I have resolved to watch more documentaries during lockdown, so I'm looking for some recommendations.
Watched the Console Wars (Nintendo v Sega) and Apollo 11 on Sky Documentaries over the last couple of days.
Printable View
I have resolved to watch more documentaries during lockdown, so I'm looking for some recommendations.
Watched the Console Wars (Nintendo v Sega) and Apollo 11 on Sky Documentaries over the last couple of days.
I know you are into your games so The King of Kong and from Bedrooms to Billions are both a good watch
Also NoClip on YouTube is a great series of documentaries on the making of lots of different games
The Last Dance can’t be beaten, even if you’re not really into the NBA.
I’d second that .. No interest in NBA, but one of my most favourite sports documentaries of all time
If you like adventure racing ..the “eco-challenge- worlds toughest race” on Amazon prime is fun and gripping to watch ..following international competitors go through what can only be described as incredible challenges and endurance
The World at War narrated by Laurence Olivier is an absolute classic documentary. If you haven't seen it it's well worth a few hours of your time.
Fahrenheit 11/9 is worth a watch just for the sheer 'how the **** did they get away with that' element.
If you like sporting documentaries then Free Solo, The Barkley Marathons:The Race That Eats it's Young, Icarus, Senna, Pumping Iron and Freedom's Fury all spring to mind as worth a watch.
OJ: Made in America is pretty amazing - think it’s about 10 hours worth.
The Defiant Ones on Netflix about Dr Dre also very good IMO.
There’s also a film about Rockfield (the music studio) which is great if you’re into 90s music. Contributions from LG, Tim Burgess etc.
The Vow and Murder on Middle Beach, Sky Documentaries.
Dear Zachary. Quite astonishing doc, but truly heartbreaking - can't say more. Maybe one for the brighter nights.
Project Nim - couple raise a chimp. Really weird folk in this world.
King of Kong - as mentioned above.
Black fish - a dive into SeaWorld and the treatment of orcas.
Mind hunter - Unabomber
The Social Dilemma
Hypernormalisation
The Assassination of Gianni Versace
The Corporation
• Hitsville: The Making Of Mowtown - best documentary I’ve seen on Mowtown by a distance (Sky Arts)
• Rock N Roll Island: Where Legends Were Born - a small island in London that was the place to be where all the big 60s bands played before they were big (BBC IPlayer)
• World War 2 In Colour - Netflix
• Jim & Andy - Jim Carey method acting and staying in character playing the eccentric Andy Kauffman in Man On The Moon (Netflix)
• Room 237 - documentary on The Shining looking at all Kubrick’s Easter eggs and theories like how it’s an admission he faked the moon landings etc. I’m no conspiracy theorist but quite enjoy the more plausible theories people can make without necessarily believing them.
20 feet from stardom
The staircase -Netflix
The Jinx - Sky Atlantic/documentaries
High Score - Netflix
I second Dear Zachary, very sad though
Don’t **** with cats - Netflix
Matty, if you haven't done so already, I'd recommend you check out the bbc iplayer, also ITV and ch4 iplayers too.
They all have whole sections full of documentaries, and if like me you're up during the night, they're perfect for watching then as they usually have subtitles available.
GGTTH
"Lance" on the BBC is a great watch.
I'm not into cycling but found the whole thing absolutely fascinating, so good to hear so much from the horse's mouth too.
Some great suggestions on here, seen a few of them before but definitely a lot that I'll be new to. Keep them coming!
Three identical strangers
There's something wrong with Aunt Dianne
Cropsey
The imposter
Capturing the Friedman's
West of memphis
I watched a good one last night. Treeline - The Secrrt Life of Trees. I think it was put together by the climbing brand Patagonia.
Some great scenery and music. Good for sticking on for an hour to chill out
Also - Free Solo.
hypernormalisation
bitter lake
the internet’s own boy
deep web
inside job
enron
zero days
the fear of 13
killer inside: the mind of aaron hernandez
cartel land
probably think of more but these are some of the best i’ve seen. should keep you going for a little while :greengrin
I know Neil Oliver is not everybody's cup of tea but this four parter is outstanding, in my opinion.
I'm a scholar of Scottish history and even so, I learned some startling facts from this documentary series. Rob Roy McGregor - who'd have thunk it :wink::greengrin
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...r-of-victories
Watched this mini series with Sarah Pascoe and found it quite entertaining. Lighthearted viewing.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m000qsf8/last-woman-on-earth-with-sara-pascoe
She also did Travelling Blind with Amar Latif which I really enjoyed.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00031c7
I love the Sroryville documentaries on the BBC, lots to watch.
Spike Lee’s “When the levees broke”, his documentary about hurricane Katrina.
I've just finished part 1 of 3 of Fear City on Netflix.
Very good so far. It's about the mob in new york.
Watched a documentary about Ivor Cutler on Sky, I only really had heard his name before but it was really interesting. Presented by KT Tunstall.
Watching “The Ripper” on Netflix - unsurprisingly about the Yorkshire Ripper.
Never realised that Bruce Jones who played Les Battersby in Coronation Street found one of the bodies. He was treated as a suspect and lost his wife and kids as a result.
Not a documentary but watching the Pembrokeshire Murders series. Rubbish title considering he appeared on Bullseye!
