Best Documentaries Online

Travels with my beard

2008-10-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

After the 7 July London bombings could growing a beard completely change the way people treated a British Asian? There was only one way to find out. It was a week after 7 July and I'd just got on an east London bus. I was on my way to buy razors as I hadn't shaved for days.

A couple of stops later a middle-aged Rasta guy got on, sat down next to me and asked: "So how's it feel brethren?" "Erm, how's what feel?" I replied. "How's it feel now it's your turn to be bottom of the pile?" he said.
More From the BBC

Cornel West and Most Def with Bill Maher

2008-09-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

Bill Maher with Professor West, Brother Mos Def and Nader.
A very funny episode about some of our important issues, ranging from religion and war to the Moon Landing and Big Foot.

General Idi Amin Dada

2008-08-28T20:37:00.001-07:00

The documentary, General Idi Amin Dada was directed by Barbet Schroeder who also directed Koko. Idi Amin, this hefty Ugandan tyrant is certainly a charismatic and talkative fellow. At times he talks and talks and put the rope around his very neck, saying some very strange and stilly things to accommodate his appetite for power and attention.

More on Idi Amin and Barbet Schroeder from Criterion Collection.

Nina Simone

2008-08-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

Every body is half dead said the lady, the high priestess.
The Fader Magazine did an excellent job a few months ago when they revisited Nina Simon during her glory, shame and sadness. This issue is worth reading, however the free PDF version is not available on the site, but there is... Check it out, this woman is full of life.

Stanley Kubrick's Boxes

2008-07-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

"Stanley Kubrick's films were landmark events – majestic, memorable and richly researched. But, as the years went by, the time between films grew longer and longer, and less and less was seen of the director. What on earth was he doing?

Two years after Kubrick's death, Jon Ronson was invited to the director's estate to explore the hundreds of boxes the legendary film director had collected during his decades at Childwick Manor in Hertfordshire. He's been returning ever since, and the story of Kubrick and the archive, now housed at University of the Arts London, is revealed in this fascinating documentary". Read more from Channel 4..

Bauhaus

2008-07-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Architecture, Design, Art –
Bauhaus
27 min

Charles Ferguson’s No End in Sight

2008-07-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

“No End in Sight,” Charles Ferguson’s exacting, enraging new film, may signal a shift in emphasis, a move away from the immediacy of cinéma vérité toward overt political argument and historical analysis. Not that these have been scarce over the past few years, as an ever- growing shelf of books can testify. Among Mr. Ferguson’s interview subjects are the authors of some of those books — notably Nir Rosen (“In the Belly of the Green Bird”), James Fallows (“Blind Into Baghdad”) and George Packer (“The Assassins’ Gate”) — and his film in effect offers a summary of some of their conclusions.

Mr. Ferguson, a former Brookings Institution scholar with a doctorate in political science, presents familiar material with impressive concision and impact, offering a clear, temperate and devastating account of high-level arrogance and incompetence.
More from the NYTimes

Hacking Democracy

2008-06-25T19:31:00.001-07:00

From HBO
Electronic voting machines count about 87% of the votes cast in America today. But are they reliable? Are they safe from tampering? From a current congressional hearing to persistent media reports that suggest misuse of data and even outright fraud, concerns over the integrity of electronic voting are growing by the day. And if the voting process is not secure, neither is America's democracy. The timely, cautionary documentary HACKING DEMOCRACY exposes gaping holes in the security of America's electronic voting system.

In the 2000 presidential election, an electronic voting machine recorded minus 16,022 votes for Al Gore in Volusia County, Fla. While fraud was never proven, the faulty tally alerted computer scientists, politicians and everyday citizens to the very real possibility of computer hacking during elections.

In 2002, Seattle grandmother and writer Bev Harris asked officials in her county why they had acquired electronic touch screen systems for their elections. Unsatisfied with their explanation, she set out to learn about electronic voting machines on her own. In the course of her research, which unearthed hundreds of reported incidents of mishandled voting information, Harris stumbled across an "online library" of the Diebold Corporation, discovering a treasure trove of information about the inner-workings of the company's voting system. Read More

The Terror of Zimbabwe - Mugabe

2008-06-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

The word "terror" in the title may be somewhat misleading, we tend to associate the word terror with religious violence as of September 12, 2001. The documentary is clear of religion. Instead, the film is about leaving Zimbabwe, the bread basket for a new promise, for a better life in South Africa. It feels like an immigrant experience, however as the character in the documentary develop the story becomes complicated with lies, fear, ambition and politics.

