Top Rated Documentary Movies on Pantaflix - Page 487

Testament

1974

Testament

1974
5.2
"TESTAMENT is James Broughton's exquisite self-portrait. A major figure in avant-garde filmmaking and poetry since the 1940s, Broughton views his life and life's work with irony, charm, humor, and a combination of joyous self-love and gentle self-depreciation. Scenes from his earlier films mix the elements of humor, magic, slapstick, melodrama, and romance which mark his aesthetic. A plethora of rich personal symbols is woven throughout the film, tied together by verbal games, Zen poems, anecdotes, songs, a child's prayer, dreams, and visions." - Karen Cooper "James Broughton's TESTAMENT is one of the most remarkable films ever produced within the American independent cinema. It is the most moving and most sublimely detached of the recent trend of filmic autobiographies - by Jerome Hill, Jonas Mekas, and Stan Brakhage, to name only the masters, and Broughton's peers." - P. Adams Sitney "A beautiful, important, mysterious work." - Amos Vogel
Koch

2013

Koch

2013
4.9
A documentary on the former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch.
Revue

2008

Revue

2008
7
As he did with his critically-acclaimed "Blockade," a documentary re-creation of the WWII siege of Leningrad, which received its NY theatrical premiere in March 2007, filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa has once again scoured the Russian film archives for "Revue," selecting excerpts from newsreels, propaganda films, TV shows and feature films that present an evocative portrait of Soviet life during the 1950s and 1960s. With scenes taken from the length and breadth of the “Soviet Motherland,” "Revue" illustrates industry and agriculture, political life, popular culture, and technology. The film’s fascinating flow of disparate scenes representing typical Soviet life of the period is, seen from today’s perspective, alternately poignant, funny, and tragic
General Report

1977

General Report

1977
6.2
How does a country go from a dictatorship to a democracy? A detailed report on the political representation in the heart of the Spanish Transition, only a few months after General Franco’s death, when the sincere democratic vocation of Spanish people must effort to destroy, one heavy brick after another, the wall that those who supported the dictatorship and those who fought it from the exile built with resentment, hatred and prejudices.
Germany from Above

2012

Germany from Above

2012
6.9
This fly-over features Germany filmed from helicopters and small airplanes. Footage was released as a multi-episode tv series over several years and this feature-length movie.
Polluting Paradise

2012

Polluting Paradise

2012
5.6
Villagers in Turkey's Black Sea village of Camburnu struggle with the government's decision to turn their community into a garbage dump.
Ballerina

2006

Ballerina

2006
8.1
Ballerina is a 2006 documentary film that follows the training sessions, rehearsals, and everyday lives of five Russian ballerinas at different stages in their career.
Titanic: 100 Years in 3D

2012

Titanic: 100 Years in 3D

2012
6.9
100 years after an iceberg defeated the 882-foot luxury liner on its maiden voyage, scientists and historians are still exploring the Titanic. Armed with modern camera technology, submersibles were sent down to the ship's final resting place with the hope of capturing HD 3D visuals of the wreckage, in order to support or even confirm theories about the damage that took the boat down. Now, History Channel has brought some of that footage home in this 45-minute TV special, presented in 3D so that future generations can see it for themselves.
The Singularity Is Near

2010

The Singularity Is Near

2010
6.2
The onset of the 21st Century will be an era in which the very nature of what it means to be human will be both enriched and challenged as our species breaks the shackles of its genetic legacy and achieves inconceivable heights of intelligence, material progress, and longevity. While the social and philosophical ramifications of these changes will be profound, and the threats they pose considerable, celebrated futurist Ray Kurzweil presents a view of the coming age that is both a dramatic culmination of centuries of technological ingenuity and a genuinely inspiring vision of our ultimate destiny.
The Atheism Tapes

2004

The Atheism Tapes

2004
8.6
Jonathan Miller interviews five atheists and one theologian on the subject of atheism.
The Unbookables

2012

The Unbookables

2012
6.6
The Unbookables is a narrative documentary about stand-up comics who have spent their careers pushing limits--on stage and off. Relegated to small venues and touring in a crappy van through the Midwest they careen between the desire to succeed and the reality that there may be nothing left to lose. Road life is far from glamorous: comics come and go and cruel pranks and hard drinking punctuate their obsidian dark comedy on stage. They succeed and fail-spectacularly. When they face being fired for going too far on stage, the conflict culminates in a showdown: compromise or double down?
Steve Jobs: Visionary Genius

2012

Steve Jobs: Visionary Genius

2012
4.6
Everyone knows his name but what is the true story behind the man? Inventor, innovator, iconoclast; Steve Jobs was all of these and more. Now find out the gripping truth behind this 21st Century icon as celebrities and leaders in the world of business talk candidly about the seismic impact that he has had on our entire way of life. Discover what drove the man both personally and professionally, the obstacles he had to overcome and the story behind his final battle that would leave the world bereft of a very modern genius. His vision was singular, his focus unshakeable, and in this unmissable film we see how one man would change the way we all communicate… forever. This is Steve Jobs, a visionary genius.
George Lopez: It's Not Me, It's You

2012

George Lopez: It's Not Me, It's You

2012
5.4
Comedy superstar George Lopez performs live in front of a packed house at the Nokia Theatre in L.A. in this stand-up special.
Freedom on My Mind

1994

Freedom on My Mind

1994
6.9
Chronicles the Mississippi voter registration drive from 1961-1964.
Naco Es Chido

2010

Naco Es Chido

2010
6.1
Sergio Arau's documentary on his 1980's mexican rock band Botellita de Jerez.
Huey Long

1985

Huey Long

1985
7
Ken Burns' portrait of Louisiana governor and U.S. senator Huey Long.
Nénette

2010

Nénette

2010
6.5
Nénette, an orangutan, is the star of the Parisian zoo where she has lived most of her long life. She is a mother of four and has survived three mates, and she bonds only with a few select keepers. The camera rests throughout on Nénette and the other apes in everyday situations. We only see the visitors as occasional reflections in the glass, but we hear their recorded comments and conversations alongside interviews with the zoo keepers.
The Next Station

2008

The Next Station

2008
6.4
The history of the Argentine railways, from 1857 until the crisis of the current transport system. The closing of branches of the railway lines turned towns whose main source of work was the train into ghost towns. The privatization of the lines caused the dismissal of tens of thousands of workers as well as the deterioration of public service, causing in turn the increase of motor transport and the multiplication of automobile accidents.
Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey

1995

Elia Kazan: A Director's Journey

1995
5.8
This documentary on the life and work of Academy award-winning director Elia Kazan highlights his colorful life on Broadway and in film, which is exemplified by such classic movies as East of Eden,A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, and Gentleman's Agreement. Kazan's life outside the movie set is equally noteworthy, and this film utilizes various interviews to illustrate his controversial appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee in the '50s. Elia Kazan is one of America's most respected directors, and this video provides a unique glimpse into the life of a man who has left a lasting mark on the worlds of both cinema and theatre. ~ Dan Macintosh, Rovi
A Happy Mother's Day

1963

A Happy Mother's Day

1963
5.5
A cinéma vérité documentary observing the Fischer family of Aberdeen, South Dakota, following the 1963 birth of the first surviving American quintuplets. Filmed shortly after the event, the film contrasts civic promotion, media attention, and commercial interest with the private fatigue and quiet suffering of Mrs. Fischer, revealing the tensions between spectacle and family life.