Documentaries- Any good ones out there?

[Rich76_911s]

Some I would add that I don't think I saw yet:

Triumph of the Nerds.

And if you are into skiing The Edge of Never was a decent little movie.

I also really like 100 Porsche's and Me.

[Head416]

Originally Posted by Rich76_911s

I also really like 100 Porsche's and Me.

Is that about Magnus?

[herr_oberst]

2 good ones about Dylan:
Don't Look Back
No Direction Home

Another good one, this time about Harry Nilsson:
Who's Harry Nilsson (and why is everybody talkin' about him)

Tom Petty: (Warning, super long)
Runnin' Down a Dream

[craigster59]

Also Heartworn Highways, about the outlaw country music in the early 70's with Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, Guy Clark, etc.

[herr_oberst]

There's a Doc about Van Zandt called
Be Here to Love Me.

Reminded me a little of the Phil Ochs Doc called
There but for Fortune.

Not too uplifting, but a real insight to some great songwriters.

[VincentVega]

Great thread. I'll check out a few of these, I've always enjoyed learning something new.

Man on Wire was great, must see.

Not the most exciting thing in the world, but I've watched this more than a few times. Around the world ~30 yrs ago by yourself in a simple boat with simple, well, everything. Bought an Alberg after seeing this.

[911pcars]

No one mentioned this one yet. Best doc Oscar in 2009: The Cove

The Cove Movie: Welcome

S

[love911]

Don't know if it's been mentioned before:
1-BBC planet earth comp.series,and generally any docu.done by BBC is in my opinion top notch.
2-"Into The Abyss" by Werner Herzog (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1972663/),an eye opening docu. about dead penalty.

[William930t]

The story of three Canadians who have rocked us all:

RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by William930t

The story of three Canadians who have rocked us all:

RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE

More rockin' canucks!:

Anvil! The story of Anvil

[Black968]

"The Man who Skied Down Everest" was pretty cool. Have not seen it in 25 years or so. Story of a Japanese skier who descends 1 1/2 miles of Everest in just over 2 minutes.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by rusnak

Nova (PBS) : "To the Moon" is about the Gemini and Apollo space programs, and the debate at NASA and at Langley Research Center. The scientists working under Wernher Von Braun were debating furiously about the "mode" to get to the moon, and eventually decided on a method, Lunar Orbit Rendevous, which was advocated by an outsider, John C Houbolt. Very interesting show.

Agree. Von Braun congratulated Houbolt as well in front of his peers after the moon landing. Houbolt (prior) went around Von Braun to the top begging for his plan to be recognized. Gulp - that took some big huevos.

[Head416]

I just walked a couple recommended here...

Man on Wire - I would call it good, but not great.
Senna - AWESOME! It starts before I was born and ends when I was in junior high, so I knew nothing about him or F1. I was watching it all for the first time, which I'm sure made it better and more exciting for me.

YMMV

[mph911]

Bill Cunningham New York

Very inspiring

[techweenie]

Bill Cunningham New York



Very inspiring

+1

Also: Fog of War

Fast, Cheap and Out of Control

...and anything else by Errol Morris

[theFONZ]

+3? For Restrepo. As someone who had been to where it was filmed, I can say it is a damn good portrayal of the subject.

Civil War by Ken Burns is a given. It is amazing what he did with just pictures from the war. The great torytelling and soundtrack sure help.

Trinity and Beyond if you are interested in the atomic bomb.

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

You have to see this one... Azorian: The Raising of the K-129

SBS: Documentary - Azorian: The Raising of the K-129

It was shown last year on our SBS channel. I'm not even sure were you could get it from.

For over six years, the wreck of the Soviet submarine “K-129” had lain in the dark abyss and shifting silt of the North Pacific. From its loss in March 1968 until its exposure in March 1974, the world was unaware that the Russians had lost a strategic missile submarine with its three one megaton thermo-nuclear warheads, and two nuclear-tipped torpedoes.
How do you raise a 1700-ton section of a sunken submarine to the surface of the ocean while being watched by a paranoid Soviet intelligence apparatus?
AZORIANTHERAISINGOFTHEK129
The Soviet Government was equally unaware that the US had located and photographedthe wreck and was preparing the largest marine salvage operationin history to raise the K-129.

Project AZORIAN, which was eventually known inaccurately to thegeneral public as “Project Jennifer”, was the CIA’s audacious attempt torecover the K-129 wreck using a specially designed salvage vessel, named theHughes Glomar Explorer.

Representing the most modern missile-carrying submarine then inthe Soviet inventory, the K-129 offered the US a cornucopia of unique intelligencetargets, ranging from nuclear weapons to cryptographic systems andother equipment. But retrieving it required $1.8 billion (in today’s dollars)and more than six years to design and build the equipment that could do theimpossible.

To this day, Project AZORIAN is the deepest salvage operation everattempted and was so far beyond the cutting-edge of 1970s technology thatthe Soviets considered it to be impossible.

A brief flurry of press attention in 1975 resulted in a special presidentialgag order being put in place by then President Gerald Ford. This securityprovision has effectively blocked normal declassification systems andFreedom of Information Act requests to this day.

Finally, however, some mission members and senior engineers ofProject AZORIAN have stepped out of the shadows to help tell this dramaticstory in their own words. Utilising extensive, accurate CGI reconstruction ofthe salvage attempt, plus never before seen film of the actual recovery itself,and based upon contemporaneous documents, AZORIAN: The Raisingof K-129 provides the first factual and documented account of this uniqueevent ever made available outside the confines of US Intelligence agencies.

I saw this a few years back I think it was on NOVA. An amazing feat. Great documentary.

[TimBer]

Quantum Hoops. Here is a link to the trailer on youtube.

Quantum Hoops Trailer - YouTube

[pavulon]

Not sure it fits in neatly here but "Never Cry Wolf" is based on an autobiography and has some good parts...like the mice!!

[VincentVega]

Watched Senna last night. Must see.