A documentary film is a nonfictional motion picture intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record. With that being said I've decided that I'm going to give you my top 10 favorite documentaries of all-time. So without further ado...
10. Nanook of the North
This one of the more interesting documentaries I have seen in a while. The documentary follows the lives of an Inuk, Nanook, and his family as they travel, search for food, and trade in northern Quebec, Canada. Nanook, his wife, Nyla, and their baby, Cunayou, are introduced as fearless heroes who endure rigors "no other race" could survive. Nanook of the North has a rating of 100% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. Best Worst Movie
This documentary is really great and goes into great detail about one of the worst movie of all-time. In 1989, unwitting Utah actors starred in the undisputed worst movie in history: TROLL 2. Two decades later, the legendarily inept film's child star unravels the improbable, heartfelt story of an Alabama dentist-turned-cult movie icon and an Italian filmmaker who come to terms - or not - with this genuine, internationally revered cinematic failure. Best Worst Movie has a rating of 95% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. The Fab Five
I'm huge basketball fan and I'm a huge fan of The Fab Five. Previously Mitch Albom had chronicled the Fab Five in a book entitled Fab Five: Basketball, Trash Talk, The American Dream, and Fox Sports had attempted to review the group. The press regarded this as the first complete recounting of the fabled group. Rose describes this film as "almost like the Bible of the Fab Five Story". An ESPN commentator describes the five players as the greatest incoming college basketball recruiting class ever. He notes that they were presented to the world as the embodiment of what was wrong with college sports because they wore revolutionary baggy shorts and black socks and blasted hip-hop music while talking a lot of trash.The film documents the "formation, rise, scandal and epilogue of the team". It documents the 1991–92 and 1992–93 teams, the University of Michigan basketball scandal, and related off the court issues such as hate mail. The Fab Five currently does not have a rating on rottentomatoes.com.
7. Nightmares in Red, White and Blue
I really love horror films and this is a really interesting look into the film genre and how it has developed over time. Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film is a feature-length documentary based on the book of the same name by Joseph Maddrey. It examines the idea that horror films reflect the times and places in which they are made -- illustrating how classic monster movies exploited the anxieties of war-time generations, and how more savage modern horror films stem from the psychic fallout of America's counterculture movement and the subsequent rise of increasingly conservative political forces.At the same time, the documentary explores the timeless, universal appeal of horror movies by examining the pervasive theme of The Outsider. From the silent films of Lon Chaney to the box office reign of Hannibal Lector and his peers, the history of the horror film is a story of the individual at odds with any organization that threatens his life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Nightmares in Red, White and Blue has a rating of 100% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. The People vs. George Lucas
I'm a huge Star Wars fan and this is a great look at how it has affected people's childhood as well as destroying it with the prequel trilogy (a rant that I will save for another day). The passion the original Star Wars trilogy inspires in its fans is unparalleled; but when it comes to George Lucas himself-one of the most passionately debated filmmakers of all time-many have found their ardor has cooled into a complicated love-hate relationship. This hilarious, heartfelt documentary delves deep into Lucas's cultural legacy, asking all the tough questions. Has Lucas betrayed his masterwork? Should he have left the original trilogy alone? Will he ever redeem himself in their eyes, and more importantly, does he have any obligation to do so? Combining key testimonies from Gary Kurtz (producer of American Graffiti, Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back), Dave Prowse (a.k.a. Darth Vader), Neil Gaiman (The Sandman, American Gods) and Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather Trilogy, Apocalypse Now), and fan footage from around the globe that includes interviews, stop-motion animation, Super 8 action figure films and puppet rants, The People Vs. George Lucas takes a hard look at the man behind the most popular franchise in film history and asks: What the hell happened? The People vs. George Lucas has a rating of 71% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. This film is Not Yet Rated
This film is really great to dive into the world of movie ratings and how crooked the MPAA is. Filmmakers Kimberly Peirce, Wayne Kramer, Michael Tucker and Matt Stone are among those who give commentary in Kirby Dick's examination of the Motion Picture Association of America and the standards and methods its ratings board uses to rate the movies. This Film is Not Yet Rated has a rating of 84% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. Undefeated
I really enjoy sports documentaries and this is one of the best. Set in the inner-city of Memphis, Undefeated chronicles the Manassas Tigers' 2009 football season, on and off-the-field, as they strive to win the first playoff game in the high school's 110-year history. A perennial whipping boy, in recent decades Manassas had gone so far as to sell their home games to the highest bidder, but that all changed in the spring of 2004 when Bill Courtney, a former high school football coach turned lumber salesman, volunteered to lend a hand.Undefeated won the Academy award for Best Documentary and it has a rating of 96% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. Harlan County U.S.A.
