In attempting to make some massive overall best of the decade film list I quickly learned that my OCD self just wasn't having it. Trying to decide how films like Wall-E, Bourne Ultimatum and 28 Days Later compare was/is near to impossible for me. So... What I have now decided to do was to break these down into a few essential categories (Horror, Action, Romantic etc) which will then accumulate with a top 25 or so best of the best finish.
To begin I am starting with one of my favorite and unfortunately also most overlooked genres in the industry. The Documentary has evolved over the years into something not only informative and thought provoking but also entertaining. The days of boring point and shoot docs with only talking heads of the 70's are long gone with real story tellers at the top of their craft now showcased. Sadly though chances are a large number of you haven't had a chance to catch most of these but take a minute, check out the trailer(s) and add a few of these to your NetFlix Queue. I promise you won't regret it.
So, what are the top Documentaries of the last ten years? Let's see:
15) Lake of Fire
To begin I am starting with one of my favorite and unfortunately also most overlooked genres in the industry. The Documentary has evolved over the years into something not only informative and thought provoking but also entertaining. The days of boring point and shoot docs with only talking heads of the 70's are long gone with real story tellers at the top of their craft now showcased. Sadly though chances are a large number of you haven't had a chance to catch most of these but take a minute, check out the trailer(s) and add a few of these to your NetFlix Queue. I promise you won't regret it.
So, what are the top Documentaries of the last ten years? Let's see:
15) Lake of Fire
Tackling the subject of Abortion is of course not an easy task for any filmmaker to do but what makes Lake of Fire so great is the way in which the questions are asked. Yes, there is a slant (as there is with ANY Doc) but they at least are putting something out there. Plus the ability to listen to Noam Chomsky try and rationalize the abortion debate is worth the viewing in and of itself.
14) Food, Inc.
One of the common points of a documentary is to inform and empower people about a subject that they may not know too much about. On that basis alone this film succeeds and then some. This journey into the ugly and now fattened under belly of the American Foods industry is both scary and at times down right sad. The Food laws alone here should be enough to incite a riot. In the end this doc may not change that much but it is something everyone should see.
13) Sicko
Michael Moore is an entertainer first and a fact checking Filmmaker second. But don't let this sway you because when he gets it right (see Roger & Me) he REALLY get's it right. A film that minus one small scene was actually very even handed it showed us just how "sick" this healthcare debate is. Moore's unique editing and story telling was in rare form here as he brings us from anger to tears seamlessly. A Sad film that given our current political climate is a very good watch for those on the fence in healthcare reform.
12) Anvil! The Story of Anvil
A crazy but uplifting story about the Band that never could. 30 years, a dozen albums later, and they are still trying to make it desperately hanging on to that brief 15 minutes of fame they had in the early 80's . Knowing that this is all real is the true kicker as you find yourself rooting for these guys all while scratching your head at their every move. One of the funniest documentaries in years and if you are paying attention is actually pretty moving too.The lead singer here "Lips" is the real star and so damn endearing that you can't help but catch on to his far fetched optimism. The 5th band to the "Big 4 of Thrash Metal" (Slayer, Metallica, Megadeath & Anthrax) this is something all music lovers need to see.
11) The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Speaking of music lovers this is a heartbreaking, yet strangely uplifting and inspirational, exploration of the fine line between genius and madness. Daniel Johnston is regarded by many as a musical genius but that aforementioned line isn't toed gracefully as the mental illness that controls him takes him through a dark path of creativity and depression. Artists across the world loved this man and to see the literal madness at work is an amazing achievement in film-making.
10) Super Size Me
Probably the most famous documentary in years Morgan Spurlock lived his film taking his body to unbelievable lengths and unsettling an active legal team over at McDonalds. We all know that this food "isn't good for you" but this breaks it down to the scary little morsels that in end despite some slight embellishments was still frightening. Unlike so many other Docs that preach a message only to be sadly forgotten later this actually changed the McDonalds (and subsequently numerous other fast food chains) menu and on that merit alone it deserves special credit here.
