Top Rated Documentary Movies on Hoopla - Page 62

Somewhere Between

2012

Somewhere Between

2012
7.4
Questions of race, identity and heritage are explored through the lives of young American women growing up as adoptees from China. These four distinct individuals reflect on their experiences as members of transracial families.
War Horse: The Real Story

2012

War Horse: The Real Story

2012
7.4
The truth about the million British horses that served in World War I is even more epic than Steven Spielberg’s War Horse feature film. This documentary tells their extraordinary, moving story, begining with the mass call-up of horses from every farm and country estate in the land. Racing commentator Brough Scott tells the tale of his aristocratic grandfather General Jack Seely and his beloved horse Warrior, who would become the most famous horse of the war. The British Army hoped its illustrious cavalry regiments would win a swift victory, but it would be years before they enjoyed their moment of glory. Instead, in a new era of mechanised trench warfare, the heavy horses transporting guns, ammunition and food to the front-line troops were most important. A quarter of a million of these horses died from shrapnel wounds and disease. But the deep bond that developed between man and horse helped both survive the hell of the Somme and Passchendaele.
The Gates

2008

The Gates

2008
5.9
A documentary on New York City’s biggest public art project ever, an installation called “The Gates” by Christo and Jeanne Claude.
The Forgotten Space

2010

The Forgotten Space

2010
5.4
Details the catastrophic effects globalization has wrought on the ship, truck and train industries. We visit displaced farmers and villagers in Holland and Belgium, underpaid truck drivers in Los Angeles, seafarers aboard mega-ships shuttling between Asia and Europe, and factory workers in China, whose low wages are the fragile key to the whole puzzle. At a moment when collective bargaining rights are under attack in the United States, and China continues to bow to foreign pressures to prevent such rights from being granted at all, this film asks: Is capitalism the Trojan horse that turns on its inventors?
Radioman

2012

Radioman

2012
6
The extraordinary story of 'Radioman', a New York film set mascot who overcame homelessness and alcoholism to become a fixture of the New York film industry, with over 100 small parts to his name.
The Forgiveness

2009

The Forgiveness

2009
6.9
Andrés Rabadán was headline news after killing his father with a crossbow. But beyond the chatter of the media, what is the true story of the young man who became known as the “maniac with the crossbow”?
Grinders

2011

Grinders

2011
5.9
With a new baby and wife to support, out-of-work filmmaker Matt Gallagher tries his hand - and some would say, luck at playing poker for a living.
Vampiro: Angel, Devil, Hero

2008

Vampiro: Angel, Devil, Hero

2008
6
Documentary about the life of wrestler Ian Hodgkinson, "Vampiro", detailing his biggest international tour as well as his life outside the ring.
Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians

2011

Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians

2011
6.1
Follow the rise of the largest and most well-funded blackjack team in America -- made up entirely of card-counting, churchgoing Christians. The players don't see blackjack as a sin; they take from casinos and give to their families and churches.
Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Süss

2008

Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Süss

2008
6
Though almost forgotten today, Veit Harlan was one of Nazi Germany's most notorious filmmakers. His most perfidious film was the treacherous anti-Semitic propaganda film Jud Süß - required viewing for all SS members. This documentary is an eye-opening examination of World War II film history as well as the story of a German family from the Third Reich to the present; one that is marked by reckoning, denial and liberation.
The Tents

2012

The Tents

2012
6
Each year, tents in Bryant Park herald New York Fashion Week, whose back story is as fascinating as the couture on the catwalk. Fashion's biggest names share the sometimes shocking, often funny rags-to-riches evolution of the iconic event.
Putin's Kiss

2011

Putin's Kiss

2011
4.9
Masha Drokova is a rising star in Russia's popular nationalistic youth movement, Nashi. A smart, ambitious teenager who – literally – embraced Vladimir Putin and his promise of a greater Russia, her dedication as an organizer is rewarded with a university scholarship, an apartment, and a job as a spokesperson. But her bright political future falters when she befriends a group of liberal journalists who are critical of the government, including blogger Oleg Kashin, who calls Nashi a "group of hooligans," and she's forced to confront the group's dirty – even violent – tactics.
Watermarks

2004

Watermarks

2004
7.1
The story of the Hakoah Vienna Jewish womens swim team of the 1930s, their forced separation, and their reunion decades later.
Big Bang in Tunguska

2008

Big Bang in Tunguska

2008
7.4
At 7:14 am on 30 June 1908, the largest explosion recorded in human history to date reverberated throughout our planet. The force of the explosion was two thousand times that of the Hiroshima bomb. A woodland area the size of Luxembourg was eradicated in the Siberian taiga. This incident is recorded in history books as the Tunguska catastrophe. To this day, internationally renowned scientists of various disciplines argue about the causes of this disastrous explosion. The documentary discusses the latest and most controversial insights of these leading scientists. It identifies the reasons why Tunguska has evolved into a phenomenon and points out the curious results produced by this mythical event in culture and economy.
The Cool School

2008

The Cool School

2008
5.9
How LA Learned to Love Modern Art. A lesson in how a few renegade artists built an art scene from scratch.
Billy the Kid

2007

Billy the Kid

2007
6.3
"I'm not black, I'm not white, not foreign, just different in the mind. Different brains, that's all," explains 15-year-old Billy in Jennifer Venditti's provocative coming of age film. Following Billy as he bicycles through the quiet streets of small town Maine, we watch him traverse the frustrating gap between imagination and reality, grappling with isolation and first-time young love. By turns exhilarating and disturbing, we see the world from the intimate view of an expressive and seemingly fearless outsider.
Tales of the Rat Fink

2006

Tales of the Rat Fink

2006
5.3
This is an interesting look at the Life and Times of car customizer/cartoonist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. Through the use of many graphically enhanced photographs and "talking" cars, it is a loving look at the car culture in Southern California from the Early 50's to Ed's Passing in 2001.
Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony

2002

Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony

2002
6.4
The struggle to eradicate apartheid in South Africa has been chronicled over time, but no one has addressed the vital role music plays in this challenge. This documentary by Lee Hirsch recounts a fascinating and little-known part of South Africa's political history through archival footage, interviews and, of course, several mesmerizing musical performances.
Twisters: The Real Story

2024

Twisters: The Real Story

2024
6.5
In 1996, Universal Pictures released 'Twister', a film about tornado researchers. This documentary revisits the topic, exploring the motivations of those risking their lives to study dangerous weather. With never-before-seen footage and interviews, it delves into the lives of Storm Chasers.
Eiffel's Race to the Top

2023

Eiffel's Race to the Top

2023
7.3
Behind the iconic Eiffel Tower lies the story of an incredible challenge to erect a thousand-foot tower that went far beyond a design competition, and marked a major turning point in engineering history. It was the beginning of radical transformation where iron was pitted against stone, engineering against architecture, and modern design against ancients. Press campaigns, lobbying, public conferences, denigration of opposing projects, bragging about big names - all participants engaged in a fierce battle without concession. Using 3D recreations, official sources (reports, letters, drawings...) and intimate archives obtained from their descendants, this film will bring to life this vertical race through a fresh and visual way to mark the centenary of Eiffel death.