Favourite Documentaries

Been on a bit of a docu-kick lately, and I'm always on the search for an awesome documentary, so tell me what yours are!


The Transcendent Man. It's about inventor, futurist and author Ray Kurzweil and The Singularity.

This Film Is Not Yet Rated. An interesting look at who is rating the movies you watch.

Blue Gold: World Water Wars. Just like it sounds, it's about your drinking water.

GasLand. An interesting look at the ritual abuse of fossil fuels by man, specifically in America.

The Nightmare Factory. A good look into the world of movie make-up effects, and the boys of KNB.

I tend to watch a lot of docs, and I'm not going to list them all, but here's a few to get things rolling.

.... i guess no one likes Documentaries

I'd like to give a shout out to the under-appreciated documentary work of KC Wayland. He has a whole YouTube Channel full of short videos, including a number of behind-the-scenes videos of the production of We're Alive. My favorite is the one on Chapter 16, where Jim Gleason and Elisa Eliot record their parts while sitting in a hot tub in bathing suits. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uSGz1SXtfyY

And who can forget KC's master work, "365 Boots on Ground", the story of a man with a shoe fetish so intense that he was compelled to get one pair of boots for every day of the year. http://www.amazon.com/365-Boots-Grou...oots+on+ground

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Originally Posted by smalls kenobi

.... i guess no one likes Documentaries

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:(

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Originally Posted by smalls kenobi

.... i guess no one likes Documentaries

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Well ... Most things I watch on TV are documentaries - and I don't mean scripted reality sh*t and similar TV-fart-jokes or TV-rubbish. I mean documentaries - especially the ones about natural sciences (the BBC things or discovery channel stuff), crime history, and things like this.

Besides this I enjoy "mocumentaries" to a certain degree; but there are only few good ones available.

So I tend to disagree with you; but then I would have to admit that I am not certain, if my taste in TV behaviour is a solid mirror image of the average guy's TV taste ...

The Elegant Universe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV_X2B5OK1I

It is a pity that C programmers will never be able to grasp the powers of string handling. (This one is for you, scbubba :) )

"Cosmos", by Carl Sagan. I just started re-watching the series on Hulu+, and it holds up very well for a product of the late 70's/early 80's. A few years back I had the chance to work on a project with a couple of SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) scientists, one American, one Australian. Both of them admitted that "Cosmos" had inspired them to pursue careers in science in general, and SETI in particular.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzS39oghcnY&list=PLC1576D5C6E7B71F5

I just caught a show on the History Channel about WWII. One of my favourite things to watch on TV when I was a kid about 25-30 years ago were the documentaries on war, particurarly the second world war. As I watched this one I couldn't help but notice, and to my dissappointmnet, how dramatic they make these shows now. Very repetitive, short on factual information, with added computer graphics and simulations. Although kind of neat, the quality of the material has lessened a great deal to me. As I watched this I couldn't help but remember the other shows I loved to watch including NOVA, and as mentioned above Cosmos. Seeing that CP is able to watch these I'm hopeful that I might be able to find these and watch them again myself.

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Originally Posted by Robzombie

I just caught a show on the History Channel about WWII. One of my favourite things to watch on TV when I was a kid about 25-30 years ago were the documentaries on war, particurarly the second world war. As I watched this one I couldn't help but notice, and to my dissappointmnet, how dramatic they make these shows now. Very repetitive, short on factual information, with added computer graphics and simulations. Although kind of neat, the quality of the material has lessened a great deal to me.

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I know what you mean. I was really looking forward to the Discovery Channel's series "Greatest Tank Battles", but found it extremely disappointing. Way too much emphasis on cheesy computer animation mixed with stock footage, very little technical, or historical data and a voiceover that tried to make it all sound so very exciting. In the end it wasn't particularly educational or entertaining.

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Originally Posted by Robzombie

As I watched this I couldn't help but remember the other shows I loved to watch including NOVA, and as mentioned above Cosmos. Seeing that CP is able to watch these I'm hopeful that I might be able to find these and watch them again myself.

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I've noticed there are quite a few old PBS programs available on YouTube. I found Cosmos on Hulu+, but I'm not sure if they have any other PBS documentaries there.

I have a list of documentaries that I plan on watching soon, most I have seen parts off that i still need to see end to end


"The Cove" Every year Japan slaughters about 2000 dolphins in a cove that turns blood red during the slaughter. The Japanese goverment tries to hide it so the documentary team had to do a undercover investigation to catch it on Film

"Radiactive Wolves" Documents how wildlife thrives in the radioactive area around Chernobyl because Radiation is not nearly as harmful as humans are.

"How beer saved the world" The title says it all

"King of Kong, a Fistfull of Quarters" Tracks a man trying to retake the world title for highest Donkey Kong Store, I believe he lived in his parents basement, I have to verify :)

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Originally Posted by Duffusmonkey

I have a list of documentaries that I plan on watching soon, most I have seen parts off that i still need to see end to end


"The Cove" Every year Japan slaughters about 2000 dolphins in a cove that turns blood red during the slaughter. The Japanese goverment tries to hide it so the documentary team had to do a undercover investigation to catch it on Film

"Radiactive Wolves" Documents how wildlife thrives in the radioactive area around Chernobyl because Radiation is not nearly as harmful as humans are.

"How beer saved the world" The title says it all

"King of Kong, a Fistfull of Quarters" Tracks a man trying to retake the world title for highest Donkey Kong Store, I believe he lived in his parents basement, I have to verify :)

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I've been meaning to get around to seeing The Cove for a while now. Guess there's no time like right now.

Dammit. The Cove was a hard watch, but worth it. I'm ashamed it took me so long to get to this.

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Originally Posted by Cabbage Patch

"Cosmos", by Carl Sagan. I just started re-watching the series on Hulu+, and it holds up very well for a product of the late 70's/early 80's. A few years back I had the chance to work on a project with a couple of SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) scientists, one American, one Australian. Both of them admitted that "Cosmos" had inspired them to pursue careers in science in general, and SETI in particular.

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have you seen the trailer for the updated Cosmos? it'll be on FOX. I'm excited. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBTd9--9VMI

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Originally Posted by smalls kenobi

have you seen the trailer for the updated Cosmos? it'll be on FOX. I'm excited. :)

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That's great news! The trailer was impressive, and the special effects have sure come a long way. Now let's hope they don't **** it up!

King of Kong is one of my favorites!!!!

I love documentaries....from the very serious, to the taboo, to the hilarious. I recently bought this after I saw it on Showtime. Epic!!! and from the creators of Jackass. :) By the way, I'm a huge fan of Jesco after seeing a documentary about his father and how he took over the dancing shoes ...I think it was on PBS in the early 80s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUIapa-U0bY