9) Man on Wire
All of us have dreams, some more "mainstream" than others. For Phillipe Petit this dream was to tight rope walk in between the twin towers in NY. In what may seem like a simple concept the real execution of the film here is the crazy lengths at which they went to pull this off. In what feels like a real life heist film this is a riveting documentary that details what has been tabbed as the Great Artistic Crime of the Century.
8) Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
The Enron scandal is so much more than simply money laundering and bad books. These people are pure evil. This absolutely riveting documentary takes you into those practices and unearths just how slimy these men really were. It's crazy to think how things like the California power outages of the early 2000's were actually started ON PURPOSE in an attempt to increase profits and run up power bills. These men were dirty crooks who would do ANYTHING for a dollar but sadly were also masters at hiding it for so many years. Prepare to be pissed off for a good day or two after watching this.
7) Young at Heart
Ugh. I get teary eyed just thinking about this one. In one of the more uplifting
6) Capturing the Freidman’s
In 1980's NY s a small community was rocked when schoolteacher and father of 3 Albert Friedman was charged with Child Pornography. Controversy immediately came to the forefront as the stories started to not add up and the Freidman's family was torn apart. What makes this documentary unique though is that remarkably enough, in the midst of these crises , the Friedmans continued to take part in one of their favorite pastimes -- shooting home videos of their lives, offering a fly-on-the-wall look at a family struggling (and often failing) to hold themselves together in the wake of unthinkable accusations. A lot is left for the viewer to decipher here but this fascinating look into a family that made all the news at the time is as unique of a film as I have ever seen.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R10VjJgx1dU
5) Grizzly Man
Timothy Treadwell was a self-styled authority on bears who would spend as much time as possible each year in Alaska camping out near a grizzly bear habitat. While Treadwell claimed to love the bears and felt as one with them, he had no formal training in their behavior. To many, Treadwell seemed part man of nature, part conjurer, and part self-promotion expert, but the part that guided his kinship with the bears failed him in 2003, when he and his girlfriend were killed in a grizzly attack. Treadwell shot hundreds of hours of footage of himself and the grizzlies, and reclaimed filmmaker Warner Herzog has used this footage as the core of Grizzly Man, a haunting look at Treadwell's life and death.
4) Jesus Camp
I haven't been this scared of little kids since Child's Play. Militant would be an understatement as the term "indoctrinate" should be reserved for this scenario and this only. An absolutely frightening but more importantly eye opening journey into a young children's Bible camp leaves a sour taste in your mouth as you see what is being "preached" and practiced by our youth today. Political undertones that eerily resonate through every frame this is a film that can be just as scary as any horror film out today.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URUOSXJrx8c
3) Taxi to the Dark Side
The term "torture" is not a semantic argument. Period. A film that will sit with you for days after; this is a poignant and haunting story about the modern day internment camps known affectionately as Gitmo and Abu Graib. Regardless of political affiliation this is an even handed and detailed story of the soldiers who were ordered to carry out and the men who withstood the brutal abuse in one of the darkest times in recent US history. Watch, listen and understand what REALLY went on in these camps and then ask yourself the same question that hired attorneys said on behalf of our political leaders: Do we torture? This isn't easy to watch but I urge everyone to seek it out as it is a film that I will soon never forget.
2) Deliver us From Evil
If other documentaries like Enron, Sicko and Taxi to the Dark side got you angry then take a deep breath because this one may make you sick to your stomach. Unravel the history of Catholic Priest Oliver O'Grady as he (in his own words even) details the lurid sexual affairs he had with numerous young children in the 70's and 80's. That concept alone is unsettling enough but this unbelievable film attempts to reunite this man with his victims and their families in order to "make amends" (if they so wish). This is one of the more haunting films I have EVER seen and breaks your heart so many times over as you learn about the cover-up from the highest powers, as you see the torment it caused so many families and in this process gave us the newest face of evil in film today. Hannibal Lector was never this frightening and worse yet he never had the Catholic church covering up his tracks and paying his bills. Prepare to be pissed.
1) King of Kong
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMJZ-_bJKdI
