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What Are Some Documentaries and TV Shows That You Recommend To Others?
Reader joshtops writes: Wow thanks for the overwhelming response on my previous post. I'm taking notes and intend to give all of the suggested books a go in the near future. If I may, and I hope the editors approve of this, could you also list some of your favorite TV shows and documentaries? Also, is there any show or documentary you think that changed or influenced your life, or at least your perception on any particular subject?
A different take on zombies, fun to watch.
always good.
Vice also good.
Anything by James Burke:
- Connections
- The Day The Universe Changed
- The Real Thing
The Expanse, pretty awesome Sci-Fi series.
It's THE documentary that all documentaries are measured against in the US.
The Untold History of the United States is a great documentary, although there is very little in it that is "untold". My interest tapered off considerably during the last 3-4 episodes (may reflect my age) but a worldwide perspective on WWII and the cold war was very interesting.
The Vice Guide to North Korea is very dated now, but it intrigued me enough that I visited the country in 2014. So many things have changed since 2008 that many of the details are no longer accurate, but may be worthwhile to watch after watching a more recent DPRK documentary.
[Plug] I made a short video of my DPRK trip in 2014. There are far better ones on Youtube (Aram Pan has done several), but this one is mine.
Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
Connections by James Burke. I remember it was on the Learning channel but wouldn't bet money on that. The DVD set was available at one time from TLC.
Dyslexics Untie!
Watching her show makes me feel smart, successful, and good-looking.
Nature is also in a similar vein as NOVA, although more focused on ... nature. Also good family viewing in many cases.
A documentary that explains in solid musical terms why The Beatles were game changing.
Available on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
I always liked Triumph of the Nerds. Wikipedia
I know that Robert X. Cringely is not a favorite around here, but the documentary series was really interesting. Great interviews with key players and lots of contemporaneous accounts of companies that were awesome but now no longer exist (e.g., Excite!).
There are plenty of others that are must see, too, but this is the one that I thought of first!
Will
remove nospam. to email!
Anything by Louis Theroux
Might be hard to watch outside the UK, but definitely worth at least checking it out.
That's the name of the show, it was a series on debunking common myths
Band of Brothers
The Pacific
Civil War (Ken Burns)
Just about an Modern Marvels show.
Fun Fact...the music for Victory At Sea was originally written by Richard Rogers, bu the produced only 17 pages of themes.
Robert Russel Bennett arranged and expanded that to 17 hours of music for the series.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
I've been watching this for a long time, every episode is fascinating. They go to some very interesting places, some of which travelers wouldn't even consider. It's obvious from watching this that a small amount of effort to fit in and not be an 'Ugly traveler' goes a long way to making the traveler feel welcome.
Can't We Take A Joke ....
I found it for free to watch on Amazon Prime...very interesting, in that Lenny Bruce, once again in today's culture....likely couldn't perform on a modern college campus.
In the past he was persecuted by the right....today, he'd be shouted and shamed into oblivion by the left.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
We watch it every couple of years. It's not really a documentary but seem to increasingly resemble one each time we watch it.
love is just extroverted narcissism
There are a few documentaries that I can say absolutely changed my life. Back in the day, I worked in the video databank of a university, and most of my time was spent watching classic films and documentaries. There was one film, Titicut Follies by Frederick Wiseman that blew me right out of my seat. It's banned now, and very hard to find. It's about the Massachusetts Institute for the Criminally Insane. You can find a few clips from it on YouTube, but not, as far as I can tell, the whole thing. I once rented a 16mm version from Films Inc and transferred it to VHS for my own collection.
Two more life-changing documentaries by Fred Wiseman are Meat and Welfare.
Be advised though: these are not Ken Burns feel-good documentaries with beautiful music and narration that depict a soft-focus view on our history and leave you with a warm feeling. This is a filmmaker who sets up in the corner of a room until people stop noticing him and records film and audio. Very little editing. There are times when you wish it would cut away because what you're seeing on the screen is too horrible...too human...to watch. These are not movies to see with a date.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Hi, We don't run all the ask slashdot requests, certainly not those that seem offtopic. But every once in a while, it's good to check with people what they are watching, and reading. Fair enough you could ask these questions on Reddit. But then, this reader wants to know what other Slashdot readers have to recommend. That said, thanks for the feedback, we will keep it in mind. Cheers,
Yes, Minister.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
That is what I suggest. Best 6 bucks a month I spend. It's what the Discovery Chanel used to be, but on demand.
I read at +2. If your post doesn't reach that level I will not see or respond to it.
It's a BBC 4-part documentary, about "how those in power have used Freud's theories to try and control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy" and "explores the various ways that governments and corporations have utilized Freud's theories." It's amazingly eye-opening, going into modern PR, how advertising got women to smoke, and includes info about the Lehman Brothers, the Labor Party, the Clintons, use of focus groups...
Once you see it, you will grok why many politicians are amorphous flip-floppers, how advertisers and politicians are using our basic human nature and base psychology against us. You can catch the whole thing on Youtube.
If they wanted to know what our favorite music video was, I should hope that question would not make the front page. Wanting to know what our favorite documentary is? That's going to produce information of general interest to many slashdotters.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"