I love movies almost as much as I love books, and since I’m a huge fan of non-fiction, of course I love documentary films the best! If you think real-life can’t be as dramatic or interesting as real-life, then maybe you just haven’t seen the right documentary yet! Here’s my list of 8 documentaries you must see…
1 The Cove
If you’re an animal lover or just someone who’s interested in sea life, watch The Cove. It’s a film released last year about an annual Japanese dolphin hunt. The film is hard to watch in some spots, and even harder to listen to, but in a way it’s beautiful and important.
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2 Super-Size Me
We Americans love our fast food, even though on some level we know it’s not good for us. But how bad for us is it? For one month, the filmmaker eats nothing but fast food, and every time a clerk asks him if he wants to “super-size” his meal, he has to say yes. The physical and mental impact of these 30 shorts days is amazing…
3 Hoop Dreams
This documentary follows two young African American boys in their quest to play college basketball in the hopes of one day playing in the NBA. It’s painfully honest, and gives you a look into a world most of us never see. Watch this one with your guy… he’ll enjoy it, too.
4 GasLand
This isn’t a documentary in the strictest sense, it’s more of a mini-series because the filmmaker’s couldn’t fit everything they wanted in two short hours. Instead, they’re airing it on HBO. It tells the story of just how big corporations extract natural gas from the earth beneath our feet — it’s shocking. VERY shocking. Flammable tap water? You’ll be outraged, and well-informed, which is exactly what the filmmaker wants.
5 Anvil! the Story of Anvil
I love this movie! It’s the story of two best friends who start a hair metal band… and how, many, many years later, they’re still rocking. It’s fun, touching, funny, and the music is great. Why haven’t you heard of them before?
6 Born into Brothels: Calcutta’s Red Light Kids
This documentary was such an eye-opener. I had never imagined that there would be an entire sub-culture of the red-light district in Calcutta, the children of prostitutes. This chronicles their lives, their struggles and meager joys. It’s hard to watch in some spots, but is worth watching for sure.
7 Grizzly Man
Timothy Treadwell was a nature lover, a self-described friend of grizzly bears, living among them peacefully until the fall of 2003, when he and his girlfriend were fatally mauled by them in Alaska. How could this have happened? This documentary traces the tale of what happened, and why; mostly the tragedy resulted from Treadwell’s naivety and innocence. It’s riveting, and tragic… you’ll cry for sure, and your guy might, too… it reminds me a lot of Steve Irwin…
8 King of Kong: a Fistful of Quarters
Have you ever wondered what video-game freaks are really like, what drives them, and why? This documentary follows a group of people as they all compete to break arcade-game World Records. It’s funny, sweet, weird, and oh-so-revealing.
Choose a few of these, rent them, and you’ll soon be a fan of documentaries, too! Or are you already a fan? Which of these fantastic documentaries do you like best, and why? Or is there another one you love more? Please let me know!
