Favorite documentary?

[Goathead]

Mine would have to be this series on PBS they did called "A Science Odyssey". It was fantastic. The episode entitled "Mysteries of the Universe" After watching that, it really changed my perceptions of reality. This one Physicists was on there talking about how there was no physical reason why his hand shouldn't pass through a table. It all had to due with quantum theory. Blew me away!

[saltpoint]

1. Jonathan Cauette's TARNATION.

--about to be released on DVD & should hit the rental shop very soon.

[Fenris]

2. Too many to pick just one

"A Brief History of Time"

"Triumph of the Will"

"Westway to the World"

"Control Room"

"Full Circle" series

"The Nazis: A Warning From History" series

"Riding Giants" and "Step Into Liquid"

Ken Burn's series "Jazz"

[Goathead]

5. Ken Burn's "Jazz" was great

And I liked "Control Room" too. Reminds me of when I went to rent it from the video store. I asked the girl working there if she had seen it. I told her about the U.S. military targeting Arab journalist during the Iraq invasion and she just stared at me and said "So? Isn't that a good thing?" My jaw just dropped through the floor. I got angry and considered boycotting that store, then I realized she was just completely ignorant and I tried to explain to her how no, that was not a 'good thing'.

[maveric]

3. "Ken Burns Baseball" and "Standing in the Shadows of Motown."

F-911 is up there too.

[Snap]

4. "A History of Light"

doc. on cinematography, I may have botched the name, but I keep on thinking about it. I guess I never realized that the cinemaphotographer was the deal in movies.

[Midnight Rambler]

6. "The Fog of War" was a great one as well.

It's amazing, cause just about everything in that movie applies to this current administrations. It's also great to see someone finally admit what a fuck-up Vietnam was. Is it too much to hope for to get Colin Powell to make a similar movie in maybe ten years or so?

Been wanting to see "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," just haven't gotten the chance.

[Goathead]

7. I would like to see that

My first reaction to hearing about 'Fog of War' was "McNamara is still alive?"

[Midnight Rambler]

8. Oh yeah, it's really something

McNamara is incredibly eloquent in that film.

[flamingyouth]

9. Kevin Brownlow's "Hollywood" silent film mini series from 1980

Without a doubt, that's #1. A close second would be "Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood."

[peekaloo]

10. The Thin Blue Line

Very interesting story about the killing of a police officer. Errol Morris has made some of the most intriguing, intelligent and offbeat documentaries during the past two decades.

He also made 'Fog of War'.

[mitchum]

11. Albert and David Maysles' "Salesman"

The Glengarry Glen Ross of bible salesman documentaries. Check it out.

[Midnight Rambler]

12. We were just watching that in class!

A little clip of it, to demonstrate shooting for documentary (I'm currently studying film).

[mitchum]

17. Sounds like you have a great instructor

[Dookus]

13. Grey Gardens

by the Maysles. A fascinating look at a crazy mother/daughter who happened to be cousins to Jacqueline Kennedy.

[sundog]

14. Heroines

a short about photographer Lincoln Clarkes shooting junkies in Vancouver

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. Farenheit 9/11

What other choice is there? :)

[mark414]

16. hoop dreams

[Schema Thing]

18. It's really "Fog of War" right now, but I like to say Bowling for Columbin

just to piss off the right wingers, and get them expounding on what a documentary *really* is.

[Dukkha]

19. For All Mandkind

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0780022319/qid=1113450328/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-7908255-6641734?v=glance&s=dvd

a documnetary on the Apollo Missions set to music by Brian Eno

my runner up would be
Nerds 2.0.1: A Brief History of the Internet