Search

Search only in certain items:

Lake Mungo (2009)
Lake Mungo (2009)
2009 | Horror, Mystery
7
6.6 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Nice Documentary style (1 more)
Good performances in the main
Wonky Twists (1 more)
Slightly disappointing ending
Lake Mungo delivers some eerieness but outstays its welcome
Contains spoilers, click to show
Lake Mungo is a found footage/documentary style hybrid horror movie that tells the story of a family whose 16 year old daughter drowns, but then continues to appear to her family and in footage and photographs in the local area.

Without wanting to spoiler anything, I will just say that the director manages to create a quite unsettling atmosphere, almost akin to that created in the first 3 paranormal activity movies, using CCTV footage and phone camera footage to add to the eye witness statements and interviews with the family.

The film is a little longer than it needs to be, the last section felt like it began detracting from the earlier scenes as they add a few last twists, but overall it is a well made film, with a strong sense of unease throughout.

Well worth a look if you like Paranormal Activity, and that style of film.
  
They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
2018 | Documentary, History, War
Everyone alive needs to watch this!
Director Peter Jackson spent four years pouring over 100 hours of archive film footage and over 600 hours of interviews to weave this complex, intriguing documentary masterpiece together.

To say the movie is compelling is a vast understatement. I'm glad I saw theatrically so I could bear witness to the multiple audience gasps, applauds and reaction to some of the miraculous moments.

Jackson said afterwards in a making of documentary he had a hard time deciding on the story he wanted to tell vacillating between airplane footage, U-Boats, the use of women in the military, etc. He ultimately decided showing the life of the "everyday" grunt soldier would be the most compelling since any side or nationality would be able to relate.

It doesn't take much to make me cry, so the water works were a flowing with this one. If you have the chance, please watch. A film like this does not come along very often at all and you won't be disappointed.

  
Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary (1997)
Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary (1997)
1997 | Comedy, Documentary
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I really like documentaries a lot; maybe more than film. I love this documentary called Hands on a Hard Body. It was made in the 1990s, I think. It’s about this annual event that takes place in Texas — it’s kind of like an endurance test of how long you can keep your hand on a truck. And if you are the last man standing, you get the truck. Literally, you just stand, day and night with your hand on a truck, and there’s like 15 or 20 people all standing there. And it’s such a well-done documentary. They feature each person before the program starts; the director comes in and he asks them questions like, “Why do you want to do this? Why do you want your truck?” and it’s just a real, unique look into people’s lives. It’s really powerful and it’s really moving and it’s kind of funny and odd and bizarre. It goes on for, I think, over 72 hours, and it’s really sad as you see this people dropping out. It says a lot about human endurance."

Source
  
The Hellstrom Chronicle (1971)
The Hellstrom Chronicle (1971)
1971 | Documentary
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Playful, technically impressive and possibly very influential wildlife documentary. Scientist Nils Hellstrom, PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), MS (Master of Science), and WF (Wholly Fictitious), expresses his fears for the future of the human race, believing we are likely to be outcompeted by insects in every respect. Startling and occasionally grisly clips showing the lives of insects and other arthropods illustrate his thesis in great detail.

Well, Hellstrom (or more accurately writer David Seltzer, who went on to script The Omen twice) isn't a great biologist (he refers to insects as a species rather than a class), but the photography in the film is great and Lawrence Pressman's well-judged performance adds a lot to the impression the film makes: it's tongue in cheek, but still thought-provoking. As a gimmick to make people watch a wildlife documentary, it's an interesting one; you can sense echoes of this film's innovative use of music and narrative to add drama in many much more respectable nature documentaries (most of David Attenborough's blockbuster series, for instance). An oddity, but a good one.
  
Red Lights (2012)
Red Lights (2012)
2012 | Drama, Mystery
I have an interest in the paranormal and people's supposed psychic abilities so I enjoyed this film. However it absolutely failed to reach its potential and the twist at the end which could have been mind-bending was rather a damp squib. On a side note, if the subject interests you, I once watched a Storyville documentary on Uri Geller where he was proven to be a fraud (not that that stalled his career at all) but that is definitely worth a watch!
  
40x40

Rebecca Billcliff (2409 KP) rated Planet Earth II in TV

Nov 28, 2019 (Updated Jan 26, 2020)  
Planet Earth II
Planet Earth II
2016 | Adventure, Documentary
Outstanding Programing
Sir David Attenborough once again narrates a series full of astonishing creatures, and some if the most stunning shots I have ever seen. Like the original series, it is broken down into sections, each showing a habitat such as jungles, the deep sea ect. And how the animals within deal with the challenges of that habitat. It is another beautiful showcase of the founders of the natural world and is a MUST see for all nature documentary fans.
  
Ghosts of Sugar Land (2019)
Ghosts of Sugar Land (2019)
2019 | Documentary
I came across this short film on Netflix and decided to watch it because it was about Sugar Land. It featured a group of Muslim friends, and a dude that became Muslim and ended up radicalized.
My favorite part about the whole short film was that the guys being interview all wore hilarious Halloween masks to hide their identity because of the nature of the documentary. It also shows an interesting dichotomy between modern, 1st generation American Muslims and traditional Muslims.
  
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
2020 | Crime, Documentary
Tigers (1 more)
Insane
The narrative (0 more)
Contains spoilers, click to show
I sort of enjoyed this! Sometimes Netflix documentaries stress me out and this one did a bit. I get that Joe Exotic's life was chaotic but I'm still not entirely sure of the order in which things happened. I might have to go watch it again but I have more questions now than when I started. I know a lot of people love this documentary and it is good I just think it could have been told better.
  
40x40

Michael Shannon recommended Crumb (1994) in Movies (curated)

 
Crumb (1994)
Crumb (1994)
1994 | Documentary
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"It’s a documentary, but I remember liking Crumb a whole lot. When Crumb came out I would go and see it like three times a week; I would be bringing different people to see it. I’d seen a couple of documentaries before, from Errol Morris or whatever, but that, I mean that one took it to a whole other level as far as I was concerned. I just thought it was the most interesting family I’d ever seen in a movie, really."

Source
  
RBG (2018)
RBG (2018)
2018 | Biography, Documentary
I thought this film was very good. It was a little slow at times, but I love Ruth and I'd watch anything with her in it so obviously a documentary about her is a must-see. I love that they talk about her whole life and you get to see many more pictures of her and hear more of her story. She's a fabulous woman who has been fighting longer than most. She deserves all the recognition she's getting and even more.