ALL PURPOSE DOCUMENTARY THREAD

[RIPPA]

On 4/24/2024 at 4:35 PM, Curt McGirt said:

Thank god Rita Moreno is still alive. I had to look and find out. She is 92. 

Not only still alive but acting up a storm

Just last year she was in Fast X, 80 for Brady, Family Switch and some TV shows

And she was in the fairly recent remake of West Side Story

[RIPPA]

Hollywood Con Queen

If you want to know more about the background

https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/25/24140331/hollywood-con-queen-documentary-apple-tv

[RIPPA]

The Beach Boys

[Curt McGirt]

2 hours ago, RIPPA said:

Not only still alive but acting up a storm

Just last year she was in Fast X, 80 for Brady, Family Switch and some TV shows

And she was in the fairly recent remake of West Side Story

I saw her give an interview on TV now that I think of it (and you mention West Side Story) but for some reason I thought she was on the Yearly List too.

Recently I gave Oz a full rewatch (first time since I was a kid watching it on TV) and was reminded that she was the shit

Edited April 26 by Curt McGirt

[Johnny Sorrow]

I just watched "Hendrie" the Phil Hendrie documentary. It's pretty great. I was laughing my ass off.

[Curt McGirt]

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

POWER

On Netflix 

*sigh* Get ready to get real real real real mad. J.T., lock up the remote after you turn it on.

[Robert S]

I have been watching Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War (Netflix) recently. I am not completely finished but must say it's shocking of the amount of obvious factual errors that even a non-historian like me can detect. For example, yesterday I was watching the episode on the fall of the Berlin Wall. When they talk about the press conference where Günter Schabowski accidentally announces the opening of the borders, they make two glaring mistakes:

1. They claim that Schabowki was fully informed about the changes in the emigration policy, whatever Schabowski said afterwards was just him not being used to deal with media. Actually, Schabowski was handed a note containing the purposely confusing text before the press conference without any further instructions.
2. They claim that a British journalist asked the question that lead to Schabowki's famous stutter answer that as far as he knows the policy change taking effect immediately. They also cut the question and answer together. Actually, the British journalist was asking what that meant for the Berlin Wall and what they cut together made no sense at all. It was a western German journalist posing the question that triggered the answer.

The first is something that most Germans with some knowledge of history will recognize as an error, the second is just obvious because the cut makes no sense. Obviously, both are just details without any bigger meaning, but if they screw up those things you ask yourself what else (of stuff you may not know about) is wrong.

 

[Log]

On 5/11/2024 at 1:27 PM, Robert S said:

Obviously, both are just details without any bigger meaning, but if they screw up those things you ask yourself what else (of stuff you may not know about) is wrong.

I always wonder that, too, when I catch something I know to be incorrect on a news story or documentary or article or whatever.

Not that it was some paragon of journalistic integrity, but the Nancy Grace show's coverage of the Chris Benoit murders did that for me. She had so much wrong about his career on that show. Again, not that she was some trusted source to me, but it really confirmed that so much of that "fly-off-the-handle", outrage "news" shows content was BS.

[hammerva]

If you want to feel even more angry watching a documentary on Netflix, here is one on the 2020 Euro final at Wembley Stadium with England vs Italy and the absolute chaos before and after the final.   From the England fans who got there about 12 hours ago and went on a drunken rampage to thousands of fans storming the entrance to the absolutely predictable racist reaction when 2 of their biggest stars both black miss crucial penalty kicks.   

The Final: Attack on Wembley | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube

[Curt McGirt]

Quote

In mid-August, data emerged that showed 2,295 people in or around the stadium on the day of the final were likely infectious with COVID-19, with another 3,404 people in and around the ground potentially being infectious. Data from NHS Test and Trace showed that more than 9,000 COVID-19 cases were linked to Euro 2020 as a whole.[167]

Wow. 

I can't recall the name, but there was a creepy-ass fanzine in the '90s focused on true crime that had an entire issue devoted to football and sports violence, riots and such, stadium collapses, you name it. One horrifying bit had dozens of fans falling through the floor right above a molten metalworks (!!!). You can find it probably if you do some research online which is how I found it in a free PDF file.

