Documentary Films

LUMPENPROLETARIAT

Here are some notable documentary films, listed by title, which are worthy of your critical attention, time, and consideration (albeit some more than others, given our sundry behaviour–thought–feeling (BTF) patterns):

9:

  • 9/11: Press for Truth.
  • 9/11: The Falling Man (2006). Hulu: “It’s one of the most unforgettable images from 9/11—a photograph of a falling man, frozen in mid-air, his body perfectly parallel with the twin towers. The photo was one of the defining images of that terrible day.”

1971:

  • 1971 (2014) directed by Johanna Hamilton. Netflix: “More than 40 years after a band of activists raided an FBI office to find evidence of illegal surveillance, those responsible discuss the incident.”

A:

  • After the Spill (2015) directed by Jon Bowermaster. Netflix: “Activists and citizens of Louisiana speak out about the ongoing, devastating effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and unchecked coastal erosion.”
  • All Things Must Pass (2015). (With David Grohl, et al.) The rise and fall of hard copy music retailer Tower Records before digital downloading virtually supplanted vinyl records, tapes, and CDs.
  • The American Ruling Class (2005).
  • Agents of Change (2016) directed by Abby Ginzberg (of Berkeley) and Frank Dawson.
  • Another World (2014) directed by Rebecca Chaiklin and Fisher Stevens. Netflix: “Two filmmakers descend on downtown Manhattan to chronicle the experiences of six activists as the Occupy Wall Street protests erupt in September 2011.”
  • The Atomic States of America (2012). Hulu: “The Atomic States of America takes the viewer on a journey to reactor communities around the country, and seeks to explore the truths and myths of nuclear power.”
  • Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life (1998). Hulu: “A film look at the life and work of the controversial Russian-born author Ayn Rand. Relive the drama of Ayn Rand’s life and fiction: from her early childhood and escape from Soviet Russia to her struggle and…” Ayn Rand, a cheerleader for capitalism and individualism, who wrote a little book called The Virtue of Selfishness, is a symbol of conservative and regressive politics.

B:

  • Bad Brains: A Band in D.C. (2012).
  • Netflix Original: Barry (2016) directed by Vikram Gandhi. (With Devon Terrell, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Mitchell, et al.) Netflix (DEC 2016): “Long before he sought the presidency in Washington, D.C., he was a college kid in New York in search of himself.” “A young Barack Obama forges his identity while dealing with race, divergent cultures and ordinary life as a New York college student.”
  • The Beautiful Truth (2008) directed by Steve Kroschel. (With Charlotte Gerson, Garret Kroschel, et al.) A 15-year-old Alaskan teenager embarks on a cross-country road trip to investigate Dr. Max Gerson‘s persecuted research of a dietary cure for cancer.
  • Between the Folds (2008) directed by Vanessa Gould, who wrote on the back of “Origami Bonsai”, an origami kit with instructional book and videos, “Ben Coleman’s glow-fold technique will be a valuable aid to paper folders of all levels who are learning a new model”. [screening pending, since 25 DEC 2016]
  • Beware of Mr. Baker (2012) directed by Jay Bulger.
  • Biggie & Tupac (2002) directed by Nick Broomfield. (With Nick Broomfield)
  • The Black Power Mixtape, 1967-1975: A documentary in 9 chapters (2011) directed by Göran Olsson. (With Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte, Erykah Badu, et al.)
  • Boom Bust Boom (2015) directed by Terry Jones, Bill Jones, and Benjamin Timlett. (With Terry Jones.) Monty Python’s Terry Jones looks to heterodox economics to explain the recurring and intensifying cycles of capitalist crises followed by economic booms and further financial crises.
  • Born Rich (2003) directed by Jamie Johnson. Hulu: “The heir to the Johnson & Johnson empire, Jamie Johnson, points his documentary lens in the direction of some privileged children who stand to inherit millions in the not-so-distant future.” Also see The One Percent (2006) directed by Jamie Johnson.
  • Brothers on the Line (2012) directed by Sasha Reuther. (With Martin Sheen)

