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Any good documentaries or non-mainstream movies that you'd recommend?

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Idealism Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-26-09 07:39 PM
Original message
Any good documentaries or non-mainstream movies that you'd recommend?
I just finished watching "Debt of Dictators," an insightful account of the International Monetary Fund and the mega banks who propped up third-world dictators with loans, that are now being serviced by the countries who threw the yoke of oppression off. It highlighted Argentina, South Africa, and the Phillipines (although there are dozens more) and showed how the interest on the debt in some countries is more than what that state pays for education and health care combined. Worth watching if you can find it!

Which brings me to my question: I am looking for new movie recommendations to watch. Try to center it around history/politics/economics/international affairs if you can. Thanks for any suggestions!
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marmar Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-26-09 07:40 PM
Response to Original message
1. "The Corporation"
An essential documentary about the rise and tyranny of corporations.
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luvspeas Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-26-09 07:48 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. The Prisoner Or - How I Planned To Kill Tony Blair
I just admired this man so much and really gives insight into a different side of Abu Ghraib. It's interesting and unexpectedly optimistic.
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FormerDittoHead Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 05:42 PM
Response to Reply #1
34. Also: "The Yes Men" esp re: the WTO
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ReliantJ Donating Member (680 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-01-09 11:09 PM
Response to Reply #1
64. This one came to mind
immediately
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blues90 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-26-09 07:51 PM
Response to Original message
3. Movies , ( American Strays) and ( Runaway Train) and
Edited on Thu Feb-26-09 07:52 PM by blues90
Death of a salesman
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KT2000 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-26-09 07:55 PM
Response to Original message
4. This is a recommendation
that does not meet your criteria but will be a welcome relief as you make through your list.
The Cats of Mirikitani
On 9/11 a film maker took an 80 year old Japanese street artist into her home because the smoke and contaminants were awful in their New York neighborhood. What unfolded is an incredible story.
It is not really about cats though.
Netflix has it.

(Your name implies that you will really appreciate this film)
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kohodog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-26-09 07:55 PM
Response to Original message
5. The Battle of Algiers is great
and of course for fun there's V
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Aviation Pro Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-26-09 07:56 PM
Response to Original message
6. Pi....
...one of the most underrated films ever.
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Baikonour Donating Member (979 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 02:14 AM
Response to Reply #6
15. Darren Aronofsky is awesome. nt
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Aviation Pro Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 03:08 AM
Response to Reply #15
16. Even more awesome, to me.....
...was the math. Holy freaking moley the boys did their research.
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burythehatchet Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 03:41 PM
Response to Reply #6
25. As a life-long sufferer of intense migranes, it had special meaning for me.
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ayeshahaqqiqa Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-26-09 08:08 PM
Response to Original message
7. "A Captive in the Land"
Interesting not only for its theme but also for the fact it was one of the first, if not the first, joint ventures between Russia and the US after the breakup of the USSR.

And then there's "Mind Walk" which is a great film about political/scientific ideas and concepts and how they change.
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GreenTea Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 01:45 AM
Response to Original message
8. "Religulous" Bill Maher's funny insightful documentary on DVD.
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Juche Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 01:48 AM
Response to Original message
9. zeitgeist
The first 40 minutes when they talk about the role astrology and egyptian religion plays in judeo--christian faith is excellent. Get the updated version becuase the older ones had some factual flaws.

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wildbilln864 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 04:51 PM
Response to Reply #9
31. yes...
and here's the link to watch both "Zeitgeist" and "Zeitgeist: Addendum"
:hi:
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Idealism Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 05:38 PM
Response to Reply #31
32. Is there a difference
between addendum and zeitgeist? I was recommended zeitgeist by a few people.
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CANDO Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 07:57 PM
Response to Reply #32
41. Yes
Addendum goes deeper into modern banking issues. Original is three parts. Both are so good that I purchased them to copy and hand out.
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wildbilln864 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 04:17 PM
Response to Reply #32
59. yes !
Watch zeitgeist first. Sorry for being late to reply.
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ContinentalOp Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 01:50 AM
Response to Original message
10. You should check out Adam Curtis' documentaries.
Edited on Fri Feb-27-09 02:17 AM by ContinentalOp
They are brilliant in terms of the art of the documentary and they are quite fascinating and relevant as political commentary as well.

