Non-fiction and Documentaries

Okay, so we all know most movies are fiction (which I think is a load of shit, with the exception of a few). I've run out of films to watch, so what are some non-fiction films (based on a true story) or documentaries that you know of?

Please, no Michael Moore.

 

There is a 6 part documentary series called : 'Space' made by the BBC. It is narrated by Sam Neil and it explores the mysteries of the cosmos in a tangible way. It answers questions on black holes, the fate of the solar system, what would happen if another asteroid hit the earth, man living on other planets. Even if you're not into science, you would probably find it fascinating. I don't want to advertize it but I think it's available by that company with the name of the biggest river in the world.

 

Haha. Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't heard of that, but I always love to watch documentaries on space.

 

I think Michael Moore's "The Big One" shows off his best work in politics and pure hilarity!
I want to see a documentary made about the Grateful Dead and Janis on their tour through Canada via train in '72.

 

Michael Moore is not only evil but, his fatass don't no shit about politics. He even says "I show the truth as I see it" a documentary is suppossed to show the truth not the way someone interprets something. He twists words, takes shit out of context, loves blacks way too much (not meant as a racist comment), loves to hear himself talk, and he spends more money at McDonald's than Bush is with the War in Iraq.

 

Can you comment about specifics please? In the movie that I am talking about? I obviously can't address slander. Do you even know what "The Big One" is about?

 

1. 'Stand and be Counted.' It is a mini series of interviews with musicians about the history of protest singers. Woody Guthrie is honoured as the grandaddy, and people like Peter Gabriel, Arlo Guthrie, Tracy Chapman, and Pete Seeger are in it. It is very good.
2. 'The Hidden City'. Documentary hosted by Judd Hirsch, which explains the events that led up to the New York City blackout that happened a number of years ago.
3. 'Connections' A miniseries that shows the links between many historical technology breakthroughs, and how seemingly unrelated inventions are actually related.
4. 'In Search of...Santa Claus' Leonard Nimoy hosts a look at the amazing history of jolly old st. nick. Very surprising, and entertaining.
5. 'Pole to Pole', and 'Around the world in 80 days.' Two travel miniseries hosted by Michael Palin.

 

'Man vs. Animals: A love/hate relationship.' A graphic (not for the squeamish), look at the full spectrum of humanity's views on our fellow critters. From Jainism, and distraught pet owners who visit their long deceased pets elaborate graves.....to restaurants serving cats and dogs that the diners pick from cages out front. It shows some disturbing footage, and made me cry, but still is not to be missed.

 

I've seen this one. Very good. The others look interesting as well. Thanks blackgaurd!

 

Paradise Lost, and Paradise Lost 2....extremely powerful documentaries...and also, Crumb by David Lynch

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I'll definitely check them out.


As for Michael Moore, I'll just put my 2 cents in about him. I do not like him, not really one bit. I think what he does for politics, is equivallent to that 18 year old kid jacking off while listening to the news in the background. I mean, he thinks he makes some sort of impact, but the truth is, he is just as passive and non-active as the next person. If he wants to make a REAL statement, he needs to make his movies then DO something about it. Organize, protest, etc. etc. There is my thought on him.

 

Michael Moore gives the impression that he is a good guy and I'm sure that deep down he is. Does that make him right? I must say I am amazed at just how many bright people contribute to this forum! When I joined, I thought it would be full of simple souls who overuse the term LOL(not that there's anything wrong with that), but I've been proved wrong. There are a lot of smart ones out there! Michael Moore would benefit more if he wasn't as biased as the people he hounds. Wouldn't he be more effective if he showed both sides of the coin, rather than his pseudo-liberal views? Why do I say pseudo-liberal(fake-liberal)? Well, how the fuck did Kerry suddenly become a liberal? A lot of money is needed to run a presidential campaign. Who paid for it? Us liberals? I don't think so. So would the priorities of the country's needs suddenly turn in our favor once Kerry was in? Maybe, but I doubt it. Does that make Bush a better president? No, it doesn't, but I don't need Michale Moore's bullshit fantasy land to tell me that everything will be alright once Dubya has retired. Anyway, I've digressed from the subject of the thread. By all means see his movies. I've enjoyed them for their humor, but bare in mind that, like some guys have already mentioned, they are more biased than commie propaganda, so take them with a very, very large pinch of salt!

