I'd really like to know, which documentaries truly provide insight into what they are documenting, and what sort of documentaries other hackers out there watch.
Restrepo is great. I thought it captured two things very well: what modern war is like from a grunt's perspective, and the disconnect between US officers and the local Afghani leaders they are supposed to be working with.
It's also got some amazing handheld footage of firefights. After the third or fourth time the cameraman dives for cover and the people around him begin shooting, you start to think, "hey, this seems like it was pretty dangerous to make." That only makes it sadder that the guy holding the camera was recently killed in Libya while doing more or less the same thing.
Armadillo is even more real: they put cameras on the soldiers helmets and filmed a real shooting with the Taliban soldiers. You see the Danish soldiers shooting Taliban soldiers, and you see the Danish solders dragging the dead bodies out of the hiding place. They even show a shell shocked Danish soldier after he was hit.
Kevin Kelly has an extensive collection of what he calls True Films [1]: "I define true films as documentaries, educational films, instructional how-to's, and what the British call factuals - a non-fiction visual account."
He has also released an ebook where he offers rave reviews of 150 great true films.
Each film gets a short review of why it is worth your time, and then features 4 or 5 screen grabs from the film to show you what the texture and style of the film is. It also includes a picture of the cover and indicate where you can rent it (say on Netflix) or purchase it (from Amazon).
What is he looking for in a great true film? "It must be factual. It must surprise me, but not preach to me. If it introduces me to a world or subculture that I never thought about before, even better. There's a plot - a transformation from beginning to the end."
True Films, as suggested by BioGeek, has an extensive list of documentaries and offers thorough reviews.
Personally I use Movielens.org to keep track of movies - and based on your ratings it'll predict which other movies, including documentaries, you might enjoy.
Some of the documentaries I enjoyed are:
- Armadillo (2010). Armadillo centers on a group of soldiers, as do Restrepo, and in particular a mission where Taliban soldiers allegedly are liquidated. The documentary does a good job depicting the chaos of war situations with helmet-mounted cameras.
- Sharkwater (2006). To me, much more moving and worrying than The Cove.
- Surfwise (2007). A surf movie that isn't about surfing, but instead tells the story of being brought up in an alternative lifestyle.
Losers and Winners (2006)
http://www.losers-and-winners.net/index_en.htm
Documentary about the dismantling of a German coking plant, the most modern in the world, by Chinese workers in 2003, who shipped the plant to China and built several clones of it there. The plant was sold to China for a minor sum when the steel price was at an all time low and politicians believed the price would stay there. The steel price has since skyrocketed.
Weltmarktführer (2004)
http://www.weltmarktfuehrer-derfilm.de/
Excellent documentary about the rise and fall of IT-startup Biodata and its founder Tan Siekmann during the dotcom boom and bust, alas only available in German.
- "Planet Earth" IMHO one of BBC's best productions with some of the most amazing nature shots ever (e.g., a [presumably stratospheric] shot that looks like fog or fire but is really a swarm of flies) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795176/
Really? I thought "The Smartest Guys in the Room" was very boring -- I learned literally nothing about the Enron scandal other than "some guys were pretty greedy." Most of the documentary was segments of people describing how unethical management was, while barely elucidating on what actually happened.
The World at War is a series that I believe shaped large parts of my life. It still colours my thinking to this day; particularly with respect to the Middle East.
I was 11 or 12 when this series first aired in the UK. It was on quite late at night, but my parents decided I should "stay up" and watch it. Good parents. The war was still raw with them, though they were tiny kids at that time. My mum was born in 1937, my dad was as bit older.
It is graphic, honest, and a since folk rewrite history as time passes, an essential historical document of what transpired in those times.
I urge you to watch it. Our recent history is the most relevant.
But let me put this in perspective. The American Civil War started 100 years before I was born. WWII started 72 years ago. What seems almost unreachable history, becomes almost tangible as you get older. And I'm not that old!
If you liked it, the Mozilla Memory Project offers even more first-hand accounts on Mozilla's history: http://mozillamemory.org/
I've found the interview with Mike Pinkerton (nowadays at Google working on Chrome for the Mac) to be particularly interesting because of his candidness: http://mozillamemory.org/detailview.php?id=7277
If you find things like graphic design, typesetting or industrial design interesting, you will definitely enjoy "Helvetica" and "Objectified" from Gary Hustwit.
Keep in mind King of Kong's accuracy is quite widely disputed, including by the people who were the subjects of the film. The filmmaker pumped up the drama between everyone quite a bit. Still a fun documentary.
