Must See Documentaries
Well, actually they are not must see, however I loved some, enjoyed some and others filled time during this short existence. Lately watching doc's have made fiction movies boring. Many of these you can find free online or in your netflix instant queue. You can find some really good sites by getting on the "googles" and searching online documentaries. Evenually I'm going break the Doc list up by genre. Hope you find a gem or two!
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- DirectorToni MyersStarsLeonardo DiCaprioScott D. AltmanMegan McArthurAn IMAX 3D camera chronicles the effort of 7 astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
- DirectorLarry CharlesStarsBill MaherTal BachmanJonathan BouldenBill Maher's take on the current state of world religion.
- DirectorJehane NoujaimStarsSamir KhaderJosh RushingGeorge W. BushA documentary on perception of the United States's war with Iraq, with an emphasis on Al Jazeera's coverage.
- DirectorRobert Barry PtolemyStarsTom AbateHugo de GarisPeter DiamandisRay Kurzweil is on a journey to bring his ideas to the world.
- DirectorAnthony WallerToshi HooRaymond KurzweilStarsPauley PerretteRaymond KurzweilAnthony RobbinsComputer avatar saves the world from self-replicating microscopic robots.
- DirectorIara LeeStarsAlexEnglishScott BakatmanJohn Perry BarlowConceived as an electronic road movie, this documentary investigates cutting edge technologies and their influence on our culture as we approach the 21st century. It takes off from the idea that mankind's effort to tap the power of Nature has been so successful that a new world is suddenly emerging,an artificial reality. Virtual Reality, digital and biotechnology, plastic surgery and mood-altering drugs promise seemingly unlimited powers to our bodies, and our selves. This film presents the implications of having access to such power as we all scramble to inhabit our latest science fictions.
- DirectorMark WexlerStarsSuzanne SomersPhyllis DillerRay BradburyBaby boomer Mark Wexler travels the world searching for the secrets of long life.
- 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.
- DirectorPaul MarianoKurt NortonStarsJeff AdachiJames H. BillingtonRobin BlaetzTells the history and importance of The National Film Registry, a roll call of American cinema treasures that reflects the diversity of film, and indeed the American experience itself.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsEliot SpitzerAlex GibneyHulbert WaldroupAn in-depth look at the rise and fall of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, including interviews with the scandalized, former politician.
- DirectorEric SteelStarsEric GeleynseChris BrownSusan GinwallaFilmmakers use hidden cameras to capture the various suicide attempts at the Golden Gate Bridge - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.
- DirectorAndrew RossiStarsDavid CarrSarah EllisonLarry IngrassiaUnprecedented access to the New York Times newsroom yields a complex view of the transformation of a media landscape fraught with both peril and opportunity.
- DirectorCharles FergusonStarsMatt DamonGylfi ZoegaAndri Snær MagnasonTakes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
- DirectorRobert SarkiesStarsMatthew SunderlandStuart MathiesonNatalie EllisBased on the Aramoana Massacre that occurred on 13 November and 14 November 1990. Resident David Gray, an unemployed gun collector, went on a rampage in which 13 people were shot dead, before Gray himself was shot by police.
- DirectorGreta SchillerA visual essay combining the parallel careers of filmmaker/science educator Greta Schiller, shot in the Grand Canyon and in New York City public schools. The film deconstructs tactics used by Christian fundamentalists to undermine American science education, explores why science education is crucial in a healthy democracy, and documents the struggle to keep religion out of the science classroom.
- DirectorRandy OlsonStarsMichael BeheJohn CalvertJack CashillFilmmaker and evolutionary biologist Randy Olson tries to figure out if it is the Darwinists or Intelligent Design supporters who will become a flock of dodos.
- DirectorIlana ReinStarsDavid ChiricoMichael HoganLacy Alexis PlineWe Are All Cylons is a visionary take on the profoundly resonant series Battlestar Galactica. Through interviews with cast members and fans, the film explores the areas where science fiction meets reality. Actors describe the challenges they faced playing characters that discover they're not human, and fans explain their deep emotional and intellectual connections to the program. Issues such as rapidly advancing technology, the malleability of identity, and the role and representation of the military in contemporary life are examined. Tethered to reality while at times blurring the line between documentary and science fiction, We Are All Cylons examines the complex relationship between viewers and Battlestar Galactica's depiction of artificial intelligence, consciousness, notions of the divine and what makes us human in the digital age.