This documentary brings up issues that are still relevant to this day. In this documentary about labor tension in the coal-mining industry, director Barbara Kopple films a strike in rural Kentucky. After the coal miners at the Brookside Mine join a union, the owners refuse the labor contract. Once the miners start to strike, the owners of the mine respond by hiring scabs to fill the jobs of the regular employees. The strike, which lasts more than a year, frequently becomes violent, with guns produced on both sides, and one miner is even killed in a conflict. Harlan County U.S.A. won the Academy Award for Best documentary and it has a rating of 100% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. Hoop Dreams
I truly love an underdog story and this one is on e of the best I've ever seen. Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. Hoop Dreams has a rating of 98% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. Bowling for Columbine
Now I may not agree with Michael Moore on his beliefs (many of which are displayed in this film), but this documentary is very thought provoking on the U.S.A.'s increase in violence. Political documentary filmmaker Michael Moore explores the circumstances that lead to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and, more broadly, the proliferation of guns and the high homicide rate in America. In his trademark provocative fashion, Moore accosts Kmart corporate employees and pleads with them to stop selling bullets, investigates why Canada doesn't have the same excessive rate of gun violence and questions actor Charlton Heston on his support of the National Rifle Association. Bowling for Columbine won the Academy Award for Best Documentary and it has a 96% rating on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite documentaries and what do you think of my list? let me know in the comments section and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
10. Nanook of the North
This one of the more interesting documentaries I have seen in a while. The documentary follows the lives of an Inuk, Nanook, and his family as they travel, search for food, and trade in northern Quebec, Canada. Nanook, his wife, Nyla, and their baby, Cunayou, are introduced as fearless heroes who endure rigors "no other race" could survive. Nanook of the North has a rating of 100% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. Best Worst Movie
This documentary is really great and goes into great detail about one of the worst movie of all-time. In 1989, unwitting Utah actors starred in the undisputed worst movie in history: TROLL 2. Two decades later, the legendarily inept film's child star unravels the improbable, heartfelt story of an Alabama dentist-turned-cult movie icon and an Italian filmmaker who come to terms - or not - with this genuine, internationally revered cinematic failure. Best Worst Movie has a rating of 95% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. The Fab Five
I'm huge basketball fan and I'm a huge fan of The Fab Five. Previously Mitch Albom had chronicled the Fab Five in a book entitled Fab Five: Basketball, Trash Talk, The American Dream, and Fox Sports had attempted to review the group. The press regarded this as the first complete recounting of the fabled group. Rose describes this film as "almost like the Bible of the Fab Five Story". An ESPN commentator describes the five players as the greatest incoming college basketball recruiting class ever. He notes that they were presented to the world as the embodiment of what was wrong with college sports because they wore revolutionary baggy shorts and black socks and blasted hip-hop music while talking a lot of trash.The film documents the "formation, rise, scandal and epilogue of the team". It documents the 1991–92 and 1992–93 teams, the University of Michigan basketball scandal, and related off the court issues such as hate mail. The Fab Five currently does not have a rating on rottentomatoes.com.