I would start with The Power of Nightmares. You can download it for free here http://www.archive.org/details/ThePowerOfNightmares or watch it on Google video http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2798679275960015727&ei=54ynSeDNNozuqAPHx62BCA&q=power+of+nightmares&hl=en&emb=1

It's about the use of fear in politics and traces the parallel development of the neoconservative movement starting with Leo Strauss and the development of radical Islam as started by Sayyid Qutb.

Then I would watch The Century of the Self http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8953172273825999151 which is about the rise of psychoanalysis in the early part of the 20th century and how it led to the modern marketing industry and our entire culture of consumerism.
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leftstreet Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 01:51 AM
Response to Original message
11. Not a documentary: 'The Lives of Others'
German. Set in East Berlin in 1984

"The horrifying, sometimes unintentionally funny system of observation in the former East Germany"

Pretty good.
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discopants Donating Member (457 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 02:01 AM
Response to Original message
12. The Times of Harvey Milk
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Lex Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-01-09 11:34 PM
Response to Reply #12
67. second that
nt
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Baikonour Donating Member (979 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 02:11 AM
Response to Original message
13. The first part of Zeitgest Addendum.
Edited on Fri Feb-27-09 02:14 AM by Baikonour
It does a great job of explaining the federal reserve and the debt system in America. Then it sort of turns into this weird utopian documentary. But the first part is well done.

http://www.freedocumentaries.org/

Great place to start.
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Idealism Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 02:35 PM
Response to Reply #13
18. I was recommended Zeitgest by a few people actually
Is this only the first x number of chapters, or is it a different movie?
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Baikonour Donating Member (979 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 05:51 PM
Response to Reply #18
36. The Addendum is basically a follow-up to the first film, "Zeitgeist."
The first film mostly focuses on religion, Iraq and 9/11. The Addendum is this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7065205277695921912&ei=DG6oSY4vk-KpAv3CqPQL&q=zeitgeist+addendum&hl=en&emb=1

It's good until about an hour and 10-20 minutes in, then it starts talking about utopia and other odd topics. I loved the first part, but who knows, you may like the second half too.
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Agent William Donating Member (628 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 02:12 AM
Response to Original message
14. Ok, I'm marking this thread.
It's just to damn interesting...

Thanks again DU!!

:hi:
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Norrin Radd Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 05:18 AM
Response to Original message
17. Iraq for Sale
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Turborama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 02:55 PM
Response to Original message
19. 20 "Must See" documentaries with links to where you can watch them
Edited on Fri Feb-27-09 03:20 PM by Turborama

BBC Horizon: Global Dimming - "a film that demands action"
Global Dimming This may be the one of the most important Horizon films of recent years. Climate scientists have just discovered a phenomenon that threatens to disrupt our world. It may already have contributed to the deaths of hundreds of thousands through drought and famine. Unchecked, it will strike again. The good news is that there is a cure. The bad news is that the cure may be worse than the disease.

If they are right, then in tackling the one problem, we may unleash a climate catastrophe on our planet. This is a film about stark choices and about the dawning realisation that all our predictions about the world's climate may be completely wrong. At its heart is something that scientists are calling "global dimming".

The thread with all the links (as with all these docs. I thoroughly recommend getting the torrent version if it's available as the picture and sound quality is far better): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x271149


Iraq For Sale - The War Profiteers
Documentary portraying the actions of U.S. corporate contractors in the U.S.-Iraq war. Interviews with employees and former employees of such companies as Halliburton, CACI, and KBR suggest that government cronyism is behind apparent "sweetheart" deals that give such contractors enormous freedom to profit from supplying support and material to American troops while providing little oversight. Survivors of employees who were killed discuss the claim that the companies cared more for profit than for the welfare of their own workers, and soldiers indicate that the quality of services provided is sub-standard and severely in contradiction to the comparatively huge profits being generated. Also depicted are the unsuccessful attempts by the filmmakers to get company spokesmen to respond to the charges made by the interviewees

