Top Rated Documentary Movies on Pantaflix - Page 145

Beaver Trilogy

2000

Beaver Trilogy

2000
6.8
Our story begins in 1979, with a chance meeting in a Salt Lake City parking lot where filmmaker Trent Harris is approached by an earnest small-town dreamer from Beaver, Utah. Harris jumps at the chance when the young man invites him to come to the small town to film a talent show. At the show, the man dons a blond wig and performs in drag as Olivia Newton John. Harris captures it all on tape: A portrait of a true outsider. Harris shot a dramatic piece, "Beaver Kid 2" based on the documentary; This interpretation of the story, made in 1981 on a home video camera with a budget of $100, features a young Sean Penn as "the Beaver Kid". Still possessed, Harris then rewrote the script, cast up-and-comer Crispin Glover in the lead, and created the final segment, "The Orkly Kid", with funding from the American Film Institute. The trilogy unveils the inner world of a fantastic character in three incarnations.
Blur: No Distance Left to Run

2010

Blur: No Distance Left to Run

2010
7.4
A documentary film about the British rock band Blur. Following the band during their 2009 reunion and tour, the film also includes unseen archive footage and interviews.
The Referees

2009

The Referees

2009
7.1
How can a few crucial minutes in a football match change the life of an entire family? How do the "men in black" feel when they are attacked by supporters? Kill the Referee unveils the lives of several professional football referees at the EURO 2008 championship; amongst them, the English referee Howard Webb, who provoked incredible controversy when he gave a penalty to Austria just before the end of the match with Poland, and the Italian Roberto Rosetti, who refereed the final.
Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals

2010

Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals

2010
7.6
An exploration of the fierce rivalry between NBA superstars Larry Bird and Magic Johnson during their decade of dominance.
Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers

2006

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers

2006
7.8
Documentary portraying the actions of U.S. corporate contractors in the U.S.-Iraq war. Interviews with employees and former employees of such companies as Halliburton, CACI, and KBR suggest that government cronyism is behind apparent "sweetheart" deals that give such contractors enormous freedom to profit from supplying support and material to American troops while providing little oversight. Survivors of employees who were killed discuss the claim that the companies cared more for profit than for the welfare of their own workers, and soldiers indicate that the quality of services provided is sub-standard and severely in contradiction to the comparatively huge profits being generated. Also depicted are the unsuccessful attempts by the filmmakers to get company spokesmen to respond to the charges made by the interviewees.
WWE: The Rise + Fall of ECW

2004

WWE: The Rise + Fall of ECW

2004
7.8
The Rise + Fall of ECW is a 2004 direct-to-video documentary produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. It chronicles the history of Philadelphia-based professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Bill Maher: But I'm Not Wrong

2010

Bill Maher: But I'm Not Wrong

2010
6.8
In front of a live audience at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Emmy-nominated host of Real Time with Bill Maher performs an all-new hour of stand-up comedy. Among the topics Bill discusses in his ninth HBO solo special are: Whether the "Great Recession" is really over; the fake patriotism of the right wing; what goes on in the mind of a terrorist; why Obama needs a posse instead of the secret service; the drug war; Michael Jackson; getting out of Iraq and Afghanistan; racism; the Teabagger movement; religion; the health-care fight; why Gov. Mark Sanford will come out looking good, and how silly it is to ask "Why do men cheat?"; and why comedy most definitely didn't die when George Bush left office.
Fist of Fear, Touch of Death

1980

Fist of Fear, Touch of Death

1980
4.3
A television reporter interviews fighters and promoters about Bruce Lee in preparation for a tournament to claim the title of “Successor to the Bruce Lee legacy”. Footage from Bruce Lee's films and interviews is repurposed in pseudo-documentary style.
Faster

2003

Faster

2003
7.8
Faster is an electrifying tribute to the white-knuckle world of MotoGP™ — the fastest sport on two wheels — where the world’s top riders go wheel to wheel at over 200mph and crash at over 100mph. Narrated by Ewan McGregor, Faster chases two seasons’ worth of the world championship, featuring revealing interviews with riders, mechanics, doctors, commentators and fans. If you want high octane, adrenaline fuelled thrills, Faster will take you on a nerve shredding journey through the most exciting sport on the planet!
On Any Sunday

1971

On Any Sunday

1971
6.8
Documentary on motorcycle racing featuring stars of the sport, including film star Steve McQueen, a racer in his own right.
Manufacturing Dissent

2007

Manufacturing Dissent

2007
5.5
"Michael Moore doesn't like documentaries. That's why he doesn't make them." A documentary that looks to distinguish what's fact, fiction, legend, and otherwise as a camera crew trails Michael Moore as he tours with his film, Fahrenheit 9/11.
Here and Elsewhere

1976

Here and Elsewhere

1976
6.4
Here and Elsewhere takes its name from the contrasting footage it shows of the fedayeen and of a French family watching television at home. Originally shot by the Dziga Vertov Group as a film on Palestinian freedom fighters, Godard later reworked the material alongside Anne-Marie Miéville.
Decasia: The State of Decay

2002

Decasia: The State of Decay

2002
6.4
A meditation on the human quest to transcend physicality, constructed from decaying archival footage and set to an original symphonic score.
What the Bleep! Down the Rabbit Hole

2006

What the Bleep! Down the Rabbit Hole

2006
5.5
Interviews with scientists and authors, animated bits, and a storyline involving a deaf photographer are used in this docudrama to illustrate the link between quantum mechanics, neurobiology, human consciousness and day-to-day reality.
Blue Gold: World Water Wars

2008

Blue Gold: World Water Wars

2008
7
Wars of the future will be fought over water as they are over oil today, as the source of human survival enters the global marketplace and political arena. Corporate giants, private investors, and corrupt governments vie for control of our dwindling supply, prompting protests, lawsuits, and revolutions from citizens fighting for the right to survive.
Faces of Death IV

1990

Faces of Death IV

1990
3.7
Follows the same pattern of the other Faces of Death movies. In this one we see many staged and not so staged looking deaths ranging from bungee jumping accidents and magic tricks gone bad.
Up the Yangtze

2007

Up the Yangtze

2007
7.3
At the edge of the Yangtze River, not far from the Three Gorges Dam, young men and women take up employment on a cruise ship, where they confront rising waters and a radically changing China.
Hollywood, I'm Sleeping Over Tonight

2008

Hollywood, I'm Sleeping Over Tonight

2008
6.7
French TV host Antoine de Maximy travels the U.S. from coast to coast, relying on the hospitality of strangers and documenting his experiences with a hand-held camera.
Martha

2024

Martha

2024
7.3
Told in her own words, this candid documentary charts the unstoppable rise, sudden fall and hard-won comeback of lifestyle icon Martha Stewart.
Child Star

2024

Child Star

2024
6.2
Explore the highs and lows of growing up in the spotlight through the lens of some of the world’s most famous former child stars. Through celebrity interviews, verite scenes, and archival footage, this film deconstructs the stages of earlier stardom and looks at the entertainment system over the last century.