Reviews Categorized by Subject
By Jennifer Merin, About.com Guide to Documentaries
In addition to keeping up with newly released documentaries, it's exciting to delve deeply into an area of investigation and/or compare past and present notions about of a subject by watching several films about the same or thematically related topics. Here, you'll find documentary reviews categorized by subjects and themes.
- The Middle East and Terrorism
- The Environment and Environmental Issues
- Sports Documentaries
- Teenage Life Worldwide
Animals and Wildlife
Documentaries about domestic and wild animals, and about human interaction with them.
- Best Animal Documentaries
- Arctic Tale (2007)
- The First Saturday in May (2007)
- PBS' Nature Series Encore Broadcasts (2008)
- Winged Migration (2001)
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
- Air Guitar Nation (2006)
- The Dixie Chicks: Shut Up And Sing (2006)
- Girls Rock! (2007)
- Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007)
- Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise (2007)
- Planet B-Boy (2007)
- Runnin' Down A Dream: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (2007)
- Young@Heart (2007)
Religion
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.
- Bloodline (2008)
- Deliver Us From Evil (2006)
- For The Bible Tells Me So (2007)
- Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006)
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.
- Autism: The Musical (2007)
- Bigger, Stronger, Faster (2008)
- Body of War (2007)
- The Business of Being Born (2007)
- The 11th Hour (2007)
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)
- Jimmy Carter Man From Plains (2007)
- Standard Operating Procedure (2008)
- Taxi To The Dark Side (2008)
- Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden (2008)
The Environment and Environmental Issues
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.
Sports Documentaries
Documentaries about sports teams and individual athletes pursuing their goals.
Teenage Life 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.
