I have a great love for documentaries, always have been. A well-made documentary sheds light on a lesser known story or a strange segment of the population and gives that event or those people the 90 minutes of fame it deserves. I truly cannot resist a great story. When done correctly, documentaries climb high on "favorites" list (see: "It Might Get Loud") and leave a lasting impression. Unfortunately, however, documentaries have, at times, been some of the most difficult films to track down. When you don't live near an art house theater (or when the closest one is in Dallas, a city that I despise like every good Fort Worthian should), it can be tough to get a viewing of a documentary because they rarely come to "a theater near you" and more often than not, they get passed over at rental locations. Netflix, however, has proven to me an amazing source for documentary selection, providing a bounty of choices on its instant queue service and the requisite endless possibilities through the mail. With that in mind, I have declared 2011 the Year of the Documentary here at The Soap Box Office and will work through the list below. Some are docs from the last year or two, some are older choices that I've never gotten around to, and some I'd never heard of before searching through Netflix. I hope you'll enjoy the Year of the Documentary and join in the conversation throughout the next few months.
A Film Unfinished
Anvil: The Story of Anvil
A Player to be Named
Art and Copy
A Small Act
Assault in the Ring/Cornered: A Life Caught in the Ring
Best Worst Movie
Bigger, Stronger, Faster
Born Into Brothels
Catfish
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Fall From Grace
Frontrunners
Grizzly Man
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Lord Save Us From Your Followers
Lost in La Mancha
LoudQUIETLoud
Made in America: Bloods and Crips
Man on Wire
Monster Camp
More Than a Game
My Flesh and Blood
One Day in September
Paper Clips
The Pixar Story
Restrepo
Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
Shine a Light
Tales From the Script
Tyson
Up for Grabs
Waiting for Superman
Waking Sleeping Beauty
We Live in Public
When You're Strange
Who is Harry Nilsson?
Winnebago Man
Young at Heart
A lot of those look interesting. I'm looking forward especially to Who is Harry Nilsson?. But please don't go see Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. I don't want you committing suicide in a theater.
ReplyDeleteJoan was a late addition to the list because it popped up on instant view. But, I watched it yesterday during Snowmaggedon II and it was fascinating. Review to come soon.
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