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.
Now Playing
These are reviews of new documentaries that are currently in theatrical release, being broadcast on television or newly available on DVD.
- Bigger, Stronger, Faster - In Theaters
- Encounters At The End of The World - In Theaters
- The First Saturday in May - In Theaters
- Flying: Confessions of A Free Woman - On Sundance Channel
- Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson - In Theaters
- Gunnin' For That #1 Spot - In Theaters
- Heavy Metal In Baghdad - In Theaters
- A Jihad For Love - In Theaters
- King Corn - On DVD
- Manda Bala - On DVD
- Operation Filmmaker - In Theaters
- Quantum Hoops - In Theaters
- Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired - On HBO
- Senator Obama In Africa - On DVD
- Standard Operating Procedures - In Theaters
- Taxi To The Dark Side - In Theaters
- Traces Of The Trade: A Story From The Deep North - On PBS
- Trumbo - In Theaters
- Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden - In Theaters
- Young & Restless in China (2008)
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.
- Must-See Films
- My Top Ten of 2007
- Documentaries That Inspire
- Great Documentaries For Kids
- Ten Top Music Documentaries
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.
