Yeah, American Movie is definitely one of my favoritest movies ever.
It's a great movie, but you guys do realize it's not a real documentary, right?
i dont think you realize it IS.
Are you serious? I thought it was like Spinal Tap.
The doc he did about people living in weird houses is really good too.
I always assumed American Movie was a real documentary. If it was staged the director did an amazing job. It is definitely not analogous to Spinal Tap which is more the mocumentary style where the viewer is in on the joke.
Yeah, American Movie is definitely one of my favoritest movies ever.
It's a great movie, but you guys do realize it's not a real documentary, right?
i dont think you realize it IS.
Are you serious? I thought it was like Spinal Tap.
The doc he did about people living in weird houses is really good too.
I always assumed American Movie was a real documentary. If it was staged the director did an amazing job. It is definitely not analogous to Spinal Tap which is more the mocumentary style where the viewer is in on the joke.
But I did feel like I was in on the joke of American Movie. hahaha! Either way, great movie.
"Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth" Was a great doc. Not a "feel good" movie of course. It acutally left me feeling fairly hateful towards the American government, but sometimes that's not so hard to do.
I just saw this new documentary King of Kong Fistful of Quarters and it's one of the best and funniest I've ever seen. It's about Billy Mitchell the world's record holder for highest donkey kong score and Steve Wiebe, a mild mannered science teacher who is trying to beat his record. Here is the trailer online:
It's playing a handful of cities now and hopefully will get a wider release (go see it!)
Other than that.. Fast Cheap and Out of Control is probably my favorite. Every time I watch it I think on it for days. Vernon Florida is a great early (first?) film by Errol Morris which is unforgettable. Gimme Shelter is probably the most artful documentary ever made. Their film about the Beatles is also great and they have a short about Marlon Brando too if you can find them. I have put off seeing Salesman way too long. American Movie is definitely one of the funniest and most entertaining. The Daniel Johnston film is also as moving as it is informative of Daniel's life and art. Don't forget "The Cruise" about Timothy "Speed" Levitch which is on the surface fun and entertaining but actually gets pretty deep.
It's about the tensions that emerge from a wave of gay professionals moving in and contributing to the gentrification of a historically black neighborhood in Columbus, OH. The film's modest, microcosmic approach to what is truly a national, if not global issue is very effective. Strong characters and a riveting story emerge that I think many documentarians would have missed entirely by framing the issue too broadly. In the end it felt like the film could just as easily have been about the block I live on in Baltimore.
An old friend of mine, George Ratliff, made this. It's hilarious on top of pertinent. Unfortunately I don't have a copy of it, nor does Amazon. I saw it in the theatre when it came out. And I had a thousand chances to grab a vhs copy when I was temporarily living with George, but for some odd reason I never did. I'm seeing today that George just recently put out a feature film called Joshua that stars Sam Rockwell and it apparently did really well at Sundance.
Great thread. Here are some more (mostly music related) recommendations..
the up series
Huge
"The Up series consists of seven documentary films that have followed the lives of fourteen British children since 1964, when they were seven years old. The children were selected to represent the range of socio-economic backgrounds in Britain at that time, with the explicit assumption that each child's social class predetermines their future. Every seven years, the director, Michael Apted, films new material from as many of the fourteen he can get to participate. The latest film, 49 up, was released in September 2005; filming for the next installment in the series, 56 Up, is expected in late 2011 or early 2012."
"The great Texas bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins is captured brilliantly in this deeply moving film. Blank reveals Lightnin's inspiration, and features a generous helping of classic blues. Includes performances at an outdoor barbeque and a black rodeo; and a visit to his boyhood town of Centerville, Texas. This powerful portrait is among Blank's special masterworks."
"A close-up of bass player and composer Charlie Mingus as he and his five-year-old daughter await eviction by the City of New York. (Thomas Reichman, 1968)"
"A 1971 documentary from Roelof Kiers about musician Frank Zappa. Zappa tells about his youth, his interest in explosives, blues, guitars, non-western music and tells about founding the Mothers of Invention."
"In the summer of 1992, Jeroen Berkvens and Walter Stokman travelled across the US in search for traces of the legendary soul singer Sly Stone. (1994)"
"Bram van Splunteren takes the viewer to the New York rapscene of the finest hour. Featuring LL Cool J, Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, Russel Simmons, Schooly D, The Last Poets and more."
"The film Breakin' and Enterin' documents what was taking place on the west coast during hip-hop's baby years. If you are a true student of the artform, then this is a must see. It's great to see how different regions can take an artform and add their own personal elements to it."