The Power of Nightmares: The Shadows in the Cave

2008-04-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

Part 3

There are dangerous and fanatical individuals and groups around the world who have been inspired by extreme Islamist ideas, and who will use the techniques of mass terror - the attacks on America and Madrid make this only too clear.

But the nightmare vision of a uniquely powerful hidden organisation waiting to strike our societies is an illusion.

Wherever one looks for this al-Qaeda organisation, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the "sleeper cells" in America, the British and Americans are chasing a phantom enemy.

But the reason that no-one questions the illusion is because this nightmare enemy gives so many groups new power and influence in a cynical age - and not just politicians.

Those with the darkest imaginations have now become the most powerful. From the BBC

The Power of Nightmares: The Phantom Victory

2008-04-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

Part 2

Is the network of radicals in those far away places real or just an illusion.

The Power of Nightmares: “Baby it's Cold Outside"

2008-04-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

Part 1

One of a three part documentary, the first is Baby its Cold Outside. The film takes a close look at Sayyid Qutb and his influence in the East with the radicals and Leo Strauss in the West with the Neo Conservative. Both men feared some of the freedoms they enjoyed and witness will eventually crumble the society.

THE TRIALS OF HENRY KISSINGER

2008-04-16T04:35:00.001-07:00

Synopsis:
THE TRIALS OF HENRY KISSINGER, a documentary based on the book by British journalist Christopher Hitchens, argues that Kissinger, the former U.S. Secretary of State and the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, was a power-hungry warmonger responsible for massive military cover-ups in Vietnam, Cambodia, and East Timor in the 1960s, as well as the assassination of a Chilean leader in 1970. The film includes interviews with historians, political analysts, and such notable journalists as the New York Times' William Safire--a former speech writer for Richard Nixon. In addition, it uses archival footage from the Nixon era, including coverage of events both in Washington and in Vietnam. With narrator Brian Cox guiding the flow of the film and keeping it tightly focused on its arguments, THE TRIALS OF HENRY KISSINGER is shocking in its political revelations and fascinating in its portrait of Kissinger. It was directed by Eugene Jarecki and written by Alex Gibney. Synopsis from Rottentomatoes

Check out:
Road to Guantanamo
Arundhati Roy's Come September

Mumia Abu-jamal: A Case for Reasonable Doubt?

2008-03-31T18:57:00.001-07:00

A Case for Reasonable Doubt?
A Journalist / Cab Driver serving time on death row,
a dead Police Officer and the city of Philadelphia.

The documentary looks at both sides of the case, but lean towards one more than the other. In 1981, Mumia Abu Jamal was convicted for the murder of a white police officer in the city of Philadelphia. The officer's name is Daniel Faulkner. Jamal is now serving time on death row. He always claimed his innocence yet never offered an explanation/statement of what exactly occurred on that deadly night. One of the many problems facing the case against Jamal are his witnesses, more that half of the eyewitnesses that night are dubious characters changing their stories along the way as a life lay in wait. Another part of the puzzle is Jamal's brother who was involved in the incident yet is missing altogether from the documentary.

The documentary makes a very convincing case against the evidence of the prosecution, the story brought forth by the prosecution were either coerced or thin air creation of the officers involved with the investigation. One of the officers said Abu Jamal made an open confession while in the hospital on the night in question, yet the attending physician said no such confession took place while he was present.

Mumia certainly has a lot to say, and a number of people seems to think what is on his mind is harmful and risky. However, he is the author of a few books and a journalist for NRP. A lot of his work is very accessible and can be found online.

If you have some more time:
Live from Death Row
All Things Censored with Alice Walker
Death Blossoms: Reflections from a Prisoner of Conscience

Audio:
MUMIA ABU-JAMAL
All Things Censored Volume 1
Appearing on the disc also: Howard Zinn and Alice Walker among others.

Tony Robins on Charlie Rose

2008-03-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

A fantastical Sunday evening surprise,
Mr. Motivational,
Tony Robins on Charlie Rose, great conversation all the way. 55 minutes of goodness.