[hammerva]

If you are looking for a documentary that won't depress or anger you (or shouldn't), here is a new Netflix one on Reading Rainbow and how it became such a legendary show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96IA_mnF2FA&t=2s

 

 

[odessasteps]

The Jim Henson doc is amazing.

[hammerva]

While the documentary on HBO is mostly about how white people with money and no business sense can turn a great idea to a financial and business disaster, the bigger story on this is a look about how black and other minority entrepreneurs have a real difficulty trying to get the funds to move a really good idea until a full time business.  Yes the original creators of MoviePass were black.  Unfortunately, they couldn't get enough funds and needed to use these rich people who ultimately used their power and personality to kick them out of the curb.  And had to wait a year after getting kicked to the curb to get their money and stocks out so they got almost nothing in return.  Luckily the story does have a happy ending at least so far

MoviePass, MovieCrash | Official Trailer | HBO (youtube.com)

Edited June 8 by hammerva

[Curt McGirt]

https://tubitv.com/tv-shows/200046794/s01-e04-murphy-the-machine

I completely forgot that Bloody Disgusting did like with the '80s and '90s horror docs they came out with and made this enormous Robocop documentary a couple years back, before Ray Wise passed away. They in fact managed to get what seems like every single person who worked on the film of note that was still alive besides Rob Bottin, who had to have some serious reason to be missing -- a grudge, money issues, illness, who knows what. It's about four and a half hours total but so good that you want them to just keep reeling off the awesomeness. So much stuff is packed into this and it's just incredible. Peter Weller has to have a screw loose but is hilarious and awesome. Verhoeven is exactly like everyone says he is. Every actor from even the bit parts gets an interview! There's just too much to inumerate, so all I can say is, watch it.

EDIT: I will say this. Maybe the coolest part in the whole thing is how Weller worked for six months on choreography that revealed itself to be a waste as soon as the final costume was applied. Everyone exploded. They finally call in the choreographer, who says "give me 30 minutes". He tells Weller what to do and to go watch, of all things

Spoiler

Ivan the Terrible by Sergei Eisenstein

and move like that. And that's how they fixed the problem. 

Edited June 10 by Curt McGirt

[Curt McGirt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dws3Rfn_ePo

THE GRAB (dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite)

Well it looks like this is utterly terrifying. And happening a little sooner than I expected. 

[Cobra Commander]

The Bronx Zoo 90 documentary on Peacock on the 1990 New York Yankees is something alright

The end of the first episode had to be a bit mind blowing for people unfamiliar with the story

Spoiler

They finally interview Mel Hall after spending time talking about him going to Prom with a 15 year old.. Mel Hall is in prison.

and then episode two

Spoiler

Let's talk some more about Mel Hall's 15 year old "girlfriend", losing a No-Hitter 4-0, Deion Sanders, and Howard Spira

 

Edited June 14 by Cobra Commander

[Cobra Commander]

Watching "Let the Canary Sing", a Cyndi Lauper documentary (available on Paramount+, or in my case, Amazon Prime if you have both Prime and Paramount+)

not sure if Wendi Richter is keeping some sort of kayfabe about being contacted by David Wolff for her role in the Rock'n'Wrestling storyline or if they really did have him do that since some people looking back on 1984 WWF note how suddenly Richter went from a heel to face that year.

EDIT: also, David Wolff is coincidentally in a heavy Rick Rubin phrase if Dave's long hair and beard is any indicator. Still time for David Wolff to fund a wrestling promotion.

Edited June 17 by Cobra Commander

[RIPPA]

The Man with 1000 Kids

[RIPPA]

Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam

Based on the trailer, it is all about Lou Pearlman

[RazorbladeKiss87]

On 5/19/2024 at 7:25 PM, Curt McGirt said:

Wow. 

