What's the best documentary you've seen?

wolfpawnat

1916 Seachtar na Cásca. And all other recent documentaries on Irish Republicanism done by TG4 that are accurate, non biased and educational. They are honest about all aspects of the people they are portraying. They by-far trump anything put out by RTE and are not ashamed of all aspects of Ireland's amazing history!

HerrScheisse

I have only seen the Pearse episode of 1916 Seachtar na Cásca, but if the rest of the episodes are like that one!

Does anybody know if this series will appear on dvd?

Da Shins Kelly

I saw most of the 1916 ones done by TG4, thought they were great. Very upfront, non-biased programmes. We really have an incredible history when you look at it objectively.

Da Shins Kelly

Witchie wrote: »

Catfish.

I don't really consider that to be a documentary. An interesting look at the power of social networking, but I wasn't at all convinced about its authenticity.

good logs...

leaning tower of pisa...did not realize how many times they tryed to fix it and made it leaning more...........

DublinWriter

Everything by Adam Curtis.

ciff

Passsion of the Christ by Mel Gibson

Nodin

"Ancient Lives" by John Romer. (Only found the name of it there recently, because I was thinking it was "Ancient Egyptians"). On DVD.

Despite the fact this is over 30 years old, its probably one of the best documentaries on Egypt you'll ever see, narrated by somebody who genuinely has a knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject. Its not condascending, its not the same oul shite being repeated for the umpteenth time. Well worth a goo, as the man says.

maxsatisfaction

Dogtown and Z-Boys (birth/re-birth of skateboarding)
Loose Change (eye opening 9/11 doco - the government did it!)
King of Kong (Donkey Kong high scores, Steve Weibe you rock, Billy Mitchell you suck!)
Money as Debt (animation doco available on you tube, finance for dummies )
Tyson - Mike talking about himself, facinating.
Biggie & Tupac

I like the Michael Moore ones (Bowling for Columbine, Farenheit 9/11, Sicko) as they're entertaining, but they're a bit one sided.
However, there's also a doco on Michael Moore himself 'Manufacturing Dissent' which is worth a look also.

Finally, there was one on Discovery/National Geographic where a guy raises 2 black bear cubs (not Grizzly Man I don't think, but an older guy), can't remember the name now, but facinating stuff!

Laisurg

Super high me, similar to super size me except with weed, the one difference was at the end of super size me your man had to be taken to hospital i think whereas with super high me.... nothing happened, grand total of nothing the guy was fine.

Prince of pot is quite good too. It's about Marc Emery's life and the Americans trying to get him extradited for selling cannabis seeds from Canada.

Dr.Dre

Personally my favourite was 'Tyson'. Documentary showing the sides of the boxer that people never knew.

It made me respect him deeply.

1968

Not sure if it has been mentioned yet but one of the best documentaries I've ever seen was Harlan County, USA (1976).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCiVMngILEI

Full movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pa80stR7U0

Harlan County, USA is an Oscar-winning 1976 documentary film covering the "Brookside Strike" or "Bloody Harlan",[1] an effort of 180 coal miners and their wives against the Duke Power Company-owned Eastover Coal Company's Brookside Mine and Prep Plant in Harlan County, Kentucky in 1973

TheDudeIsHere

^^^I Agree with dre. Tyson is brilliant!!

sonic85

fight or flight is a really good documentary - was on RTE a couple of years ago. bought it online so i could watch it again though

previous user

The man whose arms exploded.

Gyalist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbJsy9MgFVw

Brilliant movie. Athough at first glance it seems to be about cricket, it is about much more than that. In attempting to show how the tiny islands of the Caribbean came to dominate the sport, it also draws together the different strands of racism, self-determination, anti-colonialism and anti-apartheid, and how they impacted on the socio-political climate of the time.