Google Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3168421456806470433&ei=lzl_Sf7UI4PcwgO_vrGjDA&q=Iraq+for+Sale+The+War+Profiteers+&dur=3

Torrent (10 seeds as of writing): http://www.mininova.org/tor/512808


PBS's Soldiers of Conscience
Soldiers of Conscience is a dramatic window on the dilemma of individual U.S. soldiers in the current Iraq war — when their finger is on the trigger and another human being is in their gunsight. Made with cooperation of the U.S. Army and narrated by Peter Coyote, the film profiles eight American soldiers, including four who decide not to kill, and become conscientious objectors and four who believe in their duty to kill if necessary. The film reveals all of them wrestling with the morality of killing in war, not as a philosophical problem, but as soldiers experience it — a split-second decision in combat that can never be forgotten or undone.

Full synopsis here: http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/soldiersofconscience/about.html

(Warning: contains graphic images)

PBS stream (only available within the US): http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/soldiersofconscience/fullfilm.html

Full documentary on Google Video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3643788528127179145&ei=aWKjSb-6LYmmwgPmtui3Bw&q=+soldiers+of+conscience&hl=en&dur=3


Private Warriors
As the Army struggles to meet recruitment numbers, FRONTLINE takes a hard look at private contractors servicing U.S. military supply lines, running U.S. military bases, and protecting U.S. diplomats and generals. Between the logistics giant Halliburton and a myriad of armed security companies, private military contractors comprise the second largest "force" in Iraq, far outnumbering all non-U.S. forces combined. There are as many as 100,000 civilian contractors and approximately 20,000 private security forces.

In "Private Warriors," FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith travels throughout Kuwait and Iraq to give viewers an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at companies like Kellogg, Brown & Root, a Halliburton subsidiary, and its civilian army. KBR has 50,000 employees in Iraq and Kuwait that run U.S. military supply lines and operate U.S. military bases. KBR is also the largest contractor in Iraq, providing the Army with $11.84 billion dollars in services since 2002.

PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/warriors/view/


Why we fight
Why We Fight describes the rise and maintenance of the United States military-industrial complex and its fifty-year involvement with the wars led by the United States to date, especially its 2003 Invasion of Iraq. The documentary asserts that in every decade since World War II, the American public was told a lie, so that the Government (incumbent Administration) could take them to war and fuel the military-industrial economy maintaining American political dominance in the world. Interviewed about this matter, are politician John McCain, political scientist and former-CIA analyst Chalmers Johnson, politician Richard Perle, reporter William Kristol, writer Gore Vidal, and public policy expert Joseph Cirincione.

Why We Fight documents the consequences of said foreign policy with the stories of a Vietnam War veteran whose son was killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks, and who then asked the military to write the name of his dead son on any bomb to be dropped in Iraq; and that of a twenty-three-year-old New Yorker who enlists in the United States Army because he is poor and in debt, his decision impelled by his mother's death; and a military explosives scientist who arrived to the U.S. as a refugee girl from Vietnam in 1975.

Google Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9219858826421983682

Torrent (25 seeds as of writing): http://www.mininova.org/tor/744554


Daylight Robbery - What Happened to the $23billion?
Jane Corbin investigates claims that as much as $23bn may have been lost, stolen or not properly accounted for in Iraq. Now more than 70 whistleblower cases threaten to reveal the scandals behind billions of dollars worth of waste, theft and corruption during the war. The US justice department has imposed gagging orders which prevent the real scale of the problem emerging

Google Video: http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=789547337385191959


Dispatches: Jon Snow's Hidden Iraq (2008)
Five years after the invasion, Jon Snow examines the brutal reality of life inside post-invasion Iraq, meeting a variety of its citizens.

Google Video: http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-3886376311962177051


Jesus Camp
Jesus Camp follows several young children as they prepare to attend a summer camp where the kids will get their daily dose of evangelical Christianity. Becky Fischer works at the camp, which is named Kids on Fire. Through interviews with Fischer, the children, and others, Jesus Camp illustrates the unswerving belief of the faithful. A housewife and homeschooling mother tells her son that creationism has all the answers. Footage from inside the camp shows young children weeping and wailing as they promise to stop their sinning. Child after child is driven to tears. Juxtapose these scenes with clips from a more moderate Christian radio host (who is appalled by such tactics), and Jesus Camp seems to pose a clear question: are these children being brainwashed?