I can't recall the name, but there was a creepy-ass fanzine in the '90s focused on true crime that had an entire issue devoted to football and sports violence, riots and such, stadium collapses, you name it. One horrifying bit had dozens of fans falling through the floor right above a molten metalworks (!!!). You can find it probably if you do some research online which is how I found it in a free PDF file.

https://archive.org/details/murder-can-be-fun-18

[hammerva]

The 4 part series on HBO about Pete Rose is very good  in terms of going through all of his issues.   If the purpose of this was to make people feel sympathetic or renew interest in Pete in the HOF then I don't think it worked at all.   I knew about most of the gambling issues but I had no idea about the rumors of him hanging around under age girls.   But given how Rose comes kind of like that old pervert who doesn't realize that the shit from 70's and 80's don't work now it probably isn't that surprising.   The scene at the Phillies reunion which was supposed to a great PR moment turns into a disaster because he decides to call a female reporter "babe"  with a rather less than genuine apology right to her face.   There is a lot of Trump in Pete Rose in that you can't really tell if knows he is lying or is so delusional that the lie is the truth for him and nothing can convince you otherwise.  I think nothing describes Rose more than in the 1st part of the whole documentary where he talks about how much he loves Cincy and likes Joe Burrow and likes the Bengals and then bet on the Rams to win the Super Bowl. 

    

[RIPPA]

Cowboy Cartel

[Mister TV]

On 7/28/2024 at 10:51 AM, hammerva said:

The 4 part series on HBO about Pete Rose is very good  in terms of going through all of his issues.   If the purpose of this was to make people feel sympathetic or renew interest in Pete in the HOF then I don't think it worked at all.   I knew about most of the gambling issues but I had no idea about the rumors of him hanging around under age girls.   But given how Rose comes kind of like that old pervert who doesn't realize that the shit from 70's and 80's don't work now it probably isn't that surprising.   The scene at the Phillies reunion which was supposed to a great PR moment turns into a disaster because he decides to call a female reporter "babe"  with a rather less than genuine apology right to her face.   There is a lot of Trump in Pete Rose in that you can't really tell if knows he is lying or is so delusional that the lie is the truth for him and nothing can convince you otherwise.  I think nothing describes Rose more than in the 1st part of the whole documentary where he talks about how much he loves Cincy and likes Joe Burrow and likes the Bengals and then bet on the Rams to win the Super Bowl. 

    

Just finished up watching this last night, very good and co-sign that it doesn't really make you feel sympathetic for Rose, but the whole Commissioners saying "we have no control over what the HOF does" and the HOF changing the rules back in the day specifically to keep Rose out is a shitty situation. I've always wondered if Rose self-sabotaged some of his reinstatement attempts due to all the money and press he gets for not being in the HOF.

The "Bart Giamatti died because of the decision he had to make about Rose" take is really shitty and kind of evil, when I realized he was 51 when he did it really surprised me, I always thought he was pushing 70.

[Curt McGirt]

I guess I only caught the middle of it because I don't recall the underage girl stuff or the reunion. He comes off like a rather unscrupulous and unapologetic individual who is entirely clueless as to the wrongness of his own behavior, agreed. There is just a moral deficit there that's unexplainable. At the same time it seemed like they were pressing pretty hard on the "PUT HIM IN" button, which I guess I can agree with -- I mean if Ty Cobb is in there, fuck. 

Oh and what was up with the part where the dude who was his best friend dies, he says there was no wake or whatever for him and he didn't go, and there actually was and he did? What the fuck was up with that? 

Edited July 30 by Curt McGirt

[Tabe]

11 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

I guess I only caught the middle of it because I don't recall the underage girl stuff or the reunion. He comes off like a rather unscrupulous and unapologetic individual who is entirely clueless as to the wrongness of his own behavior, agreed. There is just a moral deficit there that's unexplainable. At the same time it seemed like they were pressing pretty hard on the "PUT HIM IN" button, which I guess I can agree with -- I mean if Ty Cobb is in there, fuck. 

Nearly everything you've ever heard about Cobb being horrible was made up by Al Stump.  For example: Cobb was a racist.  Except, you know, for the part where he pushed for integration years before it happened.