Disc 1 Side A). Unit 731, Sex Slaves & Comfort Women, Japanese War Time Atrocities, Hiroshima, and more (Disc 2, Side A). Tiananmen Massacre (Disc 2 Side B).
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A powerful and haunting depiction of the atrocities suffered by the Chinese at the hands of the invading Japanese army during “The Rape of Nanking”, one of the most tragic events of WWII.
Afghan StoriesAfghan Stories
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Afghanistan has been at war for 24 years. The West's battle against the Taliban is only the latest of a series of conflicts the Afghans have suffered.
You See Me Laughin'You See Me Laughin'
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The glimpse afforded by director Mandy Stein's documentary into the world of four Mississippi bluesmen, who comprise the roster of Fat Possum Records, is a testament to a musical era that many consider passed.
American DreamAmerican Dream
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Barbara Kopple's disturbing account of the protracted strike of the employees of the Hormel meat-packing plant in Austin, Minnesota, in 1984 is set against the backdrop of the Reagan administration's demolition of the nation's air traffic controllers union, a move that would help create the worst climate for organized labor since the 19th century.
Mr. Death: The Rise & Fall of Fred A. Leuchter Jr.Mr. Death: The Rise & Fall of Fred A. Leuchter Jr.
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The story of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr., a man whose complete belief in himself as an expert in anything he devoted his time to ended up ruining his professional career.
Paradise Lost - The Child Murders at Robin Hood HillsParadise Lost - The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
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In 1993, three eight-year-old boys were found brutally murdered in the woods of West Memphis, Arkansas. Though the evidence suggested the masterwork and skill of a seasoned killer, the police hastily assigned the blame to three alienated boys with a predilection for heavy metal music and black clothing.
4 Little Girls4 Little Girls
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4 LITTLE GIRLS tells the tragic story of the bombing of a basement in a black Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963, which killed four young girls: Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Addie May Collins.
Is Paris Burning?Is Paris Burning?
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Documentary about the Harlem drag balls thrown by predominantly inner city black and Latino gay men in the mid-1980s.
Brother's KeeperBrother's Keeper
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This acclaimed documentary explores the odd world of the four elderly Ward brothers--disheveled, illiterate farmers who have lived their entire lives in a dilapidated two room shack.
Theremin - An Electronic OdysseyTheremin - An Electronic Odyssey
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A documentary about the inventor of one of the first electronic instruments, the eponymous theremin (the sound of which quickly became cliched in science fiction films as the accompaniment to shots of flying saucers). The instrument produced its unusual sounds by using the player's hands to control the signals of an electromagnetic field.
Marcello Mastroianni: I RememberMarcello Mastroianni: I Remember
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MARCELLO MASTROIANNI: I REMEMBER is a sprawling portrait of the indelible career of international film legend and original Latin Lover, Mastroianni.
The Jaundiced EyeThe Jaundiced Eye
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THE JAUNDICED EYE is an investigative documentary that traces the painful appeal of a Michigan man, Melvin Matthews, who served ten years prison time for supposedly abusing his son.
The Panama DeceptionThe Panama Deception
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The documentary postulates that the invasion directly resulted from a carefully planned plot to renegotiate Jimmy Carter's 1977 treaty, which returns control of the Canal Zone to the Panamanian government by the year 2000.
Coming Out Under FireComing Out Under Fire
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Nine gay men and women relate extraordinary stories of how they maintained a homosexual identity, although closeted, in the armed services during World War II. The film examines the U.S. military's history of blatant discrimination against gays and lesbians.
Aileen Wuornes: The Selling of a Serial Killer - The 1992 InterviewsAileen Wuornes: The Selling of a Serial Killer - The 1992 Interviews
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British documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield travels to Florida to survey the media craze surrounding America's first female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos. In his search for facts, Broomfield uncovers a never-ending trail of opportunists looking to cash in on her story, alleged police corruption, and some disturbing discoveries about the American judicial system.
Shoah: An Oral History of the Holocaust [All-Region]Shoah: An Oral History of the Holocaust [All-Region]
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This stunning documentary sheds light on one of the darkest hours in the history of mankind - the Holocaust.
Vernon, FloridaVernon, Florida
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A series of interviews with such unique citizens as an avid wild turkey hunter, an elderly couple who vacationed at a nuclear test site and returned with sand they insist is growing, a worm farmer, a 93-year old man who thinks his pet turtle is a gopher and others from this small, backwoods town.
Hearts and Minds - Criterion CollectionHearts and Minds - Criterion Collection
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A landmark in documentary feature films, this Academy Award-winning documentary is an insightful critique of the US's cataclysmic involvement in Vietnam.