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Doc, you meant trees!

Writer: goldenstateservicesj
goldenstateservicesj
Jun 13, 2021
3 min read

Talk about weird… I saw a documentary one time about tickling competitions. You might find it hard to believe, but it turned out to be one of the best docs I’d seen in a decade (It turned out to be a very different movie than what you’d imagine.). Then there was the one that was put together largely on a set of cassette tapes containing recorded arguments of two drunken neighbours. And the one about the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher who threw a no-hitter while on the influence of LSD. They are as diverse as humanity itself, and if movies give us a glance in the mirror as a culture, no genre makes this as literal as documentaries.

This week I took a look at different sources that offered a list of “the greatest documentaries of all time” (It too was a diverse group: Vogue, Esquire, Rotten Tomatoes, TSPDT, etc.). The following are titles that showed up on most of them. Maybe one will pique your interest.

Firstly, these five were among them, documentaries that I have seen and would highly recommend:

  • Hoop Dreams (1994) — Inner city teens with dreams of playing in the NBA.

  • Man on Wire (2012) — One man’s dream to tightrope walk between the top of NYC’s World Trade Center buildings.

  • When We Were Kings (1996) — Perhaps the greatest story in all of boxing: the Rumble in the Jungle.

  • 13th (2016) — I’ve talked about this one a lot on this blog, so I’ll just leave this one alone for now.

  • The Act of Killing (2012) — A unique group of self proclaimed “gangsters” (their meaning is very different than ours) in Indonesia who see themselves as heroes despite… That’s all I’ll say.

not

  • Nanook of the North (1922) — Both the subject and the age of this one has me intrigued. Can’t wait.

  • Harlan County, USA (1976)

  • Grey Gardens (1975)

  • Shoah (1985) — This holocaust documentary is apparently hours long, but those who’ve seen it swear it’s worth every minute.

  • The Thin Blue Line (1988)

  • The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons From the Life of Robert S. NcNamara (2003)

  • Capturing the Friedman’s (2003)

  • Bill Cunningham New York (2010)

  • Grizzly Man (2005) — Just reading the plot description of this one will wow you.

  • Bill Cunningham New York (2010)

  • Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

  • I am Not Your Negro (2016)

  • Minding the Gap (2018)

I would love to hear any recommendations any of you would have. Oh, and I highly recommend American Factory (2019). It is the only documentary of our nominees that I have seen, and I have to say that when you’re done watching it you will have plenty to think and talk about. Those are my favourite kinds of docs. Good movies make you think. Great movies make you feel something. The greatest ones, however, change you.

Congratulations American Factory. This is your week.

And the Oscar goes to…

Most Intriguing Subject:

Icarus.

Most recommended from friends:Free Solo.

Best Quote: “Everybody at every level will say that we really, really want to be safe. But safety doesn’t pay the bills.” — The Fuyao Dayton Plant Safety Director in American Factory.

On an unrelated note, for those of you who enjoy animated movies and are waiting for the next good one, consider Mitchells vs the Machines on Netflix.

 
 
 

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