Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 26

Steve Jobs: One Last Thing

2011

Steve Jobs: One Last Thing

2011
6.4
Through interviews with colleagues and others who knew the creative genius whose innovations transformed the lives of millions, ONE LAST THING provides an inside look at the man and the major influences that helped shape his life and career.
A Film Unfinished

2010

A Film Unfinished

2010
6.4
Yael Hersonski's powerful documentary achieves a remarkable feat through its penetrating look at another film-the now-infamous Nazi-produced film about the Warsaw Ghetto. Discovered after the war, the unfinished work, with no soundtrack, quickly became a resource for historians seeking an authentic record, despite its elaborate propagandistic construction. The later discovery of a long-missing reel complicated earlier readings, showing the manipulations of camera crews in these "everyday" scenes. Well-heeled Jews attending elegant dinners and theatricals (while callously stepping over the dead bodies of compatriots) now appeared as unwilling, but complicit, actors, alternately fearful and in denial of their looming fate.
Plastic Planet

2009

Plastic Planet

2009
6.9
Werner Boote presents an up-close and personal view of the controversial and fascinating material that has found its way into every facet of our daily lives: plastic. He takes us on a journey around the globe, showing that plastics have become a threat for both environment and human health.
This Much I Know to Be True

2022

This Much I Know to Be True

2022
7.3
Like all musicians in 2021, Nick Cave was unable to connect with his audience in person. He uses this concert film to break the vocal and instrumental silence, talk about himself and perform songs from “Ghosteen” and “Carnage”, with help from Warren Ellis.
Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power

2022

Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power

2022
6
Investigates the politics of cinematic shot design, and how this meta-level of filmmaking intersects with the twin epidemics of sexual abuse/assault and employment discrimination against women, with over 80 movie clips from 1896 - 2020.
The Booksellers

2020

The Booksellers

2020
6.9
What once seemed like an esoteric world now seems essential to our culture: the community of rare book dealers and collectors who, in their love of the delicacy and tactility of books, are helping to keep the printed word alive. D.W. Young’s elegant and entertaining documentary, executive produced by Parker Posey, is a lively tour of New York’s book world, past and present, from the Park Avenue Armory’s annual Antiquarian Book Fair, where original editions can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars; to the Strand and Argosy book stores, still standing against all odds; to the beautifully crammed apartments of collectors and buyers. The film features a litany of special guests, including Fran Lebowitz, Susan Orlean, Gay Talese, and a community of dedicated book dealers who strongly believe in the wonder of the object and the everlasting importance of what’s inside.
White Riot

2020

White Riot

2020
6.3
Exploring how punk influenced politics in late-1970s Britain, when a group of artists united to take on the National Front, armed only with a fanzine and a love of music.
Armstrong

2019

Armstrong

2019
7.3
Dramatic, moving and deeply human, ARMSTRONG offers the definitive life story of Neil Armstrong: from his childhood in Ohio to his first steps on the Moon, and beyond.
Screwball

2019

Screwball

2019
6.2
Investigates the MLB's infamous doping scandal involving a nefarious clinician and his most famous client: the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez.
The Other Side of the Wall

2017

The Other Side of the Wall

2017
7
Honduran immigrants living in Mexico, teenage siblings Rocío and Ale must take over care of their two younger siblings after their mother is sentenced to prison on dubious grounds. Tensions grow between the pair as the decision must be made on whether to stay together in Mexico or split the family up to cross into the US to work.
Addicted to Sexting

2015

Addicted to Sexting

2015
3.8
A look at the social-media phenomenon known as sexting, the process of sending sexually explicit photos via text messages or on the Internet, includes scandals it has caused as well as ways it can actually benefit healthy relationships.
We Are X

2016

We Are X

2016
7.1
As glam rock's most flamboyant survivors, X Japan ignited a musical revolution in Japan during the late '80s with their melodic metal. Twenty years after their tragic dissolution, X Japan’s leader, Yoshiki, battles with physical and spiritual demons alongside prejudices of the West to bring their music to the world.
Sharknado: Feeding Frenzy

2015

Sharknado: Feeding Frenzy

2015
4.8
What began as another Syfy creature feature has now become an important piece of pop culture - poised to take over the entire world.
A Faster Horse

2015

A Faster Horse

2015
7.1
David Gelb (Jiro Dreams of Sushi) tackles another venerable, beloved, and long-standing institution: the Mustang, crown jewel of the Ford fleet. Only this institution is in turmoil. As the fiftieth anniversary of the Mustang approaches and the car industry struggles through the deepest trough of the financial crisis, Ford launches a redesign. Now the jobs of workers at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant, the expectations of the thousands of Mustang devotees, and the livelihood of the city of Detroit are all placed squarely on the shoulders of Dave Pericak. As chief program engineer, he will guide the 2015 Mustang from assembly floor to showroom—if only he can get that vibration out of the steering wheel.
The Emperor's New Clothes

2015

The Emperor's New Clothes

2015
6.4
An uproarious critique of the world financial crisis. Building on actor, comedian, and provocateur Russell Brand’s emergence as an activist following his 2014 book Revolution, where he railed against “corporate tyranny, ecological irresponsibility, and economic inequality".
City of Gold

2016

City of Gold

2016
6.3
As the unabashed cradle of Hollywood superficiality and smoggy urban sprawl, Los Angeles has long been condemned as a cultural wasteland. In the richly penetrating documentary odyssey City of Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold shows us another Los Angeles, where ethnic cooking is a kaleidoscopic portal to the mysteries of an unwieldy city and the soul of America.
Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me

2013

Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me

2013
7.1
Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me is a feature-length documentary film about the dismal commercial failure, subsequent massive critical acclaim, and enduring legacy of pop music's greatest cult phenomenon, Big Star.
Adjust Your Tracking: The Untold Story of the VHS Collector

2013

Adjust Your Tracking: The Untold Story of the VHS Collector

2013
6.5
A documentary capturing the modern day VHS culture and VHS collectors.
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia

2013

Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia

2013
7.8
Anchored by intimate, one-on-one interviews with the man himself, Nicholas Wrathall’s new documentary is a fascinating and wholly entertaining tribute to the iconic Gore Vidal. Commentary by those who knew him best—including filmmaker/nephew Burr Steers and the late Christopher Hitchens—blends with footage from Vidal’s legendary on-air career to remind us why he will forever stand as one of the most brilliant and fearless critics of our time.
The Final Member

2012

The Final Member

2012
5.7
Thirty miles from the Arctic Circle, in the northern Icelandic town of Husavik, stands the Icelandic Phallological Museum - the world's only Penis museum. Over 40 years, the founder and curator has collected every specimen from every mammal except for one elusive penis needed to complete his collection: The Human Specimen. The film follows the curator's incredible, sublimely comic, often shocking quest to complete his eccentric collection, and the two intrepid men who have raised their hands to be the first human