Message Board

I watch more documentaries than I do just about anything else. I just watched HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE the other night and just wept the entire time. It's really, really effecting and composes a better narrative of the AIDS crisis in the late 80's and early 90's than has ever existed.

I've been on a big Errol Morris kick lately. I love all of his documentary films, but I'd absolutely suggest his TV show entitled FIRST PERSON, which isn't talked about nearly enough. It's more like a series of short films than a TV show, really, and they're all as good as anything he's ever done. And he's my favorite documentarian too.

I did watch THE IMPOSTER a couple weeks back and it's great, yeah, but the ending is just about the most frustrating thing ever. Still a really engaging and well done film, totally inspired by Errol Morris, actually.

CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS would be on my list of favorite movies ever. It's about a family accused of child molestation, but is really more about memory and time and how those two things intertwine. The story is attacked on all angles and while the filmmakers have expressed their personal opinions since, the film never feels biased and allows for really dichotomous opinions to be drawn from it. So, so great.

DEAR ZACHARY: A LETTER TO A SON ABOUT HIS FATHER is really heartbreaking and emotional, but also really well-made and thought-out. The structure of the story it tells is really inspiring.

HOOP DREAMS. Duh.

PROTAGONIST is this super under-discussed film about Greek dramatic structure and masculinity. It interweaves four pretty disparate stories of four pretty disparate men using classic Euripidean structure and boyohboy is it great. It's made by Jessica Yu, who also made the disappointingly underwhelming Henry Darger documentary.

Spike Lee's 4 LITTLE GIRLS is great, HARLAN COUNTY, USA is great, TONGUES UNTIED is great, BUS 174 is great, the PARADISE LOST films are great, GRIZZLY MAN is great (though not as good as Herzog's IN A LAND OF SILENCE AND DARKNESS), SICK: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BOB FLANAGAN, SUPERMASOCHIST is great. I could go on forever. I'm shutting up.

Quote from Gethard on September 24, 2012, 17:13
Anvil, man. Anvil.

I just saw it, it's amazing!!! thanks for the tip

Michael, I agree with you wholeheartedly on How to Survive a Plague. I started bawling after the "Will the last person alive in Chelsea please turn out the lights?". It's a film that everyone needs to see.

My three favorites are:

Paris is Burning- The movie that launched voguing in the mainstream. Documenting it as is it were a queer Capoeira that sprouted because poor queer people of color needed something to construct their community around.

N.Y.H.C. - It's supposed to be a serious movie about the NY hardcore scene but ends up playing like a farce. Idiotic characters spouting off ignorant statements and live show footage that seems shoehorned.

Trembling Before G-d - It deals with queer people who also happen to be Orthodox or Hassidic. One of the subjects is a young guy who wants to stay in his Yeshiva but still would like to find a life partner. It's heartbreaking.

Hell House - intense bunch of Christians and their halloween haunted house.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi - find something you like doing and do it well until you are the best in the world!
End of The Century (Ramones doc) - The Ramones are the best!
The Tillman Story - Iraq war doc goes places I was not expecting, completely gripping.
Helvetica - it's a film about typeface. But is honestly fascinating. You don't realise the power a typeface has. Seriously, it's really good!

Everything Werner Herzog has ever done ever!

No true Chris Gethard Show fan can call himself that unless you've watched Another State of Mind.

We watched that a ridiculous amount of times in high school. It's a documentary following an incredibly young Social Distortion ("Mommy's Little Monster" era) and a California hardcore band named Youth Brigade who are incredible. It's about their tour across North America and the hardships and kookiness that comes from being a DIY 80s hardcore band. It ends with them in Washington DC where they meet up with the Minor Threat guys and pre-Black Flag Henry Rollins.

Really great movie that was a huge inspiration.