Review Your Fave/Recent Documentaries

[Sniper99]

No Dress Rehearsal



Have a couple kleenex boxes maybe a beach towel for episode 4. 10/10

Also

Long Time Running



10/10

 

[Babe Ruth]

The Fire Next Door (1977)

A news special that covered the arson spree hitting the Bronx in the mid 70s. Interesting time capsule now, that foreshadowed a lot of what did & would happen to a lot of American (inner) cities.. following White flight and epidemic drug use.
I watched it on YouTube.

 

[Babe Ruth]

This is the Zodiac Speaking (2024)

3-part Netflix series.. that gathered recollections of a family, who became convinced an old family friend was the Zodiac killer.
It's a pretty compelling case, and the suspect they name was actually a primary suspect.
My main complaint is that the doc doesn't offer much pushback on the family's theory. Even if the film-makers wholeheartedly support the accusation.. for credibility & balance I wanted to hear more context of why he was never charged, flaws in the theory etc..

 

[Unholy Diver]

This is the Zodiac Speaking (2024)

3-part Netflix series.. that gathered recollections of a family, who became convinced an old family friend was the Zodiac killer.
It's a pretty compelling case, and the suspect they name was actually a primary suspect.
My main complaint is that the doc doesn't offer much pushback on the family's theory. Even if the film-makers wholeheartedly support the accusation.. for credibility & balance I wanted to hear more context of why he was never charged, flaws in the theory etc..

Was there any new info or thoughts uncovered in this one? It seems like the Zodiac has been covered to death over the last 10-15 years or so, and it's been the same handful of suspects rehashed and reshuffled

 

[archangel2]

I watched 3 Docs on The Battle of Jutland. But from different times and eras.

Battle of Jutland - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It was an interesting seeing how the views changed over the years as to just how crazy the battle was. Brits had the biggest and baddest ships calls Dreadnoughts had the latest techs, armaments and all the bells and whistles. There was one flaw to the the ships. The Guys in charge Beatty and Jellicoe, while very suitable to the job they had, they were old schools admiral and had no idea how to use the technology they had.

 

[Babe Ruth]

Was there any new info or thoughts uncovered in this one? It seems like the Zodiac has been covered to death over the last 10-15 years or so, and it's been the same handful of suspects rehashed and reshuffled

No new suspect.. actually a very old suspect (Allen). But his guilt was looked at from a newer angle.. a family Allen had befriended during the years of the killings.

And basically out of respect for their mother's affection for Allen, the grown kids didn't fully, publicly name Allen as the Zodiac until after her death.
It's a very compelling testimony because 3 of the children, now seniors, came to believe Allen was the Zodiac. But the doc omits all other suspects, who also have compelling, circumstantial potential.

 

[kook10]

Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary (Max)
If you are a music fan, or moreover, a yacht rock fan, you will love it. An enjoyable watch.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Watch an interesting doc on D-Day. Was not about what happened on that day but the lead up to and all the logistics and other stuff. Great Doc but I have my usual moan. Because it was done by a US company. They put all the allies into one category and used the British flag. So that means when they talked about Juno beach? The call the Canadian troops British.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Saw couple doc on Jack the ripper, where each one suggested they "closed" the case on different suspects. Each one started from the perspective their guy was Jack. The funniest was the one where it stuck to Aaron Kosminsk and because of DNA from the shawl that belonged to Catherine Eddowes. It comes from the book Naming Jack the Ripper publish 2014. The book got ripped to shreds when it came out and the flaws in how the author came to the conclusion is still being ripped to shreds and he refuses to release the methodology used on the shawl and the scientist who did the test--finally admitted how he tested the shawl was pre determined by the guy who writing the book . The one thing that came out in one of the docs was that the shawl was washed "several times" over the years and that due to that it would not be able to used for proper DNA test

 

[Jumptheshark]

Spent 3 hours watching a doc on Lord Lucan. He was a Lord who killed a Nanny then vanished. The was made by the son of the nanny. It is an interesting video but asks you to suspend all logic and sense too many times. The son does come off as a nut job with his single narrow vision of what he wants to believe

 

[Babe Ruth]

(Impact X Nightline) What Happened to Karen Silkwood? (2024)

New Nightline doc that was recently released on Hulu. It reexamines the death of workplace whistleblower Karen Silkwood, and her fatal car crash from 1974. Kind of an intriguing case, and good primer if you've never heard of Silkwood, or seen her bio movie..

 

[Babe Ruth]

Untold Johnny Football (2024)

Netflix doc on the rapid rise & fall of Johnny Manziel. Nothing really new.. and to be honest, not much insights. Just a pretty straightforward chronology of Manziel's couple of years in the football limelight.
And listening to Manziel recollect the experience, he seems like a decent man.. who just wasn't comfortable with all the attention & responsibility of being Johnny Football. The story doesn't seem to be any deeper or darker than that.. even tho the media presented it as a complex, moralistic tragedy at the time.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Two competing Docs on Mark Felt who of course was Deep Throat.

Both were told from different perspectives. One portrayed Felt as a patriot who could not stand by while the white house trampled on everything the was right and proper.

