Documentary Discussion

Documentary films are great because they make you think. Common themes for them tend to be either political/social issues or the arts. I have liked this genre of film ever since the 1980s when I watched Michael Moore's Roger and Me, about the demise of a former booming GM factory town, Flint, Michigan. Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me had such an effect on me that I have quit eating McDonald's cold turkey ever since I saw it eight years ago. Not every documentary filmmaker inserts themselves into the film like Spurlock and Moore. Many prefer to exist behind-the-scenes only. Charles Ferguson is another of my favorite documentary filmmakers. He made No End in Sight and Inside Job. Some of my favorite documentary films have dealt with agriculture and food in America. These include Food Inc., Fresh, King Corn and more.


I have discovered the Documentary cable channel recently and have rented a few docs via Netflix. Here are some that I recently saw and enjoyed.

A Life in the Theatre

This is about a woman who is in her 90s, and she has been the owner of an off-off Broadway live theatre in New York for many years. It was excellent since it demonstrated how the love of art can bring people together. Those who work in the theatre have an amazing camaraderie. Developers want to destroy the theatre but she fight to save it.

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

This is about an Australian man who has battled obesity and the related health problems and comes to America to embark on a journey. He travels across the country, eating only a liquid diet consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables that he puts in a juicer. It is a look at obesity, health problems and the ability of humans to change their lives. The filmmaker ends up losing lots of weight, not needing any more medicine, and inspiring many others to do the same.

Music Man Murray

This is about an old man in Los Angeles who runs a record store. It is packed with thousands of recordings he has collected over a lifetime. He estimates that the store is worth a couple million dollars. The challenge is to sell the store and its content for a good price so his collection and his legacy will not be destroyed.

Map the Music

I enjoyed this film since it looks at the power of music to bring meaning to our lives. A woman is shattered after losing her father, so she embarks on a road trip to talk to everyday people and a few famous musicians about what music means to them.

The One Percent

This is an examination of the one percent of Americans who are ultra wealthy, and the 99 percent who are not. The filmmaker is one of the heirs to the Johnson and Johnson family fortune. He talks to rich and poor, about the distribution of wealth in America, despite the fact that his family does not want him to make the film. Relatives of Warren Buffett and Oscar Meyer also appeared in the film.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

This movie was a fascinating look at a comedy legend and her struggles to remain a relevant member of the show business world. Even though Joan Rivers is 75 years old and has had decades of success, she still has a fragile ego and she longs to be accepted. The film shows her performing stand up in New York as well as at an Indian casino in Wisconsin. It shows her doing a roast on Comedy Central, and it documented her opening a play in Scotland and England. She revealed that she originally wanted to be known as an actress not a comedienne. She is OK with people criticizing her comedy but has a thin skin if people are critical of her acting skills. She acknowledges that show business is challenging since rejection is a big part of the industry. The movie mentioned how Johnny Carson gave her her big break in the 1960s but later quit speaking to her when she took a job on Fox as a late night host. She mentioned how her husband Edgar was devastated by the failure of the Fox show and later committed suicide. Joan's daughter Melissa mentioned that stand ups are generally insecure people, craving attention and approval, and that her mother is no exception. Rivers seemed like a very lonely person whose main goal is to fill up her calendar with work so she does not have time to think about her life outside of her career.

Current TV Counts Down the 50 Best Documentaries

The cable channel Current TV recently had a countdown hosted by documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. He did a countdown of the 50 best documentaries of all time. Spurlock's film Super Size Me was #5 on the list. I have written about that film here before, and mentioned how it is a cautionary tale of the health risks associated with eating fast food. I have stayed away from McDonald's ever since seeing that film back in 2004. I think that documentary films address some important issues, but seldom are they viewed by large audiences. Overall the countdown show was good, but I think that some outstanding films were omitted such as; No End in Sight, King Corn, Pressure Cooker, Waiting for Superman and Wild Man Blues. Flint native Michael Moore had three films on the countdown, including Fahrenheit 9-11, Bowling for Columbine and Roger and Me.

Here is the top 10;

10. Grizzly Man---This is about a man who lives with Grizzly Bears and documents all of their behavior.
9. Trouble the Water---This shows the effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans.
8. An Inconvenient Truth---Starring Al Gore, this looked at global warming.
7. The Celluloid Closet---This showed hows gays have been portrayed in Hollywood films.
6. The War Room---This showed behind-the-scenes activities during Bill Clinton's run for the White House.
5. Supersize Me---I loved this since it showed how harmful McDonald's food can be to the body. You get what you pay for, cheap food with almost zero nutritional value. Yet everyday millions of people eat their disgusting food.
4. Waltz with Bashir---Animated film about war.
3. Roger and Me---This started it all for filmmaker Michael Moore. This movie showed how the city of Flint, Michigan has been devastated by the loss of General Motors jobs.
2. The Thin Blue Line---This was a true crime movie, that led to a conviction.
1. Hoop Dreams---This was about young boys in the inner city who have dreams of playing in the NBA.

Many documentaries take a very left wing approach to politics. I am republican on some issues and democrat on others. I do not always agree with the political viewpoint of the filmmakers but I can look past that to see the art of the film. Some of the best documentaries have nothing to do with politics, such as The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, which is about the battle to be the best Donkey Kong player in the world.

* Countdown information from Current TV network.

Food for Thought from an Eye-Opening Documentary

I have written on this blog in the past about documentaries such as No End in Sight, the many fine films of Michael Moore, and Super Size Me. I like films like these since they are thought provoking and they tackle important issues. They actually make you think, and therefore they do not attract mass audiences like some of the lowest common denominator drivel that ends up making hundreds of millions of dollars. If you see a documentary in a theatre, chances are it will have many empty seats, but those who are there are impacted. The latest documentary I have seen is called Food Inc. This exposes the dirty little secrets that the industry giants who fill our stomachs do not want you to know. Only a few huge conglomerates control what we buy in supermarkets. The movie looks at how agriculture has changed and how farmers are under pressure to deliver more product. Farming requires long hours, low pay and high debt accumulation, so the farmers must do all they can to maximize their yields. Food Inc. also looks at the political system and how the giants of the food industry have so much power. It follows a woman to Capitol Hill as she lobbies for more food regulations. Her son died from eating a hamburger tainted with e. coli. There are fewer inspections of food processing plants, and this leads to more diseases. It talks about how the unhealthy food is the cheapest, and how it is expensive to eat right. Fast food is quick and easy, and especially prevalent in poor neighborhoods where obesity and related health problems are an epidemic. The film takes a look at how slaughterhouses are employing illegal aliens to work in dangerous positions where they are exploited. It talked about organic foods, and how even Wal Mart has started selling organic food due to the rising demand. Watching documentaries which paint a bleak picture of society often make us feel powerless, but at the end of Food Inc. there was advice on how we can all have some power. All of us "vote" with our wallets, and when we buy food we are telling the food manufacturers that we want more of the same. We can have power to see more healthy foods if we support restaurants, farmers markets and supermarkets who sell organic, locally grown, unprocessed, healthy food.