DocFilms

Hi all,

I've been browsing the forums and marvelling at the amazing collections I've seen. I especially enjoyed the display and organization thread. Incredible stuff. It also led me to the very useful DVD Profiler (I cataloged my entire collection on it last night). Thanks guys.

Right now I'm putting together a documentary film collection consisting of both new release mainstream docs and rare OOP titles. I originally started collecting only science themed documentaries after I discovered the Barnes and Noble media section, and now I've worked my way up to almost 100 titles in just this science niche alone (titles such as Elegant Universe, Cosmos, etc). Now I'm branching out into rare historical or biographical documentaries and other interesting titles in the genre.

I try to be very selective in what I buy and stick to a theme. I think that is key, considering that there are over 300,000 (don't know the exact number) DVD titles that exist, and with that many titles you can drive yourself insane and run out of space (and $). When I do buy movies I only collect specific directors (Tarantino, Kubrick, Coen Bros are my favorites), and Criterions.

For the most part though, docs are my bread and butter.

Does anyone else share my passion in this area?

LJG765

While I enjoy me a good documentary, I would not call me a collector of them. For me, they tend to be one watch only, though I do have a handful. If you've not watched "Smile Pinki," I encourage you to do so. It's about cleft palates in India and it won an Oscar. I was able to get a free copy from the Smile Train website a couple years ago. Not sure if they still offer that, but worth a shot.

I also enjoyed Spellbound about kids going to the National Spelling Bee, Sun Dogs with Jimmy Buffett, Young@Heart about the elderly playing Rock music, and a recent one- Under African Skies about Paul Simon making the Graceland CD.

shadokitty

I enjoy nature and historical documentaries.

DocFilms

I'll add that to my watch list.

Spellbound is one that sounds interesting as well. I recently added Way of the Puck to my collection, which explores the world of air hockey. It was okay.

Here are some others I've seen recently:

The Code from The Story of Math series by Athena. Shows mathematical paterns in nature.

Science is Fiction: 23 Films by Jean Painleve (Criterion). A series of 23 films, mostly focused on sea urchins. I had a hard time getting into this one.

General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait (Criterion). A rare glimpse into the daily life of an African dictator. I enjoyed it.

Project Nim (2008), a film about a family that raises a chimpansee like a human as a science experinent to see if the chimp can learn language. It was okay.

Many of these aren't rewatchable, but I have several that are.

MrSmearkase

If you like Spellbound, I recommend Wordplay, about the New York Times crossword puzzle, and the man who creates them. It also features a crossword competition that, frankly, is just as engaging as the spelling bee in Spellbound.

LJG765

Wordplay sounds good, my library has it so I just put a request in for it.

I've also watched King of Kongs which is a good one time watch about the King Kong video game from the '70s/80s, the arcade version.

rbrown498

I do love me some documentaries, but I wouldn't say that I'm a serious collector of them. I have to second the recommendation for Spellbound, which is really enjoyable. Here are a few others that I recommend:

Born Into Brothels is one that I can watch over and over again. It won the Best Documentary Oscar in 2004.

I really enjoyed Mad Hot Ballroom as well. It's about teaching New York City's inner-city 5th- and 6th-graders ballroom dancing.

The documentary that I've probably seen the most times is Hoop Dreams, about two high school basketball players from Chicago.

My favorite working documentary filmmakers are David Redmon and Ashley Sabin. They make some of the most intriguing documentaries out there. I got to spend some time with them when they came to a film festival (the Magnolia Independent Film Festival) that I've helped with for a few years, and they're great people. Any of their films are worth seeing; you may want to start with Kamp Katrina and its sort-of sequel Invisible Girlfriend, but my favorite of theirs (and probably my all-time favorite documentary) is Intimidad. You can find out more about their films here.

Others that I would recommend:

Capturing the Friedmans
Brother's Keeper
Waco: The Rules of Engagement
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse

and, given your interests, A Brief History of Time.

LJG765

I enjoyed Mad Hot Ballroom, too.

I'll have to take a look and see if I can find any of those docs by Redmon and Sabin. They look very interesting.

Spiderbite

I'm not one that can rewatch documentaries over and over but one that I have watched numerous times is My Flesh And Blood. Heart wrenching and heart warming at the same time.

manicsounds

Shohei Imamura 6 documentary film collection

"A Man Vanishes" is still one of the most original documentaries ever made.

davidh777

I collect more documentaries (mostly history and nature) than I watch. The ones I do tend to watch are because of my interest in the subject matter: Broadway The American Musical, the ESPN 30 for 30 stuff, etc.