Popular Documentary Movies on The Roku Channel - Page 39

Manufacturing Death: Birth of the Atom Bomb

2023

Manufacturing Death: Birth of the Atom Bomb

2023
8.2
The birth of the atomic bomb changed the world forever. In the years before the Manhattan project, a weapon of such power was not even remotely imaginable to most people on earth. And yet, with war comes new inventions. New ways of destroying the enemy. New machines to wipe out human life. The advent of nuclear weapons not only brought an end to the largest conflict in history, but also ushered in an atomic age and a defining era of "big science". However, with the world now gripped by nuclear weapons, we exist constantly on the edge of mankind's total destruction.
Chaos on the Bridge

2014

Chaos on the Bridge

2014
7
Canadian acting legend William Shatner takes viewers inside the creation of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the bold attempt in 1986 to recreate the success of the original television series, in which Shatner played Captain James T. Kirk.
The Long Rider

2022

The Long Rider

2022
7.7
When Filipe Leite leaves his adoptive home of Canada, the aspiring journalist sets out on an epic quest to ride from Calgary to his family's home in Brazil - and later beyond - entirely on horseback.
Liza in London

1986

Liza in London

1986
Liza Minnelli in concert at the London Palladium.
A Ballerina's Tale

2015

A Ballerina's Tale

2015
6.4
A feature documentary on African American ballerina Misty Copeland that examines her prodigious rise, her potentially career ending injury alongside themes of race and body image in the elite ballet world.
How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It)

2005

How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It)

2005
7
Melvin Van Peebles was one of the first black directors to challenge the white establishment in his films, which include "Watermelon Man" and "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song." In this documentary, the life of Van Peebles is discussed, including his work not only in film, but also as a novelist, actor, musician, stock trader and even Air Force pilot. Interview subjects include Gil Scott-Heron, Spike Lee and Melvin's son and fellow filmmaker, Mario Van Peebles.
Spirit Game: Pride of a Nation

2017

Spirit Game: Pride of a Nation

2017
8.5
The documentary follows The Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team on the road as they compete in the 2015 World Box Lacrosse Championships. For the first time ever, the Championship Games were held on an Indian Reservation, in Onondaga in upstate New York, the Capitol of the Iroquois Confederacy.
Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman

1996

Jack Lemmon: America's Everyman

1996
7.5
Jack Lemmon made over 60 films and received numerous awards, including eight Academy Award Nominations and two Oscars. Later in life, his achievement was enriched by new challenges in which he exposed the vulnerability and emotion of the later years as few had dared. He reveled in his ongoing screen partnerships with directors like Billy Wilder and stars like Walter Matthau. Narrated on-camera by Jack Lemmon, this documentary includes interviews with Lemmon's son, the actor Chris Lemmon. Also appearing are such legends as Jack's life-long friend, the writer and director Billy Wilder, writer-director Garson Kanin, drama teacher Uta Hagen and actor Gregory Peck.
Stalin and the Katyn Massacre

2020

Stalin and the Katyn Massacre

2020
6.9
The Katyn massacre, carried out by the Soviet NKVD in 1940, was only one of many unspeakable crimes committed by Stalin's ruthless executioners over three decades. The mass murder of thousands of Polish officers was part of a relentless purge, the secrets and details of which have only recently been partially revealed.
Wu-Tang Saga

2010

Wu-Tang Saga

2010
2
Wu-Tang Saga is the story of the music super group the Wu-Tang Clan told by Cappadonna, chronicling over 9 concerts, a trip to Shaolin aka Staten Island, photoshoots, and the 5 percent philosophies. There's also many exclusive hip hop freestyles, as Cappadonna takes you inside the music business first hand. The first Wu-tang documentary to be entirely narrated by a Wu-Tang member, this is truly an epic Wu-Tang experience.
Castro's Spies

2020

Castro's Spies

2020
9.2
The thrilling story of an elite group of Cuban spies sent undercover to the US in the 1990s. From their recruitment, training and eventual capture on US soil; this film peers into a secret world of false identities, love affairs and betrayal. Using never seen before footage from the Cuban Film Institute’s archive and first-hand testimony from the people at the heart of this story, Castro’s Spies gives a rare glimpse into the shadowy world of a spy – where the stakes are life and death.
Scandalous: The Untold Story of the National Enquirer

2019

Scandalous: The Untold Story of the National Enquirer

2019
5.1
The sensational true story of the most infamous tabloid in US history, a wild, probing look at how one newspaper's prescient grasp of its readers' darkest curiosities led it to massive profits and influence.
Florian's Knights

2021

Florian's Knights

2021
7
Firefighters in the United States and Canada form a controversial motorcycle club to cope with the crippling effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Mike Wallace Is Here

2019

Mike Wallace Is Here

2019
6.5
For over half a century, 60 Minutes' fearsome newsman Mike Wallace went head-to-head with the world's most influential figures. Relying exclusively on archival footage, the film interrogates the interrogator, tracking Wallace's storied career and troubled personal life while unpacking how broadcast journalism evolved to today’s precarious tipping point.
How We Got Here

2023

How We Got Here

2023
Diverse voices trace the history of postmodernism from its roots in art and philosophy all the way to Fox News, Q-Anon, and election denial.
Desolation Center

2018

Desolation Center

2018
9.3
The untold story of a series of Reagan-era guerrilla punk and industrial desert happenings in Southern California that are now recognized as the inspiration for Burning Man, Lollapalooza, and Coachella. Interviews and rare performance footage of Sonic Youth, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Redd Kross, Einstürzende Neubauten, Survival Research Laboratories, Savage Republic, Swans and more.
Raymond Lewis: L.A. Legend

2022

Raymond Lewis: L.A. Legend

2022
A critically acclaimed documentary that tells the incredible story of a basketball phenom from Watts, California whom many believe was blackballed from the NBA in the’70s – and his unlikely and heartbreaking journey in becoming a hoops legend.
Fleetwood Mac: Videobiography

2007

Fleetwood Mac: Videobiography

2007
Drink and drugs, love affairs and divorces, hirings and firings, ever changing line-ups... and the members of Fleetwood Mac even found time to make some great music. Despite being scattered with scandal, Fleetwood Mac have sold over 100 million albums worldwide in their 40-year history.
B.B. King: The Life of Riley

2012

B.B. King: The Life of Riley

2012
6.9
Documentary charting the life of blues guitarist B.B. King, with contributions from fellow musicians.
Meet Me in Rome

2024

Meet Me in Rome

2024
4
Ready to risk it all for love, three women travel to Rome to become leading ladies in their very own reality rom-com. Daily script deliveries guide them to handsome suitors and magical destinations, where swoon-worthy dates and steamy romance await. But when challenged to push their fears aside, will our leading ladies find the love they are looking for, or will they leave as single as they came?