Slavery: A Global Investigation

2008-03-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

"Slavery is officially banned internationally by all countries, yet despite this there are more slaves in the world today than ever before. In the four hundred years of the legal slave trade around 13 million people were shipped from Africa. Today there are an estimated 27 million slaves - people paid no money, locked away and controlled by violence. Multi-Award winning documentary makers Kate Blewett and Brian Woods - this terrible exploitation with their own eyes.This film explores three separate industries where slaves are still to be found: the carpet industry in northern India, the cocoa industry in the Ivory Coast, and domestic slavery in Britain and the U.S. At present, approximately 4000-5000 children are missing from Northern Bihar, India. Amongst the missing is Huro, a boy who disappeared at six years old, and hasn't been seen by his family in over five years. The cocoa industry of Cote d'Ivoire produces nearly half the world's supply (over 100 million tons) grown on thousands of small plantations where young men are worked up to eighteen hours a day, unpaid, and beaten if they try to escape. Kate and Brian interview slaves still working in the plantations, as well as a group of young men who had been rescued just days before. Most people imagine that slavery is only found in the developing world, a long way from Western democratic capitals. Kate and Brian found slavery in both Washington and London. A woman named Dora in Washington and another named Reshma in London both tell stories of cruelty, long hours and no payment. Both wish, in their own courageous way, to bring to the public's attention the wrong that has been done to them in order to prevent such abuses happening in the future." For more on the issue and much more go here.

Occupation 101: Voice of the Silenced Majority

2008-03-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Almost everyone we know have something or the other to say about the issue of Israel/Palestine occupation. Often times this story of struggle is reported from credible and persuasive sources as an age old struggle between two religious groups that will continue for centuries to come. The story is told from such an angle to exclude participation from those outside of the conflict. One of the issues the documentary examine is the history of the three major religious groups occupying the land.

The filmmakers introduce the documentary with footage of other nations fighting the occupation of their oppressors. Footage of unrest from countries such as Algeria, South Africa, the US and Indian parallel the injustice and oppression that any nation with its young would fight against. The film focuses on the side of the atrocities that go unreported day after day, checkpoints, displacement of families, refugee camps and many other issues.

At times the filmmakers used drum and base with the bloody images of the intifada to heighten the moment, however it feels over the top and needless, the violence and bloodiness of the truths was loud enough. The documentary was directed by Sufyan Omeish and Abdallah Omeish, and narrated by Alison Weir. A little about the outspoken narrator.

A short list of commentators in the film:
Richard Falk
Noam Chomsky
Peretz Kidron
Rashid Khalidi
Ilan Pappé

The official home of the film

House of Saud

2008-03-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

Saudi Arabia—one of the United States' most important allies for more than sixty years—is home to vast oil fields and a wealthy, often extravagant, monarchy. It is also home to fifteen of the nineteen terrorists responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Until 9/11, most Americans paid little attention to how the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was run. But in the aftermath of the attacks, America awoke to some difficult truths about its longtime ally: for decades, Saudi wealth and charities supported individuals and organizations dedicated to doing America harm, and its universities and religious schools—known as madrassas—prepared countless young men for jihad against the West.

Today, Saudi television broadcasts programs where children read poems against Jews and in praise of Islamic martyrs. Recently twenty-six Saudi clerics, among them, Sheikh Nasser al-Omar, issued a fatwa, or edict, encouraging Muslims to fight the Americans in Iraq. And in December 2004, gunmen attacked the American consulate in Jeddah. More from Frontline's Introduction to the film.

Fog of War plus 5 things from Errol Morris worth a second look

2008-02-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

The Fog of War was release in 2003, immediately the work was recognized for its cleverness. The arrangement of the documentary is quite interesting. Morris interviewed McNamara, Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations for many hours, then arranged the film into 11 lessons which also happens to be the structure of McNamara's book: In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam.

The Eleven Lessons:
1. Empathize with your enemy.
2. Rationality will not save us.
3. There's something beyond one's self.
4. Maximize efficiency.
5. Proportionality should be a guideline in war.
6 . Get the data.
7. Belief and seeing are both often wrong.
8. Be prepared to reexamine your reasoning.
9. In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil
10. Never say never.
11. You can't change human nature

Most of us heard the name or learn something or the other of Robert McNamara in a high school history class but to watch and listen to him feels exclusive, he is pure cunning, even though he is older and a little weaker. Much of the film will seem less informative to an older generation, but to many like myself who knew very little about the man the film would certainly be enlightening. The lessons can certainly be applied to our current situation with the war in Iraq. The catastrophe and victory can be explained by an occasional fumbling man who drives a Ford, or this once important old fumbling man can reveal to us who is responsible.

Many criticism can be placed on McNamara, however, if you have the time you should watch the film, it is an excellent example of the real cunning at work, both Morris and McNamara. More on Morris can be seen here, or on his blog for the NYTimes.

