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Evaluating Current and Classic Documentaries

By Jennifer Merin, About.com Guide to Documentaries

Use these reviews and recommendations to help you decide whether a specific documentary film is worth watching, and worth the time and effort it might take to locate it.

  1. Currently Playing
  2. More Documentary Reviews
  3. Recommended Films
  4. Oscar Winners

Currently Playing

These are reviews of documentaries that are currently showing in theatres, on television or are available on DVD.

More Documentary Reviews

Almost everyone who watches a film has a strong opinion about it, and their opinions are infrequently identical. Here, you'll find my opinions on the films I've decided to review. Feel free to let me know whether you agree with what I have to say.

Recommended Films

Good documentary films shed light on important, meaningful subjects by presenting strong, well-defined, provocative, penetrating and understandable stories about them. Great documentary films do all of that--and are also aesthetically pleasing and, perhaps, innovative. You can watch great documentaries time and again, and learn something new with each viewing. Here are my recommendations.

Oscar Winners

Whether they were your first choices or not, the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selected these documentary films--listed by decade--to receive golden statuettes. Each is an outstanding film about an important and timely subject. Anyone who claims to understand and appreciate the nonfiction genre should see and know them all.

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