Google Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3929535037535102662

Jesus Camp Homepage: http://www.jesuscampthemovie.com/


Coca Cola - Corruption, Water Depletion, Pollution and Nazi Sponsorship
Coca-Cola is one of the most iconic brands of both the 20th and 21st centuries. Promoting itself as the drink of freedom, choice and US patriotism, the company's feel-good factor is recognised worldwide and reflected in its enormous profits.

But behind this carefully crafted image exists a company accused of environmental damage, human rights violations and questionable business practices.

Political activist and journalist Mark Thomas travels to South America, India and the US to investigate the way in which Coca-Cola and its suppliers operate and the extent to which they upholds moral and ethical obligations.

Thomas, a long-term critic of Coca-Cola's more controversial practices, finds disturbing evidence which undermines its effervescent image as a force for good and which has prompted a global consumer backlash.

Google Video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7838926807100638081&ei=tx8YSffBA4GQwgPJkMiQDQ&q=coca+cloa+corruption


Dispatches - Unseen Gaza

(Some graphic images)

Is what has been presented on our screens and in our papers a true reflection of events on the ground in Gaza? And how do these reports differ to those aired in other countries?

With reporters unable to enter Gaza, attempted media manipulation from both sides and strict regulations governing what images that can be shown on British TV, Jon Snow asks a range of journalists from at home and abroad about the challenges of getting the full story.

Featuring images that haven't before been aired on mainstream television, Jon also examines the difference between the coverage at home and that in the US, Europe and the Middle East.

He compares the coverage available on terrestrial channels with satellite TV and the internet and investigates the extent to which some British Muslims are by-passing the mainstream British media and looking elsewhere for their information.

To what extent does the choice of news outlet affect opinion of the conflict?

On Google Video:

Part 1
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8132449999430251419&ei=t8OASaqgJI3WwgPJ6pipDA&q=jon+snow+Unseen+Gaza

Part 2
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9074563122846363135=t8OASaqgJI3WwgPJ6pipDA&q=jon+snow+Unseen+Gaza

Youtube playlist
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=792BBB3E85F1B821

Well seeded torrent
http://www.mininova.org/tor/2208996


Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in U.S. coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This pivotal documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites--oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others--work in combination with Israeli public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported. Through the voices of scholars, media critics, peace activists, religious figures, and Middle East experts, Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land carefully analyzes and explains how--through the use of language, framing and context--the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza remains hidden in the news media, and Israeli colonization of the occupied terrorities appears to be a defensive move rather than an offensive one.

The documentary also explores the ways that U.S. journalists, for reasons ranging from intimidation to a lack of thorough investigation, have become complicit in carrying out Israel's PR campaign. At its core, the documentary raises questions about the ethics and role of journalism, and the relationship between media and politics.

Full documentary:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6604775898578139565

Youtube Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCL6WdnuNp4

Youtube Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo2HW4T7wK4

Well seeded torrent:
http://www.mininova.org/tor/232809


Occupation 101
A thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unlike any other film ever produced on the conflict -- 'Occupation 101' presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the never ending controversy and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions.

The film also details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States in the conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting and viable peace. The roots of the conflict are explained through first-hand on-the-ground experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voices have too often been suppressed in American media outlets.

The film covers a wide range of topics -- which include -- the first wave of Jewish immigration from Europe in the 1880's, the 1920 tensions, the 1948 war, the 1967 war, the first Intifada of 1987, the Oslo Peace Process, Settlement expansion, the role of the United States Government, the second Intifada of 2000, the separation barrier and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as well as many heart wrenching testimonials from victims of this tragedy.
http://www.occupation101.com

Google Video verison:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2451908450811690589

A well seeded torrent of it:
http://www.mininova.org/tor/819069


Beneath The Veil
A hard hitting documentary with presenter Saira Shah who went undercover prior to 9/11 to find out what the Afghanistan not shown in the press was like under Taliban rule. I strongly recommend this documentary to anyone who is interested in Afghanistan.