Ricardo G

Anyone remember "Thou shalt not kill" on rte years ago
I was only young at the time but the stories used to creep the daylights outta me

crackcrack30

The pat tilman story

american football hero who was killed by friendly fire in afgan 2003, and the us army atempted to cover it up ............ brilliant

Laisurg

The union is probably the best i've seen so far http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-union-the-business-behind-getting-high/

Toxic7

Bobby Fischer against the World

'Bobby Fischer Against the World' is the first documentary feature to explore the tragic and bizarre life of the late chess master Bobby Fischer. The drama of Bobby Fischer's career was undeniable, from his troubled childhood, to his rock star status as World Champion and Cold War icon, to his life as a fugitive on the run. This film explores one of the most infamous and mysterious characters of the 20th century.

melekalikimaka

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

how long is a piece of string
its brilliant

stevejr

My name is URL wrote: »

Carl Sagan's Cosmos is my favourite documentary series by far.

Cheers Url, looked that up on Wikipedia. Enthralled. Is it on Youtube?

mikemac

Connections by James Burke
There were three series on youtube

He finds unlikely combinations and how one event affects history.
Like a pebble causing a ripple effect as they say

So like tar and pitch from Scandanavia helped ship building which helped the imperial countries which helped settle America and lead to deforestation of New England
There are far better examples

Tipsy McSwagger

Current TV (Sky Ch.183) are showing some great documentaries this month, The King of Kong, Jesus Camp, Biggie & Tupac, Super Size Me etc. They are also showing '50 documentaries to see before you die' which is very good too.

chopperbyrne

Gyalist wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbJsy9MgFVw

Brilliant movie. Athough at first glance it seems to be about cricket, it is about much more than that. In attempting to show how the tiny islands of the Caribbean came to dominate the sport, it also draws together the different strands of racism, self-determination, anti-colonialism and anti-apartheid, and how they impacted on the socio-political climate of the time.

Can't see the clip in work, but I think I watched this on a flight last week.

Is it about the West Indies cricketers of the 70s and 80s?

If it's the one I'm thinking of it's brilliant. Made my mate watch it later in the flight and he thought it was brilliant too.

vard

I love all Louis Thereoux's Documentaries.

He tackles some serious issues and other seemingly insignificant ones, but every interview / doumentary, regardless, is so captivating.

Kojak

I seen a documentary last week about this lad called General Butt Naked.

It was about this general fighting in Liberia who went around with no clothes on, and then after the war became a Christian preacher.

Some weird stuff

maudgonner

HerrScheisse wrote: »

I have only seen the Pearse episode of 1916 Seachtar na Cásca, but if the rest of the episodes are like that one!

Does anybody know if this series will appear on dvd?

Later this year, I think

Mickey H

Seen a repeat of the Anders Behring Brevik documentary on Discovery last night. Thought it was really well put together.

Bipolar Joe

Another list!

Quiet: We Live In Public.

A guy who makes bank during the .com boom creates Big Brother online, and havoc ensues. Absolutely enthralling and quite scary.

Stevie.

A guy who was part of the Big Brother program, the thing in the U.S where you hang out with kids to be a male role model, revisits the boy he wa Big Brother to to see how he turned out. Sad.

Join Us.

About what happens when you leave a cult. Some of it is harrowing stuff, nearly made me shed a tear or several.

Second Skin.

The world of online gaming, mostly focussed on WoW. The reasons people play, the reasons people stop, love, war, friendship and queues. Bloody brilliant.

In The Realms Of The Unreal.

A man dies, and when they go to clear out his apartment find that he's written the worlds longest book, created an entire fictional world, painted vast pictures of it and yet no one knows anything about him other than his name.

The English Surgeon.

A guy travels to Kiev a couple of times a year to do brain surgery for free on tons of people. Brilliant documentary, I especially love the conversations he has with his best friend. The tone of this one is very sad throughout, though, despite being about such a wonderful man.

RIZE.

About street dancing, which sounds totally ****ing lame, I know, but I do recommend it. Centres around the two styles krumping and clowning, and ends with a dance off between the two styles. I hate this sh!t out of dancing and I love this one.

Lost In La Mancha.

Terry Gilliam's long assed attempt to make a film of Don Quixote. Will have you rolling about the floor laughing.

The Devil And Daniel Johnston.

About the outsider artist Daniel Johnston, well worth sitting down by yourself and watching.

And any of the BBC: Horizon documentaries.