The second I think it was more accurate. What started Felt down the path he went on was when J Edger Hover died and not only was Felt Bi-passed for the top job, he got knocked down a few pegs. One other former FBI agent also is mentioned a lot in the doc was Bill Sullivan. He was the FBI's dirty tricks operational guy. Both him and Felt were behind a lot of the illegal wire taps and all the really nasty stuff the FBI did in the 1960's. Sullivan is the agent who sent MLK's wife the photos of him cheating on her with other women. Sulliven was recruited by Nixon after the FBI got rid of him. Felt is portrayed not as a patriot but more as a man pissed off at being passed over the top job. With Hoover dead, Nixon made a move to put the FBI under his thumb and this actually helped to Nixon downfall. The guy who Nixon wanted as the new FBI head did not survive the confirmation hearings and actually help serve up Nixon and a others up. While Felt was tipping off the Post, Pat Grey (who was the acting director) admitted under oath at his confirmation hearings that he gave around 100 reports/files about the Watergate breaking in and destroyed around 20 reports that put the Whitehouse in trouble. He was asked why he did it? "I was ordered to" was his response. When asked by whom? "The President". That is when both houses went against the White House and more interference came out about what orders Nixon gave. While the second doc does not down play Felt and what he did with the Washington Post. It sheds light on the other stuff that was going within the FBI and both houses. Grey's testimony was a massive nail in Nixon coffin.

 

[RandV]

Came out a month ago but just saw it on Disney and in the middle of it, National Geopgraphic has a new documentary out on the Endurance. Mixes a retelling of Shackleton's story using colour enhancement on the real footage and following a team in 2022 (I think) in the antarctic trying to locate the wreck.

I don't know yet if they go right to the end of Shackelton's story as part of the focus is on the sunk Endurance but if anyone's never heard of theses names then this is a must watch, and still really good regardless.

 

[Jumptheshark]

No Dress Rehearsal



Have a couple kleenex boxes maybe a beach towel for episode 4. 10/10

Also

Long Time Running



10/10

I am the only Canadian Alive that is not a hip fan,

 

[Jumptheshark]

Was there any new info or thoughts uncovered in this one? It seems like the Zodiac has been covered to death over the last 10-15 years or so, and it's been the same handful of suspects rehashed and reshuffled

Much like Jack the Ripper. No new info just looked at from a different view and perspective

 

[Babe Ruth]

Chief$aholic (2024)

A good, well-rounded documentary on petty criminals and the damage they cause.. it's specifically about a Chiefs superfan who robbed banks to support his compulsive gambling and Chiefs game attendance.
But more broadly it shows the life of a nomadic family living a gypsy-like existence over the years.. where the son was gambling and robbing banks to support 'em..
I thought the movie was fair in portraying both the criminal and his victims as sympathetic.. but the good guys & bad guy are clear here. It's an interesting, serious accounting of being an outlaw.
Other elements that (I think) don't look great here are a lackadaisical bond system and the mentally unhealthy world of NFL superfandom.
Watched it on Prime.

 

[Babe Ruth]

Trainwreck: Woodstock '99 (2022)

Pretty good 3-part look back at the 1999 Woodstock, and how/why it went sideways.
I had forgotten how wild that show got. Some good vintage footage. And it's interesting hearing the promoters still defending/denying their failures.
Watched on Netflix.

 

[Hippasus]

The last-third or so got political, but I think the overarching message is that water is an issue that goes beyond politics.

 

[Babe Ruth]

Don't Die (2025)

New doc I came across on Netflix.. about a tech mogul (Johnson) who has become dedicated to slowing down aging.
I remember this guy becoming a meme a couple years back.. and feel this movie did a good job humanizing him and his mission. He is obsessive, but he seems sincere, tho not without his critics.
It was interesting, think it was just released this week.

 

[HFsNumber1Heel]

Trainwreck: Woodstock '99 (2022)

Pretty good 3-part look back at the 1999 Woodstock, and how/why it went sideways.
I had forgotten how wild that show got. Some good vintage footage. And it's interesting hearing the promoters still defending/denying their failures.
Watched on Netflix.

It's so wild because for as notorious as Woodstock 99 was, Woodstock 94 was this amazing generational concert that is overshadowed because of the latter's nonsense.

 

[Babe Ruth]

It's so wild because for as notorious as Woodstock 99 was, Woodstock 94 was this amazing generational concert that is overshadowed because of the latter's nonsense.

I had a neighbor/friend back in the day, who was a big NIN fan.. and I remember him relaying that '94 was a good show and good time.
My takeaway from this doc, was that the promoters at '99 were willfully avoiding dealing with the adversities they were encountering in real time. But who knows.. it does seem cold and irresponsible that 25 years later, the promoters STILL seem to put all the blame on Limp Bizkit. I mean hasn't Limp been posthumously dumped on enough already..

 

[Bench Clearer]

Saw the Danbury Trashers documentary for the first time recently. Highly entertaining. AJ Galante basically did the exact same thing I always do in NHL 22 when it comes to assembling a team, only he got to do it in real life. Brilliant!

 

[Crow]

My all time favorite documentary is grizzly man. Every time I watch it I’m fascinated by Timothy Treadwell’s inability to show signs of being self aware. Some parts are hilarious and others tragic. I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t seen it to give it a watch.

 

[Hippasus]

I'm in the middle of watching this direct cinema, but I want to say it will have been very good @x Tame Impala.