 

I am sorry, I didn't see the orginal request NOT TO POST MICHAEL MOORE FILMS . I know everyone's objections, I even have my own. I just think he is a funny and creative film maker. I've raised my brows at a few of his generalizations, but he still makes some interesting points. As for saying that he isn't a true activist, I think that he has made it his life. Whether running and becoming elected to city council of Flint, establishing the only independent newspaper in Flint, his short stint with Mother Jones, his work for Ralph Nader, and his persistant lobbying for concrete improvements in our society, one can hardly say that he just sits on his fat ass. Speaking of which, I can't stand it when people bring up his weight issue. If you want to attack his ideas, his writing and film making style, fine; but address those items specifically, not his personal issues with weight.

 

Let us not forget his betrayal of Ralph Nader, either. But goldmund is right about his weight. It's his own life, let the guy eat!

 

He does make an impact, many people actually belive him. That doesn't mean he's right though. He is so evil, he knows that what he is saying is not true, he does it cus he likes the money and it makes him feel important when he gets shitloads of hype. Anyone that likes his movies, except for laughs, is super fuckin' dogshit-level stupid or at least very gullible.

 

I am assuming you are talking about Farenheit 911. If so, can you give specific examples of something he "lied" about. I was given a book called "The Farenheit 911 Reader" which includes the script for the movie and all of the documentation, cross-referencing you'd need. A better book, that writes in depth about much of the stuff he only glosses over in 911 is "Dude Where's My Country".
I do believe there was a serious flaw in "Bowling For Columbine". He compares murder rates between the industrialized nations of the world, for example, US murder rate = somewhere around 10,000 per year. Where as UK has an average of approx. mid 100s. However, he doesn't take into account (or doesn't mention) that our population is much larger than the UK, for example. He also compares murder rates between Chicago (i think, its been a while) and a Canadian city of comparable size where there had only been one murder in the last 3 years. He then proceeds to blame the high crime rates on the sensational reporting of the US media. He doesn't mention that over 60% of the Canadian broadcast market is filled with US stations, including news. He also rightly points out that while violent crime has decreased by something like 30% during the Clinton Era, reporting on violent crime had shot up near 700%. He blames the relevance of the NRA on a culture of fear created by the media. Some of this is probably true, but again he makes sweeping generalizations to make a point.
I don't think that he is an unbiased documentarian; however, he makes good points, raises interesting issues, and provides a balance to the dominance, the bombardment, of biased conservative reporting by Fox News and Talk Radio.

 

I think the name of it was called Festival Express. I rented it a couple weeks ago, and it was really good. Not just about The Dead and Janis, but a lot of other bands as well. I recommend it.

 

Also another I'd like to recommed is Imagine: John Lennon. John narrates it. Very, very good. I don't know if it's available for rent or buy though. When I saw it, it was on tv.

 

His stats were fair, as the murder rates he quoted were per capita, so they were comparing the number of handgun murders committed out of the same number of people.
His very classless surprise verbal attack of chuck heston was the only thing that I didn't like in Bowling for Columbine, and it wrecked the movie for me. Up til then, I was impressed. But you don't ask yourself into someones home and then turn on them without warning. I don't take issue with his points, just his method, very rude and disappointing. He came off as a bully, and I am not a big fan of Heston, esp. his NRA views. Moore dropped a long ways down in my opinion of him by doing such a disrespectful move.

 

While it is true that he has brought into focus many political issues to the mainstream (whether they be biased or not), I still don't see how he's really motivated anyone else to do anything... that's part of being an activist. And aside from that, I hated Farenheit 9/11. There was not one single bit of information in it that I didn't already know. The only thing it was good for was to sway said simpletons into believing what may or may not be entirely true.