Google Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4201322772364661561


Brought over from a post I put up in LBN...

I watched this quite shocking two part documentary series about extremists in Pakistan the other day; it really gave a good insight regarding the situation in Pakistan, how it affects the ongoing war in Afghanistan and helped me understand why it is so very important that we fix this terrible mess that Cheney/Bush have gotten us into properly. What worries me most about all this is that Pakistan has nuclear weapons and we have to do whatever it takes to make sure they DO NOT fall into the wrong hands...

I thoroughly recommend that anyone who wants to get a better understanding of what's really going on in that region takes the time to watch it all the way through.

Pakistan's War: The Battle Within
In this exclusive two-part series, Rageh Omaar travels from the capital, Islamabad, to the tribal heartlands to chart the spread of suicide bombings and the escalation of violence that has turned Pakistan into a war zone.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XJZnESwcgo

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30tGS-xDJg0

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px4lhZzaRpA

Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAVv1epfbqk

Pakistan's War: On the Front Line
In the second part of his special series Pakistan's War, Rageh Omaar gets exclusive access to the Pakistani army in their full-scale military offensive against fighters on the frontier with Afghanistan.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQB-IgktVEM

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u43ngbDH6og

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WmQTxwXrhA

Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k3XGlO7rWI

You can also bookmark this page which has all the links and a synopsis if you want to save it for later:

Pakistan's War
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/general/2008/12/200812211123302404.html


The Epic of Black Gold 1 & 2
The history of oil is the history of the 20th century. It is a history of corruption, violence, unimaginable profits and human suffering. In the last 100 years, oil has changed almost every part of human life in almost every corner of the globe. This series sets out to tell the tale of Black Gold, in suitably epic detail and scope; from John D Rockefeller and Henry Ford's Model-T, through both world wars, to the current US engagement in Iraq - everyone should watch this

YouTube Playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=E55B553968A5A670

The history of oil
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5267640865741878159


Rageh inside Iran
Rageh Omaar embarks on a unique journey inside what he describes as one of the most misunderstood countries in the world, looking at the country through the eyes of people rarely heard - ordinary Iranians.

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pjgl6ClLh7w

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTpPJn6X3lg

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy1oH4ArIKA

Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG68_gg1WEw

Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxbxDj1QwOo



Hacking Democracy
This must watch, HBO featured, shocking documentary explores voter fraud in today´s electronic voting machines and how they have alterred past elections.

Google Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4762159260759486531




The Century of the Self thread started by deutsey: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x265948

well seeded torrent of the full series: http://www.mininova.org/det/2092193


The best playlist on YouTube I've found so far (it has a huge amount interesting documentaries)
This guy sure has been very busy putting this lot together...
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=gosale1&view=playlists


Free and user friendly torrent downloading software (if you don't have it already)
http://www.utorrent.com/

I have a few more I could add, if you'd like me too...
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Idealism Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 04:30 PM
Response to Reply #19
29. That is an awesome post, thank you!
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Turborama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 12:44 AM
Response to Reply #29
51. You're most welcome

It'd be interesting to hear your thoughts after you've watched any of them...

Thanks for getting this thread going, there's some great suggestions form other DUers on here too. I'd been thinking about starting a thread like this myself, actually, but never got around to doing it. I've also been considering suggesting a documentary forum but am not sure if the moderators have enough time to manage another one...
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Idealism Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 01:18 AM
Response to Reply #51
55. I just finished watching Al Jazeera's "Pakistan's War"
Excellent documentary about the problems they face. It did not mention the military uprising against Al-Zardari but, there is only so much time in a film. And, the uprising seems to be coming from the ISI, so it is a sensitive (and secretive) subject.

I also watched "Why We Fight," and although I have seen excerpts from the movie before and am quite familiar with the military-industrial complex (check out my sig line), it never ceases to amaze me the nefarious and pervasive nature of such a thing. Good documentary, well produced.

I am currently watching "The Corporation," but since one of my degrees is in Economics it is a sobering view that isn't often seen (even though I have personally seen many scandalous deeds being done at the behest of such corporations, most people have not). Looks good but I am not done yet!