I would have called it Double Topped. 😬
Looking forward the Bruno Tyson film on Sky Docs.
Murder in my Village on Sky Crime, something quite addictive about it.
The Art Of Drumming on Sky Arts is good if you like your music.
Night Stalker on Netflix is brilliant. Not for the faint hearted as pretty graphic. Ramirez was one ****ed up evil git.
Just tuned in to Sky Arts, currently showing Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President.
It’s probably my age, but it’s a great watch.
Started The Last Dance this week, terrific so far. Good recommendation!
I noticed a whole load of Storyville's on BBC iPlayer.
Started with the Evel Knievel one tonight. What a nutter he was.
Not seen it mentioned on here, but Ian Hislop's Fake News on BBC 4 is a good watch. Informative and entertaining. It goes back to the 19th century looking at fake news in the beginning of modern media and up to the modern day. It looks at the motivation, means and consequences of fake news and conspiracy theories. For me it didn't go far enough back in time, it could have started with the ancient Egyptians and their hieroglyphics, the Roman chroniclers or even Mr Moses coming down from a mountain top. :duck:
Teenage Superstars
Great documentary about the early days of the Scottish indie music scene.
Been watching A Summer of Rockets on BBC iPlayer just now a post war/50s spy drama based on a true story.
Enjoying it so far. The portrayal of the elite upper classes and racist intolerance of the period is very well done.
Watched the story of the boxing gangster Daniel Kinnihan, really good watch. Barry McGuigan was interviewed and could hear in his voice that he was intimidated by Kinnihan and his cohorts. McGuigan said he lost a few of his boxers to Kinnihans stable MTK Global, didnt realise Josh Taylor was one of them
Listening to 6music this morning there is an interesting doc about Robert Lloyd of The Nightingales on Sky Arts tonight.
Not a documentary as such but Darren McGarvey's "Class Wars" is a good watch so far. Putting aside his nasal weedgie accent (that he admits he cultivates), it's a great concept for analysis. I can relate a lot to the conundrum of class dismorphism that he is looking at amongst other phenomenon in this series. If there is such a thing as upper upper class then I stem from a lower lower class background and am still at least mentally imprisoned within its walls despite probably now living what might be described as a middle class life. The first episode has made me reconsider how I actually perceive myself and sheds a bit of light on some of my own inner conflicts.
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at The Cecil Hotel that’s just come on Netflix today looks like it could be very good.
One of these ones that took 4 episodes when it could have been done in one. I watched a YouTube video on this a few years ago and didn’t learn anything new from the Netflix show that I didn’t already know from a 10 minute YT video, other than some creepy guy wants to visit her grave for closure.
I said the same on the Best TV thread. A really intriguing story but the doc was ruined because each episode for 30 minutes of waffle and filler.
I've just finished Rising Phoenix on Netflix all about the formation and growth of the Paralympics. Really interesting story.
I think what the Cecil hotel documentary did do well is showing how internet conspiracies and the like can be so damaging, so quickly. From saying that someone in the hotel is in on it, to the police, to a musician, to goodness knows what with evidence that was just speculation that spread like wildfire, to allow that story room to breathe made the fairly simple story at the end more striking.
Still could have cut at least one more episode out of it though.
Just re-watched the Bros comeback documentary from a couple of years ago. The GF hadn’t seen it and was convinced it was a parody or piss take. Absolutely hilarious!
Anyone been watching the Channel 5 series Greatest hits of the 70’s/80’s
There have been loads of these sort on over the years, but I really loved the 70’s one
Josh Taylor on james English podcast today , well worth the watch , what a guy
New from Adam Curtis 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' on the BBC I Player
Sky q customers being offered discovery plus free for a year. Anyone taken this up? Worth the effort of registering with no catches after the year is up etc?
Anyone catch the first part of the Luke Mitchell/Jodie Jones doc on Chan 5?
Its obviously edited and aimed at trying to show him as innocent. Something I have heard from a few people who were close to the case at the time, they cast doubt.
However, what annoys me in these programs is the exclusion of what they did have and how they did find him guilty - along with 4 failed appeals. There HAS to be some evidence to have convicted him. He had Donald Findlay as his defence, he would have taken the prosecution apart with ease based on what we've been fed so far.
I'm sure I read in the past that they suspected the whole Mark Kane thing was an attempt to make money from the press. Can't remember the detail but the guy that knew him was a right dodgy character.
Something also came out about the condom owner. Think he'd claimed to be by himself but got himself in a bit of a muddle when trying not to sound like a lonely w***er!
Never saw the documentary but one of my best mates is a defence lawyer, he sat through the trial as part of his training, his opinion is and always has been that personally he thinks he did have something to do with it but the evidence he was convicted on was ridiculous and it was effectively trial by media
Watched “All This Mayhem” tonight from a few years back. Fantastic watch and a really sad story, didn’t think It would be as gripping as it was.
Watched last week's Storyville episode re the child abuse scandal in Jersey, what a messed up place that is/was. 😯
Watched The Dissident the other night. Funk me, what a documentary
Earth : The power of the planet, series is available on the iplayer, magnificent viewing.
I have a morbid fear of snakes, but Snakes in the City, following a couple who catch and release snakes into the wild in the Durban area is compulsive viewing for me.
Also, The Secret Lives of Kangaroos on Sky nature.