Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 30

David Blaine: Street Magic

1997

David Blaine: Street Magic

1997
7
On May 19, 1997, Blaine's first television special, David Blaine: Street Magic aired on the ABC network. According to the New York Daily News, “Blaine can lay claim to his own brand of wizardry. The magic he offers in tonight’s show operates on an uncommonly personal level.” When asked about his performance style, David explained, “I'd like to bring magic back to the place it used to be 100 years ago.”'
ABC Africa

2001

ABC Africa

2001
4.9
Abbas Kiarostami shoots a documentary about the AIDS crisis in Uganda.
War Made Easy

2007

War Made Easy

2007
7.2
War Made Easy reaches into the Orwellian memory hole to expose a 50-year pattern of government deception and media spin that has dragged the United States into one war after another from Vietnam to Iraq. revealing in stunning detail how the American news media have uncritically disseminated the pro-war messages of successive presidential administrations.
Lynch/Oz

2023

Lynch/Oz

2023
7.2
Victor Fleming’s 1939 film The Wizard of Oz is one of David Lynch’s most enduring obsessions. This documentary goes over the rainbow to explore this Technicolor through-line in Lynch’s work.
The Rise of Jordan Peterson

2019

The Rise of Jordan Peterson

2019
6.5
A rare, intimate glimpse into the life and mind of Jordan Peterson, the academic and best-selling author who captured the world's attention with his criticisms of political correctness and his life-changing philosophy on discovering personal meaning.
M. C. Escher: Journey to Infinity

2018

M. C. Escher: Journey to Infinity

2018
6.8
A portrait of the visionary Dutch artist M. C. Escher (1898-1972), according to his own words, taken from his diary, his correspondence and the texts of his lectures.
The Green Lie

2018

The Green Lie

2018
6.1
Environmentally friendly electric cars, sustainably produced food products, fair production processes: Hurray! If everything the corporations tell us is true, we can save the world through our purchasing decisions alone! A popular and dangerous lie. In his new documentary film, Werner Boote shows us, together with environmental expert Kathrin Hartmann, how we can protect ourselves. Down with green lies!
With My Heart in Yambo

2011

With My Heart in Yambo

2011
8.2
Filmmaker María Fernanda Restrepo reconstructs events that led to her older brothers' murders at the hands of Ecuadorian police.
In Jackson Heights

2015

In Jackson Heights

2015
6.6
Legendary documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman (At Berkeley, National Gallery) explores the culture, politics and daily life of the Queens, NYC district of Jackson Heights, which lays claim to being the most diverse neighbourhood in the world.
Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

2015

Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

2015
7
August 16, 1977. All of America was stunned by the news of Elvis Presley's untimely passing. Some went so far as to believe that it couldn't be true. Somehow he had faked his death. For the executives at Sun Records that fantasy became an opportunity in the form of Orion, a mysterious masked performer with the voice of The King. First appearing in 1979, Orion recorded 11 albums and performed live to packed houses and rapturous fans around the nation. But who was the man behind the mask? In this stranger-than-fiction true story, Jeanie Finlay exposes the incredible life of an unknown singer plucked from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight with the complicity of a manipulative music industry and a public fan base unwilling to let The King go. Resonant in its themes of identity, fate, and the double-edged nature of fame, Orion is a stylish mystery story that finally gives a name and a face to a gifted artist who had been unjustly deprived of both.
My Love, Don't Cross That River

2014

My Love, Don't Cross That River

2014
7.5
There lives a couple known as "100-year-old lovebirds". They're like fairy tale characters: the husband is strong like a woodman, and the wife is full of charms like a princess. They dearly love each other, wear Korean traditional clothes together, and still fall asleep hand in hand. However, death, quietly and like a thief, sits between them. This film starts from that moment, and follows the last moments of 76 years of their marriage.
A Brony Tale

2014

A Brony Tale

2014
5.7
Vancouver-based voice artist Ashleigh Ball has been the voice of numerous characters in classic cartoons such as Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, Cinderella and more. When Ashleigh was hired to voice Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash for Hasbro's fourth series to use the My Little Pony name - My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - she had no idea she would become an Internet phenomenon and major celebrity to a worldwide fan-base of grownups. Bronies are united by their belief in the show's philosophy. This documentary gives an inside view of the Pony fan-world, and an intimate look at the courage it takes to just be yourself...even when that means liking a little girls' cartoon.
Salt for Svanetia

1930

Salt for Svanetia

1930
6.5
An ethnographic treasure that documents with visual bravado the harsh conditions of life in the isolated mountain village of Ushkul.
FrackNation

2013

FrackNation

2013
5.6
FrackNation is a feature documentary that aims to address what the filmmakers say is misinformation about the process of hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracking.
Lost, Lost, Lost

1976

Lost, Lost, Lost

1976
7
Jonas Mekas adjusts to a life in exile in New York in his autobiographical film, shot between 1949 and 1963.
London Can Take It!

1940

London Can Take It!

1940
6.6
A tribute to the courage and resiliency of Britons during the darkest days of the London Blitz.
The Day That Lasted 21 Years

2012

The Day That Lasted 21 Years

2012
7.6
Stunning espionage documentary on the US conspiracy that led to the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état. John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson original White House tapes, and CIA Top Secret documents reveal how the US government planned to overthrow Brazilian elected president João Goulart.
David Blaine: What Is Magic?

2010

David Blaine: What Is Magic?

2010
7.3
David Blaine travels around America to perform tricks in the UK premiere of his show What Is Magic? He visits New Orleans where he carries out a money trick in front of locals, producing hundreds of dollars at their fingertips before stopping off at New York to conduct magic in front of Orlando Bloom. But the jewel in David's crown is his shot at the infamous The Bullet Catch; a trick which sees a 22 calibre bullet being fired at point blank range directly at the magician who then has to catch the bullet in a small metal cup in his mouth. The stunt is filmed using Phantom Camera technology which shoots 10,000 frames per second so that not a fraction of the action is missed.
Hospital

1970

Hospital

1970
6.5
Daily activities of the Metropolitan Hospital in New York City, with emphasis on the emergency ward and outpatient clinics. The cases depicted illustrate how medical expertise, availability of resources, organizational considerations and the nature of communication among the staff and patients affect the delivery of health care.
Diaries, Notes, and Sketches

2013

Diaries, Notes, and Sketches

2013
7.4
An epic portrait of the New York avant-garde art scene of the 60s.