C:

  • Capitalism: A Six-Part Series (2015) directed by Ilan Ziv.
  • Cartel Land (2015).
  • Cesar’s Last Fast (2014) directed by Richard Ray Perez and Lorena Parlee. Netflix: “A farmer, leader, and legend. His final act of protest lasted 36 days. His legacy will last forever. This documentary profile of Cesar Chavez was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Paying tribute to the extraordinary life of labor leader Cesar Chavez, this bio-documentary spotlights his controversial ‘Fast for Life’ in 1988.”
  • Champion (2005). Hulu: “Danny Trejo, you know the man. He has fierce tattoos, and frequently plays a thug in your favorite movies. Behind the ink and the wicked characters he plays on screen lies the story of a troubled childhood…”
  • Chasing Madoff (2011). Hulu: “Chasing Madoff is the compelling story of Harry Markopolos and his team of investigators’ ten-year struggle to expose the harrowing truth behind the infamous Madoff scandal.”
  • Chevolution (2008) directed by Trisha Ziff and Luis Lopez. Netflix: “This intruiging documentary charts the history of photographer Alberto Korda’s iconic portrait of Argentinian revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara.”
  • Chuck Norris vs. Communism (2015).
  • Crips and Bloods: Made in America (2008) directed Stacy Peralta (Narrated by Forest Whitaker.)
  • Crossing the Border to Cananea (2011). (With noted labour educator Judy Ancel.)
  • Cuba: The Forgotten Revolution (2015) directed by Glenn Gebhard (With Rita Moreno).

D:

  • Daft Punk Unchained (2015).
  • Democrats (2014) directed by Camilla Neilsson. IMDB: “In politically unstable Zimbabwe, a new constitution is being put together by the ruling party of strongman Robert Mugabe and the divided opposition. Various political, local and personal interests are bogging the process down. “
  • David Bowie: The Calm Before The Storm (2016). Hulu: “The definitive ’69 to ’71 era David Bowie documentary film.”
  • Dawg Fight (2015) directed by Billy Corben. Netflix (DEC 2016): “In a crime-plagued neighborhood near Miami, brutal, bare-knuckled backyard fights give young men a chance to earn money—and self-respect.” We may recall how bare-knuckled prize-fighting was romanticised in Far and Away with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. But, here, the danger and social distortion is real and savage. Or we may recall Concussion. Most will, understandably, find this all appalling. Of course, the elephant in the room is poverty.
  • Dirty Wars (2013). Hulu: “Fearless journalist Jeremy Scahill leads us on a thrilling globe-trotting mission, exposing the truth behind America’s expanding secret wars.”
  • The Dissident (2020).  25 DEC 2020.  NPR:  On the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Kashoggi, evidently by state partisans on behalf of the fascist state of Saudi Arabia.  [viewing list]
  • The Divide (2015) directed by Katharine Round. On growing income inequality.

E:

  • The Emperor’s New Clothes (2015) directed by Michael Winterbottom. (With Russel Brand) On growing income inequality.
  • Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) directed by Alex Gibney. (With Peter Coyote, John Beard, Jim Chanos, et al.) On corporate corruption, malfeasance, and crime.
  • Electric Boogaloo (2014) directed by Mark Hartley. (With Olivia d’Abato, John G. Avildsen, Martine Beswick, et al.)
  • Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) directed by Banksy. (With Jay Leno, Rhys Ifans, Shepard Fairey, et al.)

