Documentaries worth watching
by samui-780-831880 | created - 16 Jul 2014 | updated - 07 Dec 2015 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Cosmos (1980)
TV-PG | 60 min | Documentary
Astronomer Carl Sagan leads us on an engaging guided tour of the various elements and cosmological theories of the universe.
Stars: Carl Sagan, Jaromír Hanzlík, Jonathan Fahn, Jean Charney
Votes: 44,022
2. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014)
TV-PG | 43 min | Documentary
An exploration of our discovery of the laws of nature and coordinates in space and time.
Stars: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Christopher Emerson, Keythe Farley, Piotr Michael
Votes: 128,540
3. Chasing Ice (2012)
PG-13 | 75 min | Documentary, Biography
Follow National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers.
Director: Jeff Orlowski-Yang | Stars: James Balog, Svavar Jónatansson, Louie Psihoyos, Kitty Boone
Votes: 8,863 | Gross: $1.33M
4. Encounters at the End of the World (2007)
G | 99 min | Documentary
Film-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Scott Rowland, Stefan Pashov, Doug MacAyeal
Votes: 19,248 | Gross: $0.94M
5. The Secret Life of Chaos (2010)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary
Chaos theory has a bad name, conjuring up images of unpredictable weather, economic crashes and science gone wrong. But there is a fascinating and hidden side to Chaos, one that scientists ... See full summary »
Director: Nic Stacey | Star: Jim Al-Khalili
Votes: 871
6. The Act of Killing (2012)
Not Rated | 117 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.
Directors: Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous, Christine Cynn | Stars: Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin, Ibrahim Sinik
Votes: 40,801 | Gross: $0.49M
7. War Photographer (2001)
96 min | Documentary, War
Documentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.
Director: Christian Frei | Stars: James Nachtwey, Christiane Amanpour, Hans-Hermann Klare, Christiane Breustedt
Votes: 4,302
8. Four Horsemen (2012)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary, News
The modern day Four Horsemen continue to ride roughshod over the people who can least afford it. Crises are converging when governments, religion and mainstream economists have stalled. 23 ... See full summary »
Director: Ross Ashcroft | Stars: Dominic Frisby, Gillian Tett, Lawrence Wilkerson, David Morgan
Votes: 2,917
9. Inside Job (2010)
PG-13 | 109 min | Documentary, Crime
Takes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
Director: Charles Ferguson | Stars: Matt Damon, Gylfi Zoega, Andri Snær Magnason, Sigridur Benediktsdottir
Votes: 78,951 | Gross: $4.31M
10. Kumaré (2011)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary
A documentary about a man who impersonates a wise Indian Guru and builds a following in Arizona. At the height of his popularity, the Guru Kumaré must reveal his true identity to his disciples and unveil his greatest teaching of all.
Director: Vikram Gandhi | Stars: Vikram Gandhi, Toby, Greg, Molly
Votes: 5,197 | Gross: $0.13M
11. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
PG | 81 min | Documentary
A documentary on 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his renowned Tokyo restaurant, and his relationship with his son and eventual heir, Yoshikazu.
Director: David Gelb | Stars: Jiro Ono, Yoshikazu Ono, Masuhiro Yamamoto, Daisuke Nakazama
Votes: 38,003 | Gross: $2.55M
12. Miss Representation (2011)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
Explores the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America, and challenges the media's limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman.
Director: Jennifer Siebel Newsom | Stars: Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Jean Kilbourne, Jim Steyer, Katie Couric
Votes: 3,865
13. Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
PG-13 | 86 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.
Director: Malik Bendjelloul | Stars: Rodriguez, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore
Votes: 72,889 | Gross: $3.97M
14. Blackfish (2013)
PG-13 | 83 min | Documentary
A documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite | Stars: Tilikum, Dave Duffus, Samantha Berg, Dean Gomersall
Votes: 72,427 | Gross: $2.07M
15. Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief (2015)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary
A documentary looking at the inner-workings of the Church of Scientology.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Paul Haggis, Jason Beghe, Spanky Taylor, David Miscavige
Votes: 40,901
16. Order & Disorder (2012)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary
Professor Jim Al-Khalili unwraps the evolutionary histories responsible for the modern human condition, as currently represented by our sophistication in energy manipulation and information technology.
Stars: Jim Al-Khalili, Annabel Troost, Irving Finkel, Sean Carroll
Votes: 392
17. Particle Fever (2013)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary
As the Large Hadron Collider is about to be launched for the first time, physicists are on the cusp of the greatest scientific discovery of all time -- or perhaps their greatest failure.
