Documentary Thread #2

[Thunderplex]

Poor old Lake.  Would have lost the house now.

[Devon Malcolm]

1 hour ago, King Coconut said:

I forget where I was when Princess Di died

I was playing Doom 64. Watch Your Step. Fucking level.

[SuperBacon]

21 minutes ago, Thunderplex said:

Poor old Lake.  Would have lost the house now.

Rented but permanent. 

[Merzbow]

Watching Louis right now and I'm not always his biggest fan but he's played a blinder here, let Israelis and Zionists expose themselves as evil without pushing or promoting them.

[Bellenda Carlisle]

That new Liver King documentary sucks. The untold series are normally really gripping sports stories but this is more like a puff piece redemption story from the Liver King trying to make himself look good, it's completely pointless. The only good thing about it is I derived some black comedy from the terrible way he's raising his sons.

[BomberPat]

His sons' names are the best part.

Spoiler

Stryker, and Rad Ical.

 

[gmoney]

Excellent two part Pee-Wee Herman doc on Sky/Now TV. I think I mentioned here before that as a kid I found him instantly annoying and never got into him then, but the level of creativity and positivity his work radiates is so impressive. And the raw deal he got in the mid 90s and early 2000s is gutting. 

Most of Pee-wee's Playhouse appears to be on Amazon Prime (except S3 for some reason) if you fancy getting stuck into that as well. 

[SaitoRyo]

There's a phenomenal new four-part documentary on Prime about NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt called, simply, Earnhardt.

I've never given much thought to NASCAR, but I knew of Earnhardt and thought I'd check it out. I'm glad I did, as it's really, really well done and worth watching for the sheer quantity and quality of archive footage alone, which really does harken back to a time and place that simply doesn't exist anymore. 

[wordsfromlee]

The Seven Five

A really interesting doc from 2014 about the corruption in the New York Police Department in the 80s, mainly focussing on the exploits of two officers. It's got talking heads with lots of the guys involved from the crooked officers themselves to the gang leaders they worked with/for and everyone in between.

Apparently it's being made into a film written by Tony McNamara and directed by Ben Stiller.

It's up on YouTube too.

 

[Magnum Milano]

Hotel Monterey (1973) (ok.ru)
A silent documentary detailing Hotel Monterey, a fairly cheap looking Manhattan boarding house. It’s experimental, avant-garde and not for me. I’m at a loss how anyone could sit and concentrate on this for the full hour’s duration, as after five minutes I’d realized this was going to be a slog and decided to do something else at the same time while still keeping one eye on it. Lengthy shots of absolutely nothing - such as the camera looking at wash basins, corridors and landings for a minute at a time - the best moments were towards the end after we’d left the confines of the hotel and gone outside. I'd decided to check out some Chantal Akerman and this was the second piece of hers I've watched, after Saute ma ville. I'm going to persevere for the time being but I've not enjoyed either so far.

I also watched a couple of documentaries on drag, one US and the other, UK.

The Queen (1968) (Tubi)
A behind the scenes look at the 1967 Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant in New York City. Prior to this it appears there had been regional heats, before all the winners gathered together to see who would be crowned the National champion. We see everyone arrive and meet each other, footage of rehearsals, dress fittings - interestingly they don’t appear to have their own dresses and all descend on a costume shop to get their outfit- and then the event itself. The pageant is modelled on traditional pageants, with a swimsuit round followed by an evening gown one, nothing like drag shows of today. The winner seemed fairly obvious from the off, as they were the one who looked like an attractive woman even in male mode, whereas some of the other contestants you could still see their five o’clock shadow! The undoubted highlight was towards the end, where Crystal LaBeija - who finished top five - accuses the host, Sabrina, of rigging the competition and tears into both her and the winner. A fascinating look and insight into a pre-Stonewall drag pageant.

What's a Girl Like You? (1969) (YouTube)
A made for TV documentary taking a look at the growing phenomena of drag in the clubs and bars up and down England. Considering this was made in 1969, it is surprising how non-judgmental and even progressive it is. We see footage of the queens performing at venues in London and then Manchester, the audience, full of gruff looking blokey blokes who you think would detest this form of entertainment, loving it. Due to when it was filmed, it’s hard to know how honest some of the subjects were being. It is stressed that you don’t have to be gay to be a female impersonator, although a couple of those who profess to be straight are clearly homosexual, including the chap who can’t stop talking about being married and his children. The final queen we meet has even gone so far as to take hormones, developing full-on breasts, which she reveals in a striptease at the culmination of her act. Yet still says she identifies as a male outside performing. That’s some extreme dedication to the craft if it’s the case. This put a smile on my face watching it. Thought it was great.

Edited September 26, 2025 by Magnum Milano

[SaitoRyo]

Hell yeah.

 

[SuperBacon]

The Alabama Solution

This is a fantastic, but rough, watch. Basically its inmates secretly filming the facilities they're living in, and the horrific conditions, within the Alabama prison system, over a number of years, corresponding with the film makers.

How they show the humility they do, and the strength to eventually organise themselves against the system is beyond me. Its a brilliant doc, but there are some really upsetting scenes as you can imagine.

I assume this is on Sky Documentaries and that I have this channel on my NOW TV package (I have lost track of what I sub to quite honestly) but yeah seek it out when you can.

[Devon Malcolm]

Predators

Documentary about To Catch a Predator, the aftermath of its broadcasting, and the copycat shows that have been spawned from it. Obviously really difficult to watch but it splits open the sheer awfulness of exploiting one of the grimmest subjects imaginable for entertainment purposes. The director plays a really important role in it all. The end shot of Chris Hansen is astonishing filmmaking. Couldn't recommend this highly enough.

[Devon Malcolm]

These are all must-sees:-

Sly Lives!

Questlove seems to have found a talent for making music documentaries. Summer of Soul was superb and this one, about Sly and the Family Stone, is just as good. Really well made and edited, the music is obviously amazing, but it covers all the bases while also asking a broader question about the perception of black genius.

DEVO

Another superb music documentary. Typically daft and ramshackle, just like the band, but a really good insight into the serious political backdrop to their music. Even if you don't like them I'd recommend it.

The Golden Spurtle

Who wants to watch a documentary about the world porridge-making tournament? Of course you do. Really lovely little film, this, funny but not piss-taking with really nice people and lots of eccentric interview moments. Reminded me of The Truffle Hunters, which is also excellent.

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found

About the South African photographer who chronicled life under Apartheid until he was exiled to America, this says so much about the industry he worked in, his country of birth and the places he ended up living in. Fascinating throughout.

Tata

A Romanian filmmaker tackles generational trauma and helps her abusive father deal with workplace misconduct. Raw and tough to watch at times - one of the best films I've seen that gets to the heart of toxic masculinity and why it lingers and infects.

[SuperBacon]

Watched The Fog of War and Capturing the Friedmans for the first time in 20 odd years.

Both absolutely superb documentaries, but an afternoon of nonces and war criminals is a bit much. The latter was far more complex than I remembered it being.