Top Rated Documentary Movies on Pantaflix - Page 200

Games on Reflection and Speed

1925

Games on Reflection and Speed

1925
6.1
A high-speed view of Paris via train-track; Zooming down the Seine by boat. Chomette's first film, Games of Reflections and Speed, traverses tunnels and elevated railways to produce a disarming rhythm.
Granton Trawler

1934

Granton Trawler

1934
4.9
Documentary following an Edinburgh fishing trawler, the "Isabella Grieg".
Journal de France

2012

Journal de France

2012
6.8
A journal, a voyage through time. He photographs France, she rediscovers the unseen footage he has so carefully kept: his first steps behind the camera, his TV reports from around the world, snatches of their memories and of our history.
Five Dedicated to Ozu

2003

Five Dedicated to Ozu

2003
5.7
Finding himself in a house in the north of Iran by the Caspian Sea, the director picked up his handheld DV camera and began filming the seemingly anodyne events happening on the 500 metres of beach in front of his house—a piece of wood toyed with by the waves, people walking by the sea, indistinct shapes on a wintry beach or noisy ducks.
Galician Caress (of Clay)

1995

Galician Caress (of Clay)

1995
6.3
This film was reconstructed and completed in 1995 by Javier Codesal for the Filmoteca de Andalucia, from the montage and the sound that Val del Omar had outlined before his death, after having returned to a project abandoned twenty years before with the incorporation of significant additions (above all in the soundtrack). Val del Omar's notes show that, as he typically did, he had other alternative titles in mind, such as "Acariño de la Terra Meiga" (Caress of the Magic Land), "Acariño a nosa terra" (Caress of Our Land), or "Barro de ánimas" (Clay of Souls), and that in the final phase of the unfinished project he wanted to add a second sound channel – following the diaphonic principle, and using electro-acoustic techniques – consisting of ambient material that he intended to record at the first screenings of the film in the very places and to the very people that were its origin: its "clay".
Echoes from a Sombre Empire

1990

Echoes from a Sombre Empire

1990
7.1
Documentary examining Bokassa's rule in the Central African Republic using the testimony of witnesses and visits to key sites.
Avenue de l'Opéra

1900

Avenue de l'Opéra

1900
5.5
A shot of a busy street in Paris is shown in reverse.
Sea Urchins

1954

Sea Urchins

1954
6.2
Underwater photography, magnified close-ups, and film through microscope present the sea urchin, a complex creature. We see their mouth and five teeth close and open. After injecting one with gelatin, the shell is removed and we see the muscle structure, digestive tube, and reproductive organs. Magnified stems reveal suction cups; stems lengthen and contract allowing the sea urchin to move. We see microscopic calcareous stems; at their ends are jaws with various uses. Cilia everywhere are in constant motion, stirring up water and debris. African music on the soundtrack suggests a shuffle dance.
The Octopus

1928

The Octopus

1928
6.4
An octopus slithers over objects on land—a doll, a skull—then oozes along the shore into the sea. It secretes its ink. The camera follows it along rocks into deeper water, watching closely as it breathes. Its eye is closed then open. Simple titles, in French and German, suggest what to watch. The octopus alternates the use of breathing tubes on either side. It changes color as cells on its skin contract or dilate. Extreme magnification helps us see these changes. Two struggle, one dies. On shore, fishermen catch them and put them in pails. A single tentacle still has life. Back in the sea, two octopi attack a crab. Soon only a couple of crab legs are visible in the mouth of the victor.
Histoire(s) du Cinéma 3b: A New Wave

1998

Histoire(s) du Cinéma 3b: A New Wave

1998
6.4
Part 6 of Godard's 8 part examination of the history of the concept of cinema and how it relates to the 20th century
Histoire(s) du Cinéma 2b: Deadly Beauty

1997

Histoire(s) du Cinéma 2b: Deadly Beauty

1997
6.5
A very personal look at the history of cinema directed, written and edited by Jean-Luc Godard in his Swiss residence in Rolle for ten years (1988-98); a monumental collage, constructed from film fragments, texts and quotations, photos and paintings, music and sound, and diverse readings; a critical, beautiful and melancholic vision of cinematographic art.
Nothing but Time

1926

Nothing but Time

1926
7.3
The life of a great city (Paris) from dawn until dusk, including the beautiful and the ragged, the rich and the poor.
Law and Order

1969

Law and Order

1969
7
LAW & ORDER surveys the wide range of work the police are asked to perform: enforcing the law, maintaining order, and providing general social services. The incidents shown illustrate how training, community expectations, socio-economic status of the subject, the threat of violence, and discretion affect police behavior.
… And the Pursuit of Happiness

1986

… And the Pursuit of Happiness

1986
6.9
In 1986, Louis Malle examines the immigrant experience in America by interviewing newcomers from various professions nationwide, highlighting their struggles in a multicultural society.
Lift

2001

Lift

2001
7.2
Director Marc Isaacs installs himself in the lift of a typical English tower block. People start talking to him, and we discover their lives.
Walking with Cavemen

2003

Walking with Cavemen

2003
7.5
The great follow-up to 'Walking with Dinosaurs' and 'Walking with Beasts', presented by Professor Robert Winston, explains the story of human evolution.
Top Gear: At the Movies

2011

Top Gear: At the Movies

2011
6.3
Cars! Film! Cars on film! Film involving cars! You get the idea. It’s basically a DVD involving those two things. Gasp as we find the perfect drift car for a gritty, Bourne Identity-style chase! Cheer as we stage a race for all those unsung heroes of the movie industry! Whoop as we find the car that makes the perfect dramatic exhaust note to dub onto an action sequence! Make some other sort of noise we haven’t thought of yet as we re-attempt the classic Man With The Golden Gun barrel roll, having frankly made a total hash of it when we first tried it on telly! All this plus a vast fleet of sexy supercars and a man with a jet pack racing a Skoda. Top Gear At The Movies. It’s better than an actual movie. Probably. Actually, it depends on which movie we’re talking about. Truth is, you’d be better judging this on a case-by-case basis. Why not write to us with the name of a film and we’ll tell you whether this DVD is better or not. Actually, on second thoughts, don’t.
Hit So Hard

2012

Hit So Hard

2012
5
The rise to fame (and the near-fatal fall from it) of Patty Schemel, drummer for Courtney Love's seminal rock band, Hole. Given a Hi-8 video camera just before Hole's infamous Live Through This world tour, Patty captured stunningly intimate footage of the scene that has never been seen... until now. Not just an all-access backstage pass to the music that shaped a generation, Hit So Hard is a harrowing tale of overnight success, the cost of addiction, and ultimately, recovery and redemption.
Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters

2012

Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters

2012
7
Filmed over a decade, Brief Encounters follows internationally renowned photographer Gregory Crewdson's quest to create his unique, surreal, and incredibly elaborate portraits of suburban life. He sets a house on fire, builds 90 foot sets with crews of sixty, shuts down city streets...all in the service of his haunted image of American life, and his own anxieties, dreams and inner desires. Brief Encounters is an intimate portrait of one of the most heralded image-makers of our time.
Brooklyn Castle

2012

Brooklyn Castle

2012
6.8
Brooklyn Castle is a documentary about I.S. 318 – an inner-city school where more than 65 percent of students are from homes with incomes below the federal poverty level – that also happens to have the best, most winning junior high school chess team in the country. (If Albert Einstein, who was rated 1800, were to join the team, he’d only rank fifth best.) Chess has transformed the school from one cited in 2003 as a “school in need of improvement” to one of New York City’s best. But a series of recession-driven public school budget cuts now threaten to undermine those hard-won successes.