F:

  • The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison (1998) directed by Liz Garbus, Jonathan Stack, and Wilbert Rideau. (Also known as The Farm: Angola, USA.) Netflix: “Life on the inside of America’s biggest prison? Sounds even worse when you hear about it firsthand. This penetrating look into prison life won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and got an Oscar nod for Best Documentary. This documentary offers heartrending interviews and a rare glimpse of life at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, mainly from the inmates’ perspective.”
  • Finding Fela (2014) directed by Alex Gibney.
  • Food, Inc. (2008) directed by Robert Kenner. (Featured during KPFA fund drives. Occasionally available on Netflix: “Director Robert Kenner’s provocative, Oscar-nominated documentary looks at the food industry’s harmful effects on human health and the environment.”)
  • Food Matters (2008) directed by James Colquhoun and Carlo Ledesma. (With Charlotte Gerson, Dan Rogers, et al.)
  • Forks Over Knives (2011) directed by Lee Fulkerson. (1hr 36min) (Rated: PG) (Netflix: “High cholesterol? Low energy? Put away your tamper-proof bottles and get a new prescription for healthy living.” ¦ “According to the research of two food scientists, the popularity of processed foods has led to epidemic rates of obesity, diabetes and other diseases.”)
  • Floored (2009) directed by James Allen Smith.

G:

  • GasLand (2010) directed by Josh Fox (With Josh Fox, Aubrey K. McClendon, Pat Fernelli, et al.)
  • The Gerson Miracle (2004) directed by Steve Kroschel. (With Dr. Max Gerson.)
  • Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me (2014) directed by James Keach. (With Glen Campbell)
  • Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015).
  • Graham Chapman: Anatomy of a Liar (2012). Hulu: “Behind the scenes look at the making of A Liar’s Autobiography—there’s also a look at Chapman himself, as friends, colleagues and fellow Pythons consider the truth behind the ‘lies’ portrayed in the film.”
  • The Great Invisible (2014) directed by Margaret Brown. Netflix: “This film plumbs the depths of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig catastrophe, including the causes and aftermath of the unprecedented disaster.”

H:

  • The Hacker Wars (2014) directed by Vivien Lesnik Weisman. (With Glenn Greenwald, Chris Hedges, Thomas Drake (whistleblower, former Senior Executive NSA), Andrew “Weev” Auernheimer, Barret Brown, Jeremy Hammond, et al.)
  • The Hand That Feeds (2014) directed by Robin Blotnick and Rachel Lears. 1hr 23 min. Netflix (DEC 2016): “In a system that profits from undocumented workers, one man is raising his voice. From one voice begins a revolution. ¦ A New York restaurant becomes a battle zone when a quiet kitchen hand rises up and tries to unionize his fellow mistreated undocumented workers.” This is a good documentary. If you care about workers and the working classes, please watch this film. If you don’t, with more reason you need to watch this documentary about the importance of collective bargaining against all odds.
  • Hank: Five Years from the Brink (2013) directed by Joe Berlinger (With Henry Paulson, Wendy Paulson, et al.)
  • Hasta los dientes (2018), directed by Alberto Arnaut Estrada.  Netflix (DEC 2020): “This documentary follows the controversy surrounding the 2010 murders of two students, who were framed as criminals and killed by the Mexican military.” [TV-MA; 1hr 49m; HD; 5.1]
  • Hip-Hop Evolution (2016, Season 1, 4 episodes) directed by Shad Kabango. A Netflix original documentary film.
    • “Hip-Hop Evolution (Trailer)”
      • “From DJ Kool Herc and Run-D.M.C. to Public Enemy and N.W.A., hear the story of hip-hop from the legends who broke the rules and spawned a new sound.”
    • S1E1: “The Foundation” (48 min.)
      • “In the 1970s, DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash and the first rhythmic rappers lay the foundations of hip-hop in the South Bronx.”
    • S1E2: “The Underground to the Mainstream” (46 min.)
      • “Bootleg tapes capture the energy of live battles, the Sugarhill Gang releases a Top 40 hit, and hip-hop meets art punk in downtown New York.”
    • S1E3: “The New Guard” (46 min.)
      • “Run-D.M.C. and Def Jam bridges the rock-rap divide. Innovators like Marley Marl and Rakim usher in a new sound, and Public Enemy raises consciousness.”
    • S1E4: “The Birth of Gangsta Rap” (46 min.)
      • “Ice-T and N.W.A. put West Coast rap on the map, documenting the reality of life in South Central LA. Dr. Dre tops the charts with The Chronic.”
  • History of the Eagles (2013) directed by Alison Ellwood. (With Eagles, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, et al.)

