20-10s 20-10s Documentary Pimping Thread

[RIPPA]

I think that Documentaries are always criminally underrated in these type of things and I am STILL bitter about Hoop Dreams not making the Greatest list.

Anyway - this is a reminder that these are movies too and you might want to consider them.

A starting point - these are the things that were nominated for Best Documentary at the Oscars (links go to IMDB). This is 2010-2014

2010

Inside Job (Winner)

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Gasland

Restrepo

Waste Land

2011

Undefeated (Winner)

Hell and Back Again

If A Tree Falls

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Pina

2012

Searching for Sugar Man (Winner)

Five Broken Cameras

The Gatekeepers

How to Survive a Plague

The Invisible War

2013

20 Feet From Stardom (Winner)

The Act of Killing

Cutie and the Boxer

Dirty Wars

The Square

2014

Citizenfour (Winner)

Finding Vivian Maier

Last Days in Vietnam

The Salt of the Earth

Virunga

 

[caley]

I'm not the biggest documentary guy, but this one was just lovely.  Faces Places is with the incredible director Agnes Varda who partners up with visual artist JR and the two drive around France in his wacky little camera-mobile and talk to people, take people's photos and create some incredible pieces of art.  This was my favourite movie I watched for the first time in all of last year.

[RIPPA]

A starting point - these are the things that were nominated for Best Documentary at the Oscars (links go to IMDB). This is 2015-2019

2015

Amy (Winner)

Cartel Land

The Look of Silence

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom

2016

O.J.: Made in America (Winner)

Fire at Sea

I Am Not Your Negro

Life, Animated

13th

2017

Icarus (Winner)

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail

Faces Places

Last Men in Aleppo

Strong Island

2018

Free Solo (Winner)

Hale County This Morning, This Evening

Minding the Gap

Of Fathers and Sons

RBG

2019

American Factory (Winner)

The Cave

The Edge of Democracy

For Sama

Honeyland

 

[RIPPA]

Here is my review of 20 Feet From Stardom which is definitely making my list

 

[The Natural]

Night Will Fall (2014) needs to be seen so history won't repeat itself but it's horrific using footage of Nazi concentration camps deemed too intense for the general populace at the time.  Channel 4 first showing of it was on Holocaust Memorial Day and aired without ad breaks, I don't remember them ever doing that before or since.

Also from that year, Citizenfour about Edward Snowden on US intellegence programs and civil liberties.

[EVA]

THE ACT OF KILLING will be very high on my list.  Everybody should see that.  A very powerful, ballsy film.

But I’ve somehow never seen the companion film that was released a couple of years later, THE LOOK OF SILENCE.  I should probably check that out.

Edited March 29, 2020 by EVA

[JonnyLaw]

I apparently don’t watch many documentaries, as the only ones that have popped up on my Flickchart are Blackwater and Won’t You Be My Neighbor.

[Execproducer]

I really wish we had done a straight doc poll instead. There have been enough in this decade alone to fill at least a 50 vote ballot. I'll sprinkle a few in as I generally do but there is way too much great cinema to make it a doc heavy ballot.

[Curt McGirt]

6 hours ago, EVA said:

THE ACT OF KILLING will be very high on my list.  Everybody should see that.  A very powerful, ballsy film.

But I’ve somehow never seen the companion film that was released a couple of years later, THE LOOK OF SILENCE.  I should probably check that out.

After watching the trailer that is next on my Prime list. And I will end up a wreck. 

 

[RIPPA]

1 hour ago, Execproducer said:

I really wish we had done a straight doc poll instead. There have been enough in this decade alone to fill at least a 50 vote ballot. I'll sprinkle a few in as I generally do but there is way too much great cinema to make it a doc heavy ballot.

Well docs are always in these.

I tried to start a Best Doc ballot (you can see the evidence in this folder) but no one seemed to care (just like no one cared about the Horror one)

[Execproducer]

To be fair, there was never an actual deadline set for the doc poll and it seemed to give way to the Horror one which actually had a lot of interest, but again, no deadline. We need deadlines, Boss.

[RIPPA]

For the horror - I had a deadline that no one cared about since I only got 3 ballots

I blame JT

[Chaos]

I really recommend that people also check out Tower. It's one that will probably make my ballot, and it uniquely reenacts moments discussed during the documentary. 

 

 

[RIPPA]

I know I need to watch The Tower. I just don't know if I will ever be emotionally ready to watch The Tower

[RIPPA]

Okay - Documentaries I am at least going to consider (and we aren't gonna talk my pile of shame)

• Tim's Vermeer
• Best of Enemies
• Freakonomics

I know some folks might think about Jodorowsky's Dune but that was a whole lotta "meh" for me

 

[J.T.]

15 hours ago, RIPPA said:

For the horror - I had a deadline that no one cared about since I only got 3 ballots

I blame JT

I forget what fresh hell I was embroiled in that kept me out of the voting.

If we hold a party this year, I will be sure to bring a gift.

I am sure I will hate all of your Best Horror ballots and you will probably hate mine.

Edited March 30, 2020 by J.T.

[Execproducer]

8 minutes ago, RIPPA said:

Okay - Documentaries I am at least going to consider (and we aren't gonna talk my pile of shame)

• Tim's Vermeer
• Best of Enemies
• Freakonomics

I know some folks might think about Jodorowsky's Dune but that was a whole lotta "meh" for me

 

Tim's Vermeer and Best of Enemies are both fantastic....as is Tower... but I just can't fill this thing up with docs. In an either or situation I'm going with Tim's Vermeer. That is going to make my ballot.

[RIPPA]

As I said - the only one I definitely know I am including is 20 Feet From Stardom

The rest is a mystery

[Execproducer]

I am probably going to focus on docs that aren't going to otherwise get much love such as....

 

[Curt McGirt]

3 hours ago, RIPPA said:

I know some folks might think about Jodorowsky's Dune but that was a whole lotta "meh" for me

...I can't even...

That deserves the full 10/10 Herzog "No." faces. 

EDIT: Oh, and I watched The Act of Killing. It was as vicious and soul-crushing as expected.

Edited March 30, 2020 by Curt McGirt

[Chaos]

Restrepo being nominated and winning made me remember that one. That's a pretty intense documentary if you never saw it. One of the two dudes that made it passed away doing some more combat filming for a follow up.
 

Here's another strong documentary. I was honestly shocked that it wasn't nominated by the Academy, and it made me remember that most people were thrown off by that too.

EDIT: Restrepo did not win.

 

Edited March 30, 2020 by Chaos

[Control]

I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO is fantastic and everyone who doesn’t know James Baldwin should have to watch it. 

[RIPPA]

Just now, Control said:

I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO is fantastic and everyone who doesn’t know James Baldwin should have to watch it. 

It has been on my pile of shame forever - last I looked it is still available on Amazon prime (though I feel like it might be on Youtube in full too)

[odessasteps]

1 hour ago, Control said:

I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO is fantastic and everyone who doesn’t know James Baldwin should have to watch it. 

The former White Sox pitcher? 

[Guest The Magnificent 7]

Would Wild Wild Country count?  I think it was 5 parts all told.