7. Nightmares in Red, White and Blue
I really love horror films and this is a really interesting look into the film genre and how it has developed over time. Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film is a feature-length documentary based on the book of the same name by Joseph Maddrey. It examines the idea that horror films reflect the times and places in which they are made -- illustrating how classic monster movies exploited the anxieties of war-time generations, and how more savage modern horror films stem from the psychic fallout of America's counterculture movement and the subsequent rise of increasingly conservative political forces.At the same time, the documentary explores the timeless, universal appeal of horror movies by examining the pervasive theme of The Outsider. From the silent films of Lon Chaney to the box office reign of Hannibal Lector and his peers, the history of the horror film is a story of the individual at odds with any organization that threatens his life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Nightmares in Red, White and Blue has a rating of 100% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. The People vs. George Lucas
I'm a huge Star Wars fan and this is a great look at how it has affected people's childhood as well as destroying it with the prequel trilogy (a rant that I will save for another day). The passion the original Star Wars trilogy inspires in its fans is unparalleled; but when it comes to George Lucas himself-one of the most passionately debated filmmakers of all time-many have found their ardor has cooled into a complicated love-hate relationship. This hilarious, heartfelt documentary delves deep into Lucas's cultural legacy, asking all the tough questions. Has Lucas betrayed his masterwork? Should he have left the original trilogy alone? Will he ever redeem himself in their eyes, and more importantly, does he have any obligation to do so? Combining key testimonies from Gary Kurtz (producer of American Graffiti, Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back), Dave Prowse (a.k.a. Darth Vader), Neil Gaiman (The Sandman, American Gods) and Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather Trilogy, Apocalypse Now), and fan footage from around the globe that includes interviews, stop-motion animation, Super 8 action figure films and puppet rants, The People Vs. George Lucas takes a hard look at the man behind the most popular franchise in film history and asks: What the hell happened? The People vs. George Lucas has a rating of 71% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. This film is Not Yet Rated
This film is really great to dive into the world of movie ratings and how crooked the MPAA is. Filmmakers Kimberly Peirce, Wayne Kramer, Michael Tucker and Matt Stone are among those who give commentary in Kirby Dick's examination of the Motion Picture Association of America and the standards and methods its ratings board uses to rate the movies. This Film is Not Yet Rated has a rating of 84% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. Undefeated
I really enjoy sports documentaries and this is one of the best. Set in the inner-city of Memphis, Undefeated chronicles the Manassas Tigers' 2009 football season, on and off-the-field, as they strive to win the first playoff game in the high school's 110-year history. A perennial whipping boy, in recent decades Manassas had gone so far as to sell their home games to the highest bidder, but that all changed in the spring of 2004 when Bill Courtney, a former high school football coach turned lumber salesman, volunteered to lend a hand.Undefeated won the Academy award for Best Documentary and it has a rating of 96% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. Harlan County U.S.A.
This documentary brings up issues that are still relevant to this day. In this documentary about labor tension in the coal-mining industry, director Barbara Kopple films a strike in rural Kentucky. After the coal miners at the Brookside Mine join a union, the owners refuse the labor contract. Once the miners start to strike, the owners of the mine respond by hiring scabs to fill the jobs of the regular employees. The strike, which lasts more than a year, frequently becomes violent, with guns produced on both sides, and one miner is even killed in a conflict. Harlan County U.S.A. won the Academy Award for Best documentary and it has a rating of 100% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. Hoop Dreams
I truly love an underdog story and this one is on e of the best I've ever seen. Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. Hoop Dreams has a rating of 98% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. Bowling for Columbine
Now I may not agree with Michael Moore on his beliefs (many of which are displayed in this film), but this documentary is very thought provoking on the U.S.A.'s increase in violence. Political documentary filmmaker Michael Moore explores the circumstances that lead to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and, more broadly, the proliferation of guns and the high homicide rate in America. In his trademark provocative fashion, Moore accosts Kmart corporate employees and pleads with them to stop selling bullets, investigates why Canada doesn't have the same excessive rate of gun violence and questions actor Charlton Heston on his support of the National Rifle Association. Bowling for Columbine won the Academy Award for Best Documentary and it has a 96% rating on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite documentaries and what do you think of my list? let me know in the comments section and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
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