"BBS: The Documentary" and "Get Lamp" by Jason Scott are a couple great hacker docs, about BBSs and Interactive Fiction Games (though I would have to say they have a more Apple/wintel PC bent over other computers, but still historically interesting). Both have many great interviews with BBS and interactive fiction luminaries.
Tilt - The Battle to Save Pinball, this one covers the trials and tribualtions of Pinball 2000 the development of a digital/analog pinball hybrid. There's also The History of Pinball, its not as fancy but it's interesting.
The King of Kong is slightly entertaining about the world of Donkey Kong high scores and a peek into competitive arcade game competitions.
Revolution OS - About Linux/GNU kinda dry but interesting interviews.
Deathbed Vigil...and other tales of digital angst. Documents the last days of Commodore when it went bankrupt in 1994. I think mainly interesting to Commodore fans or folks who enjoyed seeing commodore fail...
The Colonel Comes to Japan -- only about 30 minutes long IIRC, about KFC's foray into Japan in the late 1970s. Absolutely fascinating, both for the Japan angle and for the CEO's take on running a business. (He attributes most of their success to finding the right people and trusting them to do their job correctly rather than imposing his will from the top.)
Sorry, I watched it at university. I do not know where one would purchase a copy these days. You might try sending a letter to KFC Investor Relations (seriously -- this department bends over backwards to say Yes in most companies).
It seems to be a WGBH (Boston area PBS station) documentary from the 80s. All the libraries around here have it (we have two copies), but only on VHS, betamax, or film. It's likely out of print and you're probably best off downloading it online.
If you're at a university, you could probably order it through interlibrary loan. There are actually a lot of libraries with this item and it'll likely be loaned (we do international loans all the time).
I came here to say startup.com, I'd add "Pseudo" as a very good one for a bust of the video streaming space. Silicon Valley pirates, although not entirely factual, is very good for the few who have yet to watch it.
Fat Head (2009) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1333994/ Especially if you've seen "Super Size Me", but even if you haven't, an amusing yet educational take on the obesity "epidemic".
James Burke's Connections, with each episode showing how one idea sparks a chain of inventions and innovations resulting in something seemingly unrelated several centuries later.
You should also check out Bronowski's Ascent of Man, it was made with many of the same people, before Connections. Later, they again worked on Carl Sagan's Cosmos.
I have a bias against Bronowski from years ago, when I heard him say that man is unique among animals because only man plays, and science is his play. I remember thinking - good lord, man, have you never seen a cat?
I had a lot of problems with him in the documentary, especially his dismissals of certain cultures based on extremely sparse data from archeological records. But it was still good overall.
I've been enjoying the Discovery channel's "Through the Wormhole" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1513168/). They cover a lot of the latest theories of the universe, time, physics etc, in an accessible way.
Roger and Me -- Michael Moore's first documentary. It's a bit more subtle, level headed and even than his later stuff. A really good look at what happened to Michigan after the big three started moving factories out.
God Grew Tired of Us -- About Sudanese refugees who come to live in America. They'd literally never seen any modern conveniences ever. For example they had to be taught how to use a toilet. Very fascinating. http://www.godgrewtiredofus.com/about.html
163 comments
[ 4.7 ms ] story [ 227 ms ] threadProbably the best insight you can get on a platoon's experience in what is (or rather, was) probably the most contested area in Afghanistan.
[1] - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1559549/
[2] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrepo_%28film%29
It's also got some amazing handheld footage of firefights. After the third or fourth time the cameraman dives for cover and the people around him begin shooting, you start to think, "hey, this seems like it was pretty dangerous to make." That only makes it sadder that the guy holding the camera was recently killed in Libya while doing more or less the same thing.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1640680/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillo_(film) The film won the Grand Prix de la Semaine de la Critique at Cannes. It created a huge debate in Denmark about the engagement in Afghanistan.
The shooting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PcvDrYd8-4&t=15m45s
The dead taliban scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfke2X6joko&t=3m10s
Trailer (switch to HD!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DDuRraJbOg
Restrepo is popular now too, with good reason.
He has also released an ebook where he offers rave reviews of 150 great true films. Each film gets a short review of why it is worth your time, and then features 4 or 5 screen grabs from the film to show you what the texture and style of the film is. It also includes a picture of the cover and indicate where you can rent it (say on Netflix) or purchase it (from Amazon).
What is he looking for in a great true film? "It must be factual. It must surprise me, but not preach to me. If it introduces me to a world or subculture that I never thought about before, even better. There's a plot - a transformation from beginning to the end."
[1] http://truefilms.com/ [2] http://www.kk.org/books/true-films.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Watched_Over_by_Machines_of...