I don't know if you've seen the movie I was talking about in the op (Debt of Dictators), but it is very good if international economics/relations interest you. It is another indictment of the IMF and transnational banks and how they hurt the lives of so many through their indifference to anything but getting paid. Worth the time to download it! Heres the trailer if you haven't seen it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYDKFfzfMNo&eurl=http://www.ifiwatch.tv/en/video/2008/11/debt-dictators

I personally think a "Documentary/Movie" forum would be a great idea! We should look into creating one!
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Fly by night Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 07:38 PM
Response to Reply #19
39. Great list, but here are 3 election integrity films better than "Hacking Democracy"
"UNCOUNTED: The New Math of American Elections" (David Earnhardt)

"STEALING AMERICA: Vote by Vote" (Dorothy Fadiman)

"MURDER, SPIES AND VOTING LIES" (Patty Sharaf)


All well worth seeing. And all well worth our staying involved in our states until we get rid of all unverifiable voting equipment.

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Turborama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 12:58 AM
Response to Reply #39
52. Cool, thanks for the heads up.
I knew about "Murder, Spies and Voting Lies" after having watched http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeXpwabuUbY">the trailer during the election but never got around to watching it.

I'm going to look up all three and see if I can download them as torrents.

Electronic voting concerns me a great deal, I think it should be erdicated.

On edit: Have you seen the video of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEzY2tnwExs">Clint Curtis giving testiomny, yet?
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Fly by night Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 07:45 AM
Response to Reply #52
57. Clint Curtis is a friend. I got him to speak at the 2005 National Election Reform Conference...
... where his speech was filmed for two of the above films and where he was interviewed for several more. (So far, at least five documentaries have used footage from that conference, including all three I listed above.) There were also two foreign documentary crews at the conference so there may be films originating in Germany and Denmark that I haven't seen yet. Here's an old DU thread that discusses the conference and what came out of it.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=355167&mesg_id=355167

If we never stop fighting (for election integrity), we cannot lose.
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ihavenobias Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 03:05 PM
Response to Original message
20. Taxi To The Darkside (obvious) and Jesus Camp.
The latter might not be of interest to you at this time, but religious fundamentalism in America and the Religious Right has plenty of political ramifications.

I also recommend searching for all recommendations at www.rottentomatoes.com, the best movie review site on the web because it consolidates ALL critic reviews and gives a summary and overall picture of the critical consensus with a nice numerical rating. That makes it much more useful than referring to any one critic.
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MountainLaurel Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 03:16 PM
Response to Original message
21. The Lives of Others
German film from a couple years ago.

Who Killed the Electric Car?
Sicko
Romero
The Killing Fields
The Constant Gardener
Meet Farmer John (or something like that)
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Occam Bandage Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 03:18 PM
Response to Original message
22. The Dark Knight. It was this awesome indie flick about society's warped concepts of law and order.
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readmoreoften Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 03:28 PM
Response to Original message
23. A Place Called Chiapas, Network (Sidney Lumet), Offside (Jafar Panahi), Battle of Algiers,
Edited on Fri Feb-27-09 03:29 PM by readmoreoften
"Crossing the Line" (about the last American GI living in North Korea),
Cocalero (about MAS and contemporary Bolivia),
Pictures from a Revolution (a photographer tries to locate Sandinistas and Contras in her photographs a decade after Revolution)
Heavy Metal Baghdad (about the only heavy metal band in Iraq (you'll see pictures from Iraq you'll never see in any other doc)
The Revolution will not be Televised (Chavez shot by Irish documentarians during the coup--free on Google VId.)

To name a few...
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lazyriver Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 03:35 PM
Response to Original message
24. "Able Raises Cain" - A documentary about Alan Able as told
by his daughter. I saw it on Link TV (or maybe it was IFC) and it was great.

http://abelraisescain.com/

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ret5hd Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 03:45 PM
Response to Original message
26. k&r
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FloridaJudy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 03:53 PM
Response to Original message
27. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
'Heart-warming' is over-used, but it applies to this film. It's the story of the unlikely relationship between a homeless musician and the flock of wild parrots he cares for.

