Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 94

Journey to 10,000 BC

2009

Journey to 10,000 BC

2009
4.7
10,000 B.C. was a time of cataclysmic change on Earth. Extreme climactic fluctuations hurled the planet into a minor ice age; megafauna like the saber-toothed tiger and woolly mammoth were suddenly becoming extinct; and early humans began to inhabit North America. Cold and hungry, their fragile communities undertook perilous hunting expeditions. The slaughter of a single mammoth, weighing nearly ten tons, could be the difference between survival and death. Journey to 10,000 BC. brings this unique and thrilling period to life, and investigates the geologic and climate changes that scientists are just beginning to understand. In a major forensic investigation, History visits early human archaeological sites to uncover fossilized bones, ancient dwellings, and stone weapons, and uses state-of-the-art CGI to recreate the treacherous mammoth hunts and the devastating impact of a comet colliding with Earth.
Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders

2008

Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders

2008
8
In the war-zones of Liberia and Congo, four volunteers with Doctors Without Borders struggle to provide emergency medical care under extreme conditions. With different levels of experience, each volunteer must find their own way to face the challenges, the tough choices, and the limits of their idealism. "Living in Emergency" is a window into the seldom portrayed and less-than glamorous side of humanitarian aid work. It explores a world that is challenging, complex, and fraught with dilemmas - the struggles, both internal and external, that aid workers face when working in war zones and other difficult contexts.
A Father… A Son… Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2005

A Father… A Son… Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2005
6.4
Kirk Douglas achieved the kind of cinematic stardom that dreams are made of. As the torch was passed to his talented son Michael, it became obvious to everyone that the Douglas dynasty would continue to thrive…
Robinson in Ruins

2010

Robinson in Ruins

2010
6.8
The eagerly awaited sequel to Patrick Keiller's London and Robinson in Space is a beautifully photographed cinematic essay on our current environmental and economic predicament, narrated by Vanessa Redgrave. Timely, provocative and studded with surreal humour, Robinson in Ruins reveals hidden histories and surprising visions (from the opium poppy fields of Oxfordshire to what seems to be a talking post box), making us consider the world around us afresh.
Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class

2005

Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class

2005
5.2
Based on the forthcoming book by Pepi Leistyna, Class Dismissed navigates the steady stream of narrow working class representations from American television's beginnings to today's sitcoms, reality shows, police dramas, and daytime talk shows.
Waffen SS: Hitler's Elite Fighting Force

1990

Waffen SS: Hitler's Elite Fighting Force

1990
6
A historical documentary production company owning more 5,000 hours of footage and 800 hours of finished programs. Eagle Media is well known for their work with A&E Network, the History Channel, PBS, The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel and others. As an Emmy Award winning Production Company, Eagle Media has a reputation for excellence in historical productions of all kinds. The company offers some truly unique resources as the foremost producer of historical reenactment and a pioneer in the use of 3D graphics to animate historical locations.
Lolita: Slave to Entertainment

2003

Lolita: Slave to Entertainment

2003
7.5
The grassroots independent documentary about Miami's biggest performer, Lolita the killer whale on display at the Miami Seaquarium. Through rare interviews and undercover footage viewers are dragged into the dark secrets of the multi-billion-dollar marine theme park industry and the life of Lolita who's been caught in a net of lies for 3 decades.
Taken for a Ride

1996

Taken for a Ride

1996
6.1
How the American auto industry engineered the demise of city public-transit systems.
Matthew Barney: No Restraint

2006

Matthew Barney: No Restraint

2006
4.6
How does artist Matthew Barney use 45,000 pounds of petroleum jelly, a factory whaling vessel and traditional Japanese rituals to create his latest art project? Barney plowed the waters off the coast of Nagasaki to film his massive endeavor, Drawing Restraint 9. The documentary Matthew Barney: No Restraint journeys to Japan with Barney and his collaborator Bjork, as the visual artist creates a "narrative sculpture" telling a fantastical love story of two characters that transform from land mammals into whales.
Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune

2011

Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune

2011
6.4
From civil rights to the anti-war movement to the struggles of workers, folksinger Phil Ochs wrote topical songs that engaged his audiences in the issues of the 1960s and 70s. In this biographical documentary, veteran director Kenneth Bowser shows how Phil's music and his fascinating life story and eventual decline into depression and suicide were intertwined with the history-making events that defined a generation. Even as his contemporaries moved into folk-rock and pop music, Phil followed his own vision, challenging himself and his listeners. Not one to pull punches, Ochs never achieved the commercial success he desperately desired. But his music remains relevant, reaching new audiences in a generation that finds his themes all too familiar.
Liberia: An Uncivil War