Five things from Errol Morris worth your second look:
1. Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?
2. Film is lies at twenty - four frames a second
3. Errol Morris on The Treatment with Elvis Mitchel.
4. Commercial for PBS: Photobooth
5. Gates of Heaven

Noam Chomsky - Rebel Without a Pause

2008-02-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

George Orwell once remarked that political thought, especially on the left, is a sort of masturbation fantasy in which the world of fact hardly matters. That’s true, unfortunately, and it’s part of the reason that our society lacks a genuine, responsible, serious left-wing movement.
Noam Chomsky, ‘The Politization of the University’, in Radical Priorities, Montréal, 1984, p. 200

It is alarming how uncomfortable the truth is when told simply by the most informed and capable.

Five of Noam Chomsky Books worth checking out:
Essential Chomsky
On Language
The Chomsky Reader
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
9-11

The Man Who Walked Across The World - Magicians and Mystics

2008-02-13T17:54:00.000-08:00

]

Tim Mackintosh-Smith follow the journey of the muslim scholar Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta who traveled 40 countries and 3 continents. Along the way he met and ate with sultans, saints, mystics and madmen.

Who is this adventurous muslim scholar:
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta (Arabic: أبو عبد الله محمد ابن بطوطة‎) (born February 24, 1304; year of death uncertain, possibly 1368 or 1377) was an Arabian, Berber[1] scholar and jurisprudent from the Maliki Madhhab (a school of Fiqh, or Sunni Islamic law), and at times a Qadi or judge. However, he is best known as a traveler and explorer, whose account documents his travels and excursions over a period of almost thirty years, covering some 73,000 miles (117,000 km). These journeys covered almost the entirety of the known Islamic world and beyond, extending from North Africa, West Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe in the west, to the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and China in the east, a distance readily surpassing that of his predecessors and his near-contemporary Marco Polo.
If you like here is more on Ibn Battuta

Pulp - No Sleep Till Sheffield

2008-02-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

BBC Four Documentary / Jarvis Cocker / Pulp - No Sleep Till Sheffield

Crumb: Weird Sex, Obsession, Comic Books

2008-02-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

Documentary on the outstanding comic Robert Crumb and family.

Road to Guantanamo

2008-01-30T05:46:00.000-08:00

The Road to Guantanamo is the new/modern horror story directed by Micheal Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross. The story of four Young British Muslims traveling to Pakistan for a wedding, in a sharp turn of events the young men find themselves in Cuba entangled in all the cruelty we hear so often on the evening news.

Many of the scenes are humiliating and shocking that will certainly terrify the good citizen into his or her corner. The Road to Guantanamo is a full length feature film, however it is done in a documentary style with testimonials and commentaries along the way. The movie is dramatic and moves very quickly. After the nightmare travel and being accused as Al Qaeda fighters, returning to your home is something of a resolution.

Helvetica: The Movie

2008-01-23T15:50:00.000-08:00

The Helevtica title is no longer online, it was a bootleg copy that was removed at the request of Gary Hustwit.
It can be purchased here.

Helvetica, the fragrance of the city.
A good documentary about the typeface Helvetica. At first it seems like an impossible task for a full length documentary on such a narrow subject as a typeface, however the film is very informative and lively all the way to the end. There are one or two silly comments along the way, but everything after that is fascinating. It is divided in two parts, the first half is filled with praises and lavish montage and then the opposite side.

Some of the typographers include:Massimo Vignelli, Erik Spiekermann, Experimental Jetset, Matthew Carter, Norm, Tobias Frere-Jones among many others. Michael Bierut and Spiekermann also provide their usually good commentary while sounding like an almost fanatic with humor.

Secret Swami - About Sai Baba

2008-01-23T06:11:00.000-08:00

Sathya Sai Baba, the short stumpy man with big hair and funny colors who call himself the man god. The documentary is primarily focused on an Arkansas family and their many trips to India. Father and Son alleges Baba misuse their faith for his personal satisfaction. Baba reminds me of an American Wrestlers I watched as a kid.

Baba is now older, struggling to get things done for himself. However, in his younger days he used his popularity and wealth to build hospitals and running water in some of the poor villages.

Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple

2008-01-20T17:35:00.000-08:00

Jim Jones, the dark cloud.
"I represent divine principle, total equality, a society where people own all things in common, where there's no rich or poor, where there are no races. Wherever there are people struggling for justice and righteousness, there I am." - Jim Jones, founder, Peoples Temple

The Rev. Jim Jones began his small church service in Indiana, as his congregation grew, he moved to Ukiah California. It seems as if in California his madness and paranoia began to show itself, yet his followers gave little attention to the signs, instead they were completely overwhelm by the Reverend's persuasive and fiey speeches. Some of the followers sold their homes and gave all their savings and earnings to the cult. As the madness of Jones was about to be exposed, they migrated to Guyana. In Guyana everything fell apart, the once good preacher became a monster. What began as a small church service open to all ended in mass suicide, over 900 men, women and children died.

