What`s the best documentary you`ve ever seen?

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Actually he was elected President, but the majority Republican Supreme Court appointed the loser to Presidency.

And to stay on topic, Robert Greenwald chronicles this travesty of democracy in his documentary 'Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election'.
 
"Gimme Shelter" the doc about the Rolling Stones concert where the Hell's Angels took over.
 
MotionMagic said:
Actually he was elected President, but the majority Republican Supreme Court appointed the loser to Presidency.

And to stay on topic, Robert Greenwald chronicles this travesty of democracy in his documentary 'Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election'.
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it makes me want to make a doc about about all the Bush hate and during a time of war. Compare it to say Roosevelt during WWII.
 
maybe be more relevant to comare it to Truman during Korea. I think the similarities between the two men (W and Tru) are more easily compared
 
Roger & Me
changed documentary and filmmaking from that point forward. period.

Bowling for Columbine
Finally, the academy gets it

The Weather Underground
Will blow you away

The N Word
Required viewing for white america

Hearts & Minds
Probably the best of all time, the standard

Hype!
after you dismiss the obvious choices, it's the best music doc

The Thin Blue Line
The subject was a guy on death row. After the movie came out, he got a new trial and was aquitted. That's the power of filmmaking my friends
 
ece said:

Bowling for Columbine

Great story. I would never have seen any of the other documentary films mentioned above if it wasn't for this one. It was the first documentary I ever saw that wasn't created for Senior Citizens like the documentaries on PBS and the History Channel. This film alone redefined how I saw documentary films.
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I'm glad you enjoyed Bowling. Roger and Me predates Bowling by 13 years though... did you see that?
 
John_Hudson said:
The Fog of War

(Incredible)

http://www.sonyclassics.com/fogofwar

No agenda; no skewing (MM). Just plain and honest
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And it features the Interrotron, very cool device



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two classic must-sees are:

Hands on a Hardbody (hilarious) and

Okee Noodling (great).

Most of Werner Herzogs older docs are pretty good too.
 
Wow, so many can't pick one.
Many of my favorites I saw at film festivals or from univ. libraries but may be harder to just get commonly.
firstly, of the big names, my favorites are:
All of Ross McElwees films,
"Shermans March"
"6' Oclock News"
"Time Indefinite"
"Bright Leaves"
etc.

All of Les Blancs' are also awesome
I think it's called "Gates of Heaven", my favorite also
"Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers"

Also Alan Berliners' films are all good
"The Sweetest sound"
"Nobody's Business"
Etc.

"Roger and Me" of course,
and also "When We Were Kings"
I think two very important masterpieces

other odd ones I've liked recently. One called "Rocks With Wings" and another called "Monster Road"
"Titicut Follies" is good. I actually rather liked the recent TV series "Long Way Round", more traditional than the other trash on TV these days.
Lets see....
The Maysles Bros. films like "Salesman", "Grey Gardens"
"SpellBound" was pretty nice.
"Koyanisquatsi",
Vertovs' "Man With the Movie Camera" was great
I loved "American Movie" and also really loved "The Gleaners and I" (French so I think it's like "La Glanuese et..." something, awesome though)
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" is pretty awesome, access wise.
"Dark Days" is also really good.
"Streetwise" is a classic
I've a soft spot for Jazz and Monk so "Straight No Chaser" is also a favorite
"Blair Witch Project" is really scary... Just kidding, just kidding
I say if your looking for what to get watch the classics then go to some doc festivals and find the best new stuff that never gets seen, thats where I've seen some of the greatest stuff that just dissapears. oh, and "Speedo" is really great, too. And "American Mullet", and "Cane Toads: an Unnatural History", and the "American Family" series from the 70's (pre-"reality tv" series. And "Self Made Man", and "Troublesome Creek", and "Brothers Keeper". What about "Paris is Burning", the "7 up" series (newest one comes out next month), "Southern Comfort", "The Wonderful Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl".
so many greats out there, but those are some that come to mind... I'll stop there.
 
No Hoop Dreams yet?

Not on my list of bests but worth your time:

Mardi Gras - Made in China
Overnight

Also just watched the Decline of Western Civilization Part II - hilarious!
 
i really liked born into brothels, there are many more that others already posted too

mad hot ballroom was very entertaining

but for best maybe:

capturing the friedmans
hoop dreams
 
The Callaghan Top Ten Documentaries Of All Time List

01 That's Entertainment!
02 Frank Capra's Why We Fight Series
03 The Flight That Fought Back
04 When It Was A Game
05 Combat America
06 Nine Innings From Ground Zero
07 Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?
08 The Living Desert
09 Pumping Iron
10 Triumph of the Will
 
Hearts of Darkness is incredible.

Also, The Staircase is a chilling documentary series. Simply stunning.

-kevin
 
Zed said:
1. Capturing the Friedmans
2. Paradise Lost
3. Harlan County USA
4. Murderball
5. Grey Gardens
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Zed! Paradise Lost! I can't believe someone mentioned that! Excellent documentary.
 
It warms my heart seeing so many good docs appreciated by some many people.

"Darwin's Nightmare" should be part of the list.

Any and all Fredrick Wiseman.
And all the others mentioned before.

We’re living a great moment for Documentary Filmmaking.
 
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