Top Rated Documentary Movies on Hoopla - Page 105

Excellent Cadavers

2005

Excellent Cadavers

2005
9.7
In the late-80s and early-90s, two prosecutors went after the mob in Sicily. Archival footage, gruesome photographs and new interviews are shown.
Offshore Incorporated

2015

Offshore Incorporated

2015
6
Donne's film points out the major features of the tax avoidance landscape: tax havens, brass plates, capital flight, crown dependencies, and the like.
The Sea in Between

2013

The Sea in Between

2013
5.5
An audio-visual experience documenting what happens when Josh Garrels and Mason Jar Music go to an island to try to create something beautiful.
Sand Wars

2013

Sand Wars

2013
8.7
Is sand an infinite resource? Can the existing supply satisfy a gigantic demand fueled by construction booms? What are the consequences of intensive beach sand mining for the environment and the neighboring populations?
The Ocean's 11 Story

2001

The Ocean's 11 Story

2001
6.8
Vintage newsreels and interviews help re-create the magic of "The Summit," a memorable period in 1960 in which Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack took over Las Vegas' Sands Hotel during filming of the original Ocean's 11. Highlights include clips from the Rat Pack's nightly performances in the hotel's legendary Copa Room, where they entertained everyone from mafiosos to soon-to-be-president John F. Kennedy.
Electro Shaabi

2013

Electro Shaabi

2013
6.3
In the slums of Cairo, youth dancing to electro chaabi, new music that blends folk song, electro beats and freestyles chanted in the style of rap. The idea is to merge the sounds and styles so chaotic. One slogan mangling! Victim of corruption and social segregation, youth in neighborhoods exorcise partying. Release of body and a speech repressed transgression religious taboos: more than just a musical phenomenon, Electro Chaabi is a healthy outlet for youth oppressed by the prohibitions imposed.
Monsters Wanted

2013

Monsters Wanted

2013
7
In early 2011, Rich Teachout quit his lucrative job to focus on creating a one-of-a-kind haunted attraction. He and his partner Janel dedicated every moment, ounce of energy, and dollar to making their “Scream Park” a reality. “Monsters Wanted” is the story of their self-proclaimed madness and the industry, culture, and people who share it. We followed Rich and Janel’s efforts from the first day of building beyond the last day of the season. The result is a one-of-a-kind peek into an industry known for its macabre antics and well guarded secrets.
Equality U

2010

Equality U

2010
6.3
EQUALITY U is a feature-length documentary following 34 young activists on the Soulforce Equality Ride. At some stops they're welcomed with open arms, at others they're arrested for trespassing or for simply attempting to open up a dialog. At every stop though, they're connecting with young people who've often never met an openly gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person who is comfortable with who they are. Written by Dave O'Brien
Emptying the Skies

2015

Emptying the Skies

2015
6.3
If you want to impress your dining companions in Cyprus, it's not caviar that you order, but ambelopoulia: a tiny songbird. But as this gripping doc reveals, the cost to bring such delicacies to the table is enormous. Bestselling novelist Jonathan Franzen takes a break from the world of fiction to guide us through an all too horrifying reality: tens of millions of protected migratory songbirds are illegally killed every year. Franzen, a longtime bird lover, accompanies young staffers of the Committee Against Bird Slaughter on their expeditions. With police enforcement in Southern Europe practically non-existent, they risk their lives to rescue trapped birds, and confront hostile poachers. It's a topic that proves a cultural flashpoint -- the Cypriot landowners cannot understand why a bunch of Italians can tell them what to do on their land.
The United States of Hoodoo

2012

The United States of Hoodoo

2012
4.7
The documentary explores how African-based spirituality has informed Americas popular culture. The old African gods have taken on new forms since their arrival on North America's shores. Their spirit now manifests in turntable wizardry, improvisational skills and mind-blowing collages, performances and rituals. The film shakes up traditional and stereotypical ways of thinking about race, religion, rationality. Through meetings with musicians, writers and artists, healers, gumbo cooks and Mississippi Blues men, the documentary draws a picture of a culture which has always drawn on a unique mix of different ethnic influences to produce its cultural diversity, allure, and vitality
Cape Spin: An American Power Struggle