Director: Mark Levinson | Stars: David Kaplan, Fabiola Gianotti, Sherwood Boehlert, Joel Hefley
Votes: 7,585 | Gross: $0.87M
18. Food, Inc. (2008)
PG | 94 min | Documentary, News
An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
Director: Robert Kenner | Stars: Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Richard Lobb, Vince Edwards
Votes: 52,210 | Gross: $4.42M
19. Sepideh (2013)
90 min | Documentary, Drama
Sepideh wants to become an astronaut. She spends her nights exploring the secrets of the universe, while her family will do anything to keep her on the ground. The expectations for a young ... See full summary »
Director: Berit Madsen | Stars: Sepideh Hooshyar, Sedigheh Hooshyar, Asghar Kabiri, Hadi Hooshyar
Votes: 234
20. The World Before Her (2012)
TV-PG | 90 min | Documentary
Two young women follow completely divergent paths in the new, modernizing India-one wants to become Miss India, the other is a fierce Hindu Nationalist prepared to kill and die for her beliefs.
Director: Nisha Pahuja | Stars: Pooja Chopra, Manasvi Mamgai, Marc Robinson, Ankita Shorey
Votes: 857
21. Bill Cunningham New York (2010)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A profile of the noted and extraordinarily cheerful veteran New York City fashion photographer.
Director: Richard Press | Stars: Bill Cunningham, Anna Wintour, Michael Kors, Editta Sherman
Votes: 5,670 | Gross: $1.51M
22. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
R | 87 min | Documentary, Comedy, Crime
Following the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
Director: Banksy | Stars: Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, Space Invader, Debora Guetta
Votes: 68,819 | Gross: $3.29M
23. Wonders of the Solar System (2010)
TV-PG | 60 min | Documentary, Family
In this spellbinding series Professor Brian Cox visits the most extreme locations on Earth to explain how the laws of physics carved natural wonders across the solar system.
Stars: Brian Cox, Richard Hoover, Carolyn Porco, Alan Hildebrand
Votes: 4,718
24. Wonders of the Universe (I) (2011)
TV-G | 59 min | Documentary, Family
Professor Brian Cox visits some of the most dramatic parts of the globe to explain the fundamental principles that govern the laws of nature - light, gravity, energy, matter and time. With ... See full summary »
Stars: Brian Cox, Steven Mackintosh
Votes: 4,343
25. Journey to the Edge of the Universe (2008 TV Movie)
91 min | Documentary, Family
A journey through space and time.
Director: Yavar Abbas | Stars: Alec Baldwin, Sean Pertwee, Paul Essiembre
Votes: 4,420
26. Best of Enemies (2015)
R | 87 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary on the series of televised debates in 1968 between liberal Gore Vidal and conservative William F. Buckley.
Directors: Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville | Stars: Gore Vidal, William F. Buckley, Dick Cavett, Noam Chomsky
Votes: 6,495 | Gross: $0.89M
27. Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
Follow the shocking, yet humorous, journey of an aspiring environmentalist, as he daringly seeks to find the real solution to the most pressing environmental issues and true path to sustainability.
Directors: Kip Andersen, Keegan Kuhn | Stars: Bruce Hamilton, Kip Andersen, Al Gore, Heather Cooley
Votes: 26,572
28. We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (2012)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary
A documentary on the workings and beliefs of the self-described "hacktivist" collective, Anonymous.
Director: Brian Knappenberger | Stars: Anon2World, Anonyops, Julian Assange, Aaron Barr
Votes: 10,420
29. Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia (2013)
Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary, Biography, History
This is an unashamedly opinionated film. In Gore Vidal's America, the political coup has already happened. The right have triumphed and the human values of the liberals have been consigned ... See full summary »
Director: Nicholas D. Wrathall | Stars: Gore Vidal, Howard Auster, James Best, Karen Black
Votes: 1,313 | Gross: $0.13M
30. Samsara (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 102 min | Documentary, Music
Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.
Director: Ron Fricke | Stars: Balinese Tari Legong Dancers, Ni Made Megahadi Pratiwi, Puti Sri Candra Dewi, Putu Dinda Pratika
Votes: 38,026 | Gross: $2.67M
31. We Live in Public (2009)
Unrated | 91 min | Documentary
A documentary focusing on the life of dot-com entrepreneur Josh Harris, and his exploits over the last decade.
Director: Ondi Timoner | Stars: Josh Harris, Tom Harris, Carlos Alvarez, David Amron
Votes: 1,983 | Gross: $0.04M
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