The documentary is a good historical highlight of the tragedy, all of the major events were covered. However, not much is said about Jim Jones, except as a boy he did quite a few unusual things with his school friends that involved animals and funerals. These isolated communities and cults take time, the journey is long with deception, the swindling of the poor and disadvantage by a man with an excellent voice.

Come September

2008-01-10T14:45:00.000-08:00

Come September is the famous speech by Arundhati Roy, the famed novelist and activist of The God of Small Things. The speech is by far one of the most brave and honest things I have heard. The speech is revealing and courageous without compromise, you might find yourself stopping and rewinding it again and again.

The documentary is about 1 hour long with historical and contemporary footage of war, poverty and everything in between. The visuals are quite good and makes Roy's words even more alarming and compelling. The music that accompany the film is also very good. Artists such as Board of Canada, Dead can Dance, Amon Tobin and Massive Attack are also contributors to the documentary.

After The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy seem to have left behind fiction to concentrate more on activism. In 1989 she wrote The End of Imagination in response to India's nuclear weapons. Many of her other essays can be found online.

Sex Slaves

2008-01-08T19:31:00.000-08:00

A sad and sobering Frontline documentary on the underground world of Sex Slaves. Poor and innocent women are sold by acquaintances to ruthless pimps. From the small villages of the Ukraine young women are sold and trafficked to the discotheques and brothels of Turkey.

The documentary follows Viorel as he tries desperately to find his wife Katia who was sold into the world of sexual slavery for $1,000. And another young woman returning to the brothel after her escape. The women are raped and beaten. If caught by the police, they are treated as prostitutes and deported home.

Coolies - How Britain Reinvented Slavery

2008-01-06T18:16:00.000-08:00

Another exceptional documentary from the BBC. The documentary follow the recruitment of Collies (Indians) from Calcutta India to the Caribbean (Guyana and Fiji) and then to South Africa. Slavery was officially abolished, yet the Empire where the sun never sets found a way to work around the horrors of Slavery with another shameful practice, Indentured Servants.

Over a million Indians were taken from their homes and spread across the British Empire to work on the sugar plantations.

There are highlights of Gandhi and the work he began in South Africa as a young lawyer. The documentary also include and interview with Gandhi's great grand daughter, Dhupelia Mesthrie and David Dabydeen whose grandfather was recruited to work on the plantations.

Style Wars

2008-01-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

A New York documentary about Hip Hop. It covers all the good stuff, graffiti, breakdancing and rapping. A time when the New York subways were colorful with graffiti.

Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids

2008-01-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

What a burdensome title for a film, its loaded with disturbing content. And more disturbing to know, we are viewing a version of the truth, or something very close to it. The documentary is an important piece of history, showing one of the worst ways people make a living in the world. Zana Briski who is responsible for the film set out to document the lives of the prostitutes in Calcutta's Red Light District. The women of the district grew weary of Briski and her camera. However, the children were excite and fascinated by the camera and so she gained the children's confidence by teaching them how to photograph their home,family,friends and village. One of the really refreshing things about the film is the emphasis on the children, their unfiltered opinions, the way they see things. The filmmakers are most times in the background.

Deservingly, it won the Academy Awards for Best Documentary feature and all the other awards below it. You should just get a cup of tea and kick back an d watch it now, and then you should tell all of your friends.

The Story of the Man Who Changed The World in 23 Years

2007-12-30T19:09:00.000-08:00

Islam-Muhammad (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) Legacy of a prophet, is a beautiful introduction into the vast and seemingly complex life of the Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam). The life of an illiterate and humble man, summon to read, to recite, to call the people to the one true God. The documentary is a good window into the Prophet's life that also include profiles of a diverse set of American Muslims. A calligrapher, a firefighter, a convert on the journey to Hajj, and a nurse and her family. The former Nun, Karen Armstrong provides her usually keen commentary, she seems to popup on all things dealing with religion and faith airing on PBS or NYC public radio.

Martin Heidegger: Human all too Human

2007-12-28T21:54:00.000-08:00

"He who thinks great thoughts often makes great errors." Martin Heidegger was one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. A life wrapped in controversy. His most famous work Being and Time is taught in many undergrad courses, yet very little is ever shed on his personal life. Raw ambition seems to have gotten the best of him.

Human all too human is presented by the BBC covering the heavyweights; Nietzsche, Sarte and Heidegger. Heidegger certainly is the least popular of the three. His association with Hitler is shameful and distressing to say the least, however in the end he seem to have escape.

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