Favorite Documentaries

[G-DDT]

This got me going after one sees so many threads about favorite movies, T.V. shows, etc. Yet, I know folks on these forums are bright [[compared to most comment sections on websites and the like) and take an interest in educational things [[despite what some Emergency Managers may think of us). So, Class [[and I use the term loosely), your assignment for this winter semester is to come up with no more than ten of your favorite documentaries.

What is classified a documentary?: It can be a series, a short, something about war, or sports, or a local [[blues?) musician, scene, event, something scientific, etc. that you saw at the theaters, online, or Television [[or "T.V" as some of those Ha!-"plebes" call it). Heck! it can be a half hour bit on TLC, Animal Planet, or the History [[snicker) Channel as long as it isn't about pawn shops, racist backwoods hunters, or something picking on the Amish. As long as you were learning something in it's straight delivery and it wasn't some movie based on a true story, you got yourself a documentary. I'm quite sure if one stops and stretches their thinksprings for a moment they'll say "Oh yeah, I guess that is a documentary I liked".

I'm also sure many of the folks here can come up with a lot more Michigan/Detroit-oriented items than what I produced.

Yet, of course, I'll start off:

1. Most anything Errol Morris has done.
2. The Cosmos series by Dr. Carl Sagan [[the old stuff with the music by Tomita in it).
3. Roger and Me by Michael Moore
4. Bowling for Columbine ibid.-that is, up until Moore falls into his bad habits and starts harassing an aged Dick Clark and Charlton Heston.
5. An amazing 8-part series for us stuffed shirt grammar/linguist types called "The Adventure of English" [[2003) narrated by Melvyn Bragg-a truly great breakdown on the origins of the English words we use today drawing from many examples and tastefully well done.
6. Not too long ago there was a decent channel called Current [[home to Rotten Tomatoes and Infomania) that ran funny shorts on interesting folks [[like the Tron guy). My Favorites was about Ellis G., and-whoa! Hey! look what's in my pocket here-https://vimeo.com/79004408.
7. The Buena Vista Social Club [[1999) by Wim Wenders
8. Manufacturing Consent [[1992)
9. Gather around kiddies. Let me tell you about a time when channels like IFC and Sundance meant a dink and had good programming. IFC in particular used to spotlight hour and half/2 hour specials on independent shorts, marathon blocks [[like "Cronenberg for Christmas"-eww or "the Peter Greenaway Show"), and great shows like "Fishing with John". Back around October of 2000, they were showing nothing but horror flicks [[hosted by Tom Savini) and it all centered around this great documentary by Adam Simon called "The American Nightmare" which had guys like Romero, Carpenter, Craven, Savini, and Cronenberg explaining what the horrific times were that they lived in to inspire them to produce the terror epics they did. You can check it out here, but it's the kind of thing you want to see on a big screen with huge sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5v03a_zCSM. Be advised, it is not for the faint or impressionable of heart!
10. There was one short, odd bit from World Link [[yeah, I'm one of those guys) I personally liked that took one on an odd associative jaunt from one number system to another covering consumer habits to feeding pigs, to trash picking, to mass consumption, and it even made a sly reference to the Goiania village radiation disaster. Can't seem to track that down, and I only recorded a small portion of it.