- DirectorAmir Bar-LevStarsPat TillmanJosh BrolinMary TillmanChronicles the life of the late Pat Tillman, who walked away from a multimillion-dollar contract with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals in 2002 to join the Army but died from friendly fire in Afghanistan.
- DirectorPeter RichardsonStarsHarry BrutonRay CarnayCody CurtisIn 1994 Oregon became the first state to legalize a terminally ill person's request to end his or her life with medication. At the time, only Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands had legalized the practice. 'How to Die in Oregon' tell the stories of those most intimately involved with the practice today -- terminally ill Oregonians, their families, doctors, and friends -- as well as the passage of a similar law in Washington State.
- DirectorMadeleine SacklerStarsCory BookerGeoffrey CanadaCandice FryerFour children enter a high-stakes lottery. If they win, they can attend one of the best schools in New York. A look at the crisis in public education, The Lottery makes the case than any child can succeed.
- DirectorJeff StilsonStarsChris RockMaya AngelouAl SharptonChris Rock explores the wonders of African-American hairstyles.
- DirectorBilly CorbenStarsJon RobertsAl SunshineSam BurstynThe story of how Miami became the cocaine capital of the United States in the early 1980's and the police officers who turned the tide on crime.
- DirectorKeith ScholeyAlastair FothergillStarsSamuel L. JacksonPatrick StewartMeet Mara, an endearing lion cub striving to be like her mother; Sita, a cheetah and single mother of five; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion.
- 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.
- DirectorLuc JacquetStarsMorgan FreemanRomane BohringerCharles BerlingIn the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsTimothy TreadwellAmie HuguenardWerner HerzogA devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska.
- DirectorJeffrey RothStarsEugene CernanYuri GagarinJohn F. Kennedy"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth." These words spoken by President John F. Kennedy in May 1961 changed the lives of twelve Americans who walked on the moon. The Wonder of it All focuses on Apollo astronauts; Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Edgar Mitchell, John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt as they reflect on the training, tragedies, being on the moon and the effect of space travel. Becoming heroes to a nation, they fulfilled the dream to set foot on another world and in so doing, forever changed the way we view ourselves.
- DirectorTegan BukowskiLoressa ClisbyKevin MacdonaldStarsHiroaki AikawaCindy BaerTeagan BentleyA documentary shot by film-makers all over the world that serves as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on the twenty-fourth of July, 2010.
- DirectorCharles KinnaneStarsJeffrey AzizeClifford AzizeMichael CampoThe story of a band of brothers who travel the world in search of the answers to the burning questions: Who am I? Who is Man? Why do we search for meaning? Their journey brings them into the middle of the lives of the homeless on the streets of New York City, the orphans and disabled children of Peru, and the abandoned lepers in the forests of Ghana, Africa. What the young men discover changes them forever. Through one on one interviews and real life encounters, the brothers are awakened to the beauty of the human person and the resilience of the human spirit.
- DirectorWilliam GazeckiStarsWilliam GazeckiJacque FrescoLarry KingFuture by Design shares the life and far-reaching vision of Jacque Fresco, considered by many to be a modern day Da Vinci. Peer to Einstein and Buckminster Fuller, Jacque is a self-taught futurist who describes himself most often as a "generalist" or multi-disciplinarian -- a student of many inter-related fields. He is a prolific inventor, having spent his entire life (he recently celebrated his 100th birthday) conceiving of and devising inventions on various scales which entail the use of innovative technology. As a futurist, Jacque is not only a conceptualist and a theoretician, but he is also an engineer and a designer.
- DirectorCasey AffleckStarsJoaquin PhoenixAntony LangdonCarey PerloffDocuments Joaquin Phoenix's transition from the acting world to a career as an aspiring rapper.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogRichard LopezMichael PerryConversations with death row inmate Michael Perry and those affected by his crime serve as an examination of why people - and the state - kill.
- DirectorHenry JoostAriel SchulmanStarsNev SchulmanAriel SchulmanHenry JoostYoung filmmakers document their colleague's budding online friendship with a young woman and her family which leads to an unexpected series of discoveries.
- DirectorSteve GagnéKimberly Carter GambleStarsFoster GambleDuane ElginNassim HarameinPropaganda film that smashes together pretty much every modern conspiracy theory in the books, including free energy suppression, UFO landings, New World Order, vaccine hysteria, 9/11 truthers, combined to make a statement about a "Global Domination Agenda" the film claims controls much of the world.