"Early 90's AIDS PSA. Hosted by Arsenio Hall and Magic Johnson who share with us nicknames for the condom. Also features a rap by Jaleel White (Urkel from Family Matters), a serious Tom Cruise and Sinbad dressed as a condom. Other appearances by Paula Abdul, Kirstie Alley, Mayim Bialik, Color Me Badd, Johnny Gill, Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Neil Patrick Harris, Luke Perry, Paul Rodriguez, Pauly Shore and directed by Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Theo Cosby)."
I loved the art he created, but half the time I wanted to smack the dude for some of the rubbish that came out of his mouth. I have problems with the way he approaches nature and it hurts when silly views are broadcast so widely. My issue with him is based on the fact that "nature", like "culture", is very difficult to define. He takes a very romantic view towards nature and talks about it as if he's a scientist, when he's just a crazy artist.
I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but I saw King Corn the other day and really like it. These two college grads buy an acre of corn in Iowa. They learn everything that goes into producing an acre of corn and follow the different steps that the commodity takes in the commodity chain. Highly recommended.
Double up post! This has it's own thread but this seems like a good place for this one too!
"My man Sipreano, in his never ending quest to keep the musical heritage of his beloved Canada alive, has unearthed original late 70's-early 80's footage of the inner workings of the Toronto reggae label Summer records. So in conjunction with Light In the Attics release of The Summer Records Anthology, they'll be releasing the following documentary:
Amazing stuff, to see the "Maestro" Jackie Mittoo at work, is the definition of
i was just reading the nyt article about vioxx and how they are getting out of having to pay settlements for selling a flawed drug...so thought of this one.
the corporation (probably the best documentary i've ever seen)
manufacturing consent (entertaining even if you aren't a fan of chomsky)
co sign on crumb
hearts and minds just apply iraq to vietnam and it's very relevant
american dream
harlan county usa (they even have a part on the dvd with these striking utah miners, and you see why they are striking)
those are my favorites and should be seen immediatly if you haven't.
these are all leftist movies but i have never really seen a great right wing doc so there you have it.
these are all leftist movies but i have never really seen a great right wing doc so there you have it.
Though I wouldn't consider it "right wing", this is an excellent documentary where republican lawmakers and cultural conservatives are notably the ones raising the pertinent questions and "fighting the good fight".
Comments
i dont think you realize it IS.
Are you serious? I thought it was like Spinal Tap.
The doc he did about people living in weird houses is really good too.
is one of the most intense documentaries ever. In one scene the protagonist beats a paralyzed retired military officer until he pees himself.
I always assumed American Movie was a real documentary. If it was staged the director did an amazing job. It is definitely not analogous to Spinal Tap which is more the mocumentary style where the viewer is in on the joke.
But I did feel like I was in on the joke of American Movie. hahaha! Either way, great movie.
Dress
I just saw this new documentary King of Kong Fistful of Quarters and it's one of the best and funniest I've ever seen. It's about Billy Mitchell the world's record holder for highest donkey kong score and Steve Wiebe, a mild mannered science teacher who is trying to beat his record. Here is the trailer online:
http://www.slashfilm.com/2007/06/18/the-king-of-kong-movie-trailer/
It's playing a handful of cities now and hopefully will get a wider release (go see it!)
Other than that.. Fast Cheap and Out of Control is probably my favorite. Every time I watch it I think on it for days. Vernon Florida is a great early (first?) film by Errol Morris which is unforgettable. Gimme Shelter is probably the most artful documentary ever made. Their film about the Beatles is also great and they have a short about Marlon Brando too if you can find them. I have put off seeing Salesman way too long. American Movie is definitely one of the funniest and most entertaining. The Daniel Johnston film is also as moving as it is informative of Daniel's life and art. Don't forget "The Cruise" about Timothy "Speed" Levitch which is on the surface fun and entertaining but actually gets pretty deep.
"Atomic cafe" had unforgettable moments
It's about the tensions that emerge from a wave of gay professionals moving in and contributing to the gentrification of a historically black neighborhood in Columbus, OH. The film's modest, microcosmic approach to what is truly a national, if not global issue is very effective. Strong characters and a riveting story emerge that I think many documentarians would have missed entirely by framing the issue too broadly. In the end it felt like the film could just as easily have been about the block I live on in Baltimore.
http://www.amazon.com/Plutonium-Circus-George-Ratliff/dp/B00000JW9Y
An old friend of mine, George Ratliff, made this. It's hilarious on top of pertinent. Unfortunately I don't have a copy of it, nor does Amazon. I saw it in the theatre when it came out. And I had a thousand chances to grab a vhs copy when I was temporarily living with George, but for some odd reason I never did. I'm seeing today that George just recently put out a feature film called Joshua that stars Sam Rockwell and it apparently did really well at Sundance.
