I was wondering what the best documentaries on DVD are? Any opinions on this?

I really liked walking with dinosaurs (and I blame you Geoff!!), and could go for more of that type dvd's. I mean that in the sense of factual rather than fictional.

I'm pretty broad as interests go, so anything from WW-2 to egyptology could be interesting, but I'm sure there is a lot of "cheaply produced cr*p" out there.

So what are some of the good ones?

I've been working my way through THE PLANETS during this week. I can definitely recommend that one. FOR ALL MANKIND is another great one. Also, the Fox Lorber "Directors" series of DVDs has been great so far, if you like any of the chosen talents. Those are pretty cheap too.

Just pick any of the IMAX films.

"American Movie" - a funny and inspiring documentary and a loaded DVD.

"Mr. Death: The Rise And Fall Of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr." - Just came to DVD on Tuesday. One of the best films of 1999.

jim

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http://www.dvdtracker.com/~gamblor187.asp

quote:<HR>Originally posted by ravan:
I was wondering what the best documentaries on DVD are? Any opinions on this?<HR>

Well, its gonna be tough to top Walking with Dinosaurs but there are some pretty good documentaries already available and more on the way.

In addition to what has already been mentioned, Last Days was very good. Also, Ken Burns' Baseball (10 DVD set) is on the way (in September I think) and his The Civil War is in production allegedly.




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HELP! MY TYPEWRITER IS BROKEN! - E.E. CUMMINGS

If you like them, the Unknown Marx Brothers was enjoyable. I see it's coming out again soon so now would be a good time to get a pre-order price

I'm not sure if it is on DVD, but Roger & Me is my favorite documentary. Also, another great documentary which isn't on DVD is The Hellstrom Chronicles.

Have to recommend the Planets, its an excellent documentary. I've already watched it all the way through twice and now its making the rounds with friends.

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Aaron
"I'd give my right hand to be ambidextrous"
DVD
Laserdisc

The IMAX films good, my favorites that are on DVD are Everest and Super Speedway.

Where to start...

On DVD 'A Great Day in Harlem' is awesome if you like jazz (worth checking out even if you don't) and 'American Movie' is funny as hell. 'Visions of Light' is ok, not great, 'Muhammed Ali: The Greatest Collection' and 'When We Were Kings' are great Ali docs, and 'Meeting People is Easy' is ok if you like Radiohead, but really self-indulgent. 'My Best Fiend' is coming soon. 'Buena Vista Social Club' has great music and images but is patronizing to it's subjects. 'Don't Look Back' and 'Stop Making Sense' are great if you like the musicians (Dylan and Talking Heads, respectively)

Not on dvd yet (as far as I know) are 'Thin Blue Line', 'Roger & Me', 'Hearts of Darkness', 'Brother's Keeper', 'The War Room', 'The Last Waltz', and 'The Filth and the Fury'.

There are so many good documentaries out there it's mindblowing.

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My DVDs
buskerdog.com

buskerdog....

Actually, "The War Room" is out on DVD (from Trimark, I believe). Better yet, it's very reasonably priced at $14.99. (That's the list price. Rell has it for $11, and it may be cheaper elsewhere.

jim

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That's cool.

I also forgot one of the biggies from the last few years: Hoop Dreams, which buy.com has for preorder for december, but frankly you could rent on video. (It was shot on video)

'A Personal Journey Through Cinema With Martin Scorsese is available for sept preorder.

'The Big One', 'Kurt & Courtney', 'Trekkies', a'Looking For Richard', 'Paradise Lost' (brilliant and heartbreaking) and 'Paradise Lost 2' (haven't seen it) are also worth checking out.

Go to http://us.imdb.com/Charts/Votes/documentary for a list of docos. I've forgotten so many it's ridiculous.

Documentaries are an entire art form that is possibly even more varied than fiction filmmaking. I;ve gone through phass where I just rented doco after doco, not watching fiction for months at a time.



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My DVDs
buskerdog.com

2 More:
"Hands on a Hard Body" - about a contest in Texas where contestants must keep at least one hand on a Nissan Hardbody truck until there is only one person standing. I don't know if you want to buy this one, but it is a good rental.

Criterion's "Nanook of the North", famous 1922 silent film about a way of life that is all but extinct now.

Another enthusiastic vote for American Movie!

Pete

Alread have that - just havent gotten round to watching it yet.. guess I should do it soon huh?

From the Earth to the Moon, fantastic DVD set!

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"I've done some...questionable things, but nothing the God of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for."

- Blade Runner

Anyone interested in documentaries should watch the brilliant show, "First Person". It's done by Errol Morris (director of "Mr. Death", "Thin Blue Line", and many other documentaries). It is on Bravo every Wednesday night at 10:30. (Following Michael Moore's "The Awful Truth", it is part of Bravo's "Counterculture Wednesday. Together, they are the most thought-provoking hour on television.)

jim

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http://www.dvdtracker.com/~gamblor187.asp

It figures! I posted the above information this afternoon so that people would be aware of "First Person" when it aired tonight. Unfortunately, Bravo is playing an hour long special about fashion instead of these two excellent shows. Try again next week.

jim

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http://www.dvdtracker.com/~gamblor187.asp

Another cheap documentary on DVD is "Hands on a Hardbody", a 90-minute look at a group of contestants in a contest in Longview, Texas. They had to keep one hand on a truck continuiously until everyone else had dropped out the race. Its very funny, but it also has a lot of humanity to it. It played here in Austin for over a year at the Dobie Theater, mostly on word of mouth.