2011

Cape Spin: An American Power Struggle

2011
7
Cape Spin! An American Power Struggle tells the surreal, fascinating, tragicomic story of the battle over America's most scandalous clean energy project. Cape Wind would be the U.S.'s first offshore windfarm...But strange alliances formed for and against: Kennedys, Kochs, and everyday folks do battle with the developer and green groups over the future of American power. With full access to both sides, a commitment to impartial storytelling and fueled by a satiric 'revolutionary' soundtrack, Cape Spin! is "a gripping and entertaining study of eco-capitalism and grassroots democracy".
Forks Over Knives Presents: The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue

2011

Forks Over Knives Presents: The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue

2011
4.7
Join Rip Esselstyn, former Texas firefighter and bestselling author, as he teaches the White and Wali families the basics of a whole-food, plant-based diet.
Not Yet Begun to Fight

2012

Not Yet Begun to Fight

2012
6
In the space between war and a new battle, NOT YET BEGUN TO FIGHT unfolds, offering an intimate look at the human cost of combat. A retired Marine Colonel reaches out to five men, a new generation returning from the battlefield. He brings them to the river. He puts a fly rod into their hand, teaches them to cast, and shares his secret: there are places where you can still be consumed by a simple act, find joy in a fight, and be redeemed as you gently release another creature, unharmed, into quiet waters.
Smiling Through the Apocalypse: Esquire in the 60s

2013

Smiling Through the Apocalypse: Esquire in the 60s

2013
5
'Smiling Through the Apocalypse' chronicles a man whose editorial instincts produced one of the greatest magazines ever: Harold Hayes, the swinging editor and cultural provocateur of the iconic Esquire Magazine of the Sixties. Through the narrative of his son Tom, a journey ensues opening unprecedented access to some of the Esquire magazine's most compelling talents, from Nora Ephron to George Lois, and Tom Wolfe to Gore Vidal. The film is a story of risk, triumph, and challenge told by the people that helped make the magazine great, and a son who only come to understand his father's editorial greatness 23 years after his passing.
Why We Laugh: Funny Women

2013

Why We Laugh: Funny Women

2013
7.2
An uncensored look into the lives of the female stand-up comedian. Featuring interviews and live performance footage from some of today's most prominent female voices in stand-up comedy and entertainment, this revealing documentary sheds light on the legacy of the female comedian and the dedication, courage and passion that is required to be successful in the male dominated stand-up comedy business.
Twist

1992

Twist

1992
6.3
Combining rare and often hilarious archival footage with engaging interviews, this groovy documentary chronicles the evolution of the titular postwar rock ’n' roll dance craze that took America by storm. Featuring singers and musicians who helped define the phenomenon like Hank Ballard, Chubby Checker, and Joey Dee, as well as clips from TV shows like “American Bandstand,” TWIST tells the overlooked story of how shaking your hips went from being a sign of social degeneracy to the dance form that rocked the world.
Us and the Game Industry

2013

Us and the Game Industry

2013
6
This film follows several independent game developers (Jason Rohrer, thatgamecompany, Douglas Wilson, Zach Gage, Aledander Bruce) examining why they make digital games. The film delves into their creativity and explores some of their thinking and design strategies. Game developers operate in terrain that demands both programming logic and aesthetic quality. The work is hard, however that's what they want to do. The film explores how the developers go deeper into the notion of entertainment and discovery.
Fatherhood Dreams

2007

Fatherhood Dreams

2007
2.7
This documentary gives the viewer full access to three families headed by gay fathers.
Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder

2009

Ferlinghetti: A Rebirth of Wonder

2009
5
The poet and painter, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, is among the world's living monuments to arts and letters. For well over a half century, Ferlinghetti helped shape the currents of poetry and literature with his forceful engagement with society and an ideological position that often found him at odds with the political currents of his day. Ferlinghetti's quiet, behind the scenes demeanor and disarming mien may have assuaged, or even fooled, certain opponents, while in reality he was a literary mercenary, a rebel at the forefront of our own cultural revolution.
No Substitute for Victory

1970

No Substitute for Victory

1970
4.3
John Wayne hosts this film which was produced during the Vietnam War when the Communist threat was at its height.