Categories
Documentary movies have a short shelf-life on the big screen. Watching good documentaries is much easier now with the availability of streaming video from places like iTunes with Apple TV and Netflix. We don't have to wait around for HBO to air one of their award-winning docs; we can turn to the internet to fulfill our documentary-watching needs!
I've been a documentary nerd since way before DVRs and streaming was just a twinkle in Al Gore's eye. As a kid, one of my favorite movies was the Michael Jackson: The Making of Thriller. The documentary-style filming sucked me in and my sister and I would watch the tape until it wore itself out. Unfortunately, not all documentaries are available to be streamed or rented, so I narrowed my favorite documentaries to these top 5 that are available to stream.
This doc is a new release that I actually got to watch in the theater, and it's one that is interesting to watch to see how the "other half" live. Initially starting as a story that was to follow the Siegel family through the building of their monstrous 90,000 square foot house in Orlando, the family finds itself struggling to keep everything in the tumble of the real estate bust in the late 90s. I spent half of the movie with my mouth hanging open at some of the ostentatious ways they live and raise their children and the other half of the movie feeling sorry for the instability of their lives.
The enormous White family of Boone County, West Virginia, are the antithesis of the Siegel family from The Queen of Versailles. Poor, rural people with history in the mountains as far as anyone can trace, this family struggles with everything from love to drugs to death to celebrity. This documentary was produced by Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine of Jackass fame, though you won't find any death-defying stunts, unless you count clogging on top of a picnic table.
OK, stop rolling your eyes before you even read what I have to say. For whatever you want to think about Justin Bieber, this documentary is really good. Watching the rise of the teen star is interesting and heart-warming as well as eye-opening as you see what he's lived through in his short life to get where he is today. You do have to at least somewhat like his music because half of the movie is concert footage. Put aside any trepidation you may have for showing The Biebs some love, and watch this documentary that's great for all ages.
Recently named by PBS as the best documentary, Grey Gardens is the epitome of great story-telling through film. Following the two Edies (mother and daughter) back through their own memory lane, the cousins of Jacqueline Kennedy tell their life stories through flashbacks, videos, and impromptu dance numbers. The pair live in a dilapidated home in The Hamptons among the richest of socialites, sharing their run-down home with raccoons. Grey Gardens has been adapted as a feature film staring Drew Barrymore and was turned into a Broadway show, but nothing compares to the actual documentary.
Unless you really want to see where all the food on our shelves comes from, don't watch this movie. If you are the least bit curious as to what it takes to get the meats and veggies on our tables, watch this movie. Food, Inc. changed the way I buy my food and feed my family. The eye-opening film has a purpose to make us all more aware of what happens to our food before it makes it to our tables.
Angie Lynch is a Native Floridian without a tan, probably because she spends her days hard at work inside on the magical internet. For the past several years, Angie has worked way too hard at building clout as an influencer in food and margaritas as well as being a source for laughable pop culture commentary on her blog, A Whole Lot of Nothing. In addition to that nonsense, Angie recommends books on Smut Book Club, is a contributing writer to Mom.me, spreads the word of Awesome at We Know Awesome, and tries to be a very professional content creator for local business blogs. Stalk her properly on Twitter @alotofnothing and on Facebook.