- 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.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsJoyce McKinneyPeter ToryTroy WilliamsA documentary on a former Miss Wyoming who is charged with abducting and imprisoning a young Mormon Missionary.
- DirectorChristian FreiStarsJames NachtweyChristiane AmanpourHans-Hermann KlareDocumentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.
- DirectorYael HersonskiStarsAlexander BeyerRüdiger VoglerHanna AvrutzkiA film about an unfinished film which portrays the people behind and before the camera in the Warsaw Ghetto, exposing the extent of the cinematic manipulation forever changing the way we look at historic images.
- DirectorSteve AndersonStarsDrew CareyBilly ConnollyBill MaherA documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.
- DirectorMorgan SpurlockStarsJ.J. AbramsPeter BergPaul BrennanA documentary about branding, advertising and product placement that is financed and made possible by brands, advertising and product placement.
- DirectorTim HetheringtonSebastian JungerStarsThe Men of Battle Company 2nd of the 503rd Infantry Regiment 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat TeamJuan 'Doc RestrepoDan KearneyA year with one platoon in the deadliest valley in Afghanistan.
- DirectorPeter JosephStarsChogyam TrungpaJordan MaxwellGeorge CarlinMythology and belief in society today, presenting uncommon perspectives of common cultural issues.
- DirectorPeter JosephStarsPeter JosephRobert SapolskyGabor MatéA feature length documentary work which presents a case for a needed transition out of the current socioeconomic monetary paradigm which governs the entire world society.
- DirectorPeter JosephStarsJacque FrescoRoxanne MeadowsJohn PerkinsZeitgeist: Addendum attempts to locate the root causes of the pervasive social corruption, while also offering a solution.
- DirectorJames MarshStarsPhilippe PetitJean François HeckelJean-Louis BlondeauA look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".
- DirectorRon FrickeStarsPatrick DisantoA collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsAl GoreBilly WestGeorge BushFilmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows Al Gore on the lecture circuit, as the former presidential candidate campaigns to raise public awareness of the dangers of global warming and calls for immediate action to curb its destructive effects on the environment.
- DirectorHeidi EwingRachel GradyStarsMike PapantonioLou EngleBecky FischerA documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
- DirectorJamie MorganStarsRob AaronJules AitkenLex AndersonA spiritual search for answers leads the documentary filmmaker to a California workshop run by a guru who promotes sexual adventure -- and the exploration of the human condition.
- DirectorMichael GreccoStarsMichael GreccoTera PatrickEvan SeinfeldNoted Celebrity Photographer, Michael Grecco, sets out to capture the essence of the AVN Awards and Convention where the best in American Pornography is displayed, celebrated and honored.
- DirectorKirby DickStarsKirby DickKimberly PeirceDarren AronofskyKirby Dick's exposé about the American movie ratings board.
- StarsMarilyn MilgromLinda WilliamsMarc WarrenA serious, non-titillating history of pornography, from the earliest days of erotic art right up to the present day's multimedia.
- StarsPaul FishbeinNoname JaneConstance PenleyThe mini series describes exploration of the lives and experiences of several adult performers and directors who have been working in the porn industry.
- DirectorNahid PerssonStarsNahid PerssonA documentary that follows two young women raising children and supporting drug habits through prostitution in a country ruled by fundamentalists.
- DirectorRoger NygardStarsNancy Ellen AbramsRob AdonisAhaWhere The Nature of Existence could only scratch the surface, the Companion Series goes deeper into the most challenging topics in the film, with over 100 experts from all over the world.
- DirectorRoger NygardStarsNancy Ellen AbramsRob AdonisAhaFilmmaker Roger Nygard roams the globe to the source of each of the world's philosophies, religions, and belief systems. He interviews spiritual leaders, scholars, scientists, artists, pizza chefs, and others who have influenced, inspired, or freaked out humanity.
- DirectorAstra TaylorStarsKwame Anthony AppiahJudith ButlerMichael HardtIn Examined Life, filmmaker Astra Taylor accompanies some of today's most influential thinkers on a series of unique excursions through places and spaces that hold particular resonance for them and their ideas.
- StarsAlain de BottonA self-help guide which applies the teachings of philosophers to dealing with life's everyday problems.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogScott RowlandStefan PashovFilm-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there.
