Documentary Rundown

I'm shooting a short documentary this weekend, which will mark my first time behind a camera in about nine years, as well as my first attempt at nonfiction. The last time I shot something, it was actually on film!!! Remember that stuff?

To prepare for this possibly catastrophic happening, I've spent a few months cramming as many documentaries as possible into my Netflix queue, and even condescended to catch a few in a theater (sorry, just finished reading The Red and The Black. to save you the trouble, here's the best thing about the book: the way they throw the word "condescended" around. good stuff.).

Without further ado (it's Friday, after all) here are some mini capsule reviews of the docs I remember. For best results, read this along with your own Netflix page open.

Let's Get Lost: absolutely gorgeous, borderline mesmerizing, though I felt a better familiarity with Chet Baker's music going in would have helped. Still, very good.

New York Doll: sad, bittersweet, and strangely inspiring. Really like this one.

Lessons in Darkness: minor Herzog, I'd say. but beautiful, eery, and powerful in spots. Fans of long helicopter shots set to Wagner will not be disappointed.

Little Dieter Needs to Fly: A can't miss, must see. Excellent, primo example of Herzog's nonfiction work. I'm leery of Rescue Dawn.

Wings of Hope: Not on Dieter's level, but a fine companion piece. Saw them both at Film Forum, along with Herzog himself in person. Best day at the movies of all time.

After Innocence: Heartbreaking. This one really got to me.

Darwin's Nightmare: an unexpected disappointment. too long, too slow getting to the point, too many sequences where the filmmaker rests solely on the fact that "Hey, check this out. I'm really here with a camera." I confess to not finishing it, which is rare for me.

Running Stumbled: completely stunning, though I would have like a tad more context. Still, if you want to watch a familial train wreck play itself out, this is your movie.

Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock?: Outstanding! Possibly the best doc I've watched during this stretch. Colorful characters, infuriatingly snobbishness, a good mystery of sorts, excellent production, this one had it all. The scene where he interviews the famous art forger encapsulates what documentaries are capable of, in my opinion. Simple and stunning.

Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns: made the mistake of watching this the same night as Pollock. suffered terrible by comparison. atrocious production values, yet the caliber of talent interviewed is eye-opening. didn't finish this one, either.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: watched this reluctantly, but was quite surprised by it. touching, intriguing, heartbreaking in spots.

Deliver Us From Evil: was really looking forward to this, then hated it. felt like watching a 20/20 piece, but slower. did not like the approach at all. turned it off after twenty minutes. Eh.

Jonestown, The Life and Death of Peoples Temple: Outstanding, haunting. I didn't know this story well, other than the kool aid stuff, of course. In fact, I didn't even realize audio tapes exist of them drinking the poison. Unbelievably powerful glimpse into the darkest corners of humanity. I couldn't sleep after.

Street Fight: interesting, compelling, a good watch, though I confess to not having thought once about it after.

Cocaine Cowboys: just ok. don't go out of your way.

This Film Is Not Yet Rated: another one I liked, but pretty much forgot about the second it was over.

The "Up" Series: a true masterpiece in every sense of the word. watch them all, in order. if you have even a passing interest in cinema, this is required viewing.

My Architect: pretty good, but definitely skippable.

Marjoe: it's pretty much the same scene over and over again, but this story of a child preacher turned hippie con man is fascinating and engaging throughout. as much a documentary about charisma as anything.

Koko: A Talking Gorilla: fascinating in the extreme. what exactly does it mean to be human? and if that sounds a little dry for your tastes, this film costars the cutest biologist (or whatever she is) in the history of modern science. which might not be saying much, but still.

Unknown White Male: exhilarating exploration of memory and identity. breaks down what it actually means to completely lose one's memory. imagine tasting every food again for the very first time! as the film puts it, to experience the world as an infant, but with the appreciation of an adult. brilliant. watch this one.

Our Brand Is Crisis: excellent and frightening. and this is what American liberals are doing abroad! jesus.


Well, there are more, but my fingers hurt and it's lunchtime. Hope that's enough to get you started!