Personally I use Movielens.org to keep track of movies - and based on your ratings it'll predict which other movies, including documentaries, you might enjoy.
Some of the documentaries I enjoyed are: - Armadillo (2010). Armadillo centers on a group of soldiers, as do Restrepo, and in particular a mission where Taliban soldiers allegedly are liquidated. The documentary does a good job depicting the chaos of war situations with helmet-mounted cameras. - Sharkwater (2006). To me, much more moving and worrying than The Cove. - Surfwise (2007). A surf movie that isn't about surfing, but instead tells the story of being brought up in an alternative lifestyle.
March of the Penguins (2005) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_of_the_Penguins
Code Rush (2000) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_Rush
Losers and Winners (2006) http://www.losers-and-winners.net/index_en.htm Documentary about the dismantling of a German coking plant, the most modern in the world, by Chinese workers in 2003, who shipped the plant to China and built several clones of it there. The plant was sold to China for a minor sum when the steel price was at an all time low and politicians believed the price would stay there. The steel price has since skyrocketed.
Weltmarktführer (2004) http://www.weltmarktfuehrer-derfilm.de/ Excellent documentary about the rise and fall of IT-startup Biodata and its founder Tan Siekmann during the dotcom boom and bust, alas only available in German.
In addition, I like the following documentaries:
- "Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1638362/
- "Planet Earth" IMHO one of BBC's best productions with some of the most amazing nature shots ever (e.g., a [presumably stratospheric] shot that looks like fog or fire but is really a swarm of flies) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795176/
- BBC has also two of the best documentary series regarding the second world war: "The World at War" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071075/) and "The Nazis: A Warning from History" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0207907/)
- Errol Morris' "The Thin Blue Line" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096257/) and "The Fog of War" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317910/)
I was 11 or 12 when this series first aired in the UK. It was on quite late at night, but my parents decided I should "stay up" and watch it. Good parents. The war was still raw with them, though they were tiny kids at that time. My mum was born in 1937, my dad was as bit older.
It is graphic, honest, and a since folk rewrite history as time passes, an essential historical document of what transpired in those times.
I urge you to watch it. Our recent history is the most relevant.
But let me put this in perspective. The American Civil War started 100 years before I was born. WWII started 72 years ago. What seems almost unreachable history, becomes almost tangible as you get older. And I'm not that old!
I've found the interview with Mike Pinkerton (nowadays at Google working on Chrome for the Mac) to be particularly interesting because of his candidness: http://mozillamemory.org/detailview.php?id=7277
Also, I'm not sure if they qualify as documentaries in the strict sense of the word, but you can't go wrong with BBC natural history programmes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_History_of_Britain_%28TV_seri...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0273359/
Cosmos. Because it's Carl Sagan.
"BBS: The Documentary" and "Get Lamp" by Jason Scott are a couple great hacker docs, about BBSs and Interactive Fiction Games (though I would have to say they have a more Apple/wintel PC bent over other computers, but still historically interesting). Both have many great interviews with BBS and interactive fiction luminaries.
Tilt - The Battle to Save Pinball, this one covers the trials and tribualtions of Pinball 2000 the development of a digital/analog pinball hybrid. There's also The History of Pinball, its not as fancy but it's interesting.
The King of Kong is slightly entertaining about the world of Donkey Kong high scores and a peek into competitive arcade game competitions.
Revolution OS - About Linux/GNU kinda dry but interesting interviews.
Deathbed Vigil...and other tales of digital angst. Documents the last days of Commodore when it went bankrupt in 1994. I think mainly interesting to Commodore fans or folks who enjoyed seeing commodore fail...
It's a bit tendentious but overall insightful and interesting IMO.
Man on Wire is a must http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_on_Wire
Man on Wire is a must http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_on_Wire
[1] http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/search?q=documentary&r...
[2] http://www.reddit.com/r/Documentaries/
If you're at a university, you could probably order it through interlibrary loan. There are actually a lot of libraries with this item and it'll likely be loaned (we do international loans all the time).
It's a reminder of how crazy things were during the .com boom. Also, on how not to start a company.
Fat Head (2009) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1333994/ Especially if you've seen "Super Size Me", but even if you haven't, an amusing yet educational take on the obesity "epidemic".
Food, Inc. (2008) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286537/ - Exposing the absurdity of our industrial food economy.
Music and Entertainment:
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1157605/ Talk about never giving up on your dreams.
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387412/ The other side of fame.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/james-burke-connections/
God Grew Tired of Us -- About Sudanese refugees who come to live in America. They'd literally never seen any modern conveniences ever. For example they had to be taught how to use a toilet. Very fascinating. http://www.godgrewtiredofus.com/about.html