- DirectorVanessa GouldStarsErik D. DemaineMartin L. DemaineVincent FlodererDepicts a cast of fine artists and eccentric scientists (from MIT and NASA) who have devoted their lives to the unlikely medium of modern origami. Through their determination to reinterpret the world in paper, they arouse a fascinating mix of sensibilities towards art, form, expressiveness, creativity and meaning.
- StarsEric AdkinsJon AvnetBrian ChaconThe making of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004).
- DirectorRodman FlenderStarsConan O'BrienAndy RichterStephen ColbertA documentary on Conan O'Brien's comedy tour of the U.S. and Canada after leaving The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (2009) and severing his relationship with NBC.
- DirectorMorgan SpurlockStarsMorgan SpurlockDaryl IsaacsChemeeka WalkerWhile examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.
- DirectorChristopher TaylorStarsMichael PollanAlice WatersMarion NestleA fascinating look at how American agricultural policy and food culture developed in the 20th century, and how the California food movement rebelled against big agribusiness to launch the local organic food movement.
- DirectorRobert KennerStarsMichael PollanEric SchlosserRichard LobbAn unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
- DirectorJames ColquhounCarlo LedesmaStarsVicky BlewittIan BrighthopeJerome BurneFood Matters examines how the food we eat can help or hurt our health. Nutritionists, naturopaths, doctors, and journalists weigh in on such topics as organic food, food safety, raw foodism, and nutritional therapy.
- DirectorDeborah Koons GarciaStarsCharles BenbrookGrace BoothGeorge W. BushTHE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled grocery store shelves for the past decade.
- DirectorLee FulkersonStarsLee FulkersonMatthew LedermanAlona PuldeExamines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsGreg KinnearBruce WillisCatalina Sandino MorenoAn examination of the health risks involved in the fast food industry as well as its environmental and social consequences.
- DirectorTed NewsomStarsChristopher LeeRay BradburyYul BrynnerClips from Sci-Fi Films.
- StarsWilliam ShatnerDon HastingsAl HodgeA history of science-fiction programs on television.
- DirectorPeter AsaroStarsJoan AlmonCynthia BreazealRodney BrooksIn a culture preoccupied with its own technological prowess in the development of labor-saving machines, one can't help but wonder how long it will be before we see humanoid robots and androids entering society. And once they arrive, how social will they be? Will they be our slaves? Our friends? Or maybe even our lovers? Two documentary film makers set out to answer these questions. They traveled the country in the year 2000, interviewing the leading intellectuals concerned with these questions, as well as the artists, inventors and engineers who are bringing these technologies to life. The result is a feature-length film which examines the complex relationships between technology and the most human of conditions, love.
- DirectorJosh OreckStarsNick BostromStewart BrandCynthia Breazeal
- DirectorPaul OremlandStarsFrances TomeltyRobert SilverbergPaul VerhoevenThere are other worlds...but they are in this one.
- DirectorNicole RittenmeyerSeth SkundrickStarsGeorge W. BushJoe NapolitanoKelly EdwardsThe morning of September 11, 2001 is shown through multiple video cameras in New York City, from the moment the first WTC tower is hit until after both towers collapse.
- DirectorChristopher Dillon QuinnTommy WalkerStarsPanther BiorJohn Bul DauNicole KidmanThree young men from Sudan embark on a journey to America after years of wandering Sub-Saharan Africa in search of safety.
- DirectorKurt SayengaStarsAnthony VelazquezAngelina BulyginaTiffany Lauren BennickeThe excavations of Pompeii reveal a thriving sex industry with prostitutes ranging from female slaves to male celebrities. But like today sexual promiscuity was not considered proper or even legal. This program examines how such blatant behavior could flourish under fairly strict social norms and whether Pompeii was a sexual hot spot or reflects common practice in the Roman Empire.
- DirectorKevin DunnStarsTorrie WilsonTrish StratusDawn Marie PsaltisThe hottest divas of World Wrestling Entertainment compete in a lingerie contest at The World in New York City. There's a tiny teddy contest, a bra and panties contest and a "Fantasy Free-For-All" contest.
- DirectorRic Esther BienstockStarsRic Esther BienstockFelix GolubevChris BradfordA documentary exposé inside the global sex slave trade in women from the former Soviet Bloc.
- DirectorMark AchbarJennifer AbbottStarsMikela JayRob BeckwermertChristopher GoraDocumentary that looks at the concept of the corporation throughout recent history up to its present-day dominance.