It made me cry. Really.
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ContinentalOp Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 01:14 AM
Response to Reply #27
53. That's a great movie! -nt-
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Bill219 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 04:05 PM
Response to Original message
28. The C.S.A. (The Confederate States of America)
Just got my hands on a copy this week and watched it last night

http://www.csathemovie.com/

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Idealism Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 04:34 PM
Response to Original message
30. Keep these coming guys, they are all excellent!
Much appreciated, too!
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MrCoffee Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 05:40 PM
Response to Original message
33. While not even remotely political, "The King Of Kong" is the best doc. I've ever seen
It touches on almost every aspect of the human experience, through the prism of Donkey Kong.


A stunning achievement in filmmaking.
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ContinentalOp Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 01:17 AM
Response to Reply #33
54. Watch more docs.
:P Just kidding. King of Kong was fun but it's hardly one of the great documentaries. It's hard not to give the "best ever" title to The Thin Blue Line considering that it not only changed the style of televsion and documentary filmmaking forever but it actually got a man off of death row!
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Mike 03 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 05:45 PM
Response to Original message
35. "Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media"
This is one of my favorite documentaries. It is fantastically inspiring, although probably moreso if you are acquainted with Noam Chomsky's efforts. The DVD has many extras that make it exceptionally worthwhile.

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ThomWV Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 05:58 PM
Response to Original message
37. This movie changed my whole concept of the Bible
Most of the reviews of it are not particularly great, but they missed a lot in my opinion. I had never before given any thought to what the conditions and the people were really like at the times of the old stories. This shocked me into a greater understanding of the likely origins of what now passes for some sort of mystical truth.


Cheick Ourmar Sissoko's awe-inspiring "GENESIS"
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me b zola Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 06:07 PM
Response to Original message
38. American Blackout
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leftyclimber Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 07:54 PM
Response to Original message
40. These aren't documentaries, but you may not have seen them.
Edited on Fri Feb-27-09 07:54 PM by leftyclimber
El Norte. You will never see undocumented immigration the same way again.

La Muralla Verde. A great look at the human cost of militaristic governments, told through a very simple allegory.

(less obscure, but in case you missed it) Cradle Will Rock. About how the New Deal ultimately dealt with its arts programs. An important history that few Americans know and an incredible cast (it's a Tim Robbins film).

Edit: And Black Rain (about Hiroshima after the bomb). How could I have forgotten Black Rain?
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sampsonblk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 08:00 PM
Response to Original message
42. Roots
The best history of the plight of Africans in America.
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jtrockville Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 09:14 PM
Response to Original message
43. "The Future Of Food" (2004)
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L. Coyote Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 09:17 PM
Response to Original message
44. THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED
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Idealism Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 10:22 PM
Response to Reply #44
49. Saw it awhile back, great movie!
I still can't believe the filmmakers luck at being in Caracas while Chavez was being ousted! And Carmona's press conference where they shredded the Constitution, disbanded the Supreme Court, the Justice department, and the National Assembly was like a scene out of a movie...
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DIKB Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 09:22 PM
Response to Original message
45. America Unchained
a documentary by David Gorman of his attempt to drive across the U.S. "from sea to sea" ONLY stopping at non-chain gas stations, eating at mom and pop restaurants, and staying at personally owned hotels.
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SidDithers Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 09:23 PM
Response to Original message
46. This Film Not Yet Rated...
was a documentary that I really enjoyed. It's about the secretive, star-chamber like proceedings of the Ratings Board at the Motion Picture Association of America.

Sid
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Tikki Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 09:29 PM
Response to Original message
47. Central Station (Central do Brasil)....
Here is a young Brazilian woman's review of this movie.

http://www.topics-mag.com/globalization/link-central-station.htm


Tikki
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Danascot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 09:31 PM
Response to Original message
48. Winged Migration is magnificent
The BBC Planet Earth series is also wonderful.
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L. Coyote Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-27-09 10:27 PM
Response to Original message
50. STEALING AMERICA: Vote by Vote = streams online
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ConsAreLiars Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 04:40 AM
Response to Original message
56. "Taliban Country" - a woman journalist goes embedded with a hearts-and-minds
operation by US Marines and then later returns alone with a translator to learn the impact of that operation.

