Reviews Categorized by Subject

1. Animals and Wildlife
2. Autobiographical Documentaries
3. Biographies About Famous People
4. Children, Tweens and Teens Worldwide
5. Environmental Issues and Ecology

6. Health and Social Welfare
7. The Middle East and Terrorism
8. Music and Musicians
9. Religion and Religious Perspectives
10. Sports and Gaming

Animals and Wildlife

Documentaries about domestic and wild animals, and about human interaction with them.

• Best Animal Documentaries
• Arctic Tale (2007)
• Born To Be Wild (2011)
• Buck (2011)
• Colony (2009)
• The Cove (2009)
• The First Saturday in May (2007)
• Great Migrations (2010)

• Jane's Journey (2010)
• The Last Lions (2011)
• One Lucky Elephant (2010)
• PBS' Nature Series (2008)
• Project Nim (2011)
• Queen Of The Sun: What Are The Bees Telling Us? (2011)
• Sweetgrass (2010)
• Winged Migration (2001)

Autobiographical Documentaries

These are documentaries in which filmmakers tell their family histories and search for personal truths.

• 8: The Mormon Proposition (2010)
• Beaches of Agnes (2009)
• Business of Being Born (2007)
• Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
• Enemies of the People (2009)
• In The Matter of Cha Jung Hee (2010)

• Moving Midway (2007)
• Order of Myths (2009)
• Thorn In the Heart (2010)
• Traces Of The Trade: A Story From The Deep North (2008)
• Waltz With Bashir (2008)

Biographies About Famous People

These are biographical documentaries about famous and infamous people.

• American: The Bill Hicks Story (2011)
• Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2009)
• The Arbor (2009)
• Bhutto (2010)
• Blessed Is The Match (2008)
• Brothers Warner (2010)
• Buck (2011)
• Chasing Madoff (2011)
• Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing
• The Doors: When You're Strange (2010)

• Freedom Riders (2010)
• FTA (2009)
• Giuliani Time (2005)
• Gloria In Her Own Words (2011)
• Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008)
• Granito: How To Nail A Dictator (2011)
• HEY BOO: Harper Less and To Kill A Mocking Bird (2010)
• Jane's Journey (2010)
• Jean-Michel Basquiat: Radiant Child (2010)
• The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (2009)

Children, Tweens and Teens Worldwide

As if raging hormones weren't enough! These documentaries give us access to the world of today's youth worldwide, to teenagers and tweens facing daunting pressures and hardships, and others who're finding solutions to their problems. Kids are our hope for the future, but what hopes do they have? Collectively, these documentaries present a very interesting, compelling picture of teens growing up in today's world.

• A Walk To Beautiful (2008)
• American Teen (2008)
• Baghdad High (2007)
• Bigger, Stronger, Faster (2008)
• Bowling For Columbine (2002)
• Crips and Bloods: Made In America (2008)
• Deliver Us From Evil (2006)
• Full Battle Rattle (2008)
• Garbage Dreams (2009)
• Girls Rock (2008)

• Gunnin' For That #1 Spot (2008)
• Jesus Camp (2006)
• My Kid Could Paint That (2007)
• Off and Running (2009)
• Planet B-Boy (2008)
• Pressure Cooker (2009)
• Quantum Hoops (2007)
• Racing Dreams (2009)
• Very Young Girls (2008)
• Whiz Kids (2009)

Environmental Issues and Ecology

Documentaries that cover environmental issues such as global warming, misuse of natural resources and mishandling of waste materials--and their material and social consequences--create greater awareness of impending dangers and stimulate debate about what we can and must do to prevent ecological disaster.

• An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
• Arctic Tale (2007)
• The Axe In The Attic (2007)
• The Cove (2009)
• Crude (2009)
• Desert Bayou (2007)
• Earth Days (2009)

• The 11th Hour (2007)
• Encounters At The End Of The World (2008)
• FLOW: For Love of Water (2008)
• Food, Inc. (2009)
• Garbage Dreams (2009)
• Water Wars: When Drought, Flood and Greed Collide (2009)

Health and Social Welfare

Dcumentaries about specific diseases and how individuals or groups deal with them, and covering the broader issues of health policy and insurance, birthing and aging, nutrition, health and the environment, health care in third world countries and trends in health care.

• 8: The Mormon Proposition (2010)
• An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
• A Small Act (2010)
• Autism: The Musical (2007)
• Bigger, Stronger, Faster (2008)
• Body of War (2007)
• Bowling For Columbine -(2002)
• The Business of Being Born (2007)
• The 11th Hour (2007)

• Food, Inc (2009)
• Good Hair (2009)
• King Corn (2007)
• Lake of Fire (2007)
• Manda Bala (2007)
• Protagonist (2008)
• Sicko (2007)
• Very Young Girls (2008)
• A Walk To Beautiful (2008)

The Middle East and Terrorism

Documentaries covering the Iraq War, U.S. policy in the Middle East. the American government's anti-terrorist tactics and practices and the public debate.

• Baghdad High (2007)
• Body of War (2007)
• The Dixie Chicks: Shut Up And Sing (2006)
• Full Battle Rattle (2008)
• Garbage Dreams (2009)
• Jimmy Carter Man From Plains (2007)
• Lioness (2009)
• Living in Emergency (2010)

• My Trip To Al Qaeda (2010)
• Operation Filmmaker (2008)
• Restrepo (2010)
• Standard Operating Procedure (2008)
• Taxi To The Dark Side (2008)
• The Tillman Story (2010)
• Waltz With Bashir (2008)
• Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden (2008)

Music and Musicians

Documentaries cover a wide range of musical genres from classical to punk rock, and profile composers and performing artists. They also set trends within their historical, social and cultural contexts.

• Top Ten Music Documentaries List
• Afghan Star (2009)
• Air Guitar Nation (2006)
• American: The Bill Hicks Story (2011)
• Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2009)
• Autism The Musical (2007)
• Dance For Camera 1/Dance For Camera 2 (2007)
• The Dixie Chicks: Shut Up And Sing (2006)
• The Doors: When You're Strange (2010)
• Every Little Step (2008)

• Girls Rock! (2007)
• Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007)
• Louder Than A Bomb (2010)
• Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise (2007)
• Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009)
• Mitzi Gaynor Razzle Dazzle (2008)
• Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune (2010)
• Planet B-Boy (2007)
• Rejoice and Shout (2010)
• Wink And A Smile (2009)

Religion and Religious Perspectives

Documentaries revealing religious doctrine and practice. investigating and exposing exploitation and abuse by religious leaders of their devoted followers and discussing the historical, political and cultural context of religious movements.

• 8: The Mormon Proposition (2010)
• Bloodline (2008)
• The Cross: The Arthur Blessitt Story
• Deliver Us From Evil (2006)
• For The Bible Tells Me So (2007)

• Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006)
• Jesus Camp (2006)
• Nanking (2007)
• Religulous (2008)
• What Would Jesus Buy? (2007)

Sports and Gaming

Documentaries about sports teams and individual athletes pursuing their goals.

• Air Guitar Nation (2006)
• Bigger, Stronger, Faster (2008)
• The First Saturday in May (2007)

• Gunnin' For That #1 Spot (2008)
• Quantum Hoops (2007)
• Steep (2007)