- DirectorKelli CookeStarsDaniel C. DennettJoe GrisaffiMichael ShermerToday in America one of the fastest growing groups are those labeled as the nonbelievers; the freethinkers, skeptics, agnostics and atheists. But what makes these people different from the rest of America? GODLESS provides a look at the faces of the nonreligious and gives answers to questions we have all had but did not know an atheist to ask.
- DirectorLeslie WoodheadStarsCharlie BoyDonna CowlingPhil DonahueA documentary on atheism in contemporary America, framed around the story of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the founder of American Atheists, who was murdered in 1995 at age 76.
- DirectorMatthew CookeStars'Freeway' Ricky RossSusan SarandonDavid SimonTen easy steps show you how to make money from drugs, featuring a series of interviews with drug dealers, prison employees, and lobbyists arguing for tougher drug laws.
- DirectorMiguel PickerChyng SunStarsMatthew TennieGregory MitchellStephanie ClevelandExamines the unprecedented role that commercial pornography occupies in American popular culture. The film explores what happens when images of sexual degradation are used for arousal.
- DirectorCarl ChristmanStarsBruce GilmanKirk CameronBill Colwell Jr.Selling God is a whimsical look at the Contemporary Evangelical Movement. It offers a satirical perspective on the many absurdities that arise when religion and popular culture collide and features interviews with Dr. Noam Chomsky as well as many other scholars and religious leaders.
- DirectorDaniel G. KarslakeStarsImogene RobinsonVictor RobinsonGene RobinsonAn exploration of the intersection between religion and homosexuality in the U.S. and how the religious right has used its interpretation of the Bible to stigmatize the gay community.
- DirectorKate DavisDavid HeilbronerFranco SacchiStarsGary BauerChip BerletGeorge W. BushAmerica's 50-million strong Evangelical community is convinced that the world's future is foretold in Biblical prophecy - from the Rapture to the Battle of Armageddon. This astonishing documentary explores their world - in their homes, at conferences, and on a wide-ranging tour of Israel. By interweaving Christian, Zionist, Jewish and critical perspectives along with telling archival materials, the filmmakers probe the politically powerful - and potentially explosive - alliance between Evangelical Christians and Israel...an alliance that may set the stage for what one prominent Evangelical leader calls "World War III."
- DirectorAlexandra PelosiStarsJoel OsteenTed HaggardRobert VaughnDocumentary filmmaker Alexandria Pelosi tours red state America examining the practices, politics and beliefs of fundamentalist evangelical Christians. Interviewees include Jerry Falwell (who kicked her out on learning that her mother is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) and Ted Haggard, disgraced former leader of the National Association of Evangelicals, and members of the Christian professional wrestling circuit.
- 200943mNot Rated7.1 (430)TV MovieDirectorAlexandra PelosiStarsJonathan AlterCarl CameronKatie CouricOn the night Barack Obama was elected our 44th President, more than 58 million voters cast their ballots for John McCain. Journalist/filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi presents this first-person, cross-country snapshot of a group of conservative Americans who saw their hopes and dreams evaporate in the wake of the decisive Democratic victory in the 2008 Presidential election. Filmed in the months leading up to that historic event, Pelosi gives a voice to these voters, once labeled 'the silent majority,' and explores their feelings about a changing America in which they live.
- DirectorSuzanne ChisholmMichael ParfitStarsRyan ReynoldsLunaMichael ParfitThe true story of Luna, a young, wild killer whale who tries to befriend people on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island.
- DirectorPema TsedenStarsDobe DorjeDrolma GyabManla KyabA filmmaker searches the Himalayas for an actor and actress to play the lead roles in his Tibetan opera.
- DirectorPeter RichardsonA documentary about a rural Oregon timber town and a rift between conservatives and liberals that threatens to put an end to a 40-year-old scholarship plan that pays the college tuition for every local high school graduate the town produces.
- DirectorRobinson DevorStarsCoyoteJenny EdwardsJohn EdwardsA look at the life of an Enumclaw, Washington man who died as a result of an unusual encounter with a horse.
- DirectorJames MarshStarsNim ChimpskyStephanie LaFargeHerbert TerraceTells the story of a chimpanzee taken from its mother at birth and raised like a human child by a family in a brownstone on the upper West Side in the 1970s.
- DirectorEugene JareckiStarsBrian CoxHenry KissingerAnna ChennaultA film about the war crimes of the American diplomat, Henry Kissinger.
- DirectorFrancis MegahyStarsFrancis MegahyJan BaranMax BaucusFrancis Megahy examines the role and influence of lobbyists in American politics.