Huge
"The Up series consists of seven documentary films that have followed the lives of fourteen British children since 1964, when they were seven years old. The children were selected to represent the range of socio-economic backgrounds in Britain at that time, with the explicit assumption that each child's social class predetermines their future. Every seven years, the director, Michael Apted, films new material from as many of the fourteen he can get to participate. The latest film, 49 up, was released in September 2005; filming for the next installment in the series, 56 Up, is expected in late 2011 or early 2012."
7
14
21
28
35
42
49
----
Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins
"The great Texas bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins is captured brilliantly in this deeply moving film. Blank reveals Lightnin's inspiration, and features a generous helping of classic blues. Includes performances at an outdoor barbeque and a black rodeo; and a visit to his boyhood town of Centerville, Texas. This powerful portrait is among Blank's special masterworks."
----
Mingus
"A close-up of bass player and composer Charlie Mingus as he and his five-year-old daughter await eviction by the City of New York. (Thomas Reichman, 1968)"
----
Frank Zappa
"A 1971 documentary from Roelof Kiers about musician Frank Zappa. Zappa tells about his youth, his interest in explosives, blues, guitars, non-western music and tells about founding the Mothers of Invention."
----
Frank Zappa Films 200 Motels
"In 1971, Zappa worked in London on the Movie '200 Motels'. This was the first-ever movie to be shot on videotape."
----
Let Me Have It All
"In the summer of 1992, Jeroen Berkvens and Walter Stokman travelled across the US in search for traces of the legendary soul singer Sly Stone. (1994)"
----
Big Fun in the Big Town
"Bram van Splunteren takes the viewer to the New York rapscene of the finest hour. Featuring LL Cool J, Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, Russel Simmons, Schooly D, The Last Poets and more."
----
Breakin' and Enterin'
"The film Breakin' and Enterin' documents what was taking place on the west coast during hip-hop's baby years. If you are a true student of the artform, then this is a must see. It's great to see how different regions can take an artform and add their own personal elements to it."
----
Time Out
"Early 90's AIDS PSA. Hosted by Arsenio Hall and Magic Johnson who share with us nicknames for the condom. Also features a rap by Jaleel White (Urkel from Family Matters), a serious Tom Cruise and Sinbad dressed as a condom. Other appearances by Paula Abdul, Kirstie Alley, Mayim Bialik, Color Me Badd, Johnny Gill, Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Neil Patrick Harris, Luke Perry, Paul Rodriguez, Pauly Shore and directed by Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Theo Cosby)."
a review link
movie trailer
Yeah, it's on DVD.
I loved the art he created, but half the time I wanted to smack the dude for some of the rubbish that came out of his mouth. I have problems with the way he approaches nature and it hurts when silly views are broadcast so widely. My issue with him is based on the fact that "nature", like "culture", is very difficult to define. He takes a very romantic view towards nature and talks about it as if he's a scientist, when he's just a crazy artist.
I especially liked the icicle.
These two college grads buy an acre of corn in Iowa. They learn everything that goes into producing an acre of corn and follow the different steps that the commodity takes in the commodity chain. Highly recommended.
Inspirational Art Doco.
I was all over this too. I had no idea about any of that stuff till i watched it.
This has it's own thread but this seems like a good place for this one too!
"My man Sipreano, in his never ending quest to keep the musical heritage of his
beloved Canada alive, has unearthed original late 70's-early 80's footage of
the inner workings of the Toronto reggae label Summer records.
So in conjunction with Light In the Attics release of The Summer Records Anthology,
they'll be releasing the following documentary:
Amazing stuff, to see the "Maestro" Jackie Mittoo at work, is the definition of
Keep up the good work Sip!"
the corporation (probably the best documentary i've ever seen)
manufacturing consent (entertaining even if you aren't a fan of chomsky)
co sign on crumb
hearts and minds just apply iraq to vietnam and it's very relevant
american dream
harlan county usa (they even have a part on the dvd with these striking utah miners, and you see why they are striking)
those are my favorites and should be seen immediatly if you haven't.
these are all leftist movies but i have never really seen a great right wing doc so there you have it.
Though I wouldn't consider it "right wing", this is an excellent documentary where republican lawmakers and cultural conservatives are notably the ones raising the pertinent questions and "fighting the good fight".