Top Ten Documentaries to Watch Now!
So, if there is one thing I love, it is a good documentary. If a documentary tells a tale, weaves in characters, and makes me think, then I am in! I could name a list of at least 50 documentaries I have seen lately that have been interesting, but I am limiting this to ten, just so this stays a blog and does not become a Stephen King-sized book.
I will also be limiting these to documentaries I have not previously mentioned on any past blog. So, here goes (in no particular order)! Get ready for some documenting of these documentaries!
1. 30 for 30 Bo Jackson. I am not a sports fan, pretty much at all. I will watch big football games and whatnot, but beyond that, sports is not my thing. However, this documentary is crazy good. It had me so interested that I watched it three times in the first few days of finding it. Bo Jacksonwas an interesting guy with a tremendous amount of talent. This documentary goes back to his youth and discusses everything from his early life, to his reasons for choosing to play two sports, to his Nike commercials, and his hip problems. I guarantee you this: You don't know Bo.
2. The Jinx. This is an HBO documentary mini-series from a couple years back. It was so good in its weirdness. If you know anything about Robert Durst, then you know he is a man full of surprises and a man who rarely, if ever, takes responsibility for his actions. Everything is always someone else's fault. His wife died? "It wasn't me." His best friend dies a weird death? "Not me." You get the picture. Anyway, these guys were able to get rid of the BS surrounding the case and actually explore it in a good way, with Durst's full support (he picked them, after all)! Stay with it for the surprise ending.
3. Making a Murderer. This is a Netflix original and it really shows the way the justice system doesn’t work...for many people anyway. Steven Avery and Brandon Dassey being a couple who it does not work for. It’s a sad commentary on the way people who are poor and not very intelligent can get framed for things, in an effort to just close the case altogether. Many police departments try to close a case as quickly as possible and for a variety of reasons. Some are legitimate reasons- they feel certain they have the right person, the community is scared and needs closure, etc. However, the reason for this quick discovery and close was something altogether sinister- a man who was wrongly imprisoned before and exonerated due to DNA evidence, was scheduled to win a big payday from his town. Then, mysteriously, a woman dies and he is arrested, the day he is due the payday. Now he’s ineligible for the money and no one wants to help him. It’s worth a watch. It’ll make you angry, guarantee it.
4. Something's Wrong With Aunt Diane? (Amazon Prime) This documentary follows the case of a woman who leaves camp with a van full of kids and ends up crashing her car, killing most of them and herself. She has a blood alcohol level almost unheard of and the kids remember her acting weirdly. They call their parents during the ride and say something is wrong. Before anyone can catch up, the crash is imminent. The family refuses to believe that Diane had been drinking, as they all left camp at the same time, and she was not drunk then. They investigate to see what really happened. It’s a really interesting look at a family going through unspeakable grief.
5. The Syndrome. This is an excellent, very interesting documentary on shaken baby syndrome. I had never heard this side of the story before and I think it’s a must see. This documentary takes you through the history of the syndrome and how it is diagnosed and how it should not really exist as a diagnosis. I know that sounds crazy. But you have to see this one to believe it. It’s so well documented and is so well researched. Kids are meanwhile being taken from their families for some congenital and hereditary disorders, based on this false "syndrome" that includes these three indicators that one set of medical researchers once came up with, saying that these three indicators mean the child has been abused and nothing else could be the reason for the child’s illness or death. This takes a look inside the only diagnosis in America that is a diagnosis of abuse. See for yourself what I mean. It’s eye-opening. And heart breaking.
6. Finders Keepers. You’ll either love this one or hate it. I personally love it. It’s a fascinating look at a man who lost his leg (twice) and who wants it back. It’s about personality and poverty. Drug addiction and a tragic accident. A family in pieces. Another family on the brink of breaking up over a leg that is not theirs. It’s crazy. I found it fascinating but several people haven’t liked it due to the basic story. However, it’s much more than the story of a man and his missing leg. It’s about relationships and money and drugs and heartbreak. Check it out.
7. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief. This is another outstanding HBO documentary. It’s strange to find out what other people believe when you don’t know anyone who believes like that. It’s even stranger to watch the documentary and have a guest in your home, who is sitting on your couch next to you, state, "My family are Scientologists." Such was the case as I watched Going Clear with my adult son and his friend. This documentary is eye opening about a very strange “religious “ belief and how it has gotten away with some terrible abuses of people (and money, and the law) over the years. It’s a very well done documentary with lots of first person accounts of tales of being in a modern day “cult.” I highly recommend this one!
8. Spielberg. Another HBO documentary, this is the story of the amazing Steven Spielberg, a director who has done far more than most and tells his story of his start and how it progressed from being a “no one” to his fame of today. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry. It’s a great tale of an ordinary man with huge dreams. If anyone can do a decent documentary, it sure is HBO! This one is a must-watch for anyone interested in movies, directors, or who has a love of Spielberg, the man.
9. If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast. This is a beautiful, moving movie about the elderly comedians who have lived a full like (past 90) and it shares their secrets. Not all are comedians, but many are. They spill the beans on what makes them feel fulfilled, what makes them happy, what makes each day a day worth living. It’s a great documentary for those of us feeling old and nowhere near the ages of these guys. Watching Dick Van Dyke dance and sing makes me hope to even be able to walk at his age. I’ve seen it a few times because I really love it that much!
10. Room 237. This is a documentary for those who love Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Or for those who are interested in any type of conspiracy theory, because this documentary is full of them. Different people’s theories on the movie are discussed. Rather than just assuming Kubrick wrote a horror movie based on a book, many people feel it’s full of hidden messages to tell us stories about our lives. Did Kubrick direct and produce the moon landing? That’s one theory. This film is full of others, too.
That about does it for this week! I hope you find a documentary you love on this list! Let me know what documentaries you love in the comments!
Next week, we will discuss the best movies of 2018, so far. See you then!