2004

Liberia: An Uncivil War

2004
7
Liberia, a nation burdened by its past. America, a nation with no memory at all." In Liberia, the summer of 2003 was pure insanity. A rebel army attempts to overthrow a government run by an indicted war criminal. Two armies engage in the final battle of a decade long civil war. Hundreds of innocent civilians die from mortar shells launched from afar and thousands more suffer hunger while the soldiers, mostly teenagers, keep the capital city under siege. The nation prays that America, the world's sole superpower, will put an end to the violence. Conceived in Washington in the early 1800s, its constitution written at Harvard, its founding fathers freed slaves who returned to Africa, Liberia is the one country in the world worthy of the title, Made in America. By the year 2000, Liberia, once considered the gem of Africa, was ranked last in the world for quality of life.
Primitive London

1965

Primitive London

1965
5.8
The sensational follow-up to "London in the Raw," "Primitive London" sets out to reflect society's decay through a sideshow spectacle of 1960s London depravity—and manages to outdo its predecessor. Here, we confront mods, rockers and beatniks at the Ace Café, cut some rug with obscure beat band The Zephyrs, smirk at flabby men in the sauna and goggle at sordid wife-swapping parties as we discover a pre-permissive Britain still trying to move on from the post-war depression of the 1950s.
David Blaine: Vertigo

2002

David Blaine: Vertigo

2002
7.7
David Blaine does it again. With 'Vertigo', we see some more incredible magic and unusual illusions. Intercut with the Magic is David - standing on a pole in NY for two days. A pole that seemed to be extended 10 stories tall with nothing for him to hang on to - and there was nothing to catch him. This portion of the program was live and at the end of the show - he jumped into a stack of cardboard boxes.
Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet

2002

Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet

2002
5.4
Tells the story of the seventh century prophet who changed world history in 23 years, and continues to shapes the lives of more than 1.2 billion people. The film takes viewers not only to ancient Middle Eastern sites where Muhammad's story unfolds, but into the homes, mosques and workplaces of some of America's estimated seven million Muslim to discover the many ways in which they follow Muhammad's example.
The Coca-Cola Case

2009

The Coca-Cola Case

2009
7.1
Two lawyers and labor rights' activists, Daniel Kovalik of the United Steel Workers of America and Terry Collingsworth of the International Rights Advocates, and their partner Ray Rogers of Corporate Campaign firmly believe that US multinational corporations should be held accountable for the shabby practices of their business associates throughout the world. To lead their battle, they resort to a law dating back to the origin of the American Constitution - The Alien Tort Claims Act - which allows foreigners to file suit in the U.S. against Americans who violate international laws. The film tells the story of their fight against one of America's stellar icons: the Coca-Cola company.
Full Battle Rattle

2008

Full Battle Rattle

2008
5.4
A film about life inside the US Army's Iraq simulation in California's Mojave Desert.
The Burning Times

1990

The Burning Times

1990
6.6
This documentary takes an in-depth look at the witch hunts that swept Europe just a few hundred years ago. False accusations and trials led to massive torture and burnings at the stake and ultimately to the destruction of an organic way of life. The film questions whether the widespread violence against women and the neglect of our environment today can be traced back to those times.
Know Your Mushrooms

2009

Know Your Mushrooms

2009
5.6
KNOW YOUR MUSHROOMS follows uber myco visionaries Gary Lincoff and Larry Evans (two of the more expert and unforgettably mercurial characters in the community) as they lead us on a hunt for the wild mushroom and the deeper cultural experiences attached to the mysterious fungi.
Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig

2006

Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig

2006
6.6
One record producer, the creators of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and top indie rock artists come together to create a tribute album benefiting the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk School- the first accredited high school in the country for LGBTQ youth. "Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig" weaves the compelling, courageous stories of four students at this controversial school with a unique chronicle of the yearlong creation of "Wig in a Box," the album whose songs poignantly echo these teens' struggles and aspirations. Through a dramatic and vibrant combination of verite documentation, student video diaries and rare in-studio scenes of artists recording tracks, "Follow My Voice" offers a powerful and poignant look at this unlikely intersection of youth, gender and rock. Includes studio sessions from Yoko Ono, Rufus Wainwright, The Bens, The Breeders, Yo La Tengo, John Cameron Mitchell, They Might Be Giants and more.
Stormchasers

1995

Stormchasers

1995
6
Track monsoons, hurricanes, blizzards, and tornadoes. Take a journey around the planet to experience our most extreme storms and to witness the dramatic--and often perilous--efforts of scientists in the pursuit of understanding weather.Join meteorologists in the cockpit of a P-3 weather plane as they penetrate the eye of a hurricane; and in the tense, decisive moments on the road as they focus their radar on an approaching tornado, traveling to the heart of severe storms to learn what makes weather systems tick. Experience the bumpy ride into the sudden and spectacular calm of a hurricane’s eye, or the commando-like raid to the very brink of a killer tornado, and experience one of the elemental joys of doing science: that of confronting nature head-on to divine its awesome secrets.