In 4 parts here: http://www.guerrillanews.com/videos/37/Taliban_Country

At the beginning it looks like the Marines are trying to do some good-old-boy schmoozing with the elders, but what actually resulted was:

Carmela Baranowska’s “Taliban Country” is a rare and damning insight into what U.S. forces are doing in remote Afghanistan. For three weeks, Carmela was embedded with the U.S. Marines in their remote forward operating Base.

Suspicious of what was really happening, Carmela later became the only person in 2004 to return and independently cover this area. She was reported kidnapped by the Taliban but the source of reports of an abandoned vehicle and Taliban abduction of a Western woman have never been uncovered.

Carmela obtained disturbing testimony from local villagers, some of which echo the sexual abuse documented at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Naval Base.

“They fingered us, beat us and humiliated us,” alleges villager Wali Mohammad. “No Muslim should suffer that.” He claims he was imprisoned for three days by the marines after soldiers raided his village and accused him of providing food and shelter to Al Qaeda. His elderly father, Noor Mohammad Lala, was also arrested. “They took my clothes. I could not do anything,” Noor confides. Both men claim they were sexually abused and forced to pose for photographs. “I was so humiliated I couldn’t see for my pain,” states Noor.

The marines’ raid on their village of Passau was so offensive that locals want the camera to record every indiscretion. “They used this as a toilet,” says one man gesturing at the floor of a home. Their wheat harvest was destroyed and the mosque door battered down. As a result of this raid, many people have already left the village. “Almost all the families are gone,” complains the tribal elder bitterly. “Our people are being forced to pack up and leave.”
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B Calm Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-28-09 08:12 AM
Response to Original message
58. Watch ZEITGEIST. . . No denying that it’s
controversial. It’s
a full length movie about historical
perceptions of religion, the US and
the world. The movie will be in three
different parts.

Take an objective view and develop your
own opinion.

Warning: This movie can
change how you view the world.
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Idealism Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-01-09 08:53 PM
Response to Original message
60. Shameless kick
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Starbucks Anarchist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-01-09 08:58 PM
Response to Original message
61. "The Contender" and "The Battle of Algiers."
Edited on Sun Mar-01-09 08:58 PM by Starbucks Anarchist
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Idealism Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-01-09 11:02 PM
Response to Reply #61
62. I have been recommended the Battle of Algiers a few times
Is it the 1966 film, a remake, or a documentary?
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Starbucks Anarchist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-01-09 11:08 PM
Response to Reply #62
63. The original 1966 film.
I'm not aware of a remake, unless you're thinking of the theatrical re-release it had a few years ago.

It's not a documentary per se, but it is filmed documentary-style and works as both a political film and a suspense thriller.
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bertman Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-01-09 11:24 PM
Response to Original message
65. Great post, Idealism. Here are three that will take you away from the weight of current
events yet provide some dramatic historical drama from other turbulent times:

Rome. The HBO series for two years (I think) is absolutely captivating and, based on what I have read, is pretty historically accurate. Some really interesting observations on life in the Empire. Begins with some of Julius Caesar's early campaigns and goes through Antony and Cleopatra's defeat.

Queen Margot. A French film about the marriage of Margot to Henry of Burgundy around 1350-ish. Very stylistic and raw. Captures the mood of Catholic versus Protestant France and the massacre of Protestants in Paris at the wedding. Subtitled, but you won't even notice.

Black Robe. The story of a French priest/missionary in pre-Revolutionary War Canada and his harrowing but mesmerizing introduction to the Native Americans and their culture.

And here's the bonus flick: Pathfinder. NOT the piece o' crap they ginned up a few years ago. This is a 1987 Norwegian film about life in the Nordic hinterlands in winter during the Dark Ages.

Happy viewing.



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TXDemGal Donating Member (600 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-01-09 11:32 PM
Response to Original message
66. The Fog of War
U.S. documentary directed by Errol Morris about the life of former Defense Secretary, Robert S. McNamara.
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handmade34 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Mar-01-09 11:52 PM
Response to Original message
68. Dersu Uzala...
Battleship Potemkin, The Story of Dorthy Day, just watched Frozen River, The Birth of a Nation,
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