Documentaries

As the sister of a documentary filmmaker, I was always sure to hear about it if I admitted that, when I Tivo the Academy Awards, I have been known to fast forward through the Oscars for best documentary film along with the commercials and a few of the musical montages. What? I hate montages. I don’t, however, hate documentaries. 

I swear. 

Due to the fact that I have the attention span of a hyperactive squirrel and also the fact that I like my books sad and my movies fluffy, I have not embraced the documentary genre to the level that maybe I should have. That’s not to say that I avoid them like I avoid going to the dentist. But there are probably more Bollywood movies in my Netflix queue than there are movies of a non-fictional variety.

However, here are some documentaries that I have watched (and enjoyed!) over the years:

Rooftop Bees by Melissa Lohman. Yes, this is nepotism at its best, but this is my blog so buzz off (get it? bees? buzz off?). I mean, you should know that my sister, just by dint of our common genetics is clearly a very talented individual. And she’s pretty effing talented on her own merits. So, buy her movie. I give it a solid Bee Plus! (I would have given her an A, but I can’t think of a good pun to go along with A)

Capturing the Friedmans by Andrew Jarecki. This movie is a fascinating (if completely depressing) look into the lives of a family slowly falling apart and capturing it all on film. The Friedmans were a family that loved to film each other and who continued to shine the camera lens onto their family gatherings after the father and youngest son were arrested and sent to jail for molesting small boys. It’s an interesting look at both the need to document things (even if you’re filming all of the fucked up things that your family says to each other) and also the hysteria and witch hunting that surrounds accusations of molestation.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye by Fenton Bailey. The gist of this movie is… Tammy Faye was a total loon. But a well-meaning loon. Who didn’t have the easiest time of it. Did we mention that she was a loon? And, sweet sassy molassy, did she ever wear a lot of eye makeup. A really interesting look into the real life of a woman who became a caricature of herself. Tammy Faye comes off as very human and very sympathetic. I couldn’t take my eyes away! 

(note to self, stop writing blog entries at 11 o’clock at night when you’re all loopy from sleep deprivation)

I could go on, but it’s 11:51 and I’d better wrap this entry up so that Dustin doesn’t win this here blog-off and I don’t have to send him cookies.

So, I will leave it to you all to do my work for me. What are some documentaries that you’ve enjoyed?