I:

  • Illegal (2014) directed by Tarso Araujo and Raphael Erichsen. Netflix: “She can’t stand to see her daughter suffer anymore. For this desperate mom, the law is worth breaking for love. Her daughter afflicted by a rare epilepsy, Katiele tries desperately to obtain the only thing, that can relieve it: a substance derived from marijuana.”
  • I Am Femen (2014) directed by Alain Margot. Netflix: “A radical feminist group, founded in Ukraine and known for protesting topless, fights corruption, and male-driven governments across Russia and Europe.”
  • In Their Shoes (2015) directed by Atul Sabharwal.
  • I Dream of Wires (2014) directed by Robert Fantinatto.

J:

  • Jaco (2015) directed by Paul Marchand and Stephen Kijak. (With Jaco Pastorius.)
  • Janis: Little Girl Blue (2015) directed by Amy Berg. (With Cat Power)
  • Jazz directed by Ken Burns.
  • Jesus Camp (2006) directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. The Jesus Camp exposé received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature.
  • Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church (2014). Hulu: “Documentary featuring unseen footage of Jimi Hendrix in concert in 1970.”
  • Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child (2010) directed by Bob Smeaton. (With Bootsy Collins)
  • Just Let Go – Lenny Kravitz Live (2015). Hulu: “Documentary examining the relationship between Lenny Kravitz and his band.”

K:

  • Killswitch (2016). (1hr 13min) Netflix (14 DEC 2016): “Hackers Aaron Swartz and Edward Snowden took on the world’s most powerful interests. Is their work a cautionary tale—or will it spark a revolution?” Opening frame quotes Thomas Jefferson (Paris, 1789), “Wherever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.”
  • Koch Brothers Exposed (2012). Hulu: “Koch Brothers Exposed shines light on wrong-doing, political lobbying and money-fueled influence in America.”
  • Kurt & Courtney (1998) directed by Nick Broomfield. (With Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love, et al.)

L:

  • La Vida Low (2014). Hulu: “La Vida Low takes you from the garages to the boulevards, riding shotgun with most recognized names in the lowriding industry. Mister Cartoon, Joe Ray and more share their lifestyle, art and custom lowriders.”
  • Life Itself (2014) directed by Steve James. (With Roger Ebert)
  • Listen to Me Marlon (2015). Hollywood legend Marlon Brando in his own words and home recordings.
  • Lo and Behold (2016), directed by Werner Herzog. Netflix (26 DEC 2016): “Filmmaker Herzog presents a history of the Internet, starting with its birth in 1969, and ponders the joys and sorrows of its societal influence.” [screening pending]
  • Loose Change (2005-2009).
  • Los Punks: We Are All We Have (2016), directed by Angela Boatwright.

M:

  • Marley (2012), directed by Kevin Macdonald. (With Peter Tosh, et al.) (Tuff Gong Pictures)
  • The Mask You Live In (2015), directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Featured by free speech radio KPFA during a fund drive, perhaps summer, of 2016. Netflix: “What does it mean to be a man? American society might be pushing a masculinity on our boys that destroys them. “| “This documentary on the American ‘boys crisis’ explains how to raise a healthier generation of men and features interviews with experts and academics.”  On toxic masculinity…
  • The Medici.
  • Mexico (1996). (Narrated by Martin Sheen.) Hulu: “Mexico takes viewers on a visual journey through this country’s rich and varied past and present.”
  • Michael Jackson’s Journey From Motown to Off the Wall (2016) directed by Spike Lee. Hulu: “Director Spike Lee explores Michael Jackson’s seminal ‘Off the Wall’ album.”
  • Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things (2016), directed by Matt D’Avella. Netflix (DEC 2016): “More, newer, cooler: That’s the American Dream. But these creative people see the dream as being more about happiness.” | “People dedicated to rejecting the American ideal that things bring happiness are interviewed in this documentary showing the virtues of less is more.”
  • Mitt (2014) directed by Greg Whiteley. (With Mitt Romney)
  • Money for Nothing (2013) directed by Jim Bruce. (Narrated by Liv Schreiber.) Netflix: “Hubris, short-sightedness and greed: just some of the Federal Reserve’s charms that led to the Great Recession of 2007. [Of course, we can’t forget Post-Keynesian economist Hyman Minsky’s Financial Instability Hypothesis on the role of the accumulation of debt in the private sector in recurring, intensifying financial crises.]”
  • More Than Honey (2012). (Narrated by John Hurt.) Hulu: “Filmmaker Markus Imhoof tackles the vexing issue of why bees, worldwide, are facing extinction.”
  • My Way (2016) directed by Antongiulio Panizzi. (With Silvio Berlusconi, Alan Friedman, et al.)

N:

  • Narco Cultura (2013), directed by Shaul Schwartz. Netflix (DEC 2016): “Gangsta rap, with a Latin beat. In the war on drugs, heroes emerge. Only now they’re the bad guys.” | “This documentary examines how the culture of narcotics trafficking has become a twisted new version of the American Dream.”
  • Nas: Time Is Illmatic (2014). Hulu: “Documentary exploring the making of Nas’ 1994 groundbreaking debut album.”
  • Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property (2013), directed by Charles Burnett. (With Dr. Henry Louis Gates, et al.)
  • Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2005), directed by Jonathan Demme. (With Neil Young, Pegi Young, Emylou Harris, et al.)
  • Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (2016), directed by Heidie Ewing and Rachel Grady. (With Norman Lear, George Clooney, Bill Moyers, et al.)

O:

  • One Way Astronaut: Dying 33 Million Miles From Home (2013). Hulu: “The Mars One initiative plans to take four astronauts on a mission to Mars within 10 years. The astronauts leave, knowing they’ll never see everyone they love again.”

P:

  • Paul Mooney: A Piece of My Mind (2014), directed by Chet Brewster. Netflix (DEC 2016): “Vitriolic funnyman and stand-up comedy legend Paul Mooney appears in concert, sparing no politician or pop culture icon from his scathing wit.”
  • Peace Officer, directed by Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber.  Peace Officer was screened 9 May 2016 on PBS.
  • The Pit (2009), directed by Johanna Lee. 61 minutes. Occasionally available on Netflix: “Wading directly into the chaos on the floor of the New York Board of Trade, this documentary explores the cutthroat world of commodities trading.”
  • Poverty, Inc. (2014), directed by Michael Matheson Miller. Netflix: “No good deed goes unpunished. Sometimes. Take a good look at philanthropy in the Third World.” | “This probing documentary takes an uncompromising look at the processes and the problems involved with the global charity industry.” As Che Guevara has noted, of course, the problem with philanthropy is that, usually, the same people who donate to the needy also support the same sociopolitical organisation, which causes that need.
  • Public Enemy: Live from Metropolis Studios (2015).

R:

  • Reincarnated (2012), directed by Andy Capper. (With Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Bunny Wailer, et al.)
  • Religulous (2008), directed by Larry Charles. (1hr 41min) (With Bill Maher, Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda, Tal Bachman, et al.) Netflix (DEC 2016: “A guy who doesn’t believe in God travels to the Holy Land to prove his point. He’ll both amuse and offend.” | “Politically provocative talk show host Bill Maher skewers the current state of organized religion in this hot-button documentary.”
  • Revenge of the Electric Car (2011), directed by Chris Paine. (Narrated by Tim Robbins.)
  • Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), directed by Jeff Margolis. (78 min.) Netflix (DEC 2016): “Richard Pryor’s classic 1979 concert film has him discussing a wide range of topics, including race, the police, and his favorite target—himself.”
  • Rocket Men (2013), directed by unidentified director. (1hr 28min) (Netflix: “They fearlessly broke the bonds of the Earth and became the greatest adventurers in American history.” | “A soaring score accompanies archival footage of iconic moments in American space travel, beginning with the pioneering voyage of Alan Shepard.”) (TV Shows, British TV Shows)
  • Room 237 (2013).  On Stanley Kubrick’s classic masterpiece, The Shining.
  • Rubble Kings.  Life was tough in New York City in the 1970s, especially the working class and underclass sections.

S:

  • Salinger (2013), directed by Shane Salerno (With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Martin Sheen, Tom Wolffe, et al.)
  • She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry (2014), directed by Mary Dore.
  • Shift Change (2012), directed by Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin. The UMKC Economics Club, of which your author was a member whilst studying economics at UMKC, hosted a free screening of Shift Change on 13 APR 2013 at 19:30 CST at Stack Auditorium (in Royalle Hall) at UMKC (your author’s alma mater).
  • Sicko (2006), directed by Michael Moore.
  • Silenced (2014), directed by James Spione. (With John Kiriakou, et al.) Netflix: “Three enraged citizens blow the whistle on the government and learn one critical thing: Truth is a dangerous weapon. Three whistleblowers—all former high-level national security insiders—discuss their ordeals facing prosecution by the U.S. government.” Also see related Democracy Now! interviews.
  • The Sixties (2014, miniseries) produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman‘ studio Playtone.
  • Stone Ghosts in the South (c. 2018)
  • Sour Grapes. Veblen would’ve truly gotten a kick out of this tale of deception, fraud, conspicuous consumption, and the leisure class. Netflix (NOV 2016)
  • Spanish Lake (2014), directed by Philip Andrew Morton. Netflix (DEC 2016): “Residents of a small Missouri town recount its turbulent recent past, when shifting demographics exposed a vein of racism and triggered white flight.” Of course, at the university level, we learn those shifting demographics weren’t simply random personal preferences, or even simply race-motivated white flight. What this documentary film missed was the fact that white flight initially followed the flight of jobs away from central cities and toward suburbia. After WWII, industry moved jobs out of urban cores to break labour solidarity. But racial residential segregation prevented blacks from moving to where the new jobs were. This left pockets of poverty, which by design became ghettos and led to the American underclass, or intergenerational poverty. See Race, Real Estate, and Uneven Development (2002) by Kevin Fox Gotham, Ph.D. (University of Kansas).
  • Street Fight (2005), directed by Marshall Curry. Uncritical of the two-party system, this documentary romanticises upstart Democrat politician Cory Booker, as he tries to unseat the incumbent in the 2002 mayoral election in Newark, New Jersey. Although it keeps the audience confined in the dismal politics of the two-party system, it’s an interesting look at an electoral campaign. During the 2016 DNC, liberal and progressive pundits lauded Cory Booker as a ‘promising’ and ‘rising star’ of the Democratic Party. This is reminiscent of the buzz around Obama in 2006 and 2007. Let’s hope progressives don’t get fooled again.
  • Sufi Soul: The Music of Islam (2005), directed by Simon Broughton.
  • Sugar Coated (2015), directed by Michèle Hozer. Netflix (DEC 2016): “It’s dangerous, it’s everywhere, it’s PR-protected. But has the sugar industry finally met its match? ¦ This documentary investigates the history of the food industry’s use of sugar, its health impact on society and the politics of the ‘new tobacco’.” Sugar Coated (2015) features the health activism of Dr. Robert Lustig, who has dedicated himself to educating the public about the health consequences of processed sugar. Free speech radio KPFA listeners will recall Dr. Robert Lustig being featured in past broadcasts, such as in March 2013 (UpFront), February 2014 (Letters and Politics), and May 2014 (Fund Drive Special). We may also recall similar documentary films being featured circa 2005 to 2007, which educated us about the dangers of processed foods, of which sugar and corn syrup appeared to be primary culprits. For at least a decade, many of us have questioned the nutritional value of adding sweeteners to our foods to the point that we’ve virtually eliminated it from our diets. The next step would be to eliminate soda and beer. The former was easy; the latter took more effort.  (The pursuit of six-pack abs, as well as a mean front-double-bicep vacuum pose, within my natural bodybuilding program made it easier.)

T:

  • Team Foxcatcher (2016), directed by John Greenhalgh. (1hr 31min) (Netflix: “An Olympic hero. A delusional benefactor. At the intersection of ambition and paranoia lies tragedy.” ¦ “With never-before seen home video, this film recounts the paranoid downward spiral of John E. du Pont and the murder of Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz.”)
  • Too Young To Die (2015, 1 season, 10 episodes), directed by director.
    • S1E1: “Heath Ledger” (a film by Dag Freyer)
    • S1E2: “John Belushi”
    • S1E3: “Kurt Cobain”
    • S1E4: “Sharon Tate”
    • S1E5: “Natalie Wood”
    • S1E6: “Philip Seymour Hoffman”
    • S1E7: “River Phoenix”
    • S1E8: “Vladimir Vysotsky”
    • S1E9: “Falco”
    • S1E10: “Judy Garland”
  • TRAFFICKED (National Geographic Presents, with Mariana Van Zeller). [per Robruken on Instagram; MVZ is followed by ramon_david & joerogan]
  • The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013), directed by Bill Siegel (With Muhammad Ali, Rahaman Ali, Louis Farrakhan, et al.)
  • Trophy Kids. [per Mr. Farrar]
  • The True Cost (2015), directed by Andrew Morgan. Netflix: “In order to keep the price of clothing down, workers around the world wind up paying with their lives. | The links between consumer pressure for low-cost high fashion and the meager existences of the sweatshop workers who produce those goods are explored.”
  • Trudell.
  • Michael Moore in Trumpland (2015). Michael Moore takes on the 2016 Presidential election, or… He shills for Hillary Clinton by singling out Trump?
  • The True Cost (2015), directed by Andrew Morgan. Netflix: “The links between consumer pressure for low-cost high fashion and the meager existences of the sweatshop workers [in the garment industry] who produce those goods are explored.”

U:

  • The Untold History of the United States (2012, Season 1, 12 episodes, 58 min each), directed by Oliver Stone.
  • The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006), directed by David Leaf and John Scheinfield. Hulu: “The story traces John Lennon’s life from the period 1966 to 1976, where John Lennon transforms into an antiwar activist, one in constant conflict with the U.S. government and its views.”

W:

  • Watching Them Die (2015), directed by Coizta Grecko. Netflix: “This film investigates the shadowy role of the Mexican army in the 2014 Iguala mass kidnapping, which claimed several lives and left 43 missing.”
  • When Two Worlds Collide (2016), directed by Heidi Brandenburg and Matthew Orzel. Netflix: “This documentary takes a hard look at how indigenous peoples clashed violently with the Peruvian government in the Amazon.”
  • Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006), directed by Chris Paine.
  • The Winding Stream (2014), directed by Beth Harrington.
  • Woody Allen: A Documentary (2011, two episodes), directed by Robert B. Weide. (With Woody Allen, Letty Aronson, Antonio Banderas, et al.)
  • The World According to Dick Cheney (2013), directed by R.J. Cutler and Greg Finton.
  • The Wrecking Crew (2008), directed by Danny Tedesco.

Z:

  • Zeitgeist, directed by Peter Joseph.
  • Zeitgeist: Moving Forward (2011), directed by Peter Joseph.

***

[20 MAY 2016]

[Last modified on 